Influence as Leadership

By Mary Gallagher

Recently I have been working with a young owner whose horse is challenging her leadership. He has managed, with great skill, to make her timid. He is very sensitive to her body language and how she moves away from him each time he steps into her space. He has figured out how to get her to step away with his head, his shoulder, his teeth, his hip, and his hind feet, to gradually gain total control over her. To be sure, she is young and small, and he is big and imposing, and when he asserts himself he is daunting. But this scenario is also quite familiar to many an adult owner and rider, who find themselves pushed around by their horses.

An adult student with her horse, who is being disrespectful.

My work at here at Freedom Farm is to educate my students in the skill of leadership. Every horse, in their genetic makeup, is both a leader and a follower. As is true for us humans. So how does this small, timid girl become the leader of this big powerful warmblood? And what can we all learn from her experience?

Through observation, she can begin to understand her horse’s body language, and how he is likely to use it.

In general, by watching how a dominant horse establishes leadership in the herd, we can begin to understand and implement the same techniques during the time we spend with our horses (short of biting and kicking, of course). We can see that the leader moves the other herd members by driving them with his front end, teeth and shoulders first, and with his hind quarters secondarily.

So, this student can make the connection as her horse places his head, shoulder, or front feet in ways that make her take a step back. This happens in more than one way: as she catches him in the field, grooms him, or is working with him on the ground. He is saying, “I am in charge here, and you will yield to me.” And up till now, he has been absolutely right! However, armed with new insight and a few helpful moves of her own, she can differ with him, influence him right back, and begin to take leadership, to both their benefit.

Next, she can learn to influence his movement and get in the habit of leadership.

Moving energy, arms, stick to redirect him.

Our young rider and her horse have gotten into a pattern of dominance that tilts the wrong way, and it is up to her to change the pattern, by affecting his movement with her own body language and movement.

He responds, curving his body away, while giving his attention.

To start, she can tune into that shoulder or head movement, and instantly redirect the front end of her horse away or backwards, using her arms, energy, or lead rope and training stick. This applies to any time he gets ‘nudgy’, such as moving into her space (the familiar ‘give me a treat now’ move) she can direct her own energy and movement him back  with assurance and authority.

With these steps, she will be addressing the beginning stages of leadership and creating a foundation for partnership with her horse, who will appreciate knowing he’s got a rider who knows how to look out for herself and him!

There is no one expression of leadership, no one trick or technique that creates the relationship we want from our horse. But learning the language of leadership, step by step, as we interact with our horse, is the path to success.

Ears forward, soft eyes, lowered head.

About the photos: Taken at one of our adult horsemanship classes on this very issue. This gelding and owner had the same habit of him pushing, and his owner adjusting to his behavior. During this and subsequent classes, the owner realized the pattern she had fallen into, and succesfully changed the dynamic. As she stepped into leadership, her gelding's attitude and general behavior improved markedly over the next several months, and both horse and rider were happier as a result.

Please join us! We talk about and work with these issues in groundwork sessions on Friday mornings at 10:30, as well as during our Adult Horsemanship classes on fourth Sundays.