Leading a tacked up horse?

[MsM]

We do like to debate details, dont we? Even the predictable “Just train your horse!” response. :lol:

So much depends upon the situation and the horse. In this case, the horse belongs to the OP, so she can require the way she prefers. Period.

In the more general discussion, many of us take shortcuts in some situations. I can see leading with the reins over the neck when you are going from the tack up area in your barn to the mounting block in your attached arena with your generally calm horse. I might do that except I tend to break another rule and often dont put the reins over the neck before bridling so I have the reins down to lead with anyway.

For walking any distance, having the reins down just allows me to lead more correctly with the horse respecting my personal space. I also have a much better chance of maintaining control in the event of an unexpected spook. For me, that is a more important consideration than having the reins flopping should the horse get loose.

And if there is a need to walk more with the bridle on, the reins are secured and there is either a halter or at least a lead attached to the bit adapter.

[tabula_rashah]

totally depends on what I’m doing- getting off to stretch my legs on trail or move a fallen tree or something- then yes, I’ll usually take the reins over their head and lead them that way- I may even unclip one rein and to extend my “lead” amount. Just going out to the mounting block etc I don’t usually bother taking them over their head- they just walk beside me anyway without having to lead so no point. I don’t care one way or another as long as no one is yanking on their mouths

[HungarianHippo]

@Palm Beach

Only the English as these kinds of questions, and give these types of answers. Get the horse trained up (and a trainer asked the question!) so the horse is not spooking and panicking and breaking things. Such a fearful “what if” world you live in. If you can train a horse to do lead changes and jump a course, why can’t you get it to lead calmly?

And the first person to answer, “Anything can happen” gets a prize. Yes, anything can happen, so teach the horse to deal with it.

:lol: Relax. No one here is talking about walking with a terrified death grip on the reins. These are just the safety habits that were ingrained in us from the start (assuming we had good teachers). When you cross behind your well-trained horse with your hand on his rump, it’s not because you think he’s about to kick you at that moment, or is likely to kick you ever. It’s because safety is/should be a habit.

Construction workers wear steel toes and hardhats from the moment they enter the gate of the worksite, even if nowhere near moving equipment or overhead work. This doesn’t mean they are silly fearful noobs, or that their coworkers are dangerously untrained, it’s because wearing PPE needs to be a reflexive habit, not a decision that you make case by case (and likely too late).

[Palm_Beach]

@HungarianHippo

When you cross behind your well-trained horse with your hand on his rump, it’s not because you think he’s about to kick you at that moment, or is likely to kick you ever. It’s because safety is/should be a habit.

Apparently your horse is really not that well trained. How do you put a hand on the rump if you are carrying all your tack? Or 2 buckets of water? Does the hand on the rump prevent the horse from kicking you? No, training does.

[trubandloki]

@Cat Tap

Thanks everyone for your opinion. In my lesson program I was a stickler for correctness and safety regarding leading, hand grazing, tacking up etc. I was one of the coaches at our local Pony Club. I have been reluctant to say anything to my friend but since it bothers me I may just state that I prefer that she would lead him with the reins at the side. I won’t make a big deal of it. It will be interesting to see if she complies.

I guess I was looking for reassurance from Coth.

You might add that you would like her to do it this way because that is how it is taught in pony club and you want the kids seeing it done the way they are taught.

[AllHorse]

There’s the correct way to do it, the way someone who’s being cautious and safety conscious would do it. The way the Pony Club teach how to lead in a bridle and then there’s the way that most owners who trust their horses in a safe location will do it.
i would never bother bringing the reins over my horse’s heads when just leading from the barn to the arena, even if the unexpected did happen they can’t go far.
Most of the time I don’t even hold them, they just walk by my side
Ive seen as many if not more pro grooms lead that way than the ‘correct’ way.
The more time you spend around horses the less you seem to worry about stuff like that.

Ultimately, OP, it’s your horse, so you should feel entitled to ask the person to do things the way you want them to be done

[BoringEventer]

@Palm Beach

Apparently your horse is really not that well trained. How do you put a hand on the rump if you are carrying all your tack? Or 2 buckets of water? Does the hand on the rump prevent the horse from kicking you? No, training does.

That’s a bit uncalled for and unnecessarily harsh, especially in regards to someone following pretty basic safety protocol. You or I may feel comfortable to skip over some things and take relatively minor risks like walking behind a horse without a free hand to touch them and warn them of a person walking behind them but that hardly means someone who does follow those safety rules has a poorly trained horse. Or thinks a hand on the rump is what prevents kicking in and of itself.

Don’t rag on people for following safety rules.

[Jackie_Cochran]

This is somewhat off topic, it happened a few decades ago.

I was walking around Central Park in NYC when I came across a group of three riders. One, the man, seemed to know what he was doing but one of the women was on a stable hack who did NOT want to go anywhere but back to the stable, balking big time no matter how hard the lady kicked. I had never met or handled this horse.

I went up, told the riders that I was a horsewoman, and asked if they needed me to lead the horse past the exit point where they would turn off to go to the stable. I guess I looked confident enough, and they said yes, please. Just recently I had read about how some race horse grooms led a ridden horse and I gave it a try.

I took hold of his bridle’s cheek piece with my whole hand, just above the bit, and I told the horse to WALK and I started off walking in the direction the riders wanted to go. This was the first time I had led a horse in this manner but it was obvious that the horse would not be any less resistant with any of the normal ways of leading a horse, he was into BALKING and his attitude was that no one could force him. After a second the horse started walking peacefully beside me until we had gotten a short distance down the trail and with the permission of the experienced horseman of the group I let go of the horse while he was still walking. His balking was over and he peacefully followed the other horses down the trail.

So there is another way one can lead a horse that has a rider in the saddle when fiddling with the reins might be unproductive and/or dangerous. I did not have a death grip on the cheekpiece, I just held it, put a tiny bit of forward pressure when I started walking, the horse obeyed me, and it defused what could have ended up being a totally frustrating experience for a group of friends out for a trail ride.

Personally I prefer leading with the reins in both hands but this can get truly exciting if there is a rider in the saddle.

[HungarianHippo]

My horse is very well trained, and a hand on the rump doesn’t prevent kicking (but my compliments on your straw man there).
@palmbeach I would like your opinion on my construction site analog: are those construction workers wrong to wear PPE on site, regardless proximity to actual hazards? Shouldn’t they just train all workers never to drop things?

[cannoli2425]

I have ridden at a few barns. One requests we keep the reins over the neck. I noticed this just causes the horses to chew. They also don’t want to move as well. I see the point with this as if the horse spooks and we loose hold the reins aren’t dangling.

[trubandloki]

@BoringEventer don’t bother trying to use logic there. It will not work. Some people just like to make digs.

On the topic of the reins getting tangled if Dobbin gets loose and they are over his head - If the headstall/reins are leather some part of the bridle is likely to break if that happens so the chance of Dobbin getting injured from those dangling reins is not very high. (Though I agree the chances of you ending up with a fully intact bridle are not very high.)

[Palm_Beach]

@BoringEventer

That’s a bit uncalled for and unnecessarily harsh, especially in regards to someone following pretty basic safety protocol. You or I may feel comfortable to skip over some things and take relatively minor risks like walking behind a horse without a free hand to touch them and warn them of a person walking behind them but that hardly means someone who does follow those safety rules has a poorly trained horse. Or thinks a hand on the rump is what prevents kicking in and of itself.

Don’t rag on people for following safety rules.

Why does a horse need a warning that a person is walking behind them? If you are close enough to touch the horse, the horse knows you are there.

[Palm_Beach]

@HungarianHippo

My horse is very well trained, and a hand on the rump doesn’t prevent kicking (but my compliments on your straw man there).
@palmbeach I would like your opinion on my construction site analog: are those construction workers wrong to wear PPE on site, regardless proximity to actual hazards? Shouldn’t they just train all workers never to drop things?

Sure thing kiddo. Your construction site analog is not a good one. OK? Unless maybe you are expecting your barn to collapse, or someone to run you over with a skid loader.

[Cat_Tap]

@Palm Beach

Only the English as these kinds of questions, and give these types of answers. Get the horse trained up (and a trainer asked the question!) so the horse is not spooking and panicking and breaking things. Such a fearful “what if” world you live in. If you can train a horse to do lead changes and jump a course, why can’t you get it to lead calmly?

And the first person to answer, “Anything can happen” gets a prize. Yes, anything can happen, so teach the horse to deal with it.

When you are dealing with kids or beginners you can’t expect them “to teach the horse to deal with it”. After being around horses for so many years I have seen a lot that can go wrong. Even if they have been trained “to do lead changes and jump a course” you can still have an unexpected spook.

[DMK]

I think we’ve all found the internet hill Palm Beach wants to die on today.

[goodhors]

@friedmas

I tend to disagree with the average answer! I like to have my spookier horses have their reins over the neck. It scares me that if they get loose, they can get tangled in the reins and hurt themselves in the process.

Well I was taught to leave the reins unbuckled until I was ready to mount the horse, so they could not get a foot thru the reins if they got loose while being lead.

I have startled horses going around them, find it best to always touch them before going behind. You MAY THINK he knows you are there, even saying his name, but he is not focused on you without the warning touch. They will jump, so being safe is self-protective.

I liked HH’s work site comparison to barn safety. If you dress to be protected, do things in the safest manner, there are much less chance of “accidents” in the workplace or barn.

If a person has both hands full, no touching hand for the rump? Might be a better idea to go around the FRONT of the horse where he can see you. It is probably only 1-2 more steps to reach your goal and be unhurt in the process.

If you ALWAYS practice doing things safely, it seems you seldom have “accidents” happen to you. It is great to have a horse you trust, well trained, but they are only horses, not Trigger or Fury with a script, and can react badly to surprise us when least expected!! Don’t get hurt in an avoidable accident!

[Cat_Tap]

@S1969

I rode at a barn that required the reins to be over the neck before leading. They did a lot of lessons and riders had to walk horses from the barn to a separate indoor arena. The trainer felt it was safer to keep reins over the neck, no dropped reins with horses stepping into them.

If the reins are held correctly there is no chance of a horse stepping on them.

[Rackonteur]

@Cat Tap

When leading a horse that is tacked up do you have the reins in both hands or do you keep the reins over the horses neck and just hold one rein at the side?

I was taught and have always taught my students to hold the reins in both hands about a foot apart. A friend of mine occasionally rides my horse. She insists on having the reins over his neck when leading him from the barn to the arena. I think if a horse spooks with the reins over his neck you do not have any leverage to contain him and the restriction of the rein around his neck could cause him to panic and rear.

This person is not inexperienced. She was a groom for a BNT in the past. I would like other views before I ask her to lead him my way.

Your horse. Your rules.

OTOH:

Your friend. To keep or lose.

[RainWeasley]

You peons actually have to lead your horse? OBVIOUSLY if you just TRAIN it correctly, it will saddle and bridle itself, walk over to the mounting block, adjust the stirrups, put the helmet on for you, and chuck you up on its back.

[RainWeasley]

@Cat Tap

When you are dealing with kids or beginners you can’t expect them “to teach the horse to deal with it”. After being around horses for so many years I have seen a lot that can go wrong. Even if they have been trained “to do lead changes and jump a course” you can still have an unexpected spook.

Horses that are well trained don’t spook. Ever. Didn’t you know that?