Horse who trots too fast...how do you teach them to go slower?

[exploding_pony]

Your horse is used to being ridden alone in a field. You are asking her to work as one of 5 horses, in an indoor, while someone is schooling barrels.

Personally, I wouldn’t do that. You are asking so much of your mare. Let her get a bit more settled with a few horses before you make her tolerate barrel racing.

I say that because I board at a facility with reiners and barrel racers. No way would I expect my dressage horses to share the ring with them, it’s just too much to ask.

Start a bit smaller and build up to the barrel racing

[luvmydutch]

As I posted above…problem is solved! We did some beautiful work on the indoor with all the girls riding last night. She was so good we even played musical ponies and I let one of the girls try her dressage moves out!

[QUOTE=exploding pony;8951862]
Your horse is used to being ridden alone in a field. You are asking her to work as one of 5 horses, in an indoor, while someone is schooling barrels.

Personally, I wouldn’t do that. You are asking so much of your mare. Let her get a bit more settled with a few horses before you make her tolerate barrel racing.

I say that because I board at a facility with reiners and barrel racers. No way would I expect my dressage horses to share the ring with them, it’s just too much to ask.

Start a bit smaller and build up to the barrel racing :)[/QUOTE]

[GallopingOn]

Have you thought about just walking or even standing to let her watch and observe as log as she wants until she relaxes? Maybe don’t even bother trying to get work done but just let her see the atmosphere and realize that it doesn’t have to be stressful. Then you can try some very easy light work after a couple times of her observing and relaxing. She should progressively become more at ease with the commotion with exposure. It’s the same progression when taking a baby horse to a show for the first few times. You just walk around and hack a bit maybe to let them get used to things without adding work into the mix.

[GallopingOn]

I had to do this with my mare for a few months. It was causin more stress trying to get her to relax and slow down when half halts were given. So I would let her trot on a circle on a medium long rein until she asked to slow down and then we went a few more steps. After that we could do all our work with no major speed issues. And it took only 5ish months of that before it became unnecessary altogether.
But since her horse seems to be fine when on her own, I think it’s just a matter of being overwhelmed with a new situation.

[purplnurpl]

Slow your post and try to spend more time in the air when you are in the up movement of posting.