Leading With Energy
leading with energy
If your horse has more drive than draw, then you will start working on Leading With Energy. This would look like a horse that is more anxious than shutdown, more alert than dull, etc.
This is the Leading with Energy exercise as taught to an Andalusian Mare:Â
If you are sure that your horse is proficient at the Standing Still & Present flowchart, then go out and practice the leading with energy today (if your horse has more drive than draw or if you’ve already done the Focus & Bend because your horse has more draw than drive).
A reminder how to use this course: click on Mark Complete below and go to Step 19 tomorrow.
I had an interruption in progressing-dr appt-then my internet went down. So today (6/10/24) I resumed the 30 day jump start and it went well. Step 17, I repeated until it went smoothly. My question is, since I’m at times working on a wide gravel driveway, after doing “Leading with Energy” exercises today Cricket would stop after he came around me and I scratched him, he would paw the gravel, putting his head down as if to roll, then start to eat small gravel rocks and dirt. He never actually rolled. Then he’d stop that, being still and present, and grab at the lead rope with his mouth until I moved it away.. Any suggestion about what is going on? He did this 3 times and I’d wait for him to roll or ?? he’d sometimes sigh, blink and stick his tongue out and yawn. Other times he just stood there watching me with ears prick to me. If he started to get dirt in his mouth after pawing, I stopped him then. I don’t know what this means or what to do next so I’m writng for suggestions.
Just wait, there is not right answer. If he wants to chew the lead rope, let him chew his lead rope
Thanks so much. I know horse behaviors are from some need of theirs so I was concerned–
MayI know under which Step is Focus and Bend? I can’t seem to fine it.
Its in the groundwork playlist
Hi, the 30day jumpstart is going pretty well. My horse now stays present most of the time, and does the focus and bend fairly consistently. I’m starting the leading with energy but when he walks beside me he often tries to bite, in a playful or attention-seeking way. I can’t hold his muzzle in my hands which I do if we are stationary, as I’m walking beside him – so I raise my energy. That works fine for a few steps but he keeps trying, and I keep raising my energy to stop him. He then starts striking out with his front legs as if doing a spanish walk (he is spanish but I have never taught him to spanish walk!) I’m sure it is a redirection of the attention-seeking nipping behaviour but not sure how to resolve this.
The rules are the same as standing still, if he tries to bite stop and enage with his muzzle, and at that point you are no longer doing the elading with energy, you are now back at the flow chart.
Does he ever do it when standing still any more? If so, do not do the leading with energy while ever that is still there
This was super helpful (even though it’s not with an Andalusian mare like the title says🙂) because it clearly illustrates how much time it can take, even with an expert like you. Sometimes when my horse takes a long time to catch on, I wonder if I’m doing things all wrong.
Hi Warwick
My mare Delight is very good with the standing still and being present. She stands very relaxed. When I move to check if she is present, she responds. When I move my left foot, she follows with her head. Right side the same. The connection through change in focus: she responds with ear/eye/turning her head to me, but the she never did the following that she did the first time again. I think she really is not interested because there is nothing fun to do. When I am in the pasture, she often comes to me for a scratch or hanging out with me.
During The standing still and present sessions there was not so much that she was very concerned about. Just Some minor things. And she reacted very well on what I did: redirecting her attention with the flag. So the bigger stuff is not something we could work on yet.
But I think maybe I can move on to the leading with energy? I just don’t know if I have to fix first that she is not comfortable at the side of the arena where the wall is and behind it a track. She has no problem there eating, grazing or rub against the trees there 😊. It’s only on the lead and when she is between the wall and me. Then she can shoot forward and turning in front of me towards the inside.
So what is it better to do:
– standing still and present between wall and me ( beginning with a lot of space between the wall and her in the middle of the arena)
– doing the leading with energy only at the side of the arena where she’is comfortable
– leading her around and moving on to the standing still and present when she spooks forward on the difficult side.
or do you have another thougt about this? Or is this problem going to be solved in another exercise later on?
“. I think she really is not interested because there is nothing fun to do.”
That is one interpretation. Ive never encountered that.
Id go back to this exercise without that judgement and work on it until its good.
” I just don’t know if I have to fix first that she is not comfortable at the side of the arena where the wall is and behind it a track”
Dont go over there
Thank you Warwick!
So good is only when they follow you around? Ear/eye/head is not enough to go to standing still and present and then to leading with energy when this is also good. I thought the following was not a goal but nice when they do it?
There is a step, that is very important, between ear, eye and head, and following you around, and that is approaching you. The following around isnt that importnat, but being interested enough in you to come up to you IS important
Ok! Great! Today I did the exercise again and she came to me when I turned away and stopped when she looked at me. I felt her coming behind me. I turned my schoulders a bit towards her and said hi. Stretched my hand out and she engaged. She asked for scratches and I did that. Even went to look for a brush after a while and she waited for me to come back. She enjoyed the brushing a lot.