How do you teach a horse to do a rollback?

Question

I grew up riding H/J and am just now learning some very useful and great conditioning exercises from the western discipline, which I enjoy greatly. The problem is I don't have nearly as much experience with western as I do english...

Practical arena methods broken down in steps I can follow for teaching a horse to do a rollback are greatly appreciated.

Answer 1

A rollback is really not difficult to do, it is basically a turn on the haunches, which is used a common training technique. Your horse may even do it on his own. Here's what I would suggest:

1. Start standing still and hold the reins one-handed.

2. Neck rein your horse to his best side. If he usually maneuvers better to the left, start left, and vice versa. (For the rest of the directions, assume we're going left.)

3. As you neck rein to the left, tap your horse's right shoulder with your heel/spur. At the same time, keep you left leg on the horse's side.

4. He may start slowly turning to the left. The key is to keep him from moving forward or back, but instead to have him moving in a still circle. As his hind legs stay planted, his right front leg should be crossing over the left to pull you around the circle.

5. This takes practice, but once he does it well, you should be able to turn these circles pretty smoothly and at a decent pace. This is essentially the rollback right here.

To get the rollback:

1. Start loping your horse around the ring, again to his better side first. Stop along the rail, about 2-3 feet away (so pretty close). Turn him, on his hanches, like you practiced, toward the rail. The fence will keep him from walking forward on your rollback.

2. As soon as he turns, lope him off again around the ring, then stop and roll him back again.

3. At first, these rollbacks may be slow, but if you keep practicing, his muscles will build up to the point where you can do it in one swift, fluent motion.

Good luck! Hope this helps!

Answer 2

It is very easy to work on with your horse.

1 work along the fence in one direction. Starting off in a walk.

2 Stop and ask the horse to back up

3 While backing up turn the horse into the fence. This will cause the horse to gather under you drop their front end and rollback.

On a proper rollback the hind foot on the inside of the turn should plant and pivot on the turn.

For more in depth instructions, there are many good training videos on reining. The rollback is the basis of a reining spin. Luck

Answer 3

I do just like Kevin said...use the fence.  It's the perfect tool for teaching a rollback.

Answer 4

you can show him a rollback yourself or if u have a friend that has a horse that can roll back show it to your horse then try to push yuor horse gently to make him rollback then do it every day so he won't forget or you can enroll your horse in a horse school to train him.

Answer 5

The rollback will help strengthen his hind end and help teach the horse to more effectively use his front end while pivoting on his rear and then pushing off in the opposite direction. The exercise is more beneficial if done at a lope or canter but you can walk until you get the hang of it if you like. Canter parallel to the fence and with your back straight and weight on your butt sit your stop, and then to shift weight to his hind end immediately ask the horse to back up 2 or 3 steps and then using the rein tip his nose to the fence while with your outside leg ask him to turn with his nose to the fence so that he will have to pivot on his hind end. Push off to ride immediately then in the opposite direction when he has completed the pivoting turn. Alternate the exercise with the fence parallel on your right and on your left. This is a strenuous exercise for the horse so spread the sessions out and don't over do it and take care to alternate the exercise equally left and right. You won't need the fence when you and the horse have mastered the exercise and you can practice it anywhere then.

Answer 6

seriously violet you made me laugh so hard, soup came out my nose!!!!

"enroll your horse in horse school"  priceless ... but you are right

it's better to get a trainer to do that, than to risk ruining your horses mouth because you don't really know exactly what to do.

either that or do what Kevin suggested that's a good way to teach them.