Halter Breaking the Foal

Now, for the lessons of leading. Start slowly. Never jerk on the foal's head, never tug it along or have someone push from behind.

Halter the foal. Don't make the halter too tight or too loose.

Practice the single step exercise mentioned above. Let the foal smell the lead rope.

Exercise 2: Backward Steps

Attach the lead rope to the halter. Just hold the rope and let the foal feel the weight of it on the halter. The foal may try to back away. Just let it back up and reach the end of the rope. This should only be about 3-4 feet, don't let it have too much rope. As the foal reaches the end of the rope it will meet with resistance. This may cause the foal to rear up. To prevent this just let the foal feel the pressure for a second or two. Then step toward the foal so the pressure is released. Go to the foal, all the while talking in a calm voice, and reassure it that all is well. Repeat this exercise several times until the foal stands quietly without pulling back when the end of the rope is reached.

Exercise 3: Forward Steps

(Continued on next page)