Groundwork Training - Good Ground Manners are the basic building blocks
of horse training.
Horse training success is all in the work from the ground. A good, long-term
relationship between you and your horse is built from the ground up, literally.
Groundwork training is about teaching your horse how to behave around
you and other humans and that you are the leader, the protector and a
friend.
These things go hand in hand by building leadership respect and trust.
The time you dedicate to building a proper foundation and establishing
control on the ground is well worth the effort involved.
Why would you want to bother with groundwork ?
Well, safety issues are a good start. An untrained or poorly trained
horse with bad habits such as biting, kicking, rearing and charging is
dangerous.
A horse can kill a person with this behaviour. The horse can injure himself,
for example, by rearing and banging his head on a low ceiling. Horses
do knock themselves out, cut their heads on a nail or sharp corner and
require stitches. Just think of the vet bills or the panic you'd feel
in this situation.
Or think of the legal implications if your horse kicked someone, injuring
them so they were unable to work. These things do happen. Teaching a horse
good ground manners is teaching a horse that those things are unacceptable
and unnecessary reactions.
The horse that won't stand still is a danger. One day you'll be caught
in the wrong spot, he'll get a fright and someone will be hurt. The horse
that keeps leaning into you and treading on your foot is not fun. The
horse that tries to kick when you pick out his feet is going to injure
you one day. Good ground manners are about teaching your horse to respect
your personal space.
The nervous or disobedient horse is also a danger. The jumpy horse that
shies and knocks you over is a liability.
The horse that loses his mind and tries to run every time he sees a plastic
bag is more than a nuisance. Ground work training teaches good manners
and is about showing your horse that scarey things aren't so scarey when
you're around and to have confidence in you. To trust that you, as leader
and protector, will always keep him safe.
Good ground manners make the transition to ridden training much smoother
and much much simpler. You will have learned to read your horses mood
and understand what to do to counter unruly moods. Your horse is not your
servant you are partners. You will have taught your horse obedience and
as a result, your riding sessions will be a lot more fun.
Taking the time to lay firm foundations will mean that you will be training
a horse that is willing to please you, that is easier to train, that is
a joy to work with and not an obstinate animal that is always acting up.
When you choose to own a horse, you're making a commitment for many years,
so make sure you have a well-behaved and easy to handle friend.
The Basics Of Groundwork Training.
There are 6 basics to teaching a horse good ground manners.
Be the leader
Be Repetitive
Be Consistent
Gain Trust
Be Fun
Provide Comfort.
 Apply
these basic principles whenever you are around your horse and you will
be well rewrded and on the way to enjoying many happy times with your
horsey friend.
Good consistent groundwork training builds good ground manners right
from the beginning and will result in a horse that is a joy to own and
will keep you as safe as possible.
Encouraging good ground manners will teach your horse
to:
Look to you, as the leader, for what to do when he is unsure or feels
unsafe.
Not crowd your personal space (no kicking, biting, charging, leaning,
treading on your feet etc).
Respond appropriately to whatever you are asking him to do.
Have calm confidence in the outside world because you will protect him.
Stand still patiently and calmly.
Allow you to pick up and pick out his feet.
Stand still and allow you to groom him.
Accept being bridled, haltered and led, calmly.
Accept being saddled without moving off.
Refrain from nipping, kicking, charging or rearing to get his own way
 You
should spend copious amounts of time with a new horse and get these basics
things right before you start to ride it.
Despite how eager you will be to just hop on and go, wait and spend a
few weeks or even months working on groundwork training and good ground
manners. It will pay you back tenfold in the end.
Remember this; Your horse is learning every
time you are and being a good horse trainer is about the quality of the
training not the quantity.
Return to >> local riding
>> horse training >> groundwork
training
|
