Backing Up
By Lisa Wieben and Birgit Stutz Photos by Lisa Wieben | Rider is 12-year-old Anya Sales riding Pumpkin Spice, a grade mare
Standing fairly balanced and connected. The rider's body is in alignment.
Learn how to back up without pulling and have the horse move back soft, round, and light, and with an even rhythm. Teaching the backup improves transitions as the horse begins to shift its weight more onto its hind end.
B
efore teaching the horse to back under saddle, it is a good idea to teach the horse to back from the ground. When asking the horse to back from the ground keep the horse’s head low to level so that the horse can lift its back and step evenly back. Backing is an essential skill for every horse, no matter its age or level. Your horse may have to back out of a trailer, wash stall, or a tricky spot on a trail.
Rider is asking for the backup from the legs, seat, and hands.
Horse is starting to round more and soften off the rein contact. The rider maintained her position and used her legs more to keep the mare stepping back.
Here the rider has pulled on the reins without using her legs. You can see the tension in the rider's body. The mare has tension all through her body and has hollowed her back making it harder for her to step back. 12 •• OCTOBER 12 OCTOBER 2021 2021
SADDLEUP.CA SADDLEUP.CA
The Western Dressage Association of America rule book states: WD107 1. Back is a rearward diagonal movement with a two-beat rhythm but without a moment of suspension. Each diagonal pair of legs is raised and returned to the ground alternately, with the forelegs aligned on the same track as the hind legs. 2. During the entire exercise, the horse should remain “on the bit,” maintaining his desire to move forward at the slightest indication of the rider. 3. Serious faults are: Anticipation of the movement, resistance to or evasion of the contact of the bit either by raising the neck or going behind the bit, deviation of the hindquarters from the straight line, spreading or inactive hind legs and dragging forefeet. 4. Steps are counted as each foreleg moves back. After completing the required number of steps backward, the horse should show a square stop or move forward in the required gait immediately. In tests where a back of one horse’s length is required, it should be executed with three or four steps. 5. A back series is a combination of two backs with walk steps in-between. It should be executed with fluent transitions and the required number of steps. WD108 Faults Faults of gaits include crookedness, loss of rhythm; tight and tense back with short stiff neck; horse on forehand and/or leaning on the bit; nose consistently behind the vertical; raising of the head to avoid collection; changing tempo; and evasion of contact which can come from improper training, too harsh a bit, or bad hands. In all cases faults will be penalized. How to ask for the backup In a correct backup the horse moves forward into contact, then steps back rhythmically in diagonal pairs. - Start with a square halt. - Centre, grow tall, and lighten your seat to allow the horse’s back to come up. The rider’s body will not lean forward or back. - With your legs ask your horse for forward into your contact which is maintained with blocking, not pulling, hands. You may want to widen the reins slightly in order to prevent your horse from getting out of boundaries. The reins provide just enough contact to prevent the horse from moving forward into a walk. The horse leans into the contact slightly, then will step back away from the blocking pressure. - As soon as the horse takes a step back, soften the reins a touch, but maintain a soft contact, keeping the light seat.
