Brad Barkemeyer’s Tips for the Show Pen Video Series:

In this video brought to you by Absorbine®, learn Brad Barkemeyer’s training tips for teaching your horse to back a circle. Before you can back a circle, it’s important to first be able to walk a circle with a good bend in your horse’s body and a steady rhythm through all four feet. A slight bend will also allow you to stop your horse with one rein, which is especially useful when introducing this maneuver.

While maintaining a slight bend in your horse’s body, keep your inside rein steady and apply pressure with your outside rein in a give-and-take motion. Your left hand, or direct hand, remains still, allowing your horse to look to the left. The motion of the horse’s feet comes from the pressure applied to the outside rein. Be sure to release when your horse moves backward.

This is the first step to backing a circle—teaching your horse to give his feet to the direction of the rein, then giving it back, while maintaining the bend. Watch the video below to learn all of Barkemeyer’s tips to help your horse back a circle.

Watch Brad’s Tips for a Backing a Circle Now: