The Halt
The rider does not have to lean back, brace his feet, and pull back on the reins as hard as he can in order to stop a horse. If you've ever watched horses running in the open without a rider, you should know horses can stop without being pulled on.
One of the first things I do when I get on a new horse is teach it to stop without the use of reins. Initially, I must usually use some rein pressure. But I try to get by with as little as possible. Then, I try to get the horse to react simply to my body cues.
My basic cues are to grow tall, tighten my stomach muscles, and still my seat. While the horse is moving, I let my seat bones move with the horse's back muscles. When I stop my seat bones from moving with him, that is the major cue to stop. If I only want the horse to drop to a slower gait — such as from a trot to a walk — I will let my seat bones start moving with him again as soon as he stops trotting.
Of course, there is a little more to it. If you want the horse to bring his rear underneath him, you might add a little leg squeeze and a little resistance on the reins. You must, also, be ready to allow the horse to fill your crotch. Don't force your seat bones into the horse's back to get the halt. That would prevent him from rounding his back as he tries to bring his rear end under him.
If you do use resistance on the reins when cuing for the halt, you must release the pressure the moment the horse stops his forward motion. That is his reward. You must not do this too early lest he start moving again, but you must do it quickly enough that he realizes it is a reward for doing what you wanted.
If your horse has a tendency to start walking again before you cue him to, you must be ready to tell him to stop. You relieve the tension as a reward when the horse stops, but you do not throw the reins away. Keep light enough contact so you need only tighten your grip to cue him not to move. Do this when you feel his weight shift forward just before he takes that first step. You must be as sensitive to the horse as you expect him to be to you.
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