Horse Problem - Neck Reining - How to teach neck reining

One Rein Stop - How to do it and why it's important
 

To teach him to neck rein, which is teaching the horse to steer with both your reins in one hand, I prefer to work the horse in a gentle, full cheek snaffle bit. Teach the one rein stop first -- which uses the direct inside rein. This will prep him well for what you are going to introduce next: neck reining. After he fully understands how to yield the neck with the inside/direct rein and you want to teach the horse to neck rein now, hold the reins in two hands and start introducing the outside/indirect rein right after you ask for the head yield with the inside/direct rein as you turn the horse, so he can connect the dots so to speak. When you introduce the outside/indirect rein for this lesson, lay that outside rein over his neck, all slack out of that rein. So...it's: Inside/direct rein first, then outside/indirect rein immediately after. He'll start realizing that when he feels the pressure of the outside rein on his neck there, he is to yield away from it.

Don't forget to give him instant rein releases for right answers there (slack in the rein!). Horses learn from our release of pressure what it is we want, not the pressure itself, so get your release timing very quick there for right answer yield responses the horse gives. Once he's mastered all that well, after many, many repetions of it broken down like that, now work the reins together in one hand and he'll understand how to neck rein when he feels the rein pressure on his neck. Be patient and back up to breaking it down again into baby steps when he gets stuck. But do it all in the correct order. Really get him doing the one rein stop (at all gaits) first, before working on neck reining, or he may get confused.

Hope this helps and good luck to you there!

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