What do all these riders have in common? The horse is on a loose rein and carrying themselves properly, without leaning or falling on the forehand.
Teaching Self-Carriage to Your Horse
Using the Stop to Teach Self-Carriage
A proper stop helps your horse learn balance, engagement, and self-carriage.
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The Importance of a Good Stop:
- A correct stop keeps the horse’s back rounded, their legs underneath them, and their head in a comfortable position.
- Avoid a hollow-backed stop, where the horse throws their head up and pulls the reins from your hands.
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How to Teach a Proper Stop (Using a Fence):
- Walk your horse toward a fence and let the fence stop them, not your hands.
- As you approach the fence:
- Change your seat: Bring your shoulders back, sink into the saddle, and move your legs slightly forward.
- Lift your hands to take the slack out of the reins without pulling.
- The fence naturally stops the horse, while you maintain calm, forward-driving energy with your seat and legs.
This teaches the horse to stop with their back rounded, haunches engaged, and head in a balanced frame. Over time, the horse learns to respond to your body signals rather than relying on your hands for stopping.
Teaching the Back-Up from a Stop
Once your horse stops properly, you can teach them to back up with self-carriage. Backing up requires them to lighten their forehand, so it's a good exercise to engage the hindquarter muscles.
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Set Up the Back-Up:
- At the fence, take the slack out of the reins and maintain light contact.
- Keep your body in the “stop position”: shoulders back, seat deep, and legs slightly forward.
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Cue the Back-Up:
- Use your seat and gently squeeze with your legs. Since the horse is at the fence and can’t move forward, they’ll step back.
- If the horse doesn’t respond, lightly bump your legs just in front of the girth (near the shoulders). This frees up their shoulders and encourages them to step back.
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Reinforce the Difference Between Forward and Backward Cues:
- Use leg pressure slightly behind the girth to ask for forward movement.
- Use leg pressure in front of the girth to cue for backing up. This teaches the horse to recognize the difference in cues.
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Practice Backing:
- After the stop, ask for a few steps back while keeping the same “stop frame.”
- Then change your position to a “forward frame” (shoulders forward, hands forward, legs behind the girth) and move the horse forward again.
- Repeat: stop, back up, move forward.
Tips for Success:
- Don’t overdo it—end the session on a positive note. Gradually increase the number of back-up steps in future sessions. This can be very tiring for a horse that isn't fit, or isn't used to using their hindquarters a lot.
- This exercise helps the horse carry themselves during backing and improves their ability to carry themselves when moving forward.
By teaching these methods, your horse learns to balance, respond to your body signals, and move with confidence and proper form.
