May 2002 - WHOA!  Why this Basic Skill is so Important in Good Horse Training

Written by Jennifer, a student rider who's been with Chris for just under a month!

The word "whoa" is common to everyone who gets on a horse, whether they're riding English, Western or Dressage.  We all know that "whoa" means stop.  But if the point of riding a horse is to get it to GO where you want it to GO, then why is the STOP so important?  

Let's look at an analogy to help get the idea across.  Pretend it's your birthday and you've just gotten a brand new red Porsche Boxter.  You are obviously very excited to drive it, so you hop in and put the key in the ignition.  But even though your foot is on the brake, the car starts to move!  You're busy trying to put on your seatbelt, but the car is inching forward so you press harder on the brake.  Finally, the car stops moving and you're ready to go.  "Not too bad," you think as you put the car into gear, but you're a little worried that there's a mechanical problem with the brakes.  You ease out onto a nice, long stretch of highway with little to no traffic and accelerate smoothly.   You're really enjoying yourself as the car picks up speed and the wind blows through your hair.  Ah, life doesn't get any better until... you see a dog in the middle of the road so you step on the brakes.  But it doesn't do much good!  You're expecting a nice easy stop, but the car only slows a little.  You pump the brakes harder, and the response is a little better.  Finally, after frantic pumping of the brakes, the car dribbles to a stop.  "Whew," you think, "I missed the dog."  But just as you begin to relax, the car inches forward a bit.  More brake pumping ensues.  Would you want to drive this car again?  Probably not, but many, many people get on horses, which can be just as dangerous and nearly as big as some cars, and are willing to "pump the brakes" over and over again to get the proper response.

Having a good response to "whoa" is as important as having good brakes on a car, whether it's a sports car or an old beat up truck.  But a good response to "whoa" is not just so you can impress judges with an incredible sliding stop in a reining class.  That is part of it, but the reasons for a good "whoa" are many.  But before you understand these reasons, it's important to understand what a good stop is!  A good stop should happen on the ground or in the saddle with a series of events that happen the same time, every time.  When riding, the first thing that happens is that your seat gets very heavy, meaning you plant yourself in the saddle, as opposed to the moving motion you’ll have when you are walking, trotting, or cantering.  (See Sally Swift’s book “Centered Riding” to really get a good idea of having a heavy, centered seat in the saddle).  This heavy seat is the horse’s first sign that a stop is coming.  Your voice cue and the slightest pressure on the bit should follow.     If you have to use a lot of pressure to stop your horse and really pull on his head, it's like pumping the brakes to stop a car.  If your horse dribbles out of his stop, it's like being in a car that moves when the brakes are applied.  It just shouldn't happen!  There will be more about the mechanics of a good stop in the next few month’s training tips.

A good stop means that the horse stops quickly, completely, and that he is collected (with his back legs under him) so he can easily move forward when asked.  It also means that the horse’s head is level with his withers.  Why is this important?  If a horse has his head down, he is looking at the space in front of him and is in a naturally calm and relaxed position.  A horse with his head up is a horse that is less relaxed.  Horses' eyes are on the sides of their heads so if they want to enlarge their field of vision, they raise their head.  In the wild, this helps them to avoid predators, but when we're working with them, it can lead to spooking and nervousness.  It's our job to let our horses know that we are here to keep them safe.  If we help them keep their heads down, the result is that we are helping them to relax. 

So we're back to why the stop is so important.  Some of the reasons for a good stop are things you might never have thought of.  One, it gives you the security of knowing that when say "whoa" and apply the correct aids, your horse is going to stop and not move - not even a single step.   For example, it might be a "pain" that your horse doesn't stand still when you're mounting him, but you never know when that little thing might cross over from being a "pain" to being a danger.   

Another important reason for a good stop is that it helps set up a boundary that your horse is not allowed to cross. A proper stop, especially on the ground, will teach your horse consistently that he is not allowed to move into your space.  Why is this important?  If you're walking your horse and he spooks, it is vital that he stays out of your space or you could get stepped on or knocked over.  Also, if you enforce a good stop every time, you're teaching your horse how to be taught!  The consistency is great for your horse and it will be the basis for many other aspects of training and riding.

A good whoa also gets your horse thinking STOP, rather than GO.  This is especially important for high energy level horses.  Whether you're cantering, trotting, or at a full gallop, if your horse knows that a "whoa" might come at any second, he'll be ready for it when it happens.  This is priceless!  This is the same as knowing that when you apply the brakes, the car will stop.  This doesn't mean your horse will be hesitant or choppy in his gaits.  It just means that he's fully aware that his movement can and will stop at some point and he knows how to respond when you ask for that stop.

Finally, a good stop means that you'll be able to treat your horse kindly and humanely.  There is nothing so frustrating as feeling like you have to pull really hard on the reins to get your horse to stop.  Nobody wants to feel they are "yanking their horse's head off" to get him to stop because it is not productive and the horse certainly doesn't enjoy it.   

Stay tuned for the next few months training tips that will delve deeper into the mechanics of how to train your horse to "whoa", as well as some great success stories that show how this basic training tool is being used to help all sorts of horses and riders!