Lead rope training

First off, make sure you aren’t using a web/nylon halter when teaching ground manners. Use a rope halter! They aren’t all that hard to tie, and a horse is a lot more likely to not try to drag you around if they are wearing a rope halter.

Is he acting out because you are taking him away from his buddy? Being “buddy sour” is a type of spoiled and should be dealt with as such.

If he truly is acting out because he is afraid, there are two things that you need to work on 1.) desensitizing him to the things in the barnyard and 2.) building the horse’s trust in your leadership skills.

What is the specific behavior that he is exhibiting? That is, what does he do that makes you think that he is afraid in the barnyard? Trying to drag you? Bumping into you? Refusing to stand still?

I agree with George, and the round pen methods which work outstandingly. Can also put a rope under the tail like a britchen then cross it over the withers and bring it through the loop onthe halter. Pull a small amount of pressure on the halter lead, if the horse doesn’t move keep the pressure on, and pull a small amount of pressure to the rope britchen. Immediately if/as soon as the horse comes forward, release the halter pressure and start walking. The lack of pressure on the halter is a “reward” for the horse.
Like George says, keep something to casually bonk the horse on the head if they surge ahead of you.
Bribing them with sweet feed:D to come ahead also works excellent

Just a word about rope halters. I have used them extensively, having been through all three of Pat Parelli’s ‘levels’. That said, I don’t use them as much as I used to. I bring this up as it may have some bearing on your choice of tack, Tim. I find that rope halters have too much ‘bite’ for a really sensitive horse. When you have to get firm with them, they get too much energy from the halter, which can be a distraction to them. Worst case scenario they become dull or anxious about the amount of pressure. I like my horses sensitive, so I try to choose tools that suit the situation. In the case George describes, of a horse that is pushing and pulling on the lead, a rope halter can really help you make an impression on that horse quickly. This is about the only instance I use a rope halter for training purposes nowadays (except for maybe during the first few rides on a young horse before they are ready for a bridle). Once the horse gets the idea that you intend for them to follow the feel of the rope and your direction, and they comply, you probably want to consider the horse’s overall comfort and fit them with a leather or nylon halter.

My favorite exercises for teaching a horse to lead…

For the horse that walks ahead of me, I continue to walk straight but angle toward their haunches and force them to yield their hindquarters away form me. As I keep walking the horse is now on my other side but now behind me. Repeat as often as necessary. It won’t take long for the horse to realize he can conserve some energy by simply walking behind or next to me. This exercise is also good for a horse that is flighty and anxious. It allows them to move their feet but teaches them to yield to the halter pressure in the turns.

For the horse that lags behind, I use George’s technique and tap the horse with a stick behind his shoulder using my outside hand.

Carl is right though, no matter if your horse is fearful or just playng around, you need to figure out how to get him to focus on you. Be consistent, be reliable, get firm when you have to and be sure to relax when you get a good try from your horse. Let us know how it goes.

@grey 16310 wrote:

I would not recommend using a rope halter under a bridle. Use a flat web or leather halter for that.

If you are referring to my young horse comment….that’s a good clarification. I meant I tend to ride young horses with a halter and single rein (ie. no bridle) for the first few rides.

Just to add a couple of thoughts.

I like a rope halter for certain initial training steps. Having said that, I agree with Jenn, Carl, and others, that it is not the particular piece of tack you choose but your ability to use it to gain and maintain the animals attention. Preferable with as low of an energy level as needed. Introduce new ideas as fast as the animal is ready, but all ways work slowly enough to keep the animal calm and relaxed.

George you mentioned round pens, and I agree they can be very useful. Like a rope halter they are not the be all and end all. We should distinguish their use into two different groups. The first use of a round pen is to gain the attention of an animal that is NOT paying attention to you. A round pen is not the only way to get the attention of this horse but it is a basic and effective one if you know how to use it. The point is you apply pressure to the animal and use the pen to push against and make them go forward. A round pen with two wires is not ideal for this initial training. Some of these animals will take a fair amount of pressure before you get the response you are looking for and the wires are not enough to push against. A solid round pen is prefered for this step in the training.

Part two. Having said that, I use use a single stand of wire as a round pen for lots of kinds of training. This is for animals that I have no problem getting their attention, but want to use a loose training method (the animal is free – not tied or attached or tethered) for further education. The wire makes it so they won’t walk away if I turn my back or let them take a break. I am a big fan of loose training to move on command, stop on command, harnessing, bridling, working on feet. I feel that their freedom develops some responsibility on their part for what they are learning and accepting. The trainer learns to use their skills and personality! to keep the animals attention rather than any tool. Many of these things can also be done loose in the yard with a lead rope. Even though your hand is not constantly on the lead rope it provides you with the ability to prevent them from walking away, and while it rests on their neck it reminds them that they are “with you”.

The chain over the nose is an effective tool to correct an unacceptable behavior, just be aware that there is a difference between causing discomfort to stop a behavior and getting the horses attention so that he follows you without demonstrating the bad behavior.

It is good to be able to show the horse that a certain behavior will not work to their advantage, but the tendency is to become dependent on the chain (both human and horse), and not on the improved focus. Most of the exercises mentioned by folks were directed at gaining the focused attention of the horse, which should eventually preclude the need for the chain over the nose.

Tools are there to be used, and we all have a lot of tools, many of us using different ones. I only mention this because the way in which you eluded to the use of this tool seemed to be focused more on stopping the behavior than working on gaining trust and focus. Ideally it should be a combination.

Carl

A little clarification on my late-night post. Try to see the difference between a conditioned response, and the response of a horse that is looking to you for guidance.

The chain will create the conditions for the horse to stop the undesirable behavior, and he will learn not to do it, but it will not necessarily replace that behavior with increased focus on your leadership. This is the “subtly” part that Donn referred to.

We all use some mechanism, round pen, lead rope, or even chain to restrain the horse within acceptable parameters (physical and behavioral), but the mechanism can also become the limiting factor that encompasses a conditional response. In other words a horse can become comfortable with the parameters, but as soon as they change it will need new ones established, allowing for that “oh no this is all new to me, I’m scared” act.

When your intent is to develop leadership, it transcends all new encounters and environmental changes. This horse may have already had a lot of schooling in conditioned response, and he may be asking you to establish new parameters. This can become exhausting, and unpredictable.

If you go back to establishing a trust/leadership/focused attention relationship, those parameters will dissolve into the background, and it won’t matter what the stimulus is, you will just need to reaffirm your leadership, and he should follow you through the jungle.

Carl