Tip of the Day: Getting a Horse to Move Out of Your Way

I received an email today that brought up a very good question: How do I get the pasture horses away from the gate so I can lead a horse through? The writer knew that just crowding through wasn't safe, but didn't know what to do other than to try to lure the horses away with food.

Now, knowing the horses, I'm pretty sure that her approach worked. Unfortunately, it also rewarded them for exactly the behavior we don't want to encourage--mobbing the gate.

The answer is actually pretty simple--it's exactly what you don't want to do if you want to catch the horse: act like a predator. You should:

• Look the horse directly in the eye.
• Make yourself as "big" as possible. (Stand up tall and put your arms up.)
• March toward him and tell him to "git" like you mean it.

If possible, open the gate into the pasture to help get the horse moving out of your way. Swinging a lead rope in the horse's direction can help encourage him to move, but make absolutely sure you're not in a position where you'll get kicked if he spins away and kicks out. (Watch them interact with each other, this is a very standard response to being driven away.)

The primary concern is creating enough space so you can safely lead your horse through the gate. While a pasture horse might occasionally try to follow your horse out of the pasture, they usually aren't going to make a break for it when you're turning your horse out.

If you're alone, it can be tricky to lead your horse, handle the gate, and move the other horses out of your way. This is one reason we tell our students to use the buddy system--that way, you can focus on your horse while your buddy opens the gate and clears the way.