The Art of Solving Problems with Horses

More about leading ...

This picture tells a different story about leading.  Something is telling us that this horse, Merlin is a little nervous and unsure of what's going on.  What is it?

On the face of it, he looks much the same as the palomino pony, Noddy.  His head is held low, he is walking along calmly and he looks relaxed.  But there are two major differences.  What are they?

The first is that he is not following the leader.  Notice the loose rope.  He has the freedom to do so, but has declined to take up the offer.

The second is that his ears are pricked sharply forward.  This means that he is alert and paying attention.  This means in turn that he does not entirely trust the leader.  If there is danger ahead, he wants to know about it himself. 

At the same time, we can see that he isn't seriously concerned, just a little worried.  He doesn't know where he's going, or why.  But he trusts the leader enough to stay close. He is neither trying to pull away, nor jumping about, so not too bothered.  

The lesson ...

Leading the horse on a loose rope gives him the freedom to drop behind, if he wants to.  In any case, horses also don't like to be crowded, so allowing space between yourself and the horse makes him feel more comfortable.

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