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Leading
the colt the first time |
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1. |
O.K. You have the halter on
the colt, the long, soft lead rope goes around the right side
of the body of the colt, around his rump (make sure it is not
lodged up under the tail – should be down below the rump where
the legs begin), you have both ends of the rope in your left
hand and your right hand is placed at the base of the neck of
the colt. |
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2. |
Your helper will walk the
mare out of the stall and you help the colt to follow the
mare. Note: you always lead a horse with you standing on the
left side of the horse – never on the right side. The colt is
going to act up, want to run away, maybe want to rear up. You
are in control. Lead the baby directly behind the mare,
pulling with your left hand on the two ends of the rope and
pushing at the base of the neck. Occasionally you may have to
reach back by the tail with your right hand to give a back-end
push to get the baby to move forward but most of the time,
they will move with the pressure at the base of the neck. |
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3. |
Practice walking with the
colt this way for about 10 minutes. |
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4. |
At the end of the practice
session, bring the mare into the area where you are going to
turn them loose together, i.e., a pen, a pasture, a stall or
wherever. |
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5. |
Pet the colt vigorously all
over his body and let him know he did a good job. |
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6. |
Then, while you still have
the rope around the rump of the baby, ease up and unhook the
halter. Let it drop and then let the rope drop and you are
finished with your first leading experience. |
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7. |
As you lead the colt each
day or at least 3 or 4 times a week, gradually lead the colt
away from its mother instead of always following. Then take
the mare out and let her stand in one spot and lead the colt
all around the mother by himself. The colt will gradually
learn to lead anywhere regardless of where the mother is. |
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8. |
While you are working the
colt, gradually move the right hand from the base of the
withers down to the back of the halter. This way, the colt is
learning to lead directly from the halter. |
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9. |
Within a week to two weeks,
you should no longer need the rope behind the colt’s rump. The
colt should be walking alongside the handler with the
handler’s right hand place on the colt’s halter. |
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10. |
When you are leading your
colt, you should be positioned right next to the colt’s front
legs, pushing forward on the halter as you walk. Never drag
the colt behind you. Eventually, you will be walking right
next to the front legs and lightly holding the bottom of the
halter as the colt walks next to you. |
