Groundwork is an invaluable way to teach horses everything related to riding and keep them enthused about learning new skills. Additionally, groundwork keeps your horse entertained and engaged!
This includes basic halter work with a lead rope, walk and trot transitions, backing, desensitization/spook training and desensitizing/spook training on the ground. Lessons learned here often translate more effectively when under saddle.
Trust
Horse trainers work directly with owners and riders to assist them on their training journey, providing advice about handling techniques for both horses and riders, as well as working closely with specific horses to achieve specific performance goals in specific equestrian disciplines, such as show jumping.
Trust is essential in any relationship between horse trainers and clients, which requires patience, consistency and creating a safe environment.
Horse trainers must understand the innate behavior of horses to develop positive and trustworthy relationships with them. This involves comprehending their fight or flight response, memory retention, perceptions and reactions to stimuli as well as desensitisation exercises to reduce fear and anxiety levels in horses; ultimately leading them toward being more secure under saddle and improve performance overall.
Communication
Horses are social animals who seek safety and comfort with their herd. To maintain this social order and fight any aggression from outside sources, they need to learn human commands that contradict their instincts for herd social order and agonistic behavior (fighting behaviors).
Training principles center around expected horse behaviors, using reinforcement or punishments as reinforcement to teach horses which behaviors are acceptable and which ones aren’t. This process of operant conditioning.
A good trainer must be able to communicate with their horse using natural cues such as hands, seat or weight and voice without using special equipment such as whips or spurs. This enables their handler to create a more responsive and respectful relationship between horse and rider which forms the cornerstone of all training; having this foundation makes riding 10 times simpler!
Confidence
Body language of horses is an integral component of their communication. Recognizing and understanding equine body language enables trainers to successfully connect with horses whether on the ground or under saddle.
Well-trained horses can help riders balance, strengthen and become better partners by developing balance, gymnastics and partnership skills. Carrying a rider alters the horse’s balance and requires them to relearn movements they may already know without the rider on board.
Therefore, conducting effective groundwork before riding is of the utmost importance. Groundwork translates directly to riding work, and only through that can you build trust, connection and clear communication between yourself and your horse that leads to successful riding experiences. Without that foundation in place, no amount of riding can turn you into an effective rider.
Respect
Dominant horses play an essential part in herd hierarchy and demonstrate their leadership through various behaviors. Training them requires taking an intelligent, considerate approach which respects their assertive tendencies while encouraging cooperative behaviors.
By providing positive experiences and consistent training sessions, positive associations between handling or training sessions and their horse are gradually overcome. Repetition of basic groundwork exercises such as leading and lunging increases a horse’s response to cues in an acceptable manner and helps build his/her confidence.
Horses need to feel safe with their trainers before they can trust and respect them, not by creating an hierarchy but through clear communication and consistency in relationships that develop trust between all involved.
Safety
Safe handling is an integral component of horse training. To ensure their welfare and comfort, horses need to feel at ease around humans who know how to properly handle them.
Horses are prey animals that respond quickly to external stimuli such as movement, touch, sound or scent. Their natural response could include fleeing from potential threats, fighting them off or gathering together as a group for safety.
Trainers employ various strategies based on expected animal behavior to manipulate a horse’s response to stimuli. These may include positive reinforcement (giving something desired by the horse), negative punishments (removing something it values when performing inappropriate behaviors such as biting), or combinations thereof. It is also essential that any underlying causes for behavioral problems be identified so they can be effectively addressed.
