Ground work for horse before braking him?

Question

what are some good and bad things to do with my horse before a get him broke

Answer 1

work on trust, build a good relationship with him.  start with getting him used to take, let him check out the stuff your gonna be putting on him

Answer 2

show it your boss and dont let him run over you. dont over do it though

Answer 3

Standing still while brushing. Being able to pick out hooves.  Leading without being dragged. Listens to voice commands, like, "Stand" "Over" (to push to the side from the hind end) and "Back".

Sacking out works well too. Use a saddle pad to gently tap all over your horses body. This can get the horse used to odd things touching his or her sides and face and legs. Make sure to tie him or her up to something really sturdy, fence post is the best. Since he or she may spook, step back and stay calm. Once he or she stops freaking, begin again with the tapping. Not to lightly either as then the think its a bug. If he or she stands for the whole body tap, praise a lot and a treat for a job well done.

Basically though if you are having your horse broke by a professional they will let you know what or if they want you to start on ground work. Talk to the trainer, they may have some ideas for you.

Good Luck :)

Answer 4

lots of round pin work, lunging and longlining. its the best way to build up their back ends so your not trying to force them to use them later. lots of bending too, the more you do now the stronger of a foundation you'll have when your on him and training.

Answer 5

Lunging.  Definetly.  Work on changing directions the most, especially in young horses, it gets them thinking, gets them responsive, and develops some very pretty rollbacks:).  Another fundamental is getting them to disengauge their hindquarters (pivot on the front feet).  Eventually you want them to swing their butt around and face you whenever you ask. The third fundamental is backing.  Teach them to back when you wiggle the lead rope, and to back from halter pressure.  Once you got that down, work on changing gaits on the lunge line and pivoting on their front feet.  You want them to respect your space, you do not want a pushy horse.  Don't forget to de-spook them to stuff too, get them used to plastic bags and tarps and umbrellas and flyspray and anything else you can think of.  Once you got basic control of their feet, and you are sure they won't jump out of their skin when they see a plastic bag, they are ready to ride.  Do a half hour of groundwork every day before you ride, to get them thinking and get them better and better at all sorts of stuff.  I have found that the best way to break them is on a longe line.  One person should be on his back, the other holding the line.  Do the same sorts of things you would normally do with him while longing, change gaits, change directions, and get him to stop and face you.  For the first ride, the person in the middle should be doing all the work.  Second ride, the rider should be doing some, and the third ride, the rider should be doing it all, with the middle person just standing there.  Unless he is really heavy on the halter, I suggest starting him in a hackamore and moving to a snaffle after 15 rides or so.  

Good luck!

Answer 6

tying i would also suggest, getting seatbelts and airbags installed, because no matter how much ground work you do the horse will still hate you when you hop on....

your emergency exits are here, here and here, if the brakes fail hold onto your butts

Answer 7

I just answered a similar question for Lacey W if you want to check it out. You can search her or go to my profile and look at my answered question.

Answer 8

I am answering with the thinking this is a Young horse, never been handled;I would use round pen,Training a Horse is a lot of sweat for You and the Horse;Halter the colt, Tie a car tire inner tube at eye level in the stout post that is part of the Pen;if the pen has panels or some  type of material He can get a foot in;use plywood up to 5 ft.now attach a good rope to halter run it threw the ring You have already attache to tube,go down to the next post about ten ft; and tie a quick release loop; leave about 24 inch slack at the horse,The tube will give when he lays back on it,He will soon learn,not to lay back and jump fwd;The reason for tieing to inline post as opposed to one in the middle is he can"t walk around and wind himself up; Feed Bermuda grass hay and all the water he wants-----Leave off the oats and Special  feed untill You have Him doing what You want;

Never allowing anyone to feed this horse by eating out of hand;There is the circle movement of horse both directions.--use lines to drive;Know the safe area that is at left shoulder while  facing to the rear ,left hand on top of the withers, as you move slide your hand along the back, if Horse makes a sudden movement You will know it by the left hand push Yoursef away; Always be aware of safety;Training sessions short at first then more and more time,Best to You ---Remember not every Rider is a Good Trainer-

Answer 9

i though ground work was part of breaking them.

Answer 10

I do not know how old your horse is but if he is under 5 do as little lunging as possible. Lunging is very stressful on your horses legs and joints and will lead to injurys and jiont problems very quickly.

Try ground driving. Saddle him up which if not already use to the saddle use a surcyingle and a bridle with a snaffle. attach one lunge line to each bit loop then back through the stirrups or loops. Stand behind him far enough so he can not kick you and then start. Use the lunge lines like reins and ask him to turn and stop just as if you were riding. For the first couple times you may need someone to walk next to his head until he gets the idea. By the time you get to riding him he will already know rein cues.

If you take your time and are doing everything correctly when you first get on your horse will not object but be mellow because this is what they are bred for.

Please don't rush anything though horses can be easily confused and hurt when they are young.

Good Luck!

Answer 11

You can do both of these before and after you have him used to wearing a saddle:

1. Ground driving (with saddle or surcingle)

2. Ponying (although you probably wouldn't call it ground work)

Ground driving, in addition to the other suggested ground work (longeing, long lining, free longeing in the round pen) has been key in starting horses for me. I really like it for getting him used to hearing your voice behind him and understanding the direct rein concept. The ones I started that were mine were very mellow about my getting on their backs by the time I was ready for it, and already knew how to turn and stop to some extent because they were introduced to it on the ground.

Also, ground driving is a great alternative to doing things in little circles all the time. So is ponying off an experienced pony if you have access to one. You can walk, trot and canter on the straightaway and even though you aren't on his back, you are above him so you can get him used to that concept. Some trainers have told me they think it enforces their respect for you.

Answer 12

hmmm...let's see..

Leading

Backing

Halting

Lunging

Desensitizing

Touching on face and ears