When to ask for a stop

This go I would like to answer (in part) an e-mail question from a lady in England. I'm proud to report our American Quarter Horses are growing in popularity there in addition to our Western and versatility disciplines.

I will address the stop. There's a little something in the answer for everyone.

Hi Pat,

I mentioned that I found your explanation of the footfalls useful--not just to understand the footfall, but to then understand how it can help me in different maneuvers. For example, exactly when do I ask for the flying change? Also, when I do a rundown ahead of a roll back--because of the lack of sliding surfaces in the UK, we have to ask the horse to do a stop and yet not a stop to slide. This means that most of the time I either get bumped out of the saddle--or I end up letting the horse jog out of the lope before stopping. This is not what the judge is looking for. If I can understand when to ask for the stop, I can learn to sit deep in the saddle and not be bounced out. And the rollback itself, knowing where the feet are will help with a correct rollback and not a hop around.

Kind regards,

Tricia

First I feel a person needs to get a grip on how the feet are hitting the ground at the 3 beat lope and 4 beat gallop in order to properly ask for a stop. (See the Footfall Lope diagram.) The easiest way for me to look at this is to divide the horse in half. I have an individual set of legs in the rear half and an individual set of legs in the front half. Each set has a leading leg and a trailing leg. To grasp this a person will have to study the numbered steps on the diagram. To expand on the individual steps, if the horse is in the left lead the first foot to hit the ground is the right rear. Next to strike the ground is the left rear and right front together. Then finally the leading left front. The next piece of the 3 beat lope is suspension where all four feet are off the ground gathering up to make the next stride. (See photos 1st, 2nd, 3rd beat and suspension.)

Keep in mind when you gain enough speed to make a rundown your horse will change from a 3 beat lope to a 4 beat gallop and the diagonal of the left rear and right front will separate and become two separate beats instead of one. So in the rundown /gallop the footfall in the left lead would be: right rear, left rear, right front, left front, suspension.

1st beat of lope 2nd beat of lope 3rd beat of lope Suspension Sliding stop

Timing is the key. You have to be in time with the horse's movement as a whole and know where the feet are at in order to help for a nice stop. Otherwise the horse will start to scotch up on the front end or transit down into a trot before as Tricia has described.

Does hard ground cause some of this? Yes it does. Self preservation of the horse takes over to protect itself. Matter of fact you can stifle a horse pretty quick like in hard ground and out of time stops.

To find timing exaggerate moving your hand and seat in time with the downward movement of the horses head. As its head goes down so should your hand. Otherwise you will send unintended bumping (stopping) signals to the horse. As you gain more timing and balance you will find that a forward hand up the horses neck, a forward seat, and active leg will mean speed to the horse, a hand down by the saddle horn, lower seat, and less leg activity will mean slow down.

To teach the stop consider the lead your horse is in and the proper rear foot to cue. If my horse is in the left lead following is how I would aid my horse to stop. I want to cue my horse in suspension to properly aid my horse before the rear feet hit the ground for the next stride. In order to time this request I have to be a split second ahead of my horses movement. As my horses head travels down for the last beat of the gate, before suspension I say, "Whoa," sit down in my seat, support my horse with a soft feel from my left hand, make a pull and slack with my right hand. I continue to hold onto the reins in order to keep my horses rear in the dirt until my stop is complete. Then, I totally release all cues and pressure and I set and visit a while with my horse and let him know stopping was a good thing and a good place to be. (See photo sliding stop.)

Tip: When in the left lead, my left hand asks the horse to break at the poll, raising its loins up in order to allow the rear feet to move deep under the mid section. I use my right rein to ask the trailing right rear leg to come up and stop next to the leading left rear leg. My lowered seat also suggest to the hips to stop forward movement. My legs are my horses legs, the stopped movement of my active right leg suggest stop, and my left leg supports and helps keep my horse straight between my legs.

By visiting with my horse, it lets him air up and know stopping was a good thing not work. Have your horse a little tired and wanting to stop before asking it to stop.

Hope this helps. Until next time I hope the Good Lord blesses you, your family, and your livestock.

"There's one bit that works on all horses, a bit of knowledge."

God bless, Pat

Pat Hooks is a day working cowboy from Texhoma, Okla. Hooks has taught clinics at national horse expo's and private ranches since 1989, and writes how-to articles for various national magazines, websites and is a published author. For more information on his books, DVD's, and clinics please go to www.hookshorseranch.com or call 580-423-7482.

Date: 10/05/09