Neck steering

[Cowgirl@heart]

I don't consider myself a great rider, though I've learnt and grown quite a bit regarding riding, horses, etc.

I've recently began teaching a horse at the riding school how to understand and respond to neck steering. To those who do not know what I'm talking about: It is when you turn the horse without pulling on the bit (e.g. if you want to turn left, instead of pulling the left-hand side, you push the right-hand side part of the rein against the horse's neck on the right)

I feel that this helps the horse a great deal, and gives their gentle mouths some much needed rest, since many riders tend to pull on the reins quite a bit and much too hard.

Since not all the horses can be ridden with a hackamore (bitless bridle) or with a rope halter for example, this is the closest to "humane" riding I can think of, and I just feel better knowing that I am helping the horse and it makes me proud to see how quickly they learn, and knowing that I was the one who taught them! I also helped calm my friend's horse down. He used to get very hot when one holds him back. He reared with me a few times. After some strict voice commands and a slap or two in his neck (sounds harsh, but they hardly feel it, the sound scares them more than the slap itself) he calmed down quite a bit, and the more often I rode him, the more confident I became, and the more he understood what I wanted from him. I also make a point of praising him once he does something good!!!

Any comments welcome!