30 June 2016 Training Tip: The Benefits to Ground Work

If I were to give any rider or horse owner a single piece of advice it would be to work with the horse on the ground.  Teaching the horse good ground manners has multiple benefits, some of which include better temperament, calmer disposition, increased confidence in themselves and in you as the handler/rider, and more willingness in hand and under saddle.

From the very first moment I start to lead a new horse I am assessing him.  When leading the horse I check if he is paying attention to the direction of my body.  Does he follow me when I turn?  Does he halt with me when I stop?  Does he turn away from me?  Does he invading my space?  These seem like basic questions, but they are critical for assessing the horse’s ground manners.  If the horse doesn’t listen to you when you lead him in a quiet setting, you cannot expect him to listen to your commands in a more stressful situation such as a horse show.

Just as we must continue to improve the basics under saddle, we must focus on the basics of groundwork in hand.  I work with the preliminary basics of leading before I move on to more advanced groundwork.  I teach the horse these basics, not only from his left side, but from his right side.  Under saddle we expect the horse to be able to perform movements equally well on both the right as well as the left.  In hand we should not expect any less.

A very simple exercise to start with in hand is the walk to halt.  Though seemingly unimportant, this is critical for the horse to perform without tension or resistance.  If the horse does not halt when your body does it increases the risk that you could lose control of the horse.  The horse might run through the pressure of the halter and pull away from you.

To practice this exercise, walk forward and halt.  If the horse continues to walk turn him into a circle and ask for the halt again, this time holding your free hand in front of his eye with your arm extended.  This will create a visual barrier for him that he will, ideally, hesitate from.  Once at the halt ask him to back up at least 2 to 3 steps.  This will encourage the understanding that he should not get ahead of you.  Repeat until he is able to halt at the exact moment you do, his head slightly behind your shoulder.

Remember to encourage your horse when he does well with verbal praise and maybe a nice neck rub.  You and your horse have a partnership requiring mutual respect which will enrich all aspects of your relationship.