Category : Exercises

Exercises: Groundwork – Refined Backing Up / video

This exercise is the refined level of backing a horse up from the ground. This will help to build the feeling, lightness and softness that will be necessary later on the saddle. The goal is to teach the horse to back up gently, to be very light and to move smoothly backward on a curve.

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Exercises: Groundwork – Full Circle

Fundamental groundwork exercises are designed to teach the basic social rules to our horses: don't bite, don't buck, don't hit, don't push!...

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Exercises: Groundwork – Lungeing / video

Lungeing is the third exercise that I qualify as fundamental to the horse’s education. It sounds reasonable to think that if you are not capable to ask your horse to move forward, to walk, to trot and canter around you from the ground, there is no reason that it will listen to you once you are on the saddle. That is a great exercise to perform with horses that refuse to trot or canter for instance, or with horses that are used to buck when asked to lope.

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Exercises: Groundwork – Backing Up / video

Backing up a horse is the second fundamental to build a strong and mutual respect. You do not run over your horse and he should not run over you: especially because he weights more than four times your weight! This exercise is designed to teach horses the notion of our personal space.

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Exercises: Groundwork – Desensitizing to the flag / video

Desensitizing a horse to the flag, to the rope or to the hand is a basic exercise that would actually considerably reduce the number of injuries caused by horses suddenly fleeing because of a plastic bag, a car, wind in branches, etc. The first objective is security.

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