I was never one to jump into the new fads of horse training until I saw how it worked for myself. I believe we should be teaching, not breaking a horse. There are a lot of trainers out there who have their own books, television shows and clinics who want you to believe that their way is the best or only way to train a horse. I believe there is no one way to train a horse, but you can learn something from everyone.

When working with a horse, one of the most important parts of training can be done on the ground. Ground work is the foundation of a good riding experience. I was taught this as I was growing up and was not allowed to get on a horse without first getting to know the horse from the ground. Working with a horse from the ground allows you both the chance to see how the other reacts to certain things. I found a trainer who believed in this philosophy and implemented ground work as a big part of his training technique. I don’t follow everything he does and personally, some things look a little silly to me. But when I attended a riding seminar in which his ground training methods were used, I really learned a few things.

I learned how to put this big jumble of things I used into separate lessons, which makes it easier for the horse to pay attention and learn. I found that you can get further along in training in a short amount of time if you use these techniques in the everyday handling of your horse. This trainer made his techniques into games that can be “played” with your horse. The steps of basic ground training are broken down and explained in an easy-to-execute manner of instruction. These games are made to form a sort of silent communication between you and your horse. After this seminar I went home and tried each of the games with my horses. I was amazed at how fast they picked these cues up when I repeated them just a few times. I had every one of my horses going through the games like they were old pros by the end of one day.

If you have the chance to go to a clinic or seminar put on by a horse trainer, I would encourage you to go, even if you have been training horses all of your life. There is always something new to learn, or in my case, a new, easier way to apply old methods to your training.