BUGGY HORSE ONLY TROTS.....HELP?

[Team1roper]

Raising horses and breaking colts we go on many unplanned trail rides to let the horse figure out that walking is not so bad.
I agree 20 miles is good for the horse and she will learn to slow down and look at life in a different way
But you have to stay after it, don't buggy her 1 time then put her up for 3 weeks.
if you could in the beggining buggy her 3 times a week

[Faster horses]

I think the recommendation to weave back and forth across the road was to make it MORE WORK for the horse to trot, therefore he/she wouldn't need to go as far.

"Make the right things easy and the wrong things difficult" sort of thing.

[RHR]

I have been driving her about 3 times/week. 6 to 10 miles @ time. I drive her into our little town with barking dogs and other distractions. I also am checking cows with her. It is a good experience for the horse and cows. Next item is getting her to quit throwing her head to the left. She does not like the bit. I appreciate all the advice everyone has given.

[Faster horses]

If she is throwing her head to the left, you migiht check her teeth. It could very well be a problem tooth.

A painful tooth can cause a lot of things; none of them good.

[Curly]

RHM,

Did you get her from the Amish?

My Mom got her a nice little buggy horse from the Amish at a sale in Denver about 5 years ago. The Amish train them to have just one speed-- fast trot! Mom uses that horse near everyday for about 8 months out of the year; Its a dandy.
The way I trained it to walk for her was to work it under saddle for 60 days; a lot of those buggy horses don't get much quality saddle time.

[RoperAB]

I have no experience with wagon horses.
Having said that there is no reason the horse has to be hitched up to be driven. Example a snaffle and two long lines with you on the ground preferable in a 40 foot round pen at first.
Okay start your horse, cluck or whatever for it to go. Stay in the center of the pen while your horse is circleing you.
Get the horse to lope circles around you, first the one way and then the other until its looking to slow down. Dont allow it to break gate out of the lope until its good and tired.
BTW To turn your horse I would say "easy" then I would apply pressure on the rein that will bend your horse towards the corral or wall of the enclosure you are working in. So in other waords the horse is turning away from you because you are in the center of the corral and the horse will be turning towards the fence away from you.
Anyway lope your horse in both directions until its good and tired. Dont allow it to break gate or slow down. Then when its wanting to slow down say easy and bend the horse towards the wall to change directions.
When the horse bends and turns you should now have the next slower gate. The trot.
Allow your horse to trot some circles and then do the same thing. Say easy and bend the horse towards the wall to change directions. When the horse bends<disengages his hind quarters> and turns he should be in the next slower gate"the walk".
Now before you start all of this make sure you have your basic groundwork done with the horse. Make sure its halter broke. Make sure you can bend the horse and disengage its hind quarters! Get your horse mentaly hooked on to you. You should be able to disengage those hind quarters without physically touching that horse in any way. Make sure the horse is not braced on either side.
But anyway do what I said and after a while you wont have to disengage its hind quarters or bend the horse to get the transition. You will only have to say easy and or only send a signal down the ONE REIN like you are going to bend the horse. Just keep building on it. Offer the horse the good deal. Example say easy, if that doesnt work send the signal down the one rein, then if that doesnt work double the colt. Keep trying to do less and less. Do everything in stages until the colt responds. After a while you can do less and less or should I say after awhile you will only have to say " easy" and your horse will respond and slow down. You wont have to use all these other stronger stages. But be consistant.

[Team1roper]

[RHR]

Curly, I'm not sure who had the horse before I got her. She is 5 this spring and the guy I got her from had her for about a year. She could have come from the Amish or was trained on the track to trot. She is getting better about walking but needs a few miles before she likes to slow down. I do plan on having a vet look at her teeth as she DOES NOT like the bit and will either throw her head to the left or hold her head to the left while driving her. Thanks again for all the ideas. We are making progress.

[Jinglebob]

[floyd]

that is what is neat about the world.everybody has own opinion. What about those of us who can no longer ride?
The onlty time I ride now is when I'm pulling a pack string.

[Faster horses]

One other little thing I thought about, check the bit and see if something is pinching her mouth. You might check her mouth too. You should see something right at the corners or on the very inside of the corners. It could be as simple as a bit that pinches.

[RHR]

FH, I was wonder the same thing. I'm not sure what type of bit a driving horse should have but I'm going to try something other than the snaffle bit I currently am using.