Ground Exercises

[Blair Witch]

I'd really like to put some more ground work on Flash, but I'm running out of ideas on what to do. He get's bored quite easily too. I've done some of the Parelli games, but I'm looking for something different. I really need some games that will teach him that I'm the boss and that I'll keep him safe and alert him to danger (He's spooky).

Any ideas would be appreciated!

[texel]

Have you read any books by Kelly Marks or Richard Maxwell ? Don't forget there is a lot of fun you can have with pole work too. If you search on the internet you should be able to find some books on pole work.

[KateWooten]

Go have a look at how Clinton Anderson takes very similar groundwork games out of the arena and into real life, sending the horse over, off, under and through obstacles that he finds - dicthes, tree trunks, banks ... whatever you can find around. Have a good look at desensitization too. It's all about maintaining the horse's focus on you.... whatever else is going on around. The basis of it all is those same 'move your feet' games that you've been doing. If you can take horse out in the middle of a busy scene and have him hop up a bank, stop, turn and face you, then walk slowly down the bank again .... backwards .... then you're onto a good thing. Really, with the games you have already, there's no limit to how far you can take it.

[mayoguinness]

Backwards over a pole is really good too, very difficult for most horses and takes a lot of trust and concentration:)

[cvb]

with any groundwork (inc PNH games) the only real limit is your own imagination ;)

Of course your environment may offer more or less opportunities - but you can make the most of what you have !

We have a series of "things" - barrels (small and large), bending poles, blocks, poles - that I use in different ways to work around, over, etc

A local show has a handy pony class - they use a tarp (over) with an inflatable crocodile (over !!), plus an arch to go under that has balloons attached, etc etc

then it is the same "games" (squeeze, circle, friendly etc) but in around over under the "things".

I have a gym ball I need to get inflated some time soon ;)

[puzzles]

google T-Team exercises - fab stuff.
you can also try NH exercises, lunging, long-reining, sloose jumping and schooling, in-hamd walks...

[Blair Witch]

Great suggestions. His mind tends to wander when I ride him, how can I keep him focused on me?

[KateWooten]

How do you know it wanders ?

Is he like my stroppy mare ... I can see her attention wandering because her eyes are all over the place and her neck develops an annoying kink so she can stare bug-eyed at everything, trying to find something to spook at ... and when I ride her out on her own, every step she takes is in a slightly different direction as she wanders about looking for trouble.

I have to really clamp down on this with her. What I'm doing is always asking her to walk forward and straight on a loose rein. She can choose not to - she can choose to spook, nap, balk ... btu then I put her feet to work hugely. As a continuation of the 'yield the hind Qs' game on the ground, I bring her nose round to my boot and get her hind end stepping over so she's trotting around in a tiny circle ... then keep changing the direction .... then stop, breathe and ask her to walk forward again.

If yours in anything like the same, you want to think about reacting earlier rather than later, at the very first hint of an attention wander, and put his feet to work. How is up to you, but make it a busy, intense activity, such that the original request (walk forward straight and relaxed) gets to seem like a good deal.

[cvb]

a horse's attention span needs to be developed/trained same as his muscles do.

Kate's suggestion works for this as well - as they start to wander you give them a new task to do. As you ask them to focus, focus, focus, they gradually learn to stick with it. Initially ask them for something new - but as they progress you should be able to re-ask for the same thing again.

[smaggi]

Go have a look at how Clinton Anderson takes very similar groundwork games out of the arena and into real life, sending the horse over, off, under and through obstacles that he finds - dicthes, tree trunks, banks ... whatever you can find around. Have a good look at desensitization too. It's all about maintaining the horse's focus on you.... whatever else is going on around. The basis of it all is those same 'move your feet' games that you've been doing. If you can take horse out in the middle of a busy scene and have him hop up a bank, stop, turn and face you, then walk slowly down the bank again .... backwards .... then you're onto a good thing. Really, with the games you have already, there's no limit to how far you can take it.


That's what I do. I live in very steep country with a lot of woods and natural obstacles, so I take advantage of them in my training.

[tabithakat64]

what about doing some bomproofing work with him or clicker training