In this article I describe some basic groundwork exercises which you can perform during horse training. It is important to get these exercises right first, as this is how you and the horse will become familiar with each other and build a trusting relationship. Future training success is dependant on good groundwork. It is important for your safety that your new ton-sized friend is taught to respect your personal space bubble.
The secret to horse training is to remain patient, persistent, and to use plenty of positive reinforcement. These are the 3 P's of basic horse training that will serve you well no matter what level you are training or what you might be training for in the future.
1. Groom your horse. When grooming your horse you are actually performing an important exercise in groundwork training. Your horse will get to know you during this quality time together, and vice verse. Standing beside your horse, brush his back and neck. Don't be alarmed if your horse comes around with his teeth to give you a love bite as this is quite common. While horses do this to each other all the time, naturally they cannot do it to humans. Just wave your hand or push the head back to straight ahead position to discourage this. It must be made clear from the beginning that this is not acceptable - particularly as a horse's teeth are so big. It's important to stay calm and be patient. He'll get the idea and will cooperate. Nothing will be gained from smacking, shouting or getting angry with your horse. This will send you backwards where trust is concerned.
2. Lead your horse. Hold the lead rope in your right hand, just below the horse's chin, and walk beside him on his left side. Walk forward with a slow step. He should not try to go ahead of you but should remain at your right side. He may try to do this and you should walk around in a circle to your left. Do this as often as you need to. Demonstrate persistence. By circling to your left you will stay just ahead of him as it should be. If, on the other hand, your horse doesn't want to walk with you, stand slightly behind at his shoulder facing the same direction. While holding the rope close to his chin, push forward gently. His first step should elicit praise and positive reinforcement from yourself. When he starts to walk willingly, take your place slightly ahead of him and walk on. Never wrap the lead rope around any part of yourself - this is for your own safety. If the horse should suddenly bolt he will drag you along too and you will almost certainly be injured.
3. Lunge your horse.This exercise is fantastic and is used by every trainer and most horse owners I've ever known no matter what the horse's function is. Many of the skills, commands and cues that your horse will require for saddle work can be taught by performing lunging exercises.
In a large open area (an arena works, too, if you don't have a round enclosure) clip your horse to a lunge lead specifically for lunging. This will be 30 ft long (approximately 10m), much longer than the short lead rope you use for the lead exercise. Clip the lead to the horse's left halter side and hold the lead in your left hand. Begin by holding the lunge line and facing the horses left side. Use a lunge whip to guide the horse along, held in your right hand. Now step to your right sideways toward the rear of the horse while holding the whip out behind him. The horse should step forward as a natural reaction. Make a kissing sound as you let out the lunge lead and follow him just behind and to the left. Soon that sound will come to mean "move forward" to your horse. As you're turning and the horse moves in a circle around you, hold the whip slightly behind his hindquarters. Do not use the whip to hit the horse. You just need to wave it a bit to get the horse's attention.
Move yourself slowly backwards to the centre as the horse is moving forwards. As the horse walks around you in a circle, stand in the middle with the lunge rope fully extended. Watch your horse's hip area as he's going round.
Here you can teach him the "whoa" command. Say the word "whoooaaa" in a low and calm voice. At the same time, step toward your horse's head and repeat the word. Be sure to give him a neck rub with lots of praise when he stops. You will help him remember what to do through this positive reinforcement.
You can now change position so that you are lunging your horse anti-clockwise. Do this by swapping hands so that you hold the lunge whip in your left hand whilst the lead is clipped to the right side of the halter.
The above represents just a small selection of basic horse training exercises. Always remember the size and sheer power of the horse. This alone should be enough to remind you to have adequate horse insurance in place should either you or your equine be injured. Safety and trust is crucial to your success in training ventures and in all future activities. As well as a loyal friend, your horse is also an investment, so remember to protect that investment against theft, accident or misadventure by making sure you compare horse insurance policies to ensure you are getting the best level of cover for both of your needs.