Pull, Neutral, or Give
There are three positions, so to speak, when it comes to rein tension. First there's pull, when the rein seems to get heavier. It can be a light pull, where you sense the horse bracing against you, or it can be a heaviness or even a jerking of the rein. Most people can easily identify "pull."
But neutral, which is neither pull nor give, isn't always so easy to recognize at first. Many people make the mistake of thinking that because a horse isn't pulling, he's giving. In neutral, the horse isn't giving to your rein, but he's not adding any weight to it either. Neutral is the equivalent of him saying, "Whatever," and doing what he wants.
Cease Fire
If you continually pull on your horse without releasing him when he gives, he'll learn to pull on you.
Resist the temptation to scold your horse with your hands.
Learn to "be a post" when your horse pulls or roots the reins with his head.
When you take up the slack, make sure your rein conveys purpose.
Release immediately when you get the right response.
Teach the horse to give, and pull won't be a problem.
Neutral is fine when you're not asking anything of the horse, but we don't want the horse to merely tolerate the rein. Before long, neutral will become pull. Instead, when you pick up the rein-when you're talking to him-you want him to give, which is an energetic move in the direction of the rein. It's as if the horse says, "Yup. I'm here, ready to do what you've asked."
As you practice, you might say out loud what you feel. "That's a pull. Now that's neutral. He's pulling again. Now that's a give!" The better you train yourself to recognize a give, the quicker you'll release the rein, and the more eager your horse will be to give again. Be sure to reward his honest efforts. Otherwise, your horse will become the post, and you'll be back to tug-of-war.
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