leads and lead changes

Question
Hello, my name is Erin, I am 15 years old. I have two senior horses, a 30 yo TB, and a 25 yo QH. My question is: what are leads? how can you tell what lead you are in, and how can you change leads? I am interested in barrel racing and I am looking for a new horse online. I was also wondering if and how you can tell a horse has been drugged when you are buying. I had one more question: My two horses are extremely "buddy-sour" meaning they hate to be away from each other. How can I train them to be comfortable away from each other, or should I just not worry about it because of how old they are? thank you for your time! Erin

Answer
hi Erin,
Congrats on wanting to do barrel racing buddy go out there and turn en burn. ok lets see. lead describes which legs go out further when in motion. if a horse is on its left lead it will extend its left legs out further then the right. if it is on its right lead it will extend its right legs out further. when a horse is cross firing though that means the horse is on one lead in the front and on the other lead in the back. when picking up your leads its very simple. if your tuning to the left you pick up your left lead. of your turning right you pick up your right lead. the pick up a lead lets say your going to the left. you half halt(pull the rein back gently then let go)with your left rein and give pressure with your right leg at the same time. if you pick up your right lead you do the opposite. you half halt with your right rein and give pressure with your left leg. most horses will pick their leads up automatically but green horses wont and they can often damage their legs doing it. when you change leads you start with figure eights. start on one lead and then cross into the middle of the arena and give the cues for the other lead. be patient. it will take a while for you and your horse to demonstrate this smoothly. but keep at it and you will be fine.
when a horse has been drugged it will be very sleepy. its eyes will be droopy and and when it walks it will be sluggish. other then that you wont really be able to tell.
your horses are old and have become accustomed to there friends. with a sour horse just keep taking them on trail rides by them selves. if you can do it daily or as often as possible. if you don't ride them that often then i wouldn't worry about it.
depending on your riding level i would recommend getting a horse that hasn't barrel raced before. barrel horses are very high strung running machines and they often get barrel fried. meaning they are so hyper when it comes to barrels that they act up and run out of the barrel pattern. thats how my barrel horse is right now. But good luck with finding a horse!
Amanda Groff