Here, trainer Cody Crow helps you understand how horses learn that they can break gait if they choose—and why riders fall into the trap of constant pedaling. He’ll help you teach your horse to lope and keep loping until another cue is given. He also provides tips to help you sit back and drive your horse into the lope.

No Nagging

“If you constantly nag a child about cleaning their room but there’s no follow-through or consequence, they’ll soon learn they don’t have to clean their room,” says Crow. “It’s the same way for the horse. If you kiss to the horse and he doesn’t step into and stay in the lope, there must be a follow-through. If there isn’t a follow-through, you’re effectively training your horse to ignore you. He’ll take you up on the chance to ignore you if allowed. The horse may break down into the trot or just get hollow. Most horses will only work as hard as you ask them to. Make sure you’re following up.”

In the show pen, the judge wants to see a horse that is willingly guided. The horse should step into a transition with fluidity and a willing demeanor. Crow says that your horse’s willingness to lope freely will affect your performance scores for several transitions and maneuvers.

“If you see a rider who’s having to beg the horse to go forward, it’s not a very pretty picture,” Crow says. “Maybe a judge won’t minus all of the maneuvers, but he certainly isn’t going to plus the maneuvers. If a rider is having a discussion with the horse about just staying in the lope, there’s no chance she could have shown an extended lope. Then she won’t be able to show a transition to a collected lope. Also, if you’re begging your horse to stay in the lope, he can’t have the balance to show a good transition from the lope to the trot.”

Making the Change

“Horses that need to be pedaled all the time may never have been taught to move forward freely,” says Crow. “Horses can get dull and lazy when the rider allows that behavior. If a rider is timid or isn’t clear with the horse, it’s easy for him to just stop.”

Crow says he helps horses break the pedaling cycle by showing them that they can move out freely. He’ll ask the horse to lope and boost the speed to show the horse he can move out and will be expected to move at the speed requested.

First, Crow teaches the horse that there will be an audible cue before any follow through or consequence. He makes a kissing sound to ask for the lope, then uses his leg pressure to reinforce the sound. Once he’s loping, he kisses again to ask for more speed.

“The sound will be followed by my leg cues—with a little more outside leg cue to keep the horse moving forward,” he says. “When the horse learns a verbal cue before the leg cue, he learns that he needs to move on. The verbal cue was the ask, and the leg cue was the tell. If the horse still doesn’t respond, I’ll bump with my leg, but I won’t continue to bump. If I were to constantly bump, I’d desensitize the horse to my leg.”

If a horse has been ridden with constant leg cues, Crow suggests the rider carry a short crop.

“I teach riders to use a verbal cue first, then their legs, then a tap on the hindquarters (at the hip) will be a new cue that the horse isn’t desensitized to,” says Crow. “We aren’t talking about hitting the horse hard at all, just providing a new feeling and something the horse isn’t desensitized to. Usually it only takes one or two taps for the horse to understand that he should move off of the kiss sound and not wait for other aids.”

Loping Position

If you have to canter, push, canter, push on a horse to prevent him from breaking gait, you may have developed a habit you’ll need to break.

Crow says to make sure you’re sitting on your hips and using your legs. If you’ve become accustomed to begging the horse to go, you may have learned to lean forward to encourage him. This position actually moves your legs away from the horse. You don’t have the ability to use your leg aids as well as if you can sit back, drive and push the horse forward from your seat. Think of driving instead of leaning forward and taking the horse with you.

Riding a different horse can help you feel what you were doing and allow you to sit up and change your posture.

“Sometimes it’s helpful to get on a horse that will keep the lope so you can feel what it’s like to just ride,” advises Crow. “Many times, riders who have learned to bump every stride will lean forward so their legs aren’t in the place to drive. It’s important to learn to sit back and allow your legs to open and drive the horse with a long, relaxed leg.”

This article about breaking gait at the lope appeared in the March 2023 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

The post Keep Loping: Prevent Breaking Gait at the Lope appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.

How can you get a perfect canter transition each time you ask? Here’s how to make sure your horse is ready to canter and to cue for the canter in a relaxed way. Plus, learn how to handle your horse if he decides to act out instead of quickening his pace.

Why Does My Horse Buck at the Canter?

If your horse is bucking or simply refuses when you cue for the canter, it’s important to rule out physical pain or discomfort before correcting the horse. Have a veterinarian check out your horse and ask a pro to check saddle fit.

Is your horse raising his head or fighting you in the transition? Ask a friend or instructor watch you to make sure that you’re not accidentally pulling on the reins at the same time you’re asking for the canter. If your horse feels a tug as soon as he takes the first big canter stride, he might get confused.

The Lope Cue

Plan ahead to make sure that you pick the perfect spot in the arena for your transition. Ask for the canter just after a turn to the long side of the arena, so you have ample space to move forward. Make your cue soft and relaxed and only use the pressure necessary to boost your horse into the canter. Take a few big breaths to help you relax and sit deeply in the saddle. Then apply these aids in order and in slow motion:

1. Slide your outside leg back and apply pressure to your horse’s side.
2. Lift your inside hand slightly.
3. Push lightly forward with your seat, moving in the canter motion. At the same time, many people also like to make a kissing sound or say “canter” for a verbal cue.

Throughout the process, leave the reins loose. Continue at the canter until the horse relaxes and moves ahead without your constant pushing. Only stop when your horse is cantering well—and the decision to slow down is yours.

Troubleshooting the Canter Cue

A horse that refuses to move into the canter or a horse that bucks needs to be pushed to move forward.

Often, riders who have a problem with the canter transition stop to regroup. That pause, no matter how short, is a reward for your horse.

Only use the pressure necessary to move the horse forward. If your horse throws a “temper tantrum” (buck or kick), ignore it and calmly and confidently ask him to move forward. He must work harder, to show him that his bucking fit wasn’t the right answer.

Move your hands forward toward his ears to show him that forward is the correct direction and add leg pressure gradually until he moves on.

Once you feel your horse’s back relax, allow him to slow down to a slower canter before resting.

If your forward cues cause your horse to trot faster and faster, it’s time for greater reinforcement. Reprimanding him verbally may do the trick.

Still no canter? With an instructor’s help, you may need to learn to tap your horse with the reins or carry a crop. Keep in mind that crops aren’t meant to cause pain or to be mean.

Tapping a horse once on the shoulder to correct his disobedience is much better than continually kicking him when he won’t move on to the canter. One kind-but-firm correction may be all that’s ever needed to remind a well-trained horse that he is to move at the speed requested until another cue is given.

Remember, most horses want to be good. Praise your horse when he correctly steps into the canter and you will be a pro at your transitions in no time!

This article originally appeared in the November/December 2017 issue of Young Rider magazine. Click here to subscribe!

The post Western Lesson: Cue the Lope, Cut the Drama appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.