Step 4: Go forward. Send your horse forward at the walk. Keep him walking for a few strides. Stay relaxed. When your horse knows you're relaxed, he should stay relaxed, as well.
Step 5: Two-track to the right. To teach your horse to two-track to the right, you'll first ask him to move his hindquarters to the right, away from left leg pressure. You'll do this by applying three cues simultaneously: a rein cue, a leg cue, and a voice cue. Performed at the same time, these cues actually become one cue.
Walk a few strides, then slide your left hand down the left rein, slowly tip your horse's nose slightly to the left, and move your left calf back alongside his rib cage toward his flank. Don't move your calf all of the way to his flank, though; place it about four inches in front of his flank area. Cluck in a high-pitched tone, and apply pressure with your calf against his rib cage while keeping his nose tipped to the left with your left rein.
In response to this cue, your horse should free up his hindquarters and cross his left hind leg in front of his right hind leg. Since you're also going forward, he should simultaneously move his forequarters over by crossing his left front leg in front of his right front leg.
Do this a few strides, then stop him, give him a pat, and tell him in a soft voice that he did well.
Step 6: Take a break. Stop your horse, and allow him to stand still for about five minutes so he can rest and process what he's just learned.
Step 7: Work on the maneuver. Repeat Step 5 until your horse will move his hindquarters over smoothly. Don't get frustrated if he's sloppy at first. Be patient, and be sure to release all pressure each time he tries to do as you ask. The more you work patiently with him, the smoother he'll become. You'll also eventually get to a point where he'll move off your leg cue when it's about halfway down his rib cage.
Step 8: Two-track to the left. When your horse is two-tracking smoothly to the right, teach him to two-track to the left by reversing the cue you used in Step 5.
Step 9: Change gaits. After your horse two-tracks well in both directions at the walk (this may take several days or several weeks), teach him to two-track at the trot. To do so, ask him to trot, then apply the two-track cue given in Step 5. After he two-tracks well at the trot, you can teach him to two-track at the lope.
Note: Most horses two-track well at the walk. Some horses do better at the trot than at the lope, but for others, the opposite is true. Horses learn new maneuvers at different speeds, so be patient, and give your horse a chance to learn. If you run into any problems, ask a reputable trainer or certified riding instructor to help you.
