Groundwork for Equestrian Mamas

This post is all about groundwork for equestrian mamas, a topic useful to all horse owners but one which may be beneficial to all equestrian mamas, new or old. Time with our horses isn’t all about riding. There are many other things we can do with them when we aren’t able to ride, whether that be due to illness, age, time, circumstances etc.

Groundwork consists of teaching your horse on the ground and if done well these skills should transfer to under saddle. It is important to take time to do this correctly and not to rush. I am going to work through with you some groundwork which has helped to improve my horse and the bond which we have created. 

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Bitless, treeless and barefoot!

The first time the word bitless was mentioned to me I must admit I laughed, I mean surely having no bit would mean no brakes, right? Wrong, this is a common misconception by most in relation to bitless. Before going further, this is not an I hate bits post but about how bitless can have its uses.

Now, what bitless won’t do though is replace bad training and in order to go bitless, the right amount of groundwork and training is still required. For me I tried it after a recommendation from my daughter who rides her 16.1hh mare in a bitless bridle and my then 3-year-old cob wasn’t going well in a bit but rode fine in a halter.

So I made the change and rode for about a year in an English hackamore, now I know you might be thinking that this is a