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Why I Don’t Disengage the Hindquarters

This might ruffle a few feathers—or it might just be your lightbulb moment.

Throughout our riding careers, regardless of discipline, we spend countless hours teaching horses to shift their weight onto their hindquarters and engage their back end. It's a foundational principle of balance, athleticism, and proper movement.

So why, then, do so many riders routinely ask their horse to disengage the hind—essentially shifting weight onto the forehand to move the hindquarters away? If that already sounds counterproductive, you’d be right.
Disengaging the hind isn’t a natural movement for horses. Watch them in the paddock—they use their hind end for power and stability, and their shoulders to turn. Yet, in the early 2000s, disengaging became all the rage. It was easy to teach, quick to achieve, and gave riders a false sense of accomplishment. But over time, it created horses that were hollow, heavy on the forehand, and disconnected through the body.

Some horses are particularly sensitive to this pattern. A client once brought me a horse who had attended a clinic where disengaging was drilled extensively. In just that short time, the horse became unbalanced, tense, and responsive in all the wrong ways—hollow through the back, reactive to the leg, and constantly dumping weight on the forehand. It took weeks of retraining just to undo the confusion.
Only once the horse began to shift weight back onto the hindquarters did we see real change: balance returned, steering improved, and the horse softened and began to re-engage through the core.

Do I teach disengaging? Occasionally, yes—but sparingly, and never as a repeated drill. I believe in having control over all four feet, especially in certain situations where it's necessary. But I don’t make a habit of it.
When we steer a horse correctly, we use their shoulders for direction. Think of the shoulders as your steering wheel, and the bit as the headlights. Overusing disengagement shifts the horse’s weight forward, locking up the shoulders and making steering more difficult. Riders then find themselves relying on the bit for control—something we work so hard to avoid.

And to those who say they use disengagement for “safety”: ask yourself this—if you're heading toward a potential accident, would you rather yank the handbrake and skid, or have the steering and balance to navigate around it? I know which one I’d choose.

So Where Do We Go From Here?
As riders, the question becomes—what’s the alternative to disengaging the hind?
The answer lies in the turn on the haunches. This natural, balanced movement keeps the horse’s weight where it belongs—on the hindquarters—while engaging the core, encouraging soft transitions, and promoting true body alignment. As your horse becomes more balanced and engaged, you’ll notice a lightness in both your hand and seat. Riding starts to feel effortless again—connected, responsive, and enjoyable.

Not sure where to begin? I’d love to help. Book a lesson with me and start building that balanced, responsive partnership from the ground up.