Hi! I want to gallop my horse for the first time in a large field at our stable and I’m worried about doing it because last time I even cantered she wouldn’t stop until she had reached the other side. It’s the only place I can do it. Do you have any suggestions? Thanks!
It sounds like you need to spend some time working on cantering safely, under control, before you consider galloping out in the open. Do you have a trainer to help you? Perhaps you could ask the trainer to give you a lesson out in the field, so you can learn how to control her in the open?
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Sorry, I should have phrased it better. We’ve been working on cantering in there and she’s doing well but I’m worried that when I gallop her there for the first time she will get out of control. And I don’t have a trainer.
You need to be able to adjust the speeds of the canter, with the use of your shoulders to seat, not pulling with your hands; and be able to circle easily and halt before you gallop.
A gallop entails a horse’s body dropping down and stiffening. It’s alot like riding an ironing board, and doesn’t bend. You and the horse both need to learn and practice control first.
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We can ajust the speeds of the canter and the rest that you said, but her last owner said that she can get out of control when at a gallop.
Your first post says “I’m worried about doing it because last time I even cantered she wouldn’t stop until she had reached the other side.”
So, how can that mean “we can adjust the speeds of the canter?”
If she won’t stop until she wants, you aren’t actually adjusting the speed of your canter.
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Sorry, I phrased that wrong. She’s good with it at a canter but I was told by her last owner that she can get out of control at the gallop
Have you galloped in an open field or across country before, on a different horse?
If you are riding a horse that you can’t stop at a canter, don’t gallop until you have control at slower gaits.
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Circles are your friend. Outdoors you should work in a circle transitioning between trot, walk and halt using your seat and your back. Once you have this down a couple of days, then you can try a few strides of canter and then back to trot again always on the circle. Practice this several days. As she understands the great outdoors is not solely for galloping flat out, you can begin to enlarge the circle and let her canter for more and more strides. At the first instance she gets strong sit up! And put her on a circle that gets smaller and smaller until she has to trot. Do not grab hold of her face as she will grab hold in return. You are not strong enough to wrestle her to a stop on a straightaway. Learn a one rein stop and how to do an emergency dismount.
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I don’t gallop (as opposed to canter) horses outdoors that I do not know well and am confident I can bring back with my seat and my back. And right now, you don’t want a visit to the ER.
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Your stable is at home, or you board at a stable with no trainer?
I understand your desire to have a good gallop, I really do :yes: however, safety is important both for you and your horse. If your horse loses its mind at a gallop, then you need an advanced rider to teach it how to calm down.
As Gray Cat Farm said, now is not the time to take risks, hospitals have enough problems.
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That is completely contradictory to your first post. No way around it.
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There is a continuum between good forward canter, hand gallop, and flat out full speed racing bomb. I did all 3 as kid, but I have not done the latter yet after 12 years back in the saddle. Last summer I did get up to big gallop on my mare finally on trails with natural ends knowing we had a whoa and no bolt at all. But it was not her fastest.
I do recall as a kid that a full speed bomb does something to the horse’s brain. They get going so fast they can’t stop. Physically or mentally. I don’t think anyone besides a jockey and a bored 15 year old need to ride that fast.
anyhow a lot depends on what you really mean by gallop. I don’t think anyone needs to go warp speed. On the other hand eventers and advanced dressage riders both do hand gallops and show jumpers do a pretty big canter as well.
I think the advice here to work in increasingly large circles and work to enlarge the canter into a hand gallop is useful. You can get a lot more impulsion out of a horse in a useful way without asking for a full scale blast.
My guess is you’d find a hand gallop or even a good forward show jumpers canter plenty fast and fun.
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I’m with @Scribbler . When I was that stupid teen, to get my horse back from a dead-out gallop in the open, I’d almost always have to do a cavalry halt, which is not something I’m proud of. Eventually, I could get him to listen with just body cues - today, I could get him to listen faster, but … I was a stupid teenager, hahaha.
Look how long it takes jockeys to get horses back at the end of the race… and those horses are tired!
Why don’t you try a hand gallop first, @LunaHorse🎠? Get a nice canter (assuming you can do that, which I’m not sure you can) going on the perimeter of the field. Then egg her on a little and see what you get. Do that for a while, then bring her back to a canter, or trot if she’s jazzed up. Next time, try for a little more.
One thing, big and bold: make sure you know the footing you’re doing this on. You can seriously hurt the horse and yourself with a stumble at speed.
ETA: and wear a helmet for cripes sake.
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I think it depends upon the horse, along with how well you know it, and how well it knows you. I had a race bred Quarter Horse when I was a kid, and she would come back from flat out, easily. We had so much fun! :yes:
Finding the best place to gallop is important as well.
If someone has warned the OP not to gallop the horse,they probably shouldn’t gallop the horse at this point in time.
I think it may be true that many of us may have a very different idea of what a “gallop” is, depending on which generation we are from .
Of course, exercise riders on the track from every generation, know the definition. I would have loved to have been one.:yes:
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I agree with what has been posted! Get full control of your horse’s canter with seat aids before you even attempt a gallop and yes, check out that footing as well. Your horse should be able to go around the field in a calm, well controlled canter first. I have a very laid back dressage horse with great control of the canter and he becomes a speed demon when I allow him to gallop, which I haven’t done too often. I’m riding a completely different horse in that instance, breaks are minimized and I really wouldn’t want to attempt galloping without the training he has had, as it would not end well.Many horses can have a tendency to become very excited when they are allowed to gallop. Unless you are prepared to deal with and correct some antics, including bucking that could appear, then I really would not recommend galloping at all. There is a reason that many don’t train in the gallop with their horses.
Secondly, if you do still decide to go through with it, then work up to it gradually. I like endlessclimb’s suggestion of first trying a brief hand gallop to get a feel of how much control you have. And another thing, if you do happen lose control, then slowly turn into a circle. You can also support your seat aid for slowing him down with takes and small gives of the rein, not pulling with both hands. Also, DO NOT make abrupt turns or one-rein halts that put the horse off balance, as this could potentially tip your horse over!
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It’s also important not to put either you or the horse in a position where either of you feel scared or out of control. You don’t want to ask for a gallop then start hauling on the horse’s face and you don’t want the horse to feel that you are panicking.
i feel like my mare and I worked up to trusting each other at a hand gallop. She learned that I would let her stretch out her stride at hand gallop and I learned she wasn’t going to bolt.
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A flat area is not a good place for your first gallop. The best place is up a mountain. So gravity will stop the horse if you can’t.
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Well, so what happened the time she wouldn’t stop? Was it the first time cantering in a field (versus, an arena or on a trail?)
How long have you been riding; what kind of riding do you do (trail, pleasure, WP, hunters?) Just curious what training the horse really has. What kind of work at the canter do you do regularly for training purposes?
Bottom line - all horses know how to gallop. Whether they will listen to you while galloping is entirely different. So as described above, unless you’ve worked with her at different speeds at the canter and up to a hand-gallop, I definitely wouldn’t encourage a full out gallop in an open field.
And, most importantly, at least in my opinion, is the footing. Not sure where you live but my pastures are still slick in some places. Not good for stopping, even if the horse wants, and turning is potentially dangerous at any speed.
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IME a common mistake riders make is to always use the field to gallop. The horse can get excited expecting to go and more difficult to control. I would spend a lot of time doing walk trot and transitions. Also do circles and other figures if possible.
Then when you have good control calmly ask for a canter on a circle if possible. Only go a few strides and come back to a trot then walk. Lots of praise and quit. Continue adding more canter bit by bit.
Once you have a calm canter you can ask for a bit faster for a few strides towards the end of the ride coming back on a circle if possible. In this manner you can slowly add more speed.
In the end your horse may always be excitable at high speeds. You need to be comfortable with that if you gallop. You cannot panic and grab. As long as this isn’t a blind bolt and you are in a safe place you can work with this. As I was told “You can ride as fast as your horse can run”. And If you get your horse calm and cantering in the field you can choose not to gallop too. Good luck!
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