Before we get started
I want to refresh your memory as to the necessary equipment. Here
is a list of the necessary equipment:
1. A halter in good condition
and correctly fitted to your horse.
2. A sturdy lead rope
in good condition.
3. A dressage whip.
4. A riding helmet ASTM/
SEI certified.
5. An indoor or outdoor
arena (not a round pen, you need a "flat" wall).
6. Gloves (optional,
but good protection for your hands).
Okay, we have our equipment
check, the halter is on, our helmet in place, lead rope attached
and whip in hand, and we are now ready to take the horse into
the arena. Walk the horse in a quiet and relaxed manner when handling
the horse, because horses communicate via body language. Close
the gate behind you and choose a spot that has the fewest distractions,
so your horse will have an easier time paying attention to you.
Be at least 20 feet away from a wall in case your horse gets spooked
and reacts in a dangerous manner. You will have somewhere to run
and you won't be trapped by a wall.
Teaching your horse to lead starts with grooming as this lays
the foundation for future training. So start grooming with your
fingertips at the shoulder while loosely holding on to the lead.
Once you and the horse are comfortable, move on to scratching
the belly and hips. Give your horse scratches and try to find
those itchy spots they want scratched. If you see their lips quiver
or they lean into your scratching, you know you've found an itchy
spot. You may also notice your horse turning his head towards
you and even trying to bite you. Don't worry, he's not mad at
you, he's just trying to return the favor by scratching you with
his teeth. Calmly, but firmly, turn him down by pushing his head
away. You can push on his cheek or even put a little pressure
under his jowls. Don't get him excited though; keep him calm but
show him you are the leader. Keep scratching all around his body
especially those places he can't reach himself like his withers.
This grooming session should last about 10 or 15 minutes, and
is also a good start for any training session as it will help
your horse relax.
By taking the time to get to know your horse through grooming
you will establish and reinforce a positive relationship. This
positive relationship will carry over to all of the training that
you and your horse will accomplish. Grooming builds trust and
allows training to happen very quietly. You want your horse to
view you as a safe person and a member of your two horse herd.
He should view you as the herd leader. If you mistreat and bully
your horse into submission the relationship will not build trust,
which will hinder any future training. Your horse will not view
you as a safety zone if you are acting aggressive and creating
a negative excitement. You need to show your horse that a leader
equals trust and safety. Remember good horse training is very
"un-exciting".
Now you're ready to begin
teaching your horse the shapes that are involved with basic leading.
These shapes are: halt, stepping when you step, backing up, turning
away, turning with you, and trotting with you.
Begin with the horse
between you and the wall, and begin by standing at your horse's
shoulder. (The purpose of the wall is to keep the horse straight.)
Have the lead rope in your right hand and the whip in your left
hand and stand with your right hand closest to the horse. Take
a step forward and wait several seconds for your horse to follow
you. If he doesn't take a step forward, reach behind you give
him a slight tap on his haunches with your whip. Start out with
the softest tap possible. If this does not give you a response,
you can add slightly firmer taps until your horse gives the correct
response by moving forward.
After your horse gives you the correct response of taking a step
when you step, and moving forward you can ask for a halt. The
first step in asking for halt is for you to stop. Next face your
horse with the whip in your right hand, ready to create a wall
if you need to. The way to create a wall with the whip is to press
the handle into the horse's chest lightly at first. This creates
enough pressure that your horse should stop. By using the whip
in this fashion you are also not creating excitement in your horse.
If your horse keeps trying to walk through your "wall"
of pressure (the whip handle), then you can add a small amount
of jiggling the lead rope. This is used to get the horse's attention
focused back on you. That way he can better understand what you
are asking of him. You now want to repeat asking your horse to
walk, and every five to seven strides asking for a halt. By repeating
this for around 20 minutes each day your horse will really understand
the concept of leading after about a week.
Now that you have practiced these steps for a couple of days,
your horse should be paying attention to you and listening very
well. We can now move onto teaching your horse to back up. The
same principle applies with teaching your horse to back as the
first two steps. First of all when you are starting to teach your
horse to back up, make sure that you have warmed him up for about
10 minutes performing walk and halt transitions. This helps to
get his attention completely on you. Start by asking for a halt,
now you take a step backwards, and see if your horse follows.
If he does not follow you, turn and face him (like when you were
teaching him to halt), now you can apply a small amount of pressure
with the handle of the whip. When teaching a horse to back you
want a pressure that presses on his chest until he starts to back.
The pressure should also start soft and gradually get firmer.
You only want to make the pressure firmer only if your horse is
not responding to the quiet pressure. As soon as your horse shows
any movement backwards take the pressure away, and praise him.
Now repeat by taking a step back, and waiting several seconds
for your horse to follow. Repeat the previous steps if your horse
does not follow you with taking a step backwards.
Once your horse has mastered moving forward in step with you,
halting and backing up, you are ready to move on to slightly more
difficult shapes. The first shape that I start to teach a horse
after backing up is turn on the haunches. This is where your horse
will yield to your body pressure and move away from you, while
maintaining his weight on the haunches, and pivoting on a hind
leg. First to teach your horse this shape you need to move to
the center of the arena. Now you ask your horse for a halt, and
then while facing your horse take a step towards their shoulders.
If they are really paying attention to you they should start to
move away from the pressure of your body. If they do not start
to move away from your body pressure, take the handle of the whip
and press it gently into your horse neck. As stated above only
apply more pressure if your horse does not move away. As soon
as your horse takes the slightest step away from the pressure
release it. This will help to reinforce that the horse is to move
away from the pressure. A very common problem that occurs when
asking for the turn on the haunches is the horse will not want
to stay and pivot on their haunches. You can correct this by stopping
the forward motion at the same time as asking your horse to step
away. To stop the forward motion you can apply pressure with the
handle of the whip on their chest or you can jiggle the lead rope
slightly. After your horse takes a small step away from you let
him halt, and praise him. Now you can ask your horse to take another
step away from you. You should repeat the steps discussed above
until your horse can do a 180 degree turn.
The final shape in leading is the turning with you. Your horse
should also be able to pivot on his haunches towards you the same
as in turn away you horse pivots on his haunches. This shape should
also be taught in the center of the arena, as to not be stuck
in a dangerous position. The first step in teaching your horse
this shape is to have your horse halt. Now take a small step away
from their shoulders. Again if your horse is paying attention
to you he should follow you. If your horse does not follow you
(which after learning all of the above shapes he should understand
that you want him to follow with you while maintaining his position
with you at his shoulders.) give a small pull on the lead rope.
By giving a small pull on the lead rope it should give him enough
of an indication that you want him to follow you. Again do not
increase the pressure unless your horse is not responding to the
quiet pressure. You can also give your horse a very slight tap
on his haunches that will encourage him to follow you. Just make
sure that your horse does NOT take forward steps, or try to get
away from you. If your horse does try to get away from you interrupt
him by jiggling the lead rope, and go back to working him with
the halt and walk transitions. This will get his attention back
on you, and also will help reinforce that you want your horse
to follow you and also to yield to your body pressure. Once he
is paying attention to you once again, you can go to center to
ask him for the turn with you. This should now be fresh in his
mind that he should be following with you every step.
The last shape to teach your horse in leading is to follow you
while trotting. To ask for this shape, take your horse back out
to the rail. Make sure that your horse is between you and the
rail (the rail helps to keep your horse straight). Ask your horse
for a step forward, after several steps of forward ask for a halt.
Repeat this until your horse is completely paying attention to
you. Now you can ask your horse for a forward step, once he has
stepped forward ask for the trot. To ask for the trot, first you
jog in place, and cluck to him. If he does not respond to this
lightly tap him on his haunches. You can tap until your horse
starts to trot, then immediately stop tapping, as this is a reward
for trotting is to release the pressure. After your horse has
trotted several steps with you ask for a walk. To ask for the
walk you start to walk, and your horse should follow your lead,
but if he does not jiggle the lead rope as to get his attention.
Once you have his attention and he is walking ask for a halt.
Once again you ask your horse for walk, and walk with him for
several steps, then ask for trot. Keep practicing these steps
until your horse does them without resistance, and also with his
attention completely focused on you. Once you have achieved this
you and your horse will communicate on the ground almost effortlessly.
Your horse will just follow your every step, and also pay attention
to everything you will do. This is very beneficial to any further
training, as it carries over to lunging and under saddle work.
I recommend practicing the lead shapes at least 15 minutes per
day, for at least 4 days per week. Horses need consistency in
order to really understand what we are trying to teach them.
When teaching your horse anything new it should always only be
a small baby step from what you have just taught your horse. That
way if your horse is having trouble learning any of the new pieces
of training you can go back to what he already knows.
By following these simple steps, you and horse will have the beginnings
of a rewarding relationship. Your horse will also learn respectful
ground manners. This makes it easy to work with your horse in
many different situations.
***If you feel uncomfortable during any time of training your
horse, stop and consult with a professional trainer. Especially
if you are having a hard time teaching your horse any of these
steps, please seek a professional trainer. It is better to teach
your horse correctly the first time, than to go and “undo”
any bad training. This will save both you and your horse any frustration
that could negatively impact your relationship. ***
You can visit my blog for the previous article which explains
halter fit with a diagram. My Blog's address is: http://www.horselogic.net/blog.html
.
Learn something
new every month from Horse Logic. A new article will be featured
every month in From the Horses Mouth by Sara McKiness from Horse
Logic.
Horse Logic © 2007
Sara Mckiness, Certified Horse Trainer & Instructor
Horse Logic
St. Charles, IL
630-631-2746
www.horselogic.net
sara@horselogic.net
