Koper Equine

Backing up is a low-impact exercise that can be done in-hand or under saddle. Practiced with quality and consistency it can improve your horse’s posture, core strength, balance, topline flexion and ability to collect.

Encouraging your horse to back up slowly and in a controlled manner engages the muscles responsible for decelerating and managing backward movement. These eccentric contractions can foster heightened muscle activation, and improve posture and strength.

Ask your horse to back up with a relaxed topline and a head set as close to wither height as possible. He should move his limbs backwards in diagonal pairs, in steady, clear, active but not rushed steps.

Backing up also asks the horse to think about how it’s placing its legs behind it and to trust that its handler will ask it to back up into a safe area.

Backing in a straight line, around a turn, uphill or downhill are all very separate exercises with different challenges. Be mindful and deliberate of which you are practicing and why:

Straight – practice backing in a straight line first. This may be more difficult than you think as many horses tend to drift off their line. Many horses also find backing up difficult enough at the beginning that they don’t especially enjoy practicing it. Ask for small efforts that you can build on and reward your horse for trying.

Backing through a turn – adds weight to the inside hind and requires bend through the body. Most horses find one direction easier than the other.

Downhill – requires more reach and a longer eccentric contraction. Stick to gentle slopes.

Uphill – requires more strength and increased flexion through the hips and back to pull the weight of the horse up the slope. Stick to gentle slopes.

Backing can also be an interesting proprioception or self-awareness exercise. Here’s an example: first walk your horse forward across different surfaces, for example from concrete to rubber to dirt or from packed dirt to sand. Then try backing your horse in a straight line across the same changes in footing.

A quality back-up prompts your horse to bear more weight on its hindquarters, while he maintains increased hindlimb engagement, thoracic lift, and lumbosacral flexion – effectively separating the spinous processes, useful for reducing the likelihood of developing, and recovering from, kissing spines. Backing actively involves and strengthens the abdominals, lumbosacral area, hind leg and hip flexors.

Maximize the benefits of this exercise by practicing it 3-4x week after your horse is nicely warmed up. Start with a couple of steps in-hand and work slowly and carefully up to 12 – 15 good quality, steady, long, marching steps. Once your horse is confident in the exercise in-hand you can begin to introduce it under saddle.

*There are contraindications for every exercise. Please consult your Vet before introducing this exercise to your horse…and while you’re at it ask – your Vet if massage could benefit your horse.