Lead Your Horse Effectively
Become a Leader for Your Horse Using Clear Signals BY WARREN WECHSLER Do you remember the childhood game of follow the leader? Simplystated, you stayed in the game by obeying the directions given by the leader.And do you know what? Horses greatly enjoy playing follow the leader. By nature,horses are herd bound, foraging, prey animals, Once we learn what this meansand how to interpret it, we can be the leader that horses want to follow. Andboth the horse and the human will enjoy this relationship in new ways. In the wild, horses move in large herds over great expanses of territoryin search of food and water. There’s strength in numbers, offeringprotection from predators that are never too far away. Imagine the problemif a herd without leadership was threatened by a mountain lion or packof wild dogs. Instead of taking direction from a leader and moving offas a group in one direction, horses would scatter and become isolated.In the ensuing chaos, the unfortunate horse that found himself alone wouldgreatly increase his chance of perishing. When effective leadership exists, there is a greater chance for the entireherd to survive daily threats from predators. Horses instinctively seekout and want to follow a leader. It’s literally a matter of lifeand death. The leaders of the herd are wise, older mares who have experiencedmany challenges. They know when to stop grazing and flee post haste, andthey know when a false alarm is sounded and the herd should stay put. Withouta leader, each individual would be forced to remain on full alert all thetime and many in the herd would die from exhaustion and anxiety. The horses in our pastures are no different from wild horses. Our horsesare ready to flee at the first sign of trouble, and it’s up to usto reassure them that many scary situations are really okay. Horses thatare emotionally stable and have confidence in their leader won’tgallop off when they feel threatened by every plastic bag blowing by (it’sgoing to eat me!), every saddle pad being placed on their back (it’sgoing to leap onto me!) or any new situation (this is bad, I just knowit!). My leadership role becomes clearer to me each day as I work with Chance,the least experienced of my horses. I’ve spent a great deal of timelearning to work horses from the ground (as opposed to being in thesaddle) on what is called “halter training.” This involvesworking with the horse with a simple knotted-rope halter attached to atwelve-foot lead rope. By using body language to establish my space anddominant position, offering physical cues with the rope to let the horseknow what I want, and using very little if any verbal communication (constantchatter can be a major distraction to them), I lead the horse from onesimple success to the next. From moving left and then right around me ina circle, to moving hindquarters away from me as I ask the horse to stop,to backing up, the horse gains confidence in me as a leader. When I began this process with Chance, a spirited horse without haltertraining, he was wary of the situation and ready to flee. His neck wasstiff, his eyes wide open, and his back seemed to rise up from the stressand the emotional strain. I practiced being an effective, trusted leader. With calm, slow movements,I gave Chance explicit cues and every opportunity to make good decisions.When we began, Chance seemed to be standing in quickly drying concreteand would not move. After cuing him to walk, lifting my leading left hand,and moving it to the left as I walked towards his shoulder, he slowly beganto move his feet. I intently focused on Chance, his physical reactions and his emotionalstate, as I practiced being a fair and firm leader. The most amazing senseof communication developed between us as Chance quieted and began to enjoythe guidance that I offered him. His head dropped slightly as his neckrelaxed. He moved in a comfortable circle around me, his inside ear turnedin my direction, his inside eye softly focused, and his whole body settlinginto the ground and the exercise. When I stopped moving my feet and droppedthe rope to my side—the cues to slow down and stop—he executeda perfect stop, turned his hindquarters away from me (a sign of respectfor the leader), and licked his lips (the classic cue that says, “I’mgetting it and I really like it”). In less than 15 minutes, Chance had acknowledged me—the city kidand novice horseman—as his leader. I had earned his respect by actinglike a leader, encouraging him to follow in clear, simple language thathe understood, and by giving him every opportunity to be a successful follower.I think I’m going to like this game!
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