article how to make a soft slow western jog

How to make
a soft slow
western pleasure jog

Creating s lovely smooth flowing jog for a great western pleasure horse requires four basic elements no matter what type or what breed of horse you are riding

Responsiveness

Suppleness

Balance

Strength

All signals the rider gives
to the horse
must be practically invisible.

The horse
no matter what breed
should look perfectly content in his gait
and seemingly be able to continue with it
all day long
with no effort whatsoever.

Very rarely do I ever pass another horse in the show ring
at the jog
and this is why.

My horses can practically jog in place.

They do so when in dressage classes.
This is called a Piaffe.

but that is in super collection mode
and not what we are talking about here

But back to western pleasure.

The only way a horse can jog slowly
is if they are strong,
first of all.

It takes a lot of strength
to hold themselves together
and make a conscious effort to do it smoothly.

This begins with one-step at a time.

Two become three and so on.

# 1

When I break a horse, I begin with the back.

The first day...the first time I step foot in the stirrup and get on

...the first thing I do
after sitting there a moment
petting the horse and giving them a little treat and scratching session
is ask them to back.

They are already very familiar with this feel
of pulling pack on the reins and backing because
I have already schooled the horse from the ground
in this area, so they do it easily.

I only ask for one-step back.

I pull on the reins until they go that one-step,
then I release the pull and pet them.

Repeat.

You get the picture.

Each time I do this,
and for that matter each time I ask a horse to do anything,

I always try to do it with
as little pressure as I can,

wither it be a rein pull or a leg squeeze.

Each time you ask you horse for something,
they will be more and more familiar with it,
and you should be able to
lighten
the force each time.

This is a really important point.

Please re-read
the previous sentence
many times.

It is crucial if you want to have a
light flowing gently stepping horse
they be sensitive and soft.

The only way to create a soft horse is to use
soft cues and commands.

# 2

The second thing I do with a newly broke horse

Or a new horse in my training program...is

ask them to give to the bit.

This requires no forward steps.

Repeat

This requires no forward steps.

One of the biggest mistakes
people make
when they break their own horses is

they immediately start walking forward
as soon as their butts hit the saddle.

Please don’t do this.

As soon as your horse start walking forward
they start thinking about
what is ahead of them
and what to do next.

Please don’t do this

After you get the backing down,
the next thing you should be thinking about is

the head and neck
making it bend around to each side.

Begin with asking for only a slight give
to a slight side pull.

Pull until you get a give,

then immediately release
pet the neck
to clearly show they did exactly what you wanted.

This is another really important step.
Please re read the previous sentence.

Each time you ask for a give
make the horse reach a little tiny bit further
than the time before.

Make sure however that you
immediately release the pressure as soon as they obey

Never forget to pet them

I cannot put enough emphasis on
positive reinforcement
with a juvenile mind.

It seriously
is the number one way
to wreck your horse
is if you ruin their self-confidence.

Pet them. Pet them.
Pet them. Pet them.

Now after you have spent about 10 minutes backing

And 10 minutes pulling on each side...

Put them away.

When you get on them,
the next day

repeat exactly what you did the day before
but spend a bit less time on it.

This is because you need to leave
some time to learn a new task.

Never
add more
than one new task
a day.
Never.
On any age horse.

# 3

Now on this second day
after you have reviewed yesterday’s lesson,

begin by adding
leg pressure
to the side you are pulling on.

re-read the above sentence several times

When you pull on the left rein
the horse brings his head around to the left,

before you release the pressure...
give a little squeeze with your leg and heel.

You should feel your horse shift his weight to the right

Away from your leg

Not take a step...

just shift his weight away from your leg
like he is going to take a step.

Note

It is extremely important
you adjust your pull when doing this !

this is the key to success

When you ask for the giving of the head,
you are pulling back to your hipbone

Once they bring their head around
and you squeeze you leg..

The pull with your hand
must come up
against their neck

going to the direction
you want them to lean...
or shift their weight.

Please please
please re-read the previous sentence .
10 times if you have to.

It is crucial your horse know how to do this standing still
before they ever take a single step and this is why....

Once your horse starts walking,
your training takes on a new dimension
because rhythm and synchronicity are involved.

Compound and complicated concepts
for any horse,
much less a young one.

Getting your horse to yield to rein and leg pressure
before they start walking
is the number one thing
people do wrong
when training their young horses.

It is also absolutely essential for a good jog
because you just repeat
these exact same maneuvers
at the walk and at the jog.

If your horse doesn’t learn it standing, still ......
they will not be able to do it at the walk.

If they can’t do it at the walk,
they will not be able to do it at the trot.

If a horse is not flexible and supple,
they will never be able to go slow in any gait.

Once you get the head to give

Bring it all the way to your knee

shift the horse weight to the
opposite legs

You are ready for the next step.

This one is easy

Because you are already there

The step is to the side

Away from the rein and leg

# 4

The new step.

The next day .

add more leg and rein pressure,

Until your horse not only leans.

Not only shifts his weight,

but Actually takes a step to the side.

Only one-step.

Then immediately release pressure and pet them a lot

This is a biggie for your horse.

I sometimes spend 10 minutes just on this one task alone.

After mastering these four basic tasks,
add one more step each time.

Let the horse walk a little forward sometimes.

You have a choice
each time you ask for the head and squeeze the leg.

Or can go straight sideways
or let them travel a little forward.

You will now when you and your horse
are ready for more forwardness.

Once you are solid in all these,
it should be about a week later.

You should have a good gas pedal on your horse by now.

You should be using a cluck
to alert the horse to move.

The horse should be 100 % confident in all lessons.

Now keep pressing the accelerator and clucking

Tell you get the trot.

Trot about 10 steps and stop.

Put the reins down and pet the horse.

The first 10 steps at the trot need to have no pulling by you what so ever.

Let the horse trot any speed they want.

You goal is to have the horse relax.

Repeat many times.

Trot 10 steps or 20..whatever.. And stop...pet the horse a lot

Repeat

You get the picture.

After you and your horse are relaxed with this...
add the bending and flexing
and giving exercises a little at a time.

Remember
when you first asked for the very first give
of the head the first day...?

On the first day

of trotting do the exact same thing

Just ask for a little bend and immediately release !

Please re read and highlight the above sentence. !

Once you introduce the gas pedal in to the picture,
you and your horse will already have
all the skills needed
to jog slowly and quietly down the rail or trail.

Always remember........
When you very first ask your horse to do something new
only ask for a step or two

and always
pet...pet...pet.

Always treat them like they are gold.

Soft and precious.

Questions...?
sarashalda@aol.com

a good horse trainer can do anything