# Groundwork ideas for building trust with new horse



## swimminchikin (Feb 27, 2013)

Subbing! Interested in the answers


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## Ninamebo (May 25, 2013)

There are many fun things to do with your horse on the ground! Grab a bunch of random things and put them on the ground to walk over with him, teach him to side pass from both directions, pivots and forehand turns, backing in circles, setting up a sort of trail course in the arena. For the pushiness with your hands, it sounds harmless but if its something you want to correct/ work on you can teach him to back up out of your space by just wiggling a finger in front of him

Get creative and have fun with it! It will also strengthen the relationship you have with him and give him lots of respect for you


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## Corporal (Jul 29, 2010)

sigh
We have SO MANY posts of newbies who are getting thrown, or WORSE, off of their horses. If you aren't practicing to ride broncs in a rodeo then you have mistakenly bought a horse with training problems instead of a finished pleasure animal.
*You NEED someone to train this horse.* I am truly sorry that you will have to spend money ONE WAY OR THE OTHER to fix this problem, or I should say These Problems. You own a spoiled horse who WILL get worse, and weighs 8x-10x more than YOU, therefore dangerous.
I wish I could tell you that you buy a horse like you buy a car and enjoy the (car) horse for a LONG time without any problems. *Truth is a horse owner is ALWAYS training or retraining and you won't be a happy horse owner without learning how to do so.* Horses think and even reason. Cars are dumb and mute and will drive straight into a building if you ask them to. A horse won't. _(Remember "True Lies", where the horse stops before stupidly jumping off a precipice? He also backed up with a verbal command. Horses are really incredible in that they can be trained to do a multitude of different things.)_
What should you do NOW? Hard to say. You already accept his nipping. One women enjoyed feeding her horse a carrot that she held with her own teeth. Eventually her horse bit her in the face, and she was missing flesh. Did that frighten you? It SHOULD.
I suggest that you find a trainer who can train the horse and train YOU to train the horse. That costs $.
Many people are very happy with Clinton Anderson's Basic course--- ~$300.00, maybe more now --but most of them have gotten really sick and tired of no success with their horse. You don't sound like you are there, yet.
Good luck.


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## jaydee (May 10, 2012)

Just caring for your horse on a daily basis is the best way to bond with it. Making rules about behavior, standing still to be groomed, bathed. feet handled, leading correctly - all those things establish what you expect from him and what he should expect from you
I only feed treats as a reward for a new learning experience, I never use them 'just because' or they don't see them as a special thing.
There are many things you can do from the ground such as lunging, asking for him to move backwards and sideways to signals but you still have to get back on one day and none of those things will chase the buck out of him
Please get some hands on help from a trainer if you aren't experienced to deal with that sort of thing from the saddle


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## Saddlebag (Jan 17, 2011)

To gain his respect it will happen in many small ways. No. 1 is making him move his feet. A horse that is higher in the order in the herd will do this as it takes a notion that it wants to stand where another horse is, or eat that grass. You can achieve this even when leading. Turn the horse away from you, to the right, instead of to your left. Why? In the horse's thinking when it's away from you, you are moving him. When it's to the left, he thinks he's moving you which places you lower in rank. If he crowds you at feeding time, take your whip and wave it about waist high side to side to back him away. If he walks into it he'll back away and will be more mindful to stay back. Don't be afraid to deliver a good smack with the whip if it warrants it. He won't hate you because the whip did it. After one good smack he'll really pay mind.


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## Dawn854 (Aug 11, 2013)

Corporal, _stop preaching at me._ I can't believe how rude you are. Just because I am a first-time horse owner does _not_ mean I don't have any experience. I have leased several horses before I got mine and I've done a heck of a lot of riding! The reason my guy was bucking so much was because I was bringing him back into work and he was being a totally spoiled piglet when I asked him to canter. He's not young, he's not inexperienced, and he's certainly enough for me to handle. And FYI, I am getting someone else more experienced to ride him for me before I get back on, I can freely admit when I am in over my head. Get off your soapbox, step down from your high horse, and don't judge so harshly before you know what's going on. I have asked for help with groundwork, not a lecture on irresponsibility, so either answer my question or butt out. Anyone can fall off a horse badly and injure themselves, and it doesn't mean that they don't have the experience to ride that horse.


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## Dawn854 (Aug 11, 2013)

I am also getting his back checked, in case he was bucking from pain.


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## Saddlebag (Jan 17, 2011)

Dawn, altho I prefer gentler methods with some horses it just has to be my way, like it or not and I might use a little corporal punishment. After 5 years of never using that type of punishment, I caved in and a horse got a smack with the lunge whip. Not real hard but enough to let him know that I meant business. We made more progress in an hour than in weeks. Was he nervous? No quite the opposite for a change.


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## Dawn854 (Aug 11, 2013)

I appreciate the responses, everyone. Thank you for taking the time to respond to my thread. I do want to make a point though, he is quite respectful on the ground and does not crowd, is happy to move over when asked, and is very good to lunge. I do admit that I have been a bit liberal with apples, but that will be changing soon and I will not be accepting his nose near my hands anymore. I have let him develop that habit and I take full responsibility for that. I am not desperate. I am not in over my head. With his bucking I am, maybe, but I will be paying a professional to bring him back into work before I get back on him.

I am just looking for stuff to do with him on the ground. I do quite like Clinton Anderson and his methods, so I might try some of that. But if anyone else has ideas, I'm quite open to those!


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

Ok. As for hand feeding , it's not a good idea for some horses but if you do like to do it then require that the horse take the treat politely. Or, just quit doing hand fed treats . 

I made this very crummy video with bad sound


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## Dawn854 (Aug 11, 2013)

Thank you for the video! I can definitely work on this, this is very helpful! Andy tends to lunge for the apple when he sees it being presented, which is something I've been wary of, but I'll try and get him to be politer about taking food. Either that, or I can just leave them in his feed bucket.


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## Corporal (Jul 29, 2010)

Dawn, I am truly sorry. I am NOT trying to preach. *I just know how badly you can get hurt by being bucked off and I DON'T want to hear about your accident.*
That being said, I guess I would just ground school the Hexx out of him. I would also spend a whole day on just perfecting leading, backing, haunches over, forehand over, and drilling and drilling him on taking lunging cues for all 3 gaits. I have taught my 16'3hh (that my Vet thinks is really 17hh) 1,450 lb KMH gelding (7 ft. girth) to put his head over the gate of the stall and wait for the halter, then we take our good old time leading out. He also puts his head over the gate after walking through it. I can now drop the lead and he waits for me to undo the halter. ANY work that leads to calm obedience will make your horse better.
Also, the CA lunging for respect works really well to get pretty much ANY horse to WANT to stand still and listen but also to react immediately when YOU say so.
AND quit the treats before he bites you in the leg.


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## Dawn854 (Aug 11, 2013)

It's ok Corporal. I do understand about the internet being full of people who don't know what they are doing, posting their problems online and expecting somebody else to be able to fix them. Horsemanship isn't cut-and-dried into friendly newbie packages for anybody to pick up - there are a lot of things that you can only learn from someone who knows what they are doing.

Those are all good ideas that I can put into practice. I want to build a little arsenal of things I can do with my boy to get to know him better, since I've only had him a short time. We're still gelling and trying to figure each other out, and I suppose I have been a bit soft on him. I've had a nightmare of a time trying to find a saddle to fit him, he's a high-withered horse with no muscle on his back, so whenever he acted up under saddle, I would (often correctly) assume that his saddle was causing him pain and not correct him for it. So now that I've got a saddle that fits, and now that I'm asking him to do some work, he's figured out that he can't pull the wool over my eyes anymore, and he's throwing some tantrums! I've got plenty of help, no fear on that front, and it is unfortunate that I've hurt myself, but I'll take a lesson from that and proceed more cautiously with this horse.


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## jaydee (May 10, 2012)

I'm sorry you got offended Dawn - your first post did sound as if you had little experience and that does make a lot of people worry that there's potential for a serious accident so often comments that come over as harsh are really made out of concern for the safety of the person asking for advice and not intended to cause offence.
I can vouch that Tinylinys method for teaching respect when hand feeding works because its very similar to the one I use and have always had success with it. Teaching a horse to have manners around treats is actually better IMO than avoiding treats - but I have no problem with anyone who prefers to do that.
When you do whatever groundwork you decide on I would suggest that you at least saddle the horse every time you work him. I have had several horses that buck in a reaction to the feel of the girth tight around them after a length of time off and yours might be one of those
I also discovered that my pinto stopped all her bucking and crow hopping when I got her a sheepskin pad (or numnah as we call them in the UK) and a sheepskin lined girth. She is a precious princess & super sensitive to any slight pinches and discomfort that other horses tolerate.


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

Dawn854 said:


> Thank you for the video! I can definitely work on this, this is very helpful! Andy tends to lunge for the apple when he sees it being presented, which is something I've been wary of, but I'll try and get him to be politer about taking food. Either that, or I can just leave them in his feed bucket.



I hope that helps. I was not being nearly as firm as I would have been with some horses. Mac , the horse in that film, is one that is a bit pushy , I admit, but I have always been somewhat indulgent toward him. He is usually very careful and does not bite, only "snuffle". However, that fact that he does this is because I allow it. I mean, his bad habit is still in existence because I chose to tolerate it. It's MY fault. 
Better would be for me to be super , super clear and consistent about this. It's NOT ok for you to ever put your lips on me, or to move that close into my space. If I was very clear, I would not have to constantly remind him and he would not be constantly pushing the boundary. 
There's a certain "cuteness" to it that many of us fall for. I am raising my hand and admitting that. However, if Mac were more aggressive or unpredictable, I would cut out the indulgence and be a better parent/leader.

So,. as a new owner, it's not surprising that you've been indulgent to your horse. As you begin to see that, you'll maybe want to look at your interaction through the eyes of a disinterested party, a non-parent to this horse. Would that person see your horse as well behaved? and you as doing your job teaching him to be so?


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## Almond Joy (Dec 4, 2011)

Some things that I like to do on the ground (Other than what has already been suggested) is lunging with side reins (if you know how to use them correctly.) It will build up their topline and build some muscles for when you get back to work. However, if used incorrectly, they can be useless or be bad.

Some other things are stretching (Leg stretches and carrot stretches), teaching some fun tricks like bow, and just grooming (Maybe if he has some spots he isn't fond of you touching you could work those out?). Here's a video about stretching:


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## srcosticov (Aug 14, 2013)

First off, you guys are still learning a lot about each other since you've only had him for a couple of months, so don't worry about getting all the kinks out at once - you're a new horse owner, not an experienced trainer, so it will take some time to get to a good point without the help of a professional. In short - don't get discouraged!

That being said, there are a TON of things you can do on the ground to help both you and your horse bond to one another. You can start by practicing basic ground manners (lifting all 4 feet and stretching the legs out, leading on both sides, ground tying, etc).

You don't need a round pen to work your horse, just a line. You can work on verbal commands and keep your guy exercised. 

Wish you a speedy recovery!


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## KatieQ (Apr 4, 2011)

I would also like to add here that in addition to lunging, longlining is quite good and more closely simulates riding. If you have never done it, have someone teach you or at least watch some videos as it can be confusing at first with two lines, which can get wrapped around your ankles if you do it incorrectly. I do a lot of it with my young gelding and it is quite fun, you can do direction changes, serpentines, go around and over obstacles, etc. which builds trust and communication. It does take some practice to get the timing right with both hands but it also helps teach you to have better hands when you ride.


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## KatieQ (Apr 4, 2011)

Oh, I just noticed that you had injured your ankle, so longlining might not work for you right now but it might be a good thing to do after you've recovered a little, and might even help strengthen your ankle after your injury. Good luck!


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## totalfreedom (Nov 23, 2009)

I was just in another thread about Clinton Anderson. :lol: I really like all his stuff. He has some books that are pretty cheap which have exercises in them. I can't think of what book in particular at the moment.....hold on I'll just go look.....................Clinton Andersons Downunder Horsemanship Establishing Respect and Control for English and Western Riders. There are 11 groundwork exercises and five of the exercises have from four to two variations.....so essentially it's 23 groundwork exercises. I found the book at a Barnes and Noble. There is also a website called the no worries club which is a membership site. It's a commitment for an entire year but it's only 20 bucks......there are a TON of videos on there where you could learn many exercises. There not as thoroughly explained as they are in his fundamentals kit, but you would still learn a LOT.

Some exercises you could do......

Backing - a really good exercise for a pushy horse. All exercises that are done will establish you as the leader, but for some reason this one is said to establish it the most.

Lateral flexion - Good for building the foundation of a very soft horse that doesn't pull on the bit. And this is the beginning stages of creating a horse that naturally wants to travel in a collected gait.

Yielding the hindquarters - making the horses but move away from you is always good. If you've ever watched horses....they will back up into one another with their butt to say, move it or else I'm gonna kick you.

Desensitizing exercises - the idea is you want your horse to stand there falling asleep as you are making a ruckus around him. Plus this is a great way to teach your horse to not be afraid of you or any of your tools such as whips, sticks, ropes....whatever else you may use.

Sending your horse between you and an object such as a fence or the side of a building. The goal is to create a gap just small enough for the horse to fit through between you and the object and have your horse just calmly walk through the space......I'm mentioning this exercise because it's one that you can do with a wounded ankle because you won't need to move nearly at all........BUT if your horse isn't quite trusting you as his leader then you may want to hold off on making the gap really narrow or else he may kick out at you in fear.....or just hold off on the exercise all together until he's trusting you, and then start with a large gap and work on making in narrower.

Sidepassing - this would be good and wouldn't require a lot of effort on your part. You will still need to walk a little bit but you shouldn't be hustling around.

I'm just trying to mention a few exercises that you could do with a hurt ankle that won't put lots of stress on you. Though all of these exercises could use some very thorough explanations that could fill a book....and they have.


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## Dawn854 (Aug 11, 2013)

Thank you so much for all of your suggestions everyone. Some of them are ideas that I'm really excited about! Once I'm able to go out and visit him, I'll definitely try a few and I'll let you all know how it goes. Some of the desensitizing is a good idea, especially since Andy is a TB and he definitely has his TB moments! I also think I'd really like to work on lateral flexion and yielding the hindquarters, as I'd like to teach him the one-rein stop. I have some soccer cones which I can use to make some obstacle courses out of. And I'll probably try to lunge him with side-reins at least twice a week, which hopefully will build up some muscle on his back, since he has practically none!


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## totalfreedom (Nov 23, 2009)

You've probably looked all this up already but I'll mention it in case you haven't yet.

On building topline.....backing is supposed to be very effective at building topline. The trick is to get your horse to back with his head down low, which only seems to happen once the horse has done lots of backing. But especially backing up a slight incline while the head is low is supposed to be the best way to do it.

Walking over raised poles is also a good one to build topline. If you're going to lunge him and you have poles, then set them up in a circle pattern.

Then there are tummy raises??? Not sure if that's the correct name, but you basically put your fingertips on the center line of the horses abdomen and push and the horse will pick up his back, hold for five to ten seconds and release. Do this all along the center line to get him to lift his back all the way from his psoas muscles to his withers. Build up to holding more than ten seconds. This exercise causes him to work his abdomen muscles. April Battles has some good stuff on youtube, I think it's under holistic horse works. There's also a point on the horses rump just to the side and slightly up of the base of the tail that you can push on that will get your horse to suck in his abdomen and lift his back. I like to start here and then move to the abdomen under the psoas muscles and work my way forward.


Oh there's also one other groundwork exercise I was thinking of....getting your horse to lower his head when he is near you. Make a C with your thumb and pointer or middle finger.....it'll actually be a backwards C if you're using your right hand. And touch the horse just behind the poll with your fingers in the C shape. And release the touch the instant your horse lowers his head. You'll likely need to up the pressure, but always start with just a touch, and if he doesn't lower his head......then push.....then press harder......and finally if he's still just standing there or pushing back against you then DIG. But remember release the instant your horse lowers head. This is a good one for getting your horse more relaxed and helps build that foundation of getting your horse to carry himself in a collected gait which is good for building topline.


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## JungleJulia (Apr 19, 2013)

The horse I'm working with is a six year old quarter horse. I dont own him but I am allowed to train and use him for barrel racing (eventually). i've only known him for 5 months and in those five months i've handled him about 6 times. 
Join up was fast...I'm not kidding. In his 2nd session we were joined up.
Lunging in the round pen (so far I worked with him for 5 sessions), disengaging the hind quarters, giving his head...this week it will be more desensitising with plastic bags.) this past session when the trainer/mentor was desensitising with a bag on a stick that horse moved and stood behind me watching this spooky thing fly about the place.
I can go out to the pasture and catch him so easily. Even had a guy that went out to catch him and Lil Boy (that's his name) walked off. I called to him and walked up to him and he didn't even move. He followed me over to an arena that's set up in the pasture area.
I made a video or two with me lunging him without any rope/halter, he goes in the direction I point to and stops with little effort from my part. He will follow me around the pen like no other. I purposely will stop him right where some grass is to see if he'll graze instead of come to me.
I'm a beginner trainer in training under the wing and guidance of a good old veteran cowboy who trains with natural horsemanship. He's always there to ensure I'm doing a good and consistent job. When it comes time to get him under saddle, my mentor will be getting in the saddle. No exceptions. He's years of rough and tumbles under his belt.
I believe that every owner of a horse is a trainer. I've never trained a horse till now. Reading books isn't enough for me, I'm a hands on type of person.
You're lucky to own a horse! I have to drive an hour away to get to this horse and I do it three times a week religiously!


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## shelbyhagler (Aug 21, 2013)

I absolutely LOVE Clinton Anderson methods! And he's actually fun to watch! Good luck with your horse!


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## JungleJulia (Apr 19, 2013)

shelbyhagler said:


> I absolutely LOVE Clinton Anderson methods! And he's actually fun to watch! Good luck with your horse!


I'm going to part two of his clinic tomorrow though a lot of the stuff he's teaching are stuff that I've been taught. Can't wait to see tomorrow's work though!
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Dawn854 (Aug 11, 2013)

I just had Andy's back checked by a chiropractor, and I'm very glad I did! Poor Andy was quite a sore boy! She spent a good hour working on him. It's my fault for chopping and changing saddles, having him in saddles too narrow, and stuffing pads beneath them to try and make them fit.  We also checked the saddle he's in now, which fits him fine. I'll get his back checked again before I'm healed enough to get back on him, but his soreness would certainly explain his bucking!


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## Saddlebag (Jan 17, 2011)

Dawn, google horse agility. Set up the course with whatever you have on hand. It helps fine tune the horse's responses.


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## Dawn854 (Aug 11, 2013)

I had quite a battle with Andy today ... I'm pretty sure I won though.

I haven't been able to work him as much lately - between the bad weather, my own lack of time, and the fact that I can't ride with my ankle being the way it is, he's been spending a lot of time in the paddock. I've been lunging him about twice a week, but the ground's very deep at the moment and there's horses grazing in the only good riding paddock, so I haven't been willing to work him too hard or do anything more than canter.

Today I got him ready to lunge. Put his saddle on, then I ran my hand over his withers and realized that with the girth done up tight, it presses him far too much in that area on either side of his withers. He was visibly concerned with the added bulk of my hand there, which leads me to think he's sore again. He's in a medium gullet English saddle but I think I'm going to need to go for a wide!

I put away the saddle and decided not to lunge him. We did some groundwork, he's getting very good at flexing his head when I ask him to! Then I thought I'd take him for a stroll around the paddocks, just to have something else to do I guess. I only had a little bit of time to spend with him.

When I took him out of his paddock, his head went up and he began to get excited. His stride got quick, he was blowing through his nostrils. He wasn't scared, just full of energy like a shaken up soda bottle and he was excited to be going somewhere. I'm not going to lie, I felt a little bit scared. We were in a narrow raceway between paddocks, and I didn't want to get into a fight with him in there.

After a few metres, I turned him to walk back to his paddock. He immediately began to barge and strike out with his forelegs (not at me, just like he was attempting a Spanish walk), angling his hindquarters in towards me and turning his head away from me. I was getting pretty scared, ok, because he was being unpredictable and I really thought he would kick me. We made it to the gate, I guided him through it, and turned to close it behind me, keeping a close eye on him the whole time. It was well that I did because he REARED, and he had the stubbornest look on his face, like "what's the holdup, hurry up, I want to go back now and you're slowing me down." That's when I realized that I couldn't take him back now. He was being one disrespectful ****e and I needed to deal with it right now.

I got my lunge whip and line and I sent him away. I was angry. The dominant kind of angry, that allows me to look a horse in the eye and do whatever it takes to get them to listen. Andy fought me. He turned his bum towards me and took off. I held on to the rope, leaning my weight back and yanking back with all my might. He was in a rope halter, and it probably saved my life. He yanked me forward, but with my weight and the added weight of my pulling, he couldn't drag me for more than a few strides. If it were a nylon halter, he would have been able to run right through the pressure, but he couldn't with the rope on his nose. I got his head around and tried again, and this time he went where I sent him, off around me at a canter with no boots on. Forget the mud; he was being a spoilt, dangerous horse and he needed a good lesson. Plus he had energy to burn. That was half the problem, he was a Thoroughbred, full of spring grass, and no outlet.

This played out again several times until he decided to be a good boy. I just want to add that his nose was ok, I'm not strong enough to break it! There were no rope burns on his face afterwards, either. My hands however are another story. Lesson learned, wear gloves! The nylon lunge rope tore my hands to shreds.  I worked him until he got a sweat going, making him change directions often while on the go. After he stopped paying attention to the horse in the next paddock and began listening to me, I quit lunging. I wasn't satisfied though. I began backing him and making him yield his hindquarters round and round, both ways, until he would begin moving if I only looked at his hindquarters with purposeful intent.

I took him for a walk down the raceway again, back and forth, and he went as quiet as a lamb.

Sorry for the long post. Just thought I'd update you all with our progress! He's normally such a well-mannered guy, but I guess he's never really challenged me that way before. I'd say that most of the issue was his high spirits, but energized or no, it was unacceptable the way he was acting on the ground. I'll add pics next time, I promise!


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## Saddlebag (Jan 17, 2011)

What are you feeding this horse? TBs are very responsive to the amount of supplemental feeding they get. These horses were bred to run and he needs liberal turnout to blow it off, not in a roundpen but a good size arena or pasture.


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## Beling (Nov 3, 2009)

I don't know if this applies but my otherwise-sweet horse also had a slight bucking problem when I got her, and I had a trainer work with her for 2 weeks. Mostly all groundwork.

One thing he did a LOT was asking her to yield her head to the halter: the one-rein-stop maneuver. He always asked very quietly, waiting until she yielded her head around, then took a disengaging step with her hind end. He did it both sides. 

She got to where she was yielding _without thinking_, it was getting automatic; and that's what he wanted. When he began to ride her, he wanted to know she would yield at any time he asked.

(Turned out she didn't buck with him, but when I got home, I made sure I practiced the yields before riding. I've used it a few times since: in some out-of-control situations, it allowed me to dismount gracefully!)


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## Dawn854 (Aug 11, 2013)

He's got about two acres of pasture that he's on all the time, so he certainly has room to blow off steam if he wants to. And I think he does it often, judging by the fresh divot marks in the turf when I go to catch him! 

He gets fed a scoop of sugar beet and a scoop of meadow/lucerne mix chaff twice a day, along with a small scoop of Equilibrium mineral mix. He also gets a flake of hay twice a day. I know the lucerne chaff is heating, but he was getting bored of his meadow chaff, so I got him a mixture that he's happier with. I'm thinking of putting him on a toxin binder like Dolomite or Alleviate - here in New Zealand we had an early spring, and the grass he's eating is pretty rich. He's in a good mood, hasn't had enough work, and is testing the waters.


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## BuildDaBunny (Feb 16, 2013)

I always play the friendly game. It is where you get a stick and string or a lunging whip and rub it all over the horse. Then eventually throw the string over his back and around his neck/legs.


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## Mikhala (Oct 23, 2013)

Hi Dawn, 

First I would like to say that I agree that rude posts are neither appropriate or helpful. People here are looking for support, ideas and conversation, not to be reprimanded for mistakes. Offer ideas and suggestions, not condescending treatment. If you want my opinion, anyone can train a horse if they are given the basic tools and understand those tools. It's not rocket science so attitude about it is not necessary.


Second, I am currently subscribing to Warwick Schiller online. It's only $25/month and you get access to all his training videos AND the Facebook page with tons of helpful suggestions.

Best of luck with your horse!
M.


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## Saddlebag (Jan 17, 2011)

Have you considered Horse Agility. There a great book out that teaches how to fine tune the groundwork using whatever obstacles you can scrounge. If you go to youtube you will get some ideas of what others do. The book is still your best bet as the author carefully explains the whys and wherefores and the goals.


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## Palomine (Oct 30, 2010)

Join up is not a good thing to do with TB's. When they get to point they are lowering head and licking lips? Which rarely happens...they are looking for a way to get away from you.

They are very reactive, and do not respond well to that. Plus this is a breed that is breezed daily to build up strength and to condition them. It increases their stamina. And if you are wanting yours to settle in, this is not the way to do it. Running them around just gets the blood to pumping more and more.

We had 2 years old, AL breds, and when John Lyons was going to be in Mobile AL years ago...he wanted unbroke 2 year olds for his wonder clinic....owner of farm called and offered the AL breds, said could come up and take his pick.

Was told very quickly that "John Lyons does NOT work with TB's." Gee, wonder why?

If you want to build anything with this horse, quit the foolishness, keep your body energy low and your movements easy. Horse seeing that you are not going to act like a village idiot and run it around and around will go a long way to that.

But I second you really need to get a trainer to restart this horse, as you just don't have the skills to do it.


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## Dawn854 (Aug 11, 2013)

You really did get up on the wrong side of the bed today, didn't you Palomine?

I'll give you all an update: I'm doing some of Clinton Andersons' stuff with Andy. He flexes his head nicely, yields his hindquarters very well, and we're still working on the forequarters. He's respectful, doesn't crowd, and has dropped the habit of nosing my hands.

Best of all, my ankle is healed enough to ride again. I've had the chiro out to him twice, and I give him massages before I get on so I can work through any sore spots. I'm not cantering him for a little while, he's still quite sensitive to the leg and will buck if asked. I've had three experienced horse people (one of them an international rider) tell me that it wouldn't be wise to push him just yet, to just keep working on walk and trot until he offers the canter on his own. It's springtime at the moment, and the grass he's living on can fatten a dairy cow, so he's quite full of it! He'll probably be better around summertime, or when I can get him moved to the place near my house which has less rich grass.

We're ok, I have some good help around me, and it's been a while since my original post. I'm happy with how he's going and I know what I need to work on.


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

Dawn854 said:


> I had quite a battle with Andy today ... I'm pretty sure I won though.
> 
> I haven't been able to work him as much lately - between the bad weather, my own lack of time, and the fact that I can't ride with my ankle being the way it is, he's been spending a lot of time in the paddock. I've been lunging him about twice a week, but the ground's very deep at the moment and there's horses grazing in the only good riding paddock, so I haven't been willing to work him too hard or do anything more than canter.
> 
> ...


you got lucky. Don't take a horse out to walk along a narrow walkway, with distractions and such , unless you have him reasonably focussed ON you. next time, wear gloves, work him first, even if it's in his own pasture. Test things out a bit first. how he leads, how he backs , turns moves away. THings like that. kind of a test drive. if he is not calm and leading pretty well, don't put him in a really challenging place before working on the line. Do that first.
him rearing, and striking out , man, you got lucky to have only rope burned hands.


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## Dawn854 (Aug 11, 2013)

I know I was. :/ We're still a work in progress. Everyone makes mistakes, and one of mine cost me (my ankle), so I can completely admit when I've screwed up. I've come to this forum for advice, but I really would appreciate it if it was friendly as well. Thank you everybody who has been kind and civil.


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## aharlov (Apr 2, 2013)

Subscribing for some ideas as well


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## eleora9001 (Sep 26, 2013)

Once you can get your horse to pivot of the fore and hind quarters, you should try setting up your own little showmanship course with cones.. Walk/trot from ground, pivot, turns, back up, I do this with my TB and it was good bonding and a lot of fun!


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## Saddlebag (Jan 17, 2011)

Watch those spring grasses. When the evenings are cool and the days are rapidly warming, the sugar content in the grasses rises. This can result in founder in some horses, a crippling condition. If you can, restrict him to hay during the day and turn him out in the evening when the sugars have gone down to the roots. Then in by about 8 am. Once the evening temps are quite warm he could probably be out all the time. You need to be mindful of this in the fall again as the evening temps mimic those in the spring. When you offer minerals, don't mix them in but have it free choice. Also provide a salt lick and loose salt (table salt) free choice. From years of observation my horses ingest far more loose salt than from the lick. A lick can make the tongue sore. His diet may be a little rich which can account for his energy. Try tapering him off to grass and the hay and let his weight be your guide.


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## Kato (Apr 20, 2011)

When I hurt my ankle I had a green halter broke morgan. All I did was ground work. we did lounging at first, following CA lounging for respect. Then yeinding od shoulders and hind quarters. Once she was good with that we started using ground poles and other obstacles that I found to play with. 

One of our favorites was to lay a ground pole on the ground and have her walk towards me but the catch was she could only step with one foot over the pole at a time. If she put more than one foot over she had to back up and try again. Once I was more mobile I would end our sessions by walking on the trails around the farm or down the road on a lead rope. 

All of the work we did strengthened our bond immensly. I also suggest looking ta you tube for ground work ideas. I found all sorts of fun stuff to try on there without spending $ on extra equipment.


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## ToManyHorsesAndOnePony (Oct 16, 2013)

Ground driving! You can even set up little "courses" over poles through poles... I've even taken my big boy on trails ground driving, its fun, and gets you some exercise to.


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## Corporal (Jul 29, 2010)

TOTALLY agree with Palomine. A long time ago I tt TB owners who were showing. Many of them would walk a full hour AFTER a workout with their TB to get them calm, relaxed and LISTENING. You can do this. I have worked my two gaited horses to know that we WILL walk when I ask for it. Everybody loves the alternative to a trot and these horses prefer to amble, run-walk, pace, tolt, whatever the gait is called for the breed, so you have to insist on a relaxed walk on any horse that doesn't want to.
Training is repetition, so make walking and relaxing a habit with your TB.
Btw, anyone with a gaited horse that IS relaxed has had a trainer who trained them to it. They are similiar to a TB or an Arab.


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## Soulhorse8 (Dec 15, 2013)

Dawn854 said:


> Corporal, _stop preaching at me._ I can't believe how rude you are. Just because I am a first-time horse owner does _not_ mean I don't have any experience. I have leased several horses before I got mine and I've done a heck of a lot of riding! The reason my guy was bucking so much was because I was bringing him back into work and he was being a totally spoiled piglet when I asked him to canter. He's not young, he's not inexperienced, and he's certainly enough for me to handle. And FYI, I am getting someone else more experienced to ride him for me before I get back on, I can freely admit when I am in over my head. Get off your soapbox, step down from your high horse, and don't judge so harshly before you know what's going on. I have asked for help with groundwork, not a lecture on irresponsibility, so either answer my question or butt out. Anyone can fall off a horse badly and injure themselves, and it doesn't mean that they don't have the experience to ride that horse.


I so agree with you Dawn. Gez, that was a horrible lecture. Hahah. Just spend time with your boy. See if you can learn something new everyday with him, never smack a horse, they are big and can do much worse than you. Treach him through love language and leadership. If he doesn't understand what your asking, ask again and again, but with kindness. Never get angry and keep your emotions out of it. You don't need a trainer, you need him - your horse. He will teach you, just listen to him. They move off of pressure, so start with small things. Put a finger on his jaw and push gently, keep pushing until you notice the slightest "away fro pressure" movement, then immediately remove your finger. This can be done all over his body. I can lead my 2 year old colt with his ear or muzzle. I can back him with his tail, and nose with the slightest pressure. Remember, a horse can feel a misquito on his *** in a sand storm. It's about unity.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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