back a circle
I first learned the back a circle exercise from Al Dunning. When I found he was doing a clinic in my small part of Idaho, I did not let the fact that I was riding a green colt detur me from attending. He did not tell us why reiners practice this exercise, just do it. He did not tell how; one rein, two rein, what about leg aids? I got off my colt and backed her from the ground. We got her done with no resist, because Ruby has learned to follow my feel. Learning an exercise on the ground first can make it go smoother.
Les Vogt teaches the back a circle exercise also. He tells us when to add it to the training program, how often to practice it in a training session, and what it does for the horse. It strengthens the back end, the back leg muscles, and helps build the stop. Since it is a muscle builder, it should be practiced slowly, like conditioning an endurance horse, step by step. If I remember the DVD’s from last winter correctly, you begin towards the end of the first 6 months of training the reiner.
Riding Mac last week he stopped his feet at my request, but shoved his nose toward the sky, so I backed a circle before I released. I learned if I release the rein when they are tossing the head, I teach them to toss the head, LOL. So I used the back a circle exercise with Mac for a correction. He broke at the poll and yielded his head a lot before we were through. Back a circle gives us many gifts.
It helps in turnarounds. My turnarounds are just baby beginner steps of 1/2 or 1/4 turn at the walk, step by step. Back a circle can be married to a beginning turnaround exercise. 1) Pick up left rein, 2) back a circle butt to left away from right leg ( to move butt over use right leg) then 3) stop or pause, 4) step 3 steps to right. ( move shoulder over. ) It really helps my shoulder flow right when I start with back a circle, but I have no clue why this works so well. ( Butt is backing to left pause- shoulder forward to right- This is hard to put in a word picture. Butt moves away from right leg. )
The horse must know to move the butt away from the leg before B a C exercise is done from the saddle. I teach yield butt to leg with a turn on forehand exercise. I do my training exercises in a dee ring snaffle. When I taught back a circle at a clinic last spring, we backed one step. Pause. One step over ( move back leg one step ) repeat back one step- stop or pause, one back foot over. If my horse will not move that back foot over from my leg, I know how to connect the rein to the foot and ask with the bit, so that is my demand cue. I teach step by step, and I begin with one then two, then three steps of B a C, not with the whole exercise at once. I train in steps slowly. Hope that helps give yah something to chew on this week.
The turnaround is a forward motion exercise. Knowing this I may ask for shoulder over one step, pause, one step forward, repeat- shoulder over one step, one step forward, to keep the horse thinking forward in the turnaround, or pre- turnaround. This is surely not the finished product, only a part of the beginning. I hope that was clear, teaching is not easy. LOL>
Why back a circle? Les Vogt talks about this in his Cowhorse U program. It builds muscle in the hind legs for stop, helps the stop. I found if I a back a circle to the left- then step right 3 steps it frees the shoulder for a better turnaround. It is a great exercise to get the horse to yield his nose too.
For more information on back a circle exersise see Al Dunning tapes and Cowhorse U DVD’s. Happy Trails-