Day Eight: Advancing Groundwork with drills

THEORY AND METHOD

Drills are a great way to teach a new concept.  Being creatures of habit, the repetition can really help ingrain a concept in a colt's mind.  It's important to remember, though, that drills are a teaching tool and should not be used forever, or they can make a horse sour.  For this particular exercise, I use two drills, which can be used separately, or linked together for more variation. 

Drill number one:  Send, Squeeze, and Disengage

This is a very simple exercise that builds upon our previous groundwork.  The goal is to be able to send the horse in between myself and the fence, step his hips over, and send him back the other way.  Squeezing the horse through a narrow space builds their confidence; horses are naturally claustrophobic and avoid tight spaces.

1. Send the horse forward.  Give the horse a pre-signal, a direction, and a motivation.
2. Squeeze between the fence:  Send the horse between yourself and the fence.  Start off relatively far away, maybe six or seven feet.  Each pass your horse makes, take another step in towards the fence.
3. Disengage the hips:  Push your horse's hip away from you and pull his eye in.  Get him to look at you with both eyes.  How little pressure does it take to get your horse facing up?  Challenge yourself!
4. Squeeze between the fence:  Send your horse back through the opposite direction.

I work at this exercise until it is smooth and fluid.  Usually, if I have done all my prior ground work, it won't take much more than ten minutes or so.  Don't make it boring for the horse; increase the difficulty, change things up!

Drill number two:  Send, Stop, and Back

In this exercise, I am also sending my horse around me in a half circle, but this time, not between myself and the fence.  At either end of the half-circle, I aim to put my colt's nose directly on the fence, and have him stand there a moment, then move his hips and back up.  This will be important in the next lesson; I want the colt to think of the fence as a comfortable spot to rest.

1. Send the horse forward:  The first thing you need to do is get your horse moving.  Stand with your back to the fence, and get your horse going!
2. Touch the fence:  Direct your colt's nose right to the fence.  When his nose gets there, relax your body and let him stop.  If he leaves the fence (which he probably will!), just send him right back.  
3. Yield the hips:  Move the hips over a quarter turn.  How little pressure does it take?  Can you just look at the hips and move them, or do you need to move your feet and put some real pressure on him?  Try to get it as light and soft as you can. 
4. Back it up:  Get one single step backwards.  Put some energy in the rope and push those feet.  Start with one step, then two, then three.  Each time you do the exercise, ask for a little bit more to keep it fresh and challenging.  
5. Send the horse back the other way:  Now repeat on the other side; send your horse back around you and do it again. 

Drill number three:  Starting sideways

This drill builds upon drill number two.  Send your horse around you and put his nose on the fence.  Before he has a chance to really stop his feet, use his forward motion to push his feet sideways a step.  Ideally, you want both the front and hind feet crossing over.

1. Send the horse to the fence:  Send your horse out and around you, putting his nose on the fence
2. Redirect:  As soon as his nose touches the fence, but before his feet stop, push him sideways.  Take a big step towards your horse's ribcage, driving your energy that way.  Get just one single step to the side, and let him rest.  Next time, aim for two, then three, four, and so on.  
3. Yield the hips:  Get both eyes looking at you.  This is important, as most horses like to lag with the hips when going sideways.  If he only gets a break my moving those hips around, they'll tend to keep up better. 
4. Back it up:  Get your horse to step backwards a few steps before changing direction
5. Send him the other way:  Send your horse out around you in the other direction to start again. 

These drills all help get your horse tuned into you, build coordination, and make him more handy!

Please use caution and common sense.  Horses are large animals, with an exceptional amount of power and strength.  They are also concerned above all with their own personal safety, and will do whatever they feel it takes to keep themselves from harm.  Being individuals that act and react differently, the only certainty you have when working a horse is uncertainty.  I am a professional trainer with twenty plus years experience, yet even with the knowledge I possess, I still get hurt from time to time.  This blog and the accompanying media are for entertainment purposes only.  No responsibility will be assumed for injuries or damages incurred while trying to use these methods at home.  Please ride responsibly; protective gear can save your life!

Day Seven: Introduction to a rider

Stevie has been with me now since she was six months old.  The first several months were devoted just to acclimating the filly to people.  After that, however, a portion of nearly every day was devoted to this exercise.  I tend to take advantage of feeding time; while Stevie was eating her grain, I'd be hanging over her back.  Consequently, this exercise went very smoothly.

Even with the past experiences she has had, I tend not to take anything to chance with young horses.  After a brief review of her previous ground work, I began by simply draping my arms over her back.  It's amazing how bothered some horses get by anything crossing over their mid-line. 

The next step was to jump up and rest my belly on her back.  With my left hand, I keep a hold of the lead rope, so I can gain control of her nose and feet if need be.  As a side note, this is one of the only times you'll see my 'on' a horse without a hardhat.  I am a firm believer of protection while riding; it is so easy to be injured, especially when working with young or problem horses.  Even if the horse doesn't act up, they can still stumble, trip, or fall.  During this exercise, I find that wearing a helmet can interfere with some of the movements I need to make later on.

While I'm hanging over Stevie's back, I just stay nice and still, and scratch all the itchy spots I can!

This is the final step I take (and is why I don't wear a helmet for this step... it makes getting into this position too awkward).  It's important to note that my feet always stay on the same side of the horse (I never straddle the horse at this point).  If you have one foot on either side of the horse, you are very likely to grip should something go wrong; it's natural to squeeze to hang on it the horse gets nervous and moves off.  By not straddling the horse, you can always push off and away if something goes wrong.  To make sure of this, I keep my feet crossed, ensuring they stay on one side of the horse at a time!





Stevie passed this exercise with flying colors!  








Please use caution and common sense.  Horses are large animals, with an exceptional amount of power and strength.  They are also concerned above all with their own personal safety, and will do whatever they feel it takes to keep themselves from harm.  Being individuals that act and react differently, the only certainty you have when working a horse is uncertainty.  I am a professional trainer with twenty plus years experience, yet even with the knowledge I possess, I still get hurt from time to time.  This blog and the accompanying media are for entertainment purposes only.  No responsibility will be assumed for injuries or damages incurred while trying to use these methods at home.  Please ride responsibly; protective gear can save your life!

Day Seven: Introduction to a rider

Theory and Method

From the time they come in for training, I am constantly hanging all over a horse.  While they are eating their grain at night, I'll drape myself over their back.  When I'm leading them somewhere, I'll hang my arm over their back.  Any chance I have, I take advantage of it.  It makes this next step much easier.

Starting off standing next to my horse, I'll see how much they can tolerate.  If I've done my homework, I'll have great control of the feet from groundwork, the horse will be used to objects moving around him from being sacked out, and will be used to my presence above his head from fence work and being ponied.  Standing next to my horse, I'll start jumping up and down next to them.  If my horse doesn't move, I'll keep jumping for ten to fifteen seconds, then quit.  If my horse does get nervous and moves off, I'll get control of his feet by moving the hips away, and continue jumping.  I'll keep jumping until my horse settles down and stands still.

The next step is to get my belly up on the horse's back.  I happen to be a bit vertically challenged, so except on very small horses, I use a block to get myself up there.  In the beginning, just jump up, let your belly touch the horses back and slide down.  As the horse develops confidence, I just a little bit higher, and just hang over the back.  While I'm hanging there, I scratch the neck and shoulder to make it a good experience.

By doing this exercise, the first ride tends to go much more smoothly.

Please use caution and common sense.  Horses are large animals, with an exceptional amount of power and strength.  They are also concerned above all with their own personal safety, and will do whatever they feel it takes to keep themselves from harm.  Being individuals that act and react differently, the only certainty you have when working a horse is uncertainty.  I am a professional trainer with twenty plus years experience, yet even with the knowledge I possess, I still get hurt from time to time.  This blog and the accompanying media are for entertainment purposes only.  No responsibility will be assumed for injuries or damages incurred while trying to use these methods at home.  Please ride responsibly; protective gear can save your life! 

Day six: Ponying

This exercise, for Stevie, came about due to necessity. I had planned on doing quite a bit of ponying with her anyway, as I feel it is very beneficial. Today, she just got very sticky with her feet and had no desire to come in out of the pasture. Since I had a few other horses to work that day anyway, ponying was the ideal solution!

Initially, she continued being sticky, really not wanting to move.  To counter this, I simply got her to disengage her hip.  As easy as it is to do from the ground, it is far easier to do undersaddle.  Even though this was the first time I had ponied off of my gelding, Larry, he did wonderfully.  I expected him to be fine, as he is well broke to the bridle, and easy to handle with simply seat and leg cues.  After using Larry to push Stevie's hips around for a while, the stickiness started to leave her feet.  We just put a half dally around the horn, and set off.  She did bump pretty hard on the rope a few times, but pretty soon, was leading off freely.

When ponying on a circle, keep the young horse on the inside.  If you have the colt on the outside, they are going to have to walk a lot faster than the horse you are riding, and more than likely will look for the easy way out by trying to change sides.





 

At times when Stevie got a little sticky again, or tried to crowd into my space, I'd simply have Larry counter arc away from her.  This is an exercise he knows pretty well, but when given some extra motivation from the filly, he performed much lighter and faster than in his 'dry work'.







And, finally, I like to love on my horses quite a bit.  It makes them happy, relaxed, and does the same for me!

Please use caution and common sense.  Horses are large animals, with an exceptional amount of power and strength.  They are also concerned above all with their own personal safety, and will do whatever they feel it takes to keep themselves from harm.  Being individuals that act and react differently, the only certainty you have when working a horse is uncertainty.  I am a professional trainer with twenty plus years experience, yet even with the knowledge I possess, I still get hurt from time to time.  This blog and the accompanying media are for entertainment purposes only.  No responsibility will be assumed for injuries or damages incurred while trying to use these methods at home.  Please ride responsibly; protective gear can save your life! 

Day six: Ponying

THEORY & METHOD

Ponying is a wonderful tool, if you have the right horse for it.  If you don't already have a well broke saddle horse handy, or you yourself are not comfortable handling two horses at once, there is still plenty you can do, but ponying may not be the best option.

When I work one of my broke horses, I will very often leave a young horse loose in the ring with me.  Not only does it introduce my saddle horse to more distractions, but gives me an opportunity to work the young horse.  I've found this to be especially useful when my youngsters just come in and are still a bit leery of people; I can get a lot closer, a lot faster by using a horse than when I am on foot.

I'll ride around for a while, not paying any attention at all to the colt in the ring.  When the colt seems fairly relaxed, I'll start bringing my saddle horse closer and closer, usually by making circles.  I try not to ride directly at the colt, just approach and leave at an angle, so it is more like I am "accidentally" riding closer.  As the colt gets more sure of me, I'll take my horse even closer yet.  Pretty soon, I can ride right up to that colt, and he won't be too bothered at all.  This is the kind of exercise you can do with any horse, even if you can't pony off him.

Once my colt has some basic ground work done with him, I like to pony them.  This has so many benefits.  It will get your colt very light on the halter, gets him used to a rider being up above him, give you a new way to sack him out, it's a good form of exercise (especially once you get good, and can pony that colt up and down hills on the trails!), build confidence, and as an added benefit, improves your saddle horse by giving a purpose to your exercises.  You'll find your broke horse will be much more willing to yield his hips, or counter arc when he has a reason to (usually because the colt is crowding, getting pushy, or lagging behind on the lead rope) 

Please use caution and common sense.  Horses are large animals, with an exceptional amount of power and strength.  They are also concerned above all with their own personal safety, and will do whatever they feel it takes to keep themselves from harm.  Being individuals that act and react differently, the only certainty you have when working a horse is uncertainty.  I am a professional trainer with twenty plus years experience, yet even with the knowledge I possess, I still get hurt from time to time.  This blog and the accompanying media are for entertainment purposes only.  No responsibility will be assumed for injuries or damages incurred while trying to use these methods at home.  Please ride responsibly; protective gear can save your life!

day five: fence work

THEORY & METHOD

At this stage, your horse is probably pretty respectful, trusting, and willing with you on the ground.  Unfortunately, not everything she's learned will just automatically transfer over when you are up in the air on her back.  Being up above the horse can sometimes even send them into a panic.

A nice transitional period is to do some fence work.  It keeps you out of harms way, allows for advancement in your ground work, and lets your horse become accustomed to you being up above her eye.

The concept and execution is simple, do all your basic ground work, but do it while you are standing up on a fence.  Start on a lower rung.  In the beginning, you'll have to get on and off the fence a bit to help the horse understand (you'll probably also find it easier to balance yourself when you aren't quite so high).  Send the horse back and forth in front of you a few times, yielding his hips to change direction.  Step up a few rungs on the fence and try it again.  See if you can't get your horse in close to you (this has practical applications down the road; if you are at all vertically challenged, like myself, you'll find it far easier to get up on your horse from a fence, especially if they are tall!).

When you can do all your ground work (moving the feet forwards at the walk and trot, yielding the hind-quarters, backing up, etc), you can do a little sacking out.  Toss your rope over the horse's back a few times.  Rub him all over while you're standing up on the fence.  Rub him with your foot, even try draping your foot over his back.  You can even go so far as pseudo-mounting your horse.  The fence is your safety net; so long as you keep one foot and one arm firmly anchored to the rail, you can simply stand back up if you get into trouble.


Please use caution and common sense.  Horses are large animals, with an exceptional amount of power and strength.  They are also concerned above all with their own personal safety, and will do whatever they feel it takes to keep themselves from harm.  Being individuals that act and react differently, the only certainty you have when working a horse is uncertainty.  I am a professional trainer with twenty plus years experience, yet even with the knowledge I possess, I still get hurt from time to time.  This blog and the accompanying media are for entertainment purposes only.  No responsibility will be assumed for injuries or damages incurred while trying to use these methods at home.  Please ride responsibly; protective gear can save your life! 

Day five: fence work

Like most horses, Steve got a bit confused when I stepped up on the fence.  It is very understandable.  The way we give the cues has to change; I don't have the same degree of freedom to move my feet or change the angle of my hips because I am using those things to maintain my balance on the fence.  By being patient and consistent, stepping back down and re-clarifying my request, pretty soon Stevie caught on.

The basic drill I ask for is as follows:

• Send the horse forward in a half circle around me
• Yield the hindquarters so Stevie is looking at me with both eyes
• Send her forward in the opposite direction.

When this drill is fairly well ingrained, I make it a little more difficult.  After yielding the hindquarters, I'll ask Stevie to back away from me a few steps before moving out the other way.



The other thing I like to work on is some sacking out.  Here, thought, I tend to use my body more than outside tools.  I'll bring Stevie right up to me and rub her all over.  I'll scratch her on all her favorite spots; the forehead, the neck and withers.  Try to make it enjoyable!

 
Pretty soon, I was able to drape my leg over her back.  You can see her ears are turned back to me, trying to check in, but overall, she is remaining very relaxed.

  Not much longer after that I was able to rest some of my weight on her back, let my leg slide into place and sit on her.  I keep my left leg and hand firmly anchored to the fence, that way, if something were to go wrong, all I have to do is stand up, and a wreck can be avoided.











Please use caution and common sense.  Horses are large animals, with an exceptional amount of power and strength.  They are also concerned above all with their own personal safety, and will do whatever they feel it takes to keep themselves from harm.  Being individuals that act and react differently, the only certainty you have when working a horse is uncertainty.  I am a professional trainer with twenty plus years experience, yet even with the knowledge I possess, I still get hurt from time to time.  This blog and the accompanying media are for entertainment purposes only.  No responsibility will be assumed for injuries or damages incurred while trying to use these methods at home.  Please ride responsibly; protective gear can save your life! 

Day four: Getting the Buck out

Overall, not too bad a day for Stevie.  As expected, she handled the rope begin tossed around with no problem.  The rope around her girth area was no issue either.  She walked and trotted out like a champ.

I let the rope get further and further back in a gradual manner.  One back to the flank area, she let me know she wasn't too happy.  Compared to some horse's, her reaction was pretty good, although, I'd have preferred  less!

  After less than fifteen minutes, Stevie was reliably slowing and stopping when I put pressure on her flank rope, rather than bucking.  This is exactly the response I wanted.  By the next session, I was able to set her up in a surcingle with a rear cinch, and had absolutely no reaction from her at all. 

Please use caution and common sense.  Horses are large animals, with an exceptional amount of power and strength.  They are also concerned above all with their own personal safety, and will do whatever they feel it takes to keep themselves from harm.  Being individuals that act and react differently, the only certainty you have when working a horse is uncertainty.  I am a professional trainer with twenty plus years experience, yet even with the knowledge I possess, I still get hurt from time to time.  This blog and the accompanying media are for entertainment purposes only.  No responsibility will be assumed for injuries or damages incurred while trying to use these methods at home.  Please ride responsibly; protective gear can save your life!

Day four: Getting the Buck out

THEORY AND METHOD

Before I put a saddle on my horse, I like to expose them to the feel of a cinch.  Anytime you can break a process down into smaller steps, there is a great chance of success!

By using a length of rope, you can easily simulate cinching in a progressive fashion.  If you were to just put your saddle on, you'd have to cinch up tight enough to ensure that the saddle did not slip.  If you failed to do that, you'd be in for a potentially BIG wreck.  A saddle slipping under a horse's belly not only often means the end of your saddle, but can ruin a horse physically and mentally.  I've seen horses get rear legs hung up in the stirrups once they've slid underneath, and come crashing down.  I've seen horses go through fences in a blind panic.  It's never a good situation!  With this rope method, you have the option of putting as much or as little pressure as you want, from a safe distance.

Basically, all you need is a long soft length of rope with an eye on one end.  Place the eye over the horse's back, reaching under the belly to pull the rope back towards you.  It is important that you place the rope on the horse in this manner.  If you set it up the opposite way, the rope doesn't loosen as quickly when you release pressure.  Remember to change the set up of the rope when you work on the other side of your horse.  If you've done your homework, this shouldn't be a big deal, after all, your horse is used to things much scarier than a rope being tossed over his back!

While the horse is standing, I like to put light pressure on my "cinch" to just check his reaction.  If he starts to move off, or get agitated, I maintain the light pressure, but start stepping his hips away from me.  When his expression starts to soften, I give the horse an opportunity to stop.  If he does, I release the pressure.  If not, I move the hips for a while more.  Eventually, I want to get to the point where I can put some pressure on the "cinch" and my horse doesn't bat an eye.

When the horse has mastered this preliminary step, I do the same thing while having the horse walk and trot around me in a circle.  I start at a walk, using just light pressure, and progress until my horse can do a forward trot with quite a bit of pressure without getting upset.  If at any point, he does get upset (you may see him get nervous, quick and choppy, try to bolt, or maybe buck), I simply hold the pressure until he changes.  When he slows down, quits bucking, or relaxes, the pressure comes off.  What you don't want to do is quit while your horse is upset; if you aren't confident enough to stick with it the whole way, don't start!

Being confident in your abilities is especially true for this next part.  I like to work my horse's with a flank rope.  It prepares them for a rear cinch, for my leg, for branches brushing up against them on the trail.  Most importantly, it teaches the horse that bucking doesn't relieve him of any pressure.  The concept and execution are exactly the same as before, but the likelihood of a reaction from your horse is much higher.  If you aren't a good hand with a rope, or can't deal with a nervous bucking horse, don't do this one!

Please use caution and common sense.  Horses are large animals, with an exceptional amount of power and strength.  They are also concerned above all with their own personal safety, and will do whatever they feel it takes to keep themselves from harm.  Being individuals that act and react differently, the only certainty you have when working a horse is uncertainty.  I am a professional trainer with twenty plus years experience, yet even with the knowledge I possess, I still get hurt from time to time.  This blog and the accompanying media are for entertainment purposes only.  No responsibility will be assumed for injuries or damages incurred while trying to use these methods at home.  Please ride responsibly; protective gear can save your life!

Day three: relax

Being an "in-your-pocket" type horse, this exercise really appealed to Stevie.  Within five minutes, I was able to lower her head to the ground.  A few more minutes, and I could do it from my knees.  Being able to put your horse's head down is beneficial for so many reasons. 
 

• It causes a natural relaxation response. 
• It makes the horse far more easy to halter and bridle
• It is much easier to braid, clip ears and bridle paths when you don't have to climb a step ladder to get to your horse!
• If you ever need to doctor your horse's face or eyes, it will be a far easier task.  
• It is a submissive posture, and can help develop trust and respect.