My horse is a really good mount,but when I tell her to trot she stops. I started to use a crop and it works, but I don't want to use it in a show. How can I prevent her from stopping? from Meghan

Meghan ,the problem you are asking about is common with my horses when the new campers ride them. (these riders usually haven't been riding very long, or have never ridden highly trained horses) I don't know all the details about how long you have been riding, how old you are or whether you take lessons,so please don't take all my comments to heart!

My horses are usually ridden by students taking private lessons. This means that they have the same consistency and clarity of communication as horses that are privately owned. Horses that are used in group lessons, or by several students each day become less sensitive and less finely tuned. When riders switch from horses that will walk, trot, canter and whoa no matter how correctly or incorrectly you give the signal, to horses that are used to exact signals for walk, trot, canter, whoa, leg yield, collected trot and canter, shoulder-in, lengthen stride, half-halt, etc. they have problems.

The horses become very confused because the signals are all mixed up. My horses are used to being ridden with soft, pliable leg contact which only changes briefly to give signals and then softens again. When we close our legs and hold them into the saddle we mean "rock back" or half-halt or slow down or stop. If you are tightening your legs when the horse trots you could be causing the horse to think you want it to stop. Make sure you keep your balance, hold your hands and arms really steady so they don't jerk the horse in the mouth, and keep your leg muscles relaxed without flapping. You must also maintain an enthusiastic attitude and you must really be keen on continuing trotting, without getting uptight or frustrated. Horses feel the tension in the rider and become anxious themselves and then get even more confused. The crop or whip should be used to say listen to my legs. It should be your legs that nudge the horse into the trot and remind it to keep going when necessary. When the horse seems not to notice your leg aids a tap with the whip is meant to say "listen", the horse should learn that if it doesn't respond by the third leg signal it gets bopped. We need to give them the benefit of the doubt, give the horse time to respond to the first and second requests and if they don't then wake them up or get their attention with the whip. Use of the whip as punishment for bad manners or kicking other horses is a different subject.