TO THOSE THAT THINK GROUNDWORK IS BULL@$%*

TO THOSE THAT THINK GROUNDWORK IS BULL@#$%

I get you….you don’t need it….your coach doesn’t do it….your friends don’t do it….you have only ever seen it done badly….it’s bullsh!t….

You think it is pointless, unnecessary and something that those crazy rope twirling people do that are too scared to ride their horses….. (see note #1)

Plus, the small circles are damaging to the horse’s joints….(see note #2)

You might not actually be saying these exact statements, but I use to.

Even when I started off learning how to train horses better I would ignore all the groundwork steps and go straight to ridden activities.

I just had no interest, I didn’t see the point. I was “brave” enough to ride. But I just didn’t get it, you see…..groundwork, is not for US, it’s for the HORSE.

I discovered its real role gradually. I had a lot of success and improvements with my horse just by learning how to communicate and train better from the saddle. However, I started dabbling in groundwork and discovered the groundwork activities I did really helped my horse improve under saddle. It was when I identified this that I really delved into the activity and discovered how beneficial groundwork was to the horse – both mentally and physically.

In a nutshell, removing the rider from the equation as the horse learns to balance, gymnastically strengthen, learns how to learn and develop an attitude of working well with you…….is EASIER for the horse when it does not have to carry you at the same time! Learning to cope with new environments (e.g. competition venues) and events (e.g. clinics, club days and events) is also EASIER to learn to cope with without a rider sitting on their backs getting nervous and tense too!

For instance, a common issue people have with horses is tension or anxiety in canter. Typically, I put these horses in the round pen or online and sure enough, the horse is tense and anxious in canter minus the rider! So, if the horse is unbalanced and not confident in the gait WITHOUT a rider, it is going to be really unbalanced and NOT confident WITH rider because hauling a rider is even harder on the horse. I then take the time to allow the horse to get balanced and confident in canter in groundwork and this makes the transition to cantering under saddle with a rider simple and efficient.

The key to reducing stress and worry in horses when training them is to break each task you want to teach a horse down into simple steps and allow the horse to master the simple steps before making them more complex. For example, we need to be able to ride a horse in walk, trot and canter…therefore, it makes sense to ensure that your horse is confident in walk, trot and canter without a rider before adding one!

Groundwork helps with more than just balance and gymnastic strength. During groundwork the horse learns how you communicate with it. It learns to follow the feel of the halter or caversson on its face and for its body to follow that guidance of the rope or line from the ground. This sets the horse up to understand the feel of the reins when you transition to riding the horse.

It also helps develop a relationship between you and the horse. A way of working together. Horse’s learn to focus on you and feel successful in being able to navigate you. It helps you introduce scary objects, jumps, different obstacles and environments in a way that is easier for the horse. All building the horse’s trust in you. All these relationship qualities you can then transition into the saddle.

Share, like, comment on this post if you agree and feel passionate about promoting the acceptance of groundwork in our equestrian culture.

My career is promoting good training practices to improve the lives of horses. I focus on helping people help their own horses, because the more people we have out there that can help horses the less horses will be needing help 😊

Thanks for your time, I hope you can see groundwork from a different perspective.

Dr. Shelley Appleton

Horse Training Coach

Note #1 – Yes, there are people out there that overuse groundwork due to their own fear issues. Like anything, groundwork can be done incorrectly and for the wrong beliefs and reasons. Groundwork should always be done for the purpose of progression. I find that 80% of people stuck at a groundwork stage in a horsemanship program need hands on help as they are doing it incorrectly. The remaining 20% are horses with soundness issues that are experiencing discomfort.

Note #2 – Yes, a horse only has so many circles it can do in its life before it can be detrimental to its joints. Therefore, groundwork should not be done for the sake of groundwork. It must be done for a specific purpose with a focus on progressing training. See Note #1 above.