The joy of neck reining
A horse who knows how to neck rein is a sheer joy on the trail
So how do you navigate the change from direct reining to a turn whenever your horse feels the weight of a light rein against his neck?
The answer is threefold.
Every time I ask for a turn, my horse feels me using these three aids simultaneously—
(1) Direct/opening rein: For a left turn, he feels the opening of the rein on the left side of his bit, inviting him into the turn.
(2) The neck rein: He feels the outside/right rein sideways against the right side of his neck.
(3) Legs: He feels my outside/right leg slightly back from my hip and to just behind the girth to encourage him to bend around the curve and not let his hindquarters fall out. He feels my inside/left seat bone a little forward with the leg at the girth.
When teaching the neck rein, I am applying the direct/opening rein and the neck rein in a very deliberate manner every time I ask for a turn. By signaling with these cues at each turn, I can gradually train my horse
Here in northern New Mexico, weaving in and out of the piñon trees makes perfect practice. Begin at a walk, and then over time you can work your way up to a soft trot in and out of trees. What a lovely, light feeling this is! Years ago I had an apple orchard that made for a wonderful equitation course. My mare and I would float in and out of the trees. If you do this every time you’re on the trail
