Re: Re: RC: Trotting on command

["ahrides" <ahrides@gateway.net>]

I've found that exaggerating your up and down body motion while looking
forward (never at the horse) helps to convince your horse that you mean to
trot and that he should do a trot also.  If your horse has no reaction to
the whip touching his hindquarters as your trot beside him, I'd say he is
not sufficiently feeling the whip!  (I'm not advocating beating the horse,
but he has to be convinced that this is serious stuff and that he cannot
ignore the request to move it.)  Be sure you are looking forward and that
you are not in front of the horse.  Keep his head slightly in front of you,
so you are trotting beside his neck.  Do not look at the horse!  Say TROT
and begin to trot slowly but with exaggerated up and down motion.  Flick him
with the whip on the butt and he should move with you.  Don't give up until
the horse trots.  Do not drag on his head or jerk the lead rope--leave it
slack.

It might be necessary to get a helper to trot behind you and touch the
horse's hindquarters with the whip if you are unable to trot forward while
simultaneously flicking him on the butt.

Also, if you will teach him to longe at a trot, you can then enlarge your
circle (not the horse's), beginning to trot beside him and moving gradually
closer to him until he is trotting beside you.

Good trotting!

Alice in NW FL
-----Original Message-----
From: CMKSAGEHIL@aol.com <CMKSAGEHIL@aol.com>
To: levinson1@juno.com <levinson1@juno.com>; Ridecamp@endurance.net
<Ridecamp@endurance.net>; trailriding@cwa.com <trailriding@cwa.com>
Date: Thursday, October 28, 1999 12:28 PM
Subject: CTR: Re: RC: Trotting on command


>In a message dated 10/28/99 11:10:16 AM Pacific Daylight Time,
>levinson1@juno.com writes:
>
><< HOW do you make, request, convince your horse to trot beside you?  I've
> tried using a dressage whip in my left hand to tap her on the hip behind
> me as we go, but get NO response at all. >>
>
>It's hard to explain this without a hands-on demo, as a lot has to do with
>your own body language, positioning, timing, etc.  You have to be careful
>that you use the whip as the extension of your arm to "bite" her in the
butt
>but without having your body language saying "stop."  You must be pointed
>forward yourself, with your mind forward, and your "signals" going forward.
>If you have difficulty with this, try lunging to begin with, and if need
be,
>get some John Lyons or similar instruction about how your body position
>signals to the horse.
>
>As to being gaited--most of us are used to it, but it doesn't hurt to
mention
>it at vet in, either.
>
>Heidi
>
>


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