Horse
Problem - Leading Problems - Horse won't go/gets stuck when
ground leading
|
|
Free Natural Horsemanship Newsletter |
|
|
|
QUESTION: I just bought a 10-yr-old percheron mare. I really don't know a whole lot about her. I don't think she's had a whole lot of training, and if she has, it was a long time ago. So, I just got her this weekend and when we unloaded her and introduced her to the new barn she did really well. She couldn't have cared less that she was at a new place. Well, in the last few days she has decided to start soleing up when I'm leading her. Since she is so big, obviously I can't just make her move. I have tried to bribe her with treats, grain, etc...doesn't work. At first, getting beside her and twirling the lead rope towards her got her to move, but now she's figured that out and won't budge. I have had to resort to looping the lead rope around one of her front legs, pulling it forward and forcing her to take a step. This works, but she's not "giving" to me...it's just my brute force. How do I get her to respect my authority, even though she already knows that I can't "make" her walk???? HELP!!! She's such a great tempered horse, just stubborn, as drafts are known to be.
That route works every time for pull back horses or horses who are doing what your horse is doing there, not yielding to lead rope pressure consistently. But follow the details there to the letter to get effective results.
Make sure up the road that you are using only a natural horsemanship halter with 12-foot lead tied on (not clipped on). That is a most crucial training tool overall. I won't work a horse without that. I have them here in my web site store if you don't have one: CLICK HERE
I also wanted to suggest you do this exercise with your horse, to teach her to back up on cue as well: Leading Problems - Horse runs over human/How to teach horse back-up cue on ground
Another tip (even with the belly rope, but also when leading with the NH halter/lead combo up the road, and the horse gets stuck there): keep tension in the lead with one hand as you ask for the come-forward, and with the other hand, start making karate-chop like maneuvers on the lead, but start small at first (low on the pressure volume to begin) with tiny chops, and build up to chopping the taut lead increasingly harder & harder as you go along there "up the volume scale." (Always start small with your pressure, and build up incrementally with no pause, no release, until you get what you want). This will start making the right thing easy (come forward) and the wrong thing hard (the horse staying stuck there), as it gets uncomfortable on the horse feeling those chops on the lead as it transfers up to the NH halter (that has strategic pressure point knots so the horse can more easily feel the pressure). The second the horse gives there, even a small lean-try forward, release the pressure instantly in the rope, giving slack, and halt the chopping. Pause and let the horse think for a moment, to digest the right answer there. Then ask for the come forward again.
Do all the above, including the belly rope route, and you'll get your horse past this stuck spot for good.
Back to Horse Problems Q&A, Click Here: 
|
