Ground Driving

Ground driving is an excellent way to teach a green horse about bit pressure and how to steer, stop, and back up.  It can be done with younger horses that aren’t physically developed enough to start riding.  I like to take a few days to work on ground driving before the first ride.  That way, when I get on, the horse already knows how to respond to bit pressure (and the horse already knows how to go forward from my voice, from earlier ground lessons).  On the first ride, the only new thing the horse is going to experience is a rider on their back and leg pressure on their barrel.

Here I am driving Copper from behind, using the western saddle's stirrups to hold the driving lines.

What do you need?

·         Driving lines or two similar lunge lines
·         Western saddle or surcingle
·         Snaffle bit
·         Whip (if vocal cues aren't enough)

What is it?

Ground driving is exactly what it sounds like.  The handler “drives” the horse by walking on the ground instead of riding in a cart.  Ground driving is also called long lining by some trainers.  There are two methods of ground driving: walking behind the horse or driving the horse on a circle. 

Driving from Behind

The first is the easier of the two to get the hang of and it offers more versatility.  Because you are following the horse, it is easier to keep them from turning around and facing you and getting twisted in the lines.  You can also do more exercises such as weaving cones, figure-8, stopping, and backing up.  The main downside of this method is that it is more taxing on the trainer, as the trainer has to move at the pace of the horse.  Because you are following the horse, you need to pay attention to your proximity to the horse.  You don’t want to be in range if the horse decides to kick out.

Traveling Straight

The beginning of a right turn.

To drive from behind, the horse can be tacked up in a western saddle or a surcingle.  The western saddle will place the reins in a “low headset” position so it is not ideal for horses that naturally carry their heads/necks higher.  The surcingle will have three or more rings on each side, ranging from a “high headset” to about level headset.  When I drive a green horse from behind, I typically thread the lines through the lowest ring on the surcingle.  The bridle should be fitted to the horse normally and the lines should be attached to the bit on each side and then run through the stirrup or desired ring on the surcingle.  Tying the stirrups together underneath the horse will keep them in place while turning.  

When your lines are in place, stand behind the horse and encourage them to move forward either through voice commands or the whip (tap on the rump).  Once the horse is moving in a forward direction, you can ask for turns.  If the horse stops when you ask for a turn, use more forward encouragement.  Once the horse gets the hang of turning, you can practice stopping and backing up.  Reinforce the bit pressure with a verbal “whoa” and release pressure on the reins as soon as the horse stops moving forward (stopping) or at each step backwards (backing).

Driving on a Circle

Driving on a circle involves standing in the middle of the circle while the horse travels around you, similar to lunging.  In this method, you can have the horse both trot and canter with very little effort on your part.  The downside is that there is not much variety here and the horse can only be reversed by turning to the outside.  This can be confusing at first for the horse because they are used to turning to the inside during lunging exercise.  To add variety, practice changing between gaits, asking the horse to respond quickly to your cues.  You can also set up ground poles around the circle to help the horse regulate his stride and cause him to lift his legs higher (this strengthens the back muscles).

There are two ways that you can run the driving lines: behind the hocks or over the back.  Behind the hocks can be done with a surcingle or a western saddle.  Over the back can be done with a surcingle.  Driving over the back is a little trickier because as you reverse the horse, you will need to flip the line that is becoming the outside line over the horse’s rump and up on the back.   The main thing you need to watch when having the lines around the hocks is to not get to much slack when turning, or the horse could step over the line.  To turn, gather up more of the outside line as you release some of the inside line.  If your outside line is too long when he turns, he may end up stepping over the line once he is turned around.  Pull on the outside line and guide the horse as he turns away from you.  Make sure you have enough slack in your inside line so that he is able to turn away.  As he rejoins the circle traveling the opposite direction, adjust your lines so they are the right length.  Driving on a circle takes a little practice to get the hang of it, but it can be a helpful tool for training and exercising your horse.

Training Horse Profile: Dasher

Last week, I had the privilege of having this sweet little mare for 7 days of training.  Her owner had only had her for about a month and wanted to know what she could do and what vices she had.  She was purchased off an auction, so her history was unknown. 

She was great on the trails and confidently crossed the wooden bridge and creek.  She left the other horses easily and did not throw a fit about being out on the trails by herself.  Her walk was perfect for the trails, as it was comfortable, yet not overly slow.  She had a nice moving trot that covered a lot of ground quickly.  Her canter was pretty rough for the first couple of days, but smoothed out as the week went on.  One of the most fun things about this horse was that she backed up really fast and could do fast hindquarter spins. She was an enjoyable ride and will make her owner a very pleasant trail horse!

Over the course of the week, I discovered a couple of issues that she had and worked to address them in the short period I had her with me.  Below are the three main issues she had and what I did to fix them: 

Issue #1: Tying

Dasher stood quietly while tied when she was by herself in the stall.  However, when I was near her or trying to brush or saddle her, she became very nervous and flighty.  The first couple days, she acted quite frantic, sort of like she was being bitten by flies (but there weren't any).  Her owner had also noticed this behavior the one time he had her tied up.

The Fix:

To solve her nervousness at being tied, I spent more time grooming and running my hands over her body.  I moved gently and quietly and reassured her with my voice that she was okay.  She had quite the mess of knots in her mane when she arrived, so this provided the perfect opportunity for additional grooming exposure.  By the end of the week, she was almost completely over her nervousness and was even falling asleep while being saddled.  

Issue #2: Rushing

Dasher was also very nervous and tense at the beginning of each ride.  As soon as I swung into the saddle, she was rushing off at the trot and travelling around the ring in a very stiff and tense manner.

The Fix:

This is one of those issues that just takes time to correct.  With each ride, the horse will gradually become more relaxed as they learn what to expect from the rider.  During the ride, to help the horse slow down and relax, I like to do lots of small circles.  As soon as the horse begins rushing, I guide them into a small (but easily trot-able) circle.  Once the horse slows down, I guide the horse back out onto the rail.  When the horse begins to rush again (usually after only a couple of steps in the beginning), I repeat the small circle.  With Dasher, this method helped her to relax and slow down within just a couple of minutes.

Issue #3: Dismounting

My preferred method of dismounting is to take both feet out of the stirrups and jump down (rather than step down).  This was one time I was very glad that I dismounted this way!  I found out when I jumped down that Dasher had a problem with shying away from the dismounting rider.  If I had dismounted by stepping down, my foot may have been caught in the stirrup and I may have been drug as she moved away from me.  I tested to see if she was frightened by me jumping down from the saddle by jumping next to her, which resulted in no flight response.  I then tested to see what her reaction would be to a step-down dismount, which resulted in the same response as my earlier dismount.

The Fix:

This is another issue that takes a lot of time and a lot of mounting and dismounting.  It is one of those training fixes that is rather tedious and boring to work on.  For Dasher, I sat quietly in the saddle until she was relaxed before I attempted a dismount.  I also placed her next to the fence so that she could not move away from me while I was dismounting.  This was effective because she moved away from me, rather than forward, so the fence prevented that movement.  Each time she stood still while I was dismounting she was praised.  Once she could consistently stand still next to the fence, dismounting could be practiced from the center of the arena.

Trailer Training for Fearful Horses

When I bought Zeke, he was not afraid of trailers.  His previous owner had a bumper pull stock trailer and had no issues loading him into that trailer.  Zeke was used to the open feel of the stock trailer and liked the extra room.  My limited budget could only afford a small two-horse bumper pull trailer that was built sometime in the 70’s.  The ceiling was low, it had very few air vents, and it was a tight fit.  In the beginning, Zeke refused to load in my trailer and I spent the next several weeks working with him.  He eventually learned to load easily and willingly and continued to do so for the next year.

My First Horse Trailer

For some reason, over the next couple of years his trailering anxiety increased to the point that it took 2-3 people to get him loaded and he could actually become dangerous in his desire to get away from the trailer.  Several well-meaning people attempted to help teach him to load, and their more aggressive methods only increased his fear of the trailer.  Thankfully, no one (including him) was every seriously injured while trailering (although I did get my fare share of bruises and rope burns).  This trailering problem eventually caused me to stop going to barrel races because getting him in the trailer was such a hassle and very stressful.

This was taken before Zeke became fearful of the little trailer!

Now, I have a larger trailer that is much less claustrophobic for the horses, but his fear of trailers still remains.  So, I am retraining him to load without having to rely on ropes or other people to get the job done.  I am working to make him load calmly and consistently, without using fear or aggressive methods.  The next several posts will lay out the step-by-step process to retrain a horse to trailer (or give a new horse a positive trailer experience), as well as show how it worked for Zeke.

**Working with fearful horses can be extremely dangerous, especially in the confines of a trailer.  Inexperienced horse owners should seek help from a professional.  Always put your safety first!

Welcome to The Sandy Creek Equestrian

For as long as I can remember, I have had a passion for horses.  The weekends that my family spent at my grandparent’s farm are among my best childhood memories.   My grandpa is an admirer of the working horse and a bit of a horse-lover himself.  In his younger years, he enjoyed doing field work the old-fashioned way—plowing fields or raking hay with his team of Belgians.  Over the years he has had various teams of horses and mules, as well as various other riding horses.  One mare, which he had until her death, was quite popular among the grandchildren.  Every visit, I would beg my dad to saddle up “Dixie” so that I could spend a few minutes on the back of a horse.  She was slow and lazy, but she was dependable, and riding her was always the highlight of the trip.  I spent a good portion of those weekend visits in the barn—shoveling manure, sweeping up loose hay, and grooming the horses—just so I could pretend for a short while that they were mine. 

One of my grandpa's teams of Belgians.

"Dixie"

I was 9-years-old when I had my first taste of horse training.  My brother and I spent a week at my grandparent’s farm.  My grandpa had recently gotten four miniature horses, a pony cart, and a harness.  My brother and I spent the afternoons working with one of the minis, “Socks”, getting her used to the harness and the bit, teaching her to steer, and eventually, to pull the cart.  By the end of the week, we were driving her around the farm.  Training the mini to drive was fun and exciting and it sparked an interest in horse training.

Training Socks to Drive

The next opportunity to work with horses (I was 12 or 13) came when a neighbor was looking to sell one of hers, a cute little POA named Ace.  Ace was extremely head-shy and flighty, unpredictable under saddle, and bolted frequently.  I kept him at my house for the summer and put in a lot of hours with him.  He became a nice little horse and if he had been a little taller, I would have bought him.  When I was finished with him, he was put up for sale and quickly sold.  The neighbor even split the sale money with me 50/50!

I saved my babysitting money and when I was 14 I bought my first horse.  My family had moved to the country, opening the door for me to finally have a horse of my own.  I had a very small budget (probably a quarter of what the average person spent on a “cheap” horse at that time) and all of the horses I saw needed work.  The first time I saw my horse, I fell in love.  He was a well-bred horse with great personality and a lot of spirit.  I got a great deal on him (there may have been a few tears involved) and my journey began as a first-time horse owner.  We have had a lot of fun times together and a lot of frustration.  We have both learned a lot in the process (and are still learning!).  I learned which training methods worked for him and which ones didn’t.  I learned how to be better rider and how to “feel” the horse.  Most importantly, I learned how to keep trying, even when others thought I should give up.

My first horse, Zeke

My passion for horses led me to pursue a degree in Equine Science.  While completing my degree, I have worked with a variety of horses with various personalities and temperaments, at various stages of training.  I have worked with abused horses and spoiled horses.  I have worked with very old horses (30 years old) and very young horses (a few weeks old).  Each horse is unique and presents a new challenge to the horse trainer.  This challenge makes me excited each time I step into the arena and I am eager to help each horse reach their potential.  I hope you will come along with me as I begin my career in the equine industry and document my experiences with my horses in training.