Horse & Rider USA – September 2019

106 / HorseandRider.com

if you’re turning to the right, hold your
reins in your right hand. Switch hands
when you turn to the left. This gives you
a litt le more freedom of movement with
the direct cue.
With your reins bridged in this way,
walk your horse in a circle. Begin to turn
more tightly. To do this, move your hand
slightly in order to place the indirect
rein against your horse’s neck as you
apply pressure with your outside leg in
position one. At the same time, tip your
hand slightly to apply light direct-rein
pressure even as your indirect rein
comes against your horse’s neck. When
your horse begins to turn more tightly,
release the pressure. Repeat this exer-
cise in the opposite direction.
Note: If you move your hand farther
than a short distance from your saddle
horn as you cue, you’ll unintention-
ally pull the indirect rein even as it
lays against your horse’s neck. When
this happens, you accidentally apply
direct-rein pressure with the indirect
rein, turning your horse’s nose in the
opposite direction than you want him

to turn. He’ll receive mixed messages,

slowing your progress.

To prevent this, limit your hand

movement to fewer than six inches from

your saddle horn. Remember, if you

can feel pressure in your hand, he feels

equal or more pressure in his mouth.

The indirect rein is not intended to

make contact with your horse’s mouth

as you neck rein.

EXERCISE 5: INCREASE

YOUR SKILL

The one-rein turn with bridged reins

can be made more diffi cult by adding

obstacles. Circle around cones in the

arena or a bush or tree on the trail,

aiming to make tighter turns, and

gradually limiting your use of the

direct-rein cue. Any time you apply the

skill in a practical sett ing, your horse

focuses on the task, enabling you to

reinforce the neck rein as he makes a

tight turn around an arena obstacle or

large boulder on the trail.

As your horse becomes more re-

sponsive with just the indirect rein and

outside leg pressure, you can begin to

hold your reins as you normally would

in one hand. Your free hand, meanwhile,

can be used at any time to reinforce the

indirect cue with a direct cue; simply

reach down to grasp a single rein. 

Trainer, clinician, and lifelong cow-

boy Ken McNabb hails from Lovell,

Wyoming. He helps riders and horses

build and enjoy partnerships working

on the ranch and riding on the trail.

His show, Discovering the Horseman

Within, airs weekly on RFD-TV. Learn

more about McNabb and find his clinic

schedule at kenmcnabb.com.

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