Just think about the hindquarters!" "Focus only on the tail!" The concept sounds so easy. But we're going to say up front (as it were) that it isn't easy at all. In fact, in the beginning, these exercises will probably seem doggone unnatural. If you stick with them, however, and put in the effort and dedicated practice, it will produce a quantum shift in your horsemanship. And we'll say this again: everyone can do this, not just some elite few!
Right in Front of You
The reason steering from the hindquarters seems so difficult is smack in front of you. That beautiful front end of your horse acts like a giant magnet for your attention. Your horse's nose, head, ears, and neck draw your eyes and your mental focus. They more or less point in the direction you want to go, so it's easy to think that they're what you need to steer to get where you want to go.
But, in reality, your horse's motor and steering are in the rear.
If you've been guiding your horse by his nose for years, it's going to take focus and practice to change your thinking. If you've been taught to use your leg to move your horse's hindquarters to the right or left, it'll be natural to want to do that during these exercises. It can be very difficult to change these patterns. These moves may feel natural, but that doesn't mean they're the best way for you to communicate with your horse. Giving multiple cues for one maneuver complicates the cue system for you both.
When you catch yourself trying to pull your horse's mouth around, don't beat yourself up. Just become more conscious of what your hands are doing. If you find yourself pressing with one leg, just leave that leg slightly forward in a soft position. In any case, relax your seat and sit up straight in the middle of the saddle. You don't have to lean forward, backward, right, or left.
Exercise Precursors
One of your goals during these exercises is to teach your horse to become more responsive to the bridle, so try to focus on just using the reins for your signal to the hindquarters. This is going to require that you exercise the deliberate practice we talked about. It'll take effort and concentration on your part, so it would be a good idea to make your work sessions shorter than usual to make this as easy as possible for you.
The amount of time you spend practicing these exercises is going to depend on you, not on your horse. The exercises themselves aren't physically demanding for him. In fact, he's really only about 20% of the equation. The other 80% of the equation is time and effort spent training you. So don't go on to the second exercise until the first lesson is solidly rooted in your mind. You should have definite "Ah ha!" moments when the light bulb suddenly comes on with a very bright light.
When you have an "Ah ha!" moment, you need to convert these skills into habit. That will take many repetitions on your part, but not a long time-span. You can master these techniques in just a few hours of practice, possibly even less. The time it takes depends on your concentration and effort. Just remember that this is not a race. If a friend or barn mate is working on these exercises as well, don't see who can get them done fastest. Focus on your own progress.
Choose a specific number of repetitions you'll do before you go on to the next exercise. This helps give you, your mind, and your seat time to learn. It also keeps you from jumping ahead to the next exercise before you're really ready.
I'd suggest that you do at least 200 repetitions before moving on. This sounds like a lot, but it's actually an easy number to reach during just part of a riding session. Each repetition only takes a few seconds and you're not going to be doing a lap of the arena between each one. Do the exercise, get a correct response, release, and do the exercise again.
It would also be good to begin your next training session with a review of the exercises you did the previous day in the same order. And maybe the second day you only have to do 50 repetitions for each exercise, but while you're doing them, don't slide into "simple" practice and just go through the motions. Be deliberate. Focus on the details of the exercise so that the larger part of it becomes almost automatic. This doesn't happen when you do fewer repetitions. It happens when you do more.
More repetitions also help your horse. Yes, he may only be 20% of the equation this issue, but those repetitions make it easier for him to advance and learn the next exercise. The exercise itself improves and develops other areas of your horse's performance.
For instance, while you're concentrating on your own improvement, this exercise-if done correctly-will teach your horse to become much lighter on the bit. He'll lower his head, soften his neck, stop bending his head so much to the side, and relax more. If you only do 20 repetitions instead of 50, your horse won't improve as much.
Remember that each exercise is based on both you and your horse doing the previous exercise well. Don't skimp, skip, or worry about doing any of these exercises too much because you think the repetitions will hurt or bore your horse. They won't.
It's like baking a cake. You put in all the right ingredients, mix them the right way, and add to a pan. You put the pan in the oven, and then cook the cake for the correct amount of time. No matter how much of a hurry you're in, five minutes won't bake that cake, but an hour might make it perfect. That cake and these exercises take about the same amount of cooking time to really develop something good, so relax and look forward to a great result.
