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 Posted: Sat May 30, 2009 9:51 pm
We have a 20-something QH mare at our barn being used as a school horse. She was previously owned by a young boy, so naturally she has a host of problems, since she was never properly ridden or trained.
She's fine under saddle, has a brisk trot, fine being lunged....
But leading this horse is a NIGHTMARE. She is so slow and lazy. My grandmother moves faster than her - and she's dead! The mare just sticks her head out like a camel and will barely move beyond an excruciating slow walk. You try to reach behind and give her a slap with the lead, which works with other horses, but the mare seems confused and unsure of what you want. She just puts her head up and balks even more.
I'm planning on working with her over the summer to fix this problem, and I'm curious to know how other people would approach this problem. I already have an idea of what I might do, but I'd like to hear some other opinions.
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Posted: Sun May 31, 2009 10:11 am
Dakota did the same thing before this spring. He would go at a decent speed, but asking him to trot was like asking him to fly over the moon. It just wasn't going to happen. I was going to enter him in halter too, so I asked my teacher to help me fix it.
What she did was, she put a flat nylon halter on him and used a leadrope with a chain over his nose. (You could also run it under.) I walked him around, then I pulled forward, cued him verbally to go, and started jogging. She was behind me with a whip, tapping him when he needed to go faster. It wasn't long before she just followed, and now he trots fine on his own, without the chain.
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Posted: Mon Jun 01, 2009 2:28 pm
I have one that will not join up when you lead him. If you try to tap him w/a dressage whip on the barrel or flank he will try to lunge around you. He kind of gets that you want him to move faster but he doesn't get that you simply want him shoulder to shoulder with you soooo
I use a rope halter and dressage whip - flick him with the whip, when he starts to trot out I actually let him get past me but I tap the ground next to me so he doesn't go in to lunge mode. Then I start to run with him. I do this over and over and over again on the short end of the ring, until he willingly joins up and we can trot/jog together. The presure points (knots) on the rope halter let me correct him with ease if he gets too stupid. It will take several more tries b/c his owner never does follow up and she doesn't pay me to work him every day. After 2-3 sessions though, I can tell he's starting to get it - and we always end on a good note.
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Posted: Wed Jun 03, 2009 9:44 pm
I'll second Nilou's suggestion of the dressage whip. It can be as light as a tickle with the lash or you can give a good flick if you want to be more emphatic.
Also, with horses that are slow or lazy to lead, remember that your energy affects their energy. Never drag a lazy horse, always stay at their ear, and think of pushing them forward, rather than dragging them behind you. Bring your energy up, liven your step, and a lot of times that will help get them a little more attentive. Doesn't always work, and you may need some more training to reinforce it, but that's the advice we usually give to volunteers when they're leading some of the "lazier" therapeutic riding horses.
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