How to Train a Horse to Sled

Winter is the perfect time to teach your harness-trained horse something new, and sledding is the perfect task to teach. Draft horses are not the only qualified equines for sled pulling, but your horse must already have some hours under its harness training belt before you begin. Snow presents special problems for sled training, such as slipping and the new noises the green horse will experience as they travel over the snow. Keep in mind that every horse is unique and will present with their own individual problems when training, but with series of short, well-planned lessons, your horse will be pulling that sled over the river and through the woods in no time.

Things You'll Need

  • Sled
  • Harness
  • Training obstacles
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Instructions

  1. Course Preparation

    • 1

      Prepare an area filled with teaching obstacles. Include things your horse will encounter naturally during a sled ride, such as trees, hills and water.

    • 2

      Check the course for distractions. Flapping cloth or plastic bags can ruin an entire training day. Don't give your horse a chance to balk at training. Remove all articles from the training course that might cause distraction.

    • 3

      Walk the training course several times to familiarize yourself with how you want to proceed. Look at it from the horse's point of view.

    Harnessing

    • 4

      Harness your horse as you would for any other pulling task. Check all buckles and straps for proper fit so there is no danger of chafing.

    • 5

      Walk the horse around in the harness for several minutes if it is new. Check that the horse is not experiencing any discomfort.

    • 6

      Hitch the horse to the sled slowly. Talk calmly to your horse if it gets nervous, and touch the horse frequently in a soothing manner to keep it calm. Don't jingle buckles unnecessarily, and under no circumstances should you attach bells during training.

    Initial Training

    • 7

      Lead the hitched horse around in a confined area. Keep the lesson short and stop immediately if the horse becomes agitated.

    • 8

      Sit in the sled and drive the horse around the training area. Stop the lesson before the horse becomes overwhelmed.

    • 9

      Repeat these steps until your horse is calm under all circumstances. Attempt the obstacle course only when you reach a level of comfortable disinterest in the horse's demeanor. This means they have accepted the sled and are ready to move toward the next phase.

    Advanced Training

    • 10

      Lead the sled into the obstacle course for the first time. Take the horse to each obstacle for observation.

    • 11

      Lead the horse through the obstacles, talking in a soothing manner at all times. If the horse becomes excited, stop the lesson for the day and pick it back up the next day.

    • 12

      Repeat this training until your horse is calm under all circumstances and has only a vague, passing interest in the obstacles on the course.

    • 13

      Sit in the sled and drive the horse through the course. Stop training if the horse becomes agitated, then continue once the horse is calm.

    • 14

      Drive the course for several days until your horse loses interest. Change the course and repeat all previous training.