Question: I hope you can help me. My mule tends to pull the lead rope out of my hands abruptly and doesn’t always lead well. He acts like he does not enjoy his lessons and just wants to get away. What can I do when he bolts and runs like this?

Answer: When faced with these kinds of issues, we often look for leverage to try to control the equine. This actually will only exacerbate the problem. The equine needs to feel comfortable and secure in his surroundings. Then he can be confident in the things you are asking him to do. Groundwork for developing core muscle strength in good equine posture might take a little longer initially, but the performance benefits are extensive: a smoother and safer ride wherever you go on the trail, faster times in Gymkhana, better scores in Reining and Dressage, more obedience and efficiency in Driving, safer jumping, more versatility across the board and increased longevity of life. To attain core muscle strength and balance in good equine posture, every aspect of your equine’s body should be taken into consideration. If one element is off balance, it will offset the entire structure.

A good example of the effect of my management and training program is what it did for “Lucky Three Roll,” a draft mule that I rescued in 2010  and the dramatic transformation that took place over the next seven months was remarkable. Over the next eight years he was vastly improved, had become useful again and lived to the ripe old age of 27 years old. A competent farrier knows how to balance the hooves correctly according to the individual equine’s skeletal angles so they can properly support the skeletal frame. The equine needs to be taught how to move in good posture so hooves wear evenly and so the elements that support the skeletal frame are symmetrically developed.

Leading lessons begin with exercises that address core strength, balance and good posture for both the equine AND the handler. Our exercises teach the equine to remain ERECT and BEND through his rib cage around turns instead of leaning around turns like a motorcycle and help the handler get in sync with his movement. If the equine is over two years old when beginning this program, we use our a self-correcting training aid, the “Elbow Pull” during leading exercises to aid in holding good posture. Once the core muscles are solid throughout leading exercises (both on flat ground and over obstacles), only then is the equine taken into the round pen for lunging and ground driving in our “Elbow Pull,” and is later ground driven in the open arena to consistently aid correct postural balance (photo #6). We DO NOT disengage, but rather, encourage “hindquarter engagement” because that IS the “motor.”  Ordinarily, trainers believe in DIS-engaging the hindquarters to prevent disobedience, but this will only put the equine off balance and make him feel vulnerable with no other way to react than to try to ESCAPE the discomfort.

Improving your equine’s core strength, range of motion and encouraging him to take responsibility for his own balance (proprioception or “body awareness”) with these kinds of leading and ground driving exercises will better help him to support the rider’s weight effectively and drive more efficiently later without frequent losses of balance. An equine that is strong in posture, balance and self-carriage is a much happier and more willing partner.