Injury. Behavior. Age. Fear. Each of these factors can be a reason why equestrians put away their saddle for a long or short period. But even if saddle time is on pause, strengthening a partnership doesn’t have to be. Tessa Nicolet, trainer and owner of Cohesive Horsemanship, explores how equestrians can translate ridden exercises to groundwork for when you can’t ride — or even just to strengthen your relationship with your horse.
Moving Goals Forward with Groundwork
Nicolet frequently sees equestrians using groundwork to get energy out of their horse, but groundwork is much more than that. She explains that both groundwork and mounted work should help move forward the mental, physical and emotional fitness of a horse.
“Everything you do in the saddle you can replicate on the ground and teach the horse to do in a way that allows him to balance his own body before putting your weight on top,” she says.
Nicolet uses the following exercises to physically, mentally and emotionally engage her horses from the ground. Once the horse understands the exercise, you should reward correct movements and good efforts by pausing and allowing the horse to relax.
The Four-Leaf Clover
Nicolet recommends this exercise to help a horse stay fit for mounted work. The pattern requires your horse to bend his body, rebalance it, and then straighten it.
Physically, the exercise helps the horse build muscle, gain body control and learn to balance properly. Mentally, it teaches him to think through how to keep himself balanced during the pattern. Emotionally, it encourages him to focus on you instead of outside stimulus.
To perform the exercise:
1. Use four cones to make a square. Each cone represents a corner of the square. Pace out 8-9 strides in between cones. (Distance can vary.)
2. Before starting the pattern, walk to the first cone and ask your horse to circle around himself and the cone at a walk. (For this example, the horse will circle each cone to the left and you and your horse will move from cone to cone clockwise.)
3. To begin the pattern, ask your horse to walk ¾ of a circle to the left around the first cone. (The horse should end the ¾ circle positioned to walk through the middle of the square.)
4. At a walk, send the horse through the middle of the square to the opposite side of the square. During the transition, stay next to the horse.
5. Once through the middle of the square, ask the horse to walk ¾ of a circle to the left around the second cone, repeating what you did at the first cone, before once again sending the horse through the middle of the square to the opposite side.
6. Continue moving yourself and your horse from cone to cone in this fashion until you have completed a cloverleaf pattern.
NOTE: Nicolet says it’s important for the horse to always turn in the same direction around all four cones and always cut through the middle of the square as soon as he has completed ¾ of a circle around a cone. While the example is done at a walk, once learned, the exercise can be done at a trot or canter.
The Leg-Yield
A leg-yield is a lateral exercise frequently done from the saddle, but it can also be accomplished on the ground. Nicolet explains that it requires the horse to travel forward on a diagonal path.
“It asks the horse to cross his front legs and then his hind legs as he moves forward and sideways,” she says.
Nicolet adds that physically, the exercise stretches and contracts the horse’s muscles by moving the joints of his shoulder and hind from side to side. Mentally, it encourages him to pay attention to your cues. Emotionally, it teaches him to calmly respond to pressure.
To perform the exercise (in this example, you will stand next to the left shoulder):
1. Begin by standing at your horse’s shoulder, facing him, with the lead rope in your left hand and a stick or crop in your right hand.
2. Next, use your right hand to slowly lift the stick, asking the horse to move his hind away from you.
3. As the horse’s hind end moves, walk forward at a diagonal toward the horse’s shoulder, causing it to move away from you.
4. Once your horse understands steps 2 and 3, ask him to move forward at a walk while alternating asking for his hind end and shoulder to move away from you. With practice, the horse will understand the cues as a request to travel forward on a diagonal path.
5. When the horse understands the movement, you can drop the stick and place your hand on the horse’s barrel, just behind the girth. Apply pressure with your hand to ask his hind to move.
NOTE: The final step begins to teach the horse the cue for the movement under saddle.
Key Takeaway
When you can’t ride, it doesn’t mean under-saddle goals need to stop. Groundwork provides ample opportunities for you and your horse to not only strengthen your partnership, but also move closer to your riding goals.
