"Why don't we do groundwork mum?"

scruffyponies

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An interesting question from my soon-to-be 15 year old yesterday.
What she meant was, why don't we lunge our ponies, but I don't feel that the two things are the same at all.

I asked her to think about the way she interacts with her pony. Does he catch, stand, lead, back up and turn nicely when asked, even if distracted? If he doesn't, what does she do? (clue: he gets to practice, and will do it right next time). Does he understand what is required of him, and respond to verbal and non-verbal instructions? When she dismounts and asks him to stand completely still whilst she walks 50yds away to do something (her pony is a saint), isn't that groundwork?

She is only young, so it was a fair question, but how many of us don't realise that we are educating our horse with each little every-day interaction?

What little things do you do (on the ground) which 'train' your horse to make your life easier?
 

milliepops

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i actually think it IS helpful to think of "groundwork" as separate to daily handling reinforcement. I don't count reminding my horse not to exit the stable uninvited or to step backwards when I come with the feed bucket, or to walk nicely out to the field as groundwork - as a shorthand that term only really works if you intend "groundwork" to mean some kind of deliberate or focused learning.

Now IMO that might well include a remedial-type session for a rude horse, on how to lead politely, but the daily handling is not really about that, you just might issue a little reminder now and then.

And arena-type groundwork is definitely different, as you are in a working/learning space and usually there to either learn something movement-based, or provide exercise. just my 2p :)

But I do agree, I'm almost always training my horses in some way, but it's so habitual to correct little things that it's pretty much happening from my subconscious - stuff like putting them out of my space if they creep into it, or addressing fidgeting etc, all makes them nice to handle.
 

Pearlsasinger

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I'm with you, OP, any handling of the horse is 'groundwork' in my book and I think it is useful, particularly for novice owners, to remember that it is no good taking your horse into an arena to practice good manners and then allowing him to walk all over you as you put him back into the field. If you want to teach a particular movement in hand, that is obviously groundwork as well.

Of course it makes no difference what experienced owners/handlers call it, they will unconsciously be reinforcing good manners all the time
 
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milliepops

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That's fair - we don't have one, so every space is a working / learning space.
OK I sort of mean it the other way round, you don't do anything else in the arena, they don't sleep there, or eat there etc. (unless you have your own, and then perhaps it's more multipurpose). for me it's only for learning or exercise.
 

dogatemysalad

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I think groundwork is incredibly important for many reasons. Lunging is just a small part of that.
Currently, our turnout is very restricted and exercising and stimulating a stabled horse is critical. When the ground is snowy and icy, riding in the school once a day is enough. Being able to free school a horse going large over poles, to change paces and ask for a medium canter down the long sides is very handy. A horse that is comfortable being long reigned, makes life easier for those times when they're being rehabbed.
Good manners whilst being handled on the ground is a part of everyday life. Groundwork, is a step beyond that.
 

SEL

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For me groundwork is quite focussed. It might be an in hand polework session or it might be working on trying to persuade my left bend banana that it is perfectly possible to bend to the right. That's the sort of stuff I do in the arena.

I don't think of what I do around the stable and field as ground work. The little pony wasn't great with having her feet handled when she came to me and we did a lot of work on that - I suppose you could call it groundwork, but for me that was just basic handling.
 

Pearlsasinger

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I had never heard the term 'groundwork' until I joined HHO but we have never had regular access to an arena, either at livery or at home, so maybe that is the difference. If our horses do in-hand work, loose-schooling, or lunging, it has to be in the field and good manners happen every day. We also set up 'spook busting' training incidentally, so that things move round the yard while the horses are in the stable/field and they are expected to walk past them sensibly, some people might put things into an arena
 

milliepops

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i think the arena thing is possibly side-tracking the conversation, i still would call dedicated learning time "groundwork" if it's done in a field or on the yard, i will be doing it there with my youngsters when the ground dries up a bit! but the day to day handling feels different to "groundwork" even though you are always reinforcing preferred behaviours and responses.

When i lead my horses to the field they are trained to be nice for me to lead: concentrate, respect personal space of me and the other horse, be light on the end of the lead, go where directed etc, but the aim was to get the horses out to the field, not to do some training, the training is incidental. that's the difference, to me.
 

Tarragon

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I wonder whether "in-hand" work is what is normally classed as schooling, e.g. long reining and lunging, and "ground work" covers all the rest of basic handling?
 

MuddyMonster

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I think it's all inter-changeable and down to the individual. I rarely lunge much at all but I do say I do both 'in-hand work' and 'groundwork'.

Like Tarragon, for me, in-hand work I generally view as more classically minded - short lining, long lining, up close in hand work focusing on biomechanics, lateral work and things like Spanish walk.

For me, groundwork is more general (but not necessarily less important) - despooking, obstacle training like horse agility/TREC and liberty work. Just this weekend I was playing with the tarpaulin on the ground, a pedestal as a step, plastic bottles between poles and a 'scary' corner on the ground before hopping onboard to ride through.

Tonight I'll warm up with some in hand work before riding as I want to focus on our lateral work.

Day to day handling I dont actively consider as 'groundwork' but I try to always be mindful that everytime the horse is handled it's 'training' and they're always having an experience from it - be that good, bad or indifferent.
 

scruffyponies

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De-spooking at our place happens naturally as a result of the amount of random stuff going on, both in the yard and out on our town hacks.

Just yesterday as we were putting two ponies to for a drive, a pile of timbers was being thrown around just out of eyesight. Bang! Thump! Cloink! Nothing. I'd think they might be deaf, but they can somehow hear a bag of carrots moved at 500yds. :D
 

J&S

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OP asks " what little things do you train your horse to do to make life easier": One specific thing I have trained my semi retired mare to do is to stand still at the mounting block whilst I get the companion pony on her lead rein so that I can then mount and ride out lead and ride.
I don't have any one around to pass the pony to me so this makes life considerably easier.
On another level both ponies do "In hand" Trec competitions on line so plenty of backwards, forwards, sideways, stop/go etc plus spook busting (not really necessarry).
When I have needed some one to look after them for me I am pleased to say they are complimented on their manners but this I think is just the result of consistant handling.
 

catkin

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I think handling training and more 'formal' groundwork flow into each other, and the amounts vary not only between each horse but at different stages of that horse's training.
For example, verbal requests such as 'over', 'whoa' 'walk-on' etc (and especially "Oi" or "No" if you've got opinionated ponies ;) ) is used for basic handling and then built upon throughout training levels. it's a pretty standard training technique.
 
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