[mftowner06]

What method do you use to teach a young horse to turn. Do you just use the reins or do you also use your legs? Do you do left rein, or left rein and right leg, or do you left rein, left leg in front of the girth (as a pivot point) and the right leg behind the girth (saying get off my leg and go forward)??

[JBandRio]

Wide opening inside rein - NOT pulling back, just to the inside - in conjunction with my leg position (outside leg slightly behind girth, which pulls my outside hip back a little) and body position, which is what I want the ultimate response to.

Teach them to follow their nose, which is always a great emergency backup Then as soon as you can, start refining it to more body, less inside rein, more outside rein.

The "pivot point" can't be in a place that has to do the turning, so you don't want your leg in front of the girth. *at* the girth is the pivot point - do a pole bend around your leg, essentially

[meljean]

I use the same things in training as I do in my finished horse. I have seen people who teach to turn with reins only first, and then go back and do legs added, and then go back and teach neck reining, but to me, that is just wasting time. I have never seen a horse have trouble grasping the
concept, but am sure there is one out there???

To begin one, if I want horse to go to left, I turn horses head slightly to left with left rein pressure, laying right rein firmly against neck, while slightly releasing the pressure on that rein, and apply right calf/heel very lightly. I also keep left leg off of horse, not way out, but slightly, and I keep that leg still. I keep the cues as subtle as I can, and move up in strength if horse fails to respond, once he has turned, I release/stop cues when is moving direction I want. Eventually I want a horse that I can just lay rein against neck at same time I tighten my calf, that will move direction I want. Once horse is turning well, I will lay rein on neck, and use same side calf tightening, lighten up on the "pull" of opposite rein, only using it to reinforce that horse is to move away from rein on neck. It only takes a couple of times until horse feels rein against neck, and calf/heel to understand turn.

When I begin to want a horse to move front end or back end from saddle, I will exaggerate the one leg forward, one leg behind girth at first, to get the horse used to "this is a different thing here," and they will get idea quickly that I want front end moved, or back end, rather than a whole body "we are now going in this direction" turn.

I also reinforce the leg movement every time I am on ground, by moving horse over with thumb in side, not hard, just touching at barrel/behind girth area lightly until moves over. Or behind elbow until moves front. Again, I do as lightly as can, I can't stand to have to crank on pressure, or "boot' horse in sides.

[nrhareiner]

It is a process. First you have to teach the horse to follow its nose. Once the horse is doing that then you move to working off 2 reins. Giving both directions. While I am doing all this I am also using my legs and seat. It is not a do thing one thing and the horse turns. It is a process and when it is all said and done the horse will turn off your leg and seat with NO reins at all.