Groundwork with horses: Natural Horsemanship & Groundwork Training for Your Horse

By Edwin Van Der Vaag

If you would like to experience a wonderful and intimate relationship with your horse or pony, then the program I will present to you in this book is ideal for you. It is guaranteed to be tried and tested and very easy to learn. Because of the step-by-step instructions you will be able to implement the exercises without any problems, so that your horse and you can soon benefit from the positive effects.

This book is the perfect introduction to the vast and fascinating world of groundwork. As you may already know, it's a great thing for you and your horse, as this form of exercise has numerous positive effects.

Why this book is right for you:

Over 45 illustrations
Applied knowledge with lots of practice
Many exercises for beginners and professionals
Book content written by an experienced riding instructor
Extensive collection of topics


Ground work is the tool of choice if you want to establish solid communication with your horse. You are guaranteed to get to know each other better. Ground work should not be missing when dealing with your horse. That's why it's so important that you integrate it into your daily work. Thanks to the many options that ground work offers you, I'm also sure that you and your horse won't get bored either, while you develop into a great team.

The contents of the book are:
- Basics of Natural Horsemanship
- The groundwork
- Many different exercises and practical examples
- The most important mistakes
- Important tips and tricks

Get into the subject of groundwork now and improve your relationship with your horse. With the tips and tricks from this book you will make your horse your friend. Have fun on your further way together!

• Language: English
• Publisher: XinXii
• Release date: Apr 16, 2022
• ISBN: 9783986469603

Book preview

Groundwork with horses

Natural Horsemanship & Groundwork Training for Your Horse

Edwin Van Der Vaag

Table of contents

Ground work: why, why, why?

The basics

The rules of the game in dealing with the horse

Crash course: The nature of the horse

Is it all a question of dominance?

How does the horse learn?

Man shapes the horse!

Best from a young age!

The small 1x1 of the ground work

The equipment

The aids

The voice aid

How do I use the voice?

The body language of man

The crop

The use of treats

The first steps together

Preliminary exercises

Short or long? The lead rope

The correct guide position

The leading

Stop

Basics at the grooming station

Lower the head

Hands up!  - A short plea for the correct use of the hand

Step by step more self-confidence

Ground work 1: May I please?

Backward

Turn around the forehand

Turning around the hindquarters

Sideways

Ground work 2: Now it's getting colorful!

Pylons

All-rounder bars

The rod rows

The alleys

The pit stop: lane with content (tires)

The triangle

The L

The square

The subjects

The Mikado

The cloverleaf

Ground work 3: Turn on the head.

One tarpaulin

One ball

The Serenity Trail

Groundwork 4: Called to higher things?

The compliment

The Spanish Step

From the mountain goat to the piaffe

Driving from the ground

Free work: beginnings

The perennial favorite: loading

5 fatal mistakes in ground work - and the magic remedies against them

As if changed: A lone fighter becomes a dream horse

From leading to leading: thanks to ground work!

Literature

Acknowledgement

Ground work: why, why, why?

Have you ever experienced something like this? You want to go to a ride or a training course and your horse doesn't get into the trailer. He stands at the ramp, rams his front legs into the ground and says No! with his whole body. Or does your horse not stand when you want to get on, but runs off as soon as you put a foot in the stirrup? Does he push you when you come into the stall with the feed bucket, bump into you when you are leading him, or does he not even let you take him out of the paddock? Only if all the other horses are also brought in and even then you have to get three people to support you?

Ouch ...

Dealing with horses can sometimes be quite frustrating, especially if the relationship between you and your four-legged partner is not sufficiently clarified. And this reveals itself through apparent trifles. Because the herd and flight animal horse needs a clarified relationship as much as it needs the air to breathe. If there is perhaps leeway here, because you really like your horse or pony and therefore want to be especially nice to him, then this can have exactly the opposite effect: stress for all involved. You are frustrated because your horse is showing you that it would rather be with its equine buddies than with you, and the horse is stressed because it doesn't feel safe in your environment. After all, it has the impression that you can't provide for its basic needs.

And quite honestly: If it's already not right on the ground with you two, how should it work when riding? Surely both of you could harmonize much better and make progress if the famous chemistry is right. Unfortunately, an insecure horse can't let go enough when working under saddle, and inner as well as outer relaxation are the basis on which the entire horse training is built.

The best way to increase mutual trust and harmony is ... ground work!

That's right. Ground work, done sensibly, can incredibly improve your relationship and take it to a whole new level. It is an elementary part of a sensible horse training.

The beauty of ground work is that, as I understand it, you can actually do it at any time and with the smallest of aids. For this, neither an expensive course according to a certain super trendy system is necessary nor special equipment, which you have to buy for expensive money.

No, that's exactly not it!

My concern is that everyone can perform these valuable exercises with his horse at any time and benefit from them without large purchases and without elaborate preparations. Because I am sure that you already have the things that are necessary in your stable. For the beginning a halter, a lead rope, gloves and a crop are enough. Later on, it would be nice if you had a few more obstacle poles, an indoor arena, a free paddock, a small piece of meadow and a few pylons at hand. That's all you need. Then you can already start.

In order for you to better understand what is important in the respective exercises, you will find numerous illustrations in this book, for which members of the riding club. have kindly made themselves available. So you will see horse people at every level, from beginners to professionals, as well as horses of different ages, training levels and also various breeds. Because ground work is something that is suitable for everyone! It is for beginners as well as pure leisure riders and horses just as useful as for tournament cracks.

The special thing about these shots: Two of the horses are in the process of rebuilding after a prolonged illness. Also or especially for them, ground work is ideal as an antidote to boredom and to keep them agile and supple, because ground work can do all that:

Strengthen and improve the human-horse relationship.

The horse trusts you more and more.

In this way, you provide more variety in your work.

You make your horse more courageous and self-confident.

You gymnastize your horse.

Your horse will become more skilled.

You can prepare later lessons from the ground.

Not bad, right?

I must honestly say that for a long time I also thought I could do without ground work. Somehow I thought it was a kind of gimmick. Until finally, more by chance, I realized that I was on the wrong track. After many years I was asked to take care of a pony mare that really didn't want to be around people anymore. She wouldn't let me get her off the pasture for days, even when the other horses came in. If she was cornered with helpers, the horse would even run over 2-meter lockers. The pony had completely lost trust and interest in cooperating with people and should therefore actually even go to the slaughterhouse.

When I was supposed to take care of the mare, one thing was clear from the start: I would have to rethink. In this respect, we were challenges for each other. Here the ground work helped me incredibly much and in the meantime I have a pony mare who neighs enthusiastically and comes to me as soon as she discovers me. The most beautiful gift that such an animal can give you. I still get heart eyes every day.

If you too would like to experience such a wonderful, intimate relationship with your horse or pony, then the program I am about to introduce to you is ideal for you. It is guaranteed to be tried and tested and very easy to learn. Through the step-by-step instructions you will be able to implement the exercises without any problems, so that you and your horse can soon benefit from the positive effects.

Have fun and good luck!

PS: In the meantime, the pony mare has even been successful in dressage competitions against large horses. Because behind the timid hermit hid a motivated, willing to perform pony, who was just waiting to finally be allowed to show himself!

The basics

Many people are a bit headless when it comes to ground work, so then the effect of the whole thing often fizzles out. They practice and practice and have the impression that they are not making any progress at all. This can actually happen if you do not have in mind what you actually want to achieve with an exercise.

If you go round and round for hours with your horse or pony on the rope in the hall or on the field and always do the same three exercises, you will neither strengthen the horse's confidence nor gymnastics. In the maximum case one reaches thereby one: The horse bores itself totally. The gracious specimens then trot along with you and reel off their program disinterestedly, the smart ones, on the other hand, may at some point start to make the whole thing more exciting for themselves. Typical are then such actions, where the horse is suddenly frightened by the notorious corner ghosts and performs a pagan dance. Or suddenly refuses to perform an exercise that has otherwise