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Alternatives to 'Jerking on the Lead Shank"

Off Course
#1

As you know with leading some horses, they can get ‘temperamental’
They act spooky, go in your space, trot around you etc….

Natural reaction is to jerk on the lead shank advising them to back up, pay attention and behave!

Many online websites say jerking on the lead shank will lead to rearing because horse feels trapped. I agree this is the case for some of the horses or they will quickly move out of the way to avoid this. Of course this is dangerous! Often times these online sources do not provide an alternative solution of how to ‘control’ your horse in this situation.

What are alternative ways to control the horse without pulling on the lead shank? If you jerk lead shank and horse rears, how do you discourage the behavior?

100% agree that groundwork training is important, but when it’s a windy/rainy day and they are not happy what is to be done?!

#2

I don’t have an answer to your question, but what I do make sure I do is wrap the chain over the noseband or through the opposite ring and snap it to the ring where the crown piece attaches so the chain doesn’t get loose and under the jaw. The only horses I’ve ever seen get light in front were horses that had the chain under the jaw… yank on that - head goes up and backward and body follows suit. Hope this is helpful somehow.

5 Likes
#3

Start with the right equipment, properly fitted. For my horse, if I know it is a situation that he might be “up” like bad weather and not enough turnout, I like a rope halter over a regular halter and shank. Used properly the correction is quicker and easier to meter with a rope halter. Second, the correction must be IMMEDIATELY followed by a release. That is IMO the key to preventing the trapped feeling and inclination to rear or otherwise escalate.

Body language is also very important, and a main mode of communication among horses, so use it! Be upright, with a strong posture, shoulders back and a confident air. This is especially true for the horse that is acting out of anxiety rather than just too much energy to burn. In a situation where wind or other distractions exist, give your horse something to do and require he keeps his attention on you. This is all typical groundwork stuff.

Do not discount the value of a stern voice when working with your horse. Although they are predominantly visual, they do learn to respond to a stern NO! or growl (not yelling), and it can often be a good way to get their attention back on you where it belongs without being physical.

6 Likes
#4

It is your job to set a physical boundary and then reinforce if a horse gets inside of that boundary. Jerking doesn’t reinforce a boundary because it doesn’t tell the horse where to go in order to find a release.

While there are exceptions, most of the horses who are unsafe to handle in specific situations have generally mediocre manners. If you reinforce that bubble every single time you handle the horse, then the horse knows exactly what to expect when it is cold/windy/scary outside and he’s really up and reactive.

It is not your job to be doing groundwork sessions with another person’s horse but reinforcing a basic boundary is just safety. Every single time you lead a horse you are either reinforcing that invisible bubble of safety/respect or you are reinforcing that the horse is allowed to come into your space.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mq1LXFlq78M
minutes 7-10

If you are consistent then when a horse gets up you can use your body language, voice, and line to push the horse back outside of that bubble and refocus their attention on you

5 Likes
#5

If I am leading a questionable horse, I keep the shank tight. This way the slightest movement is met with much more mild and immediate restriction. I also constantly monitor where the head is so as soon as it turns or goes up or down, I am gently correcting. I am not waiting for the spook. Sometimes, I turn the shank in my had a bit, which causes the chain to twist just a little on the horse and keeps their attention - it’s a bit hard to describe but it isn’t harsh, it’s more of a slight irritation that focuses them on that than other things. I rarely feel the need to jerk on the shank unless I have a horse really acting up or an otherwise calm horse suddenly being stupid (like when my mare decided to suddenly spook at something we were passing in the barn aisl and spook and almost run me over). On a less than questionable but still more unknown horse, the shank is held at a length that allows freedom of movement but as soon as the head moves to far up/away/down, the horse hits the end of the shank - in other words, self correcting behavior.

1 Like
#6

I swing the end of the lead rope in front of me to get rude horses to stop walking in front of me or faster than me. If I have to ask more than once, it’s reinforced with a few steps backwards. If they walk into the swinging rope and bop their noses, that’s not my problem.

Ground manners are worked on every single time my hands are on a horse. If I can tell they’re distracted, I go and stop, go and stop, go and stop… until they realize they ought to pay attention to me.

For a horse trying to run you over - maybe this sounds bad, but for a fraction of a second I’ll do whatever it takes to get them the heck out of my space. The second they leave my “bubble” I relax and carry on like it never happened. I don’t think in this case you need to direct where the horse goes - you just need to say NOT here, NEVER here, GET OUT. I want to make it really dramatic (again, for a fraction of a second), because I’m not in the business of nagging to get what I want. I’d rather get the message across loud and clear and quick - and have it never happen again.

Maybe my methods aren’t popular, but my horses are always easy to handle. Take it for what it’s worth.

For a horse who wants to trot around me? Depends. Sometimes I may want to enforce the rules if this horse is fractious in other areas of life - those horses get put on “lockdown” until they learn the rules. If it’s a more broke horse having a weird day? I may just allow the trotting, because it’s not the hill I’m going to die on, and I know it’s unusual.

11 Likes
#7

Honestly you have to know your horses and have a repertoire of skills. I’ve developed competent ground work skills in the last decade and have worked with green horses. I always use a rope halter and have never felt I needed a chain. A rope halter can be very persuasive. I suspect that the poll pressure discourages rearing.

Most horses don’t rear in hand. If you have a horse that is known to do this, obviously you’d want to avoid all the groundwork tips of sending him backwards because that scuttle backwards does make the front end lighten a bit.

Another way of dealing with an explosion inhand is to send the horse around you in a circle and “disengage the hind end.” IME this only works with greener horses because once a horse knows shoulder in they can dance around you for ages.

Or you can just muscle through and get where you are going.

It’s really important that all horses know that the sky will cave in on them if they ever bump into a person. Through the person is never an acceptable escape route.

But the person has to do their part to. I see alot of beginner horse handlers inadvertently pulling the horse on top of themselves when they try to stop or control a horse. Be very careful you aren’t contributing to the problem. And if you know the horse had boundary issues keep your leading arm away from your side and the head slightly bent in your direction. This makes it much less likely that the horse will be able to bulge his shoulder into you.

Also stay between the spooky object and the horse. This means being able to lead from either side.

#8

The TTouch method of leading here: https://ttouch.com/Detailed/Shop/Horses/DVDs/Solving_Riding_Probl…_89.html

#9

I used a ton of clicker training when I first got my mare and she forgot how to lead. Her leading manners are now generally within the “normal horse” zone, but I do have to tune them up periodically. When she’s particularly up, I can grab a clicker and a handful of treats and generally successfully redirect her into better behavior.

I’m lucky that she does have what I call her “track manners.” She pretty reliably keeps her drama in her own personal space. But there’s certainly drama to be had, mostly rearing. When her mind is in that place, any pressure escalates the situation. She understands a shank and I generally bring one if we’re going somewhere new – but popping her with one is guaranteed to turn her into a deeply offended chestnut kite.

#10

I do the “twirl”.

Horse starts to be a butt on the lead…pushing ahead, leaning into me…whatever. I simply turn into her shoulder and keep walking. That causes her to move her rear end around (away from me) and she ends up on the other side of me and I simply keep walking. No pulling or yelling. She continues to carry on her rude ways, we do it again and she ends up back on the left side. Rinse and repeat as long as the rude behavior exists. Some days she twirls a lot, somedays, only once or twice. Most days, I don’t have to do it at all thank goodness. I suppose it is in the vein of making the right thing easy and the wrong thing hard.

My mare, although she is turning 18 this year, still has days when she feels that she should run the show. I have owned her since she was 2 and done ground work out the wazoo and she still has her days when she tests me. She is a sensitive and reactive horse and jerking on her face does nothing to change her mind. She does much better with the twirl than anything else I have tried. My blood pressure stays lower and I don’t buy into her drama and it seems that the lack of emotion rubs off on her and she settles down.

You do need a horse that is comfortable leading off of either side and you do need a little room to allow for the movement but I have found it to work very well…in that no jerking of yelling (that has been my go-to:o). I also am very sold on my horse’s halter…the Hybrid halter. Best of both worlds and that has helped her too. We have less and shorter episodes of ‘my way’ on her part.

Susan

1 Like
#11

I’m a big fan of Andrew McLean’s work on using learning theory to teach horses. I don’t jerk on lead shanks anymore because you are providing conflicting signals to horse - you momentarily release the pressure but the horse is not doing what you want. Therefore the horse does not know what you’re asking and becomes more confused. In this situation, I try to maintain steady pressure until horse stops moving.

When I lead my horse, I keep a short but relaxed hold on lead shank so I can quickly provide cues. I watch my horse carefully to gauge his focus. If he’s tense or not paying attention, I will step him forward and back 2-3 steps until he relaxes. If his head goes up, I immediately cue him to bring it down. I regularly test my stop cue to make sure he will halt from a light touch backwards with lead rope.

2 Likes
#12

All of this. There are a few horses at the barn I board at that have questionable manners leading, including some that would try to blow past you or take off in the pasture before you get the halter off. I only do turn out one morning a week, but every time I handle them, I make sure they don’t EVER walk ahead of me; my elbows are always ready to block a nip for the fractious babies; for some of the pushier ones I will randomly slow down or stop and remind them to stay with me (they have to slow down or stop when I do, and if they don’t they get backed up to where I first asked, they all get the idea pretty quickly), almost like a “half halt”, which has also worked wonders for the newest, untrained, very very anxious pony that likes to run through people; I make them stand calmly while I take the halter off and they aren’t allowed to just immediately run off; if they try to blow past me out the stall door or gate, I have no problem walking them in and out a few times until they can be civilized about it, etc etc. And even though I only handle them all one day a week, they all know when I’m the one taking them out, they have to behave. I don’t ever have any of the issues other people have complained about. Even on very windy days when everyone is practically on their toes, a confident posture, praise every second they keep their attention with me, careful attention to their own posture and energy so I can quickly nip any thoughts of acting up in the bud before it even happens, all make them pretty easy to handle.

Actually, I’ve never used a chain or jerked on a lead rope ever. Consistent handling, careful attention to the horse, and confidence in your handling abilities has always worked for me. I wouldn’t even know how to attach a chain correctly.

1 Like
#13

I am so not a PP person, but for horses that can get wiggly or dance-y and have pent up energy wiggle the lead line, they will toss up their head some and look at you funny and take a step or two back at first, your job is to just go back to walking calmly and with a relaxed manner and lead, if they get wiggly and try to move ahead of you just repeat.

This method worked in handwalking an older ottb gelding that was on stall rest, he was a great guy but was getting a bit pent up, eventually I would give a slight half a wiggle and he would lower his head and keep walking at a relaxed swinging pace.

If the horse is familiar with understanding how to move away from a flag without freaking out, then just lead with some slack in the lead, and if they try to rush just use a dressage or stock whip with a little flag tied to the end and flick the flag by the ground ahead of them horse, less is more. If the horse backs up just stop wiggling the flag and calmly walk back with the horse, ask them to stop, pause a moment to relax then start walking again in a relaxed manner, I have used this with weanlings in a controlled paddock/run where the goal is to work on leading skills and not over work the horses joints or over heat or stress them.

Also leading normally and carrying a dressage whip in your left hand and just lifting it up, handle pointing up and whip pointing to the ground in front of you some to about your face level can work well for some horses if they try to crowd, you can flick the whip bottom to their forearm or shoulder area if needed.

#14

This, especially the twirling rope for a bargey horse. Oh, hit your nose? That’s your problem. I expect horses to lead at my shoulder on a slack rope, stop when I stop, go when I go. I may halt every 3 feet with a pushy horse. It may taken an extra 10 minutes to turn out. But within a week, there will be civilized manners installed.

I’m willing to use a chain if needed for safety. I’ve handled a lot of TBs at sales; rearing is rare, you have to be really snatchy (abusive) with the chain to provoke an average horse into going up. Stud colts may go up, just because they can, not often as a specific reaction to leading.

In general, horses rear because they have an overwhelming desire to move, and a human restraint not allowing them to do so. Teach them to stop patiently, and allow them to move in a controlled fashion to diffuse a blowup.

2 Likes
#15

I usually carry a whip with a fractious horse so i can use that to move them back, over or away. I don’t normally use a shank, but if i do it is in combination with the whip so i can get them to yield away from me. Especially with a more dominant horse. But my horses are generally well behaved. My most dominant mare and I have had several discussions on proper behavior on the lead. She ran me over as a 2 year old and I swore it would never happen again! It wasn’t entirely her fault - I took her to her first show and my friend who invited me did not warn me they had mounted shooting. She was terrified! But that’s not an excuse for knocking me flat, either. Not the best place to take a young inexperienced horse. The cowboys offered to break her for me. Just no, i don’t need that kind of breaking on a spirited young mare.

I may yank a lead rope by itself, but i try to never yank on a shank. I won’t even use a shank on a difficult loader because I believe they cause more harm than good. They do give you an advantage on the ground, but a pushy horse can push right through it. I once knew someone who always fed the horses at the barn. The horses were so eager for supper they would practically drag you all the way there from the pasture. It was miserable trying to lead them in. Even with a shank,they had one that wanted to trot in and drag you the entire way. And of course he gets rewarded because as soon as he’s in the barn, he is with his buddies and has supper waiting in his bucket. I would have fed him outside and no food when he gets to the barn. He was atrocious to handle on a daily basis. Of course being an older horse that has gotten away with the behavior for years did not help any.

He probably needed to be lunged every day instead of getting supper, lead with two people and with a bridle or shank, to instill some manners. One person could be dragged along, and he knew it. Even circles did not help. Unless you had an hour to spend. I would never put up with that in my own horses!

1 Like
#16

We have a new horse with iffy ground manners who just went off to cowgirl camp. I just watched her work with him for the first time yesterday, so this is fresh on my brain. She said that keeping the horse out of her space (meaning 3’ around her at all times) was priority #1. No exceptions. She carried a flag (well, it honestly looks like a dressage whip with a flag on the end) as a tool. Horse came into her space in the round pen – she backed him out. If he wanted to blast past her when leading (this is his spooky MO) she made him go to work by trotting in a circle around her. Bad behavior = you just earned yourself extra work.

To reinforce comments above, she did use a rope halter with no chain. She never jerked on it. In fact, the lead rope was never even short or tight. If she needed him to move, she went to the flag. I was impressed by how quickly he got with the program.

I hope I don’t get judged for using a cowgirl! She’s not the type to tie horses to a tree for three days. She’s really just a natural horsemanship trainer who happens to live on a cattle ranch. I hired her to teach ME just as much as my horse. These skills are necessary to be a good horse owner IMO.

#17

When a pushy horse is trying to run me over, I smack him in the chest with the end of the lead rope and make him back up. I don’t like the wild eyed, high-headed look horses get when you jerk the lead rope. I’m sure there is some magical way natural horsemen with tight Wranglers do it, but they aren’t around when the gelding is being a butthead.

#18

I lease a spooky mare who does all of the things you listed while leading. She’s got a BIG spook in her (I’m talking bolting away with you attached, barreling you over, etc.) and the main issue with her and a lot of other horses is that you cease to exist when their mind is elsewhere. My solution with her is to keep her mind engaged and on me before any explosions can occur. Like people mentioned, disengage the hind end, halt, back up, turn around, stuff like that to keep the horse paying attention. I watch my mare like a hawk—the moment the head and ears go up I redirect her attention to something else. If the horse is leading calmly and politely, then praise and take pressure off.

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