TrainingYour Horse to Be Responsive to Turns Through the Use of Cones

Horses need consistent training to understand how to interpret the commands on the bit and reins. They aren't born with this knowledge and must learn it through their riders. Sometimes responsiveness is extremely important so that you can get them to move where and when you want. A less responsive horse will fight the commands and won't be able to turn quickly without much effort.

One way to increase horse responsiveness is through constant turning back and forth much like you would find with someone running an obstacle course or practicing on a motorcycle. Using cones to create a mini obstacle course that they must learn to weave through based on your commands can be helpful.

Set out your cones about 3 feet apart. You may want to use 5 or 6 of them in a direct straight line. Walk your horse through the cones back and forth until he/she learns to manage them easily. It should only take a slight hand movement to get the horse to do what you want. If you must pull hard then the horse needs lots of practice.

It should be noted that the horse should not push his or her backside out in the wrong direction. It should continue to walk between the obstacles without moving sideways. If it does it means the horse has not learned to continue forward and may be confusing commands. Additional different types of training may be needed before mastering this exercise.