This morning as I was making coffee, I looked out my kitchen window and discovered that a neighbor's horses (six Clydesdales and three of a smaller breed) had escaped during the night and were in our field.
About a half hour later, after some phone calls, and after some help arrived, we decided that if we could lead one of them back home the others would follow. So, we put a halter on one of the Clydesdales, and then I found myself leading this gigantic horse down a dirt road towards his farm. When we started getting close to the drive where we would turn in to their farm, the horse just stopped. He apparently didn't want to go home. Now, I knew that there wasn't any way that I was going to force this horse to go anywhere, so I didn't just pull harder. I did try several more subtle things to get him going again. I led him in a circle (he was perfectly willing to turn around, but when I had him pointed in the right direction he stopped again), I tried talking to him, I whistled (wrong thing to do, because he started backing up).
And then I remembered...duh... relax completely, weight underside, move from my one point... and almost like magic, his head started to move towards me, and then he took a step, and another, and we were on our way again.
Brian
Sue