So how can I teach myself and my horse right and left leads? Me and my horse could care less about them, but since I’m learning to barrel race,now I need to learn.They sound complicated, but someone said that once you learn them, its good to know.I know its not simple, but once you learn its easier.I don’t have a trainer either so it’ll be difficult but summer is coming 
And I can handle difficult Thank you!
Well, I see no one has given this a stab, so I will.
I have deleted two posts I wrote about this, because I really don’t know how to say what I need to say without sounding contrary.
What you are asking is like taking a rock and learning how to sculpt by chopping at it with a hammer and chisel.
Fine way to learn, you can bang away at rocks, all you will get is lots of chips flying around.
Now, when you want to learn to do something with horses, chipping at them so you can learn is not a good idea … for the horse.
For the horse’s sake, do go take some lessons on a horse that can teach you what you need to learn and under the eye of an instructor that will show you the hows and whys of what we do with horses.
You can get a trainer to teach your horse about leads in five minutes without any stress to the horse.
Then you can put both together, what you have learned and that your horse already knows what you want and go on from that.
I can tell you all you have to do, that starts way before you even think of leads, how to train and prepare the horse so it will offer the proper leads and lead changes on demand, but without being there to keep showing you what is right and when is not, it is useless.
In a nutshell, when we don’t know something, some times, we also don’t know how little we know.
At least try to get a few lessons and then see what you think.
The better barrel racers themselves have taken lessons with reining and dressage trainers and worked with their horses under their sharp eyes, that is why they can get that extra from a very good horse and why they win consistently.
I expect that is what you want, so go get some lessons and see if that would not also help you.
[QUOTE=Bluey;8000770]
Well, I see no one has given this a stab, so I will.
I have deleted two posts I wrote about this, because I really don’t know how to say what I need to say without sounding contrary.
What you are asking is like taking a rock and learning how to sculpt by chopping at it with a hammer and chisel.
Fine way to learn, you can bang away at rocks, all you will get is lots of chips flying around.
Now, when you want to learn to do something with horses, chipping at them so you can learn is not a good idea … for the horse.
For the horse’s sake, do go take some lessons on a horse that can teach you what you need to learn and under the eye of an instructor that will show you the hows and whys of what we do with horses.
You can get a trainer to teach your horse about leads in five minutes without any stress to the horse.
Then you can put both together, what you have learned and that your horse already knows what you want and go on from that.
I can tell you all you have to do, that starts way before you even think of leads, how to train and prepare the horse so it will offer the proper leads and lead changes on demand, but without being there to keep showing you what is right and when is not, it is useless.
In a nutshell, when we don’t know something, some times, we also don’t know how little we know.
At least try to get a few lessons and then see what you think.
The better barrel racers themselves have taken lessons with reining and dressage trainers and worked with their horses under their sharp eyes, that is why they can get that extra from a very good horse and why they win consistently.
I expect that is what you want, so go get some lessons and see if that would not also help you.[/QUOTE]
Hey sorry for not answering right away!Problem #1: I don’t have a trainer 
I do want that but I can’t afford any…and there isn’t many trainers around. I may ask a friend (an older experienced trainer)what she knows about it, and we’ll see. I was really hoping there was a way to learn on your own, since i have no trainer, and would like to work with the barrel pattern since my horse needs something else to do too.Something fun that she can handle. There probably is an extent to what you can teach your horse on your own, but I’d love to try it.But if we’d need a trainer…not sure if that’ll work. I will see…hopefully maybe learn it inside-out and then teach my horse!Thanks-Kaite
I’m not sure I can tell from your post - can you pick up each lead already – e.g. can you ask for left and get left; or right and get right?
That’s completely different than asking for a lead change, and I would think you would want to be sure you could get each one for sure before trying to learn a change.
[QUOTE=S1969;8004916]
I’m not sure I can tell from your post - can you pick up each lead already – e.g. can you ask for left and get left; or right and get right?
That’s completely different than asking for a lead change, and I would think you would want to be sure you could get each one for sure before trying to learn a change.[/QUOTE]
Right, you have studied videos, some in slow motion and learned how horses move at all gaits properly and when they don’t move right also.
Then, first teach a horse to balance properly and forward and start to lope in each lead, cleanly, starting the lope stride from behind and smoothly.
Then continue without hurrying off, at a steady, controlled lope.
Then teach to carry one lead all around, steadily, if you are going to the left, the left lead and then going to the right, still keep balanced on the left lead, called “counter canter”.
All that demands that you have a very good and educated set of aids, your seat and legs and hands all know what they are doing to help the horse move properly.
The horse needs to know what your aids are asking, you taught that already and be supple and fit to do what you ask.
It is much easier to learn that on a schoolmaster type horse, that already knows how and you can get the feel for that, with someone on the ground walking you thru it all.
No sense in reinventing the wheel and maybe end up with a square one.
Getting a trainer is ALWAYS the best choice. See if your experienced friend can help you. It is so much easier to learn new things when you have someone guiding you. So make your best effort to find someone to help you.
However with that said, I self-taught myself how to feel for a lead and ask my horse for a simple lead change. It can be done. Took me and my horse a long time, but it can be done. I would have learned much quicker if I would have had a trainer though.
First I want you to first learn what it FEELS like to be on each lead and how to determine which lead you are on. If you are traveling in a circle to the left, the horse should be on the left lead. That means that the right hind foot strikes the ground first, followed by the left hind and right front (together), and then lastly the left front foot is going to be the last foot to strike the ground, and it will reach out farther forward. Thus the left front foot is “leading” the others on the left lead.
Initially, you can have someone watching from the ground to help you determine what lead your horse has picked up. If you need to look down to see which leg is leading you can, but be careful not to lean too far forward and throw your horse off balance. Eventually, you want to be able to simply FEEL which lead your horse is on. If you pay attention (when on the left lead, for example), your hips will slightly sway back/right to front/left in motion with the horse. It took me several years to learn how to feel it, so don’t expect to learn it overnight.
Of course, everything is opposite for the right lead.
It is possible for your horse to cross-fire which means they have one lead in the back legs and a different lead in the front legs. You don’t want this. It’s very rough and choppy.
Once you learn what the leads are, you can go about teaching them. First of all, does your horse know leg cues and do you know how to apply them? If not, you’ll need to learn and teach that first, before you can cue for a lead.
Think of each of your legs as having 3 buttons on your horse. 4 inches forward (with your leg) will control the shoulders. If you keep your leg neutral, that will control the rib cage. If you move your leg 4 inches backward, that controls the hips. Your horse should move AWAY from your leg pressure. It’s all about TIMING to teach your horse this. If you release your leg pressure too soon, the horse learns it can ignore you. If you release too late, the horse does not know what the correct answer was. This is where a trainer or someone experienced can be very helpful.
WHen your horse can consistnely respond to your leg pressure at any time and at any gait, THEN you are ready to try simple lead changes. Please note this usually takes months to achieve.
To cue for a lead (down the road when you are ready), if you are going to ask your horse for a left lead, you are going to move your RIGHT leg back slightly to ask the hips to move to the left. You’ll ever so slightly tip your horse’s nose in the direction you want to go. (You’ll see some people tipping their horse’s nose the opposite direction and that is not the correct way to ask for a lead. ) Then ask your horse to lope. If you’ve set their body up in the correct position, they will go off on the left lead as you have asked them. If anything is out of position, they may get it wrong.
Practice, practice, practice. Again, if you can get someone to help you, it is going ot make your life 100% easier. But… it can be done to teach it yourself. Probably will just take longer though.
thanks you guys!yes she does know leg cues, but we could work on them.I can tell I don’t know enough about them, but I will make sure to ask my experienced friend, its weird cause I can tell if she is on the correct lead or incorrect lead.But I do’t know how to ask for the correct lead:no: I would like to teach her to pick up the correct one, but I can see I’ll need plenty of help!:yes: I’ll work on the things you said too, and it’ll take awhile, but hopefully my experienced friend can teach me!Thanks-
I’d just like to add in passing that when you are loping, your own right or left foot will be ‘leading’ slightly on the same lead as the horse. That’s one check, and with practice you should also see that the horse’s left shoulder is leading if he’s on the left lead, for example.
Consider starting at the walk and drill yourself on learning how to feel which leg is on or off the ground. Someone can watch you from the ground and you can call out, in turn, when you want to announce a particular leg leaving the ground so they can verify for you.
