How do you teach a heel horse to stay in position?

Position for a heel horse means tracking consistently off the header's right hip at the correct distance — close enough that the heeler can deliver the loop to the steer's hind feet without a long stretch, far enough that the heel horse is not crowding the header or running into the corner. Teaching a horse to hold that position requires that it first understand rate relative to the head horse rather than rate relative to the steer, which is a more abstract concept than most other roping horse skills. Begin by working alongside another horse at varying speeds with no cattle involved, teaching the heel horse to match and hold a lane at consistent distance regardless of pace changes. The horse that can rate and hold position alongside another horse at a trot and lope has the foundational understanding needed before cattle are introduced. When cattle are added, start with slow runs where the pace is manageable and the position is easy to find, and use your inside leg to hold the horse on the correct line — inside leg pushes the horse toward the header when it drifts wide, outside leg holds it off when it crowds in. Many heel horses that struggle with position are being ridden with too much rein and not enough leg, which creates a weaving, corrected-and-over-corrected path rather than a steady lane. The horse that holds position well is one that has been taught the lane with the leg and then trusted to maintain it, with the rider making small adjustments rather than constant steering. Over many repetitions on varied cattle and varied corners, the horse develops feel for the lane and begins to self-correct before the rider needs to intervene.