I strongly advise all beginner horse folk to get some groundwork coaching laid in well before they even think about putting on the saddle. Smooth groundwork is the precursor for smooth riding, and if I had my way, I’d make it compulsory for newcomers to coach their horses in the round pen.

The secret to success in pony training is repetition. Regardless of how much it strains your schedules, you should stick to your groundwork training until it is completed satisfactorily. Whatever form the training is taking: sensitizing a horse to the subtleties of pressure by repeatedly getting it to obey or desensitizing it to ropes by repeatedly exposing it to the rope, the only way to get the task well done is to repeat and repeat again.

If the pony is at present new to a saddle on its back, it may be a good idea to do the groundwork training with a saddle on your pony? Without sitting on that saddle. Get the pony used to the saddle, its weight and its handling. This will be of significant help to you when it’s time to get into the saddle, because you’ll have already achieved one desensitization process.

Try to keep the saddle tight enough to avoid slipping, but loose enough to let the pony feel relaxed. As long as you aren’t actually going to be riding the horse, you don’t need to cinch up tightly. One way to check if the saddle is just right is to work out if there’s a tight fit of your hand between the horse’s girth and the strap. If there is , you have done it right.

After you have gone thru all of the initial preparations, your first exercise in groundwork is to hook on with the horse.

Hooking on

By getting your horse to hook on, you are solidifying your accord with the horse, while at the same time gaining more respect from it. While steering your horse round the pen, keep to the outside. When you would like your horse to come to a stop, step out in front of him and indicate that he should stop. If things have worked out the way they should, your pony should follow you when you turn and walk off. This is what is referred to by ‘hooking on’. If the pony didn’t stop when you stepped in front him and commanded him to, it indicates that you have not been forceful enough when facing the horse.

You will have to keep repeating the exercise until your horse responds with perfection.

Body language

Almost exclusively, you use body cues when handling your horse. Since this sort of communication calls for great consistency to avoid confusion, you should have mastered physical communication skills, and you also should be adept at reading your horse’s body language.

As a amateur, you should not try to command your pony with any cue apart from physical. Whether it is a matter of getting your pony to switch direction or execute inside turns, you need to communicate using special body language techniques.

The horse’s power generating plant is in its hind quarters, so keep that under consideration. Move toward him, clicking as you do to get him moving forward. Pay constant attention to the horse’s physical centres of power when radiating body signals. When you and your horse have become adept, you’ll manage amazing mutual coordination.

Horses are Heather Tomspassion and she enjoys sharing her extensive knowledge through her 100s of articles with other horse lovers click here