These 5 videos below will show some of the timing and methods I used to help this horse learn some beginning groundwork:

This young Quarter Horse was tamed in a few days by my friend and dressage trainer Meghan Kavanah, who brought him from having no interest in people whatsoever, to haltering, beginning leading, and developing a good curiosity for human interaction.   I only had one session with him as I was on my way back to Wisconsin, and I didn’t want to break his trust and confuse him, so you’ll see me using very small steps in these videos.  With small steps it’s easier for the horse to find the right answer and not get as flustered and confused.  If I had more time with him, in future sessions I might push him a little more, but he would already have a foundation of trusting that I’m a sensible and fair trainer so that he would keep his good attitude about working with people.

In this first video you’ll see me petting his rump with the rope while I make sure he looks as me.  You’ll also see me teach his very first disengage the near hip and rope-wiggle for back up.  This horse was reluctant to follow me as I walked off;  notice how I corrected myself by walking off at an angle.

In the next video below, I’m working on teaching the horse to give his head to the side and rubbing the rope on his rump.  It’s important that the horse be comfortable not only feeling the rope on his body, but also seeing the rope moving on his body.  Many times a horse will stand quietly as we desensitize him to various things, such as a saddle or blanket, but he has been standing with his head turned ever-so slightly away so that he actually is avoiding seeing what we are doing.  Your horse NEEDS to see what you are doing, so that he will become accustomed to seeing it as well as hearing the sound and feeling it.   He is going to see you up there in the saddle when you turn, so you might want him to be comfortable with everything before you’re on his back.
When doing the desensitizing work,  I am watching his head to read his expression.  I do not need to watch my hand moving the rope on his rump.

Notice that I do not pull his head to the side.  I simply take the slack out of the rope and wait for him to give to the pressure.  The horse in this video isn’t very comfortable turning his neck to see me, so he moves his feet.  I continue to maintain even pressure on the rope and move my feet with his while I wait for him to give.

Please note that I have a hold of the front of the horse while I touch him with the rope on the back end of his body.  After I feel that he’s probably not going to cow-kick me (reaching forward with his hind leg to strike me), I can move in and do this step.  But I still have a short enough hold on the rope and am bringing his head towards me so that if he got scared and wanted to spin his rear towards me and kick me, I’ve got a hold of his head.  I see people (sometimes catch myself doing it too) holding the lead rope with a giant loop of slack while sacking out/desensitizing the horse.  Just know that the horse might turn towards the scary object and kick at it (and you) if you let him have all that rope.

I will do the same exercise of getting a “give” on both sides with the bridle rein after he has been introduced to the bit.  This small exercise is an important part of training for many reasons.  When I am jumping up and down to prepare for mounting, I want the horse to be comfortable giving his head to the side and holding it there while he sees me moving and stepping up and down into the stirrup.  Having his head to the side is also my safety, as he can express unease by circling instead of bucking when I step up for the first (second, third…) time into the stirrup.  Doing the exercise with the halter prepares the horse for giving to the rein when he wears the bridle.

There’s something about getting the horse to look at you with his two eyes.  If they see me with their two eyes, it seems they REALLY see me and connect in a better way.  In the video below you’ll see me help the horse by moving my face in front of his at the end when he wasn’t comfortable turning his head far enough to look at me with two eyes on his own.

In the next video below I work on disengaging this horse’s hips on his off side, and also begin to introduce the rope wiggle cue for backing up.

You may notice me walking off from the horse from time to time at about a 45 degree angle from his body again.  This does a couple of things for the horse.  It lets him have a little break and gives him time to process what we just did.  Often the horse will lick and chew while I walk off.
It also gives the horse the opportunity to practice join-up on the leadline.  If the horse doesn’t walk off after me and follow me, I will give a little tug on the rope so he gets the idea.  Usually if you are walking off at an angle and not straight out in front of the horse, he will follow you.   If he needs help getting his feet moving toward you, slight pressure on the rope is going to be more effective if you have walked off at a 45 degree angle than straight out in front.

The next video below is the first time this horse has been introduced to being asked to move his shoulders away.  Notice how little I move my feet while I ask him to figure out what I want.  I am really patient and asking only for a little bit from this horse.  Only a few days prior he was too nervous to be near anyone, and since I was only there for one session, I wanted to maintain his growing confidence that interacting with people could be fun and not scary or confusing.
You might also get the feeling that I have roots growing into the ground with my energy.  That’s called being grounded.  I’d like to do a feature about this energy exercise, but for now to sum it up, here’s the basic about it.  I imagine that I’ve got a cord of light running from the base of my spine down into the earth, connecting me all the way to the center of the earth.  This is my grounding cord.  I’ve been doing this so often that I don’t have to think about it very much to “turn it on.”  A grounding cord helps me stay connected to the earth and helps me be the calm, confident leader of my horse.  Any weird shake-ups or feelings can be sent down the cord so that I can remain level headed and thinking clearly, and able to read the horse better than if I were swept up in the horse’s emotions.

In the last video below, you can see how uneasy this horse is about walking around me with his off side.  This is the first time he’s been asked to move his shoulders away from me.  Again, I’m really doing some patient work with this horse, as only a few days ago would not let people near him.

Notice how I maintain pretty much where I am standing.  I also aim to have consistent body language.
Being predictable with cues builds a horse’s confidence in you.

Hopefully these videos have helped to show good timing and the use of small steps.   By taking your time and using consistent body language, the horse can understand and figure out the right answer without a lot of confusion.

Contact me if you’ve any questions or would like help with teaching your horse a good foundation of groundwork that can lead into beautiful work on the longe, in the saddle, and in harness.

Sara Licht (608)215-5200 cell

(608)767-2688 home

email: saralicht@yahoo.com      subject: art and horses