| The pictures below are examples of what you DON"T want to do when leading the horse. |
| Left - rider stopping the horse. Right - rider turning the horse. |
| HORSE HANDLERS AND THEIR POSITIONS |
The horse handler is responsible for rider safety through the horse's behavior. He/she holds a lead line that is secured to the
horse's halter. He/she is not to influence where the horse goes. He/she is there to be available in case of emergency. Thanks go to
Bonnie Light, horse handler, and Kelsea Toombs, rider, for staging the following photos. We hope being able to see what are
considered proper positioning of horse handler and incorrect positioning will help you understand what the judge is looking for as
the athlete competes. If the horse handler is out of their position it can result in penalties applied to the rider. The horse handler IS
NOT to be in front of the horse. Only exception is when negotiating barrels - examples below. In that case, the judge will look for
slack in the lead line.
horse's halter. He/she is not to influence where the horse goes. He/she is there to be available in case of emergency. Thanks go to
Bonnie Light, horse handler, and Kelsea Toombs, rider, for staging the following photos. We hope being able to see what are
considered proper positioning of horse handler and incorrect positioning will help you understand what the judge is looking for as
the athlete competes. If the horse handler is out of their position it can result in penalties applied to the rider. The horse handler IS
NOT to be in front of the horse. Only exception is when negotiating barrels - examples below. In that case, the judge will look for
slack in the lead line.
| #1 The horse handler is at the horse's shoulder and there is a lot of slack in the lead line. #2 She is at the side of the horse with good slack in the lead line and clearance for herself. |
| Below pictures are taken at various angles to show you that the judge can see a lot as how you interact with the horse. |
| Left - rider stopping the horse. Right - rider turning the horse. |
| Pictures below were taken as rider was negotiating barrels. This is awkward for the horse handler BUT it can be done without influencing the horse. |
| The pictures in this section show the horse handler in the correct position as the rider attempts to rein the horse. |
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