The Dog Site

Groundwork exercises are important but mostly straightforward and can be used when training either your own horse or a horse you are training. Ground exercises are a vital part of getting to know each other and of building trust between you and the horse. Future training success is dependant on good groundwork. Safety and your personal space bubble must be respected by your new ton-sized friend.

The key to success in horse training is to be patient, persistent and to employ positive reinforcement techniques in every exercise you perform together. These three P’s can be applied to all current and future levels of horse training.

1. Groom your horse. Grooming represents more than just a perfect first exercise for you and your horse. It is this quality time during which you and the horse will get to know each other. Stand beside him and brush his neck and back. It is not unusual for the horse to bring his teeth around to you for a little love bite. He must not be allowed to do this to humans, even though horses do it to each other. You can discourage this easily enough by the wave of a hand or by pushing his head back to the straight position. Horses have enormous teeth so it is important for your safety that you let him know that this is unacceptable. Use patience and keep calm. He’ll get the idea and will cooperate. There’s no need to get carried away and shout or frantically wave or smack. This will send you backwards where trust is concerned.

2. Lead your horse. Hold the lead rope in your right hand, just below the horse’s chin, and walk beside him on his left side. With a slow step, walk forwards. He should not try to go ahead of you but should remain at your right side. You should walk around to you left in a circle if he does try. You may need to do this a few times to get the point across. Show persistence. By circling to your left you will stay just ahead of him as it should be. Should your horse not want to walk with you then stand slightly behind him, at his shoulder, facing the same direction. Hold the rope close to his chin and push forward. Give praise and positive reinforcement when he takes a small step. Once he begins to walk of his own accord, walk on in a position which is slightly ahead of him. Remember that in order to stay safe, you should never wrap the lead rope around any part of your body. If the horse decides to bolt you’ll be going along and it will not be pretty.

3. Lunge your horse.This exercise is fantastic and is used by every trainer and most horse owners I’ve ever known no matter what the horse’s function is. Lunging will teach many of the skills and commands, or cues, your horse will need to know when you’re ready to work him under saddle.

In a large open area (an arena works, too, if you don’t have a round enclosure) clip your horse to a lunge lead specifically for lungeing. This rope will be a lot longer than the one you use for leading – about ten metres is normal. Clip the lead to the horse’s left halter side and hold the lead in your left hand. Begin by holding the lunge line and facing the horses left side. In your right hand hold a lunge whip; this is to guide him along. Now step to your right sideways toward the rear of the horse while holding the whip out behind him. The horse should step forward as a natural reaction. Let the line out and follow the horse just behind and to the left side and make a kissing sound. He’ll begin to associate that sound with “move forward”. As you’re turning and the horse moves in a circle around you, hold the whip slightly behind his hindquarters. The whip is not for hitting. Simply by waving it about a little the horse should pay attention to you.

Now that he’s moving forward, you’ll move slowly backwards to the centre of the virtual circle. With the lunge lead fully extended, stand in the middle and turn as the horse walks around you in a circle. Watch your horse’s hip area as he’s going round.

This is the perfect time to teach your horse to understand “whoa”. In a low, calm voice, say the word “whoooaa”. At the same time, step toward your horse’s head and repeat the word. When he stops, give him lots of praise and a little neck rub. You will help him remember what to do through this positive reinforcement.

Changing your position now will allow you to lunge your horse in an anti-clockwise manner. It’s done in the same way, but with the lead clipped to the right side of the halter and the lunge whip in the left hand.

These few exercises are just the very basics to help you get started with training your horse. Bear in mind that a horse is a huge and powerful creature. This alone should be enough to remind you to have adequate horse insurance in place should either you or your equine be injured. Your success with training and all future activities depends both on safety and trust. As well as a loyal friend, your horse is also an investment, so remember to protect that investment against theft, accident or misadventure by making sure you compare horse insurance policies to ensure you are getting the best level of cover for both of your needs.

Horse riders will of course see saddle training as the ultimate goal, but first it’s necessary to complete the groundwork. Your horse will need to be led from his stall or pasture to the tack area before you can tack-up and ride. Not much point in teaching your horse point B, the saddle riding part, if there’s no way to get there from point A is there?. When your horse learns to cooperate with you, you can act as a team. This cooperation begins with your ability to approach, catch, and halter him first. Then you’ll need to lead your horse about with a halter and a lead rope.

With the primary objective of safety in mind, your horse needs to learn what is acceptable behaviour. You will need to address behaviours which come naturally to him, such as pulling against the lead rope. Your horse should also know that he must not invade the personal space of the human leader on the other end of the rope. You put yourself at risk by not taking time to teach your horse basic safety manners before moving on to more advanced training. Whilst a good equine insurance policy may cover you for accidents that happen in training, it’s obviously far more preferable not to have to find this out!

The three Ps of horse training – patience, persistence and positive reinforcement – come into play when leading your horse. Having already accomplished haltering, it is likely that you have already discovered the effectiveness of the three Ps.

It is a good idea to begin lead training when the horse is still a foal. Although you won’t need to cover saddles and riding with a very young horse, it’s important to get an early start when teaching basic ground manners. The young horse will need to cooperate for farrier and vet visits, as well as for the various people moving about the yard, stables or paddock.

If you’re lucky enough to have the dam on site, the foal will copy the behaviours of the dam. In fact this works with any horse that the foal spends time with. Young horses naturally learn from the older ones in the herd. For example, you don’t need to teach a horse in the pasture how to graze or go to the water and drink. They learn by watching the others. If your student is older, you can still use another horse’s example by haltering and leading the other horse first. As you do this you will notice your student watching and paying attention to these events occurring around him.

Begin by leading a more experienced horse or dam along with your young student horse, walking side by side with you in the middle leading both at once. The safest place for you to stand is to the left of your student’s shoulder, with the older horse to your left. Never wrap the lead rope around your hand or anywhere else, just in case your student bolts or otherwise kicks up a fuss. The last thing you need at this stage is complicating the process with an injury for which you may need to claim on your horse insurance.

Alternatively, if you have a calm horse that you are comfortable riding and that the foal will follow, you can use the pony method. This is done by simply towing the student horse behind using a longer lead rope. Since it’s natural for the young to follow the elders behaviours, this is actually a quite natural method for teaching the lead.

If there are no other horses around to help your student out here, you will need to rely only on patience, persistence and positive reinforcement. Don’t be discouraged if it takes longer than you would like for your horse to understand what it is that’s expected of him.

After satisfactory progress, it’s time to try it alone. Again, standing to the left of your young horse’s shoulder and with both of you looking straight ahead, gently walk forward and as you step out, tug very gently forward, then release any pressure on the rope as soon as the horse makes any motion to go forward. Understanding that release is a reward to your horse is a valuable tip used by professional trainers. It tells him that he’s doing things right.

After you have him walking with you in straight lines with success, try turning slightly to the left, maintaining the space bubble between you. If he crowds you, use your right hand to push him out away from you and hold your arm out to the appropriate distance. Then try turning to the right with the same safety distance between the two of you, still using your right hand to guide him into the correct zone. You will need to reward him by releasing the pressure on the lead rope each time he steps in the right direction.

Lead training calls for large amounts of patience. Stay with it and you will see great improvement. To get yourself closer to the day you can saddle up for a ride, you’ll need to put in the work; little and often (every day if possible) works best and will soon give you great results.

Horses need our undivided attention whilst we are caring for them as they are very sensitive creatures. It’s not enough to only provide the bare necessities like food, shelter and whatever healthcare your horse insurance policy will cover. Like humans, it is those little extras that they need to be truly at peace with their place in the world.

It’s best to keep your horse among other ponies or horses, as they are herd animals in nature and will need to have company. You should be also seen as part of their herd, ideally as the herd leader. A horse’s chewing or licking are both signs of affection and of sumbission to your status as leader. This is where it is so important that you spend time with your horse, ensuring that the trust and emotional bond between you develops. When this is achieved, it will have a positive effect on all areas in the horse’s handling and riding.

Horses are clean animals, so ensure that their stable/stalls are clean and warm, with deep bedding. As well as providing comfort and security, a deep bed will also help to ease the strain on legs and joints.

Mealtimes are important to a horse. As they will be grazing outside during the day, horses should be fed little and often. A balance of all appropriate foods should be incorporated into your horse’s diet. Horses need lots of fibre, so make sure that there is fresh hay or grass. Grain is great for fibre as well, but be careful you don’t give too much as it can upset the stomach. Ensure a supply of fresh water is available. Water prevents the food becoming solid by allowing it to ferment in the horse’s stomach. Horses do better when in a routine, so the timing between feeds is important. Always feed them at the same time every day.

You should groom your horse every day – not only to keep him in excellent condition but also because he will enjoy the attention you give him and will feel loved and secure. Make sure you do lots of rubbing, scratching and brushing. This is a quality part of the day which you should both enjoy. Grooming will also help to keep their coat in good condition and free from pests. Not forgetting the feet – you’ll need to pick your horse’s hooves every daily. They must feel comfortable on their hooves or they will become grumpy, not to mention that failing to take care of your horse’s feet will put him at risk of injury or infection which could cost you a claim on your equine insurance.

A horse needs regular exercise to remain happy. They should be exercised on a daily basis. You should vary standard exercise routines with perhaps cross-country and jumping. What is also important is allowing your horse some time to play. They need to feel the freedom of being turned out in the paddock. Your horse can then play, either alone or with other equines, and have some quiet time too. Let your horse relax as well as work – their behaviour can become erratic if they are not permitted just to chill out sometimes.

The above tips are just a few pieces of advice which can help you look after the physical and pscychological needs of your horse. For more information and to become part of a horse-lovers’ community on the world-wide web, please visit AFI Horse Insurance where you can read and contribute to our brand-new equine blog.