How to Teach Your Horse to Rollback & Spin

Reining has become a popular equine sport, so popular that it was honored as a demonstration sport at the 2004 Olympic games in Sydney, Australia. Many horse owners wish their own horses could do those fast spins and rollbacks, and most horses are physically capable of performing those advanced maneuvers. The key is to take things slowly, and to make sure that you lay all the proper groundwork before asking your equine partner for his first spin or rollback.

Things You'll Need

  • Bridle
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Instructions

    • 1

      Verify that your horse has all the fundamentals in place before you start training for advanced maneuvers like spins and rollbacks. The horse should know how to walk, trot and canter on a loose rein, and he should stop readily and back easily. The horse should also turn at your command, from both leg cues and the neck rein.

    • 2

      Ride your horse around the arena on a loose rein, working at a walk and a trot to warm him up. Ask the horse to stop, then gently pick up the inside rein while laying the outside rein against his neck. This will bring the horse's hindquarters up underneath him as he starts to turn to the inside direction. Ideally, the horse will plant his inside back foot and pivot around it, although at the beginning both back feet may move.

    • 3

      Continue riding your horse around the arena. Work on circles of varying sizes and speeds to help your horse build the balance he needs to execute spins and rollbacks.

    • 4

      Continue working on turns on the haunches by stopping the horse, picking up the inside rein and cuing with the outside rein. Over time, the horse will get better at doing these turns, and as he does you can ask for a complete revolution instead of a half turn. When asking for the complete revolution keep your outside leg on the horse, encouraging the horse to continue his motion. This complete revolution will form the basis of the spin. The amount of time this transition takes will vary. Some horses will pick it up in a week or two, while others will take months to master the turn on the haunches and finally the spin.

    • 5

      Use half halts to begin the rollback training. With a half halt the horse stops his forward motion for an instant, then begins moving forward again. Practice half halts by moving your horse down one end of the arena, then gently picking up on the reins and cuing for a stop. As soon as the horse's feet stop moving, ask him to move forward again. Combine the half halt with the turn by cuing your horse for a turn as soon as he stops moving forward. Pick up on the inside rein and lay the outside rein against his neck to cue for the turn. Continue using these cues until the horse stops and turns in one fluid motion.