Leading a horse who pulls away

[bertin12]

I've got a horse who is a bit of a ****** to lead. It's not all the time, but every now and then he will pull away when I'm bringing him in/ putting him out. He doesn't run, just walks in the other direction and he's 16.3 so obviously strong! He is led with a rope around his nose at the moment.

Anyone else have a horse like this? How do you deal with it?

 

[L&M]

My 5 yr old can be like this - most days he is fine, but can be spooky on occasions (especially in this darned wind) and can pull off and disappear at speed!

I now lead him out in a dually halter with a longer rope - if he does shoot off I have more control and manage to keep hold off him. You could use a bridle if no access to a control halter.

 

[Megibo]

Yep, tighten the headcollar and rope around her nose! When I feel her start to go I give it a hard pull and sharp elbow in her neck, pull her head to me so she can't set it. As if she does, she will then trot and canter off... nowadays though feeling the rope dig in is enough to stop her trying it on.

 

[ImmyS]

I would get a rope halter, a long rope and do some good groundwork sessions with him.

 

[Tobiano]

I now lead him out in a dually halter with a longer rope - if he does shoot off I have more control and manage to keep hold off him. You could use a bridle if no access to a control halter.

Ditto this. Also watch like a hawk and try and stop him BEFORE he starts to pull away - just when that muscle twitch happens that says he is thinking about it. Sounds tough to do but with practice you can get good at it.

 

[YorksG]

I can recomend a good old fashioned rope halter, a slightly more modern style has metal rings, works well, along with ensuring that you stay at the horses shoulder, with the head turned slightly towards you. If you still have problems, hold a schooling whip at the horses nose height, works as a barrier.

 

[JillA]

You need a long rope - minimum 12ft - so that you can still keep hold. When he realises he has put all that effort in and achieved nothing he will be less likely to do it. 12ft, or 22ft if you can - if you can handle it without getting it wrapped around your hand a lunge rein will do just to teach him.

 

[sueonmull]

Try a lidstone coupling, just fits onto the halter, very cheap and easy to use. Can be left on the halter and has worked for me. I just put into Google search and found one on amazon.

 

[Fides]

I have one of these for my stallion and late gelded boy

 

[tinap]

I have one of these for my stallion and late gelded boy

That's what I used too for our little cob that was very strong & a sod to lead at times! I used it with a lunge line to be sure I had enough to keep hold of him but he soon learned not to pull at all with that Headcollar on. I could almost always tell when he was going to be a problem so I just popped that one on in case & he knew not to knob about x

 

[Fides]

That's what I used too for our little cob that was very strong & a sod to lead at times! I used it with a lunge line to be sure I had enough to keep hold of him but he soon learned not to pull at all with that Headcollar on. I could almost always tell when he was going to be a problem so I just popped that one on in case & he knew not to knob about x

Ha ha - they do work don't they?? Now a bad price either - I paid £15 for mine and the poll and nose part are nice and padded

 

[tinap]

That was a bargain, I'm sure mine was about £30! Money well spent though, he learned to respect it very quickly

 

[kassieg]

I use a dually & I works great my mare sometimes locks her neck & tows & she has no chance in this. .. great for loading to

It came in handy last night when I was walking her in the bad weather! Shes not a happy bunny atm

 

[TheresaW]

My 5 year old has a bad habit of pulling away and tanking off. Someone leant me a be nice, which was useless and he got away several times. A couple of months ago, was getting him in one night, and as we went through the gate at the top of the track, he went, and went straight into the road. Luckily no harm was done, but it frightened the **** out of me. From then on, I went into the chiffney which I do use on my big lad. Although I can hold him in the chiffney, he has no respect for it (unlike the big lad), and was constantly pulling. I didn't want to damage his mouth, and so I asked the advice of someone at the yard. She leant me her rope halter, and showed me how to use it. He did get away from her the first time, so he was taken all the way back to the field, made to do lots of halts, back ups etc on the way in. Have been using it ever since. Started off with a long line, but now use just a lead rope with it.

It is working so well, that a massive spook coming in from the field last night resulted in him coming down on my foot, and not taking off at 300 mph.

 

[Ruth17]

I've got a horse who is a bit of a ****** to lead. It's not all the time, but every now and then he will pull away when I'm bringing him in/ putting him out. He doesn't run, just walks in the other direction and he's 16.3 so obviously strong! He is led with a rope around his nose at the moment.

Anyone else have a horse like this? How do you deal with it?

Dually all the way. Buy it with the dvd so you know what to do

 

[Turks]

Cheap easy option is a lead-rope with a chain on it. Our saddlery had one. Its great. V quickly got to stage where last argy-bargy didn't even try! Used on other rude ones loading and works wonders. Never marked the nose at all so I don't think its cruel if used correctly. Only cost fiver or so.

 

[ImmyS]

All the suggestions of chains around the nose are frustrating me - it may be a quick fix but do you really want a horse that doesn't pull away from you simply because it's painful to do so? If the horse is pulling away there is a fundamentally gap in his groundwork education. A simple rope halter and 22ft rope will not be expensive and is a great tool. Good groundwork sessions are key to having control on the ground in all situations, without the need of force which is painful for the horse.

 

[Silmarillion]

A Dually, a long rope, good groundwork and learning to stop him before he goes. As soon as he's ahead of his handler, there's no stopping him. My mum and I had training with Sarah Weston (Google her - amazing lady) on how to use the Dually and how to get him to want to stay with us rather than run away - he only runs away when he's scared, which unfortunately is most of the time! He's now formed a very strong bond with my mum and trusts her enough to stay with her for protection, rather than run away and fend for himself.

The real key is distraction, catching him before he decides to run!

 

[tallyho!]

I think you all need to work on trust. All these chains and harsh headgear is not because the horse is at fault, it's because you haven't laid the foundations.

I have been at fault too with harsh leading practices and regret every moment of it. Lying in bed feeling guilty and ashamed, led me to realise that my horse didn't trust me, I wasn't someone she could depend on to LEAD!

The next day I approached her without any expectation of the rushing behaviour, the pulling etc. I just "expected" her to do as I wanted. Gently. Really gently. I didn't talk as I did the previous day, I just acted on my thoughts. To my absolute surprise, she did everything... She backed up, she didn't nibble. Then when leading, I led out in front purposely (I do this anyway as I think leading at the shoulder gives you the handicap) and where she usually drags or pulls or even rushes past, she stayed back and just followed on a soft lead rein. I asked her to stop just by facing her and I couldn't believe the difference.

People at my yard think I don't lead her properly as she follows behind and they lead at the side. I am sure that will come for us but for now, it's nice having a horse that will follow your every move like a loyal dog and not have to resort to chains and ropes.

You can do this too, there's no need to hurt your horse in order to be the boss. Doesn't matter size or breed, they are simple creatures really and we would do well to try to understand the behaviour rather than to control it with pain. I hope you find something that works for you OP and what you feel is the right thing to do.

 

[Pearlsasinger]

I am going against the grain here. I wouldn't use a long line of any kind, imo that just gives the horse an added advantage if he does get away from you, he can fly round and round if he so desires, could even jump over something, which is a recipe for disaster. You need to have control of the head. This means you have to be aware all the time of what the horse is thinking and be ready almost before he is, to nip any silliness/
disobedience in the bud. I prefer to lead challenging horses from the shoulder, with the head turned slightly towards the leader, so if it does get a bit quick, it has to turn in rather than away. I have led horses which might go up with a hand down the back of the halter noseband, which puts a bit of extra pressure on the nose and means that the horse has to lift you to get away - and anyway then he will take you with him. It can help to 'ride' the shoulder. I agree with tallyho! that at least half the battle is the handler's attitude. If you expect trouble, you will probably get it, if you expect the horse to behave, it is more likely to do so.

 

[rachyblue]

I've used all the methods suggested at various times
When I bought my youngster he wasn't very well handled and I used a Dually to stop him rearing when he didn't get his own way.
When he was a bit more settled I moved onto a halter to teach the finesse, which it was great for.
Most of the time now he just wears a regular headcollar, but if he is really wound up the halter isn't enough to hold him (usually if he panics he isn't doing it for the sake of it), he is a big strong horse now.
If he is that wound up I have a chain lead rope I use over his nose. I don't have to pull it, he knows what it is, and it's usually enough to focus him again, and I know I can stop him if he does try it on. I know we're safe which has to count for something!

 

[kerrieberry2]

I'd recommend a dually over a rope halter, only because the rope halter I had caused my 2yr old to become a rearer! my physio made me stop using it and he was very sore on the poll! He never rearer before I started using one, so feel terrible for ever swapping from a standard head collar! the joys of listening to other people!!

 

[tallyho!]

I do believe its a confidence thing more than anything.

If you find confidence in a chain, a dually, a rope halter then keep going as safety is first and foremost for both horse and handler.

I have always found myself questioning various methods in anything I do. I've seen things done very differently everywhere I go but one thing stands out always and that is the attitude of the handler... a friend of mine who is quite tiny exudes self confidence and I have seen her handle colts and fillies with absolute ease. She doesn't take any crap but is so so gentle and FAIR. She doesn't mete out punishment, all I see her do is give out pats and "good girls". She's proper old fashioned but doesn't use any gadgets, just a normal lead rope and headcollars. She is a dealer, and all her horses are produced beautifully. She doesn't have any special techniques... she just says " all I want is for them to move when I move and stop when I stop" and I think she achieves it just by thinking it! I can't see what else she actually does. It must just be body language. She seems to exude authority and the horses just kind of go "ok, yeah, you're the boss".

It shouldn't be a battle. If you run into trouble, get someone to help you, don't suffer in silence and don't harm your horse. After all, aren't they your pride and joy? Your baby?

 

[sueonmull]

Why I like the lidstone coupling is because there are no chains or any skill needed to use it, it would be very difficult to hurt the horse even if a novice was leading it. Have found it to be simple but effective.

 

[SarahWeston]

One thing you could think about is having your hand palm downwards on the lead rein when you lead. We were all taught to have our hand with the palm to the left with the horse like a balloon on a stick. If you then build in a 'smile in the line' the horse has plenty of room to move his head a bit but if he starts to leave your hand will automatically clamp so that you can resist him. Walking the opposite way to the one in which he is trying to take you works well as it means you will us your stomach muscles as well as your arm muscles. I like to lead with the horse at my shoulder so that I can see what he is doing but am not putting him in the leadership position (and in fact making him uncomfortable because he is crooked).

 

[tallyho!]

I like that Sarahweston! Using the horses natural instincts there. I too have used the "let's go the other way then" trick and it does eventually work!