Tips for Leading Your Horse

How well your horse leads says a lot about his training. A well-trained horse follows his handler like a shadow, never lagging behind and dragging on the lead rope, or racing ahead and pulling the handler off their feet.

Horses don’t magically know how to lead, though, so it’s important to spend time teaching them. Clinton shares several exercises that work specifically on improving a horse’s ability to lead, starting with the Fundamentals Series exercise Leading Beside. Using the leading exercises, you’ll teach your horse to mimic your movements. If you walk, he walks. If you turn left, he turns left. You want the horse to follow your cues as you walk, trot, and turn to the inside and outside without taking the slack out of the lead rope.

In the training guide, “Lead Smart,” Clinton covers six ways to improve how your horse leads. From troubleshooting common problems to offering tips to get the most out of taking your horse from point A to point B, the guide provides insight to connect better with your horse.

Read the training guide now on the Downunder Horsemanship website.