Basic Leading Skills for Safety

In this video, I work with Tilly, a young Thoroughbred mare who had just arrived at our farm, to demonstrate several basic leading skills for safety and better communication between you and your horse.
For more training videos with real-life training horses, check out my Leg Up Coaching program here: www.horseclass.com/leg-up-coa...

[@sandramarklee9989]

Putting hands up is a very useful tip. Great video. Safely handling a horse is so important.

[@gilliangirl1]

And STAY CALM! If they are reacting to something, it's your job to stay calm. If you start reacting to it too, it will validate their fears and they'll get even more anxious.

[@katrinathompson6339]

My TB mare acts just like her. 🙂Putting yourself between the horse and spooky item is a great reminder to be aware of. Thank you!

[@donicaarneson578]

I appreciate the comment on not jerking on the halter. I will correct this habit.

[@constancecardillo5399]

Putting my hand/hands up to make the horse aware of me is a new tip that I will use to keep the horse beside me. Thank you!

[@RealmofRuss]

Having a horse lead well is so important and makes life so much easier. Knowing how to lead a horse is also important and sometimes forgotten by handlers. Great video. (Unrelated but Tilly looks so much like my thorough bred mare who died in 2014, my girl would have been 30 that year, it's nice to see what she would have looked like in prime)

[@howmuchdidthatcost]

I only follow a few horse and trainer channels on here, and obv one of them is you bc you are very informative and give great examples! Thank you so much for dedicating your time and energy to making these videos for all of us; all of us are so grateful!!

[@fburton8]

Fascinating to see use of a rope that's so different to the kind I use in Scotland, which is about third the length and half as thick. I too like to have the horse's head be where I can always see it (if only in peripheral vision). It's good to be aware at all times of where the horse's attention is. One thing I was taught was always to turn a horse to go in the opposite direction by moving the horse away from you. That way there's less chance of the horse treading on your feet.

[@emerwatchorn6971]

The last tip was one ive not heard before very smart and its common sense, turn around and just look at wbat the horse wants to look at for a few moments. It makes sense.

[@carolinehudson3503]

Always wanted to know where to place myself with a spooky sharp horse being lead

[@caroledavis9362]

Mine likes to rush ahead, he gets so excited to be being led outside - I am going to deploy the spinning rope - I was turning him around me, but this only has limited times that can be used - space wise, and it had limited success, he circles, then a few steps later he is rushing ahead again in excitement. So, spinning rope it will be. 😊

[@cjjohnson5311]

well its a better method than what I see at most show barns which is usually constant yanking with no results at which point the horse ends up wearing a chain for life every time it gets led around. . But I would have spent a few days i, teaching head down, move away from pressure, and focusing on the handler before I asked for that out in the open. The horse overall is good horse, but there are many OTTBs that are very hyped , never had any training to respect a humans space and need to understand the basic commands before putting it all together while walking.

[@aswenster]

Very helpful, ty.

[@veronicasmith1147]

Yes can definitely use these tips thanks

[@larryballard4687]

hi you help me a lot thank you so much

[@luanndavis-jindela3223]

Using 2 hands to create space!

[@natalieaebersold381]

Hi Cali, thank you for this video. I thought I could lead a horse without a problem until I started working with thoroughbred racehorse horses about two years ago. Wish I had seen this video back then. Practice and with that experience has mattered a lot, as well as having good mentors/managers/leaders. I don’t recall that I ever heard you use the word “no” or “noo-oh” in the video. I tend to use that word a lot in addition to the pressure on the lead rope. Good or not good? (I also use good boy, good girl, for positive behavior).

[@redneckgirl3326]

I'd need a stepladder to get on that horse.

[@krystensimmons1657]

Some great reminders! Something new to me is using 2 hands to create that space. I have a gelding that leads well, but he can be nosy & sometimes likes to swing his head around to gawk - when he swings his head away from me, his near shoulder comes over and as he's taking that step he often comes close to catching my own foot. What's a good technique to correct that?

[@terryst9835]

Sometimes going forward yourself and looking in the direction he looks, as Callie demonstrated, may help. This will get you more in front and beside his head, away from his shoulder. Alternately, a blocking hand ON his shoulder that says "That's far enough!" If he still steps in to you with that foot and shoulder, ask him to move it back where it was, like Callie does with Tilly when she gets too forward. Getting them to back up even just one step, helps to disrupt the 'push'. Consistency is key. Another option is as the head swings right, reach back with your hand to the girth area, and ask that head to come back to straight. As you have realized, the head away brings the barrel toward you, and a spook at that time will bring them right on top of you. So asking the barrel of the horse to re-bend will help to bring the spine to straight again. Hope that helps!!

[@Conny226]

Wow it must be still cold where u are u all bundled up

[@pariahmouse7794]

This could literally not be more timely, last night the horse I ride was acting up on the way to turnout, and I thought I had it under control, but the girl with me (who has been riding since she was 7, and is 17. I started at 36, two years ago... I hold my own, though!) kind of took over since she is more assertive, I am so bad about trying to be nice, to the point where I am not giving him the structure he needs, I think! I need to learn as much as I can about this, I want to help him be the best horse he can be... He also balks on the way to turnout, depending on where he goes- I tap his shoulder with the lead to make him go, but sometimes this doesn't work, and I know a tug of war is pointless, so what do I do when he won't walk at all? Last week was a long, frustrating journey to turnout number 5, haha- but last night he was charging to get to 12, he is a very baffling guy, but he has so much potential, I want to help him learn to be comfortable in his surroundings, and to behave! Unfortunately he is a lesson horse, so I am limited in the consistency I can provide, I can't guarantee anyone else will work with him the same way, they often jerk on halters to get the more difficult horses in line up there, and it bothers me, but what can I do, haha, I can't afford to join their board of directors, and next to owning my own that's the only way to get any leverage at this barn... Or having a parent on the board, that works too. If I wasn't in love with almost all of the horses at this barn I would find another, the cliquey, judgemental atmosphere is disheartening sometimes- this is my dream and I will never give up, but some people don't make it easy- I need to find my niche, I guess, MY people, if they even exist in the equestrian community! They have to, somewhere! Right? I can't be the only adult beginner with limited funds who wants to make this journey the rest of her life somehow, right? Anyway... Great video as always, thank you!

[@howmuchdidthatcost]

I’ve learned that *some* stables and horse people CAN be cliquey… esp if they are competing. I’ve noticed it A LOT in the reigning world where I live. I would’ve never thought it would be like that, but here we are!!

[@pariahmouse7794]

@@howmuchdidthatcost You'd think we would all unite over our shared love of and passion for these incredible creatures and all the things they do for us, but, sadly, no... The majority of people are just PEOPLE, unfortunately, nothing it seems we can do but keep working as hard as we are able, and keep believing in the thing that means more to us than air! I just keep hoping that if my passion for this is as true and positive and pure as it feels in my heart, maybe the rest will fall into place, my attitude and hard work are all I have, so... Gotta do what you can, this matters too much to ever allow the narrow minds of others to derail, I just have to keep telling myself that! Best wishes for your riding endeavors, good luck!

[@howmuchdidthatcost]

@@pariahmouse7794 you are so very right and kudos to you for such an amazing mindset!

[@angelaeaves9686]

how long (weeks/months) did it take Tilly to acquiesce and get where you wanted her to be? this is fascinating as she is so 'new'

[@coffeeandhorses7991]

I notice you were leading sometimes at the shoulder and other times way out in front. I feel that isn't very safe bc you can't see the horse to check body language (5:52). And leading while looking to check is definitely confusing to the horse.

[@Conny226]

Wow it must be still cold where u are u all bundled up

[@redneckgirl3326]

I thought the same thing and I live in Montana. Today, it was 70 degrees. Tomorrow, it could be 30. You never know with springtime in the Rockies.

[@melisue7487]

That’s what I was thinking as well. I live in Arizona and we’ve already hit triple digits. Today is nice since we have a lot of cloud coverage and only getting up to 82° but we have strong winds with gusts up to 40mph