Breaking techniques

Question
Hello, I have 2 horses in question. A 2 1/2 yr old QH gelding ( had for about 8 months)with ground work such as lifting feet leading, wearing a saddle and basic lounging experience. The other is a 5 yr old mutt? mare ( saddlehorse was what I was told) with about the same lounging experience, she can pleasure ride, and I've had her for about a year and 3 months. I would like to have some tips on how to make learning "fun" for them. I have been doing much of the same thing with the mare since I started riding her, and don't know where to go from here. She needs to learn to stop when I tell her to, not 5 steps later. I try not to be heavy on the bit,but sometimes, I am if she doesn't stop. I really dislike having to be rough at all in her mouth, and would like to know if I am doing something wrong.

Answer
It is really hard for me to know without watching you whether your are doing something wrong.  You could be doing a million things right and one thing could be a mixed signal causing the issue at hand.  I will say this however, I too don't like to apply more force than necessary in any situation.  Many horses that are stubborn to respond to rider cues are often not interested in the rider's demands.  Quite often these horses I find are indeed board and truly could care less as they are not engaged in the ride.  When your horse doesn't respond try circling her or walking off the track.  Mixing it up a bit can sometimes be enough to spark the horse's interest.  
I have had a few question similar to yours.  I urge you to check out Karen Scholl's website.  She has a fantastic approach to establishing leadership with your horse and how to keep him engaged in activities the two of you do together.  Her website is: www.karenscholl.com

Check out her site and try to either attend a clinic or buy a video.  She definitely has some quality approaches to these situations!