How
how do they train police horses not to back up? and how can i get my x police horse to back up without it turning into a wrestling match? please help.. thank you!!
Answers:I have been training horses for 45 years and the best way I have found to teach a horse to back up is: While seated on your horse,Put site pressure on your reins,just enough to feel your horses mouth (about 5 pounds of pressure). Wait til your horse gives to the pressure of the bit, it may be no more then a one second response, but be ready to give back when he gives to you. keep doing this til you can get your horse to bridle softly, this is also know as breaking at the poll. It is fun to see how fast your horse give to you and how fast you can give back, after a while it becomes a game. Once you have your horse bridling softly you can start adding pressure with your legs at the same time,be soft on the reins. At first your horse will try to move forward, but keep him bridled softly and don't let him move forward, just wait and soon he will shift his weight back or maybe even take a step back. give lots of pats and rewards for the smallest effort. Do short session and ask for one step at a time til he understands, what you want and how to do it. Soon your horse will be backing just from the pressure of your legs,the only thing you will need to use the reins for is to set his head. Remember keep it soft,and reward the smallest of effort.
have a person on the ground near the front of the horse making sure nothing is near the rear of the horse, with a leadrope, make the horse put its head to its chest (or as close as it will get) and push on its shoulder and gently say back. as soon as it takes one step back praise it and give it a treat. it will take time but it will work. if you are riding it, have the person there on the ground doing the same thing and you pulling the reins back and low squeezing your legs firmly yet gently and once again, it will take time so if they do it once or twice, be done for a while, don't push it too hard or it won't want to do anything for you.
Some horses cannot physicall yback up. If the horse has problems with their hocks or rear pasterns, backing would be a real problem.