10 good reasons to work on foot with your horse

Groundwork is a large part of the exercises that the rider and his mount are led to do as well as amateurs as professionals. They both get very good benefits from it. Here are some details.

Specific reasons

Doing ground work with your horse is a decision that is up to the rider a priori. He thinks about it first because he realizes that his horse falls into monotony by carrying him on his back and that he no longer wants to leave the stable. To help him stretch out so that he does not stay cooped up all day, ground work is the ideal way.

For the horse, this occasion is also the best time to do new activities. Since he lets off steam without a rider on his back, he can try certain movements on command from his master. The horse can also do not only new, but also simple movements from this moment on.

For the rider, the main reason for working on foot with his horse is to learn a new contact with his horse. He now knows how gifted his horse is and he respects him more for that. He becomes aware of the place of the horse's agreement in their work together. At the same time, he takes advantage of it to solve all the problems that arise during mounted work.

Common reasons

Working on foot also has benefits for both companions at the same time. To begin with, they learn to trust each other. They follow each other because they have the feeling of understanding each other, of deserving each other, of being worth as much to the other as he is worth to them. This trust allows the rider to leave his life in the hands of the horse and the horse does everything the rider asks of him without thinking. Suddenly, complicity is born from their perpetual collaboration. The riders are then able to make movements without the others perceiving the order or the trigger code.

From this moment on, everyone notices the mastery of the rider. His mount does anything and everything on his personal command for the simple reason that he recognizes him as his master and friend. No matter the obstacle, the two overcome it together.

This does not involve a mad rush and a forced progression. The rider knows his horse better through ground work and recognizes his moments of fear, his limits and his intentions.

Groundwork is therefore the best time to set the rules gently. Each person shows their limits and makes the other understand how far they are able to go for them. With these rules, the rider knows what to forbid others around them, in which environment to make their horse evolve. At the same time, the horse knows when it pleases its rider and how far it can let off steam when they are together.