Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

a good technique for doing one rein stops begins by teaching your horse on the ground first.  with just a halter and leadline attached, begin by standing on the horse's left side, just in front of the hip, facing the horse's body.  keeping the slack line in your right hand, grasp the lead with the left hand about a foot(more or less, depending on neck length, etc.) from the halter, lightly pull the horse's head around toward his ribcage, until you can place your hand on his withers.  just hold it there and watch his nose.  you are waiting for him to lightly tip his nose toward his ribcage. this is the give.  as soon as he does, release the rope, and let him relax.  some horses will circle away from you when you first try this, others will just plain fight it and refuse to allow their head to be pulled back. just be patient.  most catch on very quickly.  repeat at least a dozen times, watching closely for the slight inward tipping of the nose to indicate the give.  make sure to release quickly.  your horse will become more relaxed with this as you progress.  repeat on the right side, again at least a dozen repititions.  when your horse really has the hang of it, and will flex his neck, give and relax on both sides, then you can do the same thing from the saddle, with the bridle on.  it is best to use a snaffle bit, but you can do this with a sidepull or bosal that has a rein attached to each side.  do lots of repititions on each side, at a standstill.  it teaches your horse to be very relaxed by getting the tension out of his neck, and also gets him focused on you. once you and your horse get good at doing this excercise at a standstill,  the practice moving your horse off at a walk, then do the one rein stop.  flex him to both sides two or three times, each time you stop.  you want to do so much of it that your horse learns to stop and flex with just a light touch on the rein.  it is important to do it on both sides to keep your horse's neck very flexible and free from tension.  then work your way up to doing the one rein stops while at a trot and a canter.  it is more than just an emergency brake, it is a very valuable tool that you can use to get your horse light, responsive, and willing in most any situation.  i dont like to use treats while doing this, or any other work with my horse, thats just me, though and i am not telling others dont do it.  my experience has been that i get better results by not mixing business and pleasure.  when my horse and i are working, we are working.  when the work is done, then we can take a break and have a snack.       ed