When to teach rein back under saddle

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Todmiester

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When would you introduce reinback under saddle?

I watched cringingly today whilest someone was attempting to get their horse to reinback. Head was in the air and it more wiggled backwards rather than step back comfortably. Said horse is not well established in trot and its a bit and miss in his canter.

Its been a few years since Ive had to teach reinback so cant remeber just when I introduced it.
 
Teach it in hand before they're backed, then not an issue under saddle. I often need to open/close a gate when out on a hack with a baby that isn't established.
 
It all depends on the horse but usually when they work from the leg into the bridle. My last pony I never taught it too as he was very nappy but current baby is now 4 and well established in rein back
 
Doing a couple of steps with my five year old at the moment, not perfect by any stretch but they have to learn some time
 
Mine have been taught it at four under saddle so I can do gates. It's not tidy or perfect but agricultural and useful.
 
Todmiester said:
When would you introduce reinback under saddle?

I watched cringingly today whilest someone was attempting to get their horse to reinback. Head was in the air and it more wiggled backwards rather than step back comfortably. Said horse is not well established in trot and its a bit and miss in his canter.

Its been a few years since Ive had to teach reinback so cant remeber just when I introduced it.
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Probably due to the horse being asked from the hands rather than from the seat/legs, I would start early on as I need to lots of gates hacking!
 
My rising 4 NF filly, can do 'back' on the lunge, and the lines. Last year when she was gently hacking and we did a gate, it was very useful to do 'back'. However, I don't pull! She is good at voice commands, so I feel there is no pressure at the mo. Being a pony, she is unlikely to ever have to do rein back in dressage, so I have no worries in using my voice!
 
Todmiester said:
When would you introduce reinback under saddle?

I watched cringingly today whilest someone was attempting to get their horse to reinback. Head was in the air and it more wiggled backwards rather than step back comfortably. Said horse is not well established in trot and its a bit and miss in his canter.

Its been a few years since Ive had to teach reinback so cant remeber just when I introduced it.
Click to expand...

But that has nothing to do with the stage, that's just bad training. There is no reason not to ask for a few steps early on if the horse has been decently prepared. I can't see it will make a horse nappy - in my experience horses already know how to go backwards if they want to, whether we 'teach' them or not. Obviously you wouldn't address it until the horse knows to go off the leg but that's going to get established in the first few rides.
 
To me there is a difference between a true 'rein back' and just going backwards under saddle.
My mare will go backwards for gates (or to stop her napping) but has only just started learning rein back properly. She is 7 so a bit late to but I didn't feel it would have been any benefit to her had I taught her sooner.
 
Mine has gone backwards from dot as he has always had to do gates. He's understood 'back' from the ground since we got him as a three year old.

I taught him rein back about a month ago. We needed it for a Novice dressage test. The first session wasn't the prettiest, more of a shuffle backwards. Gave him five days and didn't ask him for any steps backwards. Latent learning is a remarkable tool, the next time I asked it was there, nice and straight.

It's worth remembering that a lack of ability to do a true reinback can be down to pain in the back. One of mine, couldn't do reinback for years. Cue, major sacroiliac issues, his shoeing was sorted, the pain was sorted. And rein back was there.
 
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