How to Train a Horse With Ground Work

While the ultimate objective of horse training is to create a mount that is safe and reliable under saddle, proper ground training is essential. Ground training lays the foundation for everything that follows, and a horse that displays bad ground manners is unlikely to be safe for the rider. Ideally ground training should begin within a few months of the horse's birth, but even older horses can be retrained with proper ground training techniques.

Things You'll Need

  • Rope halter
  • Soft cotton lead rope
  • Burlap sack or plastic bag
  • Longe line
  • Longe whip
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Instructions

    • 1

      Start working with the horse as early as possible. Working with a young foal has a number of advantages over waiting until the horse is older. Young foals can learn very quickly, and their smaller size and lighter weight makes them easier to work with. You can wait until your horse is older to begin ground training, but training an older, unhandled horse is much more of a challenge.

    • 2

      Place a quality rope halter on the horse. Rope halters are designed to knot at various pressure points behind the horse's ears and along his jawline. This gives the handler greater control when the horse balks and tries to pull back.

    • 3

      Attach a soft cotton lead rope to the halter. A rope 10 to 15 feet long works best. This gives you room to move the horse in a circle, but it also provides a short enough distance to lead the horse safely.

    • 4

      Walk the horse from the barn to the pasture, paddock or ring. The horse should remain to your right and slightly behind you. If she tries to charge ahead, immediately ask her to stop. If she does not stop, give a firm tug on the lead rope and ask her to back up a few steps. Continue working on leading until the horse safely leads without charging ahead or entering your personal space.

    • 5

      Stand with the horse off to your side and introduce a potentially frightening object like an old burlap sack or a plastic grocery bag. Plastic bags are particularly good for desensitizing a horse, since many horses react with fear to bags blowing across the trail or into the riding ring. Slowly rub the object along the horse's body, stopping and taking the object away when the horse remains still and quiet.

    • 6

      Remove the lead rope and attach a longe line to the halter. The longe line is in essence a very long rope that allows the handler to move the horse around her in a circle. If you have access to a round pen you can use that instead of the longe line.

    • 7

      Use the longe whip to direct the horse's movement by pointing it in the direction you want him to move. Watch the horse as he moves around the round pen or along the longe line. One ear should stay cocked toward you---this is an indication the horse is listening to you and looking to you for direction. If the horse begins to show signs of distraction, stop him and ask him to move in the other direction, or do leading exercises to recapture his attention.

    • 8

      Keep your training sessions short, especially when working with a young horse. It is generally more effective to hold two or three 15 minute training sessions a day than to do one hour-long session. Always end each session on a good note by making sure the horse has done what you asked for.