Hello all,

I am new and I just came in from riding, so this is really fresh in my mind, and I wonder if anyone can help.

I have a 5 yr old mare, I have owned her since she was 2, she has had professional training, blah, blah, blah....Anyway, she and I had a bad accident about 2 years ago (she slipped on the trail and I went over her head, and received a type III shoulder seperation that required surgery).  As you can imagine, after I recouperated, I had real fear issues to deal with.  Well, to make a looooonnnnggggg story short, I did work through those issues with the help of a wonderful trainer, and for the last 6 months we have been loping up a storm around the arena and each time we do it my confidence goes up one more level.

Well, with that in mind, I rode on Saturday night, and we lounged, and I warmed her up at the walk and trot, and just like before I asked for a lope, and she just trotted really fast and then turned into the circle, I kicked, but to no avail.

I have just started riding one handed with a bob avila correctional (remember, she is 5, and broke), so I havent mastered the skill of slapping her with the reins to keep her going, but when she does finally go, I keep her moving, and she will go maybe one time around, and then cut into the circle again!

The reason I am so frustrated is because this is what she used to do when I first started riding her and I was learning the lope, but we have had several good months of loping bliss, and now all of the sudden she is pulling this again.

Any suggestions?  She did it again tonight, and I am just beyond frustrated and confused.

Thanks,

Hollyand Ginger

Hi Holly!

Gingers mom:

but when she does finally go, I keep her moving, and she will go maybe one time around, and then cut into the circle again!

Sounds like your mare has figured out how to get away with putting forth the effort required to lope.  You said you keep her moving, but yet she still stopped, so whatever you're doing to keep her moving is not enough. 

Is this the first chance, or one of the first chances, you've had to work with her on your own without your trainer outside of the arena?  How exactly are you asking for the lope and what are you doing to (try) to keep her moving?  You shouldn't have to ride like the Pony Express whipping her with the Over and Under just to maintain a lope, but yet everytime she gets away with breaking her gait on her own reinforces that unwanted behaviour, so if you ask and she ignores you, a stronger request like a slap with the ends of the reins should let her know you're serious.

I suggest possibly getting back with your previous trainer and get some help with learning how to use the reins if that's what your trainer thinks is in order.  You might also ask your trainer to watch or video you and see if there is something you're doing to cause the lope to be so undesirable for her.  Good luck and let us know what happens!

Thank you so much for your response.  I actually have been riding her without my trainer for a while now, we worked on my fear issues with loping, and I have been having a blast riding all these months!

You are so right, my Ginger is notorious for being "lazy", and she did get away with a lot in the beginning of our relationship because I didn't have the confidence to make her do what I want, but now, I feel I totally have the confidence, but the whole holding the reins with one hand and bring it around to smack her one, all the while moving like I'm on a washboard thing, is proving to be a challenge, last night she even got out a buck, I couln't accept that so I made her do small circles, and then tried it again, not stopping all the while.

Maybe I am subconciencly showing a hesitation when she pulls this and she is picking up on that.  Like I said earlier, I'm just suprised because she had been doing so well for a while now, and my confidence was sky high (it still is, other than being frustrated).

I do pick up her shoulder when she tries to cut short at the trot, but when she does go which before these last two times, she doesn't cut the circle short, or if she did just a bit, I would lift that shoulder and push her back out.  Now she wont go long enough for me to even pick that shoulder up!

I know I need to remember to have fun, but every success I have had with her, because we had such a rocky start, is pure elation!

Thank you so much for your kind words.

Do you think it could be trying to ride one handed at the walk and trot, and then going to 2 handed at the lope.  I didn't want to lope one handed til I was totally sure I had control at the walk and trot?

Thank you!  I will try and use a crop and see how that works.

I think I will give it a rest for a couple of days and start fresh when I am a little less frustrated, do you think that sounds ok?

Hello there!

Just a quick update on my "situation" with my mare Ginger.

I rode her Friday night, and I was all ready to use a crop if she acted up.  After warming up, I decided to just do everything one handed...so I started doing a line down the center of the arena, turning around, and kissing her into a lope right away going the other direction, and so on,  Well she started out a little reluctant, but the crop helped her decide to keep going, and when she was doing that ok, wanting to keep a little variety, I did a couple of spins, which she did beautifully I might add, and then stop out of the turn, and then lope her off in a circle. Well low and behold it worked!  I ditched the crop at this point, and one handed loped her off in a circle, and when she did a complete circle at the lope from beginning to end, I stopped her, praised her and got off.  It took us about 1 1/2 to get to that point.  I even had a couple of boarders who know my frustration, watching me, and on of the boarders daughters who is a pretty good little rider, say, "Wow, I wish my horse could spin like that"!

My hope is now, when I ride her next we have another positive experience, and we will work both directions.

I just wonder if I was inadvertantly applying to much pressure with my new bit, and two hands, because it felt as if she was very comfortable, and relaxed at the one handed lope.

Holly 

 Your problem was that you were giving your mare indirect cues with your body and reins.  You were asking her to lope with your legs/body, but by changing your reins up (and i'm sure feeling a little nervous) you were applying pressure to her mouth which was asking her to stop or slow down at the same time.  If you are having a little trouble with "feel" riding in the correction bit you should transition back to a shank snaffle, billy allen, or low port.  A correctional bit has a lot more action from a lot less action on your part if you get what I mean.  She will feel the slightest changes in your reins in a correctional bit where as a snaffle mouth, billy allen, etc. will be more forgiving.

Be careful when riding such a young horse with that much bit if you don't have a lot of experience riding horses in the "bridle"