Copyright 1996-1997 Phetsy Calderon, all rights reserved. Portions copyright 1996-97 Terry von Gease.
One of the perennial topics on rec.equestrian, the horseman's Usenet group, is "How Do I Teach My Horse To Neck Rein?"
This seems to alternate with a couple of popular myths about what neck reining is, and isn't. Terry von Gease, another California-trained rider, and I take turns responding to these questions. We finally decided to pool our wisdom, so to speak. Herewith the results. Names have been changed to protect the innocent.
Let's let Terry start off:
First the 'neck' in 'neck reining' is a misnomer. So is the word 'rein' meaning those bits of material connecting you to the horse's face. A horse reins, it doesn't neck rein. In this sense 'rein' means take up a direction, not a couple of pieces of leather.
Reining has little to do with the reins and everything to do with legs, seat, and weight. Most horses don't need to be taught to rein,they'll just naturally do it and all you do is keep reinforcing this natural ability and don't get in the way of it.
There are many ways to proceed. Basically, you start by moving forward and then setting yourself up to move off in the direction you want and,if the horse doesn't respond, help it out with the inside rein. You set yourself up by merely turning your head and shoulders in the direction you want to take. This generally sets all of your pieces in place. The more accomplished you and the horse get to be the subtler the cues.Eventually you end up with a horse that goes where you look.
That being said, there are endless volumes written on this or that technique. They all pretty much work, read a few and find a method that suits you. No matter what path you choose you won't stray far if you just let the horse be a horse and help it out where needed.
And of course, I get my 2¢in:
Note: this little declaration was in response to a European-style rider trying to puzzle out what this Western stuff is all about, in the course of which she said:
"...while directing the animal by neckreining (laying the rein over the side of the neck by moving the hands in the direction you are moving."
<chuckle> I think I should just write a macro for "Phetsy's standard neckreining isn't response." You use mostly seat, & some legs, to turn a finished Western horse (direct rein for green horses.) Rein on the neck is used for head positioning.
Every once in awhile somebody asks,
"Does my horse have to be responsive to leg aids first before he can learn neck reining, since the indirect rein controls the back end?"
(I drew the duty last time this one came up.--PC)
Neck reining isn't, at least on Real Cowboy Horses (tm). Neck reining consists of looking where you want to go, and letting your shoulders, torso, and seat bones follow your eyes. Whether or not the rein actually touches the neck is unimportant. Once your horse is lined up in the direction you want to go, his neck will be pointing in the same direction as your nose, and you proceed to ride forward.
So, yes, to neck rein a horse must be responsive to A) seat and B) leg aids.
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