Teach my horse to walk faster?

[Julie Clemons]

Hi all,

I am trying to teach my horse to walk faster and would like your thoughts. She ambles along with a moderate load (such as a stoneboat or bundle of brush). I know she can comfortably walk much faster as she does it just fine when it is time to walk out to pasture at the end of the day. She will actually go faster when she is working hard such as disking or twitching a log.

She will speed up equally well when I encourage her with an excited voice OR when I give her a little pop on the rump with the end of the rein. She walks briskly for four or five strides and then drops back down to first gear. I don’t want to nag her all the time but I don’t want to spend half the day hauling one load of brush either. I don’t have another horse to hitch her with. I’ve also tried varying the amount of line pressure. She goes better with more line pressure.

I am tempted to try the literal carrot and stick routine, just to see what would happen. It would make for good pictures.

Thanks, Julie

[Carl Russell]

I like to use a stick in a case like this. I cut a marshmallow stick that is long enough that I can easily reach the butt while still holding the lines. I will just tip the stick so that it touches just above the tail head. I don’t tap, poke, or slap, but just touch them there. Sometimes it requires a bit more pressure, but it is a pretty sensitive place, and best to get a small-scale response first.

At the same time as the pressure, speak the horses name, or the command that you prefer for increasing forward motion.

I prefer this method to slapping with the reins, as I can maintain line pressure, and as soon as the horse slows down a stride I can reaffirm my direction easily.

When you speak to the horse, or slap her with the reins she responds positively, but she is also learning that she can then slow down. You will have better results if you prevent her from doing that, by touching her tail head as soon as she shows she is thinking about slowing down.

When she assumes the desired pace for an extended period, possibly 30 seconds, without your touching her, stop and give her reward for her response. Repeat, and allow her to extend her response.

Keep the stick handy, to reinforce the expectation, not by threatening her with it, but by gently touching her with it. Make sure to use the verbal command with it. You don’t need to raise your voice, just speak, firmly and directly to the horse, in a consistent tone.

Think about it not as getting her to walk faster, but getting her to keep walking faster. Your input should be to prevent her from changing away from the desired behavior, rather than trying to convince her to perform the desired behavior. Then rewarding her for maintaining the faster walk.

Carl

[Rod]

@Carl Russell 10793 wrote:

I like to use a stick in a case like this. I cut a marshmallow stick that is long enough that I can easily reach the butt while still holding the lines. I will just tip the stick so that it touches just above the tail head. I don’t tap, poke, or slap, but just touch them there. Sometimes it requires a bit more pressure, but it is a pretty sensitive place, and best to get a small-scale response first.

At the same time as the pressure, speak the horses name, or the command that you prefer for increasing forward motion.

I prefer this method to slapping with the reins, as I can maintain line pressure, and as soon as the horse slows down a stride I can reaffirm my direction easily.

When you speak to the horse, or slap her with the reins she responds positively, but she is also learning that she can then slow down. You will have better results if you prevent her from doing that, by touching her tail head as soon as she shows she is thinking about slowing down.

When she assumes the desired pace for an extended period, possibly 30 seconds, without your touching her, stop and give her reward for her response. Repeat, and allow her to extend her response.

Keep the stick handy, to reinforce the expectation, not by threatening her with it, but by gently touching her with it. Make sure to use the verbal command with it. You don’t need to raise your voice, just speak, firmly and directly to the horse, in a consistent tone.

Think about it not as getting her to walk faster, but getting her to keep walking faster. Your input should be to prevent her from changing away from the desired behavior, rather than trying to convince her to perform the desired behavior. Then rewarding her for maintaining the faster walk.

Carl

Hi Carl

Do you suppose that trick would work to help even up my team, I have one horse who always lags behind. I tap him with the whip but it doesn’t last long and he is slacking off again.

[Carl Russell]

Yes Rod I do just that.The stick is there every time the horse slows down, and he will learn to keep up his pace to stay off the stick.

Carl

[Julie Clemons]

Hi Carl, thanks so much for your detailed response. I tried it and it works great. She is a fast learner but a slow rememberer. It only takes 3 or 4 nudges with the stick in a given session but the next day the memory is gone, or almost gone. But I know she will get it. I think everyone (us and horses) has a habitual walking speed and it’s just getting her to adopt a new habit.

The phrase I settled on to associate with the stick nudge is “Hurry up.” She gets it, it’s not her name (which I use for other things) and it doesn’t sound like anything else I say to her.

We twitched some logs for a neighbor this morning and she is just great at it -so easy to work with in the woods – despite poking sticks, roaring saws, logs getting stuck, barking dogs, and very tight quarters. True to form she needed no hurrying when there was a big log to move – she was all business.

[Carl Russell]

Julie, I’m glad it is working for you. I would not be too concerned about another command.

After all you are not wanting to teach the horse to “hurry up”, but to maintain an appropriate working speed when asked to move forward.

That is why I just use the name. To get the horses attention, and the poke gets them back to where you expected them to be anyway.

You should only need the command that you typically use for forward motion, and use the stick to help the horse understand what speed is expected.

Speak her name to get her attention, and poke with the stick to show her that her choice to slow down is not acceptable to you.

Carl

[Robert MoonShadow]

@Julie Clemons 11096 wrote:

She is a fast learner but a slow rememberer.

Hey! That describes ME, too! 😮

{BTW, Carl; I like the way you explained it: not getting her to walk faster, but KEEPING her at the faster pace…makes me consider that idea in other situations, as well – thanks for the insight!}

[Joshua Kingsley]

davlin47,
It may be me but I think you may be confused as to what they are trying to do. Instead of riding they are talking about driving the horses in harness from behind.
Feel free to correct me,
joshua

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