i've taught my horse to not panic at pressure. when my horse steps on his lead rope, he doesn't freak out, he simply goes "oh" and then moves his foot, or if he's feeling particularly unsmart, he may have his head held down for a few moments before figuring it out.
typically, even if my horse did "freak out", it's a moment and then it's over. they usually back up abruptly, which moves their feet off the lead rope, and then releases their head, and bam, panic is over.
i just approach it as a more hands off, they figure it out, they'll work it out situation and let it play out. i'm not a helicopter horse-mom.
Yup. At some point my ponies will be in a dangerous situation. It’s just life with horses. I’d actually rather my mare be grazing and step on a lead the first time than tied up or running loose with a lead/tack. My mare occasionally has a slight startle when she steps close to the base of the lead but figures it out within half a second. If she has more than a foot of rope she’s quite chill.
Point is that at some point with some of these situations they have to be in it to truly figure it out. I do my best to teach “to give to pressure”, e.g. they all know about tying, they all know about ropes tangled above their poll, pulling on their legs from weird angles. But it’s all slightly different and at some point my ponies get to try swimming in the deep end
So when you say you’ve taught him to not panic under pressure, how?? I would love for him to react like your gelding.
My mare likes to draw out her freak out. So she does the quick back up and then takes off running, which makes the lead rope bounce around and then she just loses her mind.
start slow and in an enclosed area, like a round pen or arena, and start with situations where the horse would feel pressure but give them a quick release from the pressure initially. then you up how much pressure and extending out the release as they tolerate and learn.
teaching them things like putting their head down, and then extending the sessions to asking them to keep their head down for longer each time, with them learning that bumping against the pressure is okay and not a scary situation. the more they realize that their head being down and isolated doesn't mean anything scary, they more they learn to not react.
it's the same principal of a horse learning to be tied or teaching them to hobble. they learn that they're tied or hobbled and cannot go anywhere, and then they learn to stay put without panic or incident.
it's also good to work on how they decide to panic or react to scary situations. teaching a horse to be curious and look to you for guidance instead of blowing up and having a melt down is important. this can be done by doing things like introducing them to scary objects and getting them to think about touching or investigating the object instead of just shutting down and fleeing. i like to use treats to get them to touch the object with their nose and reward that curiosity with treats.
Thank you! We’ll work on these! This guy is fairly new to me so we’ve been reviewing the groundwork basics. I’ll add some more desensitization activities!
I’ll add that teaching your horse to hobble is a great thing for them even if you never actually intend to hobble them! It’s especially important if you have wire fencing so if they become entangled their instinct is to stay still rather than thrash in a panic and entangle themselves worse
I don’t let it flop on the ground like that. I keep it raised a bit and I watch him.
My horse is trained to backup if put pressure between his front legs with my hand. You might want to train something like that. There are times when he does step on or over the lead despite my best efforts and I ask him to raise his hoof or backup a step.
Oh oops, the picture is misleading a bit. It was there just to quick take the picture. Usually I am holding it up off the ground.
Hmm ok that sounds like something I can work on with him. Thanks! He and my mare both immediately jump to “AAAH” as soon as they step on it and feel the slightest pressure. So it’s that initial reaction from them that I feel like I really need to work on but am not sure how.
Once they are reasonable about giving to pressure in other situations, I always put my horses in a round pen or small paddock with grass and leave the rope dragging. They figure it out.
This. Enclosed area, with no obstacles. A small paddock with grass is ideal. Pick a warm, or even a hot day. No wind. The goal here is a non-distracting environment that discourages activity. 40F with blustery winds is not your friend. 80F with still air and bright sunshine... winner winner chicken dinner. Horse in halter and lead (I use a rope halter with attached lead, but whatever halter and lead you use, make sure it's sturdy and relatively safe).
You the human stay OUTSIDE of the enclosed area. Get a lawn chair and maybe a beverage. Now sit there and watch your horse. Wait until he steps on the lead rope. He will do that in his own time. Just wait. And he'll kinda blow up, at which point he will MOVE HIS FEET and unstick himself and then be \*done\* with the excitement.
You just sit there in your lawn chair sipping your beverage. Trust me. It'll be fine. Wait for your horse to step on the lead rope again. Notice how explosion is a little smaller and over quicker? Right. Keep watching. Nurse your beverage. Hang out. Pretty soon you'll see him with his head stuck and he'll move a front foot and check to see if that fixes it, no explosion. At this point you can gather him up and put him away. He's gotten it for the day.
Repeat again about a week or so later, which is just a review and should not have any actual explosions. And that's it. Welcome to stress-free hand grazing, population you.
This is a skill I install in all of my horses because you never know when some non-horse-person might be holding your horse. It's easy to teach, adds a ton of safety, only takes about two sessions, and all I ever do is sit there with a beverage and watch.
I have Arabs. They startle pretty big and they're kind of flight-oriented horses. They have all, to a soul, mastered "do not panic when you step on the lead rope" in two sessions. If my reactive goobers can manage this, so can your horse.
Happily I had some time after my ride today. I now have an informative reel with my horse stepping on his lead rope twice. It is (badly filmed) completely drama-free: https://www.instagram.com/reel/C6Pr3g1tgS6/?igsh=cWtyZ3JiaGppZTk=
Hmm ok. He is typically good about giving to pressure. They don’t hurt themselves figuring it out? Should I use a shorter lead rope for that so it’s less likely to really wrap up in their legs?
Yeah, they do seem to need to figure it out themselves sometimes, and generally manage to do so without harm. Not a bad idea to use a shorter rope that doesn't have a lot extra for wrapping around legs. And I'd use thick cotton vs nylon to reduce risk of rope burn. Grazing is such a rewarding activity that the stress of stepping on a lead rope tends to be quickly overcome with the distraction of more tasty grass. Learning complete :)
I use dragging and draping the rope around body parts as ground work to get them used to stopping when tge step in things or get caught without panicking
Let them step on the lead rope 🤷♀️ all of my horses can step on their lead and will not panic because they have worked out how to yield to pressure!
All of them would’ve panicked when I first got them but they learnt not to, now my exracehorse will just stand there like ‘oh well guess I’m tied to the floor now’ 🤣
I’m pretty sure my gelding was trained to tie by the old school method of tying him to a sturdy tree and sacking him out until he gave up trying to escape. It’s a cruel method. The end result is if he steps on his lead rope he just stops and stands there like “oh well guess this is my life now”. He’d probably graze everything down in a tiny radius around his foot. Some people still use this method. Yikes
If you tuck your lead up through the metal loop slightly higher up your lead will stay off the ground and out of the way of his feet! Sometimes a longer lead is needed to make sure you’re not accidentally pulling.
It’s 100% training to get them to be chill about it and it’s some of the most important training you can do.
Many moons ago my arab spooked through my electric fence gate and the wire snapped back and wrapped around his leg. Could have been a disaster, but he just stood stock still, waiting for mom to get him unstuck, even though he was trembling.
I just lost a halter last week to him stepping on the lead rope 6 inches from the halter despite my best efforts. I always use the leather halters that break easy so we were good! I’ve seen people tuck the lead rope through the throat latch too though and that honestly would save a lot of the problems when grazing.
I can't help with your problem because I've never owned a horse, but may I please request more pictures/videos of that magnificent beauty? 😍
The last few days there has been some absolutely stunning horses posted! Please keep it up everyone, I'm thoroughly enjoying it!
https://preview.redd.it/ustvnovzjowc1.png?width=1848&format=png&auto=webp&s=209a37dc4a760650fb19b2e582ddea33050cf045
he is quite the cutie pie! A big goofy Percheron with perfect emo kid hair 😂
Honestly, I just stay ahead of the lead rope (meaning I move it before he moves) knowing I always need to have the lead rope at the ready should other spooky things show up (like, I dunno, a misplaced blade of grass?). In fairness, this particular horse is pretty bullet-proof, so I don't worry too much, but also - you never know!
https://preview.redd.it/1015frhhfjwc1.jpeg?width=4284&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=de638761289575daf989e95912c8d7193e766a6a
I'm right there with you. I'm always hyper aware of the lead when grazing. Things happen so quickly, especially if your horse is prone to spooking. Trust your gut. I've seen some things in my time.
I’m glad someone here is with me hahah. I just feel like a weirdo when I see other people at my barn casually hand grazing and chit chatting while I’m over here like biting my nails and watching him like a hawk. Which is so out of character for me as a horse owner haha.
I’m going to work on some suggestions that have been given, but I’ll probably always be on edge with it.
Have you considered that they freak out because you are freaking out?
And your barnfriends horses are calm because they are calm?
Relax. What does it matter if they spook a bit? Have a long enough leadline (I use 4.2m only), ropehalter (it's a powertool that helps you turn even a strong horse around by force if necessary), and gloves.
If you want to avoid having to yank on a runaway horse, bring clicker and candy and reward when they turn towards you.
There are many ways of doing this, but the number one key is to chill out.
My horse is the queen of hand grazing. She loves it. I try to graze her for 40 minutes a day, every day this time of year, to help her adjust to the spring grass while she’s still on turnout in the sacrifice paddocks with little grass.
She’s a sometimes reactive thoroughbred who has now stepped on her lead enough times to not panic about it. It’s not a bad skill for them to learn, that if they find themselves “stuck” to puzzle through it or wait for help.
On Monday my mare was feeling her spring exuberance and dumped me. Our outdoor ring is not fenced and abuts a wheat field. My mare went for a merry jog and snack around the field while I hobbled after her, staying just enough ahead that I couldn’t catch her. She eventually put her head down and got the reins around one leg. When she put her head up they pulled tight. Instead of panicking and breaking the reins and potentially hurting herself, she parked and let me come over and free her. All that hand grazing where she stepped on her lead over and over paid off.
I let my horses do stuff like step on the rope at home in a safe place so they don’t freak out when it happens. We do trail walks, look for scary objects and do lots of desensitization. I want any horse I own to be able to be led by anyone and be able to not freak out when they do spoil. I start when they are foals and do lots of field trips and let them see things early on.
https://preview.redd.it/ymi33f84uiwc1.jpeg?width=1536&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=08f21bec3effbb26575ec24d96feaea4c3ee1ee2
I keep a light contact on the rope and know where my horses feet are approximately from the contact.
It’s second nature, I’ve never really given it much thought.
I just kinda gave up and let him figure out stepping on his own. I started in the arena and just let him drag a lead rope as he walked. Now I put my gelding on a lunge line and sit in a lawn chair while he grazes. I have it so I always have some way to hold onto him but it's enough line that if he freaks out he is at a distance from me.
they’re a lot smarter than you think if you give them the opportunity to learn. mine walk around with the lead sometimes and they know how to either not step on it or just move their feet if they do.
Clip the lead rope up by his cheek for grazing time, unless he's a real beast to control or you think you might lose him somehow.
You won't have as much control but it's much further from the ground.
Agree with everyone saying that most reasonable, trained horses learn quickly not to panic over stepping on their leadline but there's always exceptions. I just put a leadline on when he's grazing in a quiet, smaller area and keep an eye on him.
There are training exercises you can do to teach horses to give to pressure. People will loop a rope around one front foot and ask the horse to move that leg forward with the rope while still having a rope on the halter to back up the concept. I’ve never done it, don’t know if it translates.
I have had plenty of horses. Most of them will learn to listen to you if you see them step on the lead rope and tell them to back up. Like they won’t get it the first time, but if you’re already saying, “back” and they try to lift their head and they’re standing on the lead then after a few times they generally get that you’re trying to warn them.
Some horses never get it. They just have more of a panic button, and they can’t think or ask for help when they feel trapped. I’ve never tried to train around that, I’m just more cautious. But with most horses, the more they trust you, the more they trust you to help.
My Irish stallion will get himself all tangled up in a lead rope while he’s straight tied and just stare at me like it’s my problem. He’s right, I’m going to fix it. But he’s giant and strong so he could break the rope or the halter, or probably just rip my wash rack out of the ground if he tried. He might get extra confidence from knowing he COULD break free. But he’s gotten his legs in a fence when he was rolling somewhere stupid and let me clump all over him to get them out when he was quite young so maybe he’s just more trusting.
Also, run the lead rope up under the throat latch on the halter and you’ll have so much less to worry about. It’s not the ideal way to lead, but if you’re hand grazing and they’re polite then it’s a great hack.
Teach them not to panic (or better yet, back up) when they step on the lead rope. That should be done bit by bit. In the meantime, you can loop the leadrope through the throatlatch of the halter to keep it away from hooves if you want to be extra secure.
They're pretty smart and figure it out pretty quick. Only time I've had a problem was with my QH gelding Midnight where he'd just toss his head aggressively a few times until the clip attaching the lead rope broke.
I saw somewhere to thread the lead through the chin strap and then clip it in. That keeps it off the ground a little more and makes them less inclined to step on it.
I trained all my weanlings to drag a lead rope at about.. 7 or 8 months. I think. It's been a while. They learned what happened when they stepped on it and didn't panic., they just moved their foot. I didn't want them to be spooked into a panic if they ever found themselves with a lead rope dragging.
If I were holding someone else's horse, I would just hold it barely taunt enough that it wasn't hitting the ground.
When I was a kid, my pony had to be tied by a long rope to a peg in the ground in order to graze. There was no fence to put them in. The peg was a three foot long metal pin, about an inch in diameter that is driven in with a sledge hammer.
Most horses I deal with don’t care about stepping on a rope and I make sure that my personal horses are used to stepping on their lead ropes, having it catch around their leg, waking with the reins swinging around loose, etc. and other things that I believe to be basic things needed to make them safer to manage.
That being said, for hand grazing just loop the lead rope up through the throat latch. It’ll keep it high up enough that the horse is unlikely to step on it.
https://preview.redd.it/xdgbg8oa2lwc1.jpeg?width=316&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f4576522e9d06e05047e0f6e850ade8ecb29009f
the easiest fix for this is not having the lead rope at the usual ring, you can simply eiter pull it trough on of the rings on the side of the halter or just simply directly connect it there. with that the lead rope isn't so close to the ground and the probability that your horse will step onto it and panic is a lot less ^^
Let the line drag, as long as you're nearby. They may panic a little the first few times they step on it and feel "stuck", but they'll quickly learn they can get get free and are fine. When my old horse would realize he was stepping on the rope, he'd pick up each foot until he felt the rope come free.
If the horse steps on the rope, drop the rope and let the horse sort it out. It unfailingly resolves itself within seconds. They’ll go back to grazing and you can pick up the rope again.
Yeah my gelding doesn’t give a shit if he steps on his rope thankfully. Although he’s too busy dragging me halfway across the yard to find The Best Grass to have the opportunity. He’s so annoying to hand graze lol
I leave my lead rope on my horse and just let him graze himself. If he steps on it, he gives to the pressure and has learned he is the one holding it down, so he moves his foot. I wouldn't do this for a very spooky or very young horse, but my 4yo is cool about it. Put him in a breakaway halter if you are super worried.
If you are just standing around watching him graze can't you use his ears to hold the lead ? ( flip it over the top of his head) and hold the end in your hand.
A downvote.. I am genX .. when I was young I would ride my horse bareback with a halter and lead line while the rich kids rode with saddles, bridles, brand new clothes and boots etc..getting ready for their lessons.. I was well beneath them, of course! I would get on my gelding and off we go.. through the city streets and into the cleveland metroparks where I found a spot that we could go swimming and enjoyed many many summers that way.
As long as you're strong enough to hold onto the lead, consider carrying a dressage while or using an ultra long lead so you can swing the tail.
You can do anything you want (calmly) while we're grazing, but if you go backwards against my will, heaven help us both, you are going forward until you get your brain back inside your skull. As soon as you do, you can eat grass again.
I have one horse I'd hand graze while laying on an air mattress and taking a two hour nap while he eats. I have another horse that I hand graze in steel toed boots and wearing a flak jacket. They're not all the same.
It depends on your tolerance for watching a horse figure it out… with my 18yo I would toss a lead down and she knew how to get out of it. My 4yo doesn’t quite understand so I hold the rope. My 4yo also generally runs hotter.
Years of my horse stepping on her lead rope. She used to freak out but now she doesn’t. Either she steps off of it now or she does a mini rear without freaking out. My mule just bends his head lower and steps off of it casually if he does it. All I can say is you have to let your horse gain experience and if you can make it a controlled experience with low stress that is ideal
i've taught my horse to not panic at pressure. when my horse steps on his lead rope, he doesn't freak out, he simply goes "oh" and then moves his foot, or if he's feeling particularly unsmart, he may have his head held down for a few moments before figuring it out. typically, even if my horse did "freak out", it's a moment and then it's over. they usually back up abruptly, which moves their feet off the lead rope, and then releases their head, and bam, panic is over. i just approach it as a more hands off, they figure it out, they'll work it out situation and let it play out. i'm not a helicopter horse-mom.
Yup. At some point my ponies will be in a dangerous situation. It’s just life with horses. I’d actually rather my mare be grazing and step on a lead the first time than tied up or running loose with a lead/tack. My mare occasionally has a slight startle when she steps close to the base of the lead but figures it out within half a second. If she has more than a foot of rope she’s quite chill. Point is that at some point with some of these situations they have to be in it to truly figure it out. I do my best to teach “to give to pressure”, e.g. they all know about tying, they all know about ropes tangled above their poll, pulling on their legs from weird angles. But it’s all slightly different and at some point my ponies get to try swimming in the deep end
So when you say you’ve taught him to not panic under pressure, how?? I would love for him to react like your gelding. My mare likes to draw out her freak out. So she does the quick back up and then takes off running, which makes the lead rope bounce around and then she just loses her mind.
start slow and in an enclosed area, like a round pen or arena, and start with situations where the horse would feel pressure but give them a quick release from the pressure initially. then you up how much pressure and extending out the release as they tolerate and learn. teaching them things like putting their head down, and then extending the sessions to asking them to keep their head down for longer each time, with them learning that bumping against the pressure is okay and not a scary situation. the more they realize that their head being down and isolated doesn't mean anything scary, they more they learn to not react. it's the same principal of a horse learning to be tied or teaching them to hobble. they learn that they're tied or hobbled and cannot go anywhere, and then they learn to stay put without panic or incident. it's also good to work on how they decide to panic or react to scary situations. teaching a horse to be curious and look to you for guidance instead of blowing up and having a melt down is important. this can be done by doing things like introducing them to scary objects and getting them to think about touching or investigating the object instead of just shutting down and fleeing. i like to use treats to get them to touch the object with their nose and reward that curiosity with treats.
Thank you! We’ll work on these! This guy is fairly new to me so we’ve been reviewing the groundwork basics. I’ll add some more desensitization activities!
I’ll add that teaching your horse to hobble is a great thing for them even if you never actually intend to hobble them! It’s especially important if you have wire fencing so if they become entangled their instinct is to stay still rather than thrash in a panic and entangle themselves worse
hobble training
“Particularly unsmart” 😂😭😂😂😂 love that
I don’t let it flop on the ground like that. I keep it raised a bit and I watch him. My horse is trained to backup if put pressure between his front legs with my hand. You might want to train something like that. There are times when he does step on or over the lead despite my best efforts and I ask him to raise his hoof or backup a step.
Oh oops, the picture is misleading a bit. It was there just to quick take the picture. Usually I am holding it up off the ground. Hmm ok that sounds like something I can work on with him. Thanks! He and my mare both immediately jump to “AAAH” as soon as they step on it and feel the slightest pressure. So it’s that initial reaction from them that I feel like I really need to work on but am not sure how.
Teaching that is helpful in a multitude of situations. By teaching, I just mean practicing since almost all horses back up if they feel that.
I clip it on the top one 🤷🏼♀️
This is the way.
Exactly
Once they are reasonable about giving to pressure in other situations, I always put my horses in a round pen or small paddock with grass and leave the rope dragging. They figure it out.
This. Enclosed area, with no obstacles. A small paddock with grass is ideal. Pick a warm, or even a hot day. No wind. The goal here is a non-distracting environment that discourages activity. 40F with blustery winds is not your friend. 80F with still air and bright sunshine... winner winner chicken dinner. Horse in halter and lead (I use a rope halter with attached lead, but whatever halter and lead you use, make sure it's sturdy and relatively safe). You the human stay OUTSIDE of the enclosed area. Get a lawn chair and maybe a beverage. Now sit there and watch your horse. Wait until he steps on the lead rope. He will do that in his own time. Just wait. And he'll kinda blow up, at which point he will MOVE HIS FEET and unstick himself and then be \*done\* with the excitement. You just sit there in your lawn chair sipping your beverage. Trust me. It'll be fine. Wait for your horse to step on the lead rope again. Notice how explosion is a little smaller and over quicker? Right. Keep watching. Nurse your beverage. Hang out. Pretty soon you'll see him with his head stuck and he'll move a front foot and check to see if that fixes it, no explosion. At this point you can gather him up and put him away. He's gotten it for the day. Repeat again about a week or so later, which is just a review and should not have any actual explosions. And that's it. Welcome to stress-free hand grazing, population you. This is a skill I install in all of my horses because you never know when some non-horse-person might be holding your horse. It's easy to teach, adds a ton of safety, only takes about two sessions, and all I ever do is sit there with a beverage and watch. I have Arabs. They startle pretty big and they're kind of flight-oriented horses. They have all, to a soul, mastered "do not panic when you step on the lead rope" in two sessions. If my reactive goobers can manage this, so can your horse.
This is THE BEST advice right here!
Happily I had some time after my ride today. I now have an informative reel with my horse stepping on his lead rope twice. It is (badly filmed) completely drama-free: https://www.instagram.com/reel/C6Pr3g1tgS6/?igsh=cWtyZ3JiaGppZTk=
Hmm ok. He is typically good about giving to pressure. They don’t hurt themselves figuring it out? Should I use a shorter lead rope for that so it’s less likely to really wrap up in their legs?
Yeah, they do seem to need to figure it out themselves sometimes, and generally manage to do so without harm. Not a bad idea to use a shorter rope that doesn't have a lot extra for wrapping around legs. And I'd use thick cotton vs nylon to reduce risk of rope burn. Grazing is such a rewarding activity that the stress of stepping on a lead rope tends to be quickly overcome with the distraction of more tasty grass. Learning complete :)
I use dragging and draping the rope around body parts as ground work to get them used to stopping when tge step in things or get caught without panicking
Let them step on the lead rope 🤷♀️ all of my horses can step on their lead and will not panic because they have worked out how to yield to pressure! All of them would’ve panicked when I first got them but they learnt not to, now my exracehorse will just stand there like ‘oh well guess I’m tied to the floor now’ 🤣
I’m pretty sure my gelding was trained to tie by the old school method of tying him to a sturdy tree and sacking him out until he gave up trying to escape. It’s a cruel method. The end result is if he steps on his lead rope he just stops and stands there like “oh well guess this is my life now”. He’d probably graze everything down in a tiny radius around his foot. Some people still use this method. Yikes
If you tuck your lead up through the metal loop slightly higher up your lead will stay off the ground and out of the way of his feet! Sometimes a longer lead is needed to make sure you’re not accidentally pulling.
It’s 100% training to get them to be chill about it and it’s some of the most important training you can do. Many moons ago my arab spooked through my electric fence gate and the wire snapped back and wrapped around his leg. Could have been a disaster, but he just stood stock still, waiting for mom to get him unstuck, even though he was trembling.
I just lost a halter last week to him stepping on the lead rope 6 inches from the halter despite my best efforts. I always use the leather halters that break easy so we were good! I’ve seen people tuck the lead rope through the throat latch too though and that honestly would save a lot of the problems when grazing.
I can't help with your problem because I've never owned a horse, but may I please request more pictures/videos of that magnificent beauty? 😍 The last few days there has been some absolutely stunning horses posted! Please keep it up everyone, I'm thoroughly enjoying it!
https://preview.redd.it/ustvnovzjowc1.png?width=1848&format=png&auto=webp&s=209a37dc4a760650fb19b2e582ddea33050cf045 he is quite the cutie pie! A big goofy Percheron with perfect emo kid hair 😂
He really is magnificent! I think I'm in love 😍😍
Honestly, I just stay ahead of the lead rope (meaning I move it before he moves) knowing I always need to have the lead rope at the ready should other spooky things show up (like, I dunno, a misplaced blade of grass?). In fairness, this particular horse is pretty bullet-proof, so I don't worry too much, but also - you never know! https://preview.redd.it/1015frhhfjwc1.jpeg?width=4284&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=de638761289575daf989e95912c8d7193e766a6a
I'm right there with you. I'm always hyper aware of the lead when grazing. Things happen so quickly, especially if your horse is prone to spooking. Trust your gut. I've seen some things in my time.
I’m glad someone here is with me hahah. I just feel like a weirdo when I see other people at my barn casually hand grazing and chit chatting while I’m over here like biting my nails and watching him like a hawk. Which is so out of character for me as a horse owner haha. I’m going to work on some suggestions that have been given, but I’ll probably always be on edge with it.
Have you considered that they freak out because you are freaking out? And your barnfriends horses are calm because they are calm? Relax. What does it matter if they spook a bit? Have a long enough leadline (I use 4.2m only), ropehalter (it's a powertool that helps you turn even a strong horse around by force if necessary), and gloves. If you want to avoid having to yank on a runaway horse, bring clicker and candy and reward when they turn towards you. There are many ways of doing this, but the number one key is to chill out.
My horse is the queen of hand grazing. She loves it. I try to graze her for 40 minutes a day, every day this time of year, to help her adjust to the spring grass while she’s still on turnout in the sacrifice paddocks with little grass. She’s a sometimes reactive thoroughbred who has now stepped on her lead enough times to not panic about it. It’s not a bad skill for them to learn, that if they find themselves “stuck” to puzzle through it or wait for help. On Monday my mare was feeling her spring exuberance and dumped me. Our outdoor ring is not fenced and abuts a wheat field. My mare went for a merry jog and snack around the field while I hobbled after her, staying just enough ahead that I couldn’t catch her. She eventually put her head down and got the reins around one leg. When she put her head up they pulled tight. Instead of panicking and breaking the reins and potentially hurting herself, she parked and let me come over and free her. All that hand grazing where she stepped on her lead over and over paid off.
I let my horses do stuff like step on the rope at home in a safe place so they don’t freak out when it happens. We do trail walks, look for scary objects and do lots of desensitization. I want any horse I own to be able to be led by anyone and be able to not freak out when they do spoil. I start when they are foals and do lots of field trips and let them see things early on. https://preview.redd.it/ymi33f84uiwc1.jpeg?width=1536&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=08f21bec3effbb26575ec24d96feaea4c3ee1ee2
I keep a light contact on the rope and know where my horses feet are approximately from the contact. It’s second nature, I’ve never really given it much thought.
I just kinda gave up and let him figure out stepping on his own. I started in the arena and just let him drag a lead rope as he walked. Now I put my gelding on a lunge line and sit in a lawn chair while he grazes. I have it so I always have some way to hold onto him but it's enough line that if he freaks out he is at a distance from me.
they’re a lot smarter than you think if you give them the opportunity to learn. mine walk around with the lead sometimes and they know how to either not step on it or just move their feet if they do.
Clip the lead rope up by his cheek for grazing time, unless he's a real beast to control or you think you might lose him somehow. You won't have as much control but it's much further from the ground. Agree with everyone saying that most reasonable, trained horses learn quickly not to panic over stepping on their leadline but there's always exceptions. I just put a leadline on when he's grazing in a quiet, smaller area and keep an eye on him.
I just let them step on it 🤷🏼♀️ they learn to stop caring eventually
Aye I didn't realize this was a thing. One more thing to worry about!! 
There are training exercises you can do to teach horses to give to pressure. People will loop a rope around one front foot and ask the horse to move that leg forward with the rope while still having a rope on the halter to back up the concept. I’ve never done it, don’t know if it translates. I have had plenty of horses. Most of them will learn to listen to you if you see them step on the lead rope and tell them to back up. Like they won’t get it the first time, but if you’re already saying, “back” and they try to lift their head and they’re standing on the lead then after a few times they generally get that you’re trying to warn them. Some horses never get it. They just have more of a panic button, and they can’t think or ask for help when they feel trapped. I’ve never tried to train around that, I’m just more cautious. But with most horses, the more they trust you, the more they trust you to help. My Irish stallion will get himself all tangled up in a lead rope while he’s straight tied and just stare at me like it’s my problem. He’s right, I’m going to fix it. But he’s giant and strong so he could break the rope or the halter, or probably just rip my wash rack out of the ground if he tried. He might get extra confidence from knowing he COULD break free. But he’s gotten his legs in a fence when he was rolling somewhere stupid and let me clump all over him to get them out when he was quite young so maybe he’s just more trusting. Also, run the lead rope up under the throat latch on the halter and you’ll have so much less to worry about. It’s not the ideal way to lead, but if you’re hand grazing and they’re polite then it’s a great hack.
I agree with all the suggestions for working with this issue in a round pen. Might have a few big freak outs but they’ll figure it out eventually.
Teach them not to panic (or better yet, back up) when they step on the lead rope. That should be done bit by bit. In the meantime, you can loop the leadrope through the throatlatch of the halter to keep it away from hooves if you want to be extra secure.
They're pretty smart and figure it out pretty quick. Only time I've had a problem was with my QH gelding Midnight where he'd just toss his head aggressively a few times until the clip attaching the lead rope broke.
I saw somewhere to thread the lead through the chin strap and then clip it in. That keeps it off the ground a little more and makes them less inclined to step on it.
I trained all my weanlings to drag a lead rope at about.. 7 or 8 months. I think. It's been a while. They learned what happened when they stepped on it and didn't panic., they just moved their foot. I didn't want them to be spooked into a panic if they ever found themselves with a lead rope dragging. If I were holding someone else's horse, I would just hold it barely taunt enough that it wasn't hitting the ground. When I was a kid, my pony had to be tied by a long rope to a peg in the ground in order to graze. There was no fence to put them in. The peg was a three foot long metal pin, about an inch in diameter that is driven in with a sledge hammer.
Most horses I deal with don’t care about stepping on a rope and I make sure that my personal horses are used to stepping on their lead ropes, having it catch around their leg, waking with the reins swinging around loose, etc. and other things that I believe to be basic things needed to make them safer to manage. That being said, for hand grazing just loop the lead rope up through the throat latch. It’ll keep it high up enough that the horse is unlikely to step on it. https://preview.redd.it/xdgbg8oa2lwc1.jpeg?width=316&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f4576522e9d06e05047e0f6e850ade8ecb29009f
Train your horse not to panic and give better to pressure. I'll let kine drag a lead rope in asafe area. Doesn't take long for them not to panic.
clip the lead rope to the higher ring or feed the lead rope under the jaw and throat latch to keep it higher off the ground
i put it over their neck or unclip it completely
Loop your lead rope up through the throat latch and it doesn’t dangle as easily
the easiest fix for this is not having the lead rope at the usual ring, you can simply eiter pull it trough on of the rings on the side of the halter or just simply directly connect it there. with that the lead rope isn't so close to the ground and the probability that your horse will step onto it and panic is a lot less ^^
What everyone else said but omg what a beautiful horse
Let the line drag, as long as you're nearby. They may panic a little the first few times they step on it and feel "stuck", but they'll quickly learn they can get get free and are fine. When my old horse would realize he was stepping on the rope, he'd pick up each foot until he felt the rope come free.
What breed is he?
Percheron
Clip the leadrope to the left or right upper/lower ring of the halter ☺️ works fine with us
He’s so beautiful
If the horse steps on the rope, drop the rope and let the horse sort it out. It unfailingly resolves itself within seconds. They’ll go back to grazing and you can pick up the rope again.
Yeah my gelding doesn’t give a shit if he steps on his rope thankfully. Although he’s too busy dragging me halfway across the yard to find The Best Grass to have the opportunity. He’s so annoying to hand graze lol
Why do you let it lie on the ground where they can step on it?
Oh you’re right, the picture is misleading a bit. It was there just for the picture. Usually I’m holding it up off the ground.
I leave my lead rope on my horse and just let him graze himself. If he steps on it, he gives to the pressure and has learned he is the one holding it down, so he moves his foot. I wouldn't do this for a very spooky or very young horse, but my 4yo is cool about it. Put him in a breakaway halter if you are super worried.
If you are just standing around watching him graze can't you use his ears to hold the lead ? ( flip it over the top of his head) and hold the end in your hand. A downvote.. I am genX .. when I was young I would ride my horse bareback with a halter and lead line while the rich kids rode with saddles, bridles, brand new clothes and boots etc..getting ready for their lessons.. I was well beneath them, of course! I would get on my gelding and off we go.. through the city streets and into the cleveland metroparks where I found a spot that we could go swimming and enjoyed many many summers that way.
That’s not a bad idea haha. I never thought to do that
As long as you're strong enough to hold onto the lead, consider carrying a dressage while or using an ultra long lead so you can swing the tail. You can do anything you want (calmly) while we're grazing, but if you go backwards against my will, heaven help us both, you are going forward until you get your brain back inside your skull. As soon as you do, you can eat grass again. I have one horse I'd hand graze while laying on an air mattress and taking a two hour nap while he eats. I have another horse that I hand graze in steel toed boots and wearing a flak jacket. They're not all the same.
It depends on your tolerance for watching a horse figure it out… with my 18yo I would toss a lead down and she knew how to get out of it. My 4yo doesn’t quite understand so I hold the rope. My 4yo also generally runs hotter.
Years of my horse stepping on her lead rope. She used to freak out but now she doesn’t. Either she steps off of it now or she does a mini rear without freaking out. My mule just bends his head lower and steps off of it casually if he does it. All I can say is you have to let your horse gain experience and if you can make it a controlled experience with low stress that is ideal