Horse Training Tips: Lead Your Horse
The ultimate goal if you wish to ride is to achieve success in saddle training; however, it is necessary to do the groundwork first. Before riding, your horse will need to be led to where you will tack up. You can’t begin to teach point B if you’ve not first mastered how to get there from point A. The two of you can only act as a team if your horse cooperates with you. This cooperation begins with your ability to approach, catch, and halter him first. Then you’ll need to lead your horse about with a halter and a lead rope.
With the primary objective of safety in mind, your horse needs to learn what is acceptable behaviour. Although it is natural for him to pull against the lead rope, for example, he must be taught not to do so. A horse should never be allowed to invade the personal space of whoever is holding the lead rope. Accidents can easily occur if proper consideration to teaching basic safety manners to your horse is not given before moving on to more advanced training. Whilst a good equine insurance policy may cover you for accidents that happen in training, it’s obviously far more preferable not to have to find this out!
Lead training requires the use of patience, persistence and positive reinforcement – the essential three Ps of horse training. Having already accomplished haltering, it is likely that you have already discovered the effectiveness of the three Ps.
It is a good idea to begin lead training when the horse is still a foal. You don’t need to teach a very young horse about saddles and riding, of course, but don’t leave the basic ground manners until he is older. The young horse will need to cooperate for farrier and vet visits, as well as for the various people moving about the yard, stables or paddock.
If you happen to have the dam – the foal’s mother – present, lead training will be easier as he will naturally copy her behaviours. Don’t worry if the dam is not present, as it works as well with any horse which the foal spends time with. A young horse will naturally learn from his elders. For example, you don’t need to teach a horse in the pasture how to graze or go to the water and drink. They learn to do this by watching the other horses in the herd. If your student is older, you can still use another horse’s example by haltering and leading the other horse first. Horses notice everything that goes on around them – particularly if it involves other horses within the herd – so you can be sure that your student will be paying attention.
A good place to start is to lead a more experienced horse along with the foal; lead them simultaneously with you in the middle. The safest place for you to stand is to the left of your student’s shoulder, with the older horse to your left. A young horse could suddenly decide to bolt or to kick his heels, so make sure that you don’t wrap the lead rope around your hand or anywhere else that makes you vunerable. The last thing you need at this stage is complicating the process with an injury for which you may need to claim on your horse insurance.
Another method you could use, if you have a calm horse that you are comfortable riding and that the foal will follow, is the pony method. Using a longer lead rope and simply tow the young trainee behind the more experienced horse. This is actually a logical method for teaching the lead, as it’s natural for the young to follow the elders behaviour.
With no other horses nearby, you will need to rely solely on your patience, persistence, and positive reinforcement skills. Use these three Ps of horse training when trying to get the horse to understand what it is you would like him to do.
After satisfactory progress, it’s time to try it alone. Again, standing to the left of your young horse’s shoulder and with both of you looking straight ahead, gently walk forward and as you step out, tug very gently forward, then release any pressure on the rope as soon as the horse makes any motion to go forward. Understanding that release is a reward to your horse is a valuable tip used by professional trainers. It tells your horse he’s doing something right.
When he can successfully walk with you in straight lines, try a slight left turn whist maintaining the space bubble. If he crowds you, use your right hand to push him out away from you and hold your arm out to the appropriate distance. Then try turning to the right with the same safety distance between the two of you, still using your right hand to guide him into the correct zone. You will need to reward him by releasing the pressure on the lead rope each time he steps in the right direction.
Lead training requires large reserves of patience. Big improvements will soon be made if you can just stick with it. Work every day if possible for short periods and you’ll be pleased with the results; then you will be moving closer to the time when you can saddle up and begin riding.
