The Back-Up Battle

Cleve Wells helps our reader unlock her mare's resistance to backing up.

Q I recently purchased a 4-year-old Paint mare I hope to show in Western events. She has a sweet disposition and responds well when I'm riding her, except for backing. I can get her to back out of a trailer, but she refuses to back up when I'm in the saddle. She hollows out her back, plants her feet, and raises her head. I'm currently using a Tom Thumb bit on her, and although I've been able to get her to flex at the poll and drop her head, she still won't back. I'm in my 40s and have been riding since I was 8; I even went through a formal horse-training program. I use seat and leg cues before engaging the reins, as I understand that a horse needs to round his back in order to back up. But my mare refuses to budge! Please help.
Susan Hepworth
Nibley, Utah

A Susan, there are many reasons your mare may be reluctant to back. She may never have been properly trained how to back; she may've backed into something and scared or injured herself; or she could have an underlying injury that's causing her pain when she backs (a stifle or hock injury, especially). If you suspect she could be injured, have your vet give her a thorough examination. Finally, backing is simply difficult for some horses. Some are selectively bred to be good "backers"-reiners, for example, need to be able to back well to be successful in their careers. For other horses, backing can be a more strenuous maneuver that requires a lot of effort. Your mare may fall into this category. I'll show you how to teach (or re-teach) your mare to back, first from the ground in the barn aisle (if you don't have one, use her pasture or whatever area she's most comfortable in), then from the ground in the arena, and finally under saddle, using a sidepass as a lead-in to backing. I'll also suggest a bit that'll be more effective than a Tom Thumb. To work your mare in the barn aisle, outfit her in the bridle you'll be riding her in. It's important that she learn to back in response to bit pressure (in her mouth), instead of halter pressure (on the bridge of her nose). For the arena work, add the saddle so she'll be ready to ride when it's time to mount up.

Caveat: Teaching a horse to back involves the risk of rearing (if a horse decides he'd rather go up than back in response to bit pressure). If your mare shows any signs of rearing (these could include pinning her ears, rocking her weight onto her hindquarters, cow kicking, and acting generally "jumpy"), do not continue pushing her to back. Rearing is extremely dangerous for both handler and horse. If you don't feel comfortable-that is, safe-teaching your mare to back, seek help from a professional.

Best Bit For Backing
Instead of a Tom Thumb, use a short-shank correctional bit like this one. With its jointed mouthpiece, a Tom Thumb works by applying pressure to your horse's tongue, which may not translate clearly as "back up." The short-shank correctional applies pressure to the bars of a horse's mouth, which relays the "back-up" message more effectively.

1. First, from the ground, ask your mare to back in a barn aisle near her stall (and/or her stall mates), where she'll feel most at ease. Align her so she's parallel to the wall, making sure there's nothing behind her that she could run into. Stand facing her to her left side, as I am here. Then gently bump her with the left rein and cluck a few times with your voice. If she starts to walk forward, adjust your position so that you're partially blocking her forward movement, so she learns the only way to move is back. If she's still reluctant to back, gently bump her with both reins to apply pressure to both sides of her mouth; if need be, also add a tap on her left shoulder with your hand. If she backs even just one or two steps, remove the pressure and praise her for doing the correct thing. If you don't get results from any of the above, carry a hand whip in your left hand. She may back just from seeing the whip. If she doesn't, tap her front legs and feet with it. The moment she backs, remove the pressure and praise her. The next time you ask her to back, ask by only showing her the whip; then by only clucking and tapping her shoulder; then by clucking with a little bump on the reins, and so on, until she'll back from slight rein pressure alone.

2. Next, saddle her, take her to the arena, and prepare to ask her to back again, just as you did in the barn aisle. If she seems on edge away from the barn, walk her in a few circles in both directions, asking her to halt periodically, before you ask for the back-up. When her attention is on you and her body is straight, work through the same cues as in Step 1: Bump her with the left rein or both reins and cluck, tapping her shoulder with your hand if need be; if she's still reluctant to back, use the hand whip to tap her feet. (When you aren't using the whip as an obvious tool to motivate her, take it away or hold it behind your back, so she's not distracted by it.) When she submits and backs a step or two, remove the pressure and allow her to take a break, then ask again. Note: Depending on your mare's progress, this might be a good time to stop for the day. Some horses are faster learners than others, and if your mare appears fatigued or unable to focus, quit and pick up where you left off the next day. Repetition is good, but too much at one time is not! Backing requires your mare to use not only her back muscles, but also her hindquarters, stifles, and hamstrings, which can lead to soreness. It's OK to push her a little more each practice session, but don't wear her out on your first go-round.

3. If you stopped at Step 2 the previous day, briefly repeat Steps 1 and 2 before progressing to this one. Stand on her left side, so you're aligned with the middle of the saddle, and drape the right rein over the saddle horn as I am here. Continue holding both reins, maintaining equal pressure in each (you'll need to slightly lift your right hand and rein to keep the pressure even). Close your fingers around the reins and gently bump or squeeze them slightly back. If your mare puts forth any effort to back, release the pressure and allow her to take a short break. If she doesn't respond to gentle bumping, pull the reins back a little harder, each time releasing the pressure after you've pulled. Repeat this until she's willingly backing with minimal pressure. ' If she continues to resist or seems overwhelmed by your cues, go back to Step 2 to refresh her memory, then try Step 3 again until you get her to back just one or two steps. Once you've accomplished this praise her and quit for the day. Baby steps are OK! To teach her to back in a way she can understand, you may need to go through these first three steps every day for a week or more. When you're 100 percent confident in her backing from the ground...

4. ...you're ready to mount. Once you're in the saddle, guide your mare around the arena for a bit to give her a short mental break. Then, instead of immediately asking her to back, ask for a short sidepass, as I am here. This gets her to move her feet without going forward, but without having to back-a sort of interim step before backing. Bend her nose slightly to the right with your right rein, so that you can see her right eye (if you can see the entire right side of her face, you're bending her too much). Use just enough pressure with your left rein to prevent her from over-bending to the right. At the same time, use your right leg (or spur, if necessary) behind the cinch to ask her to move laterally for a sidepass step or two to the left.

5. ...transition into asking for the back-up, while you're sidepassing. Backing both sides of her body at the same time may be overwhelming for your mare. Make things simple for her: Instead of pulling both reins directly back toward you, use soft pressure with one rein toward your corresponding hip, while bumping with the same-side leg. If she seems to have an easier time sidepassing in one direction, ask with that rein first. If she gives you a few back-and-to-the-side steps from that rein, release it, then gently ask from the other rein, teaching her to back one side of her body at a time. When she feels soft in the bit and her rib cage is supple in both directions...

6. ...ask her to back using light pressure from both reins and both legs. If she plants her legs and refuses to move backward, don't brace against her through the bit. Instead, go back to moving her feet laterally, then backing her laterally one side at a time, until she yields and will back both sides at the same time. After you've been successful with this for several training sessions, you can fine-tune your back-up by doing what I call a "three-step back-up." After mounting, ask her to stand quietly. If she takes a step forward, ask her to back up three steps, then, stop. If she steps forward again, back her for three steps, then halt and wait, and so on. It's great submissiveness training, plus it'll keep her back-up well polished.