Learn whether you are riding your horse or riding the rail
Article by Diana Thompson

Most of us have been taught that riding is the ability to sit on top of a thousand pounds of horse and direct him precisely from point A to point B. We pull on the reins, shuffle our seat and legs, and do our best to steer the horse so he stays exactly on the circle, on the rail, on course in the arena, or on the trail. No matter what effort it takes, we make the horse follow the path we have chosen. Then a teacher comes along and says, "Forget it. Forget where the rail is, forget the prescribed reining or dressage pattern. Quit riding the circle or the trail. Ride your horse."

What? Isn't getting your horse from point A to point B riding your horse? According to Harry Whitney, clinician and trainer from Ottawa, Kansas, where you ride your horse - the fixation on getting from point A to point B - is not as important as how the horse responds when you ride him. Most riders, he says, are so busy riding the path on the ground, they don't notice whether the horse is mentally focused and whether his carriage is correct as he moves.

As puzzling as it sounds, Whitney maintains that focusing on how your horse travels as you ride must be your first priority. Once you have taught the horse to respond to light pressure from the rein with both his mental focus and physical coordination, you will have a soft, correctly traveling horse. Only then should you concern yourself with where you ride your horse, moving from point A to B, in harmony and lightness.

In the last issue of The Whole Horse Journal ("Is Turning A Real Drag?" TWHJ March/April 1998), Whitney explained how tug-of-war pulling matches often develop between horses and their handlers. The handler tries to drag the horse around a turn while the horse looks and physically leans in the opposite direction. This interaction not only frustrates the handler, but also results in the horse straining his muscles and disobeying the handler to the point of causing wrecks.

Look for Willingness - Recognize Restance

As a counter to this scenario, Whitney offered step-by-step methods for creating lightness and cooperation during ground handling, whether the horse is on a halter and lead rope or longe line. In this, the second part of a two-article series, Whitney explains how a rider can use pressure on the reins to create a focused, willing partner.

In order to understand how to use the reins correctly, it helps to have a picture of what a horse looks like when he is responding to a rider's cues with a willing mental and physical "attitude". Once you recognize this, you will see that when a horse mentally decides to follow our direction he moves his body into a relaxed, supple posture. You don't push or pull him where you want to go; you suggest and he moves himself. The horse's decision to answer the cue by coordinating and moving himself is what creates lightness and harmony. You'll find it a lot easier on both parties than trying to physically move the horse by pulling him and shoving him. In the text accompanying photos 1 and 2, Whitney describes the difference between a willing response to pressure on the reins and a braced response.

Picture 1 - Soft and Yielding

In this photo I picked up both reins and Avalon instantly yielded before the slack even came out of the rein. She has softly yielded through the poll and her whole topline. There is a soft expression on her face, her eyes are round, her ears are relaxed, her muzzle is soft with no tension lines around them. Her mouth is shut even though she is not wearing a noseband because she has no resistance to what I am asking. She is standing very square and balanced, ready to respond in any direction I want: back, forward, right or left. Her posture and response shows she is mentally present and ready to follow my directions.

Picture 2 - Bracing Against Pressure

This time, when I asked her to yield to the left rein, Avalon tightened the muscles of her neck, raised her head, and pushed her nose out. Her back is hollow under the saddle and her hindquarters are pushed out behind her. She has a dull look in her eye, not the willing look I'd like to see. The position of her right ear shows her attention is somewhere else; her left ear is back - is she listening to me or does she regard me as a nuisance? Long before I applied that much pressure on the left rein, Avalon should have yielded through the poll, tucked her left jaw bone under her throat and turned her head to the left.

If you consistently follow the exercises outlines in Part One (March/April 1998 TWHJ) and this article, you should see a difference in the way your horse responds to your reins. If your horse continues to have difficulty turning his head at the poll or suppling through his body, however, physical problems may be blocking his progress. A horse with dental problems, vertebral misalignments, tight muscles due to hard work, injuries, or saddle fit problems, may not be able to accomplish these movements. If this happens with your horse, contact an equine massage therapist, or a veterinarian trained in chiropractic care or acupuncture for assistance.

From The Rider's Point Of View
Soft And Supple

In this illustration, you can see by the lines behind the horse's tail that this horse came around the turn and headed directly at the rail. When the rider picked up the right rein, however, the horse responded correctly by relaxing and turning his head, eyes and ears to the right. He then started to organize his body in a nice, relaxed, continuous bend from nose to tail. The horse's right front foot is stepping to the right; he intends to go to the right because we have asked him to move there. The drape in the rein shows the horse is not resisting or pulling against the rider's request. He has relaxed into the movement.

At this point, the horse is correct and soft through his body. That is all the response we need. It is time for the rider to reward the horse for his correct response by releasing the pressure on the rein and saying "thank you". Whether the rider decided to continue to ask for more turn to the right or allow the horse to move straight down the rail doesn't really matter at this point. The horse is correct, soft, and willing to go wherever he is directed.

It is very important to realize that the moment the horse turns his head and relaxes his body, you must release the pressure on the rein. Forget about the direction you want to go, whether it is going down the rail, around the turn, or whatever. Reward the softness with release of pressure. Only when the horse is soft every time you pick up the rein should you be concerned about where he is going.

Braced Against The Rein

In this illustration, the rider tightened the right rein to cue the horse to turn right. Only the base of the horse's neck has turned to the right, however, and that's due to the rider's force on the rein. The horse is bracing against the rider's cue, pulling hard against the rein to position his head and his front feet to the left. Note the horse's ears; this horse is "thinking" an looking left because he wants to go to the left. His unhappiness is also seen in his kinked tail and body straightness.

The position of his head on the end of his neck is also incorrect. His head is turned left and his right jawbone sticks out to the right. To move lightly to the right, the horse would need to turn his head and eyes to the right, tucking his right jaw under his neck. The rider can see the horse's left eye; he should actually see the right eye.

Humans can look straight at you while thinking about something else, but once a horse turns his head - including his ears and eyes - to look in a certain direction, he "thinks" and prepares to move in that direction. If you pull on his head and bend his neck WITHOUT getting his head and eyes to turn, he will resist because he is looking/thinking in the opposite direction, preparing his body to move there.

In this frame of mind and body, the horse will not follow your lead. He will not turn with any willingness, lightness, or coordination. Furthermore, if you release the pressure when the horse is in this posture, you will have taught him to respond to pressure on the rein by bracing and waiting until you let go.

Picture 3
Happy Horse, Loose Rein

Avalon, a 7-year-old Thoroughbred mare, is showing us an example of a very mentally happy horse. She has a bright, happy, curious expression on her face. She is standing square with a relaxed head carriage. She shows no tension in her body and she is content enough to stand still with a totally loose rein. This is a natural stance for a relaxed, content horse, almost as if the rider was not even present.

Picture 4
Taking Up The Rein

In this photo, Avalon has turned her head and neck to intently take in something off to her right. I have just started to take the slack out of the rein. It is obvious to me Avalon is aware of the change in the rein because she has already tipped her head and prepared to resist. Instead of responding to the rein by preparing her body to yield she is responding with some resistance and starting to brace.

How To Teach Your Horse To Yield To The Rein

In photos 3 through 6, I take Avalon through several steps to teach her the correct response to pressure on the rein.

To begin this process, start with the horse standing still. In order to make things clear to the horse and rider, it is important to start with the total freedom of a completely slack rein. The next step is to pick up one rein, ever so slowly, so the horse never feels an abrupt bump to his head. As you take the slack out of the rein, if you see a change in the position of the horse's head at all, immediately return the rein to total slack.

If the horse does not respond by turning his head by the time all the slack is out of the rein, keep a small degree of pressure on the rein and wait. It is really important to stay patient at this point. DO NOT increase the pressure on the rein so you forcibly turn the horse's head. The horse may hunt through several options, trying to get rid of your pressure on the rein before he tries the one you are looking for. He might turn in the opposite direction or toss his head.

During any one of these options, simply wait and maintain the pressure on the rein. It may take him five seconds or five minutes before he tries the option you are looking for. The instant the horse decides to turn his head on the end of his neck so his face is turned in the direction you want it in, he will put slack in the rein and reward himself. Support his choice and give him even more relief from pressure by quickly giving him even more rein. Give him all of the slack and then let him just stand there and relax.

Because he is just standing still, the horse's bend (in response to the rein) will only be in his neck - from his poll to the withers. Don't ask for any more bend in the neck than seen in photo 6 while the horse is standing still, or the horse will learn to overbend while standing. Often, horses will then overbend their necks (and not move their bodies properly) once they are moving (see photo 7).

Once your horse gives several correct responses to pressure on the rein while standing still, try this exercise while the horse is moving at the walk. Just like the standing exercise, start with complete slack in both reins. Carefully take the slack out of one rein and watch for your horse's mental and physical response. This time, you are looking for a full body response. Continue to hold pressure on the rein until the horse turns his head on the end of his neck, bends his neck, and supples his body, rib cage, and hindquarters to prepare to move his feet in the direction of the rein. Once he gives you this response, release all of the pressure in the rein to give him complete slack and let him relax.

When the horse is walking, it may take him three steps or three circles to organize himself to correctly respond to the rein. He may pull against the rein, throw his head up, speed up or slow down. Simply apply enough pressure to match his resistance and wait. Resist the impulse to increase the rein pressure and drag the horse through the turn. Wait for him to mentally search for the correct solution, to figure out how to take the pressure off the rein and coordinate himself to move there.

When the horse yields properly AND you return total slack in the rein, do not worry about WHERE the horse is traveling. Release the pressure and allow him to go straight for at least a few steps before picking up the rein and asking him to yield once again.

During this process, you need to forget the pattern on the ground and look for correctness in the horse. You are trying to gain the ability to direct the horse where to "think", look, and move. When you ask for a change of direction by applying pressure to one rein, wait until the correctness comes through the entire horse's body. No matter where he is in the arena, if he is resistant and creating an incorrect posture, do not release the rein and allow him to go straight. Once he yields throughout his body, release the pressure on the rein.

At first, the pattern you leave on the ground might look like random wanderings. When the day comes that every time you start to pick up the rein the horse softly rotates his head property on the end o fhis neck and supples his whole body to prepare to turn, it will be simple and easy and enjoyable to ride any pattern you choose. You and your horse will be as one.

Picture 5
Match The Resistance

I am offering quite a bit of pressure on the rein. It is enough to keep Avalon from moving her head farther to her right, but not enough to force her to turn left. I apply the pressure and wait for her to yield to the pressure and choose to put her own head to the left. You can see by the change in her ears, eyes, and facial expression that she is starting to think about yielding. Her nose has come in just a little although she has not softened yet.

Picture 6
Willing To Give

When Avalon yielded to pressure of the rein by moving her head left, she put slack in the rein and relieved the pressure on her mouth. I also relaxed my hand to put even more slack in the rein. Because she has willingly yielded on her own, she has dropped her head and allowed it to turn properly (it is straight up and down, not tilted). There is a continuity of bend from her poll to her withers. The position of her ears and eyes tells me she is thinking with me.

Picture 7
Bend But Not Correct

Even though Avalon has swung her neck to the left in response to my pressure on the left rein, her body remains straight. This is because her mental focus (as shown by the position of her right ear and right eye) is going down the rail, not following my direction to the left.

You can see that she is placing her left leg almost straight ahead instead of setting it over to the left and she is continuing to move forward through her right shoulder. The bend in her body is not a smooth continuous line from her poll (junction of her head and neck) to her tail. Some people call this posture rubbernecking. If I were to let go at this point, I would have told Avalon that if she resists long enough, at some point I will release the pressure.

Picture 8
Willing Cooperation And Proper Coordination

Avalon's ears and expression show she is attentive to me and willing to go where directed. In response to pressure on the left rein, she has yielded her head and neck to the left and prepared her entire body to turn left by stepping up underneath herself. Her inside hind leg supports her as she pushed her front end to the left.

There is nice roundness in her neck from her withers to her poll and she is soft and yielding at the poll. This lack of resistance allows her face to come into a vertical position. Her body has a smooth continuous bend from poll to tail. Now that she is correct all the way through her body, I can release the pressure on the rein.

Thanks to Judy McHerron of Healdsburg, CA, for letting Harry Whitney demonstrate these methods with Avalon, a 7-year-old Thoroughbred mare.