Leading Lessons?

[shandy84]

I have a NF filly who was wild two months ago she is comming on really well in every other respect she's had her feet trimmed wears rugs you can touch her anywhere and do pretty much anything you like to her she just pulls faces if she's not too keen.

The problem is she is damn obstinate when it comes to leading. She is massivly stronger than my two year old which is wierd but not a problem in itself, but she's a pain to catch but you can do it with a bribe, and I know how to work on that one myself as I've had that problem with my other youngster.

Basically she will let you clip her up but the slightest attempt at movement and she goes mad and throws herself back and carts off, then is a pain to catch-no carrots when she's been naughty though as I don't want to encourage her to think running off leads to a carrot. Basically how do I get her to accept that leadings not that frightening, she wnt have anything round her bottom like the books suggest for youngsters who wont go forward as she gets really panicked. I honestly think it's probably that she feels trapped when being led but what should I do to encourage her otherwise. Bear in mind she is typically a chestnut mare very firery and cheeky not nasty though.

Once she's away from you she seems to be happy again and seems to treat it as a game??

[Claire Louise]

if you lead her with a lunge line instead of a lead rope. That way she should learn that even when she panics and runs away you still acctually have her and don't have to catch her. I had a similar problem with a pony I was breaking for a friend, admitidly that was due to problems with enitial handling and when he realised he didn't get away he stopped trying, then to teach him to lead we had to get him following another horse for a few days, then only being led very short distances eg, stable to arena which was about 20ft then back, sticking to the same route every time so he knew where he was going. After a few weeks he calmed right down and basically started following whoever was leading him instead of having to be led. The best point was when he realised it was much nicer to be with the leader than away from them and fighting.

[shandy84]

Thanks for that, unfortunatly the lunge line would just get caught in all the bshes in the paddock and I don't have acess to a school. Sje is very good following my other filly who is very quiet but loses it when she's on her own

[virtuallyhorses]

So basically she's never learned to give in to pressure from the sounds of it. You can try two approaches

1) Use any of the 'NH' techniques to teach that 'near me = nice, away from me = uncomfortable'

2) Use the KFH technique of never applying pressure to lead, instead use a lunging whip\second person behind her to teach her to walk with you.

For this filly I personally would go with number 1 because it sounds like you don't have an area\helper to start with Klaus' leading version. Also you say that when she is away from you she is happy and that backs up the idea that she simply doesn't accept\trust you yet (perfectly reasonable considering you are so new to one another).

Check out any of the natural horsemanship websites about teaching a young horse to lead - try http://www.naturalhorsesupply.com/training.shtml

http://www.naturalhorsesupply.com/leading.shtml

[shandy84]

Thanks for that I will definitly give that a go. She is lovely it's just all so new as you picked up on, poor girl. She wasn't halter broken very sensitively either by her breeder, which although not devastating seems to make her take longer to trust you. Thanks again.