Hi Meg, I make a practice of giving my horses emergency brakes. I teach them e-brakes on the lunge line by getting a halt and then allowing them to rest a bit ( occasionally offering a bit of a treat if they do a brilliant job--square). It's amazing how quickly they learn ho. Then just use a verbal, ho with your aids when riding, he should pick up the rein aids when used in conjunction with the verbal aids quickly.
If he doesn't listen to your rein aids in general you can begin other exercises on the ground that will be helpful such as teaching him the rein back. First on the ground with a command, then from the saddle. If it doesn't work easily from the saddle the first time go right back to your ground work.
I've found that beginning with groundwork, particularly with young horses, eliminates a lot of confusion for them. Put yourself in your horses position, he has to balance you while trying to interpret the new information you are conveying all while moving forward in the frame you have instructed him to. And we complain about walking and chewing gum.
PS: I am a petite adult with a young horse that used to plow right through the bit. Ho is now one of his favorite gaits. Best of luck. Laura

Hi, Megy:

Mary gave you good feedback too. The fact that one of your coaches is a judge does not mean that this person can teach you effectively - the two jobs are very different, and it is quite possible to be a very good judge and a less than effective coach, and vice versa. It is also very possible (and it happens a lot) that really good riders don't always make effective coaches.

Obviously your fitness level is OK, but riding strength is different for what you need for other sports, and it is most likely that you do not yet use your body such that your horse understands what you want. As I said before, I am very small and short (not much bigger than you), but my horses understand because I've learned to be effective and clear with my aids. It's the correct use of your weight that matters, not the amount of weight that you have - weight used poorly doesn't help either!

Anyway, I think that if you want to solve this problem you need some dialogue with your coaches. They need to know that they are not communicating the necessary information to you, so they need to try different approaches/exercises to help you to understand and implement what should be happening. If that doesn't work, you need to look for a coach who works well with you - that means someone about whom you feel good but who also gives you the necessary information in a way that makes sense to you, and that you can implement. Sometimes good coaches and trainers just can't find the best approach for a particular rider, and another coach can, so there are times when looking around helps a lot. However, your current coaches need to know first that they are not hitting the mark for you, and you should give them the opportunity to adjust their approaches.

HI Megy! Thanks for telling me about BarnMice! Is that hte horse your riding? He looks beautiful!