Suggestions for Groundwork

[EnduranceAli]

Me and Frayne will have to wait until I have earned the money for a treeless saddle before we can get started on ridden work (have tried cheap synthetic saddles and lots of leather treed saddles - but nothing fits due to her shape, no withers, extra wide etc).

I have been exercising her in-hand for the past 6 weeks now - walking/bit of trotting on roads/bridleways/in the school. She loves this, has met loads of different traffic etc and is definitely fitter/more energetic. I have also been reading the Harmony Project site and will be doing the exercises on there - once my new Lodge Ropes halter and 12' line have arrived :) (She can be both pushy with her head and also reluctant to move when using a normal headcollar.)

Any more suggestions for ways to make this saddle-less time both educational and fun?

Ali xx

[cvb]

use ground poles - as things to step over, or mark out obstacles on the ground to work with

e.g. a square to turn around within - and control every step of the turn
a "L" avenue to walk through or back through
a single pole to sidepass (sideways game) over

I have used a double triangle of poles (inner and outer) as well as a circling pattern over poles.

I also long rein all of ours that are in work. Plus I loose jumped my mum's little pony yesterday for the first time.

[EnduranceAli]

Thanks - great suggestions. I have lead her over ditches, into water, up small steps (which she bounds up, with me running behind :) ). She has never jumped before or even seen any jumps - had to take a second look at the jumps in the outdoor school the first time we walked past. She is very inquisitive, not at all spooky and loves attention - so anything that keeps her out of the field for a bit longer is always good :rolleyes: She is very suspicious of mounting blocks - so have been working on getting her to stop by one and not step away. Will get some poles out this week and have some fun with her :) Also seen a good exercise in a magazine where you lay out cups in the school and get the pony to touch them.

Re. longreining/lunging. I haven't done it for years and I suspect she has never done it :rolleyes: I did try getting her to walk in a circle on the end of a leadrope, but she just kept trying to get back to me, so with me going backwards trying to keep a triangle, she soon got upset and finally had a bit of a squeal/little buck - just out of confusion and frustration I think? Any suggestions to get her going away from me - would be a great form of exercise for those days when the weather is horrible or I just can't face a long walk up the road!

[cvb]

Our little Eriskay was a bit like that (not wanting to be away from you) but is much much better now

You'll find that if you use your 12ft line and just start with a send away, a few steps out, then ask her back in and tell her she is good - you can slowly build up how long she stays out there.

Once you can start to do a full circle before she gets worried, only then start thinking about longer lines.

One big tip: do NOT walk backwards - that is actually *asking* her to come towards you ! You need to walk forwards into her space and ask her to move away from you ;)

[Skib]

If it is ground work ideas you are after, and aren't already sold on a single system, you could have a look at

Lesley Bayley, Groundwork Training for Your Horse: Develop a Deeper Bond With Your Horse Through a Range of Exercises and Games. Newton Abbot: David and Charles, 2004.

It is an anthology including exercises from Marks, Parelli, Peace etc. lots of pictures and lots of ideas.

I have been reprimanded this week for posting book recommendations. But it was book recommendations on NR which educated me in Natural Horsemanship of all kinds.

[EnduranceAli]

Thanks - silly me, of course I was asking her to come to me by walking backwards :o Great advice and lots for me to work on in the coming weeks.

The book sounds great - will look on Ebay to see if I can get it cheap :)

It was raining horizontally this afternoon and she was dripping wet, so just put her in a stable for a bit with some hay (first time I had put her in one - they are big internal boxes overlooking the indoor school) and had a chat :rolleyes: She has actually been starting to walk away from me when I go to catch her, but a carrot shared with her field companion soon brought her back :D

Will the 12' line be long enough for lunging (worked out that is less than 4 metres, lunge reins are usually 7 or 9 metres) - bearing in mind I don't expect a formal/traditional schooling session - more just a way of getting her moving and more independent? Could I clip a lunge rein to a rope halter - or would it be best to go for the 22' line?

[cvb]

Will the 12' line be long enough for lunging (worked out that is less than 4 metres, lunge reins are usually 7 or 9 metres) - bearing in mind I don't expect a formal/traditional schooling session - more just a way of getting her moving and more independent? Could I clip a lunge rein to a rope halter - or would it be best to go for the 22' line?

the 12ft lines are fine for 2-3 circuits then stop, or if you are going to walk a big circle yourself. That's ok if you have a horse who is not yet confident about being away from you. (Note: the "walking a circle with them" option is not a parelli thing :p )

After that you need a longer line. I have a lightweight 22ft line from Lodge Ropes. And we actually also have a custom made 18ft line from them for the 12.2 - she needs less distance than the 15.1 and dislikes heavy ropes....

Even with a 22ft line you are really talking 15m circles rather than 20m. But again, you can walk with them in a small 5m circle (again non-parelli) to make it larger. I actually build in straight sections along the long sides so my circles move up and down the length of the school. It allows the horse to vary their work and stops you ploughing circles in the school surface ;)