Question about leading a 4 month old colt.?

Question

As you know by a few of my last questions, I have just got a 4 month old colt who has not been worked with much. He does fine when I hang on to his halter and lead him but doesn't seem to like the lead rope too much. I am afraid that if I have the rope on him that he is going to buck and rear (which he hasn't done yet) and get the line tangled in his feet. Any suggestions as to what to do if he starts rearing up and bucking if I have this on him and how to get him used to the lead rope? Thanks to all of your answers in advance and please no smart a** answers. I am here only for advice or help. Thank you

Answer 1

I dont hink he would buck/rear to getout of being led.  The worst mine even did was either refuse to move, or try to bolt.  What you can do to encourage him to forward it use a "butt rope" basically you take your lead rope, loop it around his hind quarters, under his tail, above his hocks, and when he doesnt want to move, you tug on the butt rope to encourage forward movement.  Another thing that I bought for my colt is called the Miracle Harness,  you can get it from Jeffers Equine for like $60.  

http://www.jeffersequine.com/ssc/product...

This is a harness that adjusts from foals to ful size horses as an aide to teaching them leading, backing, loading, cross tying...My colt does very well with it and it comes with a DVD explaining fitting and how to use it.  Try your best to desensitize his feet and legs to stuff touching them.  Use a leadrope or bailing twine and get him used to the feeling of it being on his legs and as he gets more used to it, getting between and around his legs.  If he is used to stuff on his legs, flyspraying them wot be as difficult because he wont try to kick out at the weird feeling.

Answer 2

I'm sorry, I don't know if you have the colt in a stall or in the pasture.  If he is in a stall, I would attach the rope in the stall and just walk him quietly in the stall for a little while each day.  Constantly talk to him and pet him to let him know what he is doing is good and he learns to trust it.

If he is in a field, you could attach the rope, walk him a little bit stop, pet him and talk to him.  Remember many times it is the sound of our voices that keep horses calm.  At 4 months, he should still be pretty small and even if he would rear or buck, not much would happen just talk to him and calm him down.  You may want to read some of my blogs on training etc.  The website is on my profile.  hth

Answer 3

I have a 4 month old, or he will be Aug 11th.  Never handled when i got him...What i did was first let him get use to the halter and putting it on and off was fun.  Ok finding a halter to fit him was a challenge, he is a very tall, big baby an Iberian warmblood....Then we played with the lead rope around him, i can throw it at him and he just stands there.  The first time he did try to get away when i hooked him up but he soon learned im not letting go and mama isnt afraid of him.  I gave him his head and just walked, soon he just followed.  Took a couple of times for him to walk next to me, now he cant wait for me to take him out and go for a walk.  

I spend a lot of time with him, touching him, hanging off him, anything i can do to get him use to what will eventually come one day.  He is a very well mannered kid and he isnt afraid of anything...just wish the human ones here were as good as Milo is.    

Answer 4

OK - So the foal accepts the halter and responds to your pressure when you lead him by the halter without it - there should be no problem attaching a lead rope and doing the same - the key is his reaction to the pressure.  Horses naturally tend to go through pressure rather than away from it (rearing up when you pull oh the lead rope, pushing you back when you attempt to get them to move over at first, etc.).  Once you've got him responding properly (assuming you have done this properly) to halter pressure, attaching a lead rope should be easy.

However - to properly teach a horse to lead, you want them to follow you, you don't plan to drag him everywhere.  I would suggest you work with him keeping his focus on you to follow you.  I would further suggest your goal should be to lead that foal without using the lead rope.  Often, many people rely on that lead rope, they keep a tight hold of it only a few inches from the halter.  The horse is going to outweigh you and pull you around, having hold of that lead tightly is not going to make this fact go away.  You want the horse to follow you willingly and respectfully.

I have recently been told that the horse should follow behind you, off to your right rather than walking alongside you with his throatlatch at your shoulder.  The reasoning was that if the horse spooks or bolts, he won't go over you.  I don't totally agree with this as I've had young horses spook from behind and go over top of me by jumping behind me then running forward.  I think no matter where you are, you take a chance of being run over by a spooked horse unless you're no where near it.

So - I would use a soft cotton rope without a chain, just a regular snap.  Put it on his halter, the walk as you normally would using just the halter - stay in the area he's comfortable in, and practice simply walking and letting him follow you.  I think he'll start out right beside you without any pressure on the rope - go a short ways then stop and praise and pet him telling him quietly how good that was.  Then start walking again - if he gets behind or away from you, simply pickup on the rope and bump him to get his attention encouraging him to come along with you.

when we start horses leading before they know what pressure is, we put on the halter and lead, then often use a long soft rope around the hindquarters to pull gently moving the foal forward.  The foal must be desensitized to the rope first - if you haven't done this, it's a good thing to do - just approach him with the rope, let him sniff it then rub it all over his body - use it to scratch his itchy spots so he equates it to pleasant things.  You want him to not be afraid of the rope itself.  Also, open it up and place it over his back, under his belly, etc.  A few calm sessions like this will negate any worry you should have about him getting scared of the rope touching him.

The very last thing you should do is put a halter or lead on the foal then let him figure it out himself.  You should always go slowly and ensure they are comfortable with all new things touching them everywhere, then condition them to how the tool is used to communicate - think of the halter and lead as communication tools, not control devices.

Hope this helps!

Answer 5

You have to get him used to the lead rope. A lunge rope would be best. A normal lead rope is too short. If he bucks or rears, let him have his head. Once he learns bucking and rearing doesn't work he will stop. His first reaction is to resist. This is normal behavior. Some foal are fine being lead at first and others aren't. Just let him do what comes natural if he resorts to bucking or rearing. You just want to make sure you can be far enough away that you don't get hurt. Do this in a large area or round pen so he can't run into anything and get hurt.

Answer 6

Ok, first of all don't fear that he's going to rear and get the rope tangled in his feet.  Your horse picks up on your emotions and therefore, what you fear most will become your reality.  So first change your thought process, he's just a baby horse who needs to be shown the right direction through patience and love.  Have some confidence in him.  

He's gonna have to get used to the lead rope at some point and that just takes time.  You said he hasn't started bucking and rearing yet but you didn't actually state what he's doing, just that he doesn't like the lead rope so I'm not sure how to help you here.  A very common problem for young horses, or horses that just don't like to lead is that they will stand stiff and not budge.  You can pull and tug all you want but nothing.  If this is what's happening, when your colt plants his feet and refuses to move, pull with steady pressure to one side or the other until he moves into the pressure.  Don't pull directly ahead of him.  By pulling to either side this throws his body slightly off balance and he's forced to move his feet forward(exactly the response your looking for).  It may take a moment but when he does step forward, the pressure will release from his head and this combined with loving pets and a "good boy" will be his reward.  If he starts trying to race ahead of you, stop him and back him up a few lengths telling him "whoa" all the way.  If he's getting to be too hard against the lead, you can always try a stud chain but considering he's only 4 months old this should be your absolute last resort, simple give and take training with pressure should work just perfect.  If you do decide for whatever reason to put a chain on him at some point, please be very, very gentle, a lot of people don't realize how sensitive a horses is to a chain and being he's only a baby horse, it would be all too easy to ruin him this way!  

Some horses are a little...denser than others and require a little more patience and a lot more repetition.  He's young though and in time, he'll catch on.  Just remember to be patient!  

They're so fun at that age so enjoy it while it lasts, they grow up quick!  Good luck:)

Answer 7

When I'm first getting a horse used to a lead i use a short lead. about 18 inches long.  that way i still have a lead but if they do bolt they don't get tangled in the lead. at this age it should still with mom though. just take it easy and gain his friendship.

usually they don't freak out. they do however like to back up real fast suddenly lol

Answer 8

most people I know put the lead rope around its bum and back to the front then lead the foal like that

Answer 9

He's really young (very young,is he away from mum?).Just be gentle and patient,at his age it's important to build his confidence.(Don't try and run before you can walk).

Spend a lot of time with the lead rope on,not trying to walk him,flipping it over his neck,passing it over his face etc.

Answer 10

for a few days just hold it in your one hand and his halter in the other and walk around so he can see it in your other hand and do that for 2 or three days than just slowly and comfortably put it on him and he should get used to it  and get a short rope to eliminate tangling   :D