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Teaching your horse to back up for Showmanship
By Jodie Strait
For AQHA, APHA and other breed shows, Showmanship is a class where every extra bit of polish can set you apart. The current trend is to show on a drape, which means your horse is not cued by the shank or chain, but by your body language. One of the easiest things to train your horse to do is back up. I had issues with my mare when I started her in Showmanship was a correct and energetic back. I used a modified Natural Horsemanship method to create a relaxed, correct and crisp back. In order to achieve a good back you will need to spend at least 5 minutes a day at least 3 or 4 times a week for probably a month. At first all you are trying to achieve is to give your horse the understanding that when you are in place and move towards them that they need to match the speed that you are moving in reverse. I use a long lead rope or a lunge line to start. DO NOT use a chain, just snap the lead under your horse’s chin and stand in front of your horse to the side of them so you are not directly in front. At first I was about 7-8 feet away when I started. Simply wiggle the rope and start walking towards your horse, I make a ‘ssssssss’ sound. As I got closer the wiggle got bigger and if she did not move backward by the time I was within 3 feet I would throw my hands up and stomp. At this your horse should run backward. Make sure to follow the horse but then stop and give them a release by you stopping your forward motion at them and they slowly stop backing and will then stand. Give praise and walk them forward and repeat. Soon anytime you wiggle the rope they will begin walking backward just from that cue. If they are not moving fast enough then try a simple stomp or just lift your left arm as you walk to them – the point is DO NOT allow your horse to have no consequences from not responding. Make them understand when you ask to back and they ignore you that there WILL be an action. Until your horse is really comfortable ignore their body position, but as they get more comfortable they should begin backing straight and their body language should be quiet. Remember it is important to not jerk, pull, hit or do anything to make a back anything but a release from the pressure of your body language. Once they get comfortable you can them start working towards backing not just in straight lines but in turns as well. Your final product will be a crisp back with a relaxed horse and no visible cue. You will definitely be adding to the difficulty of your pattern and should help elevate your overall score, The best part of this is that the technique can be used for many purposes – I use it now for even the foals to teach them when the rope wiggles that they need to back from the pressure. It comes in handy
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May, 2012
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