Trainers Pen

Trainer’s Pen

 

Taking The Lead

Understanding how your horse moves and finding balance is essential to good horsemanship.

 

The most successful shooters are the best riders. Those riders understand their horse and have the hands and the skill to put him in the right place at the right time—no matter what the pattern is. The best mounted shooters have full control over their horse, and they know where their horse’s feet are at all times.

 

A great shooter cannot be great without a great horse—one that is responsive, attentive, and most importantly balanced. A successful horse can accelerate, rate and turn in both directions with balance and flexion.

 

Essential to balance at the lope: the rider’s ability to know if the horse is on the correct lead in the canter.

 

The lope.

The canter, also known by the Western riding term lope, is a three beat gait. When the horse moves forward at the lope, one hind leg hits the ground first, followed by the opposite diagonal pair and finally the opposite foreleg. This creates the three beat gait—a rhythm followed by a slight pause while the horse is in suspension, and then it begins over again. The faster a horse’s speed increases, the longer his suspension in the air will be.

 

For example, while loping a right hand circle, the horse’s footfall is: left hind–right hind and left front falling together–then right front.

 

At the lope, the more extended foreleg is matched by a slightly more extended hind leg on the same side. This is referred to as a lead. When a horse is loping in a circle, the inside foreleg should always be leading.

 

If the horse is in one lead in the front and the opposite in the back, a very awkward and uncomfortable lope called “cross-firing” is created. You can easily recognize this difficulty and make the appropriate adjustments.

 

Individual horses may prefer to lead on either the left or right leg, but it is your responsibility to make sure the horse is always loping in the appropriate lead. For example, horses with a history in team roping—out of repetition and habit—may prefer to lead with their left foreleg.

 

How to know if your horse is on the correct lead.

Knowing if your horse is on the correct lead at the lope is fundamental to basic horsemanship. A rider who knows how to correct their horse when they are in an incorrect lead is able to keep their horse correctly balanced. This is very important.

 

A balanced horse is one who will stay balanced naturally while running in a pattern. For example, if a rider allows their horse to lope in the left lead all the time, the chances are slim that the horse will be able to make necessary lead changes to the right.

 

The animal is comfortable feeling unbalanced and will not feel the need to change leads. On the other hand, a horse who is used to being on the correct lead all the time will change his leads himself during a pattern; he is uncomfortable running unbalanced in the wrong lead.  Again, it is your responsibility to teach your horse right from wrong. Yes, increasing speed and pushing a horse through a pattern may help that horse change leads, but speed isn’t the answer to keeping a horse balanced all the time.

 

A horse at the lope should always be leading with the inside foreleg. A horse loping a circle to the left but incorrectly leading with the right foreleg will feel uncomfortable to an attentive rider. You can feel the horse’s tendency to drift outwards to the right, as a consequence of being on the wrong lead. If that happens, you need to correct it right away.

 

Some horses correct themselves. Others require the rider to reduce speed to the trot and try to enter the lope correctly again on the correct lead. Sometimes asking your horse to extend his lope for a couple of strides will correct the lead. It really doesn’t matter how you correct your horse—but you must correct him!

 

It takes time for a novice rider to recognize if the horse is on the right lead. Don’t be discouraged if it doesn’t happen right away. If you are unsure, sometimes glancing down at your horse’s shoulder or breast collar can help. If you see the leading shoulder/foreleg reaches further than the shoulder that is not leading, then you’ve got problems. If you are still unsure, have a friend point out to you if your horse is in the incorrect lead. In time, you will be able to learn to feel your horse move.

 

How do leads affect a mounted shooting pattern?

Commencing a pattern in the correct lead at the lope is vital to running a smooth pattern. We cannot cue our horse throughout the pattern for flying lead changes while we are trying to shoot, change guns, and turn barrels—so setting our horse up for a correct entry into a pattern ensures a smooth departure and gives our horse the best chance for a successful run.

 

At the start of a run, look at the pattern and ask yourself, “What’s my first turn? Is it to the left? Or the right?” Every pattern has a turn, whether it’s a first barrel, a gate, or the rundown barrel. If the first turn is to the left, you should start the horse off on the left lead; if it’s to the right, start your horse off on the right lead in order to get the most advantageous start.

 

How do leads effect a barrel turn?

A horse that is on the incorrect lead amidst a barrel turn will have problems; he will lack smoothness and flexion. For example, turning a rundown barrel to the right while riding a horse that is in the left lead will cause the horse to drift sideways out of the turn. You’ll feel like the horse is going crooked and you may have difficulty keeping the horse from wandering out of the turns.

 

Beyond that, allowing a horse to turn barrels on the wrong lead can also result in the animal dropping his shoulder into the barrel, knocking it over and costing time.

 

Whatever equestrian sport you pursue, the secret of success is about being an educated rider, being able to feel your horse move, and knowing where his feet are at all times. Faults in your horse and your riding style will show up in your performance. Experience and knowledge with your horse creates confidence and a successful partnership.

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