Horse wont stop! Should I try a different bit?

Question

My horse will not stop! I can pull hard and say woah and I try pulling to one side to get him off balance but he still wont stop.I flex him before I ride and make sure his neck can reach back and touch my knee and i walk him and stop this way but when i canter or gallop he wont stop no matter what i do.Do I need to try a different bit.I have a Eggbutt Mullen and a D ring Snaffle.He listens very well to everything else and when I lunge him he listens but when someone is riding him there's no stopping him.He is worked with every day.He is 16 years old and the previous owner did not have this problem with him.Its not a problem with his teeth.They are checked regularly.

Answer 1

Well this is what i would do if he takes off pull him in a circle and make him trot in a very small circle make it harder for him to to take off then to whoa. Make him work hard it may take a while but it works i will soon realize that it is easier to listen then to take off.

Answer 2

Good that you are flexing! I totally believe in that. I also believe if a horse doesn't wan't to stop then he won't. If the one rein doesn't work, take up more rein. I once grabbed the bit its selfwith 2 hands and I took the horse down with me. The next time she ran I could turn her on a loose rein.

Answer 3

The bit is not the brakes.  You need to get some instruction from an instructor who understands that the seat is what stops a horse.  Weight and seat cues are what should be taught in order to slow and whoa a horse.  The bit is an aid that, when used properly, is almost never engaged.  It isn't fair to criticize you if no one trained you properly on this.  You are not alone, by far.

Since the previous owner did not have this problem, I would contact him/her to find out what cues the horse is trained to respond to for stopping.  Usually, leaving the mouth alone and working on your seat is what is needed to solve such a problem.

Add...if you have access to one, find a dressage trainer, preferably advanced level, to work with you on using your seat and leg cues.  Your horse doesn't need chains and more nonsense.  He doesn't need endless running in circles on a longeline.  He needs you to learn to use the right cues, and how to repond to them.  I would ride him on a full cheek snaffle bit, and do tons of lateral work....leg yields, pivots, sidepass, etc.  Leg him up, sit deep, and leave his mouth alone.  relax the reins and let him learn to move.  Dig your seat into him so he drops his quarters and reaches with his hind legs.  When he lifts his forehand, you will feel like you are riding uphill.  Then start vibrating a rein to bring him onto the bit, and sit deep and lean back....against his forward movement.  Leg him, but slow him with your seat, and keep him on the bit with your rein cues.  You'll be amazed at how much control you have when you start to really ride him between your aids.  This is what a dressage trainer will teach you.

Answer 4

Heres a trick.

Find a good, safe spot, and make him keep running, everytime he tries to stop, make him keep going, do that for a little while till you are good and done and ask him to stop. the trick there is "Yes, you can run, but only if I say so"

EDIT::  I have found that changing to a firmer bit doesn't aklways help, it made my horse start star gazing to avoid contact with the bit.

Answer 5

Like it has been said before useing a harsher bit may not work and fix your problems though it may help.  IMy horse will not listen in alot of snaffles, ive tried many with her, the bit my trainer suggested to me was a sweet iron shank bit (picture bellow). it give you more control. Though it wont fix your problems it could help. also make sure your sitting in your seat and leaning back slightly. Ive had the same problem with my mare and I fixed it, so if you jsut keep working with the horse hopefully you will eventualy fix your problem as well. Good Luck.

http://www.tackroominc.com/images/MylerH...

Answer 6

if you get a harsher bit, the horse will get used to it, and then you'll need a harsher one, and it just keeps going until your horses mouth gets so hard that it's unridable. i hate changing bits

the best thing to do is use one of the tricks already listed, i personally like the first one

Answer 7

The strongest bit in the world won't stop a horse who doesn't want to stop.  And will only create more, worse,  problems when used with bad hands.  That said, sometimes a horse will be happier with a different bit.  What bit was the previous owner using?  It sounds like you're doing something to send him off.  If you're getting nervous, he'll feel that, and probably run off.  Once he throws his head up (is he throwing his head up or grabbing the bit in his teeth with his head down), it's tough because he's now hollowed his back and will run from the discomfort. The "one rein stop", as anyone who's actually ridden a lot of horses knows, does not always work.  All the flexing you're doing is ok, but, as you've found out, means nothing to him when he's bolting off.  

The poster who suggested running him out didn't mention that 1.) you have to have a very safe area to do this and 2.) if the horse isn't super fit, you can KILL a horse doing this, as certain type horses will run until they blow a tendon or their heart explodes.  Running out a horse is a last ditch attempt to fix a horse when all else has failed, and really a pretty bad idea.  

Have you checked the saddle fit?

From what you've said, it sounds like you might want a really experienced person to come out and ride him, then help you with the problem.  To describe the process here would take too long, but in a nutshell,  it starts with evaluating your hands, which, all physical problems being dismissed, are the source of the problem.  That and your balance.  Don't be discouraged or insulted - we all started somewhere, and this type of horse will make you a better rider if you're willing to learn from somone who's been there.  Don't wait too long, or this will become a nasty habit to fix.

Answer 8

you need to get into a little bit harsher bit JUST until this problem is resloved... also try a martingale too.

Answer 9

before switching bits maybe you could try what I did, start at a walk and ask for the stop and as soon as he stops back a few steps and once he gets good at a walk go up to a trot, ask for the stop & back until he gets really good at stopping at the trot, then try it at a canter.

it also helps to tighten and loosen the reins, just open and close your hands a little,  it should help keep him from pulling against you so much it also seems to get them to focus on you.

hope this helps

Answer 10

People do need to stop being rude. She is asking if she should get a harder bit, she hasn't done it yet. She was just checking, and now she knows that it probably won't help. Just calm down.

Anyways....to answer your question, you should see what you do differently from the previous owners. It could be the tack, the bridle, or even your attitude, when you ride. Make sure you are confident and sure of yourself. He will be able to feel it.

I don't think pulling him off balance is a good idea. I like the first method that was suggested. The one where you keep him running....it's worth a try. And if that doesn't work, you should email a trainer and see what they say.

For the time being (since you still need to keep riding him) if he takes off, make sure you sit deep, stop the movement of your seat, and put him on a small circle (make sure you stand heavy in your outside stirrup, so he doesn't get unbalanced and trip or fall) and just keep spinning in tight circles untill he goes to a trot. Either finish your lesson/ride or if you are done then keep him trotting around, don't let him stop totally. You don't want him thinking that every time he takes off, he can stop. So trot him around a bit, so he doesn't think he can stop when he misbehaves, then let him walk.

I hope this helps a little bit. I know when a horse takes off it can be a bit scary, but im sure everything will work out for you guys! GOOD LUCK!

Answer 11

well you know what my mom tells me is to try one rein stops its when you teach them to flex and pull the reins to one side i would look it up or watch horse videos talk to a trainer  

Answer 12

for a horse to stop they have to have balance so i wouldnt try pulling him off balance to get him to stop it just makes it extremely difficult for him .. and since you already have the problem i would just stay in a ring and then do manyyy transitions from walk to halt from trot to walk from canter to trot from canter to walk.. and i always found that with my jumper who is always eager to go it is easier to ask for one gait down at a time it kind of slows them down with warning and they get bettr and better.. you could use a stronger bit but i would try this first cause it may just be him thinking he can take advantage of you be firm and be sure in every transition keep a light contact with your leg, it helps alot..

good luck :)

Answer 13

I'm going to be honest here. I am so sick of people asking if they should just get a harsher bit because their horse stopped listening to them. Not stopping is not cause by the horse - it's caused by the humans, who let them think that it's OK because they can't do anything about it.

Here's what I would do:

A lot of people don't teach their horses well enough that Whoah means Whoah. This starts on the ground. Whoah means stop, not go from a trot to a walk or a canter to a trot. So what I would do, is take your horse out on the ground with a chain and lead him around. Stop and say Whoah. If he doesn't stop the minute you say whoah, give him a very quick short snap. Then move on like nothing happened. Work on this until you say whoah and he stops on a dime with no pressure on the lead. Then work on it on the lunge so he knows the words walk, trot, canter, and whoah, whoah only being used for direct halts. When you are riding him, starting at the walk practice going down to a halt. Then work on trot to halt and so on. If he doesn't halt do a firm quick one rein stop. For this you literally have to reach up and grab the rein close-ish to the bit and pull him around. If you do this firmly and quick enough, he won't be able to go forward.

A new bit is a quick fix. Your horse will soon get used to that bit and stop responding.

Good luck, wear a helmet and if it gets to much for you to deal with, get the help of a trainer.

Coaching might also be a big help.

I hope this helps :)

Answer 14

there are several ways of getting your horse to whoa but most is the proper training of the rider.the bit is only a signaling device that horses are trained to use but every rider is different,when i train a horse the first thing i teach it is how to stop and it is not done with a bit,if i have a pushy horse that doesn't want to stop i use a bosal and mecate,if they push thru that i will use an old method of corner stopping a horse until they learn my "whoa" cues in a square pen.go back to the basics to teach him to stop.

Answer 15

Hmm, I would check to make sure that all of your tack fits properly- perhaps the saddle is pinching him at some point??

The first answerer posted a trick that I have seen used and has worked very well.

Changing the bit may not solve all your problems, so make sure everything that could possibly be bugging him is checked out.

Good luck=]

Answer 16

the brakes aren't all in the bit, although a slightly stronger bit could do you some good. I'm guessing you ride english being that you said you canter. Is he throwing his head in the air when you try to halt him? If he is, i would throw a running martingale on him, and let him fight the martingale instead of your hands. Turn him in small tight little circles until he slows down. A good exercise for this is doing small circles up the sides of the arena, I do this with my horses when they get excited and try to run through my hands. It gets them listening to you, rather than paying attention to speed. Also, just pulling on him constantly is not going to do anything. You need to give and take with him. Do strong half halts with him, pull and hold him for a few seconds, then release. Continue this and he will slow down. Also, i wouldn't let him get so fast that you cant stop him. work on a circle consitantly, just keeping working on a 20m circle. Make sure he is working on the big the whole ride, flexing at the pole, bending down and bending around your leg. Make him listen. Try a couple different bits with him like a jointed kimberwicke, a slow twist snaffle, or something with a small amount of leverage action, nothing like a 3 ring elevator. Just make him listen to you. good luck