Hygain News - Ground Manners

The HYGAIN Forum - Where the experts lend their advice and experiences Discussion: Ground Manners - Can all Horses Have Them?
Andrew Soper		Nicole Tough	Sally Yeomans	Claudia Reid

	Andrew Soper - Western I believe that all horses need to have ground manners to be safe, enjoyable and easy to ride. Ground manners are the foundation of a good horse and I am yet to find any horse that is badly behaved on the ground and good to ride. I personally spend a lot of time with all my horses working on their ground work in a round pen. I like to have the horse work at liberty so as they are free to express their personality and I can adapt what tasks I ask of them accordingly. As someone who likes to compete in the Western Performance disciplines I can generally establish whether or not a horse is going to be suitable for my needs during this ground work stage and whether I wish to go on and establish a relationship with this horse or if they would be more suitable in another discipline.
Establishing ground manners is a great way to get to know your horse. I consider it to be like the dating process where both you and your partner get to know one another. The ground manner exercises I like to have established include willingly moving the horses various body parts away from pressure, having the horse accept being handled all over and driving/lunging them over obstacles. You can spend a lot of time refining your horse's ground manners and your imagination is your only limit. Once you have established these ground manners you should find your horse is a lot more pleasant to be around, to float, shoe, take to events ect. You'll find that you will have to go over teaching your horse their ground manners again from time to time when the need arises. It's also an opportunity to refine them and advance them further. Teaching ground manners will make it easier for your horse to understand what you are asking of them when it comes to riding them. If they can already accept being handled all over their body then they shouldn't be as easily frightened by saddles, or being touched by your legs on their sides. If they know how to yield to pressure then they are less likely to be confused and frightened when you ask them to move a particular part of their body and if you've driven or lunged them over obstacles then this task should be a lot easier to accomplish on their back. Not only giving you the confidence to perform the task but the horse as well because you have already broken the task down for the horse to find easier to achieve. Keep in mind your capabilities and your horse's safety, if you're not sure that it is safe to do don't do it. It is as easy to teach a horse bad ground manners as it is good ground manners so if you're not sure what you are doing then make sure you seek professional help as it is always better to start off right then to have things go wrong and then try to fix it. It can also be a much bigger ordeal for your horse then it need be so remember this if things start to go wrong. Accomplishing good ground manners can be an extremely enjoyable and rewarding experience as well as confidence building for both yourself and the horse. It is also yet another way to have a great time with your horse as well as a great way for your horse to enjoy your company too. So make the most of it and take pride in having a well behaved horse. You don't have to put up with rude, pushing and disrespectful behavior and your horse will soon work out whether or not you will. Get to it and re-establish the basis to your relationship and you'll soon reap the rewards with a terrific relationship. Good Luck Andrew Soper (Blue Ribbon Equine Pty Ltd) Back to Top
	Nicole Tough - Dressage Wherever man and horse come into contact, the horse needs to learn that it is the submissive being. Wherever these two species mingle, man must be thought of as the dominant part of the equation. When horses are paddocked together, they establish a “pekking order,” with a particular “king” or “queen” of the paddock. When humans come along, we need to establish that we are at the top of the “pekking order” and anything we say – goes! Horses are too big and too strong to think they are the boss. Even the smallest pony can pack a mean punch if they kick you! Even with the best discipline, accidents can happen and people can be “in the wrong place at the wrong time,” but we can minimise the risk by having our horses respectful and mindful of our space.
Nicole Tough Back to Top
	Sally Yeomans - Eventing It is very important for an owner to teach a foal at a young age what is the right behaviour and what is the wrong behaviour. As a foal grows and starts to get bigger if he doesn't have respect for you and understand that you are the boss this can often lead to serious problems or worse, injuries to you. If a horse is taught simple manners at the start, it will make life a lot easier for everyone later on. This is easy to say if you breed your horses. However, often they are purchased when they are a little bigger and this is where manner issues become a problem for everyone.
Often when purchasing a horse the manner problems become apparent early on into your relationship together. It will take some time but with gentle reinforcing you can curve horses bad habits as the horse learns to respect you and learn what it is that you want from them. If this happens then you are set for a bright and happy future. Sometimes you come across horses that are very set in the ways of life. Maybe older horses who have had manner problems all their life won't be so keen to change their bad habits. If this is the case you have two choices, learn to live with the bad manners and find ways to get around them or move on and find a new friend to start a partnership with. Sally Yeomans Back to Top
	Claudia Reid - Endurance The simple answer is yes. The reason that all horses should have ground manners is because they are much bigger and stronger than we are, so we have to be smarter. We need them to accept shoeing, washing, clipping, grooming, and saddling up, all experiences that are not what nature intended. It will also make it a lot more fun to deal with your horse and you more popular with the people you come in contact with. I believe it is easier to teach ground manners when you have bred the horse yourself, it has had you handling mum, and then going through the weaning process, it knows what you expect from it. With a young horse I always think of them like children and know there will be some days that are better than others. You need to keep the training constant being firm but fair also introducing them to new experiences.
When buying older horses, which have learnt what they can and can't get away with from different owners, this can be more difficult. You need to work with this horse over a period of time to teach it the way you want things done. Three Important lessons that horses of any age should have BASIC LEADING Your horse should walk beside you at about level with your shoulder not cutting in front, dragging behind or jumping all over you. To achieve this you have to be constant, keeping the horse in the position that you want making it more unpleasant when its not and rewarding when it is. You can use a long whip as an extension of your arm to keep them moving forward tapping lightly if they lag behind. STANDING STILL I think this is a very important lesson because the horse has the fright/flight response ingrained into it. It will make it much easier to do things for the first time as your horse will be concentrating on what you are doing not on mucking around. Like most lessons this just has to be constant to achieve best results. TYING UP Makes life more pleasant if you can tie your horse up and know it will be there when you come back. I have found that most of our young horses will just tie up after they have had leading lessons; it has the same basic theory which is to come off pressure. When teaching manners to young or old horses you need to be firm but fair keeping your training and what you expect from your horse constant. I think that you should expect good manners from all your horses including stallions who will respond to the same lessons as the others. There is no need to beat your horse into submission the aim is to be smarter than your horse. Claudia Reid Back to Top