Captain Slow - How Can I Speed Him Up Without Nagging?

Flipo's Mum

Flipo's Mum

Heavy owner of a Heavy
Aug 17, 2009
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Perthshire, Scotland
Flipo is slow out and faster back on hacks. We struggle to keep up with Arab and pretty much any other horse when we got out with others. He is a heavy so to some extent I will never have a speedy horse, but when I first got him everyone commented on how well he moved for a heavy, he was quite forward going. I'm afraid that over time I've slowed him down because I was so nervous. Now we're hacking further and wider and I want him to get fitter but I fear it will never happen when we do four miles at the slowest of slow.
Does anyone have any tips on how to do this without nagging? I'm so scared that I make him immune to my leg aids. Usually I just have to gather the reins and touch his sides and he will trot but I let a friend ride him once and she nagged him all the way round and the next time I rode he wouldn't trot at all. I just don't want to get this wrong! I wish I could afford a riding instructor to help but sadly that's not going to happen anytime soon!
 
Thanks domane I will have a read, have scanned quickly and there's some points I can try. I never thought to just practice for a bit of the ride, asking for faster for a few steps at a time. Only thing with that link is that the horse is immune to aids, flip is very sensitive to my aids - I just don't want to end up with him not sensitive to them!
 
Nagging is the very worst thing you can do, they stop listening completely.

First of all are you sure there aren't any physical reasons why he's on a go slow? Pain, weight, stiffness or even a thick summer coat making him struggle in the heat? If in doubt get any niggles sorted before you start, that way you know you arent being unfair.

Next is a complete change of attitude from you! Be brisk & high energy around him, very enthusiastic & "jolly hockeysticks!" . Everything is going to be FUN! Couple this with an "ask, tell, tell off" approach to the aids so you get a response instantly - you shouldn't have to repeat yourself beyond step 2 more than a couple of times, and don't confuse the issue to begin with by sending him forward but then instantly restricting him, if he gets a sharp shout & smack for not going be prepared for him to jump forward & allow it. Try to find some things to do that he finds fun too, keeping him interested will help.

Take chocolate, to begin with you may need the energy boost!
 
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What made Storm speed up again was doing lots of walk to halt, halt to trot, mixing it up as much as possible. Not sure if that is just meant to get them listening, but it woke her up after she went through a lazy slow patch. This is in the arena though. Unfortunately out hacking I need a slow down button! But I guess it must be frustrating for you wanting to get him moving.
Totally understand the no lesson thing either - I'm in the same camp!
 
When you say he is slow, is it because he moves his feet slowly or because he takes short strides?

When I went on my dressage weekend the instructor helped me get Raf walking faster - apparently because I was rushing him to walk I was making him take shorter strides, he was too much on his forehand so couldn't walk out freely and wasn't using his quarters to propel himself. He gave me a simple 'tweak' which really helped but I'm damned if I can remember what it was now! Damn my stupid forgetful brain!! And damn my best intentions to practise regularly and then fail fail fail!!! It might come back to me later ...
 
I like Carthorses approach, that's how I ride Mr Major. When I take him out I ride side by side with my friends 18.1 warmblood (major is a heavy gypsy cob 14.3)....major pretty much jogs the whole time, but I don't care as long as he makes the effort to keep up.

The trick to major is as soon as I get on and then ask him to walk on, I do it with purpose and he gets a smack. After that I really do just have to take my lower leg off (as if to kick) and he goes forward!

When I watch others riding him he is always 5-10m behind slugging along!
 
I would say ask for the walk you want straight away and if you put your leg on to ask for an increase in pace you should get it.
If you don't want to tap him with your stick then try smacking your boot. I used to use this technique with Arns in the school (he has always been a super speedy walker on hacks) when I first got him and it worked well.
These days he is equally excellent in the school or out.
Agree nagging with heels totally unproductive.
 
Depends on what the problem really is...is he reluctant to go forward or does he just have a naturally very slow walk?

We have horse in theRS that has the most awful slow walk naturally but then bounces along in trot. Attempts to speed up the walk or hacking out with a speedier horse tends to result in jogging. The only thing that really works is to get her hocks underneath her with lots of transitions and getting her to loosen her shoulders with some lateral work, that coupled with a trot before hand does produce a better walk. In her case she naurally wants to work downhill and lean on the riders hands which is then restricting her stride (has hunted with a male rider most of her life so schooling was lacking!!)
 
Is he slow in all paces or just the walk? If he has a naturally slow one getting more impulsion could be tricky. I liken it to a person, some of us dawdle-the tourists I usually want to prod! And others walk out quickly, that's me.

I find with mine lots of transitions loosen her up, she does take a bit of warming up. (Think of the old cars you needed to pull the choke out and wait:) )
She also lands hoof flat and not heel first, physio generally released stiffness and she is a bit more active in her walk. Her free walk is nice when I get it.
What leg length has he in relation to his body because my instructor has slowed down what I felt was impulsion as I was just getting speed. Now we have rhythm and she has a short stride with short legs. You dont actually want speed you want impulsion from behind to lighten your front.
Actually it was trying to keep up with fellow livery that caused our downturn in her impulsion. I had to keep on keeping her up.

If you took Flipo in a field or a canter would you have the same go slow? Sometimes variety spices things up a bit.
 
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My own one is one that is s.......l...........o.............w........ going out but if you turn for home - wahey - the terrible fatigue that he suffered from originally miraculously goes :rolleyes: Same as heading out there are crocodiles in EVERY puddle and 'You want me to get my feet wet ? No thanks.' Going home, he'll march through any terrain. However all the horses I have had over the years have been like this.

I have to be careful with sticks for encouragement as I took one once and gave him a tap as an encouragement to go from a trot to canter on a corner when trying a saddle and he shot forward like a racehorse jumping from the start gates :eek: I had to throw it away as he kept a worried eye on it. But I am lazy and have created a horse that responds more to voice than leg :oops: but we can be going hell for leather and all I have to do is 'Woooo' and he'll stop for you.

I will second the step 1, ask once 2, tell off 3, then a smack. I'd smack my boot on step two and if not reaction then Step 3 would a smack behind the leg. Nagging is always a no no - like when training a dog to sit, I see so many people nagging saying 'Sit,Sit,Sit,Sit,Sit,Sit,Sit,Sit,' then the dog might do it on the 8th one, lesson there is ignore the first 7/8 then maybe do it. I only ever said it once or at the most twice to my boys.


Good luck with it !
 
Ben has the slowest of slow walks - it doesn't matter if we are going away from home, or towards home - he still walks at a snails pace. He is always like this if I let him, given the choice he would rather stand still and do not anything!

Recently I have made a huge change to my mental attitude and discovered the power of positive and 'forward' thinking. If I think in positive terms and actively imagine that Ben is moving forward more freely then this has a huge impact. It sounds nuts but if you can clear your mind and think of a positive, forward going walk - you may be surprised about the effect.
 
Oh we have the opposite problem. We walk at 200mph and no one can keep up. I do apply the same principal though for any movement we do, a snappy transition, leg yield etc - ask, tell, shout!
 
Ruski's reply made me chuckle!! :D

Finn has the slowest walk on the planet, he just likes going snails pace....all the time....unless something spooks him then I get the jump forward lol then back to the plod....he is the same out hacking or schooling, plod plod plod :rolleyes: even in the horse walker...the partition is up his arse all the while LOL

I have to work really hard to get him walking properly....I cant use a whip because he is petrified of them....

He is getting better though, it has to be something I enforce as soon as I climb on as he just wont listen other wise!!
 
Been thinking about this quite a bit over the past day or so, you lot are making me analyse past rides and what he generally does and what I do!
First off, Flipo has ickle legs - compared to a normal 15.2, his are shorter, probably more like the length of a 14hh because he has a sizeable deep girth being a heavy. He will never keep up with normal horses, I get that, his weight, height and general aerodynamics (or lack thereof) all contribute to him being suited to slow and steady and powerful.
We have had lameness and footiness in the past, and we had corrective shoeing for this which sorted it - checked out by the vet and yes he has a little bit of arthritis.
This is where I start to feel like LWTB and tango. I am constantly aware of Flipo being in any sort of pain and tbh, he's so perceptive, it's been suggested that he senses my concern and totally takes the pee. I wouldnt have agreed with this but I've done some soul searching and in certain scenarios, he will walk out absolutely fine. I wondered if the arthritis might be making him slow on the way out and by the time we head home, he's all loosened up, but....if I mount and turn towards the livery yard, Flipo will walk fine. If I mount and head in the other direction, he goes at absolute snails pace until our direction turns towards the yard or towards home. And I always do circular hacks.
With all of this in mind, I think I really do need to change my thinking. I worry he goes slow because there's a problem, but my rational side says there isn't one - it's all been checked out. Friend says he doesn't go forward and that's why he seems so uncomfortable and yes, I think I agree, when he strides out for the yard or on the way home, or when I take him into the show field to do some schooling, he's keen and moves his butt. I need to be more positive with my thinking as Flipo is very good at taking advantage. Eg if I'm the slightest bit nervous, he'll mess about at the block. He uses me to get out of work. He can be a bugger to lead if I'm not assertive and positive, he will plant outside his field, but if I think right and be firm, he does what I ask without question.
I can only think, that he needs another worm test, so will get that sorted, but otherwise healthwise, I feel like this has come about from me and my nerves holding him back and not wanting to go faster or indeed, hack at all.
I'm going to try the 8-10 steps of closing my legs around him and escalate to heel squeeze then whip. I also think more transitions earlier in my hack (but obviously after warming up) may help him move a bit more positively. We've been hill climbing more so that is encouraging his great big butt underneath him, and I can feel it when he does carry himself better but he's built for pulling so I will always acknowledge we're never going to be the perfect dressage team.
I'm concerned that I don't have the feel for when he's slowed down after I've asked.
 
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I have been pondering this post as well.
Having a laid back sort, heavy build plus on short legs. I realise ponies have short legs but they are not carrying the volume in weight that ours are. Mine is about 14.1hh and if she was in proportion she would be near on 15hh.
Hacking
I start off on a loose rein for the first five minutes, then I usually want a light contact and I pop in some trot, maybe ten strides, or five, walk, five walk. My hacks are 15 minutes pretty much downhill so by the time we level off she has warmed up.
I do ask, tell and tap. She isn't a baby she is six, if my request doesn't compute I back it up with another request, my tap is on the saddle pad because its large. She knows after that it flicks her butt!
I found walk to canter helped my canter and the resulting walk afterwards.

What bit are you in? Does he feel he can walk out more?
 
If he can be speedy on the return to the yard he can be speedy on the way out.

We sometimes suffer from the same thing. Tobes is the biggest mickey taker I have ever owned. Going out he slops along and returning home, he outstrips the TB's.

So for us there are two problems. I have made home too attractive and he doesn't take me seriously enough an I have taken steps to rectify this.

I ask nicely, and if he doesn't shift up a gear then he now has a smack. I started with a small tap which he completely ignored so he got a proper smack, and now I feel the difference when I ask with my leg. I always ask nicely with my leg first and then escalate the pressure.

And it was actually a very nice instructor who pointed this out to us.
 
Have you ever done Dressage To Music, you find a piece that fits in with the gait you want.
If you are happy with the homeward bound, find yourself a tune. Then set off with it, if he loses rhythm you will know as the hoof isn't in with your tune.

For us the walk is "The big ship sails on the ally ally o" I can sing or hum that and that's the walk I want. I change the lyrics but those aren't repeatable ;)
Our trot is one, two, one, two, or "Hugh, Pugh, Barney McGrew, Cuthbert, Dibble and Grub" They fit and are cheerful energetic songs.
 
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