Speed Control
By Kim Baker
Does your horse speed up on straight lines? Do you pull back on the reins and tense in the saddle when he does speed up? This in turn causes your horse to want to go faster to escape the pressure. It’s a downward cycle with his behavior causing your behavior which feeds back into his behavior.
How to fix it? The second your horse speeds up, change directions. Make a sharp 90 degree turn either direction and continue moving forward on a straight line. If your horse doesn’t slow down, then change directions again. Continue changing directions until your horse slows down.
Eventually, your horse will learn it’s easier to go slow on a straight line rather than worker harder by changing directions when he speeds up.
Want another solution? Instead of the sharp 90 degree turn, take one rein and turn your horse into a small circle, but only complete half of the circle, then pick up the other rein and change directions again for about half a circle until your horse slows. As soon as your horse slows down, release the rein and go back to moving forward on a straight line.
Repeat each time your horse speeds up. It doesn’t matter which direction you circle, it’s the turning (not the circling) that slows your horse down.
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