When training your horse, one of the ultimate goals is softness in his responses. But this softness should be not only in his face and head, but through the horses whole body. In this article, trainer Ben Baldus shares his tips for understanding and incorporating softness into your horse.The Goal of SoftnessSoftness starts with your horses mouth and chin, through his neck, rib cage, and hindquartershis whole body. Some riders confuse softness with achieving a headset, where the horse holds its head in the desired position.When asking a horse to be soft, it is more than a headsetit starts with their mouth and chin, through their neck, ribcage and hindquarters. Photo by Abigail BoatwrightIts beyond headsetits more a willing behavior to do the task youre asking for, says Baldus. Some horses naturally have a neck that comes out a little bit lower, [and] theyre comfortable being lower-headed due to their style or their pedigree. Other horses with a different pedigree or style might carry their head a little bit higher and have a higher-headed look. That doesnt mean that the horse is stiffer, it just means that he has conformation that puts his head higher.A horse with higher-headed conformation can still be soft with his head and neck, according to Baldus. This type of horse can still be flexed at the poll, willingly guided and softjust with his head coming out of his neck a bit higher.If a horse is high-headed and tense, he might be anxious or protecting himself from reins that are pulled on too firmly.When a horse has his head way up and his neck tight, his shoulders are heavy and hes hitting the ground hard while he moves, says Baldus. His whole body is stiff, rigid and tight.In contrast, a soft horse has a lightness of step and movement regardless of gait or maneuver.Hes going to have a soft and light step, and thats going to help the horse move better, he says. And thats true whether working a cow, on the trail, just riding down the road, or riding for pleasure around your ranch. A horse that is lighter and moves with more fluidity is going to be smoother and softer to ride.PreparationThe bit you choose to use while working on softness with your horse is important. Baldus says that when hes first starting to train a horseusually in the first 30 days of ridinghell use a loping hackamore to work on lateral softness. He will next put the horse in some variation of a snaffle bit.As I transition to a snaffle, some horses are very light and soft and go in a smooth O-ring, he says. Others need a bit more, maybe a little twist to the mouthpiece, or even a short shank bridle to help him understand how to soften to the bridle.No matter what bit you use, your hands are the most important piece of the puzzle.Move Slow and SoftBaldus says the way you ask your horse to move is key.Every day when I get on, every ride, I remind myself to slow my hands down and ask [for a response] as slow and soft as possible, he says.This starts with asking the horse to tip his nose to the right, for example. Youll do this every time you ride after your horse has warmed up.I ask myself how slowly and how smoothly I can pick this rein up and ask this horse to tip his nose to the right, says Baldus. If I ask slowly and methodically, in a sequence of half a pound of pressure, 1 pound of pressure, 2 pounds, 3 pounds, and so on over a 10-second time period, that horse has a chance to respond to a soft, light pressure before I increase to more pressure. By building the habit of keeping your hand slow, the horse will start to respond to 1 or 2 pounds.Build this habit into everything you do with your hands and legs while ridingwhether you have on a loping hackamore or a spade bit on a finished bridle horse. Focus on keeping your hands as slow and consistent as possible.The Release of PressureYoull also want to focus on the release of pressure.Your horse is going to learn the most from the release of pressure, says Baldus. The moment he starts to soften in the direction I want with his head, neck or shoulders, I start to release the pressure.Look for a place to reward your horse, even just for trying, then pick up and ask again. He will probably get softer faster, according to Baldus.The Sequence of Achieving SoftnessWorking from the front to the back of the horse, Baldus asks for softness.I start with his nose, and Im just bending his nose laterally, lets say with my left hand, he says. Im tipping my left hand toward my left pocket and asking the horse to give his nose to the left.Ben Baldus starts to ask for softness by bending the horses nose laterally by pulling one rein toward his hip pocket. Photo by Abigail BoatwrightBaldus notes that hes not clucking or using his legs for this stephes asking the horse to stand still and stay relaxed, flexing his nose toward the rein cue.Once he stands still and gives his nose to the left, then I release that pressure, he says. Then I will pick up the rein and ask again in another 10 seconds.Once the horse is stationary and flexing his nose toward the rein cue, Baldus releases the pressure, and then asks again in 10 seconds. Photo by Abigail BoatwrightYour horse is not going to respond perfectly right awayyoure looking for small steps, building habits that will stay with the horse. Baldus says it may take a horse two weeks to understand if hes never done it before.Vertical FlexionThe drills Baldus uses most often are asking for lateral bend and flexion, asking the horse to soften to the left and right, and then adding forward motion as he asks for a slight vertical flexion. At this point, hes using his legs as an additional cue.When Ive got the horse going at a walk, I just tip his nose to the left and to the right as were progressing into vertical flexion, he says. Im asking the nose to move toward his chest and soften at the poll; Im using my legs to squeeze and tell him to keep going forward. Thats the difference between your reins being a whoa and stop cue and your reins being a soften and flex at the poll cue.Walking forward, Baldus will ask the horse to move his nose toward his chest and soften at the poll, squeezing with his legs. Photo by Abigail BoatwrightThe moment you feel flexion or softening in the horses poll, release your reinsBaldus says this is a micro release of half an inch as a reward. Your horse may push his nose back out, and thats OK.The moment he feels flexion or softening at the horses poll, hell release the reins slightly. If your horse pushes his nose out again, you can ask for softness again. Photo by Abigail BoatwrightYoure just going to pick him up again and say, Hey, lets not root our nose out; when I pick my hands up, flex at the poll and soften your chin toward your chest, Baldus explains. When [the horse complies], I start to release my hands again. Im teaching him to look for the release of pressure, and hell find it by flexing at the poll and lowering his neck a little bit.Baldus works on these moves at a walk, and once the horse is solid, hell move to a trot, and eventually a lope and gallop on a finished horse.Body SoftnessBaldus teaches the horse to shoulder-yield next while walking in a circle. Traveling to the left, hell close his left leg from his calf to his heel right behind the front cinch to teach the horse to move away from pressure.For a shoulder-yield, walk in a circle and ask your horse to move outward from your inside leg at the cinch. Photo by Abigail BoatwrightHis head and neck stay the same, and his body stays on the same arc of the 10-foot-circle, but now Im teaching him to cross his left front leg over his right front leg as he makes the shoulder move, says Baldus. This helps when a horse drops his shoulder to the inside. The more control youre going to have over the circle, the more you can control your horses feet and softness, and the better his patterns are going to be.Baldus will also ask the horse to step his hindquarters to the outside of a circle, almost like a forehand pivot, where the hind end is moving around the front end.For a hindquarters yield, youll walk a circle. Using your inside leg further back, ask your horse to move his hips around, almost in a forehand pivot. Photo by Abigail BoatwrightOnce the front end and back end can be moved in response to your cues, youll move on to the sidepass, where you ask the horse to move his front and hind end laterally at the same time.Sidepass your horse to practice moving his hips and shoulders sideways simultaneously. Photo by Abigail BoatwrightThink about that softness in your horses head, neck and shoulders, all the way through his body to his hindquarters, Baldus explains.These skills translate to maneuvers such as opening and closing a gate, or sidepassing to pick up a slicker off of a fence in a trail class.The sidepass is another way to gain body control and softness through your horses body with a single maneuver to focus on, says Baldus.Key TakeawayRemember, if your horse is stiff and heavy on his feet, he did not get there overnight. It may take six months for a horse to become softer and lighter, and thats OK.Youre always going to ask as softly as possible and release the pressure the first chance you get, says Baldus. Those habits are going to build, and your horse is going to learn to carry himself in a way thats flexed at the poll and willing and soft through his body. Then youre going to be more comfortable on a trail ride. Youre going to have more fun, whether its in the show pen, working a cow, or on the barrels, because your horse is a softer, more willing partner.Meet the TrainerPhoto by Abigail BoatwrightBen Baldus has been training and showing horses since he was 12 years old. He trains horses for reining, reined cow horse, and ranch versatility, and has earned championship titles at major events with the National Reining Horse Association, National Reined Cow Horse Association, Ranch Horse Association of America, and American Quarter Horse Association. He and his wife, Cameron, operate Baldus Horsemanship in Gainesville, Texas.Further Reading Brush Up on Your Riding Aids Achieve the Correct Timing of Riding Aids Common Horse Training MistakesThis article about training your horse for softness appeared in the June 2024 issue of Horse Illustratedmagazine.Click here to subscribe!The post Improve Your Horses Softness appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.