Austin Video Productions

Whether you are a weekend trail rider or a high-level performance horse trainer, stopping, and stopping correctly, is an absolute necessity. Let’s look at some basic elements to this maneuver. There are three cues that we can use to ask for the stop. I generally use all three in concert each time I ask my horse to stop. They are body position, voice, and hands. Let’s look at each one independently. If we want our horse to have a definite transmission, or shifting of gears through the walk, trot, lope, stop, and back, then our body must also have this same transmission. We must be able to bring up the life in our body for forward momentum in our horse. And we need to be able to sit down in our saddle, to shift down to a slower gear or stop. From the very first ride I put on a colt, I use this body language. I shift my weight forward and bring up the life for forward motion. I shift my weight back and Video Production Austin TX to slow back down or stop. A pack horse learns early on that the load on his back is dead weight. If the pack leans left or right, forward or back, it has absolutely no meaning. Unfortunately that’s what a lot of saddle horses have concluded as well. We need to prove to our horse that he is not just a pack animal carrying dead weight. We must communicate our intentions with our body language. It’s no mystery how the horseman performs a bridle less riding demonstration. It comes from the consistency and clarity of the rider’s body movement and position. Don’t underestimate what your body language can do to communicate your intentions.