Sidepassing

By Caryn A. Tate

I initially thought that sidepassing was useless for the most part, and used mostly to show off the rider's ability to teach, and the horse's athletic ability (which is one of the pluses!). But after teaching it to my own horses, I realized it can be useful for jobs such as opening a gate without having to dismount from your horse's back. But more importantly, I found that it's a lot of fun. Another great aspect of sidepassing is that it teaches the horse to be just a little more aware of his feet, and gives him more athletic ability. It's challenging to teach a horse, so when you've accomplished what you set out to do, it's even more rewarding.

First, the basics. Sidepassing is basically when a horse walks sideways or sidesteps. There is both a lateral and a regular sidepass--lateral meaning the horse is sidepassing as he walks, resulting in a sort of diagonal direction. Regular sidepassing begins from a standstill, with the horse moving straight sideways (as opposed to diagonally) when done properly. A lot of trainers will teach a horse to sidepass and practice it facing a log; that way, the horse realizes that you're asking them to move as straight sideways as they can.

When I first began teaching my mare to sidepass, I had been reading a book that gave pointers on sidepassing, and the athletic benefits of it. In the book, the author said that he taught straight sidepassing first, then moved on to lateral. Since my horse neck-reined very well, when I first asked her for a straight sidepass, she was naturally confused. So I began with the lateral sidepass, and we moved on to the straight. For us, it worked much better that way.

Let's say for example that you're preparing to ask your horse to sidepass laterally to the left. Start walking your horse, slowly, straight ahead, and hold each rein in each of your hands. What you'll want to do is just lift your right rein, and lay it against the right side of your horse's neck, applying pressure there. Basically what it will be doing is tilting your horse's nose up to the right, and also asking him to arch his neck to the left. Then, with your right leg, apply pressure and ask him to move to the left. He will then arch his body in a curve to the left just like his neck. As with anything you're teaching a horse, have patience. Some horses will pick up and understand what you're asking for immediately, and some will take more time. Apply the same process for laterally sidepassing to the right, only using opposite directions for the commands. Lift your left rein, press it to the left side of the horse's neck, and so on.

Now for straight sidepassing. It's the same concept, only you begin from a standstill. If asking your horse to sidepass to the left, lift your right rein and press it against his neck, and cue him with your right leg. Most horses will immediately try to move forward in one way or another; use your left rein (going in this direction) for this only, to hold him in and show him that you want him to go straight sideways. Most horses who have already been taught to laterally sidepass will understand after a fairly short time. Remember, though, patience for those who don't.

Rewarding your horse after he's done what you asked him is always extremely important, especially in a situation like sidepassing where he may be confused. Show him he was doing it correctly, and reward him. In the future, the confusion will be replaced with knowledge.

About the Author:

I have lived around and worked with horses my entire life, and learned how to ride when I was a small child. Riding and training horses are great loves of mine, and I enjoy helping other people overcome training issues with their horses. I love working with horses and developing relationships with them, as well as talking about them with other people who are as passionate about the subject as I am.

Caryn may be contacted by email at  scribe_79@yahoo.com.

Article courtesy of Suite101.com.