What is ground work?
Even today in Belgium or France and even in other countries, ground work is an activity that suffers from an image of amateurism or even low-end leisure reserved for certain riders who are still afraid to ride their horses. What is ground work? We talk about it in this article.
What does ground work consist of?
Groundwork is primarily a channel through which one can speak directly to one's horse's head. This practice aims to develop a very accomplished, serene and healthy form of communication between the horse and the human.
The other way to better understand groundwork is this. You and your horse do not speak the same language. That said, wanting to become great champions together without being able to talk together can be an absurd, even surreal, thing.
Just imagine any athlete who is given daily instructions by his coach so that he can improve his physical and mental performance. The problem is that the coach speaks German while the athlete only speaks French.
Worse, neither of them speaks another language. Sure, they can roughly understand each other by using gestures. However, the subtleties that are important for true cohesion will be lost. In that case, one of them will have to learn the other's language or have a translator present.
What role does groundwork play?
Groundwork establishes a common language between the horse and its trainer. You do not speak the horse's language and the horse does not speak human languages. In groundwork, we can use the magic of body language as well as the laws of learning to establish a common language.
So, you will teach your horse letters, then words and finally sentences that he will come to understand with time, exercises, complicity, many things that will only be possible from the practice of ground work. To do ground work well, it is interesting to have the equipment that goes with it. You will find some on our platform .
Exercising ground work with your horse provides many advantages. On the ground, you benefit from a much more refined and global observation of your horse. This is also the same for the horse. It therefore has only one mission, that of clearly understanding what you expect of it. This, without having to manage its balance in addition.
If there are communication issues in getting your horse to move forward in the early stages, ground work will provide you with greater safety than in the saddle. Plus, anything you teach your horse on the ground, he will be able to apply better than when you are in the saddle. Anything your horse learns on the ground will help you considerably when you are in the saddle.
On foot, you will teach your horse confidence. He will also learn lightness and will be more sensitive to tactile and rhythmic pressures. As a rider, your role will be to be the horse's teacher and pedagogue. If the horse does not understand you, it will be up to you to be clearer and more readable with him.