Tips on how to get a youngster to lead

[Twerd]

I have recently acquired a 19mth old Paint filly from a friend. She was bucket fed for the first 6mths of her life due to her mums milk drying up and therefore they never really bonded.
The filly was out in the field with lots of ponies and has never really had any hands on from humans.

I'm after any tips on how to get her to learn to lead. I have tried zig zagging her, keeping her feet moving etc but it's literally one step at a time.

Unusually she won't take treats from the hand so I can't use that as a reward.

I've got a 17mth old Dartmoor that I've had from 4 months and he was so easy to train, but what I did with his, doesn't work with my other youngster.

Any tips would be much appreciated.

Thanks

 

[chunky monkey]

Can you use a bucket to reward. Instead of feeding from the hand, every time the horse steps forward it gets a mouthful of food direct from the bucket.
The way I teach to eat from the hand. Once they are confident to eat from the bucket, I bury my hands under the food, then gradually bring my hands up till the animal thinks it's still eating from the bucket but in reality it's eating from my hand. To start with I bury both hands in the food so the horse eats from the two hands and smells less of my hand. As i go to put my hand back in for another handful the horse drops his head further in the bucket. Eventually they just become so food oriented that they just eat from the hand.

 

[Jessey]

Baby's normally learn to lead following mum so perhaps use one of her pasture buddies as a surrogate. Tbh it sounds more like you need to work on the all round baby human trust relationship before you'll make real headway leading her alone.

 

[Twerd]

Can you use a bucket to reward. Instead of feeding from the hand, every time the horse steps forward it gets a mouthful of food direct from the bucket.
The way I teach to eat from the hand. Once they are confident to eat from the bucket, I bury my hands under the food, then gradually bring my hands up till the animal thinks it's still eating from the bucket but in reality it's eating from my hand. To start with I bury both hands in the food so the horse eats from the two hands and smells less of my hand. As i go to put my hand back in for another handful the horse drops his head further in the bucket. Eventually they just become so food oriented that they just eat from the hand.

At the moment She is very grumpy around her food so that's something I need to work on too. I think because after she was bucket fed she didn't really have a lot of human interaction, it's made her very independent!

That's what I did with my other youngster, the hands in the feed bucket thing.

At the moment the filly hasn't got a clue about life at all, she lets me approach her in the field and she has had a brush but it's the leading I really need to work on so that everything else will be made a lot easier.

 

[carthorse]

I'd be inclined to get some professional help in because if these very early steps go wrong everything becomes harder. Hand reared horses can be different to deal with because their early interaction with people has been different. And I'd agree with @Jessey about using a field mate to train her.

 

[CharliesAngel]

I teach mine to lead with pressure and release and a rope halter. With real babies a 2nd rope round the bum is useful.

 

[domane]

I've always taught mine with the aid of a helper for the very early steps. Someone a safe distance behind, gently waving or moving something like a carrier bag. Enough to move the feet but not close or vigorously enough to really frighten them. Meanwhile, as leader, I would be praising wildly.

From there I would swap to a 12ft line, asking the youngster to walk 6ft to my side and slightly in front. With the remainder of the line I swing in vertical circles at the rump at every hesitation. To me this starts to teach the horse independence as it is essentially "up front" and taking the lead and not tucked in behind you, feeling safe and letting you be their leader in the big scary world. In my opinion, it is a marginally safer position to be in because youngsters inevitably spook and shoot forwards, with no care about running you down at their young age! Manners at times of panic come later when they have learned a tad more self-control, but youngsters have a very strong self-preservation instinct!! If you are leading at the shoulder you will have a few more nano seconds to register a leap sideways than if the horse shoots forward from behind you and runs you over before you've even noticed! Always wear a hat and gloves too....even a BP if you have one...horses are unpredictable and blank-canvas youngsters are opinionated and even worse!!