How to Maintain Your Gait With Riding Horses

Begin Lounge Line Work

• 1

  Stand in the center of an arena or flat pasture. Attach the longe line to your horse's bridle or halter. Use the hand closest to the horse's head hand to hold the longe line and the other hand to hold the longe whip. The longe line leads the horse in a 20-meter circle while the whip encourages or "drives" the horse forward. If your horse is new to longing, introduce the technique slowly. Praise your horse for moving around the circle at a steady walk.

• 2

  Ask your horse to trot with a verbal cue. If the horse doesn't understand the request, raise the longe whip slightly to encourage the horse to move forward. Praise the horse when it trots. Allow the horse to trot for a circle or two and then ask for a transition back to the walk. Praise all correct responses. Repeat these transitions from walk to trot. Keep the sessions brief in the beginning.

• 3

  Ask your horse to canter with a verbal cue. If the horse doesn't understand the request, raise the lunge whip slightly to encourage the horse to go forward. A young or green horse may rush forward, buck, or break back to a trot. If the horse rushes, hold on and slow him down by saying "easy" in a low voice. If the horse breaks back to a trot, slow him to a halt and then begin again. Once the horse can canter on the circle for at least two laps, practice transitions "down" to the trot and "up" to the canter to build strength and balance.

• 4

  Repeat the longe line exercises with a rider on the horse. The horse will need time to build the balance and strength necessary to carry a passenger. Continue to do walk-trot and trot-canter transitions. Praise modest success in the beginning. After a few weeks of longe work, the horse will be able to maintain a steady gait for many laps.