# How hard is it to teach neck reining?



## kmacdougall (Feb 12, 2010)

My jumper is 14.2, very forward and has a 14 foot stride. He is basically the definition of English horse. Usually, I jump on him bareback and bridleless since he is very sensitive, but the other day I was going to take him for a gallop in a pasture so I decided I needed a little bit of extra brakes. I threw an old soft cotton lead rope around his neck just so I could bump him if he "forgot" about me. Well it turns out that he neck reins like a pro.. He moved everytime a little bit of rope pressure was on his neck. Could someone have taught him this for fun? (I've had him for 7 years.) Do some horses do it naturally?
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## nrhareiner (Jan 11, 2009)

Neck reining is easy to teach. Mine start learning it from the first ride.


----------



## corinowalk (Apr 26, 2010)

Some just do it naturally. Especially a well trained horse like yours would respond to pressure...since hes been trained to move away from pressure from the leg...on the neck, it should work the same. 

Its possible that he was trained for that a few years ago. Most horses go right back to it with a little refresher. 

I love neck reining. What a great thing to find!


----------



## kmacdougall (Feb 12, 2010)

Yeah I was pretty excited. I'm hoping he will respond to just me pressing my hands on his neck and we can ditch the rope completely once we have some sharper brakes lol
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## Eliz (Jun 16, 2010)

I had a horse once that I could just tap on either side of the withers and she would move. She neck reined perfectly and I don't think anyone taught her. I believe horses can pick it up naturally.


----------



## horseluver250 (Oct 28, 2009)

I wish my horse would pick it up naturally! I've been trying to get her to pick it up for months and she can't get it through her thick head.


----------



## Icyred (Mar 31, 2009)

I always cue with my legs first and usually end up using the reins as a guiding tool after if they need it (which my three year old does quite often! Haha) So it's fairly easy for him, if its a good day and he's hot on the aids and I can just go to one handed in the snaffle and he goes and listens just fine, sometimes better with my haunch turns and such though I try to use the reins as little as possible, mostly using my for steering and such anyway.


----------



## SilverSpur (Mar 25, 2010)

neck reining is quite easy to teach, you just need to remember to use your legs first and that your reins are to re-enforse what your leg is asking.


----------



## wild_spot (Jan 30, 2008)

Super easy. Most people teach it by accident when direct reining anyway.


----------



## Amarea (May 25, 2010)

Someone told me that crossing your reins under the chin helps. When you lay the left rein on the neck, it actually pulls on the right side and vice versa. I use an indian bosal on Stiffler now so it's actually the same concept and seems to work well.


----------



## yukontanya (Apr 11, 2010)

Its Super Easy... This is how to do it. 

Not sure how to describe it, but when I am riding I do these steps just a split second apart. Lets say I am trying to turn left. I start riding with two hands! you can do it with one hand to start but its way harder! LOL and you can really confuse your horse. 

1. right leg aid
2. lift right hand, and bring over wither (this places the right rein on the neck)
3. left direct rein (lift hand pull up and away)

I prefer a horse that can be ridden with just my legs. So all and any horse I ride it goes in the order of following... Voice, seat, legs and reins.

I always ride like this on a green horse, and they pick it up in a week or so with a few hours of riding each day

Good luck


----------



## Radiowaves (Jul 27, 2010)

Eliz said:


> I had a horse once that I could just tap on either side of the withers and she would move. She neck reined perfectly and I don't think anyone taught her. I believe horses can pick it up naturally.


I had one like that..... and only about 2.5 years old. Rode him bareback on occasion and tapped his neck to turn and pulled his mane to stop. He was a rare and wonderful find.

Radiowaves


----------



## kmacdougall (Feb 12, 2010)

yukontanya said:


> Its Super Easy... This is how to do it.
> 
> Not sure how to describe it, but when I am riding I do these steps just a split second apart. Lets say I am trying to turn left. I start riding with two hands! you can do it with one hand to start but its way harder! LOL and you can really confuse your horse.
> 
> ...


Thanks. I wasn't really so much looking for how to do it though.. cause my horse already has it down pretty good. Just wondering where he would have picked it up.


----------



## payette (Jun 3, 2010)

My mustang "got it" very intuitively. I would lightly neck rein simultaneously with the direct reining, and she understood from the get-go. My kids' pony. . . that's another story!


----------



## mls (Nov 28, 2006)

Amarea said:


> Someone told me that crossing your reins under the chin helps. When you lay the left rein on the neck, it actually pulls on the right side and vice versa. I use an indian bosal on Stiffler now so it's actually the same concept and seems to work well.


NONONONONO.

Think about it. If you cross the reins under, you are pulling the head in the wrong direction. 

Watch a good reiner. The head stays in line with the neck, withers. The head does not tip. No pulling!


----------

