Fun Groundwork?

Squiggles on Paper

Well-Known Member
Joined
16 March 2012
Messages
512
Visit site
I want to do some ground work with my horse and was looking to do some join up, but there seem to be some negative views on this (would be difficult as well as i could do it in a small indoor arena, but it is square and the only sort of round thing we have here is the horse walker!). Anyway, any experiences with join up (especially in a square arena) - my horse is a 10 yr old Anglo Arab so not a youngster! Any ideas on what we could do for some fun around the school? :)
 
I've been doing a lot of groundwork lately with my 5yr old. You can try lunging over poles, lunging over cavaletti, set up some bollards and do bending in and out, walk over a tarp, flags, bouncy balls, basically think handy pony/gymkhana but in hand! A word of warning from our perspective; my lad didn't like 'fun' and we had to go back to normal lunging so he was a bit away from me, I think he just didn't get it and he looked at me with a resigned 'really?' Expression on his face, particularly with the cavaletti! As he was new to me and rather bolshy we went back to lunging to ensure good experiences only, but I am hoping to try again soon. Richard Maxwell has excellent suggestions for groundwork which have really helped me, prob worth a look!
 
We did join up in the 5 acre field, just kept him moving till he showed all the signs.
Over the summer we had novice kids doing games in the small field, we made a small course. Stepping/trotting over poles, stopping paralell to the fence picking polo's off posts, over a tarpaulin, backing up over tarpaulin, circling, weaving, doing exercises like round the world, great fun was had by all and we slept well, you are only limited by your imagination
 
Top