Horse Training 101: Beginner’s Ground Work
Regardless of the type of horse or its intended discipline, horse training should always begin with ground work. Ground work accomplishes many different goals at once, and begins long before a horse is ever actually ridden. Ground work seeks to establish a bond with the animal, to teach basic commands, to instill respect for the trainer, and teaches the trainer how to communicate with that particular horse.
Being that horses are prey animals, they have an innate fight-or-flight sense when experiencing a negative event. This natural reaction can cause injury to the horse or to humans, especially when new stimulus or events are introduced. For this reason the first rule of ground work is to never use a training tool as a form of punishment. This includes the use of crops. While crops and other tools can be used to apply pressure to the horse, training equipment should not be used to inflict harm- however so slight. If a horse learns to associate training equipment or trainers with pain or fear, it will react negatively, and the road to transforming it into a well-disciplined animal will become a long, arduous, and possibly dangerous one.
The first step in ground work is to desensitize your horse. Begin by desensitizing it to equipment. This means that anything you use to train your horse should be made familiar to the equine in a positive sense. For instance, if you intend to use a crop for training purposes, let your animal investigate the tool. Allow your horse to smell it, and press it lightly against all parts of your horse’s body; the face, legs, belly, back, and feet. If the horse seems frightened at any point in a desensitizing process, speak gently to the animal, stop the training, and start at the head again. Use this same process for all of your training equipment, to include crops, longe lines, halters, leads, sticks, flags, or any other training aid.
When your horse has been desensitized to equipment, the next task is to create this same sense of familiarity with surroundings. Walk your horse around obstacles, farm equipment, automobiles, noisy items such as flapping flags or plastic bags, and any other type of environment that you can introduce your horse to. This desensitizing process will teach your horse not to fear these items or environments, which will enable it to pay attention when you move on to the next phases of ground work.
Assuming that you’ve introduced your horse to a halter and a lead, you’ve probably already found some method of stopping the animal. However, it must be noted that you should never lead a horse from directly in front of it. There are two reasons for this. The first is that horses have two blind spots- directly in front of them, and directly behind them. Ground work should always take place with both horse and trainer always being directly in sight of each other. The second reason is that due to the blind spot behind a horse, if it spooks because of something that is behind it, it is likely to bolt straight forward, and a puny human who is in the way stands a good chance of being trampled. Therefore, always remain at your horse’s shoulder, keeping the lead firmly in hand. Stopping the horse can be accomplished by placing a long crop or stick horizontally across the center of the animal’s chest and issuing a firm “WHOA.” Don’t be afraid to use a deep or commanding tone of voice. Ground work is essentially setting the stage for the horse to recognize you as the leader of the herd, so insecure or weak commands must be avoided. However, you should always be certain to reward your horse with praise, treats, or affection when it stops correctly.
Immediately after the stop command has been firmly and repeatedly introduced, the “back-up” command naturally follows. This is done using the same technique as the stop command- by placing a training aid horizontally across the horse’s chest. Then, face the animal and apply pressure until it begins backing up. Issue lots of praise for this act, as backing-up does not come naturally to horses. Ensure that the area the horse is backing into is free from holes, debris, or other items that might cause it to spook. Remember that when a horse is backing up, if it is looking at you as it should be, then it is backing-up blind. This means trust between you and your animal must be well-established.
One often neglected part of ground work is to train your horse to stand while tied. This requires patience. Start in an area that is free from distractions, and tie your horse lightly to a post or other object while you stand at its shoulder. It’s a wise idea to use a break-away lead for this part of ground training to prevent injury in the event your horse spooks or bolts. Try using a longeing line. Remain at the tie spot with your horse, and reassure it with affection and a gentle voice. Then, gradually begin backing away from the animal with the lead in hand, occasionally saying “WHOA.” As you increase the distance, reward your horse with lots of praise. Eventually, you should be able to walk out of sight of the animal while it remains calmly tied.
After these most basic of horse training tasks are complete, more advanced ground work can begin. This usually consists of longeing and liberty work, which will be covered in another article. In order to prepare for those events, it is important to begin the desensitization process again at a more advanced level. Introduce your horse to a saddle and bridle. Working with slow, deliberate movements, gently place a saddle on your horse’s back and then remain at its side. By now the equine should be accustomed to standing while tied, so you can attach a girth in place and again stand at your horse’s shoulder, offering praise and reward. When ready, bridle the animal and allow it to stand there in its gear, growing comfortable to the feel of it on its back and face. The final step in this gear-desensitization process is to attach a lead to your saddled and bridled horse and begin walking it. You may slowly work up to a trot, however, if you do so, ensure that the girth is tight enough that the saddle does not slip or turn or you may have a very frightened animal on your hands.
Remember that positive reward training is the most effective method of training your horse, and an essential part of establishing good ground work. Additionally, you should be aware that ground work is never truly “finished” for any horse. Ground work is something you should do with your animal every time you ride or ask it to perform any work. Ground work includes the way you greet your animal, the way you talk to it, and even the way you leave it when training or work is done for the day. Ground work for horses should never be looked at as “unnecessary” or “boring” activities. It establishes you as the leader of your animal, and teaches the both of you how to communicate with one another in a language that you both understand. In fact, for many people ground work can be the most satisfying part of the life that you and your horse share together. Nevertheless, it is only the beginning, so be sure to read the next articles in this series on longeing and liberty work.
