They need to yield or give to all pressure, whether it be pulling on the reins or legging them or putting a spur on them. We start our young horses by teaching them to give to the pull on the reins. As the horse learns to give to the pressure on his mouth when we pull a rein, we release it. When the horse gives, we release. If we consistently practice this concept, the horse will generally become lighter as time goes on.
Horses have various levels of sensitivity.
Some are very sensitive, some average, some are plain dull, and so on. We adjust our program according to the type of horse we are training. We use various types of bits depending on what the horse likes and what he responds well with. Usually, we start at the front of the horse and work back. We will then begin to apply leg pressure to certain areas of the body and teach the horse to give to that pressure.