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Bonnie Anderson, author of Horse Tales & Tips
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About the Author
Bonnie Anderson has a two year degree in Horse Science, has worked at two
horse training/breeding facilities, and has had numerous articles
published while raising and training her own horses. She owned a saddle
shop for a few years and now has a book published called Horse Tales &
Tips. She is also a life time member of the Pony Express Riders of Iowa.
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Whoa Problems
by Bonnie Anderson
~ January 2001 ~
If you say whoa to your horse and he gives only half-hearted halts, slowing down a bit, thinking you dont really mean it, then its time to reevaluate what whoa means to the both of you. For instance, youre out on a pleasure ride and as you turn for home your horse speeds up. He starts walking faster, then breaks into a small jog. You immediately pull back on the reins and tell him whoa. He drops back down into a walk and your satisfied, letting him continue on. But then he breaks into a jog again and your whoa gets even less results. What went wrong? Youve lost your whoa.
Begin retraining on the ground. Start with a halter and lead, using a chain under your horses chin if you need it, and have him walk beside you, stop him repeatedly, using your voice command and a sharp tug on the lead if needed. Make him stand a minute or two, praise him with a soft pat before starting off again. If you dont have the respect of your horse on the ground then you wont have it in the saddle either. You must be consistent. Whoa means stop, every time you say it.
A horse that walks off while youre trying to mount needs his whoa refreshed as well. Jerking on the horses mouth, trying to stop him when youre only half way in the saddle is awkward to say the least. When retraining for this, leave your halter and chain lead on underneath the bridle. Pretend you are going to step into the saddle. If he moves, say whoa and tug on the lead, making him stop. When he stands patiently for this, step up into the stirrup but dont swing your leg over. If he moves, step down and say whoa, tugging on the lead. It may take a few lessons before he realizes that hes to stand still while you mount. When hes consistent with this its time to reinforce the whoa under saddle.
Its best to use a snaffle bit for this. Once mounted, walk your horse forward. Say whoa and tug on the reins. If he doesnt stop, using either the left or the right rein, turn him into a small circle using a direct rein aid. This means pulling on the left rein to put him in a left circle. Make a couple circles then straighten him out and move forward. Say whoa again and tug on the reins. If he still doesnt stop, circle him again. It may take a few times but eventually your horse will figure out that its a lot less work to stop then to do boring circles. This works well at a trot too. But at a canter, youll need plenty of room to do your circles.
Should your horse lose his whoa again in the future, you can go back to the basics and do a refresher course. This method of training your horse to stop is much better then resorting to a more severe bit. The circling really works. So what do you do when youre on your pleasure ride and youve turned your horse for home and he speeds up? Dont tell him whoa unless you want to stop. To simply slow down, give him the command to walk. If he breaks into a trot, put him right into a circle. Straighten him out at a walk and start out again. Whenever he trots, circle him. Hell decide on his own to walk. It may be a fast walk, but he now knows that if he speeds up without your consent, hell be doing those boring circles.
. A few will be chosen for each issue.
Pony Express Riders of Iowa:
Each spring the Pony Express Riders of Iowa saddle up for a special
occasion. From across Iowa they gather together the local donations from
horseback. Then in an old fashioned Pony Express ride, they ride from all
corners of the state to converge on Camp Sunnyside, a camp for the
disabled near Des Moines. The donations are used to help run the camp.
Watching the combined horsemen ride the final miles to the camp brings a
lump to ones throat for the Pony Express Riders freely give their time
and effort for such a worthy cause. For more information about them
contact the Easter Seal Society of Iowa.
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