When you’re training heel horses, the lead they leave the box in matters more than people realize. In team roping, everything’s always pulling left. So naturally, your horse should be in its left lead. But what happens when they leave in the right lead? It’s not always black and white.
Understanding the “Right Lead” Problem
The right lead is generally considered wrong for heel horses because it compromises their balance and power as they come through the turn. But here’s the truth: some great horses, like Jackyl, left the box in the right lead and were still considered one of the best and winningest heel horses of all time. If the steer went straight or right, Jackyl would start in the right lead, then switch to the left lead at a good time.
That’s the key—it’s not about never being in the right lead. It’s about when they switch.
When Is It Okay?
If I leave the box and the steer is straight or drifting right, I don’t mind if my horse picks up the right lead—as long as they switch at the right time. The problem comes when they stay in the right lead too long. If you’re getting to the cow and your horse is still in the right lead, you’re in trouble. Their body will shift as they change, dropping a shoulder or losing balance throwing off your timing and your angles.
Don’t Overcorrect and Create a Bigger Problem
I’ve seen people overcorrect the right lead so much that they create bigger issues, causing horses to take the bridle and run off. The goal should be simple: hook up to the cow and let the horse work. If the cow comes right and your horse needs the right lead for a second, fine. But they must switch when it’s time.
You can train the natural feel right out of one if you’re not careful. Every horse moves a little differently, and you can’t force all of them into the exact same mold. I’m not looking for perfect mechanics; I want functional timing that keeps a horse balanced and comfortable in the run.
Fixing a Late Switch
On a green horse that’s switching late, like this little mare I’m riding, I don’t just try to shove the front end over. I hold her shoulder with my left rein and use my right leg to push her hip in. I want the lead change to start from the hind end and let the front end follow. It’s the same principle as a lead departure: don’t dump their shoulder to get the lead—you push the hip and hold the shoulder up.
Let the Cow Do the Training Sometimes
Sometimes the best training you can do is to make runs on slow cattle and let the horse figure it out. Early on, I’ll just heel slow steers, let them follow, get patterned, and build confidence. Then I’ll start shaping and fine-tuning.
Like with this mare—I had overcorrected her to the point she thought holding the right lead through the turn. So I had to go the other way. I stopped nitpicking and just made runs until she naturally started picking up the left lead again.
Correcting Without Killing Feel
At the end of the day, I don’t want to create horses that are so over-schooled they lose feel. I want to finish the run in the left lead—even if that means pushing the hip mid-run to switch. But I’m not going to slam the brakes or jack with their shoulders every time they make a mistake. I’m going to teach them to fix it in the run and end with the right habit.
I don’t want my horse to feel manufactured—I want them to feel like they’re working with the cow, not against me.
The Bottom Line
There’s gray area here. Horses aren’t robots, and real-world runs don’t always match textbook form. But if you’re clear about what matters—not going through the turn in the right lead, and letting your horse naturally find their rhythm—you’ll get farther, faster.
Let them function. Let them work. Just teach them when to switch—and let the cow help you do the rest.
—TRJ—
Go inside the practice pens of the world’s top team ropers and horse trainers with exclusive practice footage on Roping.com. The video library gives you an all-access pass to the drills, exercises and routines the pros use every day—watch how elite ropers prepare, fine-tune their horses and execute winning runs, then apply those same methods in your own program.
