REINERS, Pivot foot help?

Question

So, when I ask my horse to turn around slow and steady he always is on the wrong pivot foot, his weight to the outside of his spin. What I have been doing is driving him out of the spin quickly trying to get his forward motion up. I try driving his hip up into the inside of the spin, I also spiral him down into the spin almost every time. So far, (i have spent about 3 weeks trying to change this) I have not felt any difference. I feel quiet helpless, just need any advice from so seasoned or experienced reiners! Thank you :)

Jingle · Accepted Answer

I've had this problem with plenty of horses. You're on the right track, trying to achieve forward motion, but there are many other ways to do that that may work better for you. 
Ask your horse to trot. Using your seat, legs, and indirect outside rein on his neck (direct rein inhibits forward motion), trot him in a 10-foot diameter circle. Do this until you feel he's got strong forward motion at that size circle.
Then reduce the size to 6 feet.  Again, continue until there's good forward motion. 
From here, you can either bring him back to the 10-foot circle to reinforce forward motion, or you can drop him down to a 4-foot circle. Don't allow him to begin pivoting yet.
Work him on the 4-foot circle until he's balanced and still has forward motion, and open him back up to the 6-foot circle. Work that for a bit and then back down to 4 feet. Once you feel this is strong and there's no lack of forward motion, allow him to pivot no more than one spin, then quickly push him back out onto the circle. Repeat that over and over, working your way up to multiple revolutions. Once he's got consistent forward motion for multiple spins, which can take days or even weeks, then you can begin the turnaround. If he goes back to the wrong pivot foot - small circles again. Same thing as above. 
Also, be sure you're setting him up correctly to achieve forward motion. Step him up a bit before the turnaround. Using the wrong foot is directly because of a lack of forward motion, so good job to you on recognizing that. 
Be sure to push him out of the spin immediately if you feel him sucking back to the wrong foot, and don't stop him when you push him forward. Allow him to trot out of it for several steps before slowing and stopping him, otherwise he won't understand that you want consistent forward motion. 
If I think of anything else, I'll add it. 
Hope this helped, Good Luck!:)

? · Answer

I really like what Jingle said! I have experience with reiners and training horses to spin and this is a very common problem, so don't stress too much. The biggest thing I tell people when they are having trouble with pivot foots is to have someone watch them. Some people just don't have a natural "feel" to their horse, and some people have a lot of trouble determining what foot the horse is spinning on. Be sure you don't look down, as this can disperse your weight unevenly on your horse and encourage them to pivot on the wrong foot.

I have a slightly different method as to Jingle's suggestion. Horses have a tendency to swap which leg they pivot on when they are trying to learn what is the most comfortable and easiest for them to do. Instead of asking for an entire spin after you wind your circles down, ask for one or two correct steps and then step your horse back out into the circle. This is especially useful for horses that are slower learners or who are very confused as to what foot to pivot on.

When all else fails, move on to ground work. Here, you can see which foot your horse is pivoting on easily without affecting their balance with your weight. I would use this with horses who were very stiff in the shoulder and were confused about lateral shoulder movement under saddle, but were more comfortable with showmanship-type maneuvers.

I hope this helps, and good luck!

REINERS, Pivot foot help?

2 Answers