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Palm Partnership Training™ Building A Partnership With Your Horse Golden Rules of Ground Training Part 2


by Lynn Palm Before we start on specific


lessons, you need to understand and follow my Golden Rules for ground training any horse. We covered the first two in past issues of this magazine and website. To review, Golden Rule #1 is to respect your posi- tion, as a handler, in relation- ship to your horse. Golden Rule #2 is to make straightness a goal.


Golden Rule #3: Don’t Pull Keep the longe line loose


and avoid the all too common tendency to “muscle” a horse through a ground training ma- neuver. Too often I see han- dlers trying to “steer”, stop, and get their horse to go forward by pulling or pushing his head from the bottom of the halter. This violates all of the Golden Rules! The more you pull on the lead, the more the horse will learn to lean against it. This only desensitizes him and increases the physical and men- tal stress on both of you be- cause you get less response. Handlers can cause a


horse to lose straightness by pulling on the longe or lead shank, which swings the horse’s head out of alignment toward them. A loose lead al- lows your horse to be inde- pendent. The more your horse learns to keep his own space, the more he will be able to con- centrate and obey your com- mands because he will not have anything to lean on or resist against. If your horse gets too


close to you while teaching ground training maneuvers, push his head away with your hand on the side of his head rather than pushing it away from beneath the halter. Or shake the longe toward the horse to encourage him to maintain the desired space. On the other hand, if the horse re- sists coming toward you, put a slight tension on the lead, but release it the instant the horse comes. I use voice commands, in


addition to my position, to re- inforce what I am asking my horse to do. A deep vocal tone tells a horse to “do it now” or “respond and react to me”. A mellow tone is rewarding and soothing. I also introduce the “cluck” as a signal that means, “move”.


Golden Rule #4: Reward Progress We covered this golden


rule before, but it bears repeat- ing. Be patient. Ground train- ing takes time. You may spend several days or weeks on one lesson. Make your sessions short to keep your horse’s at- tention and find a way to end each one on a positive note. Rushed or impatient handling now will affect future training


sessions. Reward any progress your horse makes. Ground training is not


mentally or physically fatigu- ing for a horse so it is some- thing you can do every day—if you keep the lessons short and interesting. It is a must for young horses. For older horses it offers variety to your school- ing and another opportunity to spend time together. So prac- tice!


Honor these Golden Rules


and you will set a foundation for ground training success. Next I’ll give you specific ground training lessons you can teach your horse to improve your partnership on the ground and in the saddle.


Your Next Step… Too often handlers tend to


lag behind their horse’s move- ment when teaching ground training maneuvers. They end up pulling on the horse to slow down his natural movement. When a horse is first learning to respond, handlers should stay up with the horse’s speed. Once the horse is responsive, keeping his space, and leading without pulling the handler can increase the difficulty by ask- ing the horse to perform the maneuver at different speeds. Your next step in ground


training your horse is to watch your steps! Learn how to move with your horse at his speed, not making him match yours! Until he’s mastered the basics, you must regulate your speed to his and not the other way around.


Lynn’s Tip While it takes some horses


longer than others to get accli- mated to new situations, it is important that they get exposed to different surroundings and learn to accept them. The only way for a horse to learn is for him to get more exposure, not less.


Lynn Palm Royal Palm Ranch, LTD. 9445 NW 60th Ave. Ocala, Florida 34482 352-629-3310 - Phone/Fax 800-503-2824


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