Ever wonder why your horse always want to go faster than you’re asking and seems to struggle with speed control?
You see this in a lot of horses — and honestly it’s a big root of other problems.
Most horses never learn a clear separation between:
(1) just being ridden
and
(2) being asked to speed up
And it affects everything.
Here’s what I mean…
Most horses won’t let you ride them with your whole body — especially your leg.
And I’m not talking about peddling, kicking, squeezing, or nagging.
I’m talking about something way more basic:
Your legs should be able to simply exist on the horse — with a rhythm that matches the rest of your body — without the horse getting tense or speeding up.
But most horses interpret leg contact as:
“That means GO.”
When Speed Control Is Missing
So what do they do?
They get a little tight… or they get a lot tight… and they start getting in front of the rider’s rhythm.
And here’s where speed control starts to matter big-time:
A lot of slowing down, rating, and stopping should be a result of the horse feeling you, not something you have to constantly “train into them” with your hands.
Because when a horse is really with you, he notices tiny changes.
So when you ease off — and I mean a small easing off — your whole rhythm changes just slightly. It’s almost imperceptible to the naked eye.
This does not mean:
- sitting back on your pockets
- taking your legs off
- saying “whoa”
- pulling on him
I’m talking way smaller than that.
And anytime — no matter what speed or gait you’re in — when you ease off and the horse continues on more than a stride or two…
He’s technically running through you.
And here’s what will really mess with people
A lot of horses run off at a loose rein walk.
Not rushed.
Not “bad.”
Sometimes even relaxed.
But they’re still going without you. No speed control.
They’re not actually staying connected to your rhythm.
And that’s the big point:
It’s not the leg (or at least not the leg alone) that makes a horse go.
It’s your body.
Your rhythm.
Your intent.
And it’s okay if a horse initially interprets the leg as “speed up”…
The problem is that it tends to make them tense up and get ahead of you — either a little or a lot.
And it’s not just whether they go…
It’s how they go.
Read more about slowing down and stopping your horse.
Here’s a rule that will save you a lot of confusion
If you need leg to get him to go, he’s behind you anyway.
If you need rein to get him to slow down, he’s already ahead of you anyway.
When the horse is truly with you, and has some speed control, he doesn’t need to be pushed into motion…
…and he doesn’t need to be pulled back down.
He just stays with your body.
And I’ll add this:
If you’re thinking it, your body is already indicating it — whether you realize it or not.
So if you’ll put some thought into working on these pieces, the horse will show you what’s missing.
And the good news?
This is one of those things that can start working shockingly fast when you focus on it — and it can get extremely good in a short amount of time.
One Final Thought About Speed Control
If your horse gets tense anytime you add leg contact, or he runs through you even at the walk, don’t ignore that. That little missing piece turns into big problems down the road.
