Western pleasure problems!!!?

Question

i have a quarter horse that i am teaching to do western pleasure. she is very pretty, and built for it. she is however incredibly smart. she plays dumb, and used to get away with a lot. now that i am catching on, i wont let her get away with as much, but the stubborn-ness is still there. she refuses to lope, won't flex at the poll, and doesn't want to slow from a trot to a jog! i was planning to show her this year, but i have kind of given up on the idea. my show is on Aug 6, and if anyone has a pointer that could point us back on track, there might still be hope.

Answer 1

My QH mare is now 21 years old.  I have had her her entire life.  When she was younger, she would do the same thing.  She is a Doc Bar horse, very smart, but also very stubborn.  You will really have to use your hips and your seat to slow her down.  Horses respond more to the pressure from your thighs and seat, rather than the bit.  If she won't slow down, lighty pull back on the reins, and really dig into the saddle to the rythym and speed she should be at.  Even when you are loping, you can control the speed of the horse by the pressure of your thighs and speed of your hips in the saddle.

Also, you need to do a lot of lunging and arena work.  Everytime she does even the little-ist thing correct, over praise her.  I mean everything.  But, when she does something wrong, don't hit her, simply pull her in a circle.  Horses hate that.  She will catch on in time-- believe me this will work.

Answer 2

keep on it, get spurs and show her u mean busness, if u give her the chance to outsmart u she will and u ll end up on ur butt as shes walking away

Answer 3

i taught my pleasure horse to lope and jog on draw reins and a training fork.  use one of these for about half of your training time and then go without for the rest of the time.  the trick is ask and release.  as soon as your horse starts bending and slowing release. keep repeating this.  do alot of work in the round pen.  when you're using draw reins you'll need an 'O' ring snaffle.  with a training fork you can use a snaffle but a shanked bit works best.

Answer 4

okay...let's see. Get the walk PERFECT first.  Slow, head down,  stop, back.  walk....stop back.  Until you get the soft relaxed walk you are looking for.  Then ask for the trot...if she's too fast. stop...back...ask for the trot...too fast....stop...back.  Ride with two hands. low (close to your knees).  If her head starts to come up...bump bump bump, until she drops the head...then STOP bumping (reward)..if the head starts to rise...bump bump bump.  This takes months of practice.  Once you get a soft walk and trot...then start flexing at the poll, trotting a reverse arc, moving the hip over....Hold tight on the front and cue the hip around 360 degrees...then switch directions...advance slowing...reward anything. don't try too much too soon.  advance slowing, build on what she has learned.  Good luck...be patient and persistant

Answer 5

You would be better off getting your horse to be soft through the shoulder than just to flex at the poll. You'd want them to drop their head and come down onto the bit.... I don't know too much about getting them into the lope, as I'm just working on walk/jog right now (I've switched from an english hunter/jumper rider to a western pleasure rider, with natural horsemanship methods).

My suggestion for getting your horse to drop from a trot to a jog is to sit back deep, so that you're putting weight down onto their hip ("slowing the hip"), with your legs slightly forward towards their shoulder (kinda like you see some reiners when the slide to a stop, but not as exageratted), and until your horse figures out that this means slow down, use a bit of rein, until you get the slow, soft jog you are looking for. Doesn't work with every horse, but works with the horses I ride.  Try looking up some of John and Josh Lyon's techniques for giving to the bit and such for any clarification :)