The Importance Of Groundwork
When we think of confidence in the saddle, we naturally always think about riding, right? But being a confident rider starts well before ever climbing into the saddle. So how do you build that confidence? It’s simple really, you start by establishing confidence on the ground.
And this week is all about working with your horse from the ground. Sorry, we will not be officially riding this week, but I will be giving you some tools to use with your horse which will transfer to when you are in the saddle. Everything you are planning to do in the saddle should always start with work on the ground.
The Tools
To get started, there are some tools that you will need to make the most of your ground training. And it all starts with the halter.
Knotted Rope Halter
The halter you chose to use can either help or hinder your connection with your horse. And in my experience, the best halter to use for groundwork in a knotted rope halter. And yes, it does not have the same aesthetically pleasing appearance as a tradition halter. But this halter is a tool, and it will help you, I promise!
The reason the rope halter works so well is because of the knots. The knots rest on pressure points of your horse’s head. And when pressure is applied, it causes a reaction. The knots apply pressure. And our horses learn from pressure. Well, pressure and release actually. When you want your horse to do something, you apply pressure. And when you get the response you are searching for, you release the pressure. Your horse learns from the release of pressure.
And this is what makes the rope style halter work so well for training. The knots apply pressure, and offer a release of pressure (reward) when pressure is applied, or withdrawn. With a traditional 1” wide web or leather halter, there is no pressure, and your horse is more likely to pull against the halter. So if you are serious about establishing confidence, I would highly encourage you to buy a clinician style rope halter for your training.
They are very affordable, and you can usually find them for less than $10.00 for a basic one.
15 Foot Lead Rope
The next tool you will need is a 15 foot lead rope. It can be cumbersome at first, but there is so much you can do with this length of lead rope. And the lead rope should be made of yacht rope. The yacht rope gives some weight to the lead rope, and it is easy to work with. So you will need a 15 foot lead rope as well. If you aren’t sure where to find one, you can buy one here.
Clinician Style Stick and String
If you have been around horses for a long time, you have probably seen these before. The natural style horseman have made them very popular, and for good reason. They work. The string is detachable from the stick, making this a multipurpose tool to use with your training.
Walking With Your Horse
Now that we have the tools, and know how to use them, it’s time to get your horse. After you put on the halter and lead rope, take him out into an enclosed area and walk him around. Let him get used to the weight of the halter and the lead rope. It will be heavier than a traditional halter and lead rope. And the lead rope is long enough that you can hold on to it if your horse decides to pull away from you. This extra length of the lead rope will help to keep you a safe distance away from your horse if he decides to act up. But I think you will find if he does act up, and try to pull away from you, when you give a tug on the lead rope, he will have a lot more respect for this style of halter.
If you are a more visual learner, and want to see the tools, and the differences between the rope halter and the traditional halter, I made a video of it. And you can see my horse Ethan demonstrating the difference.
So now, just walk around the arena, and give a tug on the halter every now and then, and see if you can get your horse’s attention, I would be willing to bet he will be much more responsive in the rope halter.
Learning To Bend
Now we want to work on getting your horse to bend his neck but standing still. So standing on your horse’s side, you will gather up the lead rope and run your hand down the side, and bring his head around so that his nose will touch his tummy. The first few times you do this, your horse may walk around, trying to move in a circle around you. This is ok. But your goal is to have him bend his head around, and his nose to touch his side. And as soon as he does it, you release the lead rope, which will release the pressure, and he will allow the bend to release, and his nose will go back to a more normal position.
If he starts dancing around and moving his feet while you are trying to get his nose to his side, just move with him. Eventually he will stand still and learn to bend. After he stands still, and is bending, and you give him the release of the pressure by releasing the lead rope.
When he can do this 5 times on one side, you will move to his other side to repeat the process. You will be starting over, and don’t be surprised if he dances all over again. Once he is standing still and bending willingly, do it 5 times on the opposite side.
Everything you do on one side, you need to do on the other side as well. It’s like our horses have two separate brains. So what is easy on one side will be more challenging on the other. So it’s important to always work on both sides of your horse in order for him to be comfortable on both sides. And the more you do this, the softer and more flexible your horse will become. It’s a good idea to make this a habit, and bend and flex your horse every single day.
Stopping And Standing
Now that we have the bending figured out, it’s time to work on getting your horse to ‘whoa’ when asked in the halter. This is easy! When you are walking with your horse, and you want him to stop, pull back with steady pressure on the lead rope, and watch your horse stop. You can reinforce this with a verbal “whoa.” Repeat the process in both directions until your horse is stopping as soon as you ask. You will find with repetition, he will halt better and better.
And as soon as he responds, by stopping you stop applying pressure with the lead rope. He will get an instant reward with a release of pressure.
Week One Wrap Up
Continue this process all week. Make a goal to get out and work with your horse and your tools on the ground 5 times this week. If you can do it every day of the week, even better. The more you work with your horse on the ground, the better he will be when you are in the saddle. And you don’t have to do this for hours and hours a day. Commit to walking with your horse for about 15 to 20 minutes each day. But if you can only do it for 5 minutes a day, it’s better than nothing!
And work on desensitizing your horse to your tools. You want him to be so quiet from the ground that even if something big and scary happened, he just stands there, bored. And the more you work with him on the ground the quieter and safer he will be under saddle. This will help to build your confidence as well as establishing that you are the boss with your horse. And every time you are working with him, take it seriously. YOU are the boss, not your horse. And your horse is looking for a leader, be that leader. If your horse doesn’t respect you, he is going to walk all over you, literally. So it is important to establish leadership from the ground to build your confidence and your horses confidence in you.
And if you would like to learn how you can be a confident rider, visit my blog, Budget Equestrian, where right now we are having a 30 day confident rider challenge! For the entire month of August there is a new blog post, and video with tips to help you be more confident around your horse. And once you are done with the 30 days, why not reward yourself, and your horse with a Saddle box? After you have done the work, you deserve it!
