Teaching a horse to backup can sometimes be frustrating but for you it sounds a bit dangerous. I hope you have a dually and a long line to work with, it's essential for teaching a horse this concept. If you don't have a lot of experience with the dually I would first work with a gentler and more responsive horse if that's possible. If not the key to teaching him to back is using a straight arm a few inches from the schooling ring and use a strong jerking motion until he takes a step back then stop and rub him so that he knows that's what you wanted. Then use the same movement again until he backs up again, then rub. Be as gentle or as aggressive as is required to get him to back up. I think maybe the reason he was rearing in the hall was because he felt trapped and a little afraid so do this exercise out in the open so he has room to move. Should he choose to rear the long line will allow you to hold your ground and not be pulled off of your feet. But please be careful and of course step out of his way if he rears to stay safe. There are more videos you can watch on horse and country TV that shows Kelly Marks with the dually and backing horses.
Good luck, I hope this helps.

I just realized when looking at the backing up lessons that you were talking about backing a horse while riding. Sorry I misunderstood your post. Let me change my advise although teaching him to back from the ground first will help tremendously when trying to back him from the saddle. You might also use the dually in the beginning instead of a bit because he will respond better to the dually and you won't be pulling on his mouth and hurting him. The movement is the same however, small short, quick bursts to get a backward movement. When he complies release and reward with a rub. Then go again.

Thank you very much Kleinne, I will work with him on the ground again using my ethological halter (we don't have duallies in France!) as he had been responsive the first time I did it, and then back on the saddle. I'm not sure I do what's right with my hands, so I will work on my quick bursts.

Great advice Kleinne as always :-)

Hi Virginia - Klienne has said it all but please do try to buy a dually first as this will make your task so much easier. You can order them on line via Monty's shop on this uni site - little extra because of the postage but really essential for any horse that has issues.. It will only take a week or so to deliver.
The black one is probably the one you need as it fits most average sized horses. The dually will be the best investment you ever made and compliments all of Monty's teaching. Not sure how effective some of his teaching would be without a dually! All the best.

Thanks Vicci you're very kind.

Si jamais on trouve des Duallies sur http://www.kramer-equi.fr/ ( Il faut savoir mettre le prix ) ;)

Merci Deby pour l'adresse

I've tried back-up on the ground today and my horse responds really well, even without a dually. Anyway, I will keep on training him to back up when I'm riding.

Did you check out Monty's video on backing up? He suggests haveing your horse stand facing a fence so they can't go forward before you ask them to back up for the first time. Worked perfectly for Tricka.

Yep! Tried that as well but he escapes right or left or starts rearing up! So let´s be patient, I think he's really stubborn...
Thanks Maggie

If you go from the groundwork to the backing up in he saddle it works very well with two persons, a rider with whatever tack and a person handling the halter. The rider gives the cue first (the horse does not understand it), then the handler helps with his cue and the horse will back up and gets a "PIC". After only some trials the horse will understand the game and will back up already on the rider's cue.
Rudi

Not stubborn but it does sound like he has had a very bad experience backing up with a rider on in the past. He may have backed up then fallen down something. My mare once took fright of a couple of motor bikes that went too close to us at high speed and she flew backwards and almost went into a 2 meter deep cement culvert so I can understand how it could happen. Our riding instructor told us about a friend of hers who if he has a horse that backs too quickly off a float takes his float to the end of a jetty and let's the horse fly off backwards into the bay. I was totally shocked by this and of course that horse would have to have real issues with backing up in the future. Some people are such idiots with horses! If your horse does back up on the ground OK practice each day backing up on the ground until he will do it with yor voice cue. When your dually arrives accustomise him to that with leading in the sweet spot, backing up etc. then put the dually under your bridle and get a friend to help as Rudi suggests - great suggestion Rudi! It will take time and patience as he has obviously had a big fright or been punished severely for backing up with a rider in his past. If you can try to find out from his previous owner if she has any info on this behaviuor. Pity horses can't talk to us but finding out as much as we can about their previous lives helps us to understand them more.

If you make no progress with all this good advice get the horse checked out by your vet. There are a few horses with neurological problems who find it very difficult or impossible to back up. We have a 'wobbler' here at the Veterinary School in Cambridge University who was born normal but at the age of 6 yrs developed arthritis in her neck. She shows a number of signs such as toe-dragging and awkward walking, trotting and cantering and poor proprioception. If we try to back her up in a Dually, she is bewildered and shuffles sideways dragging her feet. On good days she can manage a couple of steps if she is lined up with a fence or a wall. It is not naughtiness, she can't help it. It doesn't worry her and she is a great teaching case. The are much less severe cases which only show slight signs but it is worth considering. Good luck. By now I am sure you are having success!

A really good point aes; its so hard to pinpoint some of the physical issues and they are often missed and put down as behavioural - I often need a reminder that not going backwards could equally be physical just like not going forward is ! ;-)

Thanks a lot all of you. I have been practising with someone on the ground and it works better now! From what I know, he never had any trauma with back-ups, so he simply takes some time for him to understand! He's got quite a character I must say, such as when we go for a walk after working and he has decided to go left whereas I want to go right!!

Hey Virginia,
Your post about your horse wanting to go left when you want to go right suggests to me the simple problem that your horse is into pressure and has not been trained otherwise. I would recommend you watch the "Into Pressure" video's here on the Uni to help solve some of these issues. It sounds like you're making some progress with him which is wonderful. Keep up the good work.