Fundamental Reining Training - a new book!

 I finally did it! I published a reining training handbook!

Fundamental Reining Training I is the first of a two book series outlining a training program for the reining horse that can also apply to most other disciplines. Available in paperback or eBook.

Click here to buy Fundamental Reining Training I

Rules to Train By

I try to keep my approach to training simple. Simple translates to a few ‘simple’ rules.

1. I choose a positive approach. I believe the best and it will probably happen. Why? Because my horse takes his cue from me. If I choose positive over negative, I have a better chance of positive. If I believe the worst of my horse, he will probably give me his worst. If he senses I am anticipating bad behaviour he may oblige.

2. I have a plan. It’s time better spent and more productive to spend 45 minutes thinking about what you are going to do and 15 minutes riding, than muddling around for an hour without a plan.   

3. I put my horse on a program. The first rides of a horse’s life set the tone of the training program, one of the reasons I still start my own colts. I believe the first six to eight rides may be the most important rides of a young horse's life to send him down a path of least resistance - followed by a step-by-step training program, of course.

4. I deliver the same message, the same way, every time. A horse learns by repetition, consistent repetition. If I repeat the same message, the same way every time I ask, the horse will learn the skill.

5. I use the ladder approach. My training program is like a ladder. The first step is the easiest exercise, the first rung; the second a little harder and so on. If a step is too difficult and the horse exhibits a problem, “stepping back down” to a lower “rung” and spending more time on a basic maneuver will almost always fix the problem. For example, if the horse will not change leads, he will only get better at missing the lead if he “practices” not changing. If I spend more time on basic leg yielding and body control at a walk and jog, nine times out of ten the problem vanishes when he returns to loping and changing leads. By climbing that ladder slowly, and never missing steps, the horse’s training will be solid for life.

6. I teach my horses to give to my hands and give to my legs. If my horse gives to the pressure from my hands by giving to the bit and moves away from pressure from my legs, I can teach him almost anything. With combinations of bit and leg pressure at different speeds, I can teach him different maneuvers.

7. I ask, then demand, then correct. If I “ask” my horse to respond to my aid and he does not, I “demand” by applying a slightly stronger aid. If he still does not respond, I “correct” by applying a stronger aid still. For example, if I ask him to move laterally off of my leg, I first squeeze with my leg. If he does not respond, I turn my foot to use my heel. If he still does not respond, I bump him with my foot, touch him with the spur. The next time I ask, I will ask with the softest aid first, my leg. By repeating the request this way every time, the horse will always learn to respond to the softest aid and I can eliminate the “demand, correct”.

8. I am aware of the height of my hand. Always, I strive to give clear signals to my horse. A confused horse will not learn, so the more consistent and concise my program is, the better it is for both of us. I am very strict with myself when it comes to the height of my rein hand. It’s simple – when I am happy with what my horse is doing, my hand is down; when I want anything (correction, change of maneuver) I raise my hand. If I am loping a circle and he is staying on the circle at a consistent speed, my hand is down. If he falls into the circle, I lift my hand to correct. If I stop and don’t want him to move, my hand is down; if I stop and want him to roll back, I pick up my hand. When he is trained, movement of my hand may be subtle, but it is always there and he knows. The reason he knows is because he has been trained that way from the beginning.

9. I raise and lower my hands slowly. When I lift my hand and apply pressure to my horse’s mouth, I am careful to apply the pressure slowly. There are two reasons for this. If I raise my hand and pull abruptly, my horse does not have a chance to react before he feels the increased pressure; if he is not responding to the bit, abrupt pressure will probably cause him to throw her head up. My horse can accept pressure if applied slowly.

10. I keep my signals soft. Tenseness and impatience have no place in horse training but, when I am frustrated, difficult to remember. It is amazing to me how much difference it can make if the muscles in my rein arm are soft – not surprising when I think of where that rein goes – into my horse’s mouth! I constantly remind myself to soften my forearms; when I do, I have much better results.

11. I listen to the horse’s side of the story. If I really pay attention, a horse will tell me his own story. I know most history of my own horses, of course, but when a new horse comes to my barn for training, especially one that has been handled a lot or ridden, I rely on what the horse tells me. For example, if I raise my hands and the horse raises his head, I know the rider has released pressure when the horse’s head is up. I will have to re-program him.

By keeping these simple rules in mind as I work (and play!) with my horses, training progresses at a steady pace with the end result a calm, responsive partner for not only reining, but any horse activity I choose.

Finding the Position of Comfort: Exercise Two

This exercise is actually a continuation of the last exercise but if my horse is just learning I may not advance for a few rides.  If he is thoroughly schooled in basic exercises, he is usually mentally and physically ready for this step up very quickly – I let him “tell” me, to a great extent. But I don't walk into the arena and start here. I will have already jogged my horse around the arena, half-passing him to the outside, releasing and letting him find the comfort zone in both directions (See Finding the Position of Comfort: Exercise One). Then I take same exercise up a notch – to the lope!

The Comfort Connection

A horse will always strive to be comfortable. If we, as trainers/riders remember that, we will have accessed a valuable “teaching” tool! I call it the “comfort connection”.

It’s really quite simple. I’ve already talked about releasing aids (hands, legs, body) when my horse is doing what I ask but if I think one step further and think about tapping in to my horse’s “comfort”, I am limited only by his talent and what I wish to “teach” him because he, in fact, is teaching himself. He wants to be comfortable; therefore he will try to be comfortable. If I take advantage of that, the whole training process is easier.

Example 1: A horse’s spine is aligned best if his neck (not just his head!) is low. He instinctively knows this but, with someone on his back asking him to respond to something he doesn’t know yet, he may resist to pressure on the reins, stiffen,  and put his head up. He is not comfortable with his head in that position so, as I walk, jog and lope, I encourage him to lower his neck with leg pressure. When he does (and is rewarded with release of pressure), he becomes comfortable again. My horses understand this very quickly. (I can almost see the “light bulb” go on…). Then they are happy to respond the next time… because they are comfortable. As always, it’s important to reward for even the slightest response at first. It’s amazing how fast a horse will learn when he is finding a comfortable position.

Example 2: A horse is most comfortable spinning if his body is in correct alignment. It will be easy to turn around if his neck is low, his shoulders are “up” and his barrel and hips aligned. In fact, spinning is so much easier that he will float around with the help of centrifugal force. If his head is up, his back is hollowing; then it is difficult for him to place a pivot leg under himself; if he is resisting rein pressure on one side and his shoulder is “stuck out”, it will be difficult for him to cross over in front.

Example 3:  A horse will stop best if his body is aligned. Again, he will be more comfortable that way and therefore he will be more willing to stop and will perform the stop much better. This starts in the rundown. If my horse does not feel or act comfortable in the rundown, I will often go back a step or two and correct that – by encouraging him to find the comfortable position again.

A horse will perform any maneuver better if he is correct and he will only stay correct if he is comfortable. A horse will seek out the comfortable position once he is shown where it is. That’s the “comfort connection”.

Teaching the Turn-around

As soon as my horse is solid in basic maneuvers, I start teaching him the turn-around (spin). He must be reasonably responsive to rider aids in order for me to “place” him in a correct position so I wait until he is far enough along in his training to accept what I am asking - usually after 30 days or so. At that time, he is far from finished but has enough understanding of my aids to begin learning a basic turn-around.

Before I work on turn-arounds, I warm my horse up well with basic exercises, jogging, trotting and loping. Then I let him walk relaxed for a few minutes.

At first, I ask only a half-turn. Sometimes I work on the large circle I have just loped, turning to the inside, walking a few steps then turning to the inside again. This means I change directions every time, though, so more often, I will only work one direction at a time, asking a half-turn, releasing, walking forward in a straight line anywhere in the arena, then asking another half-turn the same way. When my colt is responding as well as I think he is capable of for his level of training I work the other direction.

Example to the right with two hands on the reins: Walk the horse forward (spins need forward motion!), brace your body just enough to stop most (not quite all!) of the forward motion and at the same time place the left rein on his neck (in the direction of your right shoulder but not pushing on the neck or over the neck). Now “help” him with the right (inside) rein with a pull-release motion and, if necessary, your left leg until he turns 180 degrees (half-turn). Release all aids and walk forward. Repeat several times. Change directions and repeat several times in that direction.

• Do not completely stop before you ask for the turn.
• Do not pull the outside rein across the neck. Instead, “ask” with only a touch.
• Do not lift your outside rein high – 4 inches or so is about right. Remember it is the asking rein and you have other aids to back it up.
• Maintain body aid until turn-around is completed. (If you release body aid the horse will walk forward out of the turn-around.)
• Use pull/release pressure with inside rein.
• Apply leg pressure with a “bump”, not a steady push.
• Make sure your outside leg is not asking for the spin first (It will be a correction if used last and hopefully the time will come when you do not need it.)
• Apply leg pressure last and only if it is needed.
• Release all aids and walk forward to a “new” spot to repeat.

Note: It's necesary to release rider aids slightly before the turn-around is completed because the horse is in motion and will complete it on his own. After your know your horse well, you will know how fast your horse "shuts off."I release most of mine at about one-eighth before the completed turn. In a class, this will ensure that I don't pick up a penalty for over-spinning.

When my horse has mastered a half-turn, I ask him to make a full turn (or one spin) by putting two half-turns together with a slight release at half. That is: walk, brace body, outside rein, inside rein, outside leg if necessary, then after one half-turn, release rein pressure slightly (but not body aid), ask for another half-turn. Release all aids and walk forward. Repeat as necessary. The following video is the only one I could find in my collection to demonstate teaching the turn-around:

It could be several months before I feel my horse is ready to perform multiple spins but when he is, it's only a matter of adding to what he already knows. After all, multiple spins are only multiple half-turns! i.e. four spins is eight half-turns. What is important in the first few months of training is correctness. A horse cannot spin fast if he is not correct. Conversely, when he is correct, the speed is easy - the spin almost takes on a life of its own. Speed, however, will magnify any little problems at the basic level. Speed increases the degree of difficulty (that's why we are rewarded for it in the reining pen!) In future posts, I will address several spin "issues", spinning with one hand and specific exercises to make a spin better and faster.

Neck Reining 101

As everyone knows, reining horses must perform all the difficult and demanding maneuvers of a reining pattern with only one of his rider’s hands on the reins. Ideally, that rein should be loose so that a mere touch of the rein on the horse’s neck (combined with body and leg aids) guides him to – and through – each maneuver. This means the horse must respond to the outside rein or indirect rein (as opposed to the inside/direct rein) - no small thing to ask but definitely trainable over time.

There’s no mystery or magic formula to teach a horse to neck rein, but there are a few principles to understand it:

1. Neck reining doesn’t mean forcing the horse to turn with a lot of pressure on the outside rein.
2. Neck reining means asking the horse to turn with a touch of the outside rein.
3. Neck reining isn’t learned overnight. It’s learned with consistent signals from the rider.

Much of the schooling of a reining horse is two-handed. Certainly I use two hands to teach my horse. However, I never lose sight of the ultimate goal – one hand on the reins – so from the very beginning I think about the outside rein. I ask with it first, then back up with the direct rein and/or legs. And I never pull it across his neck. This applies to circles, spins and roll-backs. If I pick up my outside rein first to ask him to perform the maneuver, then back it up with my inside rein (and leg if necessary), he will learn to respond to the first signal – the neck rein. Here are two photos of my stallion, Running With Wolves. In both photos I am asking him to spin. In the first photo, as a immature, two-year-old in training, I am riding with two hands but asking with the right rein first to spin left; in the second, I am showing one-handed and he is responding to the touch of the left  rein to spin right.

Pick up outside (right) rein to ask, back up request with inside rein.

Pick up left hand toward right shoulder so rein touches neck to ask to spin right.

 For example, when I lope a circle to the right and am riding two-handed, I might pick up my left rein first on my horse’s neck and follow it with a direct pull with my right hand. It’s so important to not “baby-sit” with the inside rein. If there is always pressure on the inside rein, not only will the horse “lean” on it – he will rely on it to turn. And that is counter-productive. If he is relying on the inside rein all the time, he’s going to wonder what happened when he’s asked to perform off of the outside rein in a one-handed reining class when his rider cannot have contact with the inside rein!

The other thing I keep in mind is how close my hands are together. In the beginning of training or if I have a problem, I will widen the distance between my hands but to keep on track for “Neck Reining 101” I ride much of the time with my hands close together in front of the horn – just where one hand on the reins would be! This is especially true for the inside rein. If he can see my inside hand (even if I don’t move it), I will be baby-sitting my horse. If I have to use the inside rein to correct, it is truly a correction because my horse has not seen my inside hand when the outside hand (neck rein) asks.

A third consideration is the level of my hands. If I am thinking ahead to showing one-handed, it’s not much good to apply pressure to either rein with my hands below my horse’s neck. (Just try to do that with one hand on the reins!) So I try to keep both hands above the neck (just like one hand has to be).

Walking With Wolves running circles in his first year showing one-handed

To re-cap:

• Ask with the outside rein first.
• Hide the inside (correction) rein hand until you need it.
• Don’t let hands drop on each side of the horse’s neck when riding with two hands.

So – two hands on the reins are good (and should be used for much of the training) if the rider always keeps the ultimate goal in mind throughout training – one hand on the reins or "neck reining".

The Half-Pass

I know. The half-pass is better known as an English maneuver, but I don’t know what I would do without it! A half-pass ensures that my horse will lope off in the correct lead, teaches lead changes, positions for spins and is a great tool for correcting if he  charges in a run-down (half-pass to a walk).

The half-pass is the most demanding form of leg yielding, so my horse needs to know how to leg yield in the simplest way – that is, giving to pressure from my inside leg and moving forward sideways to the outside of the circle – before I teach the half-pass. I also teach him to move into the circle (off of my outside leg) before I teach half-pass. So, if you are walking a circle on the right rein, you should be able to leg yield your horse to left a few steps as in Basic Exercise: Leg Yielding and also leg yield him off of your left leg a few steps to right (still walking in a right circle) before you try to half-pass. (Note: When you leg yield into the circle, apply outside leg and outside rein wide to tip the nose to the outside, then inside rein (on the neck) until he moves a few steps forward/sideways into the circle.)

What is a half-pass?

A half-pass is a form of leg yielding whereby the rider re-directs the forward motion of his horse into forward sideways motion with the horse’s head in the same direction as the direction of travel (as opposed to basic leg yielding where the horse’s head is away from the direction of travel).

The Exercise

Walk your horse in a large circle on the right rein. Make sure your right leg is not in contact with your horse. With your weight to the left (it helps to really exaggerate this at first), apply right rein pressure in a “give-and-take” in the direction of your left shoulder – a rein of opposition. I find I need quite a short rein to do this so my hand doesn't get too high. Apply left leg pressure and steady direct left rein pressure until your horse steps to the inside of the circle with forward sideways steps. Your right rein will be holding your horse on the circle and your left leg will be moving his hind quarters into the circle. Ask for only a step or two at the beginning, using your voice or bumping softly with your inside leg for forward motion. Release all aids and repeat, then repeat to the left.

Where can it go wrong?

• The horse loses forward motion. If your horse does not want to move forward when you have him in a half-pass position, “cluck’ to him (voice) and/or bump him with your inside leg. If you cannot convince him to go forward or he backs up, release the half-pass aids, walk forward (you always have to have forward motion!) and try again.
• The horse will not give to the inside rein. Make sure you are pull/releasing the inside rein. If you are solid on both reins, your horse will be confused, especially if he is just learning the maneuver. If he is not giving to the inside rein, the rest of the aids for the half-pass are not going to make it happen, so get this working first!
• The horse does not give to the leg. If your horse does not give to the leg, you might have to go back to more basic leg yielding until he responds better. Also, turns on the forehand might help. Then go back to try the half-pass. Remember, you need only a step at first.

Note: On horses that really resist my attempts to teach the half-pass, I will break it down like this: On the right circle, for a half-pass to the right (inside of the circle), I first apply my right leg to leg yield out of the circle (the simple exercise). When he responds, I shift my weight to the left (outside), apply my left leg, and change my inside rein to the rein of opposition (toward my left shoulder). If he takes a step, I reward with a release of aids; if he does not, I go back to the simple leg yield and repeat. I might also try the opposite approach: leg-yield into the circle (weight in outside and outside leg pressure but with the head to the outside). When he moves off of my leg, change the right rein angle from “on the neck” to toward my left shoulder. He is now in half-pass position. Again, reward for one small step.

The half-pass is not easy for horse or rider if they have not performed it. More balance, engagement of the hind quarters and impulsion is required than a simple leg yield. As the horse learns, the rider must be able to feel when his horse is out of position so he can adjust rein or leg to help. As with all the exercises, when the horse learns at a walk, I first ask for more refinement and more steps, then at a jog and eventually at a lope.

I will try to post a video in the near future on this post to demonstrate the exercise with variations.

Basic Exercise: Leg Yielding

There are several kinds of leg yielding exercises, all resulting in the horse responding or “giving” to leg pressure from the rider, but the most basic (and the first) leg yielding exercise I want my horse to learn is giving to inside leg pressure and re-directing forward motion into forward sideways motion to the outside of the circle.

Purpose of leg yielding

• To teach the horse to give to pressure from the rider’s legs.

• To teach the horse to be unafraid of leg pressure.

• To encourage the horse to willingly give to leg pressure in combination with rein pressure.

• To continue to warm up the horse’s mind and body for more difficult exercises.

The Basic Exercise

Leg yield to the left: As you walk your horse in a large circle on the right rein, keep you left leg off of the horse, apply your right (inside) leg a little behind the cinch, pick up your right (inside) rein to encourage your horse to keep his nose slightly into the circle to maintain the arc, then slowly apply pressure with the left (outside) rein in conjunction with increased pressure from your right leg until the horse changes his forward motion to forward/sideways motion and takes a step or two. Keep your body light in the saddle to encourage forward motion; if he loses forward motion, “cluck”; if he still will not move forward, bump him with your left (outside) leg. When he responds with at least one lateral step, slowly release the reins and remove right leg pressure. Walk relaxed to a new place in the circle and repeat. As he understands the exercise and/or warms up, ask for two or three steps – no more – and walk on. As in the previous exercises, you must only ask what your horse is capable of at his level of training – if he is a two-year-old that you are just starting to ride, you will be satisfied with very little; if he is a trained reining horse, you will expect more correctness and refinement. He should perform the lateral movement, giving to the rider’s hands and legs and stepping forward and sideways, crossing both front and rear legs.

Illustration: leg yielding to left off of right leg

When your horse is responding well to the left, repeat to the right. If he is more advanced in training, repeat both directions at a jog.

The order of aids to the left: left leg off, right leg on, right rein, left rein.

Note: This is the very simplest form of leg yielding – giving to the rider’s inside leg and moving to the outside in a forward-sideways direction. When your horse is more advanced, you will want to leg yield him to the inside of the circle, leg yield directly to the side (as to open a gate) and half-pass.

• Your inside rein should be away from your horse’s neck in a straight line from your horse’s mouth to your elbow; your outside rein should be against your horse’s neck (your hand will be close to outside of the horn). The length of your reins should be such that your hands do not go behind the horn when you apply pressure. Also, your hands should be at the same level even though one is close to the horse’s neck and one is away from the horse’s neck.

• Apply rein aids slowly.

• Release rein aids slowly.

What can go wrong?

• Your horse may “lead” with his shoulder instead of true lateral movement. This is almost always because the rider does not apply enough pressure with the outside rein – that is the rein that restricts forward motion and encourages use of the hind quarters. Gradual increased pressure of the outside rein with increased inside leg pressure corrects this problem. Again – be satisfied with very little until your horse understands where the release is.

• The horse does not move sideways at all, ignoring pressure from your leg. Often this means the rider has not applied enough rein pressure to stop some of the forward motion. Slowly apply more pressure with both reins while at the same time firmly asking him to yield to your leg. If he takes a step – or even a half step – slowly release reins and legs, walk on and repeat. Ask for more when he understands.

• The horse stops or stops and backs up. Cluck and bump his side with your outside leg to ask for forward motion but do not release the rein aids until he moves forward (assuming you are not pulling too hard!) If he still does not move forward, release one rein still asking for forward motion and ask for lateral flexion in that direction (The ladder… step down a step) Walk on and repeat, correcting as necessary until he moves forward/sideways even a half step. Again – don’t ask for too much until he understands.

The Basic Exercise with Refinement

As your horse becomes more trained or if he is already trained, you should expect more correctness, refinement and willingness in his response to the aids for leg yielding. Expect more lightness in his mouth and response to more subtle cues. As in all training, when the horse is learning, cues are exaggerated and, as he becomes trained, more subtle. At this time, you need to “feel” your horse’s response, strive for correctness, feel where the problem is and correct if necessary. You may need spurs to encourage him, but use only what is needed. I apply my leg first, then the heel of my boot, and then, if he still does not move away, I gradually turn my foot so the spur is in contact and push. The next time you ask, start with the softest aid first.

When your horse gives to your hands and gives to your legs (lateral and vertical flexion and leg yielding), it’s the whole program. Everything you do from this point on is about responding to rein and leg pressure. Some maneuvers are simply a combination of these basics. As training progresses, you will expect more refinement and a higher degree of difficulty, for example leg yielding in different way and at different gaits.

Basic Exercise: Lateral Flexion

Other than forward motion, the first exercise I want my horse to learn and, thereafter, the first exercise I ask after I mount up, is lateral flexion. Lateral: to the side. Flex: bend. In other words, I ask my horse to bend his head and neck to the side by “giving” to pressure from each rein, one at a time.

Purposes of lateral flexion:

• Teaches the horse to give to pressure from one direct rein.
• Warms the muscles before more difficult exercises.
• Warms up the horse’s mind by asking for a simple exercise first.

The Basic Exercise

Ask your horse to walk forward with your hands low. As he walks, apply slow, steady pressure to the right rein, drawing the rein back toward your hip by bending your elbow and bringing the rein back with your wrist straight. (Important! Your left hand should remain low with no pressure on the left rein.) The pull from with your right arm should come from your shoulder, not your forearm or wrist. This establishes a straight line between the horse’s mouth and your elbow.  The goal is for the horse to bring his head around and down towards his right shoulder but, if he is a colt, you will be satisfied with less – as long as he gives to the rein. He should not lift his head in the air or try to take the rein away from you. Apply pressure for four or five strides, then release for four or five strides. (As your horse becomes better trained, you can change the timing a little (four strides with rein pressure, two strides without, etc.) but always with a release. It’s important to start giving back when your horse is responding. If you release pressure when he is resisting, he is learning to resist.

Repeat the exercise until your horse responds readily with the appropriate correctness and softness for his level of training, then go to the left side and repeat until he gives to rein pressure on that side. After I have “softened” both sides, I like to alternate the lateral flexion a few times – bend to the right, release, bend to the left, release, etc. Be sure to completely release one rein before applying pressure with the other. You should feel a willingness to respond to the pressure from the rein on each side. If he is stiffer on one side (as horses often are), work that side more...until you feel a response.

• Keep your horse walking forward.
• Always start the exercise with your hands low.
• Always apply pressure slowly.
• Always release pressure slowly.
• Do not let your hand come in contact with your body.

This video demonstrates lateral flexion. This horse had several months of riding but was far from finished.

 The Basic Exercise with Refinement

As your horse becomes more schooled, you will want to ask for more refinement in lateral flexion. If he has learned to bend, but does bring his nose down as well, you can gently "bump" (pull, release) him with the outside rein until he drops his nose. So, if you are asking him to give to the right rein and he bends around but does not bring his nose down, add the left rein with give-and-take bumps until he responds.

What can go wrong?

• The horse pulls away his head away from you. If this happens, you may be releasing pressure too soon. To correct, apply pressure slowly and with increasing strength until he responds so he is rewarded in the lateral position. Release, but re-apply before he brings his head back straight. Also, don't expect him to bring his head completely around until he learns to give to a lesser command. Gradually expect more until he understands.
• The horse lifts his head as he brings it around. You will have to try to find a spot when he is giving, even if it is only a stride or two into the exercise. It is important to start to release when the horse's head is dropping. If you wait too long, he may be starting to bring it up again. If you release then, you will be teaching him that the release comes when his head is high.
• The horse gives to the presuure but, instead of walking in  a circle, he continues in a straight line with his nose bent. To corect, bump with the outside leg to encourage him to follow his nose.

When my horses have learned lateral flexion, most will not bring their heads back straight because the know I will repeat the exercise and will stay in a small 6-10 foot circle as I apply pressure with one rein, release, apply, release, etc.

Note: Equipment for this exercise should be appropriate for the level of training. My two-year-olds or horses just beginning training are bitted with a snaffle bit. I usually school trained reiners with a long-shanked snaffle. With the trained reining horses, I want them to be comfortable performing all basic exercises as well as advanced ones in the bit they will be competing with.

The Basics: Building a Foundation for Reining

Someone (I think it was Dick Pieper) once said, “If a horse improves 1% every time we ride him, he will be trained in 100 days and we know we cannot expect that!”  What this means is: Training a horse for reining is a long, slow process. Yes, indeed. I have been training reining horses for over thirty years and I have yet to find a way to "finish" a reining horse in a few months. I plan for at least 18 months on my prospects to get them to a three-year-old futurity and I do not usually show my horses one-handed until they are four, although those who compete in the NRHA Futurity must show in a bridle with one hand and so must prepare for that.

A reining horse must be relaxed and confident in the reining pen and only a one-step-at-a-time training program will accomplish that. There is no better way to instill confidence and knowledge into your horse than to teach him the first steps first - the "basics". The basics are a series of exercises that are the foundation for more difficult ones and basic exercises are an essential part of every training program. Not only do they progress the horse from simple to complex, but are also essential tools to fall back on when the horse encounters difficulty with any advanced maneuver. I go through basic exercises every time I ride every horse from two-year-olds to fully trained horses (at the level they are currently at - I expect more finesse from trained horses; for the youngsters, schooling the basic exercises can take up most of the session).

Why are basic exercises important?

1. When the horse is learning:

• Basic exercises stretch and warm a horse’s muscles, preparing him physically for riding.
• Basic exercises are the simplest level of training of the step-by-step program that best teaches any horse.
• A horse can only learn a high level maneuver, such as the spin, by first learning the maneuver in its simplest form - a combination of the basics.

2. When the horse is trained:

• Basic exercises supple and stretch the muscles for the more demanding part of the schooling session.
• Starting at the simplest level relaxes the horse mentally and physically.
• Problems at the basic level can be resolved before the rider encounters them at a higher level. Often there won’t be a problem at a higher level if it is dealt with at a basic level.

What are the basics?

1. Forward motion.

2. Give to the rein.

3. Give to the leg.

How do I teach basic exercises?

1. Correct rider position.

2. Clear signals, or rider aids.

3. Repetition – the same message the same way every time.

* Training a horse is encouraging a horse to be comfortable - putting him a position where it is easier to do the maneuver than not do it.

I am such a believer in building anything step-by-step that I don’t know any other way to write this blog either. I feel I must cover some background before I can deal with specifics so bear with me for a few posts. Also, though Reining Training Tips isn't about starting colts - that could be a whole other blog - many tips can be applied to any horse in any discipline at any level of training.

Next week...rider aids.