Ride and lead??

RubysGold

RubysGold

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Does anyone ever do ride and lead? Do you go on roads ?

My two are very good calm horses, they are led everywhere together, in and out of the field daily and if no turnout I take them in hand grazing together. So there should be no arguments amongst them.

I am considering doing ride and lead this winter, it would be on days when they cant be turned out so they could stretch their legs as there isn't enough daylight in a day to ride both so i tend to ride neither as i feel mean on the other.

we have a housing estate directly opposite our yard which always has lots of horses riding through it, its pretty quiet. Would you do it?? I have considered it in the past but never been quite brave enough, but if I do it I will get mum to follow me on foot or in car the first few times until I feel confident.

just as an add on, I have been taught how to do ride and lead and have done it a few times in the past but only at the yard
 
I used to a lot at home, I don't really need to any more.

If you are confident the roads are quiet enough and you know how to ride and lead then I would. The only risk I have ever seen with riding & leading is every other road user going - I wouldn't risk it on anything busier than a very quiet road.
 
Not only can you ride and lead, you can ride and long rein.

That said, I probably wouldn't ride around a housing estate; I think you risk irritating the people living there which can create friction for other horse users in the area.

Is there any possibility of boxing up and going to an arena/ safe off road hacking.
 
The roads are really quiet, and because there are so many horses, a lot of people are very good with slowing down. I ride defensively in that if there is a parked car I give way to other cars so theyre not tempted to race me or squeeze through. And neither horse is likely to spook :)
 
Bakewell i have never heard of ride and long rein, I refuses point blank to long rein off the yard when i was teaching my youngster. We long reined on grass at the yard and he was lead out in hand before backing. I definitely aren't confident with that

I cant box often because dad works a lot :( I cant tow legally.
 
Ride and lead is useful if the horses work well together but the comment that you wont ride one if you cannot ride both as it is unfair is not very logical, the horse getting ridden will benefit, the other, while it should not be left stood in with no exercise, really should not care if it does not go out, if you only have time for one then ride one, the benefit for that one outweighs the other feeling left out.
 
I ride and lead all the time. If they get on well then why not? Always have bridle on lead horse and I use a coupling and extra long lead rein attached to that. Give you a bit more in case you have to go single file (as I do on narrow bits of bridleway only). Mine are actually happier together and a lot better behaved! :)
 
I used to do it all the time off my old horse, or leading my J from Fergs. Used to do 15 mile hacks on roads and tracks, including crossing a big, fast road and all sorts. J was saintly so never any bother, and Fergs was much better in company. Not done much with F&D though - I trust them a little less together!
 
RubysGold said:
The roads are really quiet, and because there are so many horses, a lot of people are very good with slowing down. I ride defensively in that if there is a parked car I give way to other cars so theyre not tempted to race me or squeeze through. And neither horse is likely to spook :)
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My point was more that increasingly we (horse riders) are having difficulties on the road with drivers being frustrated with us/ thinking we have no right to be on the road. Were I not so au fait with horses, the idea of them possibly causing damage to my parked car, leaving muck outside my house etc might not make me feel any better towards them. I try to avoid anything that could cause a negative impression if I can.
As you say, you know the area better and I can only give you my opinion based on the information you've given.

RubysGold said:
Bakewell i have never heard of ride and long rein, I refuses point blank to long rein off the yard when i was teaching my youngster. We long reined on grass at the yard and he was lead out in hand before backing. I definitely aren't confident with that

I cant box often because dad works a lot :( I cant tow legally.
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It's not a common thing, long reining from a horse, but it's a skill worth learning imo.
Understand if you're not confident but as another poster said, sometimes you need to go single file, obviously a bridle gives more control, and two reins even more control. It is perhaps a more advanced thing, and my horses are broken to harness so somewhat different. The long reined horse is in front (obviously) with a lunging/ training roller, and you ride the horse behind, holding the reins as you might a double bridle to give finer control.
Not something I would necessarily do on the road but I do have the set up on ready to swap to it if we get to a bridleway/ farm ride and it's quiet.

It might be worth using some of these rubbish dark evenings working towards taking a trailer test. It opens up so many possibilities and you'd be set for spring and summer.
 
Hetsmum said:
I ride and lead all the time. If they get on well then why not? Always have bridle on lead horse and I use a coupling and extra long lead rein attached to that. Give you a bit more in case you have to go single file (as I do on narrow bits of bridleway only). Mine are actually happier together and a lot better behaved! :)
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This - I always wear gloves as well. Have had a few moments when led horse just stops to do a poo and refuses to move its amazing how quick the lead rein disappears. The most important thing I have found is to make sure both horses are good at standing still without swinging around as I generally have to find a place to pull in to if a car comes.
 
Yes I ride and lead :) I ride the most experienced one who I know won't spook/ stop/ arse around and lead the 5 yo. Here we are last winter. I put her bridle on and threaded an extra long rope through. Worked really well.

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When I took this photo I noticed Nelly had a dorsal stripe! Can't believe I hadn't seen it before..... I do groom her occasionally. Promise :o
 
Hetsmum said:
I ride and lead all the time. If they get on well then why not? Always have bridle on lead horse and I use a coupling and extra long lead rein attached to that. Give you a bit more in case you have to go single file (as I do on narrow bits of bridleway only). Mine are actually happier together and a lot better behaved! :)
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And put a knot in the end of the lead rope to act as a stop if it gets pulled through your hand
 
I've done ride and lead riding my older horse who found it exciting and walked out much faster than normal, made a change to slow him down instead of pushing on! Drivers seemed to be more considerate passing wider and slower.
 
I ride and lead often. My main riding horse will pony absolutely anything and the led horse picks it up quickly that it has to keep up at the same gait as the riding horse. Our lanes are very quiet around here and I do go on them to get the youngsters used to traffic but in a safe situation. I don't really have any need to go on roads though as we are slap bang in the middle of a huge network of trails so I generally only go on the trails to begin with and then work up to taking the led horse out on the lanes.
 
I used to go out for up to 3 hours like this, when I was a teen and getting a few fit for hunting. We would do a lot of road work, but also go off road and go cantering etc.

I have never had anything but smiles from members of the public, al except for one child one day on a housing estate who squealed "Its not FAIR, she has got two horses, and I can't have one, and she is not even RIDING both of them"!!!

More recently I used ride and lead when transitioning my last horse to barefoot. It was a nice transnational step to be doing road work without my extra weight.

I do usually use a bit/headstall with a coupling and a long 12ft rope. On this video though I am in a controller halter, but still with a 12ft rope.

[video=youtube;GRt5qPzZ4X8]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GRt5qPzZ4X8[/video]

I would make sure we were sett;ed on the school and yard before going out on the road, then go enjoy.
 
I have regulary done ride and lead for years, it is was a great way of keeping my daughter ponies fit when she was younger and they were to small for me to ride and later on with dark nights, good way of exercising two at once with limited time.
Also as others have said, often the horses are calmer together than hacking alone. we do roads , tracks and fields, most places in fact. but I always used a bridle though and long lead rein, had a few mishaps over the years when lead horse stops suddenly !!
Pony been sold now and i quite miss hacking out and leading another now :-)
 
I'm another who has done ride and lead, when my OH had an operation a couple of summers ago and wasn't allowed to ride for a while.

I rode my lad as usual, and took my OH's mare out with us, it worked well, with the mare enjoying the exercise and with my lad really stepping up to the mark and behaving superbly.

We rode with the mare in a headcollar, just using a lead rope and she was fine.
 
If your roads are wide enough and quiet enough and the horses are used to each other, then go for it. Unfortunately the roads around me are too narrow and busy and the horses would be a nightmare. A is better in traffic so I'd have to ride him and lead M on the inside, but that would leave M's head in the perfect place to bite and generally terrorise A!

PS - your yard looks lovely Red-1, and - genuine question - why do you dismount with your foot still in the stirrup? I've not seen that before.
 
Thanks for all these replies. Its not something you ever really see so its great to hear that people do do it.
we have miles and miles of offroad hacking but there are small swinging gates to get through. Both of mine are fantastic at going through them but they do swing back fast. And the first bridle path is quite narrow.

my mare is a 20 year old with leg problems (vet has operated/treated etc, and we are allowed to hack) but it means that I only want to be able to walk out for half an hour or so at a time, possibly one day they could have a trot but its not important
 
Another one of the "Mums keeping ponies fit". Especially in the winter when it is dark after school I take the pony out on hacks with me. Having a youngster now I will give it a go with him too once my old one is back sound.

Best advice: Gloves!!! Had some lovely rope burn once when pony decided to stop dead.
 
I really need to give this a go as little welshie needs the exercise. Couple of questions for the pro's amongst you:
Pony is only a youngster and not yet bitted. I have a rope style headcollar - would that do or should I bit and bridle?
Also I would be leading an 11hh pony off a 15.3hh horse, will the size difference cause any issues?
Said pony is very quiet but the big fella does pick on him a bit in the field, does field nipping/playing calm down when they are hacked out together?
 
Interesting thread - I'm planning to do this and am going to give it a go in the school this weekend. My mare would benefit from more roadwork than she is doing currently so thinking if I can drag her along with me when I ride my other one then will be really useful.
 
It's a very useful skill. Many years ago I learned to do it for my Pony Club H test, where the led horse was in a double bridle and tied up so you had to organise reins etc and mount the ridden horse at right angles to the led horse, do a turn on the forehand then ride away. I then worked on a yard with a lot of hunters and we rode and led to get them fit on roads and fields. I think having someone with you the first couple of times would be sensible.
 
I used to do it a lot. Long lead rope, gloves, led from a rope halter. Hi Viz, pref on both horses. I also used to take a single turn round the horn of my (western) saddle, not tied but enough to keep the strain of the rope/my hand and arm and shoulder if led horse stopped for any reason.
 
buddylove said:
Pony is only a youngster and not yet bitted. I have a rope style headcollar - would that do or should I bit and bridle?
Also I would be leading an 11hh pony off a 15.3hh horse, will the size difference cause any issues?
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I bit them lightly in-hand before ponying out; just a few times to get them used to wearing one. When I pony the youngsters out I always put them in a bridle but lead from a regular leather headcollar; that way if there is any problems down the line I can switch the lead onto the bit rings if I have to.

It's always easier leading a small horse from the larger one so you should be just fine.
 
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