GROUNDWORK

Part 2: Yield Forwards With An Indirect Feel

Over the past few months, we’ve received an increasing number of questions about getting started with groundwork. Whilst we advise that an instructor helps you to get started, there are a few basics you can teach at home that ultimately form the foundation of all groundwork activities. Over the following few issues, we’ll look at these basic building blocks of your groundwork toolbox and help you to build a solid foundation for your in-hand work.

In our last issue, we looked at moving forwards using a direct feel, and in this issue, we look again at moving forwards, but this time with an indirect feel.

Yield forwards with a direct feel

Our previous exercise asked the horse to move forwards towards you. In this exercise, you’ll be using a more familiar technique to ask for forwards. This technique is particularly good for retraining those horses who plant their feet and refuse to move when leading. It is also a key element required when training a horse to go into the horsebox.

Equipment

• A halter and long lead rope

• Gloves

• A helmet

• A longer stick e.g. a dressage stick

How to do the exercise

• Start by standing facing forwards at your horse’s shoulder. You can start on the near side to begin with.

• Place your rope in your left hand with your arm across your body. Your stick should be in your right hand.

• Lift your energy and focus your belly button forwards on where you want to go.

• Extend your left arm forwards in front of you and point your finger forwards so your horse can see it, but the rope is not exerting feel on the halter. This is the cue you want your horse to follow ultimately.

• If the horse doesn’t move, extend your lead rope forwards, so he feels the halter on the back of his head and underneath his jaw.

• If he doesn’t follow the feel on the halter, you can reach backwards with your stick and lightly tap on the side of his hindquarter to invite him to follow your suggestion and move forwards.

• Return your left arm and right hand to the neutral position as soon as your horse starts to move.

• Only step forwards with your horse when he steps forwards.

• Practise the exercise with you on both the near and far sides.

Important

Make sure your horse is okay with you using a stick from the ground before you introduce this exercise. Some horses are very wary of a whip, usually because of a past experience, and in these instances using a stick on the ground is unsafe and should be avoided, until some work has been done with a behaviourist or experienced trainer to combat the issue.

Points to note

• You want your horse to learn to follow the lightest cue, so make sure you always offer the lightest cue before putting pressure on the halter or tapping him on his hindquarter.

• If you try to pull your horse forwards, he is more likely to plant his feet or go backwards.

• Keep your energy projecting forwards, and try not to look back at your horse all the time. Instead, learn to feel what he is doing.

• Reward the slightest try from the horse and gradually build up the number of steps you ask for.

• Over time you should be able to get a response with less and less pressure.

Troubleshooting

• If your horse does not move, continue to tap lightly but rhythmically on his hindquarter while giving him the cue to step forwards. Do not tap harder, and certainly do not become frustrated – show patience and reward the effort with the release of the pressure when he moves forward.

• If your horse walks a few steps and then stops, simply repeat the process again.

• If your horse walks forwards but drifts across your path, bring your stick forward in front of you to block him from coming into your space.

DID YOU KNOW?

When a foal is born, his mother encourages him to stand up and moves him in front of her by nipping him on the rump or root of his tail. This is a little bit like you are doing in this exercise when you encourage him forwards, using the stick lightly on his hindquarter.

Ultimate goals

Ideally, you want to be able to do this exercise at trot. The ultimate goal is, therefore, to reach a stage at which your horse trots when you ‘trot’, without the use of the halter or stick.

Next time

In our next edition, we will look at asking your horse to back up using a direct feel.