Leading Light; an Introduction to Ground Work for You and Your Horse

By Justine Rumney

“Leading Light; an Introduction to Ground Work for You and Your Horse” is a simple, descriptive ‘how to’ book to teach you to use a rope halter & lead line. It introduces you and your horse to basic handling and ground skills that will not only help your horse to be safe and responsive on the ground, but also open up a communication link and establish a relationship based on trust and respect. This will improve every aspect of your life with you horse.
Leading Light offers easy to follow instructions, with illustrations, for 18 exercises. These will allow both those new to horses and experienced horse people a gateway into the use of ground skills to prepare horses for riding, and an insight into how their interaction with their horse can make positive lasting changes in their horse’s behaviour.
The eBook format allows you to carry this book in your pocket on your smart phone and to refer to it during sessions with your horse.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Justine Rumney
• Release date: May 6, 2014
• ISBN: 9781311609038

Justine Rumney

Justine Rumney lives and works in North Cumbria, UK. She runs a start and re-schooling yard taking young horses for start to ride & foundation, and horses that have got into difficulties for re-schooling. She also takes in horses that are donated to her because the owner can no longer care for them or because their behaviour has become too dangerous for their owners to manage. She starts or re-schools these horses until she finds an appropriate new owner for them.Much of her training took place in the USA where she worked with young & troubled horses. She learnt many cowboy & vaquero techniques, which she brought back to the UK and applied to British horses and horsemanship.Justine started to make her own rope equipment because she found it so difficult to find a good quality product in the UK. Alongside this she identified that, even though people were becoming increasingly interested in the halter & line as a practical everyday training tool there was not a lot of information about how to use them effectively.“Every tool is only as good as the hands that use it.”Justine passionately believes in education as being the most important aspect of improvement of animal welfare in the equine sector.

Book preview

Leading Light

An introduction to groundwork for you and your horse

Justine Rumney

Copyright 2014 Justine Rumney

Smashwords Edition

justinerumeny.co.uk

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to your favourite ebook retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

All images copyright of Justine Rumney, all rights reserved

Contents

Introduction

Themes of Training

Choosing a Rope Halter & Line

Getting Started

Exercise 1 - Putting on a Rope Halter

Fitting a Halter

Tying the Knot

Teaching your Horse to Release to Pressure

Exercise 2 - Back-Up

Exercise 3 - Progressing Back-Up

Developing Soft Acceptance

Exercise 4 - Lateral Neck Flex

Exercise 5 - Accepting Touch

Progressing Acceptance

How do I Know I am Getting Through to my Horse?

Develop Patience & Attention Span

Exercise 6 - Standing Still

Progressing Standstill

Light Leading

Exercise 7 - Foundation Leading

Exercise 8 - The Stop

Exercise 9 - Engagement at Halt & Reinforcing the Stop

Progressing Leading

Exercise 10 - Walk Past

Exercise 11 - The Gate

Riding from the Ground

Exercise 12 - Riding from the ground

Exercise 13 - Set Off Side by Side

Exercise 14 - Rushy Horse Exercise

Exercise 15 - Bends

Exercise 16 - Walk the Line

Exercise 17 - Changing Direction

And Finally…

Exercise 18 - Releasing your horse

About Justine Rumney

Introduction

This book is a simple, descriptive ‘how to’ book to teach you to use a rope halter & lead line. Its aim is to teach you and your horse basic handling and ground skills using a rope halter & line.

It will cover

• The rope halter & line

• Fitting a rope halter

• Teaching your horse to release to pressure

• The standstill

• Establishing basic safe, polite leading

• Advancing leading so your horse can help you

• Preparing your horse for ridden work on line

These skills have practical everyday uses that will both allow you to handle your horse easily and safely, and prepare your