How to Disengage the Hindquarters
Disengaging the hind is badly undervalued, and every horse should know it. You are shutting down the motor and putting the horse off balance. A disengaged horse cannot buck, bolt or kick — which makes this the exercise that prevents wrecks. It also teaches respect, because a disengaged horse has to face you with both eyes.
Why it comes early
It is one of the first things I teach, because it is immediately practical. It keeps me safe, and it is what I use for ordinary handling like sending a horse through a gate. Like all my groundwork it also builds toward later skills — lunging, sending, disengaging under saddle.
I get constant questions about spooky, hot horses and how to get their focus back. On the ground, the first thing I do is shut them down by disengaging the hind.
A horse facing you is a sign of respect, and that is exactly what happens here: you ask the hind away, so the front has to come toward you. It builds directly on the round pen lesson, where you disengage before hooking the eye and asking him to follow.
One more thing to notice: the head stays slightly bent around through this. That is the beginning of softness, and lateral flexion builds on it later.
What you need: a halter and lead set — the feel and the weight are what carry the cue down the rope, which is why a heavy, stiff rope does this better than a soft one. The stiff four-knot halter and the 14 ft weighted lead are the same pieces sold separately.
The cues
- Bend his head around.
- Crouch down and look at his hind.
- Tap the air with your stick, or swing the weighted end of the lead.
- Lightly tap his hindquarters.
Once you get one good step, release and reward the effort. It does not have to be pretty, it has to be correct. You are looking for the inside hind foot to cross in front of the outside hind, while the inside front keeps pivoting. Watch for all of that, or it is not a true disengage.
Stop him anticipating
Desensitise between every ask. After you release, rub the stick or the rope on his hind until he stops moving his feet and relaxes. Plenty of horses keep pivoting after the pressure is gone — follow them calmly until they stop.
The goal is consistent, clean 360s, which is a fair sign he has it. Every horse takes a different amount of time. I have had some get it in twenty minutes and some take a week. With a slower horse the best thing you can do is establish a starting point and not get greedy about how many steps you ask for.