As I continue on in my Foundation series of what I expect my colts to be able to do before I start them on the pattern, you're probably thinking "Why a section just on leads? Kinda no brainer, right? You either have the correct lead or you don't." Well, I want to break it down a little more and show the importance and maybe give you something more to think about when it comes to leads. It's pretty easy to see why leads play such an important role in barrel racing. If you're not sure why, try to turn a barrel to the right in the right lead and then again in the left lead and see which one your horse is able to turn the barrel easier.
It is more natural for the horse to take the correct lead in a circle. After all, it's more work for them to be in the wrong lead than it is in the right lead. However, I want my horses to be able to pick up their leads on a straight line. Often times I will be riding in the pasture and will ask for the horse to pick up their left lead, lope a few strides and then drop down to a trot and ask them to pick up their right lead. Not only is the picking up the lead that I ask for important but the transition from a lope to a trot and back to a lope again is as well. I want the horse to slow to my body as well as pick up speed with my body's motion. This is the beginning of speed control. Think of when you come into a barrel, you sit and slow your body's movement wanting the horse to rate or slow down. I don't want to be having to pull on my horses head to get them to rate, I want them to be in tune to my body and slowing down themselves.
Everyone has their way of asking for a horses lead but I tend to ask them the same way I'm found when I'm running barrels so that they automatically take that lead and keep it because my body isn't telling them to do something else. I'll ask by shifting my hips so that my weight is in the outside, so the opposite of the lead I'm asking for. For example, for the left lead, I'd shift my weight to my right back hip pocket, bring my right leg in to "engage" the hindquarters and pick up my inside rein or left rein to shape them and pick up the shoulder as well as open up my left hip and picking up my own shoulder encouraging them to take the correct lead. With their hind quarters engaged, it's very hard for them to take the wrong lead.
Every horse is going to favor a certain side or lead. They might take the left lead easily the first time asked, but the right lead might take them a few times to get right. As colts this is very common and to be expected but it's something that should be pretty well over with before we start the barrels. Teaching them to engage their hindquarters will be a great asset to you for those horses that struggle with their leads.
For anyone that knows me well, they know that I despise the loping a circle before heading to the first barrel. I feel that it's a crutch that too many people rely on and in turn horses learn to rely on as well instead of doing what you ask for when you ask for it in the first place. Now I will say, there is a time and a place for the "crutch circle" but I try not to use it in my program. Although there are several reasons why people will use it, a big reason is it's a way to insure the horse picks up the correct lead before going to first barrel. As I strive to make rodeo horses I know that they don't allow you to do this so I just don't ever learn to rely on it among many many other reasons. Okay....time for me to get off this little rant before a lynch mob comes for me!
Because I am against the "crutch circle" and know that at a rodeo I will have to keep forward movement and usually down some alley way or tight space, I want my horses to go from essentially a standstill to a lope in the correct lead. I don't mind if they walk or trot a stride or two but I expect when I ask for them to do something, they do it. I also don't get in too big of a tizzy if they take the wrong lead when I'm first starting them but I expect to be able to sit down and for them to slow down to a trot and then they take the correct lead when I ask for it the second time. This will also be instrumental when you're preparing them for the lead change before the second barrel.
I don't really ask my horses to do flying lead changes in dry work. Some people can get caught up on flying lead changes but I don't want my horses to get to free with their lead changes to where every time I put a leg in them they change a lead. I want them to use the momentum of leaving the first barrel be what changes their lead verses me having to tell them they need to change their lead. So when I've finished the first barrel, I will slow my body down and ask for a trot and essentially do a simple lead change before I head to second barrel. As your horse progresses it's okay to let them lope out of the first barrel and figure it out on his own. Just remember to ride him with your body the way you should for each lead and soon they'll get the picture!
Who knew that I could talk so much about leads. I'll leave you with a few exercises. Take your horse out to the pasture and ask him for the left lead, after a few strides bring him back down to a trot using your body (not your reins) and then ask them to take the right lead. Try to trot for only a few strides at first and work your way to trotting only one stride before changing to the other lead. For a challenge, ask for a left, trot, ask for a right, trot, and then ask for another right. Keep the horse guessing and waiting for you. For some this will be hard. For others it will be a good refresher. If you've mastered that, try having your horse lope from a standstill in the left lead and then in its right. We don't want them to run out of the standstill like a rocket but a nice easy loose reined lope. Pick a lead in your mind that you want them to take and ask for it and go! When I ask them to lope, I don't want it to be five or ten strides later, I want it now. Of course the younger and less experienced horse it is perfectly acceptable for them to take a few strides before taking the lead, but the fewer strides is something to work towards as they progress.
I hope you've enjoyed this "Foundation" series. Stay tuned next week as I talk about Direction, Collection, and Jaw Softness.
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