Backing up is an important part of building a strong foundation on a horse. A horse that backs well will be better at every other thing that he does. We always make backing a big part of our horse’s early training. Strong backing is the basis for a good whoa, good rollbacks, sliding stops and many other maneuvers. To back well, a horse must learn to move his hind end up under himself. To do this strongly and consistently takes practice and repetition. Use a snaffle bit for all early training (full cheek, dee or ring). Start by sitting relaxed and quiet in the saddle and picking up both reins equally to put just a small amount of pressure on the horse’s mouth. I stress that it should be gentle pressure, not hard pressure, which will only confuse and worry your horse. You can’t make a horse responsive to light cues by starting with heavy cues. Continue to hold the light pressure until your horse takes even the slightest, small step back, then release both reins and pet/praise him to reinforce that he did what you wanted. If he doesn’t move back, continue to hold the small pressure until he does. Eventually he will try a step back to move away from the pressure. If your horse is prancing around or throwing his head around, you are likely using too much pressure, so lighten up.Once your horse has taken a small step back and you have dropped the reins and praised him, repeat again with light pressure. Continue the repetitions with light pressure, step back, release and praise until your horse takes a step back as soon as you pick up the reins. Once he is consistently taking one step back to your cue, hold the pressure until he takes two steps back. Then three steps back and four and so on. Keep working with your horse until he will continue stepping back for as long as you have just the slightest backward pressure on the reins.

As your horse gets better at backing, you can begin to ask him to speed up by clucking or kissing to him while you are asking him to move back. You can also reach up with your feet and slap his shoulders with the inside of your feet to encourage him to move back faster. 
Once your horse knows how to back, you should back him a step or two EVERY time you stop your horse. Your horse will build a strong hind end and his stops will improve as well. He will also become more responsive.

It is important to note that backing is hard for a horse and should not be over done. After all, Rome was not built in a day. Too much backing can make a horse sore, which will only interfere with your training efforts. Practice backing regularly for just a few minutes a day and you will see results very quickly. The best lessons are those that are done consistently in small amounts over many days, not many hours in one day.
So, throw it into reverse and all your training will move ahead.

Be good to your horse!!!