Ride and lead help

[throwaway2022]

What’s the secret?! Tried for the first time last night and it wasn’t great, I’m riding a forward 12.2 and had my daughter on her lazy 11.2. She hasn’t rode for ages and was feeling a bit nervous which didn’t help but she really struggled to get him up alongside me, he just wants to follow behind pony trek style.

I’m really wanting to work towards hacking out with the pair of them (with or without my daughter on hers) but after our first try, I’m struggling to see it happening Any tips or advice would be greatly appreciated please? Lazy pony is pretty good with voice commands but is constantly lagging behind/dropping back regardless.

 

[Starzaan]

I was interviewed for Your Horse magazine on just this subject. Give me a min and I’ll pm you the article if you like? Full of tips for learning how to ride and lead well

 

[nagblagger]

Please can you pm me the link, or put it up here? Thank you.

 

[throwaway2022]

I was interviewed for Your Horse magazine on just this subject. Give me a min and I’ll pm you the article if you like? Full of tips for learning how to ride and lead well

Oh yes please, that would be fantastic, thank you! I’ve done it previously with a shetland off my Highland and it just happened to work well from the off, I naively expected that to happen this time too

 

[Starzaan]

Hopefully this is useful for people

 

[nagblagger]

Brilliant, thank you.

 

[Roxylola]

It's much easier to ride the lazy one and lead the forward one but obviously awkward if the pony is too small for you

 

[SilverLinings]

It would probably be easier for you to work on improving the ride-and-lead situation/the led horse's pace by going out a few times without your daughter on the led horse. This will enable you to concentrate just on improving the horse, and you trying to gee up the pony won't unsettle your daughter. I hope the horses quickly get the hang of it for you, ride-and-lead is an incredibly useful thing to be able to do (with or without a child rider), particularly in winter when there is less daylight to ride in and you have two horses to exercise. I imagine that it would also be a lot easier and nicer for you (when the ponies get the hang of it!) than walking on foot with your daughter when she rides

 

[little_critter]

It's much easier to ride the lazy one and lead the forward one but obviously awkward if the pony is too small for you

How do you deal with the more forward one getting ahead of the slower ridden one? I sometime ride and lead out my retired pony. She’s a competitive bugger and likes to have her nose in front so I constantly feel that she’s pulling me forward out of position.

 

[Roxylola]

How do you deal with the more forward one getting ahead of the slower ridden one? I sometime ride and lead out my retired pony. She’s a competitive bugger and likes to have her nose in front so I constantly feel that she’s pulling me forward out of position.

Honestly it's never been an issue I've had, it's much easier to kick on the ridden lazy one than chase the led one. I generally lead off a bridle and they just seem to hang at my knee.
I wonder about target training as a solution though - like you'd do with a clicker

 

[maya2008]

1) use one of a set of long reins or two lead ropes clipped end to end until the pony is very good at it, so if there is a sudden parting of ways, you can let out the line and don’t have to choose between dropping the pony or being pulled off yours.
2) Practise with pony without child on board, in an arena or enclosed space, first, in all paces until they have got it.
3) (Ideally - Have a person come behind you to whoosh on the lagging led pony in time with a voice command from you. Do this until pony is good with voice commands.) Then move on to you using a dressage whip to tap on bottom of pony to move it on as needed if not responding to voice. This bit is a process, but once you’ve got it sorted then you are basically good to go! I do this in all paces in field/school then out hacking before child goes on board.

It takes a couple of weeks to get a reliable experience - but I am usually starting with unbacked babies so could be quicker for you!

 

[Tarragon]

I loved riding and leading. With my old two ponies we went for miles and I would even jump a log together. It was just fun and a great way to get two exercised.
Agree with the others though that it is easier to ride a lazy one forward than to generate energy in the one that is led.
Also agree that using a long line is a good tip as it means that you are still likely to be together after something unforeseen, e.g. led pony suddenly stopping for a poo!
It helps if the led pony likes eating, as if you do lose contact, they tend to just stop and eat and you can go back and pick them up.
But I used to have to ride down the middle of the lanes in high summer as I was incapable of pulling up two pony heads from chest high verge grass

 

[Goldenstar]

Sometimes a third person is needed until they get the idea .
We ride and lead a lot it’s got a lot of benefits .