“...it's not something we look forward to...”
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Groundwork - Lesson for May
It's been my experience that most people who own horses do so because they like to get on and ride their horse. That's as simple as it gets...and as great as it gets! There seems to be few, if any, better ways to leave the rest of the world behind us and relax as when we are horseback. To get a horse to the point when we CAN relax and enjoy ourselves when we ride sometimes, though, takes a lot of time and work.
"Groundwork" is a term we use to describe what we do with our horses when we are not in the saddle. I find groundwork, to many people, is like changing the oil in their cars. It's not something we look forward to and often times would just as soon have someone else do the work. The problem is that if we avoid changing our car's oil and filter the car soon will not run as well as we'd like it to. The same can be said about "groundwork" with our horses. What we need to do, instead of avoiding groundwork, is to merely change our perception of it.
Try thinking of groundwork as a much bigger picture. Sure we should use ground driving exercises to establish respect and gain control of our horse, Though once we have attained a certain degree of respect and control using a halter and lead rope, we can use this respect and control in every other situation that we deal with our horses when we are NOT in the saddle. Groundwork is far more than "lunging" our horses. It's also the interaction we have with our horses when we are feeding, saddling, leading, trailer loading and unloading, and many other occasions. As long as we keep our guard up and are consistent in what we ask of our horses in these situations, our pre-ride groundwork can be reduced to mere seconds giving us more time to be doing what we enjoy the most. ...riding.
Take care,
Kirk
To contact us:
Phone: 307-217-2928 Cell: 307-217-2928 Email: bitokingranch@hotmail.com
4559 US Hwy 87 Banner, Wyoming 82832
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