Home | List of Articles | Submit an Article | Contact Us

How To Use Leading Your Horse To Get Control And Response

I’ve been around many people who try to lead a horse by controlling their head with a lead rope. They end up pulling or jerking the lead rope and the horse will typically pull back or push around the person with the lead rope.

Ultimately, you want slack in the lead rope while leading your horse because you don’t want to pull or jerk him. If your horse moves incorrectly while leading him then you can stop and correct him by making him move his body.

To really be successful in having control the secret is having control over your horse’s body. How do you do that? By controlling his feet by making him move his rear end away from you. (Also known as “disengaging the hind quarters) Why this works so well is it alleviates stiffness and tension and almost magically forces your horse to focus on you.

There are few ways to get your horse to move his rear end away from you. Much of the time, you can stand facing his shoulder and point to his hip. If he doesn’t move keep pointing and cluck at him. If he still doesn’t move, twirl the end of your lead rope at his hip and cluck. If he still doesn’t move tap him with the lead rope while clucking at him.

At any time he moves, take the pressure off him immediately. Give him a pat and a “good boy” and ask for another move. Repeat. Then ask for more steps. Remember to do this on both sides of the body too. It won’t be long when you will simply point at his hip and he’ll move them for you. Do this every day for a while to get it in his mind that you are in control.

Okay. Now that you moved him, turn your body to walk forward while holding your lead line. Something magical happens right here. Your horse suddenly focuses his attention on you. He’s very aware of your movement and what you’re doing. If he messes up because he was distracted or something scared him, all you have to do is move his rear end again. Eventually your horse will start gauging your pace and keep up with you at the same pace you move.

If your horse starts to get ahead of you while leading, move his hindquarters. If he’s lagging behind you, move his hindquarters. If he goes off into La La Land, move his hindquarters.

Having good control leading your horse is perhaps the most basic training technique there is. But it is also the way we get horses in trailers, moving them around, bathing them, and even riding them. This will help teach your horse to be soft and responsive. And if you have a soft responsive horse while you are on the ground, then you will more likely have the same kind of horse while you’re sitting in the saddle. And that is the ultimate goal.

About The Author

Andy Curry is a nationally known horse trainer and author of several best selling horse training and horse care books. For information visit his website at www.horsetrainingandtips.com. He is also the leading expert on Jesse Beery's horse training methods which can be seen at www.horsetrainingandtips.com/Jesse_Beerya.htm.

This article was posted on December 09, 2004

Related Articles:

How to Find the Best Horse for Your Child - Owning a horse is a huge responsibility for an adult, much less for a child. Owning a horse requires a lot of time and money, both from the parent and the child, therefore, before you decide to go horse-shopping, it’s best that you sit down and discuss the responsibilities and tasks involved in owning and caring f ...

WHAT THE NOVICE HORSE BREEDER SHOULD CONSIDER BEFORE BREEDING - For any proud horse owner there comes a time when you want to mate your stallion or mare. This is an important decision. Be patient. Be prepared. You've taken a good look at your mare and believe that she is good mating material. Plus, you are rather fond of the idea of having a baby around. It is time to begin the long, but rewarding task ...

How To Get Your Horse To Obey You and Look To You For Instruction - In the animal kingdom there is a pecking order. Richard Shrake points out that it’s a lot like the military. He ranks in the pecking order go from General down to Private. The General will get first pick of the food, decide where to go and when, and so on. The 'second in command' will act just like the General but he won’t pick ...

A Million Little Truths: One Good Horse , a memoir by Tom Groneburg - 1. Following A Trainer's Course Statistics The placing of horses is one of the most important factors in the jigsaw of training. Some trainers insist in doing this themselves whereas others find that to do this effectively with a lot of horses is too time consuming and distracts them from the core ele ...

Two Things To Consider If You Want To Make A Regular Income From Betting On Horse Racing - 1. Following A Trainer's Course Statistics The placing of horses is one of the most important factors in the jigsaw of training. Some trainers insist in doing this themselves whereas others find that to do this effectively with a lot of horses is too time consuming and distracts them from the core ele ...

How To Use Leading Your Horse To Get Control And Response - I’ve been around many people who try to lead a horse by controlling their head with a lead rope. They end up pulling or jerking the lead rope and the horse will typically pull back or push around the person with the lead rope. Ultimately, you want slack in the lead rope while leading your horse because you don’t want to pull or jerk him. If your ...

For a Complete list of Articles with summaries Click Here