Masterclass
The grand prix dressage rider shares her tips for achieving a relaxed, active rein-back
Hannah Biggs on improving the rein-back
AIM
The rein-back looks simple, but is often achieved by the rider pulling back with the reins, resulting in a hollow back and stiff steps. As well as being an important suppling exercise, it makes the horse more manoeuvrable and features in dressage tests from elementary to grand prix.
I use these exercises to teach the horse to rein-back without tension, so he learns to round his back, lift his core muscles and flex his hindlegs.
THE EXERCISE
1 Starting on the right rein, ask the horse to leg-yield in walk down the long side of the arena, with his head pointing to the outside. Keep his body at a 45˚angle to the wall, moving him sideways with the left (outside) leg slightly behind the girth, pushing into a supporting, connected right rein. Try not to use the inside rein, instead the wall of the arena should stop him moving forward straight.
Repeat on the other rein. Practise this exercise until the horse moves easily down the track without any tension.
2 Once stage one is established, leg-yield a metre in from the track. Before the corner, turn the legyield into a turn on the forehand by pushing the horse more sideways from the outside leg, so his quarters turn a 180˚ arc and he ends facing back down the track. Keep the same angle of his body throughout and think forward.
In the turn, the steps of the front legs need to be small, but they must keep moving. Once the movement is completed, go straight down the track.
If at any stage he has become tense or stuffy, move up into trot or canter until he is thinking forwards again. Repeat on the other rein. 3 I introduce the rein-back while doing the turn on the forehand. On the right rein, push the horse halfway round the turn, with your left leg slightly back. Then, with the nose facing the wall, slide your right leg back as well, shift your upper body weight slightly forward, which lightens your seat and allows his back to come up, and ask for a half-halt with both reins.
You need to use your legs to encourage movement in the reinback. The hands need to resist forwards movement, so the horse understands backwards, but do not pull on the reins. The rider still needs to think about riding forwards into the contact while the horse is moving backwards.
If the horse drops away from the contact and becomes tense in the back, go back to step one until he is relaxed again.
At first, be happy with one backward step. Praise and finish the turn on the forehand. Repeat a few times and then do the exercise on the other rein.
‘The rider still needs to think about riding forwards into the contact while the horse is moving backwards’