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Anyone who has ever worked with me knows that I am
a stickler for ground training. In my opinion, it is the best
thing we can do to help ensure future training success with our
horses. It is the place where we not only win over the mind and
the body of our horses, but their hearts also. During last years
round pen clinic, we concentrated on three main ground-training
lessons: round penning, leading, and lunging.
Round penning focuses on establishing control and
building a balance of trust and respect from our horses...and all
that with no restraint. The horse is loose in the round pen. They
develop the intrinsic motivation to stay with us because they want
to-not because they have to. The leading exercise focuses on the
horse being even more in tune with the handler's body language.
They are expected to keep their throat latch at the handler's
shoulder no matter what the handler is doing: walking fast,
walking slow, running, stopping or backing up. The horse is also
taught to move away from pressure on a forehand and haunch turn.
And they are taught to lower and give their head laterally to
pressure.
The focus when lunging is about the discipline of
the horse staying arced on a circle and maintaining consistent
gaits. The horse also learns about voice commands and waiting to
respond until told. If lunging is done correctly, it gives the
handler a head start when he/she gets into the saddle. Horses will
already be locked into a circle and they will be maintaining
consistent gaits. And if the handler is really skilled at lunging,
they can also develop some collection in their horses.
Not only does the horse learn some invaluable
foundational lessons from the ground training, the handler can
also learn some fundamental lessons. Ground training teaches the
handler self-awareness of their body language. Many people do not
know the messages they are sending their horses. Also some of the
exercises we do can teach timing and feel when teaching a horse to
give to pressure. Being aware of the cadence of a horse's lope on
the lunge line can also help develop the foundation of rhythm. And
one of the most important things ground training will teach the
handler is how to read a horse, which is a skill that becomes
invaluable. All these skills are essential to being a competent
rider. So don't look at ground training as being boring...it helps
you become a better rider! |
