Control and Steer a Horse Using Your Seat and Legs
Yes, you can steer a horse, and even stop and back up a horse without your reins. Remember, while a well trained horse will move away from pressure, a horse's natural instinct is to press against pressure, so make sure you are riding a trained horse if you attempt this technique!
Steps
Preparation
- Before you even go to the stable, sit on a chair with your feet on the floor, with good posture. Keep your elbows bent, as if you are holding the reins. Push your elbows down. This should help you to sit deep.
- Slide your hands under your butt cheeks. You should be able to feel your seat-bones.
- Shift your weight slightly to the left. Your left hand should feel the pressure of your seat-bone much more than your right. Practice doing this without leaning to the side.
- Put a bridle on your horse, and if it makes you more comfortable, tie the lead rope loosely around its neck.
Steering
- Take your horse to a small round-pen or have someone lead you or put you on a lunge line.
- Apply pressure to your right seat-bone like you practiced. Your horse should move to the left, or turn left.
- Push your left calf (use the inside, not the back of your leg) against his side when turning right, and your right leg when turning left.
Stopping
- Go back to your chair. Push your pelvis forward. This may feel to your hands like you are relieving pressure, but a horse's back is shaped differently.
- Try the above exercise with some leg pressure (It sounds like this defeats the point, but it keeps your horse from stopping on his front end). Some horses will take longer to get the message, so sometimes a little squeeze of your hand on the rein will get their attention. Do not say "Whoa" unless the horse is not responding to your bottom.
- Also keep your heals down. And don't "lock" or tighten your muscles.
Tips
- Keep your reins relatively loose, but with some contact.
- Remember to keep your leg on him at all times to keep him using his back-end.
- Keep your heels down and look where you are going.
- Remember, not all horses will respond perfectly, some haven't ever had anyone do this on them.
- If you are riding western, hook the reins behind the horn. This will keep his head up (so he can't eat or bite, and will keep you from losing the reins, should he toss his head.
- Hold onto the horn with at least one hand, in case your horse acts up.
- Some horses may not react well to the above technique. It takes practice and patience to work with them in order to teach them.
