You will first want to insure that you have the basic horse tack you will need and then discover there are plenty of simple exercises you can perform on the ground either with your own horse or one you are training – three of these basics are described below. It is important to get these exercises right first, as this is how you and the horse will become familiar with each other and build a trusting relationship. Future training success is dependent on good groundwork. The importance of safety and maintaining your personal space bubble should not be taken lightly.
The secret to horse training is to remain patient, persistent, and to use plenty of positive reinforcement. These three P’s can be applied to all current and future levels of horse training.
1. Groom your horse. When grooming your horse you are actually performing an important exercise in groundwork training. You’ll get to know each other. Stand beside him and brush his neck and back. At this time it is common for horses to come around with their teeth and give you a little love bite. He must not be allowed to do this to humans, even though horses do it to each other. Discourage this by simply waving a hand, or by pushing his head back straight. Those teeth are HUGE so you must make it clear from the beginning that this is unacceptable. Be patient and very calm. He’ll soon understand and cooperate. It will do you no good to panic, stress, smack your horse or get otherwise agitated. This will only destroy the fragile trust you are still building.
2. Lead your horse. Holding the lead rope just below his chin in your right hand, walk beside your horse on his left side. Take a step and walk slowly forward. He should not try to go ahead of you but should remain at your right side. If he tries to go ahead just walk around him to your left in a circle. You may need to do this a few times to get the point across. Demonstrate persistence. By circling to your left you will stay just ahead of him as it should be. If, on the other hand, your horse doesn’t want to walk with you, stand slightly behind at his shoulder facing the same direction. While holding the rope close to his chin, push forward gently. Give praise and positive reinforcement when he takes a small step. When he starts to walk willingly, take your place slightly ahead of him and walk on. Remember that in order to stay safe, you should never wrap the lead rope around any part of your body. If the horse should suddenly bolt he will drag you along too and you will almost certainly be injured.
3. Lunge your horse.This is a great exercise used by most horse trainers and owners. Lunging is so useful to the trainer in that it can be used to teach many of the commands and cues that your horse will need to perform saddle work in the future.
In a large open area (an arena works, too, if you don’t have a round enclosure) clip your horse to a lunge lead specifically for lunging. The lungeing rope will be much longer than the lead rope at about thirty feet long. Clip the lead to the horse’s left halter side and hold the lead in your left hand. Start by facing the horse’s left side while holding the lunge line. In your right hand hold a lunge whip; this is to guide him along. Now step to your right sideways toward the rear of the horse while holding the whip out behind him. The horse should step forward as a natural reaction. Make a kissing sound as you let out the lunge lead and follow him just behind and to the left. Soon that sound will come to mean “move forward” to your horse. As you’re turning and the horse moves in a circle around you, hold the whip slightly behind his hindquarters. The whip is not for hitting. You only need to wave it just a little to get his attention.
Now that he’s moving forward, you’ll move slowly backwards to the centre of the virtual circle. With the lunge lead fully extended, stand in the middle and turn as the horse walks around you in a circle. Watch your horse’s hip area as he’s going round.
This is the perfect time to teach your horse to understand “whoa”. In a low, calm voice, say the word “whoooaa”. At the same time, step toward your horse’s head and repeat the word. Lots of praise, and a little neck rub, should be given when he stops. Your horse needs this positive reinforcement if he is to remember what he needs to do.
Now you can change your lunging position to move him in the counterclockwise manner. Do this by swapping hands so that you hold the lunge whip in your left hand whilst the lead is clipped to the right side of the halter.
These few exercises are just the very basics to help you get started with training your horse. Bear in mind that a horse is a huge and powerful creature. This alone should be enough to remind you to have adequate horse insurance in place should either you or your equine be injured. Safety and trust is crucial to your success in training ventures and in all future activities. As well as a loyal friend, your horse is also an investment, so remember to protect that investment against theft, accident or misadventure by making sure you compare horse insurance policies to ensure you are getting the best level of cover for both of your needs.