Horseback riders in the Western disciplines know the lope as a slow, three-beat gait that allows the horse to push with its back end while maintaining a soft, collected stride. In her book "Centered Riding 2," Sally Swift maintains that a good lope "looks and feels almost effortless to ride," but it requires good muscle tone and engagement of the horse's back, shoulders and hindquarters to lope in good balance. Teaching your horse to lope on the ground and under saddle using your body and voice aids not only conditions your animal's body, it allows you to gain control of the 1,000-lb. animal you are riding.
Longing
Step 1
Attach your longe line to your horse's halter or bridle. If you're using the bridle, tie the reins around your horse's neck so that they don't get stepped on and cause injury to the horse.
Step 2
Position your body to the side of your horse with the longe line extended in your left hand and the longe whip in your right. Form a triangle with the horse's head being one point, your body the second point and your horse's rump being the third.
Step 3
Ask your horse to move off at the walk in a circle around you by moving into the area of hip, keeping the whip close to the rump and allowing the longe line to lengthen as your horse moves away.
Step 4
Allow your horse to continue walking in a circle until the longe line has played out to approximately 14 feet. Make your body parallel to your horse's sides and move into the hip to drive your horse forward and maintain the gait.
Step 5
Move into the hip area and lightly tap the whip on your horse's rump to ask for the jog. Say "jog" or click when asking for this transition.
Step 6
Maintain the jog for a full round of the circle.
Step 7
Move into the hip area again and either say "lope" or kiss to move your horse forward into the lope. You may need to crack the whip in the air to accomplish this faster gait.
Step 8
Maintain the lope for a full round of the circle, and then transition down to the jog by lightly pulling on your longe line.
Step 9
Transition back and forth from the jog to the lope then back down to the jog several times before changing directions.
Step 10
Change direction by halting your horse, turning its head to the other side and switching hands with the longe line and whip.
Under Saddle
Step 1
Walk your horse forward at a steady pace and move into a circle by asking for the jog with slight pressure of your legs at the cinch.
Step 2
Keep your horse at a steady jog for a full round of the circle before asking for the lope.
Step 3
Pick up your inside rein, the rein closest to the inside of the circle, and lay it against your horse's neck. At the same time, move your outside leg, the leg closest to the fence, slightly behind the cinch.
Step 4
Increase the pressure of your outside leg and heel on your horse's side and give a slight pull of the inside rein by flexing only your fingers to ask for the lope.
Step 5
Sit upright in the saddle as your horse moves into the lope and follow the three-beat movement with your seat and hands.
Step 6
Maintain the lope for a full round of the circle before transitioning down to the jog.
Step 7
Transition back to the lope after a full circle at the jog.
Step 8
Repeat transitioning from a jog to a lope, and then back again, to train your horse to be responsive to your aids. To ask for a lope in the other direction, change your rein and leg positioning to the opposite side.
Tips and Warnings
- Leaning too far forward or backward in the saddle, or pulling on the reins causes your horse to lose balance and it will likely stop loping to go back to the jog, says Susan McBane in "100 Ways to Improve Your Riding." She recommends keeping a relaxed, loose seat and arms, and allowing your legs to hang long and down around your horse's sides.
- When longing your horse, drive from the hind end but keep well away from flying hooves and kicking feet. Let your whip and voice maintain the gaits. Mount or longe your horse in an enclosed arena or fenced paddock for safety reasons. A horse that is just learning to lope, whether on a longe line or under saddle, often speeds up and becomes very forward; you need the enclosed area to contain some of this excess energy.
Things You'll Need
- Longe line
- Longe whip
- Halter and/or bridle
- Western saddle
References
- "Centered Riding 2, Further Exploration"; Sally Swift; 2002
- U. S. Department of Agriculture Cooperative Extension Svc.: Longing Basics
- U. S. Department of Agriculture Cooperative Extension Svc.: How Do I Teach My Horse the Lope?
- "100 Ways to Improve Your Riding"; Susan McBane; 2004
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