Basic Ground Work for Horses - Made simple for wild horses & gentle horses

If you wanna be a good horse trainer & rider you’re gonna wanna start with basic ground work for your horses. My theory is whatever you do on the ground is what your gonna do in the saddle. Whatever you allow or teach your horse to do on the ground is what he’s gonna do when you’re in that saddle.

Start your basic ground work by desensitizing & sensitizing your horse.
Desensitizing your horse is basically taking the fear out of your horse. I like to think of it as finding the holes in my horse and filling them in so I wont have any issues. Kinda like checking your car tires to see if there are any leaks in them and filling them with air before you go on a long trip. Remember a horse isn’t broke unless you can control his mind and handle every part of his body. Some horses will be more sensitive than others in different parts of their bodies. Its a matter of being patient taking your time to cater to each horses needs differently to get the results you want. What you are looking for with basic ground work is for relaxation in your horse. Getting him to relax and build a trust with you. Getting your horse to allow you to touch him, follow your body language and yield to pressure so that you become one with your horse.

You’re gonna definitely need the right tools to start with. A rope halter with a 12foot lead line not a nylon halter because it allows your horse to lean on your hand and pull away from you easier and your horse can also break out of it. Next you need a handy stick long crop or whip & make your self a flag buy putting a plastic bag on the end of it. Introduce your horse to your equipment slowly but not too slow as if you are a predator, but be gentle. I like to let my horses smell my equipment then I gently rub them with it and take it away I call this approach and retreat. I do this on every part of their body. Face, legs, under the belly in between the legs etc…until they are so comfortable with it that the get bored. Anytime your horse gets a lil to frightened don’t be afraid to stop for a brief moment then start again. Keep doing this until he understands what you’re asking you’ll know when he understands, when he stands still instead of trying to run from your equipment. Lastly your safety comes first and foremost, but I strongly encourage you to stick with your horse! Don’t give up on him to soon. I see many people do this time and time again when there horse is having a problem and they never achieve anything. Remember you can always stop take a deep breath and then start again until you get what you want out of your horse. One last thing to remember is to know when to stop and call it a day. There is always tomorrow.