Video: Yielding the Forequarters

Loop the lead rope around the horse’s neck so that it isn’t dragging on the ground.

Position yourself so that your belly button is in line with the horse’s eye. The farther forward you stand, the more you’ll discourage the horse from wanting to walk forward—a common mistake horses make. With your hand that’s closest to the horse’s head, hold the lead rope about a foot from the snap. That way you’ll be able to correct the horse while giving him enough slack to move his front end away from you.

Hold your training stick horizontally (in both hands), level with the horse’s eye. Lightly tap the air with rhythm. If the horse doesn’t respond, then start tapping his jaw and neck until he takes one correct step. If you’re standing on the horse’s left side, his left front leg should cross in front of his right front leg.

As soon as the horse takes one correct step, stop tapping and rub him to a stop. Rubbing lets the horse know he did the right thing and can relax.

Once the horse can consistently take one step away from you, look for him to take two steps. As he gets more confident, you can slowly start to add more steps until he can eventually yield 360 degrees away from you.

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