Training Tip: Ask Clinton: Unsticking the Feet in the Backup

Q: My horse backs up great on the ground, but he won’t take one step backwards when I’m riding him. He just throws his head up and feels like he wants to rear. I’ve tried different bits and hackamores, but nothing seems to get him to back up under saddle! – Diana A.

A: First, good job preparing your horse to back up by practicing the exercise on the ground. Teaching an exercise on the ground first makes it so much easier when you try to do the same thing under saddle. What your horse is doing is a very common problem to have when first teaching the backup.

When I introduce backing up to a horse, I always start by yielding the horse’s hindquarters first and then asking the horse to back up a step. By yielding the horse’s hindquarters, you’re putting energy in his feet and then just redirecting it backwards. Think about it like this – what’s the hardest part about getting a stalled car moved off the side of the road? Getting it set in motion. Once you’ve got it moving, it’s easy to steer.

Your horse is similar. If you try to back him up without yielding his hindquarters first, you’ll probably get into a tug-of-war with him. In your case, your horse is rearing. You won’t have to yield your horse’s hindquarters forever before asking him to back up, just in the beginning when he’s first learning the lesson.

The secret to teaching your horse to back up is to look for only one step at first. When he takes one step backwards, immediately reward him by releasing the reins and letting him stand still and relax. Once he understands what you’re asking, then you can ask him to take two steps backwards before you reward him. When he can take two steps backwards, then you can ask for three, and before long, he’ll be able to back 20 steps in a row. If you ask for too many steps at first, you’ll confuse and frustrate him, and he’ll stop trying to back up.