How to Hand Graze (while keeping yourself and your horse safe)
Hand grazing can be a great way to get your horse some nutritional and mental enrichment while spending time boding. However, all too many well intentioned horse owners end up being dangerously dragged from grass patch to grass patch all spring long. If this sounds like you, read on.
When hand grazing is done well, it doesn’t have to lead to dragging, fighting, or losing control of your horse. However, when done poorly both horse and rider are in a dangerous situation, as horses can end up eating poisonous plants or step on hazards and riders are pulled, dragged, and stepped on.
Here are some simple steps to take to makes sure both you and your horse are safe and enjoy your hand grazing time together.
Know which plants are safe to eat
Do your research and find out which plants in your area are poisonous. It is your job to keep your horse safe by ensuring that they don’t eat off limit plants. But of course, this knowledge is only as helpful as your ability to control when and where your horse is grazing.
Teach your horse a signal for when and where the are are invited to graze
Teach your horse a word or have a specific location where they are allowed to graze. I find that simply stopping near a grass patch, turning to face my horse, and letting the leadline go slack is a great body language signal because I don’t ever do this unless I am stopping to graze. The most important thing about this is that if you don’t invite your horse to graze, the answer is always no. Even if you just wait another ten steps before extending the invitation, your horse should never be allowed to decide when to graze. This is what leads to the dangerous dragging. While your horse is grazing always stand at their head or shoulder, never behind, in front, or near their hip. This keeps you safe as your horse slowly ambles and grazes.
Teach your horse when to lift their head and lead nicely again
Every few minutes during the grazing session, bump the rope to lift your horse’s head and resume walking as usual. Wait until your horse is walking normally, then reward your horse verbally, with a treat, or by stopping and offering to graze again. Your horse needs to have a clear start and stop signal always directed by you in order to keep you both safe. It is crucial that the grazing session end as easily and gently as it begins.
Don’t worry if the first few times you do this take a little more effort, especially if your horse is used to dragging you around or not being allowed to graze at all. Start implementing these three steps and you’ll have a much more enjoyable spring time relationship with your horse.