Perhaps the most essential lesson to learn, stopping isn’t always an easy thing to do. Beyond that, stopping shouldn’t be a violent movement as it can do damage to the horse’s mouth.
Body Language
Contrary to what you might think, stopping can be done by body language alone. Small signals and changes of posture should be the primary speed regulator, not yanking on the reins.
Horse Riding:
Horse Riding: How To Stop
Balance & Contact
Although new riders can have some apprehension about being able to stop their mount. For the most part a beginner will only be put on an older, calmer animal so they won’t have to worry. Their biggest challenge may just be getting their mount to go!
I’ve been trying something new on this front with novice riders with great results. I don’t have them use the reins at all. Most horses (particularly in a trot to walk or walk to halt case) will respond to the seat alone. I don’t entirely agree with the video recommendation to ‘deepen the seat’ as I don’t think most newer or less experienced riders will understand this so tend to send the horse forward with a driving seat when such a statement is used. Relax does seem to work, though. So many riders complain of ‘hard-mouthed’ horses, but in about ten minutes, they find it’s a hard hand creating the resistance. Get off the hand and it’s amazing how sensitive a horse’s mouth becomes when asked gently (and given an immediate release – glad to see that pointer in the video).
I find that when students ‘deepen the seat’, they lean back behind the vertical and actually drive their horses backs down and drive the horse forward thru the reins. I have my students lighten their seat so the horses back stays ‘up’ and the hind legs stay under the horse. I also start my halt by doing a leg yield off the inside leg and seatbone into a closing outside thigh (with a guarding outside calf so the outside hind doesn’t drift out). I complete the halt by tightening the abdominal muscles to lock my hips, keeping my low back relaxed. If the horse’s hips and back mirror our own, then the horse should also stop. I only use the hands to fine tune the leg/ seat aids. By using the inside rein, the poll stays relaxed and the back stays up. If I use outside rein before the horse is working off the seat, the horse will have the tendency to raise the head and hollow out the back, thus plowing thru the halting aid. As stated in the video, once the horse starts to halt, I immediately release the hand aid to prevent a tug of war. This ultimately rewards the horse for doing what the rider asks for.