How to Calm a Hot Horse

A hot horse is a horse that tends to be overly fast or aggressive when you ride, rarely listening to your lead and instead forging ahead as quickly as possible. Though some breeds are more prone to hot behavior than others, there's nothing genetic that says your horse needs to be hot. With patience and time, you can calm your hot horse and create an ideal riding companion.

Instructions

Prepare for a Riding Session

1. Determine what has made your horse hot, because it's rarely the horse's personality. An inexperienced or heavy-handed rider can pull on the bit, irritating the horse's mouth and causing him to race through the riding just to get away from the pain. A poor trainer can instill in a horse the idea that it's always better to move quickly, leading him to feel like moving slowly--even when you ask for it--means he's doing something wrong.

2. Approach your horse for training and riding sessions only when you're absolutely calm. Because your horse is probably doing only what she believes she should or must do, any anger or frustration on your part makes her more frustrated and more likely to exhibit hot behavior.

3. Work with your horse in a round pen or on a lunge line for a few days--or even a few weeks--if he acts hot even when you're not riding. In round pen work, you can help your horse learn to trust you, which is a necessary element in calming him down.

4. Establish a real sense of respect between you and your horse. This respect needs to go both ways if you're to calm your hot horse's behavior. Your horse needs to see you as her partner and leader, not as someone who will simply impose his will on her; likewise, you need to see your horse as a partner and actively listen to what she needs from you.

Ride and Calm Your Horse

1. Saddle up your horse once you're sure that you have her respect and she has yours. If your horse is still acting hot on the ground, repeat all of the steps of Section 1.

2. Ask your horse to walk slowly once you're in the saddle. Let the reins go slack. If your horse starts to speed up, gently pull the reins back until he returns to a slow gait. Keep this up until your horse stays at a slow and steady speed when the reins are loose. You're showing him that the bit is not a punishment and that riding can be relaxing for both of you.

3. Add some complete stops into your walking routine. As you ask her to stop, pull back gently on the reins. If you jerk the reins at all, your horse may fall back into her hot behavior. Allow her to stand in place for a few moments and then ask her to begin a slow walk again. Through this process, your horse gradually learns that she neither has to race to escape the bit nor does she have to escape the pain and pressure of the bit.

4. Increase your horse's speed to a trot once he's walking and stopping calmly, which may take a number of sessions. Use the basic idea you used as he walked; ask him to trot, then gently pull back on the reins if he speeds up.

5. Work on a slow canter once your horse is calm during both the walk and the trot.

6. Vary the speed you ask her to move at so she needs to listen to your subtle cues about how to move. As you vary the speed, use the least amount of force necessary; you're teaching her to listen to what you're saying rather than trying to force her to do something through physical strength or discomfort.

Tips & Warnings

• Expect to spend a few weeks or even months working on your horse's hot behavior, especially if he's an older horse or if you don't know what kind of training he received. This investment is worth it, though, because you'll have a true partner in riding by the end.

• Focus on sending your horse the most subtle cues possible. She'll learn to respond to your communication this way, rather than just responding to brute force.

• Make sure your horse gets enough turnout time rather than spending most of his time in a stall. Hot behavior can be compounded if he doesn't get enough exercise.

• Avoid using harsh bits on a hot horse. Though she may respond to a harsh bit because of the pain she feels, she won't gain trust and confidence in you and will continue to see a riding session as something that must be met with hot behavior.

• Don't work your horse too hard. Running your horse hard at the beginning of a session can reduce the appearance of hot behavior, but only because he's exhausted. Your goal is to do away with hot behavior through calming your horse, not simply by wearing him out.