Is groundwork really that bad?

[Serianas]

Hi all,

The reason I ask is last night OH and I were messing about with the pony and all concerned were having a great time just reinforcing boundaries and a little free jumping etc whatever whim took us...

Someone then came over to say I should be riding out... tbh I just wanted a night off from riding! I ride 6 days a week if possible and my confidence is coming on leaps and bounds....

I know this person is a happy hacker and will look down on you if you have lessons or school but I thought it was uncalled for... Cant really say too much because you never know whos reading!

I think it does pony good because he is quite young in the head and loves jumping (got to the top bar on the plastic wing thingamabob yesterday cleanly!) but i cant do it...

Anyway rant over

 

[Joyous70]

Hi all,

The reason I ask is last night OH and I were messing about with the pony and all concerned were having a great time just reinforcing boundaries and a little free jumping etc whatever whim took us...

Someone then came over to say I should be riding out... tbh I just wanted a night off from riding! I ride 6 days a week if possible and my confidence is coming on leaps and bounds....

I know this person is a happy hacker and will look down on you if you have lessons or school but I thought it was uncalled for... Cant really say too much because you never know whos reading!

I think it does pony good because he is quite young in the head and loves jumping (got to the top bar on the plastic wing thingamabob yesterday cleanly!) but i cant do it...

Anyway rant over

Ignore them, there is always somebody who will tell you that you should be doing something else. Your pony, your choice. Simples

 

[JFTDWS]

I know this person is a happy hacker and will look down on you if you have lessons or school

What a twit. And that wasn't my first choice of word.

People talk about the snobbery against "happy hackers", but I find that on some livery yards (and some spheres of t'internet) there is a degree of inverted snobbery against schooling, and how cruel it is to bore your horse to death by riding round in circles forever...

 

[diamonddogs]

I've had this ever since I got back into horses after a long break.

IMO you can NEVER do enough groundwork. We spend more time handling them from the ground than we do riding them, and playing with them reinforces good manners and builds the bond between you.

I know people who hardly ever work from the ground and a lot of their horses have terrible manners.

You carry on and ignore them - they'll only be jealous when you have a horse that's a pleasure to be around!

 

[Merrymoles]

I'm generally a happy hacker who enjoys a bit of schooling and lessons and does it to improve my horse's way of going for hacking. I also absolutely love a bit of ground work and, like you, I will do it to break up the routine or when I'm feeling a bit too cream crackered to want to ride for the sixth night running.

We often have a fairly short lungeing session (cantering on the lunge has improved his balance no end) and then a bit of a "play", which may involve some "oo look scary stuff" desensitising, pole work and some free jumping. It's useful as well as fun for both of us. His jumping has improved as there is no rider to interfere with where he thinks he should take off!

It's nobody's business but yours - carry on enjoying yourself.

 

[catkin]

Too much badly-done groundwork does the horse no favours - exactly the same as bad riding (re-inforcing bad habits).

However, what you've just described sounds like it was an awful lot of fun for pony and humans alike - and that's just great.

PS think about really world-class trainers in just about any sphere - they all do lots of groundwork, from the Spanish Riding School to Olympic medallists, particularly with young and green horses.

 

[Kezzabell2]

Omg what an idiot.

I've neglected ground work with my 4 yr old. I now have a horse I can ride fine but he is an ar se on the ground. He has started biting, rearing in hand and generally being rude. I have a lesson on Sunday and I don't even want to ride him. I want to start working on manners and getting him to realise he is not boss there is no point in having a nice ridden horse if they are rude to handle x

 

[diamonddogs]

^^^This!^^^

 

[Serianas]

thanks everyone makes me feel better!

He had no manners at all when we got him but now I let the non-horsey OH lead him and groom him.. still think a little groundwork is important though to re-inforce what we have learned...

And he was having such a good time! ears forward, not a single pony glare (he glares alot) lol must have been nice to work without my fat butt on his back

 

[Ibblebibble]

you can't please all of the people all of the time but the one person you can please is yourself this is how i view my horse time these days, i don't care if x rides every day , y competes every weekend or z thinks riding club should be mandatory, MY horses are MY hobby so i'll choose what i do with them

 

[Moomin1]

Groundwork is absolutely vital IMO. Anyone who thinks otherwise is an idiot.

I've had people comment in the past about me not hacking my mare out. She's spooky, gets in a complete state and froths all over when she is hacked alone, and it's not safe. Therefore, why should I risk me, her, and other road users, just because someone says 'schooling is boring for the horse and they need to hack out'?

 

[EmmasMummy]

I used to reserve ground work and lunging for those days when riding was not fun, usually 4 days a month.

 

[Grumpy Herbert]

I agree with everyone who says groundwork is vital - it's an excellent way of building respect and the horse's confidence in you, and can be really good fun. It also vital for establishing manners and working towards making a horse as 'bombproof' (hate that term) as possible. I guess it's no substitute for ridden work if your horse is a riding horse (ie not an in-hand showing type), but I firmly believe it has its place as a complementary discipline.

No time you spend with your horse is wasted - you're building a bond - so ignore anyone who tells you what you 'should' be doing and do what you feel is right for you and your horse.

 

[xch4r]

Groundwork is sososo important!! Many of the Lipizzaner high school moves (or whatever they are called, excuse my ignorance) are started on the ground. It improves your bond and makes for a better ridden horse... Providing it is done correctly. I love playing with my lot and so do my sharers

 

[Illusion100]

For me, ground work starts from the moment I put a head collar on a horse until I take it off again.

Certain scenarios baffle me, eg horse naps coming in from field, barges all around with being groomed, doesn't pick feet up well and then owner states that they are popping into school to do 'groundwork' to improve manners then horse drags owner back out to field.

I don't view being in a school whether doing groundwork/lunging/riding to be the 'training session' for the day, for me every moment you are handling a horse should be the training session.

Maybe it's just me but I have a bit of a dislike to horses making the rules.

Just ignore the ignorant comments OP. Their problem not yours.

Best of luck and keep enjoying having fun!

 

[tankgirl1]

I am loving doing groundwork with Dolly, lots of walks out, looking at scary stuff and realising that its not scary actually (shes had her head in both grit bins and wheely bins when allowed a bit of time to think about it)

So far she has lovely manners, and seems to take her lead from me when anything worries her, and I just want to build that up and reinforce it over and over!

 

[Renvers]

Wow her comments say more about her and the extent of her knowledge than it does about you doing groundwork. Ignore her - unsolicited advice is rarely worth having.

I agree with the others who have said groundwork is essential, sounds like it was good for you and your horse.

 

[Arizahn]

Groundwork is essential; good to hear that it is going so well for you and your pony

 

[Nari]

"Is groundwork really that bad?"

No, but her manners are!

 

[Toby_Zaphod]

Groundwork is essential to teach boundaries & standards of behaviour for the horse to understand & follow. This will keep you, others & your horse safe. Anyone who cannot see or understand the merits of groundwork is an idiot. Similarly, flatwork is essential to teach your horse what the aids mean & to help them in their understanding of what you want them to do. We are not talking Dressage here, we are talking basic control of the horse. Half a ton of uncontrolled muscle & sinue can be lethal,
Ignore the 'Happy Hacker' & continue to work with & enjoy your horse.

(I'm not anti Happy Hacker, the term was usedc by OP to describe the person making the commentsd initially)

 

[NZJenny]

Yes, but when is enough ground work enough? I see ground work as a means to an end, not an end in itself. Yes, a horse should have good manners on the ground, but surely once you have established that, it's time to move on.

I see lots of horses that seem to be suffering from an excess of "ground work" and are somewhat over it. As are the ones to whom schooling is just going around in circles or a hack means wandering around the same route time and time again.

Not wanting to start a natural horsemanship bashing here, but just an observation.

 

[MissMistletoe]

What a twit. And that wasn't my first choice of word.

People talk about the snobbery against "happy hackers", but I find that on some livery yards (and some spheres of t'internet) there is a degree of inverted snobbery against schooling, and how cruel it is to bore your horse to death by riding round in circles forever...

I have to agree, I think it stems partly from jealousy or doubting what they are doing with their own horses!

My experience at livery yards, is that the happy hackers are the most opinionated, nosey and critical so and so's, and the ones who compete or do more don't tend to interfere, they just 'get on' with things!.

Thank goodness for being off a livery yard now!!

 

[Pearlsasinger]

For me, ground work starts from the moment I put a head collar on a horse until I take it off again.

Certain scenarios baffle me, eg horse naps coming in from field, barges all around with being groomed, doesn't pick feet up well and then owner states that they are popping into school to do 'groundwork' to improve manners then horse drags owner back out to field.

I don't view being in a school whether doing groundwork/lunging/riding to be the 'training session' for the day, for me every moment you are handling a horse should be the training session.

Maybe it's just me but I have a bit of a dislike to horses making the rules.

Just ignore the ignorant comments OP. Their problem not yours.

Best of luck and keep enjoying having fun!

I sooooooo agree with this!

The terminology makes me laugh tbh. 'Groundwork' to me is simply everything that happens when you are not on top of the horse. 'In-hand hacking' is another of those amusing terms, I call it leading out.

 

[Elbie]

And this is why I like just sharing a field with one other person and when I school or do whatever, it's in the evenings at the yard over the road when no one is around! Nobody around to give me their opinion lol.

Unless you were doing something really dangerous with your pony I don't see why people need to share their opinions on what you should be doing...unless you asked for it.