Teaching a Horse to Lead

Teaching a foal to lead is the first step and undeniably the most important step in the schooling of the foal. If the foal was never taught to lead, it could never become a productive adult horse. All aspects of training horses depend on the horse being taught to lead. With this in mind, the following steps will help anyone who has a foal and needs to teach it to lead, with or without its dam or mother.






Before beginning, a few supplies will need to be gathered. These are halters and lead ropes for the foal and its dam. Another person is also handy to handle the mare. When these supplies are gathered, the foal’s schooling can begin.






To begin teaching a foal to lead, catch the foal’s dam. Carefully place the dam’s halter and lead rope on her. After haltering the dam, the foal will need to be caught and haltered.  Unbuckle the halter and place the loose end of the lead rope around the foal’s neck, carefully holding on to both the halter and the lead rope. Now gently release the lead rope and grab the halter with both hands, the left hand on the buckle and the right one on the strap that will be buckled. Place the right hand and strap over the foal’s neck toward it ears and move the left hand upward toward the foal’s ears, carefully catching its nose inside the noseband of the halter. Place the strap behind the ears and run the end of it through the buckle. Pull the strap through the buckle until the noseband of the halter sits half way between the foal’s nostrils and eyes then buckle the strap securely.

Once the foal is haltered, the person leading the foal should allow the lead rope to have slack in it. Slowly begin leading the dam and allow the foal to follow her. Continue this procedure for at least a week or until the foal is comfortable with being haltered and is following behind its dam with a loose lead rope.