Building Hindquarter Control

Many people have heard of a one-rein stop. A one-rein stop CAN be helpful in some emergency situations, but it also gets the horse OFF BALANCE. Instead, I like to teach my horse to move his hindquarters in a way that is balanced and in control. TURN ON THE FOREHAND To make a turn on the forehand, start by moving forward in a circle, then place my inside leg in position 3, asking the hip to move toward the outside of the circle, then ride out of it. I like to ride out of it to keep the energy fluid and moving forward. A finished turn on the forehand has less movement on the front end, and a straighter frame. If you get too much movement on the front end, you can slow him down and straighten him out with your outside rein. To advance, you can pick the exercise up to a trot. When my horse is moving his hips fluidly and softly at the trot, then I know I am ready to start asking my horse to move his hips toward his nose. This gets us ready for more advanced maneuvers. 1. To start, I'll begin with the first exercise. Then, when he is finishing the maneuver, I'll take his nose in the same direction as his hip. 2. Another drill I can do is ask him to walk straight forward, but keep the nose bent to one side. Always finish by following the nose. 3. A third drill I can practice is asking my horse to walk forward with his nose bent, then ask the hip to come to the inside, the same direction as his nose. This is called a "Haunches In." Being able to push the hip to the inside helps me to get a lope departure on the correct lead. I hope you've enjoyed this video on getting more body control! Until next time, may God bless the trails you ride! Ken McNabb