Why we need horse groundwork training

Horse owners face a myriad of behavior problems, from bolting to bucking to biting. At first glance, they all seem to be different and people are clamoring to solutions to each specific problem. Pick up any horse behavior book and you’ll find all of them listed separately.

A closer look, however, and you’ll find that most horse problems all stem from the same causes. Either a horse is fearful of something or he doesn’t respect you. That’s the bottom line.

Horses are herd animals and they naturally look to a horse to be their leader. The leader of the herd automatically commands respect and trust from the other horses. There is no fear following a leader along a certain path, or no doubt that you should move when the leader does, or that things are safe when the leader thinks they are safe.

In the horse-human relationship, a large part of horse training is simply establishing yourself as the leader of the herd. This is done using horse groundwork training.

If you pick up one of those horse behavior books, you’ll find endless discussion of different behaviors and then advice that often comes down to fundamentals. The other day I was reading “Breaking Your Horse’s Bad Habits” by the late W. Dayton Sumner. Often his advice comes down to getting the horse to listen to your commands, and he says when dealing with a problem like bolting or bucking you need to “get back to basics”.

So what are the basics of horse groundwork training and what will they do for you?

Establishing leadership comes throughout horse training, but there are two specific groundwork exercises that will cement your position as the leader of the herd. The first is round pen training. Working a horse at liberty in the round pen – provided it’s done properly – is the most effective way to solidify the big three of horse groundwork training. These are leadership, respect, and trust. You’ve probably seen dramatic results with Monty Roberts, I’ll never forget a video I saw where he took a wild horse and worked her in the round pen for 10-15 minutes, and had a saddle and rider on her by 20 minutes. It seems like magic but there’s nothing magical about it, its simply an exercise that gets right inside the horse’s mind and emotions. Once your a leader for your horse everything else is easy.

Simple leading on a lead rope is another important exercise. It’s also a good test. You can see by your horse’s body position when you’re leading and coming to a stop what she thinks about her position in the herd.

Other groundwork training is focused more on getting the horse to learn and listen to your commands. This work includes teaching the basic yields that will used in riding, and lunging. When it comes to building safety while riding, lunging a horse – again if done properly – is one of the most important training exercises.

A horse isn’t a dirt bike, she’s a living, breathing animal with a mind and emotions. If you don’t provide a solid foundation with groundwork training you’re unlikely to have success while riding.

About the Author

David is a freelance author that owns three horses. He invites you to visit http://horse-training-tips.com where you can watch sample training videos and learn more about horse groundwork training.

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