Horseback Riding Tips From Professional Reining Horse Trainer Brandy Murphy

Brandy Murphy Professional Reining Horse Trainer

Murphy Performance Horses is located in Marysville, OH and is owned by professional reining horse trainer Brandy Murphy with help from her husband Terry Murphy. Brandy started riding at a young age and has continued to grow as a trainer and rider as she purses her passion for riding horses. Today, Brandy spends her time training horses and coaching non-pro riders as they make their own way in the world of reining. My visit with Brandy was the last stop on my trip across the U.S. visiting reining horse trainers. While I was there I not only got to work with Brandy but I also worked with Terry. We focused on the importance of keeping the horse collected and straight, fast to slow circles, lead changes, turnarounds, rollbacks, run downs, and stops.

Keeping your Horse Straight and Collected

This exercise helps you develop a feel for how your horse’s body moves and how to make corrections to keep the horse straight and collected. As you lope around, you want to have the horse’s face in line with their shoulders and their shoulders picked up. To do this you need to keep even pressure on the reins as you pick them up. If the horse is looking in, pull back with the outside rein to straighten them up. If they are looking out, pull back with the inside rein. Be sure to maintain even pressure and then release after you pull back. If the horse starts to lean in, use your inside leg pressure to prevent that. If the horse drops out, use your outside leg pressure to prevent that. This exercise can be done at the walk, trot and lope to insure collection at all gaits. Click this link to see video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_PPXvKLNxcM

Fast to Slow Circles

When transitioning from fast to slow circles you need to build in the cues that signal the horse to make the change in speed. Start by loping a circle and when you want to slow down start to hum, pick up your hand as they start to come back to you drop your hand. Use your outside leg to push the hip into the circle. Then once they come back, you want to stop them. This conditions the horse that when they hear the hum they think stop. Once they understand the cues, then move on to the transitioning from fast to slow circles. Be consistent and your horse will learn how to transition smoothly. Click this link to see video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CNNLjj1js88

Lead Changes

When doing a lead change, you want the cues to be very simple. This exercise is done in a counter canter circle. As you circle you want the keep your outside leg off the horse and your inside leg is used to push the horse’s hip over and maintain the counter canter. Continue to lope around like this until the horse is following the circle well. When you are ready to change leads simply close your outside leg on the horse and open your inside leg to ask for the lead change. Doing the lead change this way sends a clear message to change leads when your legs change position. Click this link to see video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_aOyNxd-ots

Turnaround

There are two exercises that we worked on for the turnaround. For the first exercise, you start by walking the horse in a small circle. While you are doing that you lay the outside rein on the horse’s neck and bump the inside rein out and slightly back to get the horse to point their nose to the inside. This helps get the horse back on the inside rear foot as well. Once the horse is responding to the outside neck rein you can ask for the turnaround. When you are working the turnaround, you want to walk or trot out of the maneuver to make the horse work harder outside the turnaround. This helps get the horse to hunt the turnaround since it is less work.

The second exercise is designed to keep the horse in the correct frame during the turnaround. With one hand on the reins start trotting a circle. Than take your free hand and close it over the reins at the level of the horse’s neck. Using both legs bump the horse’s belly to get them collected up and straight. Once the horse is collected ask for the turnaround by bumping only with your outside leg. Be sure to maintain the same hand position so the horse remains in the collected frame. This helps teach the horse not to throw their head up or turn their nose out when they are asked for the turnaround. Click this link to see video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUmwszMd5EU

Rollback

This exercise is designed to work on the rollback without having to do the rundown and stop. Start by walking your horse forward a few steps and then open your legs to stop them. Back the horse up a few steps than put your hand down. Start the rollback by looking in the direction you want to go. Next, pick your hand up and back towards the new direction. Wait a few seconds to let them figure out what you want then squeeze with your outside leg to get them to follow through with the rollback. If they continue to lag, make them turnaround a few times and start again. You can also trot them around in a small circle, pushing them into the bridle. Once you have built up the energy, stop, back the horse up and ask for the rollback. Continue to do this until the horse starts to snap through the rollback. Click this link to see video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2t7gyBAG448

Rundown

To have a good stop you must have a good run down. Start your lead departure by walking the horse forward with their head straight and in the bridle. After your first strides, you will be able to tell if the horse is soft and collected or if you need to work to get them that way. When you are working the rundown, forget the stop. Use the length of the arena, even if they break down, trot them up into the bridle to the end of the arena. Once the horse is straight you can start to ask for an increase in speed during the rundown. Only after the horse is going straight and you can rate their increase in speed should you say whoa and ask for the stop. Doing this teaches the horse to hunt the stop with their head down and their body round, as well as travel straight and wait for your cue to increase in speed. Click this link to see video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bkfi0_67Q7E

Stopping Exercise

Using two hands start out on the left lead across the pen on the diagonal. As you go, build speed while maintaining collection. Once you get to the half way point break down into a trot. Continue to the corner and counter bend a circle in the direction of the right lead at the trot. Now lope off in the right lead and do another diagonal breaking down to the trot to the corner and counter bend a circle in the direction of the left lead at the trot. As you are building down the diagonal you want to pick up your reins and hold them to maintain collection. Doing this helps teach the horse to pick up their back and stay collected as you drive to the stop. Click this link to see video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HUChKea5TFA

One Handed Rein Control

Working your reins one handed does take practice and this YouTube video show Brandy explaining how she does it. Click this link to see video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yErkNA0OU-A

Tag: lead changes