Turn on Forequarters
By Kellyn
Turning on the forequarters is an easy maneuver that is a wonderful stepping stone to more complicated maneuvers like leg yields and half passes, and it also makes it easier to move your horse’s hindquarters around, simplifying tasks like opening and closing gates.
Starting on the ground, keep a light hold on your reins or lead rope, and face your horse’s side by his shoulder. Take your fingers and press your thumb and forefinger together, making a point. Now where your leg would hang, apply pressure with the point of your fingers until your horse moves his hindquarters around. After just a step or two, stop and reward, then repeat the process. Remember ask, tell, insist, and never hold constant pressure.
If your horse just wants to move sideways away from you, remember you control his front end with your reins or lead rope, so you can either hold his front end steady by having a firmer contact on your reins, or you can bend his head and neck a bit more toward you, which will naturally throw his hindquarters out. Be careful not to bend his neck too much, however, because it is easy for a horse to associate then bending with the movement, and we don’t want him to swing his hindquarters out every time you ask him to bend his neck!
Now when you get on your horse, do the same thing as you did on the ground. Your reins hold his head still, with a little bit of bend if you need to, but the straighter the better. Your leg acts how your fingers did, cuing him to move his hindquarters. Remember to keep yourself balanced in the saddle: many people want to lean one way or another when they start using one leg more than the other, but you need to stay upright and balanced. And always remember to work both sides evenly so he doesn’t get one sided.
