How to Teach a Foal to Lead

Foals are the equine equivalent of human children. They have unique personalities and are sponges that soak in everything that happens around them. Teaching them properly when they are young will affect them for the rest of their lives. This article will give you some tips on how to teach a foal to lead.

Things You'll Need

  • Two lead ropes
  • Previous horse experience
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Instructions

  1. How to teach a foal to lead

    • 1

      Begin by attaching a lead rope to the halter. This article will assume that the foal has had a halter on him, and is comfortable with people. Do not pull on the lead rope once you have snapped it to the halter. Keep it slack, but be sure it does not hang low enough for the foal to get it tangled in his legs.

    • 2

      Take the second lead rope and gently loop it around the foals rear end, so that you are holding both ends of the second lead in your right hand and the head lead rope in your left hand. Be prepared for the foal to move forward as your place the rope around his rear. It is best to have this first lesson in a stall or small enclosed spot.

    • 3

      Apply pressure to lead with the normal lead rope while simultaneously applying pressure from the rear with the butt rope. Increase the pressure in a back and forth motion until the foal moves forward. Instantly release the pressure and praise the foal.

    • 4

      Be consistent. With repetition and time, the foal will soon associate the pull on his head with the action of moving forward, since you will have used the butt rope to show him what the pull on his head means. Once this is established, leading the foal with the halter lead is all you will need.

    • 5

      Make sure you do not overwork your foal. Just like small children, foals only have a limited attention span. Limit your lessons to ten or fifteen minutes, then end the session on a positive note. Always be the one to walk away from the foal, and not have the foal walk away or run from you. This lesson learned now will stay with the foal his whole life, so teach it well.