Horses are powerful animals and knowing how to control and harness this power is essential for safety and proper horsemanship.
The most powerful and thus most dangerous part of a horse is its hindquarters.
Controlling the hindquarters is the only way to truly control a horse.
You have likely observed skilled riders regaining control of a horse that has begun to act up.
They move the horse in a circular manner in both directions.
The purpose of this is to keep the hindquarters disengaged.
While the horse is continually moving in this manner, it is very difficult for it to buck or otherwise do harm.
Even simple guide maneuvers are affected by moving the hindquarters.
Though you use the reigns to move the horse's head, what you are actually doing is forcing the horse to move its hindquarters.
Being able to control the horse's hindquarters is useful not only when they are being stubborn, but anytime you need precision control.
An example is when you are doing a task while mounted, such as opening or closing a gate.
Controlling their hindquarters will allow you to make the small corrections necessary to move the horse into position.
Another example is the simple act of loading a horse into a trailer.
By controlling its hindquarters, the horse is maneuvered easily into position.
Understanding this basic fundamental of horsemanship is essential if you wish to have any control over your animal.
If you aren't controlling the hindquarters, you aren't controlling the horse.
Remember that when you start training.