Reader, how often do you lead your horse? Pretty frequently, right? From the pasture, to the barn, to the arena, to the barn… more days than not.
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Now how often, while you're leading your horse, are you actively thinking about what you're doing? Given how frequently most of us are leading our horses, it’s worth considering what habits we’re practicing as we do.
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And leading work does not have to be limited to the long walk from the pasture back to the barn. There is so much more to the leading work than just getting from point A to point B. Work in the leading position is a valuable groundwork activity, right alongside lungework, long lining, and ground driving.
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Relaxation, softness, attentiveness. Aids, responses, balance, flow. All of these fundamental qualities that we seek in our horses, they can all be educated and improved upon through simple, purposeful leading work.
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I like the leading position for its ease and comfort. It is a position we spend a lot of time in as we go about our daily routines, and are therefore already very familiar with. It’s simply a matter of dialing in our attention and raising the bar on our standards while we’re leading.
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Keep it simple, but make it interesting. Right side, left side, inside turns, outside turns. Squares, large circles, figure eights and maybe a couple serpentines. Always being very clear on where you’re going: Take responsibility for giving good directions, and give your horse the responsibility for finding her own posture and balance.
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Almost invariably, any major difficulties we are going to have that day will show up immediately in the leading work. Not enough forward… too much tension in the neck… an anxious mind… a poor response to my aids. And likewise for myself: unclear aids… impatience… micromanaging…
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If there are problems in the leading work, you can bet those same problems will show up in your driving, too. Often even more exaggerated. But when the leading work is feeling smooth and easy, the next questions will not seem so complicated.

Challenge yourself to raise the bar on your leading work. Get curious, and notice:

✔️ Does your horse step off right together with you?
✔️ Does she stop cleanly, off the slightest aid?
✔️ Can you make circles to the right and the left, with the rope hanging loose?
✔️ Can you do the same from the other side of the horse?

Pay close attention, and be picky!
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With a young or green horse, you can make leading work your full session for the day, a few days a week. With an older, more educated horse, the leading work can be a great warmup, or something you practice on a rest day.
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In my online course, Driving 101, the first module is entirely focused on leading work. We use these simple exercises to begin to establish good habits of asking clear questions, getting nice responses, and developing a baseline of relaxation and attentiveness — in our horses and also in ourselves. We embrace this opportunity to set the bar for all of our future work, with the awareness that all of the qualities that make a desirable driving horse can first be educated on the lead line.
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I’ll be opening the doors to Driving 101 in early May. If you’re at all curious about whether this program might be for you, click here to join the waitlist. No commitment required; I’ll just make sure you’re the first to know all the things as the time gets closer.
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Happy leading,
Christine