In this second episode of the Horsefulness Training Podcast Karine Vandenborre explains what Groundwork according to the Horsefulness phylosophy is, why you should do Groundwork and she answers 5 questions that were sent in by mail.
Q 1: My horse is pretty anxious about tractors and big vehicles. She is also very spooky when we pass bushes and branches. Then she disconnects and only wants one thing: run off! How can I keep the connection when she is so afraid?
Q 2: My horse is afraid to back up out of the trailer. Any advice on how to train him to back up instead of turning in the trailer to unload?
Q 3: If Liberty is the foundation and you can do everything in Liberty, why do you go to Groundwork? Can’t we do everything in Liberty? What is the benefit of doing Groundwork?
Q 4: I had to use a lot of direct pressure from my instructor to teach my horse to yield. This didn't feel right. Is it really necessary to teach your horse to yield for direct pressure?
Q 5: The Groundwork I've been doing became to easy for my horse and therefore she loses interest. I would like to get some tips on how to make Groundwork more difficult and stimulating for her and me.
When answering these 5 questions, Karine talks about
- accepting fear
- focussing on your breath to stay present
- using the "liberty-principle" when doing groundwork
- communication versus force when yielding to physical aids
She also tunes in on
- how to prepare your horse in a step by step manner for traffic
- why negative reinforcement is not "negative", like some people think
- what a groundwork sequence is,
- and much more!
The blog-post about yielding for physical aids that she refers to in this episode is this one.
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