Horse Problem - Balking/Leading Problem - Horse balks when being ground led (2 problems, same solution)

QUESTION #2: Sylvia, I have an older horse who is a real sweetheart but he does have one problem. When I bring him out to graze and then try to put him back in his pasture he will stop and plant his feet not wanting to move. I keep giving short jerks on the lead rope until he does move, but this does not seem to be teaching him to come. I have also tried making him back up when he does this, but this too does not seem to be teaching him to come, to follow me on the lead rope. What would you suggest I do to correct this problem?

Next, when the horse gets "stuck" like that, not wanting to come forward/be led, has "dug in" so to speak, and not budging no matter how much you drive her around you, etc., try this: draw the lead so that there is taut tension in the rope. Hold that lead with one hand. With the other hand, start very low on the pressure scale and start making karate chops on the taut lead. Always start small, but build up incrementally to stronger and stronger karate chops on that taut lead. Goes without saying: always school your horse using a natural horsemanship halter with 12' lead rope (preferably tied on, not clipped on) as it communicates better than any other halter/lead combo -- you can get one here if you don't have one: CLICK HERE

This chopping maneuver starts to make the "staying stuck" spot more uncomfortable for the horse (making the right thing easy, the wrong thing hard). When using the natural horsemanship halter with 12' lead, these chops on the lead rope apply strategic pressure at the knots on the halter, so the horse feels the pressure more acutely. Keep up the chopping until the horse takes even just one step forward, then release the pressure instantly (stop the chopping, put slack in the rope). All horses learn from the release of pressure what it is we want, not the pressure itself, so release instantly for the smallest try, the slightest change in the right direction. Always start small with the chopping maneuver, though, building up to stronger chops incrementally, and the horse will learn there is a sequence there.

Starting low on the pressure scale and only building up incrementally is the key to all pressure/release natural horsemanship training. Across the board. Think of it as a volume switch. Always start low on the volume when asking for/teaching a behavior, and only increase the volume incrementally until you get a try, then turn off the volume completely, no pressure for right answers. The faster your release there for right answers (even right answer baby step tries), the faster the horse learns, so get your release timing very quick. The release of pressure is the reward, though a praising, stroking hand afterwards on the horse always speeds along learning. Lowest on the volume is: thought. You THINK what you want and a horse complies. So start with that always. You won't get them responding to just your "thought" at first, but after a while, if you always started there, eventually you will get them responding to your thought, believe it or not. Horses are amazingly perceptive, bright creatures. And pretty soon, up the road, you'll be riding your horse with just your mind, it will feel like, and that's the softness and easy compliance that natural horsemanship creates. But if you didn't start every ask with thought first, only building up incrementally from there pressure wise as needed, how will the horse ever learn to respond to just the thought? Natural horsemanship is about teaching a horse using "soft feel." Doesn't mean we don't turn up the volume when we need to, when the horse isn't listening, we indeed do, but if you start low on the volume always, this gives the horse a fair chance to think about what's coming next (increasingly higher volume of pressure). It's via thinking that a horse learns. Not forced, but: learned. And what gets learned, stays learned. Horses are designed by nature to recognize patterns quickly. And that's exactly what you're showing the horse there...low on the volume increases steadily until the horse responds, then the volume goes completely off (pressure off) with right answers and the horse then goes, "Oh, okay, I get it, there's a pattern here. If I respond low on the volume here, it never gets increasing pressure put on me. Cool. Got it!"

Chopping on the taut lead is uncomfortable for them. Doesn't hurt them, just is uncomfortable and annoying to them. But start low on the volume with that and increase steadily until you get a try-move forward. Then release

Pretty soon when the horse balks/gets stuck there when ground leading, not wanting to move forward, just the sight of your hand going up to chop on the taut lead will get her moving forward, until she lets go of that balking behavior for good.

But do plant into her foundation that above backing/leading exercise link I directed you to, to better teach her to yield to pressure in general, that'll help!

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