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Training Your Horse to Back |
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Do not practice backing your horse until AFTER he can do the other 4 basics almost perfectly! The reason for this is that a rider can mistakenly teach a horse some very bad habits, if they practice backing before the horse has become really soft and responsive. Even worse than becoming resistant, the horse might begin rearing as an evasive tactic.
Backing up is maneuver is often a part of Horsemanship and Equitation patterns at horse shows and it is a part of every Western Pleasure and Hunter Under Saddle class. It is an important part of many Trail Class patterns. For best results with asking your horse to back, LESS IS MORE. Use your hands very softly and use your legs as the "gas pedal." We saw a young lady literally pull her horse over backwards at a show, because she was too rough with her hands while cueing for the backup. She was working a Trail Class back-through obstacle. The horse didn't understand what she was asking him to do, and he was resisting. She began yanking on the reins, and he reared up and fell over backwards. The rider fell off, but was unhurt. Many horses that are resistant to rein cues for stopping will respond better if asked with SOFT hands, and good use of seat and legs. Begin practicing this on the ground, and practice it 15 times DAILY until the horse can do it almost perfectly. You must be very patient and allow the horse time
to understand what you are asking for. Be sure to praise the horse
for doing the exercise correctly. In the beginning, the horse will
be sloppy at this; the horse will improve a little bit with each new
practice session. |
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