Successful groundwork relies on having numerous exercises and routines in your repertoire. Read on to learn more about groundwork exercises for horses.
No groundwork patterns should be practiced to the point of boredom, dullness, or excess. The following are my top tips for using gymnastic exercises from the ground, followed by an upgraded longeline routine.Photo: Fotokostic/Shutterstock
During any given week, rotate between five to 10 different exercises. Try not to repeat the same routines on consecutive days. Once a horse becomes familiar with a pattern, his neuromuscular system adapts to perform it more efficiently, meaning he no longer makes physiological gains from the exercise. The outcome of this is a dull response.
Be sure your patterns include plenty of straight lines. It’s critical not to keep your horse on a continuous curved line, as this strains his joints and ligaments once the surrounding muscles fatigue. Be creative with your groundwork to intersperse straight lines: This can be as simple as interrupting your circle work after two or three minutes to lead your horse around the arena in a straight line before resuming circles again.
Change up your terrain. If you often perform your routines in a sand arena, try working on grass one day, or get on some gradual inclines if you usually work on flat ground.
Plenty of exercises can be performed in various locations, including backing up, walking over ground poles, stationary bending exercises, turning on the forehand and turning on the haunches, to name a few. Changing terrain changes the stimulus, which allows your horse to continue to adapt his body in new ways.
Choose exercises that address your horse’s specific needs. Groundwork needs to be relevant to your individual horse, not only to hold his attention, but also to be purposeful in developing him physically.
This pattern is incredibly effective for improving a horse’s coordination, balance, and ability to use his body to move well. It’s far more useful than longeing a horse around a repetitive circle. The changing speeds ask for different muscular efforts and require him to make frequent adjustments to his balance, rather than moving around robotically.Diagram courtesy Trafalgar Square Books
This article originally appeared in the December 2018 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!
Jec A. Ballou is the author of 55 Corrective Exercises for Horses: Resolving Postural Problems, Improving Movement Patterns, and Preventing Injury.
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