Rollbacks are a very important and useful training tool. One of my students was struggling with one of her gymkhana events, the keyhole. So I decided to teach her how to teach her horse how to rollback. Not only will it help her have a successful keyhole run, but she will be able to use the exercise anytime her horse is charging any of the patterns or diving in on the barrel pattern.
A solid rollback, requires the use of a fence for training, a good “whoa” on your horse, and the ability to get your horse to give to pressure. Getting your horse to rock back on their hind quarters will get them using their bodies better. A horse that is getting their rear end underneath themselves will be able to push out of a barrel, turn around for keyhole without moving a hind leg and accelerate without to much effort.
Kaitlyn practiced her rollbacks leading up to her last show. She was able to use the rollback taught to her and her horse to successfully maneuver through the keyhole event and place.
See videos below!
Kaitlyn’s keyhole event before rollbacks!
Kaitlyn’s keyhole event after learning rollbacks!
