[kimsy1724]

Hello,
I am new to the forum so I hope I am posting this in the correct category. I like to think of myself as a fairly experienced horse woman having been in the industry for 15 years and owning my own horse. However I sold him 10 years ago and with my full-time work and raising my daughter, I?ve been out of the horse world but keen to get back into it. I do not have the funds nor the facility to own my own horse or take a horse on full loan so I?ve been looking to share a horse with somebody for a couple of days worth of riding and to get myself back in the saddle.

Anyway, long story short, after searching around the local area I?ve come across a horse that needs my help. He is a 14.3 Haflinger gelding that is 19 years old. I?ve got limited information on his history but what I do have is as follows?

He was with his first owner for a long time and was well-behaved and worked regularly, since she had to sell him after emigrating to Australia, he has been passed from pillar to post never bonding with an owner and picking up a bad habit of nipping and bucking which has seen him have three owners in six months.

His current owner rode him 10 days after moving him to her property, asked him to ride away from other horses and was rewarded with being bucked off for her troubles. Since then she has not ridden him or done anything with him and he has spent most of the last four months in a field tucked away from the yard with the only interaction being her going to pick the poop out of his field daily. She has lost interest in him and has no bond with him and just want somebody to buy him, loan him or take him on because she has no affection for him.

I have been to meet him a handful of times and in the field he is very quiet and gentle although he does have a tendency to try and nip. When he is brought from his field into the yard, he becomes very nervous and on edge. If we time up with a note he will eat for a little bit but the second another horse comes in or off the yard, people arrive or he sees anything else, he becomes very erratic and dances about. He will eventually calm down but I do worry that being strong, he will snap his lead rope and take off!

I have been to meet him a handful of times and in the field he is very quiet and gentle although he does have a tendency to try and nip. When he has brought from his field into the yard, he becomes very nervous and on edge. If we time up with a note he will eat for a little bit but the second another horse comes in or off the yard, people arrive or he sees anything else, he becomes very erratic and dances about. He will eventually calm down but I do worry that being strong, he will snap his lead rope and take off!

I feel that he is just misunderstood and having had so many owners in the short time that haven?t bonded with him, he?s become quite nervous and not very confident and I would really like to work with him as I think he has a lot of potential. However there are a couple of issues that I?m not really sure how to handle due to inexperience from being out of the game for so long I would really love some help on.

1. he does have a habit of nipping. It?s not typical aggressive behaviour with ears back but he is continually trying to nip if you are touching him or near him and when I was brushing him, he did nip the back of my arm. I felt his teeth touch me but he didn?t sink his teeth in so I?m not quite sure what this behaviour is or how to stop him doing it without making him head shy or scared of me?
2. When he is being led, he does walk very much behind me and on me instead of respecting my boundary. He has a habit of looking the opposite way and walking his shoulder into me so I use my two fingers on his shoulder to push him away and create some space but I?m wondering if there is anything else I can do to teach him to walk next to me nicely rather than standing on me.
3. His inability to be relaxed and stand on the yard. Twice I have brought him in and twice he has been stressed out by the happenings on the yard. One time he was extremely stressed out by a horse walking off of the yard being ridden even though they were still other horses on the yard. He did eventually calm down but it did make him very unsettled and I was worried he would snap his lead rope. The second time, he was eating a hay net and was fidgeting but eating, somebody went by at quite a distance on a walk with their child on a bike and again once he saw the bike, he became very unsettled and was dancing around trying to snap as lead rope. Again he eventually did calm down and was relaxed when I took him back to the field but I?d like him to be a little more relaxed being on th his inability to be relaxed and stand on the yard. Twice I have Waterman and twice he has been stressed out by the happenings on the yard. One time he was extremely stressed out by a horse walking off of the yard being written even though there were still other horses on the yard. He did eventually calm down but it did make him very unsettled and I was worried he would snap his lead rope. I?d like him to be a little more relaxed being on the yard without fidgeting.
I do plan to start lunging him to start getting him working in using up some of this excess energy and once I have built a bond with him, I will begin doing some light riding on him and building him back up but I?d love some advice on the problems I have listed.

I am in a difficult situation because the owner has no interest in him and it?s really trying to offload him and his costs at the earliest opportunity. I have said I will work with him on the ground to building a bond over the next month and then begin riding. If everything goes okay then I would consider having him on the loan but for the time being, I?m just helping her out.
The yard she keeps him is not very secure and is more of a farm with a couple of stables although the fields are wonderfully managed and there is no exercise school, it?s just a field with some markers so no opportunity to do some really decent schooling whilst in the safety of an enclosure. I would love to move him but I don?t think she would allow me to move him until I took on his responsibility but I?m not willing to do that until I can work on him but I find it difficult to work on him in location he is currently at.

Help xx

 

[tinyliny]

Welcome to the forum!

I think it's admirable that you are looking for creative ways to bring horses back into your life. I did the same thing, as a middle aged home mom, and 18 years later still am!

If your horse experience is really only in riding, then you may not really have enough skill to handle this horse. In all honesty, he seems like a mildly troubled horse, who is more than likely just a spoiled pony. But, if his rider is only a rider, and not a horsewomen, then they might not be able to deal with his troubling behavior.

It sounds like you need to deal with him leading well, respecting your space, and respecting your person (not biting), before you even start to deal with his buddy sour issues that made him buck off past owners. all of that stems from goundwork, where in you teach him that you are IMPORTANT.

Concerning his worry when you bring him in . . . . . becuase he feels insecure in new surroundings, he is looking all around for security, and YOU are nothing more than an impediment to his search. That is one reason he will also push his shoulder into you (that's a horse trying to move another, annoying horse out of his way. It is a very dominant expression in horse language). Your standing quietly, maybe trying to pet and calm him when he is in this outwardly focussed and frantic, worried state of mine only reinforces his view of you as an impediment, an annoying and ineffectual source of noise .

The real cure for all that bad behavior is for you to become IMPORTANT to him. when you are more important to him than all the noise and the commotion of the farm, then he will stay connected to you mentally, through it all.

If I have access to a round pen, that is the first and easiest way to start establishing that I am important to a hrose, but it can be done on a leadline, too.

And, . . . you do NOT tolerate nipping. If he tries to nip you , you should 'fall apart'. that means you react so quickly, so abruptly and loudly and with a good swift smack to his jaw that he is truly impressed and remembers your reaction, so he won't try it again. no half measures. no, "No!" and fly swatting in the air at him. you must be 'important', remember?

When he pushes his shoulder into you, your finger is not strong enough to make a memorable correction. A stick or whip can apply more pressure on his shoulder, with firm snaps, FIRM! his reaction should be one of surprise. you are trying to wake him out of this state of mind where he thinks he does what he wants to do, and he's worried because there is not leader but himself. Just be aware, if you snap a whip on his shoulder to say, "OVER! now!" that you must be aware that might try to wheel around and kick you. keep the line short enough that you can pull his head in, but long enough that he CAN step away from you.

It would be best if you spent some time teaching him to move his shoulder over when you ask him, in a polite manner, relaxed. That way, he will be more immediately responsive if he forgets his manners when you are out leading him and you have to be quick and firm to discipline a shoulder shove on his part. Be very precise in what you are asking and what you will accept as the correct answer. If you tap the whip firmly on his shoulder, you are asking him to step it over. if he goes forward instead, you give the lead a firm shake to stop that impulse, and you go back to tapping and looking for the correct answer; stepping his shoulder away from you.


I'd start with working on those two things to establish a more respectful attitude on his part.
you gotta start somewhere.

 

[Kaiit]

Great advice from tinyliny! I'm not really all that experienced to be giving out advice, myself, but the horse I took on was very bolshy, distrusting and anxious, owed to a past of abuse by strangers and an 8 year lay off in the field. I did a lot of groundwork with him before I started riding - and I mean A LOT - to establish trust and some initial boundaries. Heck, I had to catch him first, so I spent a whole week just catching, releasing and catching again. I took it really slow with mine and built on our trust and groundwork gradually, going right back to basics like moving off pressure. I always carried a whip as well, just in case, because he would try and barge me or push me up against the stable wall. Mine wasn't a biter, so I'd offer him treats a lot, but perhaps I wouldn't have if he was nippy.

I think it's great that you can see potential in him that no one else can and when you've worked through all his problems, you'll have a really rewarding horse!

 

[DraftyAiresMum]

I agree with Tiny on everything but the biting. While a smack may work with a sensitive horse, it also has the potential to become a game. My best friend's mare will bite, then throw her head out of the way immediately to avoid your smack. The only thing that worked was blowing up on her. She tried to take a chunk out of the back of my arm because she was being impatient, so I got big and mean and literally chased her backward a good 50'+. Then we stood there for a second (with her looking at me like "What the heck just happened?!"), then turned around and went back to where we were like nothing happened. She has never tried to actually bite me since. She'll act like she's going to, but all I have to do is lift a finger and say "Ah!" and she pretends like she wasn't just about to try.

 

[kimsy1724]

Welcome to the forum!

I think it's admirable that you are looking for creative ways to bring horses back into your life. I did the same thing, as a middle aged home mom, and 18 years later still am!

If your horse experience is really only in riding, then you may not really have enough skill to handle this horse. In all honesty, he seems like a mildly troubled horse, who is more than likely just a spoiled pony. But, if his rider is only a rider, and not a horsewomen, then they might not be able to deal with his troubling behavior.

It sounds like you need to deal with him leading well, respecting your space, and respecting your person (not biting), before you even start to deal with his buddy sour issues that made him buck off past owners. all of that stems from goundwork, where in you teach him that you are IMPORTANT.

Concerning his worry when you bring him in . . . . . becuase he feels insecure in new surroundings, he is looking all around for security, and YOU are nothing more than an impediment to his search. That is one reason he will also push his shoulder into you (that's a horse trying to move another, annoying horse out of his way. It is a very dominant expression in horse language). Your standing quietly, maybe trying to pet and calm him when he is in this outwardly focussed and frantic, worried state of mine only reinforces his view of you as an impediment, an annoying and ineffectual source of noise .

The real cure for all that bad behavior is for you to become IMPORTANT to him. when you are more important to him than all the noise and the commotion of the farm, then he will stay connected to you mentally, through it all.

If I have access to a round pen, that is the first and easiest way to start establishing that I am important to a hrose, but it can be done on a leadline, too.

And, . . . you do NOT tolerate nipping. If he tries to nip you , you should 'fall apart'. that means you react so quickly, so abruptly and loudly and with a good swift smack to his jaw that he is truly impressed and remembers your reaction, so he won't try it again. no half measures. no, "No!" and fly swatting in the air at him. you must be 'important', remember?

When he pushes his shoulder into you, your finger is not strong enough to make a memorable correction. A stick or whip can apply more pressure on his shoulder, with firm snaps, FIRM! his reaction should be one of surprise. you are trying to wake him out of this state of mind where he thinks he does what he wants to do, and he's worried because there is not leader but himself. Just be aware, if you snap a whip on his shoulder to say, "OVER! now!" that you must be aware that might try to wheel around and kick you. keep the line short enough that you can pull his head in, but long enough that he CAN step away from you.

It would be best if you spent some time teaching him to move his shoulder over when you ask him, in a polite manner, relaxed. That way, he will be more immediately responsive if he forgets his manners when you are out leading him and you have to be quick and firm to discipline a shoulder shove on his part. Be very precise in what you are asking and what you will accept as the correct answer. If you tap the whip firmly on his shoulder, you are asking him to step it over. if he goes forward instead, you give the lead a firm shake to stop that impulse, and you go back to tapping and looking for the correct answer; stepping his shoulder away from you.


I'd start with working on those two things to establish a more respectful attitude on his part.
you gotta start somewhere.

Honestly, just thank you so much for the advice you?ve given me.
It?s tough because I?ve left my heart kind of make this decision rather than my head, he was peddled to me as a horse that just bucked occasionally and was a bit bolshy but having seen his behaviour, it?s very clear that riding him is the least of his issues. I have actually ridden him and despite being very nervous of everyone and everything on the yard, he behaved impeccably well as we took a walk around the land and he was actually very nervous and almost shrank beneath me, nothing like the bolshy attitude I experienced on the ground. However he never put a foot wrong!

I?ve been very expressive to her that I want to do some good, clear ground work to build a relationship with him so that he sees me as a source of support, not just the same as everyone else around him. I?ve been going up to see him in this field, rubbing his ears, bonding with him as much as I can and I?m gonna start working on bringing him in, lunging him and just persevering with bringing him into the yard every day until it becomes normal for him.

Unfortunately the set up of the yard isn?t great, there is no round pen and there is no schooling arena, it?s literally a field with a few markers in it, so it won?t serve any purpose for building a bond and getting him to work. I do enjoy ground work and I did a lot with my old horse as he was very anxious and nervous, I spent a lot of time with him but I had a much longer time period to get to know him. This horse I?m still wary off because I don?t understand him or his body language at the moment which is why am taking it slowly and I think my biggest concern is helping him to feel secure on the yared.

Do you have any advice for things I can teach him on the ground to help him understand that I am important and I am the one who he listens to, I would be very grateful. I don?t have the access to any kind of round pen so any work I can do on the ground with him in hand would be brilliant.

I think he?s just had a rough turn of luck, being passed to so many owners in such a short time, people that obviously aren?t competent and don?t have any interest in him so he has just switched off to humans. His current owner somebody who doesn?t have much riding experience and just decided to buy one and learn on the job and I think he has cottoned onto that and played up and very quickly learnt that being naughty results in him not having to come in!
Love him x

 

[kimsy1724]

Great advice from tinyliny! I'm not really all that experienced to be giving out advice, myself, but the horse I took on was very bolshy, distrusting and anxious, owed to a past of abuse by strangers and an 8 year lay off in the field. I did a lot of groundwork with him before I started riding - and I mean A LOT - to establish trust and some initial boundaries. Heck, I had to catch him first, so I spent a whole week just catching, releasing and catching again. I took it really slow with mine and built on our trust and groundwork gradually, going right back to basics like moving off pressure. I always carried a whip as well, just in case, because he would try and barge me or push me up against the stable wall. Mine wasn't a biter, so I'd offer him treats a lot, but perhaps I wouldn't have if he was nippy.

I think it's great that you can see potential in him that no one else can and when you've worked through all his problems, you'll have a really rewarding horse!

Thank you for your kind words, I really do think he is a nice horse he?s just had a bad run of luck. I?m not aware that he has suffered any abuse but I think he?s been disturbed by so many owners in such a short time, he?s given up on people. However when I went to see him yesterday to poo pick his field, that was the first time he walked over to meet me at the gate and stood there for 10 minutes with me and my family just being stroked so he has got goodness in him (I?ll omit the attempted nibbles for now ?)
Do you mind if I ask what kind of ground work exercises you did with your horse on the ground? I would really like to have him listening to me and engaging so I?d love some ideas of what to do. He is actually not too bad to lead with the exception of walking too close to me and on my heels but he does yield when I push him on the shoulder without too much force so I would like to continue that even if I have to walk him to the end of the lane and back every day just teaching him to walk nicely and listen to me.

 

[kimsy1724]

I agree with Tiny on everything but the biting. While a smack may work with a sensitive horse, it also has the potential to become a game. My best friend's mare will bite, then throw her head out of the way immediately to avoid your smack. The only thing that worked was blowing up on her. She tried to take a chunk out of the back of my arm because she was being impatient, so I got big and mean and literally chased her backward a good 50'+. Then we stood there for a second (with her looking at me like "What the heck just happened?!"), then turned around and went back to where we were like nothing happened. She has never tried to actually bite me since. She'll act like she's going to, but all I have to do is lift a finger and say "Ah!" and she pretends like she wasn't just about to try.

His attempted bites come out of nowhere. We were stood in the field with him for about 10 minutes yesterday and he really enjoyed having his ears rubbed and bonding time but he seems most put out when you tried to touch his face. I?m at the stage where I don?t really know him so any time he turned his head to me, I?m expecting there to be an attempted nip so I?m watching him very closely. However if I put my hand out flat he will mouth at my hand very gently and it always seems to be a little snip to the side.
In my post I did say that he connected with my arm but I was close enough that if he wanted to, he could have really taken a chunk out of my arm but he didn?t and I don?t know whether that?s because he just missed or because he wasn?t doing it with full force.
So how did you address the biting when you were in the field, when you are brushing and when you are leading just so I know how to tackle it in every scenario?

 

[jaydee]

I would guess that his problems come from a combination of trying it on to see what he can get away with - because its worked for him and he has that sort of temperament that will always mean he'll try to get the upper hand if he can - and some genuine lack of confidence in things because he's had a series of bad human relationships with no one working him through issues in the correct way - or even at all.


That said - he sounds to be quite a challenge and if I was you I wouldn't do a single thing with him unless you either buy him now, have a written agreement with the owner for a permanent loan/lease, have an agreement where you can loan him for a while and purchase him at a price that you agree on now if you make good progress with him or the owner pays you to work on him
I say this because I know people who've taken on projects like this and have done a lot of free training on a horse only to have the owner sell it from underneath them as soon as the horse was sorted out.
This is the sort of horse people pay a trainer to 'fix' - don't get 'conned' into doing something fro nothing no matter how keen you are to get around horses again

 

[DraftyAiresMum]

His attempted bites come out of nowhere. We were stood in the field with him for about 10 minutes yesterday and he really enjoyed having his ears rubbed and bonding time but he seems most put out when you tried to touch his face. I?m at the stage where I don?t really know him so any time he turned his head to me, I?m expecting there to be an attempted nip so I?m watching him very closely. However if I put my hand out flat he will mouth at my hand very gently and it always seems to be a little snip to the side.
In my post I did say that he connected with my arm but I was close enough that if he wanted to, he could have really taken a chunk out of my arm but he didn?t and I don?t know whether that?s because he just missed or because he wasn?t doing it with full force.
So how did you address the biting when you were in the field, when you are brushing and when you are leading just so I know how to tackle it in every scenario?

I do not tolerate biting or nipping in ANY form. It is one of those behaviors that can escalate quickly. I don't even tolerate lipping. Give them an inch and most horses will take a mile.

As for how to handle it in different situations, I have found chasing to be the most effective method, whether at liberty in the field or leading. Watch a herd of horses. The lead horse will chase off any lower horse who annoys them or is out of line. If at liberty in the field, always be sure to have a lead rope or crop with you, at least until you establish your leadership and he has learned to respect you and your space. A lead rope or crop can become an extension of your arm and keep him at a safe distance, plus it can lend a little more authority to your actions.

 

[kimsy1724]

I would guess that his problems come from a combination of trying it on to see what he can get away with - because its worked for him and he has that sort of temperament that will always mean he'll try to get the upper hand if he can - and some genuine lack of confidence in things because he's had a series of bad human relationships with no one working him through issues in the correct way - or even at all.


That said - he sounds to be quite a challenge and if I was you I wouldn't do a single thing with him unless you either buy him now, have a written agreement with the owner for a permanent loan/lease, have an agreement where you can loan him for a while and purchase him at a price that you agree on now if you make good progress with him or the owner pays you to work on him
I say this because I know people who've taken on projects like this and have done a lot of free training on a horse only to have the owner sell it from underneath them as soon as the horse was sorted out.
This is the sort of horse people pay a trainer to 'fix' - don't get 'conned' into doing something fro nothing no matter how keen you are to get around horses again

Thank you for your advice.
I did sit down and have a very frank conversation with this owner Regarding her plans with him. She was very honest and told me she had no feelings for him and had no bond with him, so she wants to find somebody that will loan him, buy him or take him on as a project and pay a contribution.
I have highlighted to her I have had two friends that have done a lot of work on horses just to have it sold out from underneath them and I?m not keen to make this mistake again because I will bond with him and I can?t disassociate myself between him being my horse and just a project I?m working on for someone. She has confirmed and agreed that I would be given first refusal in regards to loaning him or buying him and that if I wanted to buy him, she would be willing to accept instalments on him as well.
I have already confirmed that I would be interested in taking him on as a loan in the future but I would need to see that I could make an improvement on his behaviour before I committed to him first. I wouldn?t take him on as a loan now because I don?t want to be paying for him until I can confirm that he is a horse that I can make progress with.
She is already looking for the next horse that she wants so she has pretty much finished with this horse and I do feel quite sorry for him because I think he has just been neglected in terms of interaction and bonding and is taking advantage more than anything

 

[Kaiit]

Thank you for your kind words, I really do think he is a nice horse he?s just had a bad run of luck. I?m not aware that he has suffered any abuse but I think he?s been disturbed by so many owners in such a short time, he?s given up on people. However when I went to see him yesterday to poo pick his field, that was the first time he walked over to meet me at the gate and stood there for 10 minutes with me and my family just being stroked so he has got goodness in him (I?ll omit the attempted nibbles for now ?)
Do you mind if I ask what kind of ground work exercises you did with your horse on the ground? I would really like to have him listening to me and engaging so I?d love some ideas of what to do. He is actually not too bad to lead with the exception of walking too close to me and on my heels but he does yield when I push him on the shoulder without too much force so I would like to continue that even if I have to walk him to the end of the lane and back every day just teaching him to walk nicely and listen to me.

Well I started just by leading him around and establishing some boundaries. Then I started working on moving away from pressure, lateral flexion, and lunging... there are loads of videos on YouTube about those... I had to build up his muscle and balance again so I followed some of the more basic videos by this person: http://straightnesstraining.com/why-straightness-training/
And I've also been to a Western groundwork clinic, I think the guy practised a lot of Clinton Anderson methods... but I'm not really sure. I did some in-hand polework as well, just trotting between the poles. The whole time I did have advice from showjumping and dressage instructors as well, although they never saw him. Eventually I started the liberty training and lunging. To be honest I can't remember *exactly* what I did because I tried so many different things and just stuck with what worked for him. Oh, and I did a lot of google searches where this forum popped up, so unbeknown to them, a lot of these guys helped train my horse.

Like I said, I'm not great for taking advise from because I'm still learning, myself! My techniques aren't nearly as refined as someone more experienced.

 

[tinyliny]

regarding nipping, and being mouthy . . .

whenever you are handling him, you ask him to keep his head in the forward position. that means he can move his head anywhere in the area that would be formed from a line off his shoulders at a 45 degree angle to his body, right and left side. So, he cannot reach his head back further than his neck reaching out at a 45 degree angle, when YOU are at his side, , his girth area, his hip, whatever. Even if he is curious about your presence, you repeatedly show him his 'zone'.

you do this by using your fingers to 'tap' his nose over when he reaches beyond that imaginary edge of his zone. It doesn't have to be harsh. In fact, let it be gentle but consistent. So that EVERY time he reaches around unasked by you, you use your firm finger tips (I crook my fingers so that they become sort of 'claws') and they tap-tap with sharp fingernails into his check or muzzle area. It's jsut enough to say, "uh! back to your zone"
By doing this repeatedly, he learns that he has his area, and you have yours.

If he sneaked a real BITE at you, I would , as I said, "fall apart". kind of like Drafty said, I'd get real busy, real loud and real surprising so that he remembered that . Backing him up could be part of that interaction, if needed, but that would be for what I'd call a 'dirty biter', . . meaning a horse that knows the drill and looks for just the right moment to get you!, like the hrose she described.
One that isn't paying attention to keeping his exploring mouth to himself needs many clear reminders first. If he understands the limit, yet ignores it and really goes for you, I would do the all hell breaks loose approach, too.


You do not need a round pen. you have a lead line, a lunge line, and I prefer a rope halter, but any halter will work. I see you are in the UK, so a rope halter might be harder to get. not necessary, just gives a firmer signal, and allows less leaning on it. But, for this horse, I don't think it would make much difference, since he does not seem to lean on the halter.


I'd work on getting him to back up from me, and work to getting him to back up off you when you are further and further away from him. Build up his ability to be attentive to you wihtout being right on top of you. get him to be ok with standing some 8 feet off of you. work on the so-called yo-yo game that Parelli teaches.

then I'd work on having him move his hindquarters away, then his shoulders away.

Then I'd work on having him leadup well, neither lagging behind, nor passing you when you lead him. create a 'zone' for him, a few feet behind you, and insist that he walk there. if you get him so that he will move right , left, back up or come forward ONLY from a 'feel' on the leadline, this will be huge toward making him connected to you.

I like a lot of what Buck Branaman teaches. for a total beginner with that philosphy, it will be confusing. I know that it isn't necessary, as many perfectly lovely horses are trained in the UK with NOTHING of that approach. But, what makes a good horse, when all is said and done, is that you become as close to 100% consistent as you can, and that you be very, very clear in what you are asking, that you look for and reward the smallest try in the beginning, and that you keep in mind exactly what you are asking and look for the horse to answer THAT request, and not get sidetracked into other things.

So, what I mean by that, is , for example . . .

Say you are asking the horse, by a firm feel on the leadline, to come up and walk more briskly with you. Horse resists and braces against the feel on his halter. YOu want his feet to NOT be stuck, so you you take the tail of the leadline and swing it around behind you , toward the horse's side. He jumps sideways.
YOu might think that was a WRONG response. but, actually, it is acceptable. why? because what you really wanted was not that he lead up well, but rather that he UN-stick his feet . Once they are UN-stuck, they can be directed into forward movement, even if at first they move sideways. So, the horse's sideways movment is rewarded by a cessation of pressure. Then, you return to asking for forward movement. Once a braced horse has been un-stuck a few times, they will often start moving more freeling to only the feel of the halter/lead line.

ETA
I just re-read the last part of that post and realize how hard that might be to visualize. Wish I had a good video to recommend.