Monty Roberts Equus Online University | Monty's Horse Training Post: Understanding Leads

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Watch Monty's horse training videos to learn how he demonstrates communication through horse training techniques that the amateur and professional alike consider to be the trainable skills of a horse whisperer yet Monty calls it horse gentling.
Monty's horse training techniques are non violent with intelligent natural horsemanship. In addition to video instructions, Monty has written many books related to natural horsemanship. Monty trains safe horses for nervous riders called Willing Partners. Monty trains world class race horses for sale.
“I am very proud to be a part of Her Majesty’s horse training and her passion for their welfare. I believe she is the leading monarch for the advocacy of horses in the world. She is a thought leader in this field. Her Majesty's horses are trained using the Dually Halter, making a difference in the training of sensitive animals by giving the horse the choice to partner in the training.” ~ Monty
“I communicate with a horse in what I call the Language of Equus; a silent language of gestures that is discernible, predictable and effective. Now you can learn from my videos, audio and notes to help you understand the horse as I do. This language is really quite simple, but simplicity becomes its greatest strength.” ~ Monty
Monty Roberts is a renowned horse trainer known as the man who listens to horses and the original horse whisperer. Monty's horse training instructions are accepted worldwide.
Monty has helped thousands of people globally through his Monty Roberts Online Videos to learn how to Join-Up with horses, training young horses, spooky horses, horses that bite. His mustang , Shy Boy , is his most famous horse.
Join-Up methods help horse and trainer to establish a bond of communication and trust. “You must somehow understand that we as horsemen can do very little to teach the horse. What we can do is to create an environment in which he can learn.” ~ Monty
Monty says, “We hear that ‘actions speak louder than words,’ but generally we do not live by it too successfully.” Now Monty has taught thousands of people worldwide how to build trust in animals through our actions and body language.
Monty’s principles really amount to common sense and immense patience. He believes that children and horses have the same behavioral patterns. They are both naturally “flight” animals. "If you frighten them and resort to confrontation, you’ll lose their trust." ~ Monty
"Simple one-on-one reassurances and praise reap long term dividends that can all be undone with the quick slamming of a book on a desk or shouting back." ~ Monty Roberts
"No one of us was born with the right to say 'You must or I'll hurt you' to any other living thing, animal or human". ~ Monty Roberts
"My life's goal is to leave the world a better place than I found it, for horses and for people too". ~ Monty Roberts

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About This Week’s Lesson

Understanding Leads

By:

Ekat

Date:

2010-Jan-14 at 01:13PM

I found the lessons very interesting. It took some time for me to ponder after I read the notes on the last lesson. I was taught to ask for a canter by shortening the outside rein and queuing with the inside leg, so that I would drive the leading leg forward. As Monty never came out and explained why exactly I was supposed to queue with the outside leg I had to think on it for a bit after I read the notes.

Then it became more clear to me. I train my horses to bend around my legs and move off of pressure. So when I press a leg into one side the horse will bend a little into it and that side shortens especially if I also shorten the same rein. That makes that side of the horse shorter and the other side of the horse longer and thus easier to step into the correct lead. Therefore, when asking for a lead change the queue must be small so as not to confuse the horse into thinking that I am asking for a circle instead of a lead change. It would explain why in dressage they do the lead changes on the straight, the judges want to make sure that the rider is queuing the horse properly and not using the circle as an aid.

I learn so much every time I come on this site. The hardest part for me is waiting for the next class to post. :)

Jules 970 2010-Jan-15 at 07:46PM

I also thought the lesson was good. However I was confused about the aids to start off on the correct lead. Then I looked at

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canter#Aids_for_the_canter_depart

It describes 3 different ways of cuing the canter. The first one (outside lateral aids) is what Monty describes and seems pretty simple and clear.

What I don't understand is the last one (inside lateral aids). This matches the "diagonal aids" I was taught as a boy but seems to involve bending the horse to the inside, which surely is the opposite of the first method....

So I'm still a bit confused !

SonyaH 2010-Jan-27 at 11:07PM

I agree, great lesson!
I was taught the outside lateral leg aid from classical dressage trainers in Germany. If you look closely, the horse pushes off with the outside hind leg first, followed by simultaneous inside hind and outside front and finally the inside front which results in the 3 beat rythm. So the outside leg aid slightly behind the girth is used to encourage the first step from the outside hind.
I'm always a bit confused when I hear people say 'more inside leg' to go into canter.