How to train a filly to lead

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garseer

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I have not ever tried to train a young horse to lead. She is about a year old and has a halter on her. I have heard different ways on how to train one to lead, but would like to here some of you on the board.

Thanks
 
Well, I do not profess to be a horse trainer, and no two horses react the same. Have you spent enough time with this horse to have a pretty good idea as to her disposition, and demeanor? If so, that will help tremendously. As for the breaking to lead, the way I do it is to clip the lead rope on, start out to one side or the other, put gentle pressure on the lead rope, and see what happens. If she plants her feet, don't fight her - simply change directions, give a mooch or two, and try again. If she starts going in circles, let her do it while keeping her in small circles. She will discover that circling you is work, and she will eventually stop. If she tries to pull back, get behind her shoulder(that puts pressure on her to keep going forward) and keep her circling. She will tire of going in circles and want to stop. When she does, change directions, put gentle pressure on the lead rope, and try again. When she turns, she will usually take a step or two. When that happens, release the pressure immediately, pet her, praise her, and do it again. I don't use treats, grain, or hay to coax her because that gets her to looking for the 'extra's' and not paying attention to what I'm asking. If she starts backing up, grab her nose/upper lip, put gentle to firm pressure on it, and make her continue to back up until she stops. When she does, release the pressure immediately. Backing up is more difficult than going forward, and she will learn that it's easier to do what your asking. Be patient, be kind, and do not give in to the urge to fight or force her - you will not win in either of those scenarious, and it will undermine any trust that you have established with her. Watch her ears, they are a good indication of where her attention is focused. Also watch for licking of lips, that is an indication of her "thinking" about what you are teaching her. I hope this helps, and I am certain that other members will be chiming in here with more tips. Good luck with your filly!
 
Thanks for the information. I am trying to help the wife break her to lead. I wished I was home enough to workm with her, but most of my time is away working for the time being. She is in a pasture with her mother now and she is a frisky little thing. She is a pretty paint filly with plenty of spirit and really built nice. She needs to be away from her mother to wean her also. I think the wife is planning on putting her in a stall pretty soon, so I was trying to get her some information. Thanks again
 
I was taught years ago to use a butt rope.
You put the halter on with the lead rope. Take another rope; I like to use another lead rope or a soft rope; and loop it so it is below her hind quarters. You can tie the ends together.
Now put a little pressure on the halter, and "ask" her to take a step forward. Now she will probably not take a step, but if she stretchs her head out, release the pressure. Now ask her again to take a step forward. Expect the same thing.
Now you are going to "tell" her to take a step. Put pressure on the halter first and this time put pressure on the butt rope, don't jerk on either rope. Once she takes a step forward release the pressure.
Now continue in that order of ask, ask, tell. Always put pressure on the halter first then the butt rope.
I have taught 6 horses to lead using this system. Just take your time and if you start getting fustrated call it a day and walk away til the next day.
I would stay away from flat nylon halters and use a rope halter.
 
I would use the butt rope in conjunction with a whip and use of the voice using your voice to cluck before taping with the whip. I would not let the horse walk in circles around me and or back up, that will teach the horse a lot of bad habits as far as leading and running over the top of you ( msscamp, I am disagreeing with you on this but don't want to upset you since you did provide a lot of information to help out and I am sure that it does work for you but just in general that procedure may not work well for the average person who is learning and has not had alot of experience).
Also, do not at all cost use the lead rope to pull the horse forward, horses pull against pressure by instinct, they actually have to be taught to give to pressure and the way it is used in training is that pressure is applied intermitently inorder to get the horse to yield and then the pressure is released before the horse has a chance to lean or pull - This is why riders with bad hands holding on constantly always have horses above the bridle and pulling badly among many other comparisons of the psychology of the pressure instinct.
This is a yearling so this animal is a little big already, would have been good to use the butt rope on a weanling so now you will have a lot of hard work ahead of you, no easy way to do it now.
 
Hayray I would never use a whip on teaching a horse to lead or load. One guy I worked for years ago applied a whip to a horse I was loading in the trailer. That stud darn near broke a few bones when he crashed into me trying to get away from the whip. That horse trusted me and was walking right in with no problem.
This same guy wouldn't let me teach one of his weanling's how to lead by use of the butt rope. His idea was put the halter on the colt, tie it to the mares tail then lead the mare around. Needless to say the colt went one way the mare the other and I was pinned against the mare with both lead ropes crisscrossed in front of me. He stood there laughing thinking it was funny, but he got the ropes released fast when I pulled out my pocket knife to cut them.
When he was gone the next day I taught that stud colt the lead with the butt rope. Just a little time was all that was needed.
 
hayray":bvvkm344 said:
( msscamp, I am disagreeing with you on this but don't want to upset you since you did provide a lot of information to help out and I am sure that it does work for you but just in general that procedure may not work well for the average person who is learning and has not had alot of experience).

No problem. As previously stated, I do not profess to be a horse trainer. Almost all of the horses that I have broken to lead had been messed with from day one, and bonds of trust had been well established. I fully realize that the way I do it may not work with horses that do not have those bonds already established - that was why I stated to the original poster that other people would be chiming in with more tips.
 
I luv herfrds":4dwk4d72 said:
Hayray I would never use a whip on teaching a horse to lead or load. One guy I worked for years ago applied a whip to a horse I was loading in the trailer. That stud darn near broke a few bones when he crashed into me trying to get away from the whip. That horse trusted me and was walking right in with no problem.
This same guy wouldn't let me teach one of his weanling's how to lead by use of the butt rope. His idea was put the halter on the colt, tie it to the mares tail then lead the mare around. Needless to say the colt went one way the mare the other and I was pinned against the mare with both lead ropes crisscrossed in front of me. He stood there laughing thinking it was funny, but he got the ropes released fast when I pulled out my pocket knife to cut them.
.

I gotta say that I would be hesitent also if I had those experiences happen to me, no reason to get hurt. However, the use of a whip, either a riding or lung, or buggy whip is pretty standard practice in the horse industry as far as training goes. It is always easy to train a horse by the introduction of training aids either artificial or natural aids used in conjunction with avoidance conditioning and separation of timing of the aids.
 
i am by no means a horse trainer. but i have heard of walking and older more reliable horse with the one your training so that they feel more comfortable about walking. put the older horse closest to you and the younger horse on the outside with the lead over the oldes back. as the older horse moves forward the younger one should too since they are heard animals.
 
I've been in the horse breeding business for 11 years, and we start all of our own colts. You got alot of good advice and methods told to you already. I agree with most i.e. rope halters , gentle pressure, pressure release for a correct response, butt ropes, all of them are tools used to work with a horse. there are other tools that if used incorrectly can destroy the relationship you are tryin to build i.e. whips, so be carefull. My only added advice would be buy a Clinton Anderson DVD the visual aid is very helpful. Since we started using his method ( which was similar to ours already) we have had even better results.
 
The colts I have trained were pretty used to following me in the pasture anyway so it wasn't to hard for them to get the idea with the lead and halter. The problem I had was with tieing. I found that tieing them and letting them eat out of a bucket (off the ground so not to get tangled in the rope) and loving on them (brushing and talking to them) and it was no time that they stopped pulling back. Good luck! When all else fails give al little more petting and soothing it will be pretty hard on her getting away from her mother anyway, but it will be a good time for her to bond with you. She could probably use lots of scratching.
 
Angela I will tie a young horse to a deflated tire tube and leave them there with food and water for 24 hours. That is normally after several days of leading them up to it to get used to it and tying them up for short periods of time.
I know some people like to sack them out at this time, but I like to do it at the time to saddle break them.
 
The Cart Before The Horse
The first I teach any animal to do is "Tie Up" and get a respect for the rope. I don't want them Making a Tourist our of me (dragging Me around).

We have a flat smooth wall _ Dad has a rope tied at about 10' that hangs down with a ring at about 5' so I can reach it.
You don't want you Baby to put a lot of pressure or Pulling on It's neck - So
Run a GOOD rope around it's Barrel - Through it front legs - and "through" the Halter and tie that well to the ring…

Colt, Horse, Calf can not pull back Hard on a rope tied High
When an animal Pulls-Back the pressure is on it's Barrel Not It's Neck :lol:

Dad uses this time to Brush, clip, Blanket, and through a Rope at them (Softly)
A day or two of this and Baby Has Respect for a Rope and You :cboy:
 
V_Key":3b7kpmv1 said:
The Cart Before The Horse
The first I teach any animal to do is "Tie Up" and get a respect for the rope. I don't want them Making a Tourist our of me (dragging Me around).

We have a flat smooth wall _ Dad has a rope tied at about 10' that hangs down with a ring at about 5' so I can reach it.
You don't want you Baby to put a lot of pressure or Pulling on It's neck - So
Run a GOOD rope around it's Barrel - Through it front legs - and "through" the Halter and tie that well to the ring…

Colt, Horse, Calf can not pull back Hard on a rope tied High
When an animal Pulls-Back the pressure is on it's Barrel Not It's Neck :lol:

Dad uses this time to Brush, clip, Blanket, and throw a Rope at them (Softly)
A day or two of this and Baby Has Respect for a Rope and You :cboy:
 
The best halter I have ever used is a nylon rope halter with the nylon lead rope built in. They wont break as easily as the ones that you snap together. I even train my horses to lunge on them. I have had full grown horses tied up and they will sit down on the rope and it wont break. Now, on the leading end, can you ride the mare? If so, put the lead rope on the filly and simply ride the mare while holding the filly. She will follow her mother. This may or may not work for you, depending on the disposition of the filly, but it has worked for me. Just my 2 cents worth. Good Luck :D
 

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