Ride and Lead.... a how to?

S

SonnysHumanSlave

Well-Known Member
Joined
31 December 2005
Messages
7,172
Location
Suffolk!
Visit site
well due to my move and loss of arena i need to school as i hack now, and basically im going to have to learn, and teach my ponies to ride and lead.

i cannot force my 5yo daughter to walk round the block with me again while i hack teddi, so ideally i'd like to be able to ride teddi, and have snowflake on tow (once improved with 5yo on top!)

So couple questions:

What side should i tow on?
Should i tow using reins over head, or leave twisted up into throat lash, and attach a lead rope to bit or nose band??

And are there any other points i need to know of before attempting this, so that i know before i start.

I think they'll both be fine with my idea or towing, and it'll cut my times down for exercise in the long run.

Thanks
 
You lead so pony is on your left, so on the inside. I always use a leadrope and tie the reins up....a long leadrope is best.
Ive always found all of mine have taken to it pretty well, you just have to make sure they understand to keep up and catch up when they are asked to. is there somewhere of a road you can practice first?
 
i do this quite alot i have my little sister on my left hand side so that she is on the inside what i done is i went and bought a wee show clip thing that clips on either side of the bit and got one of the lead ropes that can go through your fingers similar to a leather dog lead as i found it easier to hold, however it depends how competent the rider is my wee sister is quite good just not confident on her own but on the way home she carries the lead so she is on her own but she doesnt grasp the context as shes 5 but she makes a fabb we companion for taz who is only 5 so we get the best of both worlds get to hack for miles without mum having to run the whole way
smile.gif
 
Towed pony should be on your left. Use a regular lead rope but fasten it to nearside bit ring, pass under chin through offside bit ring and then to hand. If daughter is riding then I would put headcollar over bridle instead.
 
Have the pony being led on the near side, so that you are between the pony and the traffic.

I'd personally always lead in a bridle, and either unclip the off side rein and feed the length of the rein through the off side bit ring and lead from here, or clip a lunge line to the near side bit ring, run it over the head and again through the off side bit ring.

Might also be an idea to take a schooling whip with you, so that if pony decides to have a 'go-slow' you can give them a tickle, rather than having to drag them along!
 
We ride and lead the hunters all the time.
We have lead bridles that don't have reins and put the lead rope through the right bit ring and clip it to the left side.
It is easier to ride the slower horse and lead the faster horse as you can kick the slower one on.
If you can practise round the field or yard first then you can get them used to it before you hit the roads.
 
unridden horse always on your left, and i prefer to have the reins over their head and clip a normal lead-rein to the end of the reins, and have this going over the front of my saddle and held under my right knee. if anything dramatic happens (1 horse shoots forward and the other doesn't, for e.g.) this gives you another 6' of play before you let go... since doing this, 1 haven't lost 1, even when both ran for it once in opp directions!
i use a parelli halter with the 15' long rope for riding and leading actually, it's perfect, no damage to their mouth if they go one way when ridden horse goes the other (does happen, however careful you are), loads of control, tons of rope if necessary.
if they're sluggish being led, a crafty toe to the ribs/where you'd apply your leg aid, usually works. also, teaching them to trot to catch up when you click is really helpful.
the best place to keep the led horse's head is at your knee or slightly ahead, no further ahead (can scoot forward and across front of ridden horse, resulting in a big tangle!) or behind (can tread on ridden horse and pull shoes off!)
 
I sometimes ride big one and lead sec A, always left side.
When I was working at the RS we used to hack horses to the other fields (up to 2-3 miles), riding one and leading 2 or 3!
Bloody stubborn ones too
mad.gif

Always the ones that kick.

Health and safety all the way!
 
excellent!!
Didnt manage to have a go yet, due to my friend wanting a hack yesterday so both got exercised, and today its been a nightmare.... so they can have a day off!

But tomorrow i'll ride them about in the field and try it out, and then the rest of the week it'll be practice for the weekend when i can take my daughter out on her pony at the same time, i think shes quite excited about it!

Have saved this topic to look on again!
smile.gif
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top