My husband just purchased a well-trained 12 year old roping horse for me (QH).He has absolutely wonderful ground manners.When l called the previous owner she said he prefers side pulls or halters to a bit.I’m a beginning rider and I’m a little nervous to ride my new horse so “loosely”.The previous owner said he’s so well trained I’ll never use all of his buttons.She said before l take him out trail riding l should spend at least a month in our round pen just getting to know him.I’m scared to death I’m going to press the wrong button and have a disaster.l heard roping horses slide stop and can stop on a dime and if I’m not careful l can pull him over?I’ve been on his back only once and he seems like he just wants to go, go, go.Is it possible to re-train him to be a quiet trail horse?I’m not about speed; l just wanna trail ride.I’m 52 years old and am not interested in hitting the ground!



Thank you!

There is no reason why a roper can not be a trail horse. If the horse has a good foundation, you're not doing any retraining, you're just riding him on a trail & not in an arena. A horse that is been roped off of, already has (should have) steering, stopping, back up. If he doesn't, then he needs a refresher by someone who knows how to remind the horse (training) & who can teach u how to handle a horse.

Do not take him in the round pen & just ''show him who is boss'' that is stupid. It wo not teach him anything if u do not even know what u r looking for & how to do it. Round penning is not about chasing the horse around or something that someone who does not know about horse training should be doing.

TAKE LESSONS. You r in no position to take on any horse by yourself. You clearly have way too much fear. Invest in some time with a competent trainer/riding instructor with u & ur new horse. There is no reason not to. Riding lessons r cheaper than a hospital bill.

You do not need to ride in a bit to be safe. There is a bitles bridle that many riders use, that is like a sidepull, but better. l ride in one.

It is the TRAINING in YOU & in the horse that matters. That makes the difference. He is got training, u don't. You need to be trained as to how to ride & handle ur horse safely.

l am curious as to why he supposedly should not be ridden in a bit. Unless he is got a medical condition, or his teeth r sharp, he should be fine.

If u r nervous about riding a horse ''loose'' u should not be riding him at all, by yourself. Get Lessons. Because if u ride him & grab up the reins, u will cause problems. A western horse needs to be ridden with ur seat, ur legs & last, ur reins. The reins should be loose. You should only pick up the reins when u want something, not use them for balance, or to hold him back.

the more u hold any horse back with the reins, the faster he will want to go when u loosen up. Meaning, u will ruin him within one month. You will ruin any horse & need some training for the both of u then..so why not get it now?

Roping horses do not slide stop. Reining horses do. Roping horses, if they r not handled/trained correctly, can get stuck in go go go. If he was ridden properly, he should be an all around horse..meaning he should be no trouble on the trail.

Get lessons/ get training. You clearly have no idea what u r doing & you're just asking for it if u just take this on by yourself.

l train people & their horses for a living, trust me. I've had enough clients like u to know that u can not do this on ur own with the thinking u have about it now.

Why did u get a horse? To have fun. Wondering if you're going to die is not fun.

Get lessons.

If u round pen him & teach him whos boss, he will be okay. You should probably have a trainer come & help u round pen him & help u get used to riding him & dealing with any habits he may have. You have to ba calm with a horse, if u r nervous or afraid, then they will pick up on that & be nervous also. Since all u want to do is trail ride, u should have no problem with him stopping too fast. Make sure though that he is not skittish on the trails & outdoors, if he is u will have to desensitize him. l would suggest having a trainer help u & take lessons on him, so u get used to all his quirks. Hope l helped, & good luck with ur horse!

You should not have purchased a roping horse is all u wanted to do was to trail ride. The horse is jumpy one because maybe he has not been ridden in awhile & two is a ropn horse. Of course, the lady will sell him to u because he was up for sale. Just ride him in the pen for a month or two & take someone trail riding with you. Just walk the horse while trail riding until u can get a feel for him. Also, what kind of a ropn horse does not use a bit. Use a bit but do not yank on his mouth it will give him a hard mouth. You will have more control.
Go to ur local saddlery & get suggestions. Mayb a snaggle bit?

l think you will be fine. Roping horses do well on trails because they are so used to ''ranch work''.

Do not be scared, as he can sense your fear. l agree to work with him in a round pen, or just doing ground work getting to know him.

See what he does with a bit, if thats what makes you more comfortable l would go with that, as long as he does not mind.

You can take any horse & turn them into anything u want. You just have to have the right training. My method may work & it may not, but it is worth trying, l know it sounds crazy, but it is an option if u can not find anythingelse that works. If he just wants to go then l would suggest lunging with the saddle on before u ride flex him to each side on the ground with a halter first then a loose ring snaffle or a D-ring whatever works best for him, or use a hackamore which is a bitless bridle. Flexing is where u take horses' head & have him to each of their sides with their nose. This may take coaxing with treats, but hey whatever works. This stretches AND strengthens his neck muscles & teaches him patience as well. Saddle him up & just tie him up for an entire day & make him learn patience. When u get on him NEVER let him walk off before you're on or immediately when u sit. If he does walk off dismount & back him up about 5 steps. He will learn walking off means work & that he wo not get anywhere unless he stands still. Once you're on & he is standing still. FLEX, FLEX, FLEX. Once he stands still & will flex, start walking if he gets all hyper & wants to go, stop & flex him again. Both sides just a few times & have him stand still for a minute. Once he is walking ok, start trotting, same thing he gets hyper, flex him. Same with the canter. Also trailer him to a bunch of different arenas & just lunge him in a new environment, if he is okay ask another experienced rider to ride him around in the new environment. And same thing in the round pen, he gets hyper, stop, make him stand still, if he doesn't, FLEX, FLEX, FLEX. Flexing does wonders for a horse & I've worked miracles & turned retired 1D uncontrollable barrel horses into calm, quiet, kid safe, lead line horses.

l am sure that it can be done but it depends on the horse. My friend has an ex-reiner that was just '''d'' on at rodeos for who knows how many years that now when u get on him he is just so confused. Since reining cues r different from ''normal'' riding cues he does what he thinks u r asking him to do (usually run into the fence). He is a really sweet boy & is not trying to hurt you, he is just too mixed up to understand.

Your boy on the other hand sounds like he shouldnt have a problem. Just take ur time getting to know each other & learn his buttons so u dont push the wrong one by accident. =)