Hello! So here's the situation: I'm riding a 13 year old horse, Ace, that is owned by a woman who has fallen ill. She never really cantered the horse much, the only person who cantered the horse frequently was the man who trained him and had a very specific riding style. He has not ridden him in almost a year.
Anyway, I am a mainly english rider. Ace loves to go. He will run till the end of days. At the walk and at the trot, he will stop fairly easily (although not as immediate as I'm used to on most horses, he will take a couple steps verses that immediate halt). However, at the canter, it sometimes takes half way around the ring to get him to stop. It at least takes about 5 strides to get him to come down to a trot, if not more.
But here's the thing: If I canter him on and on, like a good four or more laps around the ring, and he's actually tired, then he immediately comes down when I give him the cue to stop. So that is what leads me to believe that he understands what I am asking when I ask him to stop after cantering him only one lap. This is what confuses me. Because at first, I started to believe I was giving him mixed signals... but if I was giving him mixed signals, I feel he would not immediately understand my cue for him to stop once he gets tired, if that makes sense?
I remember his trainer used to run him into the fence to try to slow him down and get better brakes (like cantering him straight towards the fence and asking Ace to stop right before it). But that only seems to make Ace anticipate cantering towards the fence.
This is how I am asking him to stop at the canter: Sit back down in the saddle and straight (I do not sit his canter as it is like jumping on a giant pogo stick), pull back the reins as in a half halt, and say "woah." I always immediately release the reins once he comes down for his reward.
So, any ideas on any exercises to work on training better brakes? My goal is this: To get to the point where all I say is "woah" and barely contact his mouth and sit and he immediately stops. I have tried searching the internet, but all I seem to find is things about teaching completely green horses how to stop. He is far from green, he knows flying lead changes, collection, sidepass, etc. He's just only been cantered frequently by one person, hasn't been cantered in a while, and loves to run. And of course that one person who cantered him was a professional trainer with 40 plus years of experience. So any ideas would help! THANKS!
If my level of experience is needed: I've been riding about 13 years, used to do 3'6 hunter/jumer but now just ride for fun/ have done some training of horses, but it was always with horses that were lazy and already knew the basics, I basically did the polishing. That's why I've never had a reason to help train for better brakes, I've always been on horses that were more than willing to stop.
Anyway, I am a mainly english rider. Ace loves to go. He will run till the end of days. At the walk and at the trot, he will stop fairly easily (although not as immediate as I'm used to on most horses, he will take a couple steps verses that immediate halt). However, at the canter, it sometimes takes half way around the ring to get him to stop. It at least takes about 5 strides to get him to come down to a trot, if not more.
But here's the thing: If I canter him on and on, like a good four or more laps around the ring, and he's actually tired, then he immediately comes down when I give him the cue to stop. So that is what leads me to believe that he understands what I am asking when I ask him to stop after cantering him only one lap. This is what confuses me. Because at first, I started to believe I was giving him mixed signals... but if I was giving him mixed signals, I feel he would not immediately understand my cue for him to stop once he gets tired, if that makes sense?
I remember his trainer used to run him into the fence to try to slow him down and get better brakes (like cantering him straight towards the fence and asking Ace to stop right before it). But that only seems to make Ace anticipate cantering towards the fence.
This is how I am asking him to stop at the canter: Sit back down in the saddle and straight (I do not sit his canter as it is like jumping on a giant pogo stick), pull back the reins as in a half halt, and say "woah." I always immediately release the reins once he comes down for his reward.
So, any ideas on any exercises to work on training better brakes? My goal is this: To get to the point where all I say is "woah" and barely contact his mouth and sit and he immediately stops. I have tried searching the internet, but all I seem to find is things about teaching completely green horses how to stop. He is far from green, he knows flying lead changes, collection, sidepass, etc. He's just only been cantered frequently by one person, hasn't been cantered in a while, and loves to run. And of course that one person who cantered him was a professional trainer with 40 plus years of experience. So any ideas would help! THANKS!
If my level of experience is needed: I've been riding about 13 years, used to do 3'6 hunter/jumer but now just ride for fun/ have done some training of horses, but it was always with horses that were lazy and already knew the basics, I basically did the polishing. That's why I've never had a reason to help train for better brakes, I've always been on horses that were more than willing to stop.
working on set strides I find helpful, start with say 10 trot then 10 canter (throw in walk too), rinse and repeat again and again, then once he has it bring it down to 8 and so on, this should build a horse that responds to cues quickly and really helps get their hocks under them 
