Groundwork

Sometimes as a horse owner I tend to forget that groundwork is the key to everything when it comes to horses. Groundwork is the start of it all and to ensure that your horse is going to respect you, groundwork needs to be accomplished every now and then to ensure that you and your horse are on the same page.

When I purchased my mare, Sparrow, it was apparent to me that she lacked ground manners, was very pushy, and did not care if she were going to run me over while completing groundwork in the round pen. After about a week of lunging her and doing groundwork drills, she began to respect me, and her demeanor changed.

As horse owners it is so important that we establish that respect through groundwork for not only a better ride, but also for our safety. We can also apply this to life in general. When we establish respect with our peers, whether it be our co-workers, students, friends, or family there will always be a more positive outcome coming from interactions with them. Now, I understand that we cant make our peers run in circle around a round-pen to establish that respect, but we can do so by showing them that we are smart, responsible, and will stand up for things that we believe. Lets all do our best to establish the groundwork and respect to ensure that we will not be the ones who get ran over.