46/ FEBRUARY 2013 THE RIDER Playing Games with Horses – What Fun!
By Shelley Shopspwitz There is a real move nowadays towards strengthening the bond with our equine friends and developing a part- nership based on trust and mutual trust and
respect. Many modern equine experts agree that groundwork exercises are tantamount to achieving this goal. Of course, there are many different opinions on how these exercises
should be performed. Shelley of The Contented Equine Con- sulting Service is well versed in a whole slew of ground games that can be played with your horse. Learned from
ter communication in the saddle. Groundwork exercises can be fun for the horse and human. Introducing a variety of exercises helps to keep the horse “think- ing” and alleviate boredom. Props can be useful and with a little imagination can make the exercises more interesting and can also help desensitize the horse to different objects. Props can include cones, poles, tarps, platforms, hula hoops, balls, etcetera.
Groundwork exercises can be developed progressively to the point where the horse can be worked with at liberty in a large
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Lindsey Partridge of Partridge Horse Hill - http://www.lfeques-
trian.com/, there is an entire repertoire of games designed to create a relationship that is based on communication and leadership rather than domina- tion and fear. These “games” help build confidence in uncon- fident and shy horses. They help to develop the human’s leader- ship skills, especially helpful with dominant horses. Mutual trust and respect can be achieved leading to an improve- ment in barn manners and many behavior problems. Overall communication between horse and human is enhanced. And yes, better communication on the ground helps to lead to bet-
area such as an arena or riding ring.
Time spent with our equine friends doesn’t have to be all work. Playing with the horse in a safe and controlled manner can go a long way towards improv- ing the oh-so-important human/equine bond.
Shelley Shopsowitz is the owner/operator of The Contented Equine Consulting Service. She has a silver level of certification with the Natural Horsemanship Association (http://www.NHAs-
sociation.ca/ ), achieved the Equine Science Certificate from Equine Guelph and is a Regis- tered Veterinary Technician. Please visit http://thecontentede-
quine.com/
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