Accepting feeling 'trapped' (i.e.: stepping on one's lead rope, and surviving)

[ChestnutArabianMare]

When I first got my mare, she would panic and half rear if she stepped on her lead rope while grazing. She never pulled hard enough to break her halter, but definitely freaked herself out. These days she’s totally chill about stepping on it – she keeps her head low and backs up carefully to figure out which hoof she’s standing on it with so that she can release the pressure and keep grazing.

Here’s what I did: I first taught her to drop her head on cue in response to me pulling down on the lead rope directly under her chin. Once she was comfortable with that, I let her graze in an enclosed barnyard (so she couldn’t go anywhere if she panicked) with me holding the very end of the lead while the rest was on the ground. She stepped on it a few times, had less of a reaction every time, and then it was a non-issue. It helps that she’s a glutton and would much rather graze than panic!

[Djones]

@ChestnutArabianMare

Here’s what I did: I first taught her to drop her head on cue in response to me pulling down on the lead rope directly under her chin. Once she was comfortable with that, I let her graze in an enclosed barnyard (so she couldn’t go anywhere if she panicked) with me holding the very end of the lead while the rest was on the ground. She stepped on it a few times, had less of a reaction every time, and then it was a non-issue. It helps that she’s a glutton and would much rather graze than panic

Yep. I am now having to train one of mine to lower his head and accept a nebulizer. He has been taught to yield to pressure on his poll, so tonight I elected to position his head where I needed him to hold it and I stepped on his lead rope. He halfway tugged on it and yielded. Once it was on and running he was visibly more relaxed because I had not let him “argue” with me about donning it. He settled very fast and breathed deeply. His conditioning to yield and lower yielded dividends.

[SuzieQNutter]

You teach them to give to pressure. The easiest way is to tie youngster to his mum or a donkey.

Otherwise teach them to come when they lead rope is used. Then you teach them that they lift their leg with the rope around their knee or fetlock.

Finally you teach them that when the clip is attached to the halter and around their knee or fetlock they lift their leg and drop their head to their knee and they stay like that until the rope is released.

Ground tying can be done with the rein around the neck and not on the ground. They halt when tou say halt, before you halt and stay halted until you click for them to walk.