Question: I recently purchased a 4 year old racking horse, I ride him
in the same bit that we tried him in at time of purchase, I am not used
to a leverage bit and would rather ride in a snaffle, he does not rack
consistently in either bit, but he is better with the curb. When
asked for a gait other than a regular walk he usually starts at a trot
and does not always go into the rack and sometimes pick up a very
slow 4 beat canter, the previous owner seemed to put him more on the bridle
to get him to rack but I am afraid that he is losing his brakes with this
technique. I would like to know how to get him to pick up the rack and
if it is ok for him to trot and canter, I was told that would ruin his
rack, if there is a specific cue I could teach, which one works the best.
your advise is greatly appreciated.
From Panelists Laura
To get a good rack from this horse, it sounds like you will need to
"pick him
up" more in the bridle. Some horses go better with a little extra
support in
the mouth (actually helps "hollow" them out - which a lot of horses
do
instead of rounding & collecting to do a rack). You could
try sitting down
on your butt, pushing your legs slightly forward and away from the
horses
body, raise & set your hands where the horse can lean a little
on the bit and
ask the horse to "rack on." You don't actually pull back on the
reins, you
just provide some support.
If the horse knows the whoa command and will stop when asked, letting
him
lean on the bit a little should not mess up his stop.
Laura
