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Cueing Your Horse

© Caryn A. Tate

Learning the proper cues for training your horse for a variety of situations is of the utmost importance--and one of the most important things to remember is that every single thing you do with your horse is a cue. Remember, though, don't take this to mean that if you make a mistake, you've messed up and your horse will remember it forever. It simply means that every action you take with your horse is a cue to him; and the earlier you learn to pay extra attention to what you're doing around your horses, the better--both for his sake and yours!

The basic concept behind cueing your horse is simply to teach him to move away from pressure. This is why when you're riding, as you turn your horse to the left, for example, you lay your right leg against his side--hence, away from pressure. The same concept applies to reining your horse, unless you're direct-reining. When he feels the left rein against his neck, for example, he turns to the right. Neck reining in this fashion is one of the most basic cues that we give our horses every day, and one that is taken for granted. A lot of people don't realize the cueing that is involved in this simple action.

Let's talk more about cueing your horse as you turn him--specifically with your legs. A good thing to remember is that if you wear spurs, try not to cue your horse too much with the spur itself. I've learned that if a horse is only aware of the pressure of your leg, and not the more definite feel of the spur, it's a basic training technique that is wonderful for them. The reason why is because if you're ever riding without your spurs, your horse will respond just as well as he did when you were wearing the spurs. This is so important--most people don't really want their horses to be dependent on their spurs as the main source of training.

Another important cue to remember is one we've discussed before in previous articles--the one involved in stopping or slowing your horse. As you ask him to slow down, simply put your weight down in your seat, or your "pockets," as a lot of trainers put it. The horse will feel the shift in weight toward his hind end, and understand that every time you do this, you're asking him to slow down and/or stop. This is the basic idea of a cue--pretty simple!

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