To access the horses mind we need to direct the horse’s feet backwards, forwards, to the left and to the right by controlling the follow five body parts:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Also read  Foundation of Mounted Training

 

Introduction to foundation of ground training Plans & Implementation Strategies

A good Natural Horsemanship training program with Generic Training Plans will work ONLY to evaluate any equine but it will not fit all when it comes to training them! We use Generic Plans to do [click to read more] evaluations to identity; Who is [personality traits], What it offers Willingly, What it Knows and What it needs.  The information gathered will allow us to then develop or modify Generic Trainings Plans resulting in Horse Specific Training Plans.  The major difference you will see in training all equine is you and how you implement the training! You will need to be more consistent and more specific with your aids and cues when training a mule.  Is Groundwork Really that Important?  Many riders may feel that the reason that they got their horse in the first place was to be on their backs, not on the ground, but good horsemen and horsewomen recognize that groundwork is a critical component of equitation. The following list details the multi-faceted importance of groundwork, and the influence it has upon both our training of and relationship with our horses.

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• Communication - Being able to see you on the ground, while you are working with them, as opposed to relying on your communication from their back, not only improves your overall ability to communicate with your horse but also improves trust.

• Rapport Building - Trust is a key component of the bond you establish with your horse.  In regards to trust,  The confidence, must be mutual: “.”

• Ground Manners & Respect - Trainers often refer to groundwork as a time spent teaching a horse ground manners and respect. Recent scientific studies, however, have proven that horses do not possess the cognitive functioning necessary for ethical standards, so in fact, can’t really “show” us manners, or develop respect for us in the same ways we think about respecting another living creature. They can, however, be taught to “respect” or observe rules, and this is one area in which groundwork plays a role.

 

Exercises & Approaches

There are many different types of groundwork exercises that range depending on philosophy and purpose, each providing different benefits ie: the Three C’s: control, confidence, and connection. This feedback allows us to answer some critically important questions, such as: “Do we have control of the horse’s feet?  “Does the horse have confidence in me so I can have confidence in him? Do we have a mental connection today—are we communicating effectively with each other?” “If there’s a problem with one of the C’s, that doesn’t necessarily mean you can’t ride, it just means you need to go back to some fundamental groundwork exercises to get the horse where he needs to be.

 

Benefits of Groundwork

Groundwork provides a variety of different benefits to both horse and rider:

 

• First, work on the ground allows the horse to move more naturally, free of the additional weight on their backs and the burden of maintaining the balance of both.

• Additionally, work on the ground is safer for both parties; reducing the stress on the animal’s back and significantly lowering the risk of injury to the rider.

• The ground exercises also help the trainer gain a new perspective on their horse. Without having to focus on the complex nature of driving the horse from above, the handler can see if the horse is experiencing issues with balance, perhaps lacks impulsion or drive from behind which is hindering movement, and some riders may even be able to see subtle injuries or areas of concern from the ground where they may not have been able to notice them before.

• All this, while the trainer continues building trust and rapport with their animal and further develops her ability to read and understand her horse’s body language and natural movement.

 

During ground training we link our minds and our horses mind to the exercises

During Mounted training we mimic the ground exercises to Link our minds to our horses mind!

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Foundation of Ground Training is Everything

It is amazing that some people do NOT consider Foundation of Ground Training as the most important training a horse will receive in order to prepare it for work in the saddle!  It is also amazing that with a little ground work people feel that a horse is safe and prepared Emotionally, Mentally and Physically for work in the saddle after 30 days training?  The Spanish Riding School in Vienna Austria is considered by most to be the finest school of riding and horsemanship in the world. To become a member, learn classical dressage and master the art of training the great white Lipizzaner is for many the highest honor a human can achieve in the world of the horse. Whether or not one agrees with this statement is not significant. Knowing that before any student is permitted to ride they must complete four years of groundwork is, however, most definitely significant!  

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Foundation of Ground Training defined

During the Foundation of Ground Training, we join our minds and our horses mind to exercises, maneuvers and cues.  When we transfer what our horse has learned into the saddle we link our minds and to our horse’s mind using similar exercises, maneuvers and cues.  During the Foundation of Mounted Training, you are going to ask your horse to do the same or similar exercise you taught on the ground and transferring the dues while mounted. 

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​​What is a solid Foundation of Ground Training?

The exercises used during the Foundation of Ground Training are not about teaching the horse tricks in so much as they are about getting your horse comfortable enough so you can ride and be safe!  There is no way that you are going to do your ground control to where you can 100 percent eliminate every possible situation that could go wrong but you will develop confidence in yourself and in your horse to where he will not buck or run away.  You seldom hear someone talking about following your feel.  When you are working with your horse I would like you to think; “Can your horse respond to what you are asking her/him to do without you driving it?  Without you applying direct pressure, calmly and lightly without fear? You would just as soon use indirect pressure but if it is a spoiled horse; if it is really sticky, if it is not moving; you may have to use direct pressure and tap her/him but you would rather not if you can avoid it!  This means your horse is not following your feel; this is not a word you often hear.  But by the same token you are not at the end because you are not operating on a feel yet.  You do not want your horse to operate out of fear so you need to educate you horse to your feel and hopefully that is the lightest possible feel you have!  At the same time, you will establish your leadership with losing the trust.  You want to present the lightest possible pressure ASK first but you may have to TELL by increasing the pressure so the horse responses to your ASK. 

 

If a horse doesn't respond willingly to its handler on the ground, it is never going to respond with confidence when that person swings into the saddle. A lot of horse people misunderstand ground work and skip steps only to experience issues in the future. The most important thing to remember is that groundwork IS NOT something you do with just a colt.  In some cases, a lifetime deal and it is absolutely necessary to build the foundation with proper groundwork, you should continue refining its foundation throughout your relationship with the horse because you can always make it just a little more responsive or work on softness.  I use similar methods for both English and Western in the Foundation of Ground Training.  To prepare a horse emotionally, mentally and physically we use proper cycles. 

 

Younger and/or older horses can be high maintenance so that it respects you, your space and accepts you as its leader.  Foundation of Ground Training exercise teaches the horse to move its feet willingly when you ask, enables him to read your body language and posture, understands reward, approach & retreat, has your trust, and it exposes the horse to many situations using a triad of exercises that are 90% related to mounted schooling.  Not only do the ground exercises prepare the horse for work in the saddle they teach responsiveness and suppleness, they build trust, they provide you with a method should you experience a concerning situation in the saddle in order to communicate with your horse.  Please know that the most important progress and logical building blocks in this process being able to control the horses five body parts; the head, neck, shoulders, rib cage and hindquarters.  The better your horses’ foundation is on the ground the better your communication will be while riding and/or during driving sessions.  If we ask a horse to do something properly and he does not do it means he is not trained; he is broke”! 

 

Control without Pain or Fear

Builds Trust + Respect + Confidence & allows us to Earn Leadership

That Develops into a Relationship

 

Training to quick, too fast results in holes in the Foundation Training

Many people are in a hurry to ride the "Green" horse.  Some riders traditionally believe that they can gain more control from the horse when mounted.  Actually is the horse is not prepared properly and does not understand what you want that is breaking the horse and not training it! If the horse is not focused on you and accept you as the leader, he will not listen to you when you are on his back. Although you can train your horse something new from his back, it should be based a progression of exercises and skills that he is familiar with that you have done from the ground first. You do not want to find yourself riding through a compromising situation or end up in a middle of a wreck because you did not take the time to train the horse from the ground first. Never put yourself or your horse in a dangerous or compromising situation. To avoid this as much as possible, I will do a great deal of bridle work from the ground first, along with essential ground lessons to get the horse prepared for riding.  Although it is the desire of most, if not all, horse owners for their horses to have a good Foundation on the Ground, I have experienced that there are two common areas that contribute to the horse not being ready to be ridden. The first is that the handler/rider needs to know how to develop a lesson plan using consistent cues to teach the horse what it is you want them to do. The other common area of concern is that not enough time is spent on the necessary exercises or skills in order for the horse to really learn the lesson. Whatever the reason, ground control should become a priority. Why? Most importantly – SAFETY for you and for your horse! 

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FEE:

I offer several services; I will train you to do it  or I will do it for you both fees are dependent on sessions per week and location!