Teach a Horse to Sidepass Toward You on the Ground

© 2005-08, Keith Hosman - All Rights Reserved

Does your horse move away as you try to mount up?  The following exercise will give you the cues and control you need to ask your horse to move back into position.

Have you seen Pat Parelli, Clinton Anderson or other famous horse trainers back away from their horses (on the ground) – while their horses continue to sidestep toward them?  It looks pretty cool, doesn't it?  It looks impressive, like something that took years of training and maybe a little black magic.  Funny thing is, this trick with such a high "wow" factor is actually one of the easier things to teach.  This, as opposed to a smooth flying lead change or a reiner's sliding stop – two examples of "tricks" which take years to perfect.  With an amenable, tractable horse, you can teach the "sidepass toward you" in just a few easy sessions.

Notice the two words "amenable" (willing) and "tractable" (easily managed).  If your horse isn't willing and easily managed on the ground, if his shoulders can't be moved away or he can't be backed up lightly, then shelve this exercise until you've done more ground work.  To look at it another way:  If your horse thinks he's the boss of you, don't even try this.  Find yourself a book, video or article on round penning/ground control and start there.  To be blunt, you have no business attempting a more advanced maneuver if your horse is likely to bowl you over when agitated.  Ignore this advice, and you'll find yourself with a real handful.  This exercise involves steps that, if glossed over or improperly taught, can teach your horse to challenge you, rather than peacefully submit.  If you're able to walk your horse past a group of beckoning buddies or honking cars or barking dogs without your pulse quickening, you should be ready.

You'll need a dressage whip and to saddle your horse.  A saddled horse?  Yes, this is ground work, you won't be riding – but you'll see why the saddle in a moment.  The saddling isn't 100% necessary – many trainers go without it here – but I've learned a little trick to "motivate" my horse without upping the "danger ante," so to speak.  More on this later.  Also, put your headstall (with a snaffle bit and reins) on the horse.  The bit will offer a clearer signal than would a plain halter.  We'll be motivating our horse to move his legs, then attempting to channel in which direction he moves.  Horses tend to "run through" halters and allowing him to push past us or through a halter will place his legs incorrectly (on top of our own, for instance), reward him for resisting (when he blows past us, avoiding our request), teach him that we can be ignored, or all of the above.  Halters used here simply make for a more difficult situation.

So, from the ground and with dressage whip in hand, you'll walk your horse to a good solid wall.  Nice flat, high walls, the type you find in a the typical riding arena, are perfect.  Not so perfect are rickety fences that can causes issues should your horse pull shenanigans.  Note:  Do not start "away" from a wall.  Sure, this maneuver can still be taught in the middle of an open field – but you'll go grey waiting for the correct step, while a wall "makes it happen" rather quickly.  As Sun Tzu said in "The Art of War," "Don't pick a fight till you're sure you can win."  (I'm paraphrasing, but you get the idea.)

We'll start on the left side; simply reverse everything to "educate" your horse's right side:  With your horse standing parallel to, and about one foot from, the wall, take the rein in your left hand, about 6-8 inches from the horse's mouth.  You'll grasp with a clenched fist with your thumb "up," toward the sky, as opposed to, um, down, toward the ground.  This thumb thing seems like a minor thing – but the resulting angle gives you added strength and it's the little stuff that, all combined, makes training easy rather than exasperating.  Note:  If you begin this exercise and find it to be more difficult than the little voice in your head says it should be, re-read this article and take note of the details I've stressed:  The thumb thing, using a snaffle bit (not a halter), beginning only when your horse is ready, etc.

Stand not in front of your horse and not to his left, but in the space in between, that is, sort of facing his left shoulder.  This area keeps you safer (notice the "er") from back leg kicks or tramplings.  DO NOT GET IN FRONT OF YOUR HORSE where a sudden lurch can get you flattened.  That would certainly take the fun out of this.  Raise the lunge whip in your right hand, as if a conductor sans orchestra, up above your horse's left hip.

Now, listen and listen carefully:  You must, must, must, develop a pattern and a rhythm to that pattern.  It keeps you proactive and it breaks things down for your horse.  If you want the horse to ever read your body language and begin sidepassing toward you, then you must be consistent with your teaching.  That means that if you begin by raising your hand, pausing, clucking, and tapping, then ten minutes later you're still following that flow and pattern.  As I've said many times, they've been everybody's dinner for eons and they're très fab at reading body language.  But they suck at reading minds.  Always holding your hand in such and such position and clucking is a clear signal to the trained horse.  Thinking "x" but asking your horse to comply with inconsistent signals simply confuses and aggravates the both of you.  Well-trained horses seemingly read their owner's minds, but they're either reacting to small clues given to them by their rider's body language, or they're trying things that have gotten them a release in the past, one after the other until successful.

The underlying principle at work here is something you should underscore in your brain:  Horses are adept at realizing a pattern.  They're quick to realize that "a" always leads to "b" which always leads to "c."  They'll quickly begin skipping directly to "c" when they see an "a."  (Yes, you change your pattern, dropping "b" entirely, when the horse "gets it.")  This is the reason you always begin your requests with the lightest pressure possible.  John Lyons 101 states that "your horse will only ever be as light as the lightest pressure you use to make your request."  (Again, paraphrasing, but you get the point.)  You can always "up" your pressure, should the horse ignore you – but always, always begin your requests by giving your horse the benefit of the doubt.  Believing he's going to comply each and every time will keep you from starting out with too much pressure and will accelerate improvement.

So, you're there facing your horse, standing in his front left quadrant, holding the rein in your left hand, your right hand raised and outstretched holding the dressage whip over the horse's left hip.  Begin walking backwards, in effect leading your horse.  Put a little backwards pressure on the rein in your left hand (sort of pushing the horse backwards with about four pounds of pressure).  Keep moving and look at your horse's back left hoof and think "step over and to your left."  (Your horse will continue walking forward, oblivious and think something akin to "I'm starved" or "Gotta poop.")  Keep moving, staring at that hoof, and kiss.  When your horse again ignores your request (for maybe 40 seconds) to step to his left, tap with a bit more intensity.  We're developing that pattern we talked about.  We're also showing the horse that "Ignore me now and things get progressively more uncomfortable for you."  He's learning there are ramifications for ignoring our requests and that he might as well get off the couch and do the dishes when I first ask because the alternative is having to do the dishes while he mops the floor, studies his math and folds laundry.  We back up our cues (kisses and stances are pre-cues and cues) with harder/quicker taps (tapping supplies motivation).

Right about now you're thinking "How the heck does my horse know which direction to move his feet?"  It's simple, he only has six directions to choose from: up, down, backwards, forwards, left and right.  The slight backwards pressure we're applying to the left rein as we walk backwards causes part of the horse's energy to "leak" out in one of the other directions, (that is, besides "forward").  You're partially blocking "forward," the wall blocks his right side, limiting his choices to up, down and his left. The moment he even leans in the proper direction, we'll lighten our pressure on the rein greatly, say "good boy" and pet him.  With enough trial and error on the part of your horse, he'll move the direction we've chosen repeatedly.

And you might be asking "How am I supposed to direct my horse forward, yet backward at the same time?" First, don't fall victim to "over thinking."  The answer is simply this:  You're walking backwards at 2 mph, your taps are saying "move at 3 mph."  If your horse isn't pushing into you (allowing you to push back), then he's either stepping to the right (our goal) or you're not applying enough pressure.  (If he's going up, down, or through the wall, go back and re-read that paragraph about not starting this until your horse is ready to work with you.)

Or you might be wondering why we bother moving backwards at all?  Why not just stand still and tap?  Because we want to facilitate and encourage movement.  We want the horse to be thinking throughout this exercise "I'm supposed to be moving, moving, moving" not "I'm supposed to move something then stop."  Plus, with him already moving, it's easier to deflect that existing energy in a certain direction.  (In the same way that it's easier to roll a moving car to the left than directly to the left from a standstill.) It also helps release – and therefore regulate – some of the pressure your horse feels (like steam from a kettle).

At first you'll look for very slight changes.  You might get a full step to his left, but more likely it'll be a simple lean.  You need to reward and build on these small changes.  Note that whether he moved correctly on purpose or by mistake, your response is the same:  Relax your grip, pause and pet.  Remember, it's your quick release that both rewards the horse and tells him "That's what I'm looking for, right there."  It's paramount that you release your pressure as quickly as humanly possible and that you relax for several seconds while you pet your horse.  Repeatedly asking, with no mini-breaks turns this into one giant 30-minute exercise (as opposed to the 3-second exercise that it is) and confuses your horse.

You'll continue upping your pressure every, say, thirty or forty seconds, till the horse moves his back leg correctly.  You're not hitting your horse here or at any time – you're "annoying" him with your taps in the same way that a fly on his lip might.  When / if he ignores us, we simply progressively "add more flies" (tap quicker, kiss louder, etc.) until he complies.  If a sister can drive her brother nuts simply by staring at him in the back of a car, you can certainly motivate your horse to take a step with a dressage whip in your hand.

Okay, why the saddle?  Because striking the saddle, as opposed to the horse, makes a lot of noise and allows me to say "wake up and try" without causing a fight.  Quite often your horse will simply dawdle along and either refuse to "play the game" or hit a plateau and stop improving.  Either situation calls for extra motivation.  You could hit the horse – but do this often enough and you'll find one that hits back.  Instead, stand clear of your horse and give the saddle a good wallop.  (If you've got a good saddle, you might want to first cover it – dressage whips can leave marks.) Remember that – throughout this exercise – most of your taps are lighter and applied directly to the horse's hip. Save your saddle wallops for waking up your steed when he isn't trying.

You'll continue walking backwards, tapping your horse till he moves a foot to the left, releasing and repeating.  If you're quick on your release, the horse will quickly realize what's required.  Initially learning that concept ("move my back left foot to my left") is the hardest part for the horse, so be super-patient when you begin and be hawk-eyed for tiny physical or mental improvements.  Once he gets the idea, things go quickly.  You'll be able to move his hip 90 degrees away from the wall with little effort.  At first, he'll take a step to the left then immediately move back against the wall.  But what you'll soon notice is that your horse will start simply walking with his hip jutted progressively farther out and away from the wall (sidepassing to his left).  (Remember how they like to skip "Step B" when they know "Step C" gets the release?)  You won't have to worry about "training" his shoulders, because the continuous movement has kept them moving and in position.  You'll simply keep moving and tap, tap, tap, till the horse brings his hips to wherever they're required for a proper sidepass toward you.

If you're going around and around and the horse doesn't seem to be moving away from the wall (improving or "getting it"), then you're not applying enough pressure or you're ignoring small changes (like "leaning left") or both.  Go back and re-read this article to see what you might have missed.  You've got to motivate your horse to try to find the answer and, simply put, he's not motivated if he's not improving.  Be careful and watch your positioning when you apply your "extra pressure."  Also, be cognizant of the horse's attitude.  Is he trying and not getting it – or is he not trying and not getting it?  "Not trying" requires more motivation from you; "trying/not getting it" requires more patience or perhaps a look back to what steps you might be missing.

A caveat:  It's bad (real bad) for your horse to learn to blow past you, between your body and the wall.  He's learning to evade your requests, to become more belligerent.  It's also hugely aggravating.  Once they've successfully learned this dodge, they'll try it again and again.  (And you'll see why I said "Don't stand in front of your horse.")  Your job then gets progressively more difficult because it begins to feel like your holding back raging flood waters.  Don't get into this predicament in the first place:  As I said at the beginning, you'll help yourself by only working through this exercise when your horse has first been taught respect and good ground manners.  The best defense is a good offense here.  If your horse has proper ground manners and you begin this exercise, then be constantly aware of how much pressure your horse is putting on your left hand.  Stay focused and the very instant you feel the horse increasing the pressure (that is, he pushes toward you with his head/body through the rein), correct him.  Fall back a bit in your training and concentrate on softening that neck.  Change your focus from "move that foot" to "soften your neck."  Catch this behavior early on – and be consistent with a zero tolerance policy.  Should he increase that pressure, immediately change your focus as stated and keep your own pressure steady (the direction "at which you pull" doesn't matter) till the neck softens.  Do this repeatedly, picking up the reins and relaxing only when the horse relaxes.  You might also try backing him up a step or two then forward and backward again (as if parallel parking) until the neck softens.  If you find yourself in a situation where your horse threatens to overpower you here, just be aware that you'll need to spend far more time "softening that neck" as outlined (and therefore gaining respect and control) than you might have expected.

When you can back away from your horse and he'll consistently sidestep toward you, keeping his hips ninety degrees from the wall, you're ready for the next step.  The next step is simply this:  Repeat the entire process, still working parallel to the wall, but away from it by six feet.  (Don't be tempted to move too far away – you still need that wall to make corrections.)  Your training will now seemingly unravel because the wall isn't there to cut off his movement.  That's to be expected.  When he moves incorrectly, (stepping to his right), simply keep your pressure up, smoothly directing him (that is, his head, through your grip on the rein) back toward the wall, tapping until he steps his hip to the left.  Pet him and move back away from the wall, repeating this process until your horse "gets it."  From here it's a simple matter to move away from the wall entirely.  You'll walk away by forty feet or whatever and once again repeat the process.  Your horse may very well regress a bit, (I'd expect it to), but all you have to do is "go back to the wall" (either against it as when you first began, or away by several feet) till things start to click.

Now, if your horse tries to dodge you as you try to mount, you have a great way to move him back into position.  Simply raise that right hand and kiss. Your horse will dutifully move back into place.

Finally, you may be wondering the obvious:  From this point forward, how will my horse know when to move toward me and when to move away?  The answer simply lies in the horse reading your body language.  You will have practiced this enough that your equine friend will certainly recognize the difference between your hands held this way or that way, your leg here or there.

This article is part of the "Training Horse in Hand" series. To read more, or to find a clinic or Certified John Lyons horse trainer near you, visit horsemanship101.com.