Dancing With The Stars

To stick with the early show season helpful-hints trend- lets talk about something most people barely give a thought to-- leading.

The FOUNDATION of respect from your horse is built on the end of the lead rope. To understand just what proper leading is like, or should be, one must understand dancing, or at the very least, have watch the movie Dirty Dancing. Remember that scene- my space / your space ? Well, that is the basic gist.

Your horse has a "bubble" of personal space. This "bubble" is something you should respect. You, the handler, also has a bubble, and this personal space is something your horse needs to respect. Your horse should NEVER invade your personal space without invitation, and you should avoid invading your horse's bubble without good reason. If your horse enters your bubble, you, as head of your "herd" need to remind him to STAY OUT, and you must do so with prejudice.

Your horse, on the other hand, must be taught that should you invade his space for any reason, then in order for him to regain his space he must move away- thereby maintaining his bubble and yours.

Once your horse understands that concept, leading becomes more like dancing. (See, you should have had faith that I'd get back to dancing!) You step left- your horse steps left. You step right, your horse steps right. It's basic safety, it's the basis of respect undersaddle, and it'll win you showmanship points if that's your goal. You "lead", your horse will follow- like the good dance partner that he is.