Q&A Groundwork + The What & Why of Groundwork

Horsefulness Training Podcast

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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