Exercise 2
BACKING UP
This skill and leading work hand in hand — if you want your horse to lead nicely you need to teach him to back up easily.
How to do it
1 Start the back-up by standing in front of your horse, about 6ft away from him, holding the end of your rope. The middle of the rope should be resting on the floor between you.
2 Now think about moving your horse’s feet away from you. Build up energy and intention in your mind, picture exactly what you what him to do, then move the rope in a gentle side to side motion with the rope still resting on the ground.
3 Imagine bowling a ball of energy (without moving towards your horse) from your mind to the front foot that you want him to move first. Focus on that foot until he starts to move his weight off it, then soften your body language and energy.
4 Repeat this until your horse starts to actually step back.
5 If don’t get a weight shift reaction, move the rope slightly more vigorously so the middle comes off the ground a little, but without ragging his head from side to side. Don’t worry about straightness at this stage — that comes with understanding.