What are the keys to keeping control of your horse at a gallop?

Control at a gallop starts long before you ever ask for speed. Your horse has to be solid at the walk and trot first — if you don't have a reliable stop at slow speeds, you won't find one when things get fast. The single most important skill you can build is a dependable one-rein stop. That one tool can bring any horse back to you no matter how fast things escalate, and every horse should know it cold before speed is introduced. Beyond the stop, focus on softness through the bridle. A horse that's bracey or heavy in your hand at speed is dangerous. Work your transitions constantly — lope to trot, trot to lope — until rating speed becomes second nature to the horse. Big sweeping circles are your friend; they teach a horse to balance himself underneath you rather than just run flat and strung out. Body position is something a lot of riders overlook. Sit deep, stay centered, and don't get ahead of the motion. The moment you tip forward, you're essentially telling the horse to go faster. A horse that runs off with you is almost always unbalanced, anxious, or has never been taught that speed is something earned through relaxation — not a default setting he gets to choose on his own.