Does anyone have any tips for showmanship stops?

Bailey

When I taught my gelding showmanship and he was amazing at it, the stops are a little tricky. Everytime you stop back him up hard if he doesnt stop with you. If it's an ok stop back up still. If he gets a stop to the point you like it reward it. It wont be perfect at first so dont expect it to be. The slightest try to stop with you is what you want. Also do not say woah before you stop. Woah means stop now! When you say it make sure your horse stops. Start this at a walk then work up to a trot. But make sure when he does get a good stop go on and do something else then go back to it. If you try this way let me know how it works for you! Good luck!

g

Use slight pressure on the reins or lead

Anonymous

jjj

Judy and the Beast

Lots of flexing side to side will develop softness in his mouth. Look up the hot potato give. Ask him to give using very slight ask, wait for him to give, and drop the rein in a reward. Train him to stop from your seat. Exhale, next step. Have your seat ride the halt next step, gently pickup the rein in a stop request next step, and then do a one-rein stop the last step. Soon he will learn that the seat stop cue means stop and the exhale is his precue to stop. My horses all stop when I exhale a certain way now. This sounds like it requires a lot of training but it really does not. You can do it in just a few sessions. Remember when you stop to let your horse alone in the stop with no pressure or need to do anything as his reward. Stop and dwell. Soon he will look for your slight ask of the stop because he gets a break when he does.... That's how I teach it. Hope it works for you.

john

Why should he? What have you done to convince him he needs to work hard for you other than bribing him with food? First thing I learned about people holding large stock nowadays is you don't give a rats *** about the livestock. You see cash and you get cash from the armies to keep them. He won't work for you and you can't make him through your 'big' project' army bullying tactics. So, what have you done to sucker that poor animal into thinking you care about it? Obviously not enough since he's still smart enough to know the diff.

Snezzy

Teach him ground driving, where you start out using long lines to a snaffle bit and also have two handlers with lead lines, one to each side. Best to have winkers or a racing hood so he cannot see and anticipate. Work that way until you have perfection. Going from ground halt to in-saddle halt should be easy. Then shift to getting a halt from seat alone. Alternatively, ride no-reins, no-irons on the longe until he works perfectly off your seat and leg alone. The SRS uses that method.

partly cloudy

Friesian handlers use their hands to block forward movement and guide the horse. It may help you while you are smoothing out your performance. https://youtu.be/dB7X8z2_WCU ps. I thought you meant in hand lol