just wondering about neck reining and had a thought. if i cross the reins over his head instead of putting them over normally...if you get me and taught him to neck rein like that by putting pressure on his neck but pulling on the bit on the side i want to turn at the same time whether this would cause an issue...just wondered on peoples thoughts because to be honest its not easy to put hard pressure on his neck without pulling on the bit.
Our young mares picked up neck reining very quickly by just using some inside leg at the same time or if they needed additional reinforcement, add a little direct rein with the inside rein.
The way I've taught horses to neck rein is to introduce neck pressure along with direct reining and my other aids and slowing move away from using a direct rein. Neck reining is not moving the rein across you horse's neck but rather just touching him with it without going across more then a inch or two. When starting a horse in neck reining I like to use a heavy set of wide reins so that there is a solid feel for my horse.
Your horse is moving off the pressure, or rather, the feel of the rein and your other aids. If you are moving your outside rein further then an inch or so beyond his neck then you are right - you will be confusing him by pulling his face in the opposite direction.
Remember to keep a loose rein so that when you lay the outside rein on his neck, you will not be affecting his face.
When you cross your reins like that it doesn't allow you to open up the inside rein, in doing so you free the shoulder up, which allows them to feel free to turn, which I believe is the key to neck reining.
Neck reining does not happen by just pulling on the reins a certain way. The horse needs to know what leg pressure is and how to respond to it. I like to call neck reining "leg steering" because that is a more appropriate term. The directional cues should come from your legs moreso than your reins.
So you teach them direct rining before you teach them neck reining? I mean, when you are saddle breaking them. I know how to train a horse to direct rein, but not to neck rein so I don't know either, I am english goin western.
That's normal progression, Leigh. A horse needs to know how to turn before teaching them how to do it with indirect rein pressure.
My horses will turn with just weight and leg cues when we are out on the trail but for really quick turns and spins the added cue of a rein on their neck does it.
Haha, if you want to do it that way, instead of crossing the reins over his neck, cross them under his neck. I've done that a few times as a quick fix, but its not the "correct way" and it doesn't really work well. What I did for my personal horse was first teach him to direct rein, which of course is the easiest. Then I got him moving off my leg. After you have those 2 things, teaching them to neck rein is easy just like everyone else said. But seriously, try crossing the reins under his neck, not over.
The best way that I have found to teach a young horse to neck rein is lots and lots of circles. Start using direct reining with minimal pressure on the outside rein and slowly release the pressure on the inside rein until they are working only on the outside rein. Once they have the idea, for moments of confusion, you can use leg pressure or a direct rein to give them a clearer cue. Me however; I only use leg cues to ask for a lead change or a sidepass. I don't usually use leg cues for turning.
I taught my 5-year-old mare to neck rein by applying pressure on her neck (to the outside of a turn) with the reins, gently lifting up on the inside rein, and using leg pressure. Progress started out pretty slow, but after a month or so, she really caught on to what I was asking of her. I gradually stopped using the inside rein, then once she was good with that, I stopped giving her a leg cue as well (for training purposes). I now ride her without much use of the reins as she works off leg pressure beautifully. I'm not saying this will work for your horse, but it's just an idea.
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