Teaching a horse to back up

Well my Mama used to say, "there's more than one way to kill a hog than choke him on butter." Let me share what's working for me on teaching a horse to back up real pretty.

Last month, we touched on posting at the trot. So go dig up last month's article out of the floor board of your pickup and look at the diagram on the horse's feet at the trot. If I can get you hooked up on the notion the horse's feet move the same at the trot as when it backs up, you're home free with some new ideas about fixing things up for your horse to be successful.

The footfall pattern in backing is the same as at a trot--two beats. The biggest difference is the horse has to shift his weight to his front end in order to balance himself as he pushes backwards. The muscle structure of the horse isn't as well balanced in reverse as going forward. They will have to have time to build their loin and hearth girth muscles. If you want to know where your horse is resisting you or bracing up, back them up a time or two. You will find out the body parts that are stiff and out of alignment will soon tell on their selves.

Making a clean cut on a cow is just one example of how a little study of the footfall can work for you and your horse. I use a mechanical calf or flag to start my colts cutting. The tool allows me to keep things real slow until my horse learns how to dance with the calf so to speak.

Teaching the horse the proper foot position in slow-motion allows the horse to place his feet in a position so that he can drop his head and make a cut as he sweeps or rolls back with the calf, rather than jump up and/or stumble when he turns back. This is the rule of thumb that works for me. If I'm sweeping back to my left, I want my horse's right shoulder back as he turns. That tells me the horse has its weight on its right front and left rear feet. When the calf turns back left, my horse's left front leg is free to step left and he can pivot his weight on his left rear as he turns. Sweeping to the right, the horse's left shoulder and right hip are back as they turn.

It's kind of like learning the chords on a guitar. Learning to place your fingers in a certain position as you hold a chord allows you to change to your next chord in a much easier way with less finger movement.

With that being said, the following is what I look for when teaching a colt to back. I like to teach my horses a little about tucking while standing still. Before, I would ask them to tuck while they are walking forward, backing, or stopping straight. The reason being, I don't want the horse taking his face from me when I initially teach him to break at the poll. If I ask for a bunch of body movement at the same time when I initially teach the horse to break at the poll, I will just end up in an argument with the horse. So it's better for me to teach one thing at a time.

Some folks refer to tucking as "coming on the vertical" or "breaking at the poll." Whatever name tag you wish to use is fine. What is important to me is for the reader and rider to understand why we teach it, and, most importantly, to get our horse to perform the move in the most comfortable and natural fashion we can offer. The following description of the horse is what actually takes place when the horse tucks and why horsemen are after it.

As the horse's poll softens, his nose will come down and towards his chest. The vertical movement of the skull at the poll will arc the spine. When the spine arcs it lifts the horse's back muscles. The arched back enables the loins to help stabilize the rear legs. This form and class enables the horse to step deeper underneath for collection and stops.

Photo 1 Photo 2

In Photo #1, I have asked Newt to tuck. Newt didn't learn to tuck this pretty in one day. Take your time. Don't overdo this; you will sour your horse. The old school taught the bosal will soften the horse's face. The snaffle bit would soften the withers.

I teach the horse to tuck by giving several light pulls and slacks from my little fingers on each rein. As the horses nose starts to go down, put slack in the initial rein. Catch the horse with the other rein, asking them to hold it. Alternate your fingers with pulls and slacks.

I actually like to take a rope halter and teach some of this tucking from the ground long before I would ride the horse. This is part of my ground manners that I teach the babies. So I don't want to leave the impression this is taught as a quick fix or is all that easy to accomplish. This is much easier taught if a horseman is able to drop his horse's head to the ground, tuck the horse and back him on a soft feel or loose rein from the ground long before riding them. The clinic world's fast pace (myself included) has cheated us a little from all the actual hard work that goes into having a nice horse.

After you have asked your horse to tuck, bring your legs forward and aggravate the shoulder area of the horse. We are making it difficult for the horse to stand still and be tucked. (If the horse moves forward capture their face and hold them from going forward.) At the slightest effort of the horse moving backwards, even a shift of weight, put slack in the reins and alternate your leg cues with his legs as they push themselves backwards.

In Photo #2, Newt is backing. Notice the green boots on the right front and left rear. Those legs are working together just as in the trot. As my horse backs up, I like for my horse to move off my legs in rhythm. That lets me stay in time with my horse's feet. As the horse's left front leg starts to push back, I squeeze with my left leg. As the horse's right front leg pushes back, I squeeze with my right leg. If you look for less, eventually you will only have to move your legs forward rather than touch his face to get the horse to back.

Don't depend too much on see-sawing your reins around to get the horse to back. Depend more on teaching the horse to escape the pressure on his face through his feet, pushing and pulling backwards. If a rider doesn't reward the slightest movement from the horse tucking and backing by placing slack in the reins, the horse will start to get light in the front end or get heavy and try to get in front of the bit or cue to avoid the pressure on its face or in its mouth. Next thing you know, the horse's nose is out and the head is up and in front of your face. Or worse yet rearing and coming over.

Tip: when a horse rears, the front feet are working real good, it's the rear end that is stuck.

Continue by teaching your horse to back circles. Still pictures have trouble capturing the softness and reasoning of backing circles. I will give you the text though. This is where you put those leg and hand aids in use, only in reverse.

Tip: If your horse will not back up freely straight, don't fool with backing circles much. You're looking for a wreck.

If I'm backing a circle to my left, this is what happens with my cues. I will aid my horse's right hip to the left by placing my right rear leg cue in front of the rear cinch. I will aid my horse's front end to the right by placing my left leg cue behind the front cinch. I will aid the horse with my hand cues by using my right hand to tilt the horse's head slightly to the right with the help of my left hand supporting and asking for a soft feel as the horse backs.

Now add a roll out to the circle. If backing to the left, roll out to the right. If backing right, roll out to the left. A big tip is to remember when the horse's left front leg is back, roll right. When the right front leg is back, roll left.

That should be enough information to keep you busy for a while. Until next time, I hope the good Lord blesses you, your family, and your livestock. Always remember, "there's one bit that works on all horses, a bit of knowledge."

God bless, Pat

Pat Hooks is a day working cowboy from Texhoma, Okla. Hooks has taught clinics at national horse expo's and private ranches since 1989, and writes how-to articles for various national magazines, websites and is a published author. For more information on his books, DVD's, and clinics please go to www.hookshorseranch.com or call 580-423-7482.

Date: 8/18/08