Yesterday I was riding Brasilia do Summerwind, a green 3 year old mare. After the ride, my husband John said “You know I watch her move under saddle and she moves exactly as she does when she is running at liberty in the pasture”. What a compliment! All the energy, enthusiasm and beauty of a natural moving horse was still there! After basking in the praise (I assumed it was for me), we talked about how we had gotten there.
We believe it is the ground work we do. We work with the foals from the time they are born, so it is easy to know the horse inside and out - how it will react to learning new things or new places. Training on the ground lets you and the horse develop a relationship of trust and a way of communicating.
We can teach almost everything a horse needs to know on the ground, and at any age. So, when we get to starting the young horse under saddle, it is just another series of steps in a life-long process.
The time spent with a young horse is especially important. What they are learning during the first 3 years of their lives set the foundation for the rest of their careers. This is time and effort well-spent and well worth whatever time it takes.
With Brasilia, I learned that the horse can also be the teacher. Here is what we learned from our smartest mare:
- Start training with gentleness, not dominance, lots of pauses and lots of enthusiasm for the smallest of tries.
- Look at yourself and your actions if she didn’t get it right. It was almost always my miscue.
- Apologize and start again no matter who got it wrong.
- Always check in to see that we have a connection a level of trust and respect before continuing or starting something new.
- Make sure you are both ready to learn that day.
- Dominance is not the same as leadership.
- Breathe, relax, lick your lips!
For those people who don’t have ground training as part of their regimen now, there are self-help DVDs from all of the world’s great trainers. Stay Natural! Or, you can go to a clinic in your local area or practice with a friend until you get comfortable on your own. The reward is a partner for life –before you ever put a foot in the stirrup.
As we get older, there may come a day where riding is no longer an option. Ground work or just spending time hanging out with a horse may be it. That would still be a great day!
