Turn around tips
Recently, I had someone reach out to me asking for help with the turnaround. The question was: “Hey Jason, I’m having a little trouble with my gelding holding his pivot when I ask for the left spin.. he doesn’t really spin... But he swings his butt out and won’t stay in a spin. He does really good to the right. Can you post on your page? Maybe help others also while we are in quarantine! “
First thing you should know is you’re not alone. I want to tell you a story. Years ago, when I started training horses, I had little to no understanding of the turn-around and how it ultimately works. I often backed my horses a lot to initiate the turnaround, and where that’s good if you’re going to work a cow, it can create a few problems for a reining-style spin. It seemed I did not have a problem getting them to step over but they would often bow their bodies and keep their outside rib cage hanging out of the maneuver. As a result, it seemed my horses were constantly sucking back too much and could not turn around very fast without bearing all weight on the outside hind leg. The bad thing is this felt good to me! This was a disadvantage of having not ridden a wide variety of finished horses to know the accurate feel of the maneuver. I sought another set of eyes from a local reining professional, and they made a minor adjustment of moving my hands from a backward orientation to more lateral position. Basically, instead of the direct rein coming towards my hip, my hand moved more laterally over my big toe. My reins were connected to the horse’s feet, but my hands were in the wrong position and causing the horse to become unbalanced.
When helping a horse to improve their turnaround we have to be observant of what is getting in the way. Is it the rider, by leaning or hand placement? Are the reins not connected to the feet? Is the impulsion just not there? Is it too forward? These are all things that could cause an inefficient turn around. There are a few steps you can take to help create a better turn around:
Be very aware of your horse’s ability to guide at all gaits. Set up markers and walk, trot and canter while making 90 degree turns around these markers, taking note of how well your horse guides and completes a direction change. I like to start at a walk and build from there. You may be surprised how wide your turns are or that your horse may float to the outside of the turn. Make sure to keep your eyes up and looking forward at your next marker.
Practice more side passing over a log, this will allow you to use your leg to better teach your horse to guide. Side pass squares, this will improve your lateral movement and sharpen the initiation of the turn.
If your horse is too forward, then rock him back with your hand to start the turn. You may even work on the turnaround at the end of the ride when he is more likely to be riding under you better. If he is a lazy horse that lacks impulsion, then you may want to work on the turnaround at the beginning of the ride when he is fresher and more forward, and you may start by stepping him forward to initiate the turn.
Most of the time if a horse has trouble with the turnaround it is related to poor guiding and lack of a good lateral yield off your leg. Remember, start slow and try to create smooth consistent steps. Don’t ask for speed too soon. Make the turnaround a good place to be.