Q&A: Horse Slowly Straightens His Head When Flexing

Question: When I practice flexing my horse, as soon as I touch the rein and begin to slide my hand down it, he’s already halfway bent around. He gives to the pressure nicely, but when I drop the rein to reward him, he slowly stretches his head and neck out straight. It’s like he doesn’t understand that I released the pressure. What do I do?

Clinton’s Answer:

Congratulate yourself on doing a great job with your horse! This is what I call a nice problem to have.

When I release the rein, I don’t like it when a horse snatches his head back. It’s what I call a false give. When a horse snaps his head away like a coiled spring, he’s not really soft—he’s just making you think he is. He’s got an attitude about it. “OK, I’ll flex but only because you’re making me!” You want the horse to slowly take his head back straight when you release the rein. That means he’s waiting for you.

And when he’s already halfway bent around by the time you get your hand halfway down the rein, that’s great. That means he’s anticipating and trying to help you. The opposite is you sliding your hand down the rein, pulling his head around and him putting in zero effort. Your horse is obviously putting in a lot of effort and really trying to help you out.