Groundwork for Connection: Building Trust & Willingness (Step by step guide to Join Up)
This video demonstrates initial groundwork exercises designed to build a connection with your horse and encourage them to willingly follow your lead. The focus is on gentle communication and establishing a partnership, not on scaring the horse.
You’ll see how the presenter approaches the horse calmly, establishes eye contact, and uses gentle movements to encourage the horse to move off and change direction. The importance of the handler’s confident body language is emphasized, ensuring the horse can see and follow them. Maintaining visual connection in these early stages is key.
The video also includes a demonstration of walking the horse through “vulnerable areas” (under the belly and touching the back legs). While this is sometimes used to prepare for saddling, here it’s presented more as a reward and a way to build trust. Safety precautions for handling the horse’s legs are shown, such as standing over the hip.
A key technique demonstrated is the “STAG” method, designed to encourage the horse to willingly come towards the handler. STAG stands for:
- Stop: The handler stops, level with the horse’s hip.
- Turn: The handler turns to face the horse.
- Aline away from the horse: If the horse is looking away, the handler tries to get its attention.
- Go: Once the horse is looking, the handler walks away. Through this sequence, the horse learns to associate the handler’s movements with an opportunity to close the distance. Key Takeaways:
- Building a willing partnership through groundwork requires calm and confident body language, ensuring the horse can see and follow you. Visual connection is crucial initially.
- Introducing potentially sensitive areas, like under the belly and picking up feet, can be done gently and even used as a reward, with appropriate safety precautions.
- The STAG technique provides a structured way to encourage the horse to willingly come towards you. Topics: Groundwork, Join Up, Communication, Intelligent Horsemanship Techniques,
