# Exercises to do on ground



## MumofWhiz (17 March 2018)

My friend and I have just bought a horse for us to share; a beautiful 16.3 ID mare.  We are having a saddle fitted on Tuesday but I wondered if there's any good exercises that we can do with her in the school to enable her to get to know us/start to bond with us.  At the moment we are spending a fair bit of time just grooming/looking after her and talking to her; she's on part livery so she does have another 2 people feeding and mucking out etc.  I wondered if join up would be good or is it too soon as she literally only arrived yesterday and I don't want to push it too quickly but I want her to know she's safe with us iykwim.

Many thanks


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## JFTDWS (17 March 2018)

Please don't do join up if you're looking to make her feel safe - it's just putting pressure and stress onto her until she learns to avoid it.  

You're better just to handle her sensibly and allow her to learn in her own time that she can trust you.  You can certainly take her for a walk and practice leading / stopping / manners calmly in a safe environment if you want to do "something" with her while waiting for a saddle to be fitted.


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## MumofWhiz (17 March 2018)

Thank you; I was unsure about it as it's such early days.  We've been grooming her and walking her around the yard seeing the sights.  This morning we took her in the indoor school and she was fascinated by the mirror and spent ages just by it - seems to be her safe place.  When we walked her we made sure we stopped and made her stand until we were ready to move on; at 16.3 she's a big girl so needs to know that we're in charge but she can trust us completely.


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## be positive (17 March 2018)

JFTD said:



			Please don't do join up if you're looking to make her feel safe - it's just putting pressure and stress onto her until she learns to avoid it.  

You're better just to handle her sensibly and allow her to learn in her own time that she can trust you.  You can certainly take her for a walk and practice leading / stopping / manners calmly in a safe environment if you want to do "something" with her while waiting for a saddle to be fitted.
		
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This, join up has it's place but not with well brought up riding horses, it will confuse her at least, at worst will frighten her and send her backwards before you have even got to know her, there is so much you can do without needing to chase her about, walking in hand to see her new environment, some gentle lunging and time in her field will be plenty until Tuesday then you can crack on with the riding.


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## MumofWhiz (17 March 2018)

Thank you .  Just want to start right with her as she is a real darling.  I think she's actually had a really good upbringing in Ireland as she's not at all nervy and is very calm and sweet considering all she has gone through in the last 24 hours!  I am sure our bond will come; just someone before mentioned it to me but my gut feeling was not yet - hence my post on here.


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## ihatework (17 March 2018)

Not yet, more like not at all.
She will honestly trust and respect you more for calm and consistent handling, a good routine and plenty of exercise.
She can go on the walker and lunge until Tuesday. Having come over from Ireland she will be plenty used to &#8216;just getting on with it&#8217;


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## Pinkvboots (17 March 2018)

I would just lunge maybe do some poles and go for a walk in hand let her see your local hacking ready for when you can ride. Just spend quality time grooming and bonding


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## MumofWhiz (17 March 2018)

Great, thank you everyone, lovely being able to ask for advice on here x


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## Sparemare (18 March 2018)

Calm consistent handling.  Don&#8217;t try to be her friend or bond with her.  Chat and deal with her in a workmanlike manner.  The bond will come later.


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## MumofWhiz (18 March 2018)

We lunged her this afternoon and she was really good.  Funnily enough after that we let her off to see if she wanted to roll again and when I walked away she followed me, I turned left and she turned left too so I think already we are getting the beginnings of getting to know us.  Me and my friend are both very calm so she's not picking up on any panic or worry from us; we're both laid back and it seems like she is too.


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## Pearlsasinger (18 March 2018)

MumofWhiz said:



			We lunged her this afternoon and she was really good.  Funnily enough after that we let her off to see if she wanted to roll again and when I walked away she followed me, I turned left and she turned left too so I think already we are getting the beginnings of getting to know us.  Me and my friend are both very calm so she's not picking up on any panic or worry from us; we're both laid back and it seems like she is too.
		
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That sounds like an excellent basis for a partnership.

I am going to add my vote for not, ever, doing join up.  It is absolutely unnecessary and is most likely to be confusing for the horse.  I would ignore everything the Parellis have ever said if I were you.


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## MumofWhiz (18 March 2018)

Thank you; seems like there's very different opinion on Parelli etc.  I just want what is best for her and to have a happy horse and don't relish chasing her around with a lunge whip!


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## Pearlsasinger (18 March 2018)

MumofWhiz said:



			Thank you; seems like there's very different opinion on Parelli etc.  I just want what is best for her and to have a happy horse and don't relish chasing her around with a lunge whip!
		
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TBH, I think you will find a huge majority on HHO have the same opinion of Parelli.


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## MumofWhiz (18 March 2018)

Very interesting as I though Parelli was THE thing but she just did it naturally by following me around - she did the same with her owner Pauline yesterday and it just happened as if it were the most normal thing in the world.


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## ester (18 March 2018)

Parelli is the work of the devil, well of Mr Parelli, but I suspect they are quite close friends. 

IME most older horses do it because they have been trained to follow a human and that's fine


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## be positive (18 March 2018)

MumofWhiz said:



			Very interesting as I though Parelli was THE thing but she just did it naturally by following me around - she did the same with her owner Pauline yesterday and it just happened as if it were the most normal thing in the world.
		
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Following you has nothing to do with parelli and everything to do with being brought up kindly so she trusts people and wants to be with them without the need for tricks, chasing or at times cruelty when they don't understand what is wanted, as she wants to be with you the worst thing you could do in my experience is to break her trust by using parelli methods, she would be mortified to be treated that way from the sound of things, mine follow me around because they choose to not because they are too helpless to think for themselves.


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## MumofWhiz (18 March 2018)

Thank you.  She is being turned out tomorrow for the first time and we'll go up at lunch time and lunge her again as she seemed to enjoy that.  She seemed noticeably more relaxed even just walking up to the school (not that she was jumpy to start with) and is a pleasure to be around.  She seems to like it if she puts her nostrils up to my face and I very gently breathe on her; she's done this a few times now.


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## JFTDWS (18 March 2018)

Pearlsasinger said:



			TBH, I think you will find a huge majority on HHO have the same opinion of Parelli.
		
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This, he is one of Satan's own little minions.


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## MumofWhiz (20 March 2018)

Please to report that we now have a very nice Kent & Masters S GP saddle for Breggey so we can start to ride her.  Had a little sit on her earlier and she was a very good girl for me which automatically makes me feel more confident.  Going up tomorrow with my husband to do more of the same then me and my friend have a lesson on her on Saturday.  

She's being very sweet - only problem is not wanting to pick her feet up for us but when I was firmer with her today she responded so think now she knows we can be tougher hopefully it'll help - don't want her to think we're pushovers!


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## sbloom (23 March 2018)

I would highly recommend getting into in hand work, I recommend a few options to my customers - Straightness Training, Art2Ride (both on FB) and some more specific options for those near Warwickshire or north Wales where some excellent in hand trainers are based or visit.


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## MumofWhiz (24 March 2018)

sbloom said:



			I would highly recommend getting into in hand work, I recommend a few options to my customers - Straightness Training, Art2Ride (both on FB) and some more specific options for those near Warwickshire or north Wales where some excellent in hand trainers are based or visit.
		
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Thanks very much; I'll check these out


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