Master your leadership

Once you’ve established a positive bond with your horse, it’s time to start working on your leadership technique. “Begin before you leave the stable,” says Patrick. “Start with getting your standing position right. You want his muzzle to be in line with your shoulder, which helps to establish you as the leader. “A lot of people stand in line with their horse’s shoulder but, if you think about it, this is where a foal would stand by his mother. Standing here almost makes you look like a younger sibling to your horse.” Once your position is correct, it’s time to start leading. “I work on a pressure and release system,” explains Patrick. “Many people mistake pressure for force — instead, think of it as ‘asking’. “You never want your horse to go past your shoulder. When this happens, stop, ‘ask’ him to go backwards and when he does, release the pressure. Give him a stroke on the forehead, too, when he does the right thing.” Apply this logic as you move from the stable to your arena or paddock. As you both exit the stable, make sure you go first and take the lead. “If your horse tries to go past your shoulder, ‘ask’ by applying pressure to the line and release when he goes back,” adds Patrick.

Put your bond to the test

It’ll take some time for both you and your horse to get used to this new leading position, so continue working on it in your school or paddock — applying pressure when your horse goes past your shoulder and releasing when he goes back, giving him a rub on the forehead. He’ll soon get the hang of it. You may even be able to unclip the leadrope and still have him follow you round. “Once you become happy with the leading, you can put it to the test using a pole exercise [see p74],” suggests Patrick. “The success of this exercise really depends on the strength of your leadership. Be patient and don’t get frustrated if it doesn’t always go to plan — it’s a learning curve for both of you.”