07/04/2026
When you’re leading and walking with your horse does it sometimes feel like you’re being walked all over? 🫠
Is your horse trying to climb into your lap or just steamrolling over the top of you?
This is a really common issue that I see amongst my clients and their horses. The reasons why a horse might want to crowd you are varied. They might feel insecure. They might be very keen for you to give them the treat you have in your pocket. They might be feeling poorly about coming along with you and are using their body to intimidate. And although you as the handler might need to tweak your response somewhat depending on the motivation, the overarching approach to helping your horse to come along with you without crowding is by and large the same.
A common mistake handlers make is that they take the horse shorter by the lead rope, and physically pull the horse away from them, usually with their hand drawing away from themselves under the horse’s neck. They might also try to push the horse from the neck or shoulder closest to them.
I see a few problems with this approach.
1. You can only get the horse as far away from you as you can reach underneath their neck.
2. You will never win a push/pull match with an animal that is probably at a minimum 5 or 6 times your weight.
3. For every time you pull the horse away from you, they will almost always immediately drift back in to you. You haven’t solved the problem.
The last and biggest problem with this approach is that every time you are imposing the physical action on the horse. It never becomes his own idea. And if it’s not his idea, there is going to be a dissonance between what is happening with his feet and what is going on in his mind. Dissonance always creates discomfort and conflict within the horse. Likewise, if it isn’t his idea to give you space, as above, he will just drift right back into you.
What you need to do is to help the horse come up with the idea that he should give you some space. And you should be really clear about what your boundaries are, and be consistent in enforcing them. You need to show him where he needs to be without dragging him there, and if he doesn’t think it’s a great idea or if he just plain doesn’t have his head inside the classroom you need to find a way to motivate him to try. I did start to type out some tips to do this, but there are so many nuances and variables that it started to turn into a novel. I will leave you with a few thoughts, however.
Make sure your lead rope is long enough that he can actually give you the space you require. Direct him (but don’t pull him!) with first your lead rope, and then if necessary use some driving energy between you and him to encourage him to give you space. Always start with the most polite request, even if you don’t think it’s going to be enough. And make sure that pressure goes away when he makes a try.
Watch your horse. Learn to understand the difference between when the horse is not moving away from you because they have opted out of the conversation and when they are not moving away because they are trying to work out what you are asking. It’s important. If the horse has opted out, you may need to do more, but if the horse is processing and trying, it’s better to keep your ask small but consistent, and wait.
Lastly, make sure you are always checking in with your horse to remind him you’re still friends. It’s never about punishment. It’s always about recognising a place of conflict within the horse and helping him find his way through it to a place of understanding.
In the photo, Jeanette is helping to direct 18 month old Housti to a more comfortable distance. He is not yet clear about what she is asking, but she did a great job making a start on the conversation in this session.
