Groundwork is what teaches the young horse that it must respect us, accept our leadership and respect our space.

Groundwork is what teaches young horses to tie.

Groundwork is what teaches young horses to pick up their feet for the farrier.

Groundwork is what teaches young horses to be groomed, clipped, bathed and blanketed.

Groundwork is what teaches young horses that it is ok to be poked, prodded, twisted and molested in many ways by a host of equine specialists.

Groundwork is what teaches a young horse to trailer.

Groundwork is what teaches a young horse to face scary objects such as gates, tractors, cars, bicycles, leaves, dogs, cats, garden hoses, ditches, strange looking weeds, rocks, concrete, gravel, mud, water, caterpillars…. You name it…

Groundwork is what teaches a young horse its proper place under us in the herd hierarchy.

Groundwork is what teaches a young horse to want to be close to people.

Groundwork is what teaches a young horse to move away from pressure.

Groundwork is what teaches a young horse to move when asked.

Groundwork is what teaches a young horse to stand until asked to do otherwise.

Groundwork is what teaches a young horse to properly accept blankets, saddles, bits, bosals and a variety of other forms of tack.

Groundwork is what teaches a young horse to backup.

Groundwork is what teaches a young horse bend at the poll, neck and body.

Groundwork is what teaches a young horse to walk, trot and canter when asked.

Groundwork is what teaches a horse to turn when asked.

Groundwork is what teaches a young horse to stop when asked.

Groundwork is what teaches a young horse to stand for mounting

. …. And there are many other things that can be taught on the ground, some good, some bad….

So, why does the horse’s life continue to involve groundwork and why is it part of their every day life… Every time you interact with a horse, you teach it something… Most of the time you interact with your horse is on the ground…. So, remember, groundwork is something that is done continually for the life of a horse as long as it interacts with humans…..

The above list can help remind you of the things you want to teach your horse every day and perhaps help you avoid the things you don’t want to teach them… For most horses, you will have to occasionally remind them of all the things in this list, for life.

If you forget to continually remind your horse of the things you want them to know, they will learn something else….