horse rushing into my hands!!?

Breathe deeply - every time you want to ask for a downward transition, or for him to slow his gait, take a deep breath and let it out. While you are exhaling, think "sink into the saddle." Stay sitting up, but let your shoulders drop, your legs relax, and visualize your tailbone growing and extending so that it falls through your horse and drags on the ground (that will help you to sit deeply, correctly). You can't let the reins loop yet, he isn't ready for that step. Ride him normally (rein length wise) and just let him get used to the new way you're using your body. He will start to connect the new cues with the old ones.

When you steer him, use your body. Give him some supporting leg on turns and circles, and look where you want to go. Treat your belly button like it's a third eye and needs to see where you are going - this will keep you shifting your body weight whenever you turn, and he'll start to pick up on that as well. If you get good at it, you could get to the point where all you have to do is look and he'll turn.

Don't get me wrong, I love thoroughbreds, I have one of my own, and I wouldn't trade him for the world, but TBs tend to be bull headed. He will eventually get it, but probably not for a while - certainly not as quickly as a quarterhorse or appy might pick it up. Just be patient and consistent, and don't go too fast!

Stasha is completely right. Breath deeply, sit deeply and relax your entire body when asking for down ward positions. My three year old Thoroughbred gelding was training for the track last year but was to slow. If I loosen my reins at all he goes off course and runs. Just keep a medium tight grip for now. If you want him to listen to your seat then apply your body position and balance along with your usual aids. Once you feel he is getting better and understanding more of what you want, lesson the other aids and use more of your seat. Go with him! If you find he wants to run away and get excited with loose reins try double reins but with a very gentle bit. This may sound dumb, but I am not suggesting a stronger bit at all so don't take it like that. Then you can drop one rein so he gets used to it being loopy but you still have control. Working verbally could help to, but it could also be bad, if your in a show ring and your horse listens to the judge instead of you. It is a little odd that my horse, as well as your horse speed up when rein are loosened. Jockeys haul on the reins all the time and they shorten them and push them into the neck , short reins means faster and long reins means slow. Maybe you are right, a lot of times racehorses have very strong mouths and are hard to soften.

Good Luck and just keep on!

You should not actually be leaning back as you slow, it upsets the horse's balance which can be manifested in various ways, either the horse going from O - 60 or wobbling about. You could on any occassion find yourself dismounting over his tail - not very dignified.

Exhale as you want to slow down, sit deep in the saddle and block the movement of your seat, relax the shoulders. For some time it will never be just seat and legs. It is a subtle combination of legs (yes legs, riding him forward, blocking the seat, hands having a constant contact but blocking forward movement, not hauling back.

It will take him a while to learn but he will get it.

Another thing I wonder about is your leg contact constant or do you tend to use them and "ease off a bit". That is one way of setting a horse, ex racehorse or not off.

Try half halts and stroking his neck on each side, one at a time, while still holding the reins to encourage him to relax his neck and seek contact with the reins.

If you still find problems after a few weeks could you post this again, next time with a video of yourself riding. It is easier then to see what is going on.

When did you last get your horse's mouth and back checked? Just a thought.

There is something going on because if you watch racing they are always ridden with a strong contact during the race but straight after they drop the reins and the horses slow down. If a jockey stops trying to race he is said to be dropping the reins. And in training, a loose rein to a racehorse means stop.