HORSIN' AROUND WITH VAN HARGIS
"Forward Movement and
Three Steps to Stopping"

Today we're going to cover something pretty important. We all want to get on our horses, and we all want to ride off, so let's discuss forward movement and the Three Steps to Stopping. In Western riding, forward movement is basically three gaits: walk, trot, and canter or lope.

You always want to be in control of your animal at any gait. You want his gait to be soft as you walk him off, and you want him to move at whatever pace you set. When your horse walks off, make sure he walks off under control Š and by control, I mean his nose stays between his shoulders. So his walk is at a nice, relaxed pace, you want to remain in control at all times.

A trot is a two-beat gate. I recommend people learn to ride a trot because it is the hardest gait to ride. It can be bumpy if not under control, but it can also be pretty nice. When you ask your horse to trot, you're going to squeeze your legs, keep him soft on his nose, and again, keep him under control. As the horse begins to trot, you want to rock back and forth in the saddle with the rhythm of the saddle. Rhythm is really important because it determines whether or not you can stay riding in the saddle without bouncing too much, and whether you have a pleasurable ride or an unpleasant ride.

A canter or lope is a three-beat gate, just a little faster than a trot. Again, squeeze the horse into the lope with your legs. No need to push him into the lope; just squeeze him into it. Once again, you're making sure you're in control of the horse by making sure his nose stays between his shoulders. The lope has a three-beat rhythm.

The reason riding with the two- and four-beat rhythm of the trot and the three-beat rhythm of the lope is so important is that we also use the rhythm to train the horse to stop. As you're riding with the rhythm of the horse, you'll eventually need to stop. When you get ready to stop, you want to do three things: quit riding, help the horse by saying, "Whoa," and lastly, pick up on your hands until your horse feels pressure on the bit.

Again: stop your rhythm, say the word, "Whoa," and pull back lightly on the reins. The most important thing is once the horse stops, make sure you drop the pressure on his face so he understands that stopping was the right thing to do.