Ken McNabb: How to Teach Your Horse to Pick Up the Correct Lead at a Lope or Canter

Ken McNabb: How to Teach Your Horse to Pick Up the Correct Lead at a Lope or Canter | Simple Exercises for Successful Lead Departures & Lead Change Preparation
Join professional horseman, Ken McNabb in this episode of Discovering the Horseman Within to learn how to teach your horse to pick up with correct lead at a lope or canter. Ken’s simple exercises and explanations will help you break down the mechanics of the horse in the best preparation for successful lead departures and preparing for lead changes.
“I love talking about leads. It is a subject most people find very confusing, but once understood, they are very easy to understand!
When we start talking about leads, what we are really discussing is the inside hind leg of the horse at the lope. The lead starts in the hindquarters.
Lope vs Canter? - People frequently ask me what is the difference between a canter and a lope? The difference between the two is really the Mississippi River. If you are on the East of the Mississippi you “canter”, if you are on the West side you “lope”. That is pretty much it; it is the same maneuver.
Let’s think about visualizing the mechanics of a lead. The horses inside hind is reaching out past the front leg. (The inside is coming forward and past the inside front leg). The horses body sits at an angle. When this happens, your horses body comes up and hits your hip…and what does this do? It twists your pelvis in the seat. So, how do you know the correct lead without looking down? You FEEL that shift in your pelvis. What if I am on the incorrect lead? Your pelvis will shift the wrong way.
Example: If I am loping to the left, my left hip should be further forward because the horse is pushing with his left hip. If he is pushing with his right, he would be on the incorrect lead and I could feel this as my right hip would be getting pushed forward. I always say 3 strides on the wrong lead is YOUR fault! Feel it and fix it. Don’t get in the habit of looking down, learn to feel. If at first you are unable to feel it, see if you can find a spotter to help you that will shoutout yes or no/ correct or incorrect when practicing picking up the lead. I would suggest not using the terms right or not right because that can get confused with your leads….haha!
Frequent Mistakes- What I see happen frequently when working on lead departures is that as the rider prepares to take the lead they look down. When looking down they want to take the left lead, but by looking down it pushes them to the right. Don’t look down! Look up, where you want to go. Keep your inside should up and alive. Push the horse’s hip in a little bit, get the ribcage out of the way and take the correct lead!
Successful Lead Departures- To pick up the correct lead it is ideal if your horse is broke through the body. You horse must understand “positions 1, 2 and 3” and understand what they mean. Position 1= shoulders. Position 2= sidepass Position 3= hindquarters. If your horse is struggling to pick up the correct lead figure out why? Is it because you are looking down? Are you bending the horses nose to the outside hoping you might throw the shoulder forward….which then creates a cross fire. Is your horse just not understanding the cue or how to move his body? If any of these are true, be sure to go back to the basics and break down positions 1, 2 and 3 and learn to FEEL.” ~Ken McNabb Horsemanship
Until Next Time, May God Bless the Trails You Ride ~ Ken McNabb
kenmcnabb.com
dmhorses.com

[@Kk-ln1nm]

I have watched SO MANY instructional videos on how to be a better rider and how to better instruct my horses but NO video has been as clear and helpful as yours. Thank you

[@perryseltz8010]

Best video I've seen on lead departures and I've absolutely scoured KZbin looking for them...

[@williamrodgers561]

This is THE BEST training video I have seen! Great camera angles so the viewer can see each teaching point, everything is explained really well. Thanks Ken!

[@jasonperkins4799]

I've watched several "how to lead" videos and have left very confused until this video. Very informative. Thanks for the video!

[@carolynstewart8465]

You're explanation of complex maneuvers is excellent! Thank you!😙

[@erichermann7553]

Long hard hours long days and always hard times for a long time and believing in god that made u so great god is there for u but u need to put the hours days month years of hard very hard work in those days to make it in ur life I really respect u Ken blessings to u ⭐️⭐️⭐️

[@LIZA1972000]

Loved every part of this video. So helpful. Thank you!

[@user-cm1xk7eb2s]

I absolutely love ❤❤❤❤this

[@sethlarson5110]

Thank you and amen

[@daniseibold5370]

Thank you this was so helpful! I have a test for 4h and have been really struggling to understand leads but this helped a lot!!

[@terriesavage4897]

thanks, I needed those exercises to practice with both of my horses.

[@drkpg1]

Thank you so much

[@drkpg1]

Thank you so much. Very informative video.

[@CHPerformancehorses]

Thank you this was amazing.

[@ILovemyhorsecharm]

This helped me so much thanks

[@portiacline9231]

Thank you, a great help and loved the message at the end, truly inspiring!

[@antoinettenichilo2377]

Thank you for all of your videos they are all amazing !! I just appreciate your advice your respect for your horses and your final good Words at the end so Well said😀

[@rondalreed5975]

I am on the east side of the Mississippi and I have never cantered before I always thought it was a lope

[@MrMrStruggles]

Hi Ken, Thanks for the instructions, as I was told the other day that I was in the wrong lead. I find your instructions very good, but when you are talking about the three positions, I don't really see that much of a difference between position two and three. I know that you are mentioning from the cinch forward and a couple of inches behind. Could you explain to me in a little more of an explanation, please? Also, I am doing a figure eight for example, how do I tell the horse to switch leads? Thank you, agian.

[@Falconress49]

Thank you for the help, and the good wisdom from the Lord in it. I wonder what you think about verbal and physical praise when horses perform an action, beyond just stopping. I find such great result from that. My instinct when your horse performed the last exercises was to say, "Good boy!" and give him a rub on the neck.

[@haileymyles4006]

I have a trouble palomino who picks up the wrong right lead all the time and the barn owners don’t know how to fix him and no one knows how to fix he’s lead to put him on the right lead