12/12/2025
✨ 𝙂𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙠 𝙄𝙨𝙣’𝙩 “𝙏𝙧𝙞𝙘𝙠𝙨” — 𝙄𝙩’𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙁𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙤𝙛 𝙂𝙤𝙤𝙙 𝙏𝙧𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜 ✨
Every so often, someone will see me working a horse from the ground and ask, “What TRICKs are you teaching?”
And it always reminds me how easily groundwork can be misunderstood.
Over the years, training horses right through to the higher levels and watching countless combinations in the arena, one thing has become crystal clear to me:.... 🐎𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙨𝙚𝙚 𝙪𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙧 𝙨𝙖𝙙𝙙𝙡𝙚 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙨 𝙡𝙤𝙣𝙜 𝙗𝙚𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙧𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙧 𝙜𝙚𝙩𝙨 𝙤𝙣.
Here’s what’s really happening in those quiet groundwork sessions:
🔹 𝙃𝙚𝙡𝙥𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙝𝙤𝙧𝙨𝙚 𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙙 𝙗𝙖𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚......
Simple exercises — moving the shoulders, stepping under, yielding cleanly — teach the horse how to organise their body. This is the beginning of straightness, rhythm, and self-carriage.
🔹 𝘽𝙪𝙞𝙡𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙨𝙤𝙛𝙩,..... responsive communication
When a horse understands light cues from the ground, they become softer and clearer to ride. It’s where calm, confident contact begins.
🔹 𝙂𝙧𝙤𝙬𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙜𝙩𝙝..... and understanding without pressure
Pole work, lateral movements, transitions… done from the ground, these help the horse build the muscles and coordination they’ll need later on, without the added weight of a rider.
🔹 𝙋𝙧𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙗𝙡𝙚𝙢𝙨..... before they show up in the saddle
So many issues people struggle with when riding — tension, crookedness, heaviness, lack of engagement — can be resolved or even prevented simply by spending time on correct groundwork.
🔹 𝘽𝙪𝙞𝙡𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙧𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙘𝙡𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙮.....
This is the heart of it.
Groundwork isn’t about fancy moves; it’s where horse and handler learn to read each other. It creates the partnership you rely on once you’re riding.
"𝙎𝙤 𝙣𝙤… 𝙞𝙩’𝙨 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙖 𝙘𝙤𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙤𝙛 “𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙘𝙠𝙨.....
It’s deliberate, thoughtful training that supports the horse’s welfare, confidence, and long-term soundness.
𝙄𝙛 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙧𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙪𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙤𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙙𝙚𝙥𝙩𝙝 𝙗𝙚𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙙 𝙜𝙤𝙤𝙙 𝙜𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙠, 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮’𝙙 𝙨𝙚𝙚 𝙞𝙩 𝙖𝙨 𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙢𝙤𝙨𝙩 𝙫𝙖𝙡𝙪𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙩𝙤𝙤𝙡𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 — 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙚 𝙗𝙧𝙪𝙨𝙝𝙚𝙙 𝙖𝙨𝙞𝙙𝙚.
