THE NATURAL APPROACH Early groundwork


I am moving from zone four to zone fi ve, at the same time moving the hindquarters to change direction.


Having explored equine personality and looked at the diff erent zones of the horse, Dan Corbin now tackles some early handling and groundwork. T is training can be looked at as ‘the basics’ – something to which you can return when, or if, you experience diffi culties later on.


W 18 Carriage Driving


e have done a fair amount of looking at the diff erent aspects of right brained introvert and leſt brained extrovert horses. I know


many people will fi nd these concepts a bit ‘alternative’ and perhaps easy to dismiss, but they are at the core of my, and any natural horseman’s, understanding and training of horses. I would urge you to try to understand your horse in this way. If the horse you are faced with has come


straight from its dam, or perhaps off the West Country moors or Welsh hills, it will need some basic handling before you try to put on a headcollar and begin leading. When horses come to me I nearly always begin gaining their trust by having them loose around me fi rst in the stable and then, if at all possible, in a round pen (failing that a small ménage). Once they have become used to me, I can begin moving them around, still with no headcollar or rope. T e natural horseman’s much-talked of


phrase ‘join-up’ occurs when the horse begins to trust your presence so stops moving around and turns towards you, maybe even coming up and touching you with his nose. It doesn’t always happen and some people get upset that it doesn’t, but it is not the be-all and end-all it is sometimes presented as being. It is just a sign – and there are others – that the horse is saying, ‘okay I accept you being here with me’. If – when – he comes up to you, put your hand up and pat


his neck and shoulder, not his head at this stage. He will be able to see your hand and is likely to enjoy the contact; he will not feel threatened as he might if you come at his head from his blind spot. Now you can begin moving him around the


pen, indicating to him the direction you want him to take. You do this by placing yourself and directing your energy, so stand in zone two and raise your arms to move him away – the change of direction should always be away from you. If he turns towards you he is displaying dominance and you want that dominance – or leadership – to come from you. T e purpose of this early groundwork is both to establish your leadership and to familiarise the horse with aspects of your body language so he begins to understand what you are asking of him. When he is moving freely on your command


and happy to stand quietly with you, then you can start moving your hands over his face, rubbing around the cheeks and up to the ears. T is contact paves the way for you putting on the headcollar without panicking him.


The headcollar


You can use any kind of headcollar – I favour a rope one because I think it is just that bit fi ner so gives a touch more feel than a thick leather one. Having said that some of the best natural horsemanship exponents use a leather headcollar – there are no rules.


What is important, however, is to have a


long rope or lunge line attached to it, not the usual metre or so long lead rope. Any horse in the early stages of his training is going to feel more comfortable and secure if he is able to move his feet – if you restrict him from doing this by holding him on a short length of rope you are setting up unnecessary battles. He may well panic and the actions associated with fright and fl ight – kicking and/or rearing and running – will naturally come to the fore. Have a long enough length of rope that he can get to the other side of the pen or school with you still holding it if he experiences an early fright. Initially I would let the horse walk round me,


getting used to the feel of the headcollar. I want him to recognise that I am not going to pull him along – I am not attempting to lunge him at this stage, just familiarising him with these new sensations. If it is a big space you may have to use a bit of pressure to keep him close, but always counter it with a release when he comes towards you. T ink ‘pressure–and–release’ all the time.


Leading


People think of leading a horse as taking him to where they want to go, pulling if necessary – I defi ne it more as asking and showing direction while being attached to the rope. It is the basis of our physical communication and connection with our horses, be it taking him out to the fi eld,


January 2012


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