Groundwork is a very involved topic because there’s just so much to it: so many methods, so many different things to do, different purposes and levels of expertise and pressure, the list can go on. It’s a challenge to try to cover it in a way that’s informative and fair to different methods and frames of mind without going on and on for days. I’m going to try to keep it as brief as I can for now and add to it over time, but please feel free to let me know if there’s any particular thing you’d like me to cover!

Whether you like it or not, groundwork is an important part of any long-term relationship you build with a horse, and anyone who intends to learn about horses really ought to learn a bit about it. Groundwork is a broad term that covers pretty much any work you do on the ground with your horse, from lunging to desensitizing to grooming. Usually the main thing the term “groundwork” is referring to is one-on-one hands-on training on the ground for softness and respect and that is the subject I will be going into during this series. That particular sect involves things like disengaging of the hind and forequarters, directing and driving, desensitizing, and similar exercises, all of which I will cover in the upcoming additions.

The purpose of groundwork is to familiarize yourself with your horse (and vice-versa), to build trust and respect, and to help provide a foundation for things that will be asked for later undersaddle.  Doing thorough groundwork will really help in training a horse to lead properly, to load into a trailer, to give a person space when standing at ease, and to move different parts of his body as directed in a relaxed and comfortable manner. When you do groundwork with a horse, you are at his level interacting with him with body language that (ideally) should make clear sense to him following the logic he is born with as a horse. It is a very natural way to interact with a horse and familiarize him with new people and new situations because it most closely reflects the interactions horses make with each other. To properly execute groundwork exercises with a horse, it is important to have some level of understanding of their way of thinking, as covered in Communication on a Basic Level.

How much groundwork is necessary varies widely from person to person and horse to horse. Some people feel that interactions with a horse should always be primarily groundwork with some riding, while others believe it is only important to teach a few basic principals in the beginning and rarely go back to it once it’s been taught. Personally I learn towards doing a lot of groundwork in the beginning but aiming not to need to go back to it often. I always start my horses with a lot of groundwork to get them solid and respectful and get used to each other, but once they understand the concepts I only go back to it if a problem arises, if the horse needs a reminder or a quick refresher course, or as part of new training or familiarizing with a new situation. I always make sure that I can send my horse in either direction easily just by pointing them there, that I can spin them around on either half of their body in either direction with ease, and that I can back them just by motioning to them or laying a finger on their chest and clucking. While some believe in very thorough desensitization to ropes and whips, in an average situation I only ask my horses to be reasonably comfortable having my rope or whip around any part of their body and once they have become comfortable I don’t go back to desensitization unless a problem arises. I do want my horse to respect a rope or whip being flicked at them and move off of that pressure, but I want them to do it without true fear of being hurt by it. I will go into all of these topics on a much deeper level when they are covered.

Overall, as stated, groundwork can be as simple or as involved as you make it. There are horses who require regular reminders, while some will never need refreshing. As with everything else, it’s all about reading your horse and knowing how to respond to his needs in order to accomplish what you need to do.

That’s it for now and in my next addition to this series I will be diving deep into the topic of desensitization. I hope y’all enjoy this series and that you’re having a great new year so far.

Happy Trails,
Buckets and Bales.