When teaching a young horse to back up when do you release the pressure from the reins?

Answer 1

When teaching a horse to back up, you first release the pressure when the horse tries to back up. This will probably just be a slight backwards lean, a tip of the nose, or a hoof lifting. Eventually, you will ask for more as the horse starts to understand, until you can back up across the arena. This will take several days, weeks, maybe a month or two, depending on your horse. Don't be in a hurry though, because the slower you go, the sooner you reach your goal.