Feet First Horsemanship Ground Work
- February 17, 2017
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- Wendy Greenough
Posted in: Featured, Horse Training, Uncategorized
The winter of 2017 has given me a whole new respect and appreciation for GROUND WORK!!!! The majority of our barn yard is covered with large snow drifts and 1/2 of our outdoor arena is flooded with 2-3 foot drifts. I am sure many of you can relate!
As a result, I have found my self spending a lot of time, in the shallow snow in one corner of the arena; perfecting ground work exercises that I have learned from my Dad, Tom Wagoner. Fortunately, all of these exercises can be done in a 12-20′ circle. The diagram below will illustrate a few basic exercises.
There are a few things I always focus on, no matter what maneuver I am trying to accomplish. Ask yourself these questions.
#1. Is my horse using his inside eye? I always want my horse to use the right eye, if I am on the right side and the left eye if I am on the left side.
#2. Will my horse allow me to place his feet and moving in time with me? Or is he just going through the motions and not being thoughtful to my cues.
#3. Will my horse listen to my body language when cued to transition up or down? 
Ground work can not take the place of conditioning, but it can be part of a great warm up and it can also help keep your horses sharp while trying to prepare for an event. In my next blog I will share a few demonstrations.
Until next time, enjoy your ride!!!
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Posted in: Featured, Horse Training, Uncategorized
About Wendy Greenough
Horses are the cornerstone of my family, occupation, and lifestyle! I am fortunate to be the daughter of renowned horseman, Tom Wagoner, who is also the founder of Feet First Horsemanship. Tom has always been my main influence while training horses, and I'm...