Do you find loping to be a difficult and daunting part of your ride? Oftentimes loping, or cantering, your horse can be found intimidating. But it shouldn’t be!
If your horse understands its job and you continue to communicate effectively with your four-legged partner, then you can look forward to some of the most fun and satisfying rides of your life.
When you are first teaching a young horse to carry a rider at the lope, you want him to learn to be relaxed and confident. Starting the process with these things in mind will help you avoid lots of the common problems that you might see at the lope, like rushing, running away, and anxiety on the part of the horse and the rider.
When it comes to working with our horses and building up their confidence, ponying can be a great way to work toward those goals. From leading a pack horse with a job to do, to simply getting a young horse more experience and handle, ponying is a great way to help in our horsemanship journey.
As we ride our horses throughout the season, the idea of setting goals for ourselves and our horses should be something we all take…
