Riding and leading - how do you do it?

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DirectorFury

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Stupid post alert!

So Maddie is moving to the same yard as Molly on the weekend and is meant to be coming back into work when this happens (assuming my back improves - not likely). Mad is waaaaay too fat for her saddle at the moment and has been barefoot for the last 5 months (out of work since end of Jan) so I need to build up work slowly as I'd like to keep her barefoot. I won't have time to hack both during daylight hours unless I do ride and lead - so how do I do it?

I'm assuming the led horse wears a bridle and some hi-viz. We need to do a tiny bit of dead quiet road work (less than 100m) to get to the moor from the yard so what side do you have the led horse when on the road? The inside? How do you handle those god-awful sprung horse gates on hacks - get off? If you get off how the heck do you get back on while holding one?!
I'm going to practise in the school first but some idea where to start would be helpful.
Other alternative is to hack Molly and do in-hand walking and lunging with Maddie but I'd rather get her out walking on tarmac than doing endless circles in the school.
 
I lead on the left. Horses always in a bridle.

I don't have any gates so can't help with that. I either do all road work or when available I go into stubble fields.
 
Practice in the school is a good idea ;)

For me, the led horse is always on the near side of the ridden one. This correctly places it between the ridden horse and the hedge on the road.

For getting on at home, i stand the 2 side by side with a mounting block between them, lead rein held in left hand with the reins. Hop on and off we go :)

Getting on when out and about can be more tricky, I tend to put led horse on the other side and do a bit of rearranging when on but there are other methods, get on from the off side, for example.

My led horse wears a bridle with reins wrapped up in the throatlash and I lead with a 10 foot leadrope. I've been grateful for the extra reach before if something goes wrong but it's not so much to hold to make it unmanageable.
Plus hi vid stuff obv.

Can't help you with awful gates ;) my routes are fairly obstacle-free!
 
This was us doing ride and lead for the coloured horse, it shows the mounting and dismounting..


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


I did this daily for weeks, but I think this was our first time. With this horse I used a Be Nice halter and long rope, as he was already trained to this. With other horses I may use a bridle, but I would always use a long rope rather than reins, as there is more leeway if you have a mishap.

For a gate I would get off. I would also take a barrel or whatever to the gate in preparation. In my younger years I would get the hunters fit ride and lead, meant they all went out for 2 hours' good roadwork at all paces instead of an hour individually. In those days though I could mount from the floor!!!
 
As above.
I train mine to stand next to each other with the block in between, they each get a treat whilst I climb on and wait until I am ready. Getting back on out and about is more difficult as I use a verge/ handy stone etc but they're amenable when there's a treat involved!
I lead mine in a bridle with no reins and a coupled lead rein so I have control of both sides of the bit. The led horse is always on my left.
It works really well, the horses seem to enjoy it
 
I used to do an awful lot of ride and lead, my main tips would be to practice in the school lots with things like getting the horse being led happy to have it's head close to your hand and leg, make sure they are responsive when you ask them to move forwards quickly and stop. I always used to train mine to drop behind the lead horse so that if you ever need to pass through somewhere quite narrow or pass people on paths then you can just let out more rope and they drop behind.

With gates I would always get the horse being led to drop behind, follow the lead horse through and turn behind, ensuring that they remain on the correct side. This way I found it just as easy as going through gates on my own.
 
I remember doing this for my PC H test a long time ago. For the test the led horse was also in a double bridle! The weymouth reins were secured in the throat lash and the near side bridoon rein was passed through the off side bit ring. The horses were stood at right angles to each other with the led horse to the near side, head at the ridden horses shoulder. You mounted the ridden horse, did a quarter turn on the forehand so the horses were side by side and then when moving kept the led horse's head at your knee. At the time I didn't think I would ever use it but then I did a short spell on a yard where we rode and led to get the hunters fit so it did come in useful after all!
 
Wimbles said:
I used to do an awful lot of ride and lead, my main tips would be to practice in the school lots with things like getting the horse being led happy to have it's head close to your hand and leg, make sure they are responsive when you ask them to move forwards quickly and stop. I always used to train mine to drop behind the lead horse so that if you ever need to pass through somewhere quite narrow or pass people on paths then you can just let out more rope and they drop behind.

With gates I would always get the horse being led to drop behind, follow the lead horse through and turn behind, ensuring that they remain on the correct side. This way I found it just as easy as going through gates on my own.
Click to expand...

I do exactly the same ^. Much easier if you have 2 similar heights, can make entertainment when led one is under 3 ft high.... :D

Its just that now I'm attempting to take 2 off NF, that we've run into the odd issue with a gate, but otherwise its going well :)
 
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