ground work

mustang_hope22 · 08-29-2008, 09:00 PM

I am getting ready to do some ground work with my 2 1/2 year old and I was wondering if you had some ideas...one thing that i have started doing is bringing random items from my house that might be scary to him, and putting them in the arena..and i'll bring him up to the arena and let him walk around it and then i will get him used to the noise it makes or the way it looks or put it on his back and then slide it off..stuff like that. what else do you recommend me doing? thanks! (And what other stuff from the house that would be scary to a horse should i bring? i am running out of stuff!)

thanks!

horsey-gal · 08-29-2008, 09:13 PM

Not sure what the weather is like in your area, but what about spray ( fly spray ) water hose, flags etc. . .
You could do some lunging, ground tying, ground poles.
Have fun

A J · 08-30-2008, 12:40 PM

Another good thing is hand walks and/or hacking out while ponying him. Gets them out of their home enviroment.

Haul him to a show and just walk him around, get him used to the enviroments.

Carri · 08-30-2008, 02:19 PM

AJ had the same ideas I did! Get him out, away from home, as much as possible.

Bandit · 08-30-2008, 02:37 PM

Teach him how to ground drive and also other basic commands - such as yeilding the hind quarters, yeilding the forhand, sidepassing, backing, etc.

You can also set up little obstical courses and hand walk through those, or we even hand-walked our 1 & 2 year olds down the back road and trails near our house so they got used to the sight of deer, cars, etc.

TLCowgirl3597 · 09-02-2008, 03:33 PM

The things you sack em' out with, do it everywhere, not just on his back. Under the belly, over the head, behind his butt, every inch of their body. Like someone else suggested yielding, moving away from pressure. Driving, roundpen. Really get that respect, you want that horse to watch your every move & mirror you (unless you are asking them to move off) meaning without a halter they should follow your every move, stop when you stop....you walk backwards, he backs up etc. Teach em' to give their nose with out moving feet, give to pressure on the pole. Good luck!

**gbarmranch** · 09-02-2008, 03:38 PM

Also teach with voice commands.. that way when you start riding him, you can use your voice to get a walk, trot, lope, whoa - and keep your hands and legs soft until he learns the seat and leg requests

David · 09-03-2008, 11:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gbarmranch

Also teach with voice commands.. that way when you start riding him, you can use your voice to get a walk, trot, lope, whoa - and keep your hands and legs soft until he learns the seat and leg requests

Exactly what I was gonna say, voice commands are the best tool in any training program. You can really save yourself a lot of trouble and save your horse a lot of confusion. I use the old kiss, cluck, gee, haw and whoa for leading, round penning and ground driving and they really make the transition to riding a lot faster and easier.

Crookedblaze · 09-03-2008, 11:51 AM

I'd get any sort of scary thing that you can. Tarps, bags, etc. Try getting a trail bridge, too - it's great practice for desensatising and trailering. My dad built me one for $75.

texagal7 · 09-03-2008, 11:55 AM

I agree with the others who said take him out as much as possible, that is what we used to do with a friends yearling...........we would pony him out to the trails and once we got there (it is completely fenced in) we would take the lead off him, he never ran off thank goodness, and after the first few times he loved it!! He would even try to race the big horses, and when we would come up on other riders he would go over and greet their horses but NEVER cause a problem.

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08-29-2008, 09:00 PM
mustang_hope22 Halter broke Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 138	ground work I am getting ready to do some ground work with my 2 1/2 year old and I was wondering if you had some ideas...one thing that i have started doing is bringing random items from my house that might be scary to him, and putting them in the arena..and i'll bring him up to the arena and let him walk around it and then i will get him used to the noise it makes or the way it looks or put it on his back and then slide it off..stuff like that. what else do you recommend me doing? thanks! (And what other stuff from the house that would be scary to a horse should i bring? i am running out of stuff!) thanks!

08-29-2008, 09:13 PM
horsey-gal Coming two Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Valley, N.S Posts: 1,650	Not sure what the weather is like in your area, but what about spray ( fly spray ) water hose, flags etc. . . You could do some lunging, ground tying, ground poles. Have fun __________________ " If God made anything more beautiful, he kept it for himself. "

08-30-2008, 12:40 PM
A J Greenbroke Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Vallejo, CA Posts: 3,356	Another good thing is hand walks and/or hacking out while ponying him. Gets them out of their home enviroment. Haul him to a show and just walk him around, get him used to the enviroments. __________________ Try not, do. Do or do not. There is no try.

08-30-2008, 02:19 PM
Carri Bombproof Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Alpharetta, Georgia Posts: 10,086	AJ had the same ideas I did! Get him out, away from home, as much as possible. __________________

08-30-2008, 02:37 PM
Bandit Coming two Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Central Kentucky Posts: 1,790	Teach him how to ground drive and also other basic commands - such as yeilding the hind quarters, yeilding the forhand, sidepassing, backing, etc. You can also set up little obstical courses and hand walk through those, or we even hand-walked our 1 & 2 year olds down the back road and trails near our house so they got used to the sight of deer, cars, etc. __________________

09-02-2008, 03:33 PM
TLCowgirl3597 Weanling Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Pahrump,NV Posts: 255	The things you sack em' out with, do it everywhere, not just on his back. Under the belly, over the head, behind his butt, every inch of their body. Like someone else suggested yielding, moving away from pressure. Driving, roundpen. Really get that respect, you want that horse to watch your every move & mirror you (unless you are asking them to move off) meaning without a halter they should follow your every move, stop when you stop....you walk backwards, he backs up etc. Teach em' to give their nose with out moving feet, give to pressure on the pole. Good luck! __________________ Live everyday* as if it's your last, one of these days it just might be....*

09-02-2008, 03:38 PM
gbarmranch Administrator Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Tennessee Posts: 29,233	Also teach with voice commands.. that way when you start riding him, you can use your voice to get a walk, trot, lope, whoa - and keep your hands and legs soft until he learns the seat and leg requests __________________ Quality FoundationQuarter Horses http://home.earthlink.net/~vpgann Minds are like parachutes – they only function when open – Thomas Dewar

09-03-2008, 11:51 AM
Crookedblaze Started Join Date: May 2008 Location: San Diego, CA Posts: 2,447	I'd get any sort of scary thing that you can. Tarps, bags, etc. Try getting a trail bridge, too - it's great practice for desensatising and trailering. My dad built me one for $75. __________________ Owned by Rocketman, a 17 year old AQHA and Stormy, a 10 year old Peruvian Paso x Arab

09-03-2008, 11:55 AM
texagal7 Weanling Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Tampa, Florida Posts: 342	I agree with the others who said take him out as much as possible, that is what we used to do with a friends yearling...........we would pony him out to the trails and once we got there (it is completely fenced in) we would take the lead off him, he never ran off thank goodness, and after the first few times he loved it!! He would even try to race the big horses, and when we would come up on other riders he would go over and greet their horses but NEVER cause a problem.