[Ag-eq] Fw: Enquiry "neck-reining"

Sat Apr 27 05:15:13 UTC 2013

Jewel:

Jody was the one who asked about neck reining.  I prefer to direct rein and have
never learned to neck rein.  The horse and I would both have to be trained!

These are very good articles; thanks for sharing them.

Does your sister train horses?

Are horses a popular hobby in New Zealand?

Nella
Quoting Jewel <jewelblanch at kinect.co.nz>:

>
> I can't think who it was:  Nella perhaps: who asked about teaching a horse to
> answer to neck rather than direct reining.
> I sent the enquiry to  my sister, Gayle, who is experienced in Western riding
> for instructions, and below, you will find her reply:  not in her own words
> but just, I think, the sort of info that you asked for.
>
>         Jewel
>
>
> From: Gayle Blanch
> Sent: Friday, April 26, 2013 8:27 PM
> To: Jewel
> Subject: RE: Enquiry "neck-reining"
>
>
>
> Hi Jewel I've got here a couple of articles that I think explains a lot about
> neck reining without the need for pictures.  For myself part of becoming
> proficient at neck reining starts with, if you've been an english rider is to
> learn to move off the contact with the bit and learn to ride one-handed and
> loose - however you can still do it two handed and with a young horse it
> helps.  I've also always used western bits which can be severe but only if
> the horse resists and I've found them excellent to get a horse like Lady for
> instance who for years was ridden in drop nosebands and martingales to try
> and control her pulling. In a week with a curb bit with release as the reward
> everytime she stop pulling was the key to start teaching her to neck rein on
> a loose rein.
>
>
> Consistency in using your legs at the same time you ask for the turn  is
> imperative.  Turning left for instance have your left leg back a bit behind
> the girth and the right slightly in front. Light touch with that leg and
> slight more so with the left. You want to have your horse 'curl' around the
> left leg.
>
>
> With a blind rider I imagine having contact with the bit would be more
> comforting when going for direction etc, however the lighter your contact
> with the mouth the better.
>
>
> Anyhoo here are the articles.
>
>
>
>
> Neck Reining Made Simple / by Marcia King
> http://www.horsechannel.com/horse-training/horse-neck-reining-69.aspx
>
>
> Neck reining to a western horse is like a steering wheel is to a car. Without
> it, you have no control over where you go. It's one of the first fundamentals
> a western horse learns, and without good neck-reining responses, a horse
> won't do well in western pleasure, reining, barrel racing or most other
> western events.
>
>
> Fortunately, training a horse to neck rein is a simple process — or so says
> trainer Clark Bradley, and he should know. During his long career, Bradley
> has brought along hundreds of horses, and he's taken more than a few of those
> to the top ranks, claiming championships in National Reining Horse
> Association Futurity classes and at the AQHA Congress in versatility, western
> pleasure futurity, junior reining, senior reining and team roping.
>
>
> Getting Started
> For the uninitiated, neck reining is the cue that tells the horse which way
> to turn. Neck reining uses a loose, indirect rein across the horse's neck to
> encourage the horse to move away from the pressure; both reins are loosely
> held in one hand, which is positioned above the pommel at about waist level.
> Explains Bradley, "You give your cue with the pressure of the outside rein
> against the neck. If you want to go to the right, pick your hand up towards
> your right shoulder and lay the left rein lightly against the horse's neck.
> On a finished horse, the true neck rein is a loose rein: There's only
> pressure against the neck and no pressure with the bit at all." The neck-rein
> cue should be very light, and the reining hand should never cross an
> imaginary line from the horse's neck to the rider's shoulder.
>
>
> Bradley likes to introduce neck reining during a horse's first mounted
> lesson. He says that since a green horse must be taught steering anyway, neck
> reining can be incorporated into that process. "The first day you ride a
> colt, you can ask them to neck rein," he says. "They're not going to respond,
> but it's a teaching process and it's not complicated."
>
>
> He usually starts horses in a sidepull for the first few months, then moves
> up into a D-ring or O-ring snaffle. After about six to 12 months of training,
> he puts them in a broken-mouth bit, such as a short shank snaffle. Training
> sessions generally last from 30 to 45 minutes a day, five days a week.
>
>
> During the first several months of training, Bradley rides with both hands,
> first asking for the neck rein, then rein-forcing with a direct inside rein.
> "Too many people forget to neck rein," Bradley warns. "They just pull the
> nose to the inside and hope the horse turns. They must use the neck-rein cue,
> first."
>
>
> He begins by having the horse walk forward. "Then when I want to turn
> slightly to he right, I'll put the left rein against their neck. Then I
> shorten the inside rein and actually pull their head to the right. As soon as
> they respond, I release the pressure." Initially, turns are not large, only
> about 10 degrees. After obtaining some sort of turn, Bradley rewards with a
> release, then repeats the lesson a few more times.
>
>
> The only other aids Bradley uses when teaching neck reining is to keep his
> legs in the side of the horse to maintain forward motion and to bump the
> outside elbow with his stirrup or leg to encourage the horse to move his
> outside shoulder over. "I want the horse's whole body to turn, not just his
> head. If that doesn't happen, I'll keep pressure on the reins and use the
> outside leg to make sure that happens."
>
>
> Once the horse neck reins well in a circle at a walk, responding to either
> just a neck rein or both reins, Bradley starts to neck rein at a trot. Many
> horses can move up to the trot stage in just two weeks, he says.
>
>
> When the horse can trot a figure-eight in 30-foot circles well, with either a
> neck rein or with two hands, Bradley begins neck reining at the lope. But he
> cautions riders not to attempt neck-reining lessons at faster gaits until the
> horse responds fairly consistently in a slower gait. "I like them pretty
> broke to trotting before I try to lope them," he says. "A lot of people try
> to lope them the first week, and they don't have enough steering mechanism.
> They can get in a lot of trouble."
>
>
> If Bradley has difficulties getting a turn at a lope, he drops down to a trot
> or a walk, but always makes sure he gets some sort of change of direction
> before releasing the pressure. "If you neck rein and neck rein, and then
> decide to forget it, the horse will forget it, too," he warns.
>
>
> Because neck reining is a simple command, most horses catch on to the basics
> fairly quickly. "After you ride them about a half dozen times, they'll start
> to move away from that pressure," Bradley says.
>
>
> Make No Mistakes
> Although neck reining is one of the easiest commands to teach a horse, there
> are still a few ways in which a rider can go wrong. The most common mistake
> is when the rider wants to turn, but the horse won't, so the rider pulls one
> hand farther to the inside. "But the farther your hand goes inside, the more
> pressure you're putting on the outside rein, which forces the horse's head to
> turn to the outside," Bradley says. If the horse doesn't turn, make the
> correction by going to two hands and shortening the inside rein. "Put their
> nose slightly to the inside and move the horse's shoulder over."
>
>
> Bradley often sees riders using just one rein to get a turn. "A lot of
> people, especially when they're riding youngsters, just pull the rein to the
> right when they want to turn right. Pretty soon the horse just turns his head
> to the right, but his shoulder is still off to the left, the hips are swung
> to the left, and they lose the whole body position. You've got to use both
> reins on the horse to keep his body lined up. The head should be slightly to
> the right, with the body still going straight. Use more left rein to move the
> horse's left shoulder over and to keep his body alignment correct. This is
> important in all stages, but especially in the first few months."
>
>
> Another problem Bradley observes is busy hands. "A lot of people, when
> they're just riding along, they're moving their hands all the time, even the
> advanced riders in the show." This constant hand movement sends conflicting
> signals that could eventually make the horse immune to neck reining cues.
>
>
> Some riders also make neck reining for the green horse unnecessarily
> complicated. "I want to keep it very simple so the horse can understand. A
> neck rein means to turn. I use my legs to keep the motion or as a
> correction," says Bradley. The only exception, he notes, is a slight leg cue
> for the finished horse when performing a spin or a fast lope.
>
>
> By far the worst mistake a rider can make is inconsistency and not following
> through. Always insist on getting some sort of turn when you ask, and always
> reward by releasing. Warns Bradley, "If you continue to pull across their
> neck and nothing happens, they learn to ignore the pull. Every time the rein
> touches the side of their neck, you must make them turn slightly, then
> release the pressure."
>
>
> >From start to finish, Bradley says that it takes six to eight months to get
> a horse ready to show in a reining class. "If you're going to a NRHA reining
> for 3-year-olds, then they usually require 16 to 18 months of training." But
> by heeding Bradley's advice, neck reining could be one of the easiest
> commands your horse ever learns.
>
>
>
>
> Article 2
> How To Teach Your Horse or Pony To Neck Rein
> By Katherine Blocksdorf, About.com Guide
>
>
> http://horses.about.com/od/horsetraining/ht/howtoneckrein.htm
>
>
> Being able to neck rein—or steer your horse with one hand is a useful skill.
> Neck reining makes things like opening gates without dismounting, carrying
> something, or swishing away flies while trail riding easier. Neck reining is
> also a fun, safe, and easy thing you can teach your horse even if you are not
> advanced rider.
> Difficulty: Easy
> Time Required: Several days depending on your skill and how quickly your
> horse learns.
> Here's How:
>
>
> Mount Up
> Mount your horse, hold a rein in each hand as normal and start off at a walk.
> If you are accustomed to riding on contact-always feeling tension on the
> reins, you will need to slacken your reins slightly. That way when you cue
> with the rein against the neck you are not accidentally pulling on the bit as
> well. You want the horse to lead into the turn with his nose, not tip his
> head to the outside.
>
>
> Start Guiding Your Horse
> Walk in a straight line, then turn a sharp corner of about 90 degrees. As you
> turn the corner cue with the inside rein, your seat and legs, as usual, but
> lay the outside rein against the horse’s neck. Lift your hand so the rein
> makes clear and positive contact against the mid-section of the neck.
>
>
> Make Consistent Cues
> As you come out of the turn return your hands to their normal position. Be
> careful not to pull on the outside rein that you are laying against the
> horse's neck as you may confuse him.
>
>
> Keep Sessions Short
> Make many turns, frequently changing directions. Visualize how and where you
> want to make your turns each time you are on a straightway. Try doing this
> for about 15 minutes over several days. Several short sessions will be more
> effective than one long session. Don’t follow the same pattern each time you
> ride as you might find your horse learns the pattern and ignores the cue of
> the rein against his neck.
>
>
> Change the Order of the Cues
> After a few sessions, try making the neck-rein cue first, before putting
> contact on the bit. Release any contact with the bit as soon as the horse
> starts into the turn, but leave the rein on the neck until you wish to
> discontinue the turn. If the horse wanders out of the turn, squeeze the
> inside rein slightly to remind him of the direction. Continue doing this for
> several more sessions.
>
>
> Hold the Reins in One Hand
> When your horse consistently responds to the neck rein cue, you will no
> longer need to cue with the inside rein. Hold the reins in one hand. It is
> traditional to neck-rein with your non-dominant hand. This leaves the
> dominant hand free to work a lasso or open a gate. However, if you won’t be
> roping cattle, and encounter few gates you can choose to use which ever hand
> you please
>
>
> Be Patient
> Be patient with your horse, some are fast learners and some take extra time
> to learn their lessons. Likewise, you are teaching yourself at the same time.
> Go slow and take things one step at a time. Once the neck rein cue has been
> learned and you can turn smoothly you need only practice occasionally.
>
>
> Tips:
>
>
> The inside rein guides the horse in the direction you want to go and is
> called the leading rein. The inside or leading rein on a left turn is the
> left rein, and on a right turn the inside or leading rein is the right rein.
> Whether you are reining with one hand or two, your legs and body are an
> important part of the cue. Don’t concentrate so hard on your hands, that you
> forget everything else.
> Your horse will likely be more attentive if you work in a fenced ring or an
> arena. Some horses hate being in a ring though. Work where ever you feel safe
> and your horse will be most attentive.
> Ride with intention. If you are inclined to be vague or day –dreamy your
> horse will quickly pick up your inattentiveness and inconsistency and not
> take your commands seriously.
> You will want to work in rather sharp corners, rather than gradual or
> circular turns so that your horse knows you are making a definite turn rather
> than just vaguely wandering around.
> What You Need
>
>
> Your horse, saddle and bridled—the type of bit does not matter.
> A ring, arena, or place where you feel safe, and your horse is attentive.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> > From: jewelblanch at kinect.co.nz
> > To: gwila47 at hotmail.com
> > Subject: Enquiry "neck-reining"
> > Date: Fri, 19 Apr 2013 12:18:52 +1200
> >
> > Gayle! I have just joined an email list whose raison d"etre is for blind
> people who are interested
> > in matters agricultural and equestrian.
> > A query has just come through "How do you train a horse to respond
> neck-reining? Having some
> > experience in thatfield, I thought that you might like to send me words on
> how it is done and I can
> > then pass on those words.
> >
> > Jewel
> >
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