Julie Goodnight Q&A

Q: How can you make a horse back without the reins?

Hi Julie,

I have seen you at Equine Affaire and Pegasus farm in Ohio. Bought your riding videos, but am wondering how the bitless western rider cued his horse to back using only his seat and legs?
Thanks,
Curious

Curious,

When you ride bridleless, you are dependent on signals more from your body (seat and weight) and legs and not from the reins (although you'll use your hands to guide the horse as if they were on the reins). Actually you should ride that way all the time, but most riders are totally reliant on the reins.

It is worth noting that your horse is not reliant on the reins - he can do anything you want him to do without a pull on his mouth or constant contact. If he could figure out how you wanted him to move, wthout a pull on his mouth he'd gladly do it, especially if it means he can avoid the pull on the reins. Teaching a horse to stop, go and turn without reins is not that difficult if you ride well enough to use your most important aids first (seat and legs) and you are clear and consistent with your cues.

When a horse backs, you can feel a lateral, or side-to-side motion that is similar to peddling a bicycle backwards - that's the motion your body makes when he backs. When you canter or lope, your hips make a circular motion like pushing a swing. If you can move your body rhythmically with the horse's movement, then pretty soon whenever you move your body that way, it becomes a cue for the horse (when I move my seat in the canter motion that means I want you to canter). When you stop that motion in your body, the horse should stop.

The horse in the video that you are referring to (Goodnight's Principles of Riding, Volume 2) is trained to back using the lateral motion and alternating leg aids. To cue the horse to back, the rider first cues for the stop, by shifting his weight back, lifting his hands and releasing his leg off the horse's sides. Then he begins moving his hips and legs side to side in the same motion he would feel in the back-up, with alternating leg aids and that's the horse's cue to back.

The horse is a creature of pattern and habit - he loves routine. So it will always help a horse if he knows what is coming next. For the Western horse most stop cues are followed by backing, so when you ask the horse to stop, he is already thinking back-up, and that's the way we want him to think. We want him to be able to stop swiftly and in balance and be able to rock back on his hocks and change direction immediately.

And by the way all horses should be taught to back-up without the rider pulling on the reins even with the bridle on. When you cue the horse to back, lift up gently on the reins as you shift your weight back, then ask him for movement with your legs - there should be some slack in the reins when he starts to move back. He should back-up from hour legs, not off your hands. That's the only way you'll get a nice back-up; if you pull on him to back, he'll brace is neck and hollow his back and it won't be pretty.

Enjoy the ride!

Julie Goodnight

www.juliegoodnight.com