| Horse groundwork training is a vital part of getting | | | | palms out and exhaling. While you're doing this, |
| your horse ready to ride. You should begin with | | | | make sure the horse has both eyes on you. If |
| three goals in mind. First, you want to become a | | | | they are not you he is not paying attention |
| leader for your horse. Horses naturally look to a | | | | (disrespect), so bump the rope to bring his nose |
| leader as they are herd animals in the wild. For | | | | on you. |
| safety reasons, you want to assume that | | | | Once leadership, trust, and respect have been |
| leadership role. Otherwise your horse is going to | | | | established, its time to turn your horse |
| be making the decisions, like when to run away | | | | groundwork training toward preparing a horse to |
| when he hears something scary on the trail. He's | | | | be ridden. The goal now is to set up a set of |
| also more likely to exhibit bad horse behavior if | | | | cues that will be given to control and direct the |
| you haven't established leadership. With leadership | | | | motion of the horse, and teach him these cues on |
| comes respect from the horse, and a horse that | | | | the ground. The cues given use a pressure and |
| doesn't respect you is more likely to rear, buck, | | | | release reward system. Pressure is the cue to |
| and bite among other problems. | | | | move, release of the pressure is a reward to the |
| There are three simple horse groundwork training | | | | horse that reinforces the desired response. The |
| exercises you can do to establish leadership. The | | | | main areas we want to work with are: moving |
| first that should be done is round pen work ala | | | | forward and backing up, moving the forehand |
| Monty Roberts "join up". Take your horse to a | | | | over, moving the hindquarter over, and |
| round pen and take the lead rope off. Then send | | | | disengaging the hindquarter. |
| him out to your left at a canter. Have him go | | | | Let's start with moving the forehand. To move |
| around about five times and then ask him to | | | | the forehand, apply pressure between the jaw |
| change direction and go around to the right. As he | | | | and withers in the neck area. When the horse |
| is going around apply pressure-swing your rope at | | | | takes a step away from you, release. Do the |
| the hip and maintain eye contact at the withers. | | | | exercise on both sides. Then repeat with the hip |
| At this point, start looking for signs of acceptance | | | | area. Disengaging the hip is a process of applying |
| from the horse. This will be communicated to you | | | | pressure to the hip and having the horse circle his |
| with four basic gestures. An ear on you indicates | | | | hip around while keeping his front legs in the same |
| respect-the horse is paying attention to what you | | | | location. His hind legs should cross over one |
| have to say. Next comes licking of the lips or | | | | another. This is called "disengaging" because we |
| chewing. This is a sign of relaxation, which really | | | | are taking away the forward impulsion of the |
| means that the horse is not feeling any fear-or | | | | horse-when his hind legs are crossing he does not |
| more to the point he trusts you. When you see | | | | have the balance necessary to move forward. |
| these signs, take some of the pressure off-stop | | | | Backing up applies pressure alternatively to the |
| swinging your rope and back off a little bit. The | | | | opposite sides of the face. Shaking the lead rope |
| horse may indicate increased trust by dropping his | | | | will do this, or you can apply pressure with your |
| speed down and circling at smaller distances. The | | | | hands (in the air just by the nose). To ask the |
| final sign to look for is the horse dropping his | | | | horse to move forward, you can do a driving |
| head. When a horse drops his head, this is a | | | | exercise. Stand at the midsection to the left of |
| submissive act that says "you're my leader" and | | | | the horse and put your riding or carrot stick over |
| "please let me join the herd". When he does this, | | | | his back. Point forward with your left hand and |
| take eye contact off the horse, walk backwards | | | | tap the back of the horse with your tool. The |
| away from him in a spiral pattern, and exhale. | | | | tapping is "pressure" asking the horse to move |
| This will bring the horse to a stop. Now you can | | | | forward. When he starts moving, you can release |
| approach the horse and get him to hook on | | | | the pressure. |
| (follow you without a lead rope). | | | | The final groundwork exercise you can use to |
| The second horse groundwork training activity to | | | | prepare for riding is lunging. The focus of lunging |
| include in your routine is simple leading. Put a lead | | | | used in this way is not to wear down the horse, |
| rope on your horse and just walk around. Look | | | | but rather to build communication. To do this you |
| for signs of disrespect: crowding, edging past you | | | | will start the horse moving at a walk and ask him |
| as you walk, and taking two or three more steps | | | | to stop periodically. When he is doing that well in |
| when you've come to a stop. If your horse | | | | both directions, then begin to include trotting. At |
| indicates one or more of these signs, spend a | | | | first, have him start at a walk then ask for |
| few minutes each day walking backwards away | | | | trotting, then work on having him drop down |
| from your horse. This way you can only be in | | | | from a trot to a walk. Then stop again. Mix it up |
| front of the horse as he's being led, and he will | | | | so your horse is never sure what you're going to |
| see you as a leader in his mind. Occasionally ask | | | | ask (keep him paying attention). When he is doing |
| for stops by stopping, raising both hands with | | | | this well, begin including cantering in the exercise. |