Apache

Question
I have a quarter horse, Apache, who doesn't follow very well when I try and lead him around with a halter and lead rope.  He still follows but very slowly and whatever I do he won't speed up.  He wasn't this way when I first got him about 3 years ago in fact he used to follow me everywhere.  What have I done wrong? Each day I let him out in the pasture to graze then in the evening I bring him in for excercise and grooming. He always seems pretty happy and he is pretty friendly but he just walks so slowly when I try and lead him around and sometimes he just stops.  I keep a firm grip on the lead rope and try and stay beside him but then I have to walk really slowly to try and match his pace, then whenever I try to speed up he just lags behind. Do you have any tips or ideas to help me speed him up a little bit?  Thank you!

Answer
This is a common issue for many horseman.  It can be confusing to know where to position yourself when leading your horse.  At first, I was strictly taught to stand by the horse's left shoulder, with my hand about six inches from the snap, then walk staying in line with his head.  Gradually as I grew taller, stronger, more confident, and more aware of horses, I began allowing more slack in the rope and more distance thus truly in the lead of my horse.  These days many natural horsemanship techniques teach one to walk on a 10-12ft lead several feet ahead.

The truth is that every horse is different.  Every situation is different.  Sometimes I'm still by the shoulder, sometimes in line with his head, and sometimes a relaxed loop in the rope or reins ranging from a foot to a few feet in the lead.  What determines my lead are: my horse's attention, weather, distractions, traffic, terrain, horse's age & training level, how well I know the horse, etc.  

In your case I would suggest grabbing a carrot for back up during the next week.  When you lead him in from the field, be assertive.  Keep a small slack in the rope, walk slightly to the side but still ahead just a bit.  If he is slow or stops, do NOT look back.  Instead keep walking forward and allow the slack to become tight. Once the rope begins to tug, if you do not feel him following, give a slight tug and a cluck.  If he still refuses, pull the carrot out to entice him.  While doing so maintain your eyes and pace forward.  At any point through this, the moment he follows you forward, relax your pace just enough to encourage the slack  to return to the rope.  Once you are back in the barn and have halted or returned him to his stall, then it is appropriate to reward him with the carrot.