Learning to Ride a Horse

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"Speed Up Your Slow Horse," Issue 5, part 3 of our FREE monthly newsletter

From our How to Break a Horse Series:

The fix for the lazy horse can be done while doing any riding exercise. The first thing that makes a horse responsive or lighter is having a clear cue. A cue is something that you ask the horse and can get the horse to do. That means a cue to stop will be picking up the reins. That would be a cue to stop. A pre-cue is something you do before the cue. A pre-cue is "ho." If I go forward and I say "ho," and he doesn't stop, I'm going to say "ho" and pick up the reins to say "That meant stop." So pretty soon, when I go forward and I say "ho" the horse stops. So a pre-cue is something you do before a cue that makes a horse lighter and more responsive. It's the same thing with your legs. What do you do before you use your legs? You sit forward, pick up the reins, kiss to them. But what's the first that you do before you squeeze or kick your horse? You take your legs out. You take your legs out, then you bring them together. So practice that. Practice taking your legs off and if he doesn't move, then tell the horse "Hey, that meant move" with a kick. And when you bring them together, be prepared to kick them until something happens. So practice that and pretty soon, when you take your legs away from the horse's side (as if to kick), that'll mean "move forward." So I'm not using my legs to keep kicking my horse. Practice this and remember, when you bring them together, bring them together hard enough to get a change of leg speed. If you kick him and you just kick him to keep him going, then…

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From John Lyons Trainer Keith Hosman

Rein In Your Horse's Speed Online Course
A Downloadable Book

A sample from Day 2:

To avoid this you should have a backup plan already set in your brain every time you pick up the rein. (You may want to underline that.) You should be thinking: "If Seabiscuit doesn't move his hips (for instance), I'll ask him to move his shoulders instead." That way you've kept the correlation in his brain between you picking up the rein and him moving some part of his body in order to get a release from bit pressure.

Example: If you want the horse to stop his shoulder and move his hips around (a disengagement or turn on the rear), you should already know that if the horse simply hangs on the bit, continues moving his shoulder and just kind of drifts around, then you should be prepared with your backup plan. You might then, after about six seconds, change the angle at which you hold the rein and increase or decrease the pressure until the horse moves a shoulder a step to the left, or takes a step backward, or lowers his head. Find something to get that you know your horse will do — and end on that.

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Lyons Training 101 Issue Number:  Twenty-six Rein Mechanics Nuts And Bolts written by Keith Hosman, John Lyons Certified Trainer

Issue Twenty-six, Part 1 of 1

How to Pick Up Your Reins Like a Pro

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Here's the fastest way on the planet to radically change the quality of your next ride. We're talking night vs. day forever-lasting results with maybe an hour's worth of practice. But wait – there's more! Besides improving your everyday training, there's an added benefit: Much improved safety. Practicing the nuts and bots of "rein handling" in the quiet of an evening, spending long enough to build a bit of "muscle memory," will go a long way to helping you out the next time you get out on the trail and your horse whigs out. A lot of our riding fear comes from not knowing "what to do if." People get scared, they panic and grab up the reins. They freeze with six billion pounds of pressure on the horse's face. Frozen hands cork up all that horse energy, trap a prey animal – and beg for an explosion. Instead, for safety sake, drill this stuff into your brain until the movements become second nature. Your natural reaction will then be to keep your horse flowing, thereby dissipating his "negative" energy. And you'll boost your confidence quicker than you can say "They billed me how much for the ambulance?"

Horses toss their heads, get stiff through the neck and grumpy, slide in their training and just plain hate the site of the riding arena because of... your hands. Want to learn the fastest way to improve your training? Improve the way you handle your reins. We're talking the way you pick them up, how long you hold them, how much pressure you apply and how you release. When you attend one of my clinics and walk away thinking I walk on water at the end of the following day, it's simply because I've hammered you on the proper way to pick up and release those reins. Over and over and over because that's where we'll see the quickest improvement.

John Lyons Reins • Get the reins we use in our clinics • The reins used and recommended by John Lyons himself • Sizes available for "regular" and "large" horses. • see more
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I was able to promise "lasting results" in that first paragraph for one simple reason: It's you that makes the change, not your horse. If you want to see a change in your horse, you have to first make a change yourself. You don't have to concern yourself with whether your horse got up on the right side of the stall – the quality of your ride is totally in your hands, so to speak. See, without realizing it, the odds are pretty good that you've set up a "me vs. you" thing with your horse. You want to turn right so you pull on your reins. The horse feels his head yanked, and doesn't make the connection "My mouth hurts, therefore I turn right." No, he resists the pressure/pain as you would. You then apply more pressure, he resists more and the cycle continues until you get back to the barn, throw him back in his stall and swear off horses forever. Maybe a mountain bike, you think.

The descriptions offered here will first assume that you're using those "continuous loop reins" made famous by John Lyons. (They're made out of boat cord, are about 3/4" in diameter and run continuously from the left side of the bit, up through your hands and down to the bit on the right side of the horse's mouth.) Are they absolutely necessary? No. No single piece of equipment is "make or break" with . However, as with any sort of endeavor, the right tool for the job can make a huge difference. You can, for instance, knot your leather reins together and use them that way. But our training calls for us to be nimble with our reins and that giant knot you just created will annoy the devil out of you (as you try to slide the reins smoothly through your hands, lengthening or shortening, for instance). I frequently begin clinics with several riders using my "loaner reins." I rarely end a clinic without making a sale to each of those riders.

A note regarding rein length: The reins I offer (the same one John Lyons uses everyday) come in two lengths. The normal length, the version that fits most horses, is ten feet in length. A longer, twelve foot version is also available and suitable for warmbloods and other "long" horses.

One-handed rein exercises: Many training exercises call for us to use primarily one hand. You keep both hands on the reins, but one hand is "calling the shots." Notice I didn't say "one hand is doing all the work." Why? Because while "Rein A" may be doing the heavy lifting, "Rein B" needs to be ready to help out, pulling or handing back slack, for instance. What's the thinking behind using primarily one hand versus both at the same time? This has everything to do with the individual exercise – and is often covered in the description of that exercise – but I'll cover it briefly here: Pulling back evenly on two reins often causes the horse to line up the bones in his body. Like building blocks, he's "stacked," head to tail – and with very little effort he can stay that way allllllll day. Now, there are times when this is a good thing (a horse going for a sliding stop at the Futurity, for instance) and there are times when this is a bad thing, (a stiff horse being asked for flexion comes to mind). In general, one-handed exercises are used on greener horses, two-handed work is reserved for horses that are farther along (and hence, less apt to resist).

You will always take up the reins first with the "off hand," the helper-hand. That is, if you're going to turn left, the right hand first takes the reins. (Sound counter-intuitive? If you were going to walk directly sideways to your right, you'd first put weight on your left leg. Same principle of one appendage helping out the other.) For example, if you were going to turn to the left:

Begin riding your horse forward, the reins drooped over his neck, your right hand forward, resting on top of (your fingers curled around) the reins. Until you build up muscle memory, begin each sequence with your left hand on your thigh. You'll soon begin to make your movements more subtle – but trust me here, forcing yourself to put a hand on a leg, the other holding the reins loosely atop your horse's mane, is a great way to break the old (read: bad) habit we have of holding the reins up high with no rest for our horse's mouth. If you're reading this, THIS MEANS YOU. This is amazingly common. It sounds like a small thing, this "hand on the leg thing," but do not overlook this; force yourself to rest the reins over your horse's neck, force yourself to place a hand on a thigh (yours).

Pick up the reins with your right hand, taking them directly toward the sky. (Yes, somewhat robotically. We're just trying to memorize the sequence.) Now, without leaning forward, take hold of the reins with your left hand, taking slack out of the reins (and hence making contact with the horse's mouth) while simultaneously lowering your right hand. From here your right hand will maintain contact with the reins, but remain relatively still and just a few inches above the horse unless called into action by his buddy, Mister Left Rein. That last passage sounds super-complicated but it's actually very simple. In a nutshell: Raise the reins with your right hand, take them toward you with your left, lower your right. See, leaning forward from your waist (ever) puts you in a dangerous position and makes you look like a beginner. Raising the reins higher or lower with that "off hand" allows you to grab the reins with the "boss hand" anywhere you need to without leaning forward. If you find that you need to hold the reins closer to the horse's mouth, simply begin by holding the reins closer to the sky with that "off hand."

It's a good idea to: Drop your legs briefly against your horse's sides as you take the rein with your left hand. Drop them against your horse's sides with a weight equivalent to "wet towels" and then let them fall away, pulled by gravity to the sides. This is an excellent habit to get into, as it begins serving as a pre-cue that "something's coming that requires some degree of collection." If you're not in the habit of doing this now, it can be a bit annoying to get into this (good) habit – but you'll be glad you did as you advance as a rider. Note that this does not, in and of itself, "collect" your horse. It's nothing but a signal – and you'll need many other exercises for this to mean a darn thing to your horse – but, again, it's a good habit to begin as you practice this material.

Got it? The right hand lifts directly to the sky, the left hand reaches forward and pulls the reins back toward your body, the right hand lowers.

Here's a piece of advice that you'll probably ignore but really shouldn't: When you take the reins (as above) in your left hand, you should use all your fingers. Your thumb should be on top, pinky down – and you should wrap every finger around those reins. Don't leave that pinky out like your drinking tea with the Queen. You'll need all the strength and dexterity that little piggy has to offer, trust me. Don't believe me? Try it a few times (with your pinky on both sides of the rein) and you'll soon find that you have much more strength when you use all five fingers. Still don't believe me? Too bad – I'm right and you're wrong. Use all five fingers all the time. Get your horse trained properly and you can go back to your funky rein-holding ways, but for now, five fingers, please.

The most common mistake I see, besides the pinky thing, is leaning forward. Don't do it. It brands you as an amateur and embarrasses your horse. If you're leaning forward, your off hand (the right one in the example above) isn't raising the reins high enough, causing you to lean in to grab. Get out of this habit. Practice, practice, practice. Remember, we're building muscle memory here. You need to rehearse this "economy of movement" until it becomes second nature. When you get this pitter-patter down, you can get much more subtle with your hand movements. , Josh Lyons, Me!, or fellow Lyons trainer Patrick Benson, and you'll see that we follow this sequence every time we pick up the reins because it's burned in our brains through repetition. More often than not, it's a subtle thing – but it's there, a pattern with proven results.

Next most common mistake I see (again, after that pinky thing): Picking up with x-pounds of pressure, dropping that pressure as we reposition the reins in our hands, then grabbing them up again with a different amount of pressure – before the horse has done what we wanted it to do. To the horse, it feels like you're jerking – plus, release at the wrong time and you've conveyed the wrong message to your horse. ("Did he release the rein because I raised my head?") We tell the horse "yes, that's it" when we release the reins, so force yourself to keep even pressure with the your reins once you pick them up. If you need to add a little pressure or get closer to the mouth of your horse, use your off hand to pull the rein through your "primary hand." (Note: Use your off hand when and where necessary so that you always, always, always, keep even pressure on your horse's mouth – from the time you pick up the rein until the horse completes the maneuver and you offer a "full release.")

Whatever you do, for goodness sake don't forget: To give your horse a mini-break in between each repetition of any exercise. As I've typed many times, if you keep a steady pressure on the horse for twenty minutes, he's thinking he's supposed to remember twenty minutes worth of steps. Heck, can you remember the last twenty words of this article? See? Break things down for your horse into small, simple "moments." It's "I pick up the rein and release when you put your foot there" not "I pick up the rein and release it when we walk around for twenty minutes." The best advice I can give is simply this: Each time you drop the reins, force yourself to hear something. The traffic, the wind, the incessant chatter of a fellow rider. Turning on another sense (hearing) sort of forces us to take a break for a few seconds, it relaxes our hands and seat and says to the horse "That's all I wanted." I do something similar in clinics when I stand in front of a rider (following a completed something-or-other) and ask them how many kids they've got, their favorite color or what they had for dinner last night. Anything to throw them (and therefore their equine friend) back into neutral for a moment.

Obviously, the example I give above (turning to the left) should simply be reversed (and practiced) going to your right. Well, it seems obvious. What often occurs is that a rider can go one direction just fine – or learns to – but then falls apart when turning the other way. This is a curious phenomena I have dubbed "Adults-Overthink-Things-Itus." If I tell a kid to pull on the right rein like he did the left, he'll shrug and pull. An adult factors in twenty years worth of baggage: "My horse leans to the left, should I pull extra on the right?" "My last instructor said something about the shoulders... what did he say about the shoulders?" "I don't think my horse is happy/getting it/fulfilled." Try this (and you'll feel goofy, but you'll get my point): Put your right hand on your belly, your left hand on your head. Now reverse your hands. That's it. When you work with your horse, think of this and do the exact same thing on the left as you did the right. Don't over think things – just reverse (mirror) your hands.

Here's a simple something that will make huge differences with all riders, but especially those who are novice, heavy handed or nervous: Develop "hula dancer hands." No kidding, this one thing has made bigger changes faster in my riders than anything else I've ever prescribed. While some riders know to release the reins as soon as our horse's comply, they drop the reins "too abruptly," prompting the horse to begin throwing his head obnoxiously. Some riders rapid fire through their maneuvers, grabbing up the reins on the left then the right then the left then the right.... right, right, right, left, left, left. Yikes. Other riders, scared, don't release the reins... ever. Successful riders, the ones who make it look easy, realize that riding is a dance. Taking the reins is akin to taking your partner's hand. Rip their hand (mouth) off and they'll begin bracing, protecting themselves, moving stiffly. Timing, rhythm, and fluidity are paramount.

To quickly build the proper timing, simply begin pushing your reins back to your horse (on your release) just as a hula dancer pushes away their hands and fingers. (You've seen this if you've ever seen a hula dancer. They put their hands way out to the sides and sort of "flow" their fingers out and away.) It's also the same movement you'd make if you were "reverse milking" a cow: Make a fist and fan your fingers straight out, pinky first, simultaneously pushing your entire arm downward. (Your index finger, wrapped around the rein, will be the last contact you have with the rein before letting it go.) So, if you were riding and had the rein in your right hand, you'd release by fanning your pinky out, then the others, simultaneously pushing the rein downward, in effect giving it back to your horse, releasing it totally from your hand.

Two-handed exercises: When your work calls for two hands working in an equal fashion, pick up the reins as follows: Once again, begin with the reins draped over the horse's neck, one hand loosely cupped over them. When it comes time to pick up your reins, simply place both hands over the reins, your two thumbs nearly touching. Bring the reins up and simultaneously bring your hands directly away from each other, horizontally. The reins will run through your palms as you part your hands – and the farther one hand gets from another, the closer your grip will be to the horse's mouth. Bring your hands into position, conduct your exercise, then drop the reins back across your horse's neck, one of your hands back on your thigh. Hear the birds, think of your kids, etc., then repeat. Experience will quickly show you how far you need to part your hands, that is, how close you need to be to your horse's mouth for "proper execution" of your exercise. (Tip: Proper hand placement calls for your hands to remain in front of your belly button, not back by your sides, not out to the horse's sides nor across its mane; and, again, there's no leaning in horseback riding.)

It's worth mentioning that you'll be better off practicing as outlined intensely for 20 minutes taking a 20 minute break, then working for another 20 minutes – rather than pushing through for an hour or two, meandering about, taking miscellaneous breaks here and there. Focus intently for twenty minutes; that's about all we humans can handle.

This has been some pretty simple stuff, right? It is – but don't underestimate the impact that improving your "economy of movement" can have. Don't overlook the tips I've included (hand on thigh/mini breaks/no leaning/etc.); it's often the little things folks are quick to dismiss that have the greatest impact. Build your muscle memory. Practice this material until it's second nature, putting you in command by turning you into a proactive, rather than reactive rider. You'll stop balancing yourself on the reins, tugging on the horse's mouth. You'll smoothly guide your horse left then right. You'll gain confidence and become more able to concentrate on the task at hand, .

End of Issue Twenty-six, Part 1
 
 

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