How to stop naughty mare from running away!

To add the the above advice about groundwork, I think you need to get someone out to help with your groundwork. You can practice groundwork until the cows come home but it may not be much use if you are not practicing the right thing. My boy is like a tank and he has learnt with a previous owner that he can just piss off when being led. I took him to a horse agility day and got a lot of help with groundwork from the instructor there, she taught me that instead of being towed by him I could just take a step to the side (away from him) and that put me in a much stronger position as I could then send him around me in a circle much as I would when lunging. This has made a huge difference.
 
There is a lot of good advice on this thread, my cob tanked off with me, on the ground, as a youngster, basically because he could. I was advised to use a newmarket chain over his nose (in the days before duallys/be nice.) It certainly sorted him out in no time at all. It is a very dangerous situation esp if like me, you were taught not to ever let go. He once dragged a 10 year old child around a field face down, she was afraid i would be upset if she let go and could not hear me shouting let go. When it came to teaching my totally un-handled gypsy cob I got in the local IH rep, Suzanne Halsey. She helped me to halter break him and also showed me ow to use his own weight against him and as he planted as well as buggered off, taught me how to move his feet.
 
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