# How Do I Show a Horse That I Am The Leader/Boss?



## DRichmond (Mar 13, 2012)

Your definition of a strong-willed horse may have a different meaning to each person who answers that based on their interpretation of what a strong-willed horse is. 

1. All horses share the same language, so that is hopefully the first basic to help you out. 

2. Horses know you better than you know yourself LOL and as a relatively new person to horses, my suggestion is that you find a 3 dimensional live person to help you learn and work with your horse rather than go to any forum for assistance. That is for your own safety as well as your horse's safety. 

3. If you find someone to help you, your horse will tell you whether that person is going to be a good trainer and helper to you. If your horse dislikes him/her, there is always a reason, and horses never lie.

I hope these suggestions are helpful to you.


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## JazzyGirl (Mar 27, 2012)

A lead horse or "boss" horse is the horse that can move all the others feet. So making your mare move is showing her you are in power.


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## calicokatt (Mar 5, 2012)

I think as a newish rider, you should always start with a horse that is 'perfect', not one that a newish rider would classify as strong willed. If you classify your horse as strong willed, then I would seriously recommend a trainer. Yesterday. Being the boss of a dominant (strong willed) horse requires things that can't be explained on a forum. It requires knowledge and intuition that you cannot get here.


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## usandpets (Jan 1, 2011)

Agreed. You should find someone to help you in person. Also you should learn about herd dynamics and behavior. Then you should study up on how to do groundwork. 

There are many places and trainers that you can learn from. Magazines, books, videos on YouTube, shows on tv, and websites. You can learn from various trainers. I personally like Clinton Anderson. I feel he is easy to understand and follow. Others like Parelli, Monty Roberts, John Lyons and many others. You'll have to choose one or more that you can understand. Try to soak in as much as you can and don't stop learning. 

To answer your question, doing groundwork and making her move her feet when and where you ask, that will get her respect and establish your leadership.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## HagonNag (Jul 17, 2010)

Imagine That said:


> I recently bought a mare and I am newish to horses, not a beginner, but not experienced. She is strong willed and I want to show her that I am a good leader, and the "boss"


Am I alone in thinking that this is a recipe for trouble?


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## Saddlebag (Jan 17, 2011)

For starters, when you lead her, always turn her away from you, to the right. The reason for this is that the horse that is higher in the pecking order will push the horse around like this. When you turn her to your left, she thinks she is pushing you away. Spend a good half hour walking with her making numerous turns away from you. Don't ride her for now. If she doesn't move away use the flat of your left hand, waving it back and forth so she thinks you will hit her in the eye. As soon as she starts to turn away, stop with the hand for a few seconds then repeat. When done often enough she will turn when you merely raise your hand and will better respond to the lead shank. You body will be facing her head. If you don't have a knotted halter, get one as she will be more responsive in it than with a flat halter.


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## Ian McDonald (Aug 24, 2011)

You show her that you're the boss by actually being the boss. It's not so much about whether you can push her around or make her do things. That's how you show dominance and it's not difficult to do with most horses as they're naturally easily intimidated by a human being. Dominance plays a part in it but what a horse trusts is a person who makes good decisions, keeps them out of trouble, is consistently cool-headed, isn't easily startled or upset by anything that happens, provides a calm and reassuring presence when the horse gets unsure or scared, and builds their confidence by challenging them to get better without burning them out or over-exposing them. These are things that only come with time, study, sacrifice, experience, and an unquenchable desire to reach past the mediocre and strive for excellence in your horsemanship.


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## Imagine That (Jul 7, 2012)

JazzyGirl said:


> A lead horse or "boss" horse is the horse that can move all the others feet. So making your mare move is showing her you are in power.


Well I can lead her anywere, but I can tell that she doesnt really trust me because when there is a tarp ar somthing else on the ground, she is hesitant and she starts to breath very fast and deep, and I can tell she is scared, she will follow me without a lead rope and stops and walks on command. But I can tell that she doesent rely on me to protect her, any ideas?:?


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## DancingArabian (Jul 15, 2011)

Groundwork groundwork groundwork

I like Clinton Anderson's techniques. You can rent his videos on Giddyupflix or view his TV show with a paid subscription to RFD tv's website.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Ian McDonald (Aug 24, 2011)

DancingArabian said:


> Groundwork groundwork groundwork
> 
> I like Clinton Anderson's techniques. You can rent his videos on Giddyupflix or view his TV show with a paid subscription to RFD tv's website.
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


I used to sit by the mailbox for Giddyupflix! Clinton is a pretty good place to start; that's where I started. Dude is excellent about really breaking things down and explaining the whys of groundwork.


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## PaintHorseMares (Apr 19, 2008)

Imagine That said:


> Well I can lead her anywere, but I can tell that she doesnt really trust me because when there is a tarp ar somthing else on the ground, she is hesitant and she starts to breath very fast and deep, and I can tell she is scared, she will follow me without a lead rope and stops and walks on command. But I can tell that she doesent rely on me to protect her, any ideas?:?


This is the subtle difference between being the 'boss' and being the 'leader' (IMHO). Our 17 yr old mare, Mandy, is the boss... all the mares stay out of her way. Our 18yr old mare, Angel, is the leader...when something goes boo in the night, they all line up behind her to see what she does.
Being the leader requires trust, and trust only comes with time. Keep up your work and be patient...there are no shortcuts.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## xVannaIsLifex (Jun 21, 2012)

I think that you should bring her in a round pen or area that's smaller and she can be worked in. Desensitize her to everything. Bring a tarp in and walker her over it, cover her in it, and have it touch her all over. Do the same thing with other objects. But when you do that to her, you should walk over them with her to show that it's not going to hurt you, so it's not going to hurt her. After working with that for a while, she should feel better about them.


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## PunksTank (Jul 8, 2012)

As much as I agree you should get some help in person (we can't see what's actually happening) - here are some things you can start with for asserting yourself.
Practice teaching her to move away from pressure (a horse that moves away from you is a safe horse). You can do this in numerous ways:


move her hind end away
move her front end away
move her sideways
move her back
move her forward
turn her away from you
How to do each:
with a halter and lead rope on, hold her so she is standing still. Rub the spot you're going to push away from you with your hand, then apply a small amount of pressure with a few fingers (about enough to dent the skin in but not actually pushing). Wait, if she gets distracted or ignores you shake the lead, get her attention back on you, apply a tiny bit more pressure if she really disregards your pressure. The moment she leans away from the pressure, even a tiny bit, stop pushing and rub the spot, telling her she's good. do this again and again until she moves her feet readily away from the pressure. Eventually you'll be able to point at a part of her and step into her space assertively and she will move away. You want her to willingly move out of your space until you invite her in.


where to push:


to move her hind end, apply pressure to the squishy muscly part of her hind leg
the front end is harder, apply pressure to the squishy muscly part of her front leg, you may need to push a little closer to the point of her shoulder or a little further back, depending on her response. If she walks forward push closer to her neck, if she backs up push closer to her elbow.
to move her side ways apply pressure right where your foot goes when you're riding, this will help reinforce her giving to leg pressure when riding too.
to move her back apply pressure to the center of her chest, you can also use the halter, applying pressure to the bridge of her nose, eventually just looking her in the eye and stepping assertively into her space while saying 'back up' will get her to back away.
move her forward, by leading with the rope, or by driving her away
you can teach her also to turn her head in either direction by applying gentle pressure to either side of the halter while standing still and waiting for her to turn her head.
to make her turn away from you, bring the rope around the opposite side of her and either up over her withers (if it doesn't slip up her neck) or all the way around her hind legs (up resting over her hock, don't let her legs get tangled!) and apply pressure to the rope until she turns herself away from you.
All of these skills helps put you in charge, it will also help you feel more confident leading her, knowing she'll respond to your ground cues. They're also very beneficial for when you're riding!


Hope this helps, but please do consider getting a trainer to help you out - it won't hurt. Sometimes people have creative ideas of how to help.


Good luck to you and your horse 
~Punker


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## Palomine (Oct 30, 2010)

There are many threads on respect and how to get it on here.

Much of it is in your attitude, the rest is in your handling of a horse. If you back away from them, at feeding time for instance, that is telling a horse plainly that it can "run you off of the feed" in horse language.

Search for threads on this, and read them over and over.


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## Imagine That (Jul 7, 2012)

Thank-you very much! I am going to try that tomorrow.
:thumbsup::thumbsup:


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## kitten_Val (Apr 25, 2007)

IT, based on your posts and the fact you are the minor, please, find a _*trainer*_ to help you with the issues BEFORE you or horse (or both) get hurt. It's never a shame to admit you don't know something and use a professional to teach you how to do things correctly. Internet advices are great, but unfortunately they are still advices over the internet, not a real person watching what you are doing and correcting you.


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## Island Horselover (Apr 4, 2012)

calicokatt said:


> I think as a newish rider, you should always start with a horse that is 'perfect', not one that a newish rider would classify as strong willed. If you classify your horse as strong willed, then I would seriously recommend a trainer. Yesterday. Being the boss of a dominant (strong willed) horse requires things that can't be explained on a forum. It requires knowledge and intuition that you cannot get here.


I disagree with that. I think you learn so much more and understand so much more if you work with a horse that still needs to learn too. You will grow with the horse and it will actually teach you so much more than a "perfect" horse would teach you.... The well trained horse might do things by itself without getting the perfect signals and just does it as it is routine for the horse but the green or untrained horse needs to learn and associate your commands and requests. Of course I would recommend having an experienced horse person on with you at all times.


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## HagonNag (Jul 17, 2010)

You need to forget about the concept of "punishment." You don't PUNISH a horse: You train a horse. Training involves instant feedback for the horse's behavior. You show him that there are pleasant or unpleasant consequences for his behavior. But NONE of these consequences can be delayed or the horse will not link what happened with the triggering event. If you don't understand this BASIC concept of horsemanship, than handling this horse might be a bigger challenge than you anticipated and you might be in over your head.


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## Wallee (Mar 7, 2012)

Understanding horses behavior is not something that anyone just instantly learns. Time spent with horses and working with them will help you better understand how they work. I am currently working with a client who is similar to you in that they are new to horses and are wanting to be the leader. I am currently teaching her how to properly work their horse from the ground and then I will move onto teach them how to properly handle a horse under saddle. The key thing to take from this is I am a experienced trainer helping a inexperienced person in person. I think it would be best for you to learn hands on with/from someone who can help you as taking on a horse can be challenging at times and it can be over your head if you dont have help. Have someone teach you the right way to do things so you do not teach your horse any bad habits. I would rather work with a horse who knows nothing than one who has been mishandled.


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## JazzyGirl (Mar 27, 2012)

Imagine That said:


> Well I can lead her anywere, but I can tell that she doesnt really trust me because when there is a tarp ar somthing else on the ground, she is hesitant and she starts to breath very fast and deep, and I can tell she is scared, she will follow me without a lead rope and stops and walks on command. But I can tell that she doesent rely on me to protect her, any ideas?:?


Its not that she doesnt trust you its that she is a horse and the are flight animals. You have to introduce it to her, not expect she walk over it with out hesitation.


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## Ellie Bramel (Jan 18, 2012)

Saddlebag-Nice


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## Ellie Bramel (Jan 18, 2012)

this is not another disclaimer. Studying does work. The videos and the books. And there is a lot to be said about thinking things out. Take time to think about what you are doing and what might work What does work and what might work better. Horses are not mules and will recover from a mistake. There is a lot of good information here on the forum and in the library's. Library's offer innerlibrary loans so you can get infomation from all over the USA. I did! I learned to ride my Ginger without a 3-D teacher. I did study for a lot of library information before I got on Ginger. Always do ground work all of it.


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## JazzyGirl (Mar 27, 2012)

Yes, study! Google things, questions, videos, books. Go to your town's/cities library and look at horse training (and books alike) books! You can learn from any sorts of horse books.


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