stops and turns...HELP!

[Ruby Rider]

Ok My dad and i just filled our round pen with sand and we build a sand run [12ft x like 180-200ft] its about a half a foot of sand on the run and it has boxed fences on each side. we built it for training in our reining program.

I just tried it out with ruby today [i worked her in the sand round pen all week so her muscles wouldn't ache] i walked and trotted her in the sand run and then i decided to work on my slides, rollbacks, lead changes and transitions. ruby did good on the lead changes, and transitions. but the problem i had was the stops and rollbacks.

Stopping problems- Ruby weaves before she tries to stop, or she will pound on her front end to stop [hopping with her front] Anyone have tips on how to get her to slide on her hawks from a canter or trot? i had her doing that a few times but when i tried again [after praising her] she would act up again

what i am doing when i try to stop her- I will canter her from the other side of the run and canter her with loose reins. when i get about 10 feet from the fence i sit deep in my seat let out all my air put my heels down and as i let out all my air i say whoa. I pick up the reins, when she gives i release then take back the reins... so its like canter sit deep exhale pull release pull release pull release....

Rollback problems- She will not keep her hind quarter put, she will move her front end a little bit then pivot on her front [hint hint- i want her to pivot on her hind end] how can i get her to pivot on her hind end from a stand still?

What i do-Well after stopping her and praising her i turn my head [ i look where i go and try to ride with my seat] then i put the tip of my boot in her front quarter .. the side i want her to move away from when she crosses over... i keep my other foot still


Sorry that was a lot but if anyone could help that would be great! I am working on it but any help would be awesome.. i will take pics of the and run and hopefully i will see if anyone can take pics or video what is happening if i try this stuff.. :D

[StarGirl]

Don't know how to help you for the stops, I'm not at that level yet...however...for the rollback turning on the hind end...same thing you would do on the ground for pivoting on the hind end....get her weight on her hind end! Have her ready to back, make her think she's going to back, then before she moves, you should feel her body leaning back slightly, then ask for the rollback...it's going to take a lot of time....I'm no reiner but that's what I would try....see if it works.....

[hoovesfirst]

maybe try pivoting on the rail? :confused: :o

[DixieGirl]

I watched something on rollbacks. The lady said to stop your horse a couple feet from the rail. Then you ask for them to back but the make them do a sharp small turn towards the rail. But if they don't move fast enough pop them lightly with a crop. That's the best way I can explain it.

[alliekk]

From the sounds of it, I don't think your approach to the slides is her favorite. With Shaz (yes, he does a little reining), I practice my vocal commands until he can understand my conversations, lol.

Also, when you let all of your reins out, you are letting her get sloppy. You should practice at a collected canter and ask for a stop in the middle of the arena, instead of the edge, where she feels she's going to smack the rail.

Also, with your roll backs, while it is a good idea to make her think she's going to back up, remember, everything a horse does(besides actual backing) should be done with forward movement. Work with her on the ground and get her to do haunch turns until you can both do them with your eyes closed. It's easier for a horse to learn when their teacher is guiding them through it, rather than riding. If for some reason that doesn't work and she is still refusing, then she's just being a turd and you need to get a pair of spurs on, get your heel on her shoulder and start popping her with the spurs when she doesn't move fast enough. I know it sounds harsh, but the best trained horses never went through training without a little encouragement. Now, I'm not saying to start wailing on her by all means, but don't let her think for one minute that she's going to get away with being stubborn. You're the leader and she should know that by now.

[Ruby Rider]

Thanks all of you guys! I'll try your advise out tomorrow after school orientation... then I'll write and tell you how it works out

She collects at the canter but a little higher than reighners because she has a naturally raised head..just slightly above level...

She will do the stepping over with her front end on the ground [i have to walk real fast or jog to keep up :p ] but i will try it on the ground on the sand run [where she will do the rollback... so she gets the idea]

and about the running her to the fence... i learned that you have to run them into a fence to let them get the idea of they have to stop or they will hit the barrier...but i will try in the middle of the arena or farther away from the end so she has time to think about it...

thank you again guys! :D

[alliekk]

The running into the fence thing is for less than smart horses. It's pretty sad when a horse will do anything asked, even run into a fence. Naturally, a horse would know bettern than to do it, so I wouldn't ask if you don't want to end up on the ground. I tried it a couple times, but Shaz would put his head up and start hollowing out his back and hopping around. That's when you know they are not going to do it. It's usually the horses that have their heads so low to the ground that they can't see where they're going. Those are the ones that learn to come to a screaching halt.

My advise would be to get her used to coming to a complete stop from every gate, not just the canter. Let her know that whoa means whoa, not dinking around.

Also, just so you know, reining is a very demanding sport that requires a lot of "encouragement" to get to the level that you see in the shows. You will never see a "natural" method of teaching a horse to spin until he's dizzy. There's just no possible way without getting after him with your spurs to the shoulder.

I've watched trainers work with reining prospects and I can tell you it's sad, but rewarding in the end. Casper2002 had her stallion in reining training for a couple months and I can tell you it broke our hearts to see him so miserable for the first couple of months, but then, when he started to get the hang of it, the "encouragement" started to lessen and he started to perform and look a lot better.

The training process is the hardest part of competing against the top trainers. No matter how slowly and consistently you work (with natural tecniques) I can tell you now you wont place above the ones with the rock grinding spurs.

Please don't take this the wrong way, but watching how people train for shows is completely different than watching the performance at the show. It's the "behind the scenes" that isn't so inspiring.

Take gaited horse shows, for example: you can watch a naturally gaited and trained horse at a show and he looks beautiful, but then you see the extremelly animated horse and he catches your eye even more. That horse that is so animated has 99% been sored (using inhumane tecniques).

Here's a naturally trained gaited horse: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oBMG1GqHQWk

and a sored horse: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LcTaEDGqQr8

There is NO way that second video had ANY naturally trained horses in there.