# Was Learning Groundwork Part Of Your Lessons?



## gingerscout (Jan 18, 2012)

actually quite a few of the places I originally looked wanted to do just groundwork for a month or so till I was down with it, being a true beginner at the time, I knew it was important, but had wanted to learn to ride for years, so I got upset that I was going to pay for groundwork with no riding.. I had to look into a few places to find a place that would let me ride as well. I took 2 lessons a week to start, 1 was groundwork/ on the ground stuff, one was riding.. seemed to work well for me, and I was happy with it


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## Roman (Jun 13, 2014)

If you ask I'm sure they will. They probably think you only want to ride or if you have some experience with horse/have your own horse they think you know groundwork stuff already.

My lessons never did until recently. I have to tack and lunge the horse I currently ride. A new student that would have a lesson before me is there only to learn groundwork.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## clumsychelsea (Jul 9, 2014)

Roman said:


> If you ask I'm sure they will. They probably think you only want to ride or if you have some experience with horse/have your own horse they think you know groundwork stuff already.
> 
> My lessons never did until recently. I have to tack and lunge the horse I currently ride. A new student that would have a lesson before me is there only to learn groundwork.
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


Not taking lessons atm but I did ask at several barns I used to go to (this was years and years ago) and they never really bothered, just kind of said "yeah, we'll do that later" and never did it. Mostly I got the impression that they wanted to teach me to ride and nothing else to get me into showing level more quickly, since I was usually riding at eventing barns. Sigh. Thankfully I had lots of other opportunities to learn groundwork, but I know not everyone does, hence the question.


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## BugZapper89 (Jun 30, 2014)

Well in situations like "lesson barns" a problem/rude/ill mannered or what have you type horse has no business being there to start with, much less letting anyone near it. However, showmanship is required as part of all training on my horses and I expect anyone in my camp to be able to complete a basic showmanship pattern correctly, before they would be advancing in their riding. If you dont have control on the ground, you certainly will not have it in the tack either.


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## Chicalia (Nov 5, 2013)

Definitely. My very first few lessons -- as a complete and *total* newbie -- were on tying a halter, grooming, and working in the round pen with my lesson horse. I learned all about pressure and release and the gaits from the ground before I ever got on. I think it helped me build confidence because I knew nothing about horse behavior or body language, and I was a little nervous around horses although I really wanted to learn to ride.

Reflecting on my experience, I think that it does a disservice to horse "newbies" not to teach them things like groundwork and even tacking up (which I've heard some barns don't even teach!). I like having what I consider a more total experience because I've been able to learn horsemanship, which is definitely more than riding. In addition, I feel safer around my horse because I know the basics of what to expect and how to correct things that aren't acceptable.


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

when I had my first lesson, h m m .. . about 37 years ago, there was NO instruction on any kind of groundwork. nothing, not even good leading skills . they did show us the basics of takcing up, then you just were on your own to get your horse, tack up, and join the class in the arena.


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## dressagebelle (May 13, 2009)

When I did pony club, I learned all manner of training and ground work type stuff during stable management. In my private lessons, all I was taught was how to put the halter on, lead them to either the round pen or turn out, or to the cross ties to tack up, got the basics of running them around for a few minutes, and the grooming and tacking up, but no in depth, hands on groundwork was taught. 

I definitely think it is a disservice to the "newbies" to not teach them, even if the lesson horses are quite well behaved. Someday they will come across an unruly horse, and need to know how to handle the situation. I know of places who will even have the horse already groomed and tacked up for you, so all you do is get on and ride. Not the best way to be teaching people, I think ground work is very important, and getting the horse's trust and attention will go a long way towards making riding more successful. Hopefully more places will start teaching ground work as well, and not just the riding portion of handling horses.


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## Cimarron (Oct 8, 2014)

I wish!!!
I personally love groundwork and I think its essential to have a good working relationship with a horse.
If I ever start giving lessons when I'm older I would definitely make groundwork a part of lessons. It makes everything safer because people learn how the horses think (and will become a better horseman/woman due to it) and their would be a lower chance of an accident when students are leading/turning out/catching horses.


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## farmpony84 (Apr 21, 2008)

The place I rode in Germany brought the horses to you already tacked up so my first three years, I never tacked a horse....

Then I moved here and the place had you tack them up but still never taught ground work...

In fact... I ended up paying a guy to teach me ground work...


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## EncinitasM (Oct 5, 2014)

I was taught haltering and leading first. Then grooming. The how to put blanket and saddle on. Then bridle/noseband. Learned how to get on. Walked a bit just to see what it was like. Learned to get off. Then learned to longe until I could get the horse to stop/walk/trot/canter on demand. Then I got back on the horse and started to learn to ride. My Instructor generally has me longe the lesson horse for a couple minutes just to warm him up before mounting up.

Being taught how to detrack a horse was one of the most useful things I've learned so far and that's just leading.


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## Talon (Oct 22, 2014)

The barn I learned to ride at did not teach me how to work horses on the ground. 
They did show me how to groom and tack up a horse though and I was required to do that myself before each lesson.


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## mrwithers (Jun 25, 2014)

My western trail riding trainer started with groundwork lessons with me but not grooming.


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## SueC (Feb 22, 2014)

I learnt to ride in Germany over 30 years ago, at a small rural riding school. Grooming and tacking up was part of the the procedure unless you were second lesson shift, when you would be un-tacking, washing the horse down if necessary, and leading it around to dry for 15 minutes grazing on the grass verges of the tiny village. You rotated through so you would do both ends of the operation regularly. That way, we got pretty decent skills at handling horses on the ground, fitting tack, care, and grooming - instructors were always around supervising, demonstrating and answering questions.

The introductory riding programme was really fabulous, looking back on it, because they taught us so much in relatively little time. That was down to a stringent programme and high expectations, very much a cultural thing. Basically the format was similar to military group riding drill, and you were trotting (trying to stay on :rofl at the end of the first lesson. Within six months we had learnt to walk, trot and canter the standard arena figures, in the group and away from the group, halt, rein-back, turn on forehand, cavaletti, simple obstacles, and of course we were trail riding (but not until competently sitting all the gaits and transitioning up and down efficiently).

I've noticed that pony club instruction in Australia isn't nearly as regimented and efficient at teaching people riding skills quickly. Group drill, avoidance of time wasting and the militaristic style is probably incompatible with our culture here, and people aren't generally as driven and disciplined culturally. I wonder how riding schools in Japan go by comparison! ;-)


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## Rebelwithacause (Aug 7, 2013)

My instructors do actively teach groundwork and just barn manners in general. At first, they showed me how to do things and now that I am more advanced, I some do things myself. I would insist on learning these things, because it really takes away from the experience of being around horses if all you did is jump on to ride and jump off and go home!

I would say in my situation, riding is only 50% of what is taught, the other 50% is horse care off out the saddle. I really, really enjoy that time and I have read stories of people on HF who don't get that, and it is a shame!


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## verona1016 (Jul 3, 2011)

I never had an instructor teach any ground lessons aside from grooming and tacking up. On a whim I signed up for a 'natural horsemanship' clinic that my barn was hosting. It had both ground and ridden portions, and the groundwork portion was very eye opening for me even though I had been riding and taking lessons for a few years at that point. It was really the first time I was introduced to the concepts of pressure and release and really using body language to communicate.

I've taken lessons at several places since I started riding about 8 years ago and it's frustrating to realize how many holes I've had in my instruction (as I slowly figure things out on my own) and how much of the basics I still feel like I'm missing... groundwork is definitely one of those glaring areas!


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## frlsgirl (Aug 6, 2013)

I learned to ride back in the 80's. They didn't really have formal ground lessons but always went over the basics as we were getting the horse saddled/ready:

don't walk behind a horse
don't get yourself trapped between horse and wall or between two horses
don't make sudden movements
don't use hoof pick on frog
don't feed fingers to the horses
always use a quick release knot in case horse panics
always slide saddle from withers to back (never the opposite way)

That was pretty much all we needed to know.


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## Incitatus32 (Jan 5, 2013)

In my experience I've had both. When I originally started no, I learned no more than was necessary. My instructors taught me how to read the horse's language, tack it up, ride and basic care and how to longe the horse on a line. When I started my apprenticeship to become a trainer I learned a lot more groundwork than what I had picked up over the years. 

I recently started up lessons again and the instructor does ground work for a majority of the lesson. I think it's good to learn but I know that if I were to have been taught that in my childhood I would have been more confused than I was; I still am confused. I think that there's so many ways to do groundwork and so many different nuances that it really helps to learn it after you know the basics of horses because you can understand it better. I also think it's a lot of trial and error. You have to find what works for you and the horse. I certainly know I was none the worse for having learned it much later. I think it's just personal preference honestly.


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## AndreaOllendick (Dec 20, 2012)

My teacher says that the secret to being a good rider starts on the ground. If your horse doesn't respect you on the ground and through groundwork, your horse will not respect you in the saddle. Groundwork is essential in lessons.


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## SueC (Feb 22, 2014)

I personally think it's way more to do with good communication that just the notion of respect that I see thrown around a lot. It's good communication that gets you progressing with a horse, and it's down to us to make sure that happens. Respect becomes part of it, but it has to go both ways. A friend of mine recently commented that listening to the horse is a very important and often overlooked part of working with horses, and I think he really has a point. If I don't listen, I won't get communication, and without good communication things will be frustrating for both sides of this interaction between two different species.


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## Zexious (Aug 2, 2013)

When I first started riding I was taught the very basics--a horse walks to your right and slightly behind you when being lead, in addition to tacking up. Besides that, I just sort of picked up the rest of the groundwork as I went. To be fair, lunging still isn't my strong point xD


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## Peanutbutter (Apr 23, 2014)

When I started riding 26 years ago, I was to young to handle a pony by myself, but when I progressed in to a riding school ground work and handling where in the program. They where very good at teaching us this, and encouraged us to stop by and help durring weekends. Then we progressed to leasing the school horses and getting extra lessons for everything from riding to feeding, cleaning tack, competions and all other things we needed to know. We had of course done that durring weekends etc but we where no offically teached that.
Another great way to learn things like that is to go on a riding holiday.


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## Saddlebag (Jan 17, 2011)

When a child was bro't for lessons I made it clear to the parents that the child wouldn't ride for the first two lessons, that it was all about safety, leading, approaching, handling feet correctly, grooming, etc. The kids who really paid attention often rode for the second lesson but it wasn't a guarantee.


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