Teaching a horse to ride and lead?

Ambers Echo

Ambers Echo

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Question in the title. This is not something I have ever done and it would be very useful as I want to start hacking the ponies - or at least Max. And I really don't have time to go out twice. But how do you even start? Just in an arena?? Do you need a rock solid lead horse in the first place? Amber has never had anyone led off her and Max has never been led so I would be teaching 2 horses 2 different skills at the same time which seems dodgy. But people somehow manage it!! And if what I have read is to be believed entire strings of young horses are led off another. So how do you get started and what steps do you need to go through so both horses know what they are doing and don't get tangled up with each other and the led one doesn't try and overtake the leading one.

TIA!
 
Neither of mine had ever led before so I didn't have a rock steady lead horse. When I started initially, she kept grumping at my other one because she was too close but a growl soon settled her down. The first time I set off to the marked out area in a field and had my OH with me in case it didn't work (it did).
I kept my led horse head at my knee and treated it like I would if I was walking and leading her so she walked at the the pace I want and don't fall back/too forward. They're used to walking in and from field together so same thing just I'm sitting on one of them. They are the same size and fairly well matched pace wise.
 
You need first of all to teach Max to give to pressure so he will follow the pressure wherever you are - that is crucial, you don't want a horse pulling back when you are in the saddle. And then I would think lead them both in hand for a while, so they get used to being upsides one another.
 
yup good idea to practice somewhere enclosed just in case. But don't overthink it ;)
I ride the horse that is most reliable - forward/confident/easy to steer with one hand & legs and then have the less reliable one on a long leadrope attached to the bit on its bridle. Either take reins off or twist them up into the throatlash.

I use the ridden horse to nudge the led one into the hedge etc when there are cars passing so it helps if they get on with each other well enough to stand close together (or are generally well mannered). Keep the led horse level with your knee, don't let it go off in front or lag behind - this might take a bit of practice but makes it easy to just keep everything trucking along.

Hoping to get back to it at some point but Kira is a total wuss in the great outdoors so it will have to wait until Salty is good enough hacking to be the ridden horse ;) otherwise we won't get off the yard!
 
JillA said:
You need first of all to teach Max to give to pressure so he will follow the pressure wherever you are - that is crucial, you don't want a horse pulling back when you are in the saddle. And then I would think lead them both in hand for a while, so they get used to being upsides one another.
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Thanks, Max is already very good on the ground at yielding to pressure. He keeps pace with me on a loose lead rope and slows/stops when I do. So hopefully this will translate when I am on board! Good idea to lead them together. I'll try that first.
 
Thanks MP. Amber is pretty steady. It's Max who can be a handful. He is great on the ground but not so much when ridden. The question is will be think of himself as being handled from the ground - in which he is likely to be a seaside donkey - or will he view this as a ridden exercise! In which case think pocket rocket. He is honestly 2 different horses. He is challenging for my daughter to hack even on a lead rein. But anyone can lead him anywhere.
 
Also both horses are very reactive to other horses. Hacking each one solo is much easier than going in a group. I have visions of one spooking and setting the other off and struggling to manage them.....
 
Can you lead them both together from the ground nicely and politely? If they already do that it's not too much of a shock when you are riding one. My two are regularly led in and out of the field together and I can walk them on either side of me, both on one side or have them one behind then other which means when I do occasionally want to ride and lead they understand what I'm expecting.
 
Ambers Echo said:
Also both horses are very reactive to other horses. Hacking each one solo is much easier than going in a group. I have visions of one spooking and setting the other off and struggling to manage them.....
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Honestly....? That can happen. that's why I take mine on a long leadrope (10 or 12 foot) so that if I do get in a pickle, I have a good length of rein before it's a disaster.
I think you'll only know which version of Max you get when you try it. Just go for a wander round the school, maybe.

I lead mine together all the time, they go in and out of the fields together and it so happens that I always lead them so Kira is on the left and the one i intend to ride is on the right, so that's the same as when riding and leading. Kira now prefers being on the left, is used to being on that side and is less daft about things cos she's in her comfort zone. She also doesn't ever try to get onto the other side which makes it easy even if they do have a spook.

Kira is pretty good in company but Millie was always daft, but the 2 together made a nice pair to take out and about. I did have one or 2 hairy moments if there were horses suddenly charging about on the other side of the hedge or something but generally I find if I keep the led horse on a short leash and the ridden horse close by then it's almost easier to manhandle them along together than separately ;)

try it and see. You can do lots of preparation but ultimately it's like most things with horses IME, you have to believe you will be able to do it first, and then you'll find you can. If you hesitate then you'll end up with a cats cradle :D
 
milliepops said:
try it and see. You can do lots of preparation but ultimately it's like most things with horses IME, you have to believe you will be able to do it first, and then you'll find you can. If you hesitate then you'll end up with a cats cradle :D
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Yes you have to everything for the first time once! But horses sometimes take you by surprise. At Somerford there is a river on the farm ride. You go in down a sandy track then walk up- steam around a corner and out again up a differnt sandy track/bank. Ylou have the keep right as the middle of the river is deep. Amber had crossed streams and cantered happily in and out of water complexes on XC courses so I figured she'd be fine..... PLUS I was only gpoing to ask her to put her toes in. If she was unhappy we could have stayed splashing around the entrance point and then just turned round and gone out. But daft horse - as soon as her feet hit the water and she felt the current flow she panicked and took off in as fast a canter as fairly deep flowing water would allow, canteirng upstream getting herself and everyone else soaked in the procesd and nearly taking another horse out as she went. Oops.

So I am now nervous of just launching mysef into something new wihtout enough preparation! I'll start with inhand leading then Ill use the arena and see how we get on.
 
Tip - Ride the horse that is lazier - far easier to get a horse going riding it than trying to drag it along from a forward going horse!
I used to always ride and lead when I had my old mare and also used to do it loads at the hunt yard.
I don't think there's many horses who don't take to it to be honest and once you've mastered it then there's no stopping you. (I could walk, trot and canter my mare leading the other, as well as wiggling through most hack routes) The only horse i know that struggled was a one eyed mare who's remaining eye was on the 'wrong' side so she just wanted to turn round so she could see you lol!!
 
I ride and lead most days for it’s an essential tool in the box in their training as well as a great time saver .
I have been doing it for .... alarmingly , 45 years gulp .
You get the knack of controlling them the more you do it all mine lead and ride it’s great for young hunters I use it to teach them not to react to being banged and pushed .
I start mine in a field with some one on the ground all my horses are voice trained so that how I can control them they get very very controlable with practise .
I would ride the best hack and lead the other mine understand it I just give a command they both respond it I give the name first the other knows that’s not for them my best ride horsesare so coperative they second guess me and will seek to wrangle a young one them selves .
I prefer to start hacking out with another ridden horse they go behind and help out if needed.
I always teach every horse this it’s great for rehab if they get injured I have brought horses out after months of box rest and led them without trouble where they become idiots if you try from the ground .
 
The biggest problem I encounter when riding and leading, particularly when bringing fat, sun-bleached hunters back into work, is the led horse getting lazy and left behind. Therefore I always start as I mean to go on, keeping their head at my knee and I carry a long crop just incase they need a tickle on their far side to remind them that you are not just in control of their head.

I also always ride (or atleast set off on) the most spooky/problematic horse as personally I would rather have a spooky or nappy horse under saddle than in hand. I tend to switch half way though...at the pub!... :p
 
Interesting thread. I always did ride and lead when I was younger, but it was generally when there was a bunch of us all doing it so it just seemed straight forward and I never really thought about it. So when I had had Arty mare for a few months I thought it would be fine to just lead her off Dabs.... Not so much... Arty mare had far too many opinions about where, when and how fast she should be going :rolleyes3: so I gave up after the first attempt rather than persevering, maybe I'll try again in future and be a bit more strict with her having read this thread. Pebbles on the other hand is a doddle and got the gig straight away, merrily marching alongside the long lazy stride of her big brother.
 
I'm another who prefers to ride the slower horse - IME it's easier to get the led horse to slow down than to have them dragging along behind! My two have got used to it now and I rarely have issues, but as MP says it's good to have a longer rope in case one of them does spook. If the led horse does drag, try putting a rope halter on (over the bridle if you're worried about control) as the pressure points will encourage them forwards.

Good luck!
 
Most well mannered horses are fine, I've done it for years & started as a teenager with no training or teaching, just got on & did it.
The led horse wears a bridle, I take the reins off & use 2 lead ropes clipped together, the extra length can be useful if the led horse spooks. I prefer to ride the dominant horse but have ridden the submisive horse with no issues.
I've only got one horse now but I really enjoyed taking them both out
 
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