Ever had a horse go too fast while you're leading him? You hang on for dear life, hoping that he won't pull away from you or mow you down before you get him under control. The opposite problem-trying to drag your old slowpoke-can be just as frustrating, though less life-threatening. If you've encountered either problem, no doubt you've fixed it by now. (If not, you'll be able to fix it with this lesson.)
Leading isn't considered an extreme sport or a test of endurance. We generally put up with less-than-perfect manners, figuring that we can live with the occasional "invasion of our space."
More Than the Minimun
However, we're going to challenge you to raise the bar because improving your horse's ground manners is worth the effort. Marginal leading manners are more dangerous than you might think. The horse who hangs back, making you nearly drag him everywhere, isn't listening to you. By allowing him to tune you out when you lead him, you're teaching him to tune you out when you ride him. He's learning that it's okay to pull-or get pulled-by the lead rope, which is equivalent to hanging on the bridle, ignoring your rein cues.
The horse who hasn't learned to walk in place beside you will likely step on you, crash into you, or jerk your arm nearly out of the socket-or you'll find yourself continually jerking on him. Aside from the dangers to you, the horse is in danger because if you can't control him, you can't keep him safe.
You may be strong or agile enough that you can "just live with" those problems. The difficulty comes when someone else has to handle your horse or when the horse gets excited or scared.
