1. The matter of Groundwork and why groundwork matters
Groundwork exercises by Antoine de Pluvinel in L'instruction du roy en l'exercise de monter à cheval
Many people nowadays are convinced that groundwork is an obsolete and useless activity in the training of horses. They claim that a horse can be perfectly educated under the saddle. You probably expect me to falsify this claim entirely, but there is some truth in that very statement, since many riders have indeed trained their horses with little if any groundwork at all. This mere fact already proves their point. But surely, you might think, groundwork is conditional to training green horses, which have not seen, smelled or touched a saddle in their lives. Again reality proves the contrary. Practitioners of the Texas Cowboy method, for instance, took great pride in breaking a colt by mounting horses which were never saddled in their lives. A tradition that was glorified as an element of the Rodeos of the United States and which is still practiced today.
Although these examples
demonstrate that horses do not necessarily require groundwork, riders who never
practiced groundwork do not prove that groundwork is obsolete, leave alone
useless. In fact, the great horse masters throughout history as well as the traditional
horsemanship practices indicate the very opposite. For centuries, groundwork
was a far more elemental practice than it is today. Take Antoine de Pluvinel,
the so-called founding father of dressage, for example. The training technique
for which he is most renowned is the introduction of the pillars in groundwork
to teach horses various high school exercises. A practice which still distinguishes
classical riding schools such as the Spanish Riding School from others to this
very day. The intensive use of groundwork was not restricted to Europe. Also in
the vaquero traditions of the Americas, groundwork formed an elemental part of
training, and this training did not end once the horse was started under the
saddle. It even contributed to some of the most characteristic features of the
so-called western riding, the round-pen. An interesting note is that the round
pen actually outdates any form of vaquero practice, as Ann Hyland (Equus: The horse in the Roman world)
indicated its use in Roman horsemanship practices. Recent archeological work conducted
by Sandra L. Olsen went even further by the discovery of the remnants of a round corral at Krasnyi Yar, belonging to
the ancient Botai Culture (http://www.carnegiemnh.org/science/default.aspx?id=16611).
This indicates that groundwork, at least in the form of round pen techniques,
might be dating back to the earliest history of horse riding some 5600 years
ago.
How much belief should we
therefore attribute to the doubts uttered about the use and value of groundwork,
if for centuries, if not millennia, it was considered an essential element
within horse training? Should we take the word of these self-proclaimed
authorities over that of the grand masters of the classical dressage? I do not think
it to be wise. However, such expressions urge us to some reflections about the
use and purpose of groundwork, as groundwork is often transformed into a
purpose on itself or a stage for tricks and performances with horses (which,
off course, can be a perfectly legitimate practice).
Groundwork, at large, can be
considered as any direct interaction between humans and horses, whereby the
human remains on the ground (hence the term groundwork). In this view,
groundwork also includes all forms of caretaking which involves a direct interaction
with the horse. Although some may consider this to great a stretch of the term, it is, in fact, not a wrong view. A horse which subjects itself
calmly to the cares of a vet or a farrier may often be the product of good
groundwork. On the contrary, problems during caretaking can be remediated
through groundwork. The interaction during caretaking is therefore a form of ‘applied groundwork’ and the world will be
happier place for vets and farriers if more people spent some attention in
educating and preparing their horses for the necessary treatments.
Thinking about the use of
groundwork in terms of its applications, its practical uses in other words,
should not be underestimated. Groundwork establishes a general framework of
confidence, communication and respect for the horse, which can be applied in
our daily interactions with horses, such as grooming, feeding, or transporting them. The ability to calmly and safely load a horse into a trailer is an
application of groundwork often stressed by ‘natural horsemen’. Not
without reason, since trailer loading is the cause of much frustration,
not to speak of hazardous accidents, for humans and horses alike.
Although the practical use of
groundwork should be considered reason enough to undertake some basic
groundwork training, the reasons for doing groundwork go further and deeper
than that. I identify four reasons why groundwork training should be considered
an elemental, and in some cases far more efficient, part of educating horses
and humans.
1.
Groundwork
educates humans more efficiently. By exercising groundwork, humans learn a
specific set of skills which allow them to deal with their horses when not in
the saddle. However, groundwork is also relevant to increase the knowledge and
level of skill important for riding horses.
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Firstly,
because humans, which acquire information primarily through visual means, can
observe the horse in its entirety from the ground, where riding horses does not
offer the human such means. In this way, humans learn more efficiently how
their horses act mentally and physically. Furthermore, when applying techniques
to deal with certain mental or physical issues of the horse (whose dynamics
will often remain the same under the saddle), humans have a much clearer feedback
as to the effects of their methods.
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Secondly,
some skills will applied on the ground, can be directly transferred to skills
in the saddle. This is particularly true for actions with the lead rope or
lunge rope. The sense of feel established through the lead rope or in the work
with the double lunge, relates directly to the actions required with the reins
in the saddle. The importance of this point cannot be overstated, as harsh
hands are one of the major shortcomings of many riders.
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Thirdly,
groundwork provides a simpler, and therefore more efficient, learning environment
for humans. Good riding does not only involve advanced skills such as an
independent seat, rhythm, a balanced use of the aids (reins, feet, seat and
whip), but also the combination of these skills, which constantly needs
readjustment in relation to the mentality, position, form and action of the
horse and the human. On the ground, on the other hand, matters are simpler, and
humans are allowed to focus more on a particular aspect.
2.
Groundwork
educates horses more efficiently. The major purpose of groundwork is to
generally train and educate the horse on all the qualities we hope to advance. It is a misconception that groundwork limits itself to
basic qualities such as relaxation or a basic form of communication. For instance,
lateral bending exercises, such as ‘shoulder in’ or ‘travers’, can all be
introduced on the ground. In classical dressage, advanced movements such as the
piaffe or the jumps are always first learned on the ground, before they are
applied under the saddle. Although groundwork can become a purpose on itself (a
well-known and increasingly popular activity with horses is dressage in
liberty), groundwork can have direct relationships to actions performed in the
saddle. Actions and principles which are always learned with greater efficiency
and refinement on the ground because of three reasons.
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Firstly, groundwork provides also horses with a better educational environment,
simply because they do not have to deal with a human rider on their backs. Even
the most perfect rider – and I do not presume there are many of them out there –
the horse will be troubled by the extra weight he needs to carry around. This
weight does not only constitute an extra burden, but also disturbs the natural
balance of the horse. Consequently, when horses need to figure out new
techniques, groundwork allows them to focus solely on those without being
disturbed by a rider.
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Secondly,
we have more tools at our disposal when teaching horses. We can use our entire
bodies and positioning to facilitate the horse in learning new
techniques. Moreover, we can set-up situations with greater ease, so the horse
has a better chance of figuring out what is required of him.
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Thirdly,
horses have a better view of us and of our body language. Although horses will not
automatically understand our body language, they have an innate characteristic
to focus on bodily language. Therefore, in the process of training, horses
will not only respond to the tools and pressure we apply, but on
our bodily expressions as well.
3.
Groundwork
renders us an independent position. This point partially relates to the two
previous points, as an independent position facilitates our learning by
simplifying the learning situation, and facilitates the horse’s learning, since
we can use our position to instruct the horse. However, an independent position
is of paramount importance when dealing with the mental issues horses may be
having. Movement, after all, plays an important role in equestrian behaviour. When riding, we reduce our ability to take advantage of the role of moving feet in horse behaviour, since we are moving along with the horse. Therefore,
in the case of distrust or dominance, an independent position will have more
profound effects than anything you can do in the saddle. When a horse is
distrustful, the presence of a confident human is often a point of reliance and
comfort. In the case of dominance, the effect of an independent position is even
more profound, as dominance is often determined by the ability to move feet. Since
we can remain stationary and drive the horse to movement, groundwork offers by
far the best tools for dealing with dominance problems.
4.
Groundwork
is safer. Although groundwork also contains risks, it almost always provides
considerably more safety to humans than riding horses. Therefore groundwork is
particularly important for green horses and problem horses, but also holds
value as a general check-up before every ride. Once groundwork is well
established in the relationship between the human and the horse, doing a
groundwork check-up takes little or no extra time, since you need to lead your
horse from the pasture or onto the training arena anyway. Furthermore, the
check-up is probably a better way to warm-up the horse, since he has no burdens
to carry.
Next to the
practical purpose, these four arguments provide ample reasoning to justify and
even necessitate groundwork in the training of all horses. Indeed, a horse can
be effectively trained to certain levels without any groundwork, but it
most certainly is not the most efficient or safest way to educate horses. Furthermore,
groundwork allows us to achieve greater levels of refinement than possible
when riding the horse. However, this leaves one question still unanswered: Why
do so many still insist that groundwork is a waste of time? The answer lies in
three words: formalism, time and objectives.
The horse world has become an increasingly
formalized world, especially in Europe. Historically, this is a relic from the
times when horsemanship was mostly reduced to military practices (with its culmination in the
nineteenth century). Since the army, because of organizational, tactical and
disciplinary reasons, was characterized by rigid structuralization, this was
also applied to the cavalry. When, in the first half of the twentieth century,
horsemanship transformed out of these military practices into
a sporting endeavour and, subsequently, a recreational practice, the formal
character of the horse world was retained. Nonetheless, the traditional
practices of horsemanship were themselves greatly altered during these times of
modernization, often drifting away from the fundamental principles. These
alterations were nonetheless incorporated in the formal structures of the horse
world and often legitimated as interpretations of the traditional practices. However,
when comparing the current practices, amongst it the lack of groundwork, with
the traditional practices, either conserved in source material or preserved and
continued in certain locations or institutions, the apparent discrepancy
between the traditional and the conventional is hard to overlook.
More important is the factor of
time. Most horse people have the impression that groundwork takes up a
considerable amount of time. Time that can therefore not be spent on riding. A
logic which is actually true. Groundwork will take a good amount of time
indeed. Nonetheless, this does not imply that groundwork takes away time from
training under the saddle, rather the opposite is true, since groundwork, as
demonstrated before, effectively trains a horse better and more efficient.
Therefore, groundwork often results in horses who pick-up new techniques under
the saddle in considerably less time and with considerably greater refinement.
We are in fact dealing with a trade-off on a mid to long term scale. It is
because this trade-off goes unnoticed on the short term, that this perception
has arisen. Furthermore, some horse trainers often rush through the development
of basic qualities, which will often be the focus of basic groundwork, denouncing
it as irrelevant or too time consuming. Often the mental aspects of horse training
are left unchecked and all attention goes to the physical training. Although most horses can cope
with this type of training, it rarely leads to perfection, and therefore
cannot be considered an art. Rather, it results into a level of mediocre riding,
which characterizes our contemporary horsemanship practices. It sometimes even results into mental stress and, in time, may evolve into severe behavioural
problems of the horse. Finally, it should be noted that groundwork actually
takes-up a less time than riding, since it is far less complex than the art of
riding. In fact, most of the time will be spent in training the human the
skills for doing groundwork, which to a large extent will also improve his
skills in the saddle. This is for instance demonstrated by the amazing results
of good horsemen, whether or not professed natural horsemen, who in a matter of
a few sessions accomplish amazing changes within the horse.
The third, and perhaps most
important, factor lie with the objectives humans have with their horses. We set
specific goals for ourselves and we hope to accomplish these goals as soon as
possible. It is a mentality, characteristicly for our human nature, which often
reaches its culmination in the sporting world (luckily, not all sportsmen and –women
share this mentality). This thirst for objectives urges humans to become
specific in what they do with horses and arouses a sentiment of resentment for
anything not directly related to the specific goals. In other words, humans
often place their own desires over the educational needs of their horses. The simple reality is that horses cannot be grinded down to a specific use or a
particular discipline, but are living organisms which require a holistic
approach. An approach that can only be efficient if it also entails groundwork.
It is comparable to parenting children. I think most will agree that pushing
children to achieve a particular goal, which the parent could not achieve for
himself, is a condemnable practice, which – and righteously so – gives cause to
great grievances. However, when it comes to horses, most seemed not to be disturbed by that very same logic and practice.
Therefore, if we are rational and
serious about educating our horses, leave alone elevating our horsemanship to
the level of art, groundwork should be an elementary part in your work with horses. Hollow phrases or bold words denouncing the fundamental logic outlined
in this post only mask the inadequacy of such horse owners and trainers, often
indicating their lack of true horsemanship and/or their limited understanding
of horse. You should not take my advice on this matter or even not the logic I developed
here. Rather look at the accomplishments of current and former masters: de
Pluvinel, Cavendish, de la Guerinère, Tom Dorrance, Ray Hunt, Buck Brannaman,
and many others.
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