Groundwork exercises can be highly effective for building your horse’s strength as they can develop core stability, balance and muscle tone without needing to compensate for the added weight and restriction of a rider.

All horses have a dominant side – like us being right- or left-handed – and with this exercise you can target developing the weaker side as well as building overall core strength. The use of raised and angled poles make horses lift their knees and bend the hocks, think where to place their feet, engage their core and and open their shoulders.

Aims

• Develop weaker side
• Engage core and get horse working through the back
• Improve proprioception

The setup

You will need: a training halter, lunging cavesson, or your horse’s usual bridle

Setup: You can use as many poles as you have time to lay out, but six is a good number. Arrange them in a zig-zag as shown in the diagram, raising the points where the poles meet on to 15–20cm blocks on one side.

Because this is a walk exercise, don’t worry too much about the spacing – they can be quite close together or at right angles. It’s up to your horse to work out where to put his feet.

How to do the exercise

• Before you try the polework exercise, warm your horse up by leading him on both reins for about 10min. You should do transitions from walk to halt, to check he is paying attention to you. You can also ask him to rein-back from the ground or do some basic lateral work. Your horse should be walking actively forwards and straight, as you would expect under saddle.
• Approach the zig-zag directly in the centre. As you are working in-hand, you should keep yourself parallel to your horse’s head but outside the poles, rather than stepping over them as this may affect how you lead and balance your horse.
• Because the spacing between the poles varies, and they are higher on one side than the other, this will encourage your horse to think about where he puts his feet, constantly adjusting his balance and stride length. Stepping over uneven, raised obstacles asks your horse to lift their core, thereby building topline.
• You should do this exercise several times in each direction, bearing in mind one side is higher than the other. To work on your horse’s weaker side, do more lines where he has to lift that side higher. For example, if his weaker side is the left, have the raised side on the left.

Tips and troubleshooting

1. Alternate raised poles

This exercise is equally effective if you alternate the raised sides, so your horse has to keep adapting as they go down the line.

2. Don’t overface

If your horse has never done this exercise before, he may find the visual challenge of a line of asymmetric poles offputting. You can build up from three poles rather than going straight into six.

Likewise, don’t underestimate the impact of this polework exercise, even though you’re not riding. It requires plenty of physical and mental effort.

3. No drifting 

Although you’re leading your horse and cannot use your legs and hands to keep him straight, the asymmetric layout should do the job for you as the angled poles channel the horses into a straight line. Give them plenty of freedom with the head and neck to assess the layout and use their back.

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This groundwork exercise is handy for keeping your horse engaged and stimulated in walk, because of the constant changes of direction combined with negotiating poles.

Aims

• Provide mental and physical stimulation
• Strengthen core and hindquarters
• Focus on changes of bend while negotiating poles

The setup

Setup: Three sets of two poles set up in like chevrons, with about 4m between the points of each set.

You will need: training halter, lunging cavesson, or your horse’s usual bridle

How to do this in-hand exercise

• Just because you’re working in hand doesn’t mean you don’t need to warm your horse up. Before you start the polework exercise, spend 5–10min in walk. Your horse should be walking actively, as you would expect if you were riding. Incorporate plenty of transitions to check your horse is focussed and working with you, not being distracted.
• First, approach the chevrons on a straight line (orange line above). The poles should draw the horse into the point.
• Approach the points in the opposite direction, aiming for the points. Without the poles guiding you both into the point, you need to be accurate so the horse doesn’t meander to the side.
• Now you can play around with the formation. Do circles and loops making a cross-section through the chevron, varying whether you cross near the point or where the poles widen out (green line). Taking the poles on an angle like this will increase the emphasis on footwork as the horse needs to work out how to lift and put down his feet.
• You can also approach the sides of the chevron at a right angle, then dogleg off to the opposite arm of the next chevron (blue line). This works on changing the bend while negotiating poles. All the time, you are asking you horse to assess, react, be supple and precise with his footwork.

Make sure you work equally on both reins.

Tips and troubleshooting

1. Layout

If you only have four poles – or are short on time – just two chevrons will also provide a great workout.

2. Accuracy

Striped poles are really useful for keeping disciplined on accuracy. If you decide to cross from, say, white stripe to white stripe, can you stick to it?

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This polework exercise can be done in-hand or ridden, but it’s best to teach it as a groundwork exercise first to give your horse the chance to learn the concept without the additional weight of a rider. The act of simply stepping over a line of poles can bring huge benefits to your horse in terms of both stimulation (mental and physical) and building strength, coordination and horse-rider harmony.

Aims

• Develop your horse’s core strength
• Improve foot-brain coordination
• Develop horse-rider relationship and understanding

The setup

Setup: Four poles laid end to end in a line. They can be on the ground or sightly raised on small blocks or bricks. You need to have space either side, so ideally down the middle of an arena or field.

You will need: a training halter, lunging cavesson, or your horse’s usual bridle.

How to do this in-hand exercise

• Begin by leading your horse in-hand around the arena or field for five minutes or so, checking he is walking purposefully without pulling you around. Do transitions to and from halt to ensure he is responding.
• Approach parallel to the line of poles so that they lie just to right of your horse. When you are level with the first pole and their right foreleg is about to leave the ground, ask the horse to step over the pole until all four legs are on the right side of the pole.
• Walk in a straight line away.
• Next, approach so that the poles lie to your horse’s left. When their left fore is leading, ask the horse to step to the left over the line of poles and walk away in a straight line.
• Once the horse understands the concept, you can link up several step-overs. Starting with the poles on the right, step over the line leading with the right fore, then take an odd number of steps parallel to the pole until the left fore is leading, and ask the horse to step to the left back over the line of poles. Again walk an odd number of steps and then move sideways right.
• Continue until you reach the end of the line.

Tips and troubleshooting

1. Difficulty level

This exercise is more demanding the higher the poles are raised, and the more frequently you ask the horse to step over. Start with seven steps on each side, progressing to five or then three as your horse understands.

2. Stay parallel

It can be tempting to serpentine over the poles, but the aim is to step laterally, one foot after the other. Stay parallel and don’t meander!

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Teaching sidepass and other lateral work from the ground encourages your horse to “think” with his feet, as well as listening and reacting to what you are asking of them. It can take a while initially for the penny to drop for some horses learning this lateral sidepass pole exercise, but it’s great for creating engagement and learning how to move the hind and front end.

The pole provides a visual and tactile boundary, which is a tool in this exercise. All you are asking the horse to do is move sideways along a pole which separates the hind and front end. However, it is quite a demanding exercise mentally, requiring your horse to understand your cues to move laterally and not to step forwards over the pole with the hindlegs.

Before you attempt this groundwork exercise, your horse needs to understand how to move his front end and his back end from your cues on the ground. These are simple movements that you would do, for example, when you open and close a gate.

Aims

• Develop lateral coordination, suppleness and precise footwork
• Engage the core as the horse learns cross their legs over in balance
• Improve your horse’s overall manoeuvrability and responsiveness

The setup

You will need:

• A pole on the ground – ideally a heavy one that doesn’t roll easily when kicked or stepped on
• training halter, lunging cavesson, or your horse’s usual bridle
• Lunge line, long rope or reins
• Schooling whip (or you can spin the end of your line or reins as the cue)

Once your horse is comfortable standing over a pole, ask him to move sideways along the pole, keeping his hind and front legs on either side

How to do the sidepass pole exercise

• First lead your horse towards the pole, asking him to halt when just his front legs are over it, and the pole is dividing his front and hindlegs. It may take some adjustment and steps of rein-back for him to understand where you want him to position himself.
• Make sure that your horse is comfortable standing squarely with the pole dividing his front and hind end. This may take time initially, especially if he is used to walking over poles rather than stopping halfway.
• In the middle of the pole, stand facing your horse and slightly to his left side, and ask your horse to move to the right, away from you.
• Your left hand should steer the horse sideways to his right, containing any forward movement so that he does not walk over the pole with the hindlegs.
• To move the hind end laterally, either spin or shake the loose end of lead rope in your right hand, or point to the horse’s ribcage with your schooling whip to ask him to move right.
• The moment your horse makes a step or two sideways, release the pressure and praise. Over time he will understand to move laterally along the whole pole, crossing his legs over as he goes.
• To start with, just try going from the middle of the pole to the edge, and eventually you’ll be able to side pass along the whole pole.
• Repeat in the other direction.

Tips and troubleshooting

1. Patience

Break this exercise down into small steps, so you do not overface your horse – it takes time. In one session, you may only get as far as standing quietly over the pole.

2. Confidence and competence

To start with, your horse may move the front end and hind end separately, but as they grow in confidence and understanding, they will step sideways with both fronts and hinds simultaneously.

3. When to step away

If your horse starts to get frustrated with the exercise, which can feel claustrophobic as he gets used to the pole in between his legs, break it up with some forward trotwork.

4. Ridden work

You can also do this exercise ridden, and having already taught your horse from the ground, it should be much easier to achieve.

5. Progress

You can develop this exercise by adding further poles, for instance into an L shape or a zigzag so the horse they have to negotiate corners, requiring a little turn on the forehand or haunches to move onto the next pole.

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This simple groundwork exercise might not look demanding, performed at a walk on a loose rein, but it works your horse’s back, strengthens the hindquarters and core, and improves their proprioception as the negotiate poles of different heights and angles.

Aims

• Provide mental and physical stimulation
• Strengthen core and hindquarters
• Focus on footwork

The setup

Setup: four poles set up in a cross shape, with the outer ends raised on blocks

You will need: a training halter, lunging cavesson, or your horse’s usual bridle

How to do this in-hand exercise

• Warm up your horse first in straight lines in walk by leading him around the arena or field for around 10min, checking that he is active and obedient to your aids. Do frequent transitions from walk to halt to ensure your communication and your horse’s responses are working well. You can also do some rein-back in-hand.
• This polework exercise has two patterns – one a circle and the other in straight lines.
• For the circle, stand toward the middle of the circle and ask the horse to circle around you, stepping over the poles. You can touch your horse behind the girth to encourage him to bend around you. (You will need to be in one quarter, and step over the poles as you turn). The bigger the circle, the higher your horse will need to lift his feet to clear the raised poles.
• Give your horse plenty of rein or rope so that he can lower his head and use his back. The uneven heights require him to look down, assess, and improve hoof-brain coordination.
• For the straight lines, simply lead your horse into the middle of the cross so that he has to take a big step over the X.
• You can add variants, such as small circles over each pole, or making serpentine shapes.
• Perform these exercises equally on both reins to promote symmetrical muscle development.

Tip

Circle sizes

Asking the horse to circle around the edge of the poles requires less bend, but for the horse to lift and engage his core more as he’s travelling over the raised ends. If you bring the circle in closer to you, it will require more bend and suppleness. Either size brings benefits.

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When you don’t have the time or motivation to ride, but still want to give your horse a constructive session, incorporating polework exercises as part of your groundwork training is one solution.

This in-hand groundwork exercise is ideal for establishing good communication with your horse from the ground, engaging them physically and mentally, as well as building their core strength and proprioception (body awareness). With one groundwork setup, you can practise a variety of lines and work on different areas of the body.

Aims

• Encourage accuracy and precision on the straight lines
• Develop flexion, core strength and engagement over the poles and round tight corners
• Mental stimulation and increased proprioception

The setup

Setup: four poles arranged in a square shape with each one touching end to end

You will need: a training halter, lunging cavesson, or your horse’s usual bridle

How to do the exercise

• First lead your horse around a few laps of the arena on each rein, checking he is listening to you by making frequent transitions to halt. You can also ask him to rein-back or do some basic lateral work. Your horse should be walking actively forwards and straight, as you would expect under saddle.
• Approach one side of the square in the centre of the poles and walk directly through, keeping on the same straight line as if you were riding a centre line in a dressage test (see green line above). Repeat this on the opposite axis and on both reins. You can incorporate halts in the middle of the square.
• Next, try diagonal lines through the square (see orange line above), walking in and out over the corners. This requires a bigger step from the horse to clear the right angle. Always focus on staying straight – it’s easier for the horse to veer away from the point. Also incorporate transitions to halt in the middle.
• To introduce bend, set up a curved line which asks the horse to step over each pole on an angle (see black line on the left above). You can adjust the curve to make the bend easier or harder to improve your horse’s flexibility and work on both reins.
• Another pattern to try is loops in and out of the square, changing bend through the centre – it’s a small space, so your horse will have to be clever with his footwork
• Work up to walking a complete circle over one corner of the square (black line top right), which requires your horse to bend through their ribs and be aware of their foot placement to clear the poles. Adjust the size of the circle to suit your horse.
• Finally you can ask your horse to work on his suppleness by turning a small circle around the inside of the square (black line inside the poles). This will require him to engage the inside hindleg and develop his flexibility (see note below).

Tips and troubleshooting

1. Larger circles

If walking a tight circle around the inside of the square is too taxing, try initially circling around the outside, which gives your horse more space. However, he should be able to work up to manoeuvring around the inside with practice.

2. Progress

To increase the difficulty level, raise the poles (using risers like these) to place a greater demand on the core strength and hindleg engagement.

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Rein-back from the ground involves working with your horse, unridden, to train him to step backwards calmly and without resistance in response to simple cues.

We use groundwork exercises to teach our horses cues from the ground, so that they clearly understand what is being asked, while also improving balance, suppleness, coordination and core strength.

Aims

• establish good manners, relaxation and softness from the ground
• engage your horse’s core and achieve response to your cues or aids
• release tension and relax your horse

The setup

You will need:

• Usual bridle, without reins (or twisted and secured inside the throat-lash), or a training halter or lunging cavesson
• Lunge line or long rope
• Schooling whip

No setup required: you can do this in an arena, outside the stable, in a field or on the yard if you have sufficient space.

How to rein-back from the ground

If your horse is wearing a bridle, attach the lunge line or long rope to the opposite bit ring to whichever side you are standing, and thread the line through the inside bit ring. For a headcollar, have the rope attached behind the chin. For a lunging cavesson, have the line attached to the central ring at the front.

• Position yourself facing the horse’s tail while standing slightly to one side of the horse’s head, with the horse standing fairly square.
• Applying gentle downward pressure to the rope, to ask the horse to step back, while using your voice to say “back”.
• You can also point the whip towards the horse’s front hooves or chest to encourage the horse to step backwards.
• As soon as the horse takes one step backwards, release the pressure and praise the horse.
• Wait for a moment to allow the horse to process what they’ve learnt, then repeat the cue or ask.
• Halt and stand still for a few moments.
• Lift the rope and step backwards yourself to encourage the horse forwards one or two steps, then stop to stand again.
• If the horse doesn’t understand the cue to walk forwards, point the whip behind the girth, following up with a light touch if needed.

You can repeat this exercise several times until the horse understands what you are asking and will move forward and back confidently without resistance. To start with he may only manage one or two strides, but you can build up to six or more.

Tips and troubleshooting

1. Diagonal pairs

You want to see the horse stepping cleanly backwards moving his legs in diagonal pairs, rather than shuffling or dragging their feet.

2. Good foundations

Reaching rein-back from the ground early in a horse’s training can help prevent the horse from learning to lean on you when you are handling them from the ground. Once it is established on the ground, the horse should understand the movement much more easily when ridden.

3. No rushing

The aim is for the horse to step back deliberately and confidently, in a relaxed frame with his poll at a similar height to his withers. You want to avoid the horse becoming tight in the neck or back and raising the head during this movement. If this happens stop, give the horse a moment to relax, and then ask again.

4. Pre-ride softness

This is a great warm-up exercise to do before riding, especially if your horse is sharp, as it encourages him to slow down and work with you without too much pressure. You can also do it tacked up, just secure the stirrups so they don’t bang on your horse’s sides.

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Teaching your horse cues from the ground can show them what you are looking for, as well as improving suppleness, core strength and coordination. This groundwork exercise is useful for helping the horse understand how to engage the hindleg, and for developing suppleness.

Aims

• step the inside hindleg under and through
• lift the core and engage the back
• release tension and relax your horse

The setup

You need:

• Usual bridle, without reins (or twisted and secured inside the throat-lash) or training halter or lunging cavesson
• Lunge line or long rope (like this one)
• Schooling whip

No setup required: you can do this in an arena, in a field or even just outside the stable if you have sufficient space.

How to do the exercise

If you are using a bridle. attach the lunge line or rope to the opposite bit ring to whichever side you are working from, and thread the line through the inside bit ring. For a halter the rope will be underneath the horse’s jaw. On a lunge cavesson, have the rope or line attached to the central ring on the front of the nose.

• Turn your horse around you, in walk, almost as if lungeing on a 2m circle. Bring the line towards you and point the whip slightly behind the girth.
• You are asking your horse to bend through the body, pivoting around you with his front legs on pretty much the same spot, and stepping underneath the belly with his inside hind leg.
• Gently maintain your ask until the horse takes the correct forward and under step with the hindleg that is closest to you while softing through their body.
• Allow the horse to rest for a moment before asking again.
• You can repeat this three or four times on each rein, gradually building up the number of steps.

Tips and troubleshooting

1. Your horse avoids the step under

It’s easier for your horse just to walk around in a circle rather than stepping under and through, but that step underneath the belly is key as that is when they lift their core and soften through the back.

2. Good foundations

Just like ridden lateral work, this exercise helps them soften and become more supple. But sometimes when you’re riding them they don’t understand what they’re asking, so this can be a useful first step.

3. Pre-ride softness

This is a great warm-up exercise to do before riding, especially if your horse is sharp, as it encourages him to soften. You can also do it tacked up, just secure the stirrups so they don’t bang on your horse’s flanks.

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Muscle building for horses is possible both in and out of the saddle. In fact, you can start conditioning your horse’s core strength in as little as five minutes from inside the stable.

Equine physiotherapist and rehabilitation specialist Jenny Adamson is a lifelong horsewoman with 14 years’ professional experience. She has owned Azuro, a 20-year-old Dutch warmblood, since he was five, and does muscle building and core activation exercises with him daily from the ground.

“My expertise with non-ridden exercises and ground-based rehab/training came from day-to-day rehabilitating horses, including Azuro before and after his ‘kissing spines’ surgery,” she says.

“When I started these exercises daily, I saw horses transform really quite quickly,” she continues.

“I saw crookedness patterns improve, as well as core strength and posture, and they became better organised in movement – their bodies really open up.

“As both a professional and a horse owner, using stable-based exercises is a huge help towards core and back strength, and muscle building for horses.”

Why you should try in-stable muscle building for horses

She says owners don’t necessarily understand the benefits of ground-based muscle-building until they see the results for themselves.

“They worry about getting the exercises wrong and hurting the horse, too,” Jenny adds. “So, I took my business online.”

Jenny produces step-by-step video courses to teach owners exactly how to perform the exercises. She says that injury prevention and an improvement in long-term soundness are just some of the benefits.

“These stable exercises are also proven to increase the size of the multifidus muscles along the spine. This can help reduce the risk of ‘kissing spines’.”

Jenny adds that the exercises slot into your routine easily, and can be used a great way to occupy stabled horses.

“They can be done in or straight from the stable. I find they switch the horse on prior to a warm-up, and they tend to work in a little freer and more balanced.

“For this reason, I often recommend doing them after grooming and before tacking up.”

Muscle building exercises to try

While you can find a catalogue of courses on Jenny’s website, here are three of her favourite exercises you can try today that will help build your horse’s muscle.

1. Backward weight shift

Where: In the stable

When: At any time during grooming, changing rugs, tacking up etc

How to do it

• Put the heel of your hand on the sternum bone (on the horse’s chest).
• Gently push your horse’s weight back by around an inch.
• Allow the weight to come forward again. The limbs shouldn’t move.
• Repeat 10 times to create a rocking back and forth motion.

“This exercise is small, but multi-tasking!” says Jenny. “It helps to loosen the structures in the thoracic sling, a group of muscles in the chest region, and switch on some of the deeper stabilisers in the core.”

“If you’re struggling, back your horse up so their bottom is on the stable wall before you ask for the movement. This helps him understand you’re not asking for steps backwards.”

2. Thoracic lift

Where: In the stable or on the yard

When: At any time during grooming, changing rugs, before tacking up etc

How to do it

• Rub or push upwards in the area behind the girth until you see an upward lift through the core and spine.
• Start gently, looking only for a slow and gradual lift. “Go very gently until you know your horse is happy with you touching them in this area,” advises Jenny.
• Repeat three times

“This is a great mobilisation exercise, and opens up the middle part of the spine,” Jenny adds.

She says that you may have to feel around for the “right button” if your horse doesn’t offer a lift.

“Horses can be blocked in this area, and we want the stretches to offer a nice release,” she says. “For this reason, it’s important not to jab and press, which could be irritating and encourage an unwanted jerky, rapid lift.

“The lift should be slow and smooth, not a jolting movement.”

She adds that the stretch asks horses to move their back in the opposite direction to usual, and that it may take time to show them how.

“We might initially only see subtle movement, depending on how flexible they are,” she continues. “It’s good to use rewards to let them know they’ve done it right and to build their confidence.”

3. Backing up

Where: On the yard or in an arena

When: Before turning out, bringing in, before or after riding, etc

How to do it

• Apply gentle backwards pressure to the noseband to encourage your horse to step back.
• Aim to build up to 10 steps in a straight line.

“This exercise sounds easy, but most horses struggle to begin with,” says Jenny.

“It asks the horse to tilt the pelvis, engage the core, push the back up, then draw the thoracic sling up and back. So, while it seems simple, it’s a great mobilisation exercise that anyone can do without equipment.”

If you struggle to back up your horse in a straight line, ask him alongside the arena fence or wall to keep him in line.

“If he won’t go back, it can be helpful to get him to come forward and use the momentum of that movement to ask again.”

Jenny says that asking via noseband pressure, rather than physically pushing your horse back, allows him to engage, tilt the pelvis and lift the forehand independently. This means he will harness the full benefits of the steps.

“I tend to do all this in-hand work in a cavesson, as I find it delivers more precise aids,” she adds.

Are you ready to give stable exercises a go? “Over time, your horse will feel stronger in the back, lighter on the forehand and more symmetrical,” says Jenny.

“All it takes is learning how to do it and giving it a go – your horse will thank you!”

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Why in-hand work could be the missing piece in your dressage training: four simple exercises to build your horse’s strength, suppleness and focus

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For many riders in Britain, training dressage “in-hand” still feels niche – something associated with the Spanish Riding School of Vienna or the Cadre Noir in Saumur. Yet, across Europe, it’s a staple at every level, and it’s now gaining ground here too.

At its core, in-hand training is straightforward: with a bridle or cavesson and a schooling whip, the handler works the horse from the ground to build suppleness, strength and understanding, either before or alongside ridden work.

Unlike lungeing or long-reining, it’s closer to “riding from the ground,” using the reins, whip and body language to communicate. The result? Better balance, clearer communication, and a horse more prepared – physically and mentally – to learn.

Why in-hand training works

“It’s almost like Pilates for the horse,” says Swedish trainer Charlotte Wittbom on classical in-hand work. “If I’ve done all the lateral movements and helped the horse fire up the correct muscles, then when I put a rider on, the horse is so much more prepared.”

Charlotte learned her craft in Portugal with the Valença family and at Morgado Lusitano before moving to the UK, where she now collaborates with five-star international judge Stephen Clarke.

However, at first, Stephen admits, he wasn’t sure. “Charlotte came to me wanting to adapt her classical background to competition,” he recalls. “Once I saw how she used groundwork, I was impressed.

“There are riders I’ve been teaching for years that I’ve struggled to get into real self-carriage – and one session with Charlotte, and it clicks. It’s a brilliant tool.”

Charlotte emphasises that the basics are always the foundation. “We can’t just tell a horse to fire up their core. We need to put them in a position where those muscles are engaged, breaking the movement apart so they can understand it without the added complication of a rider.

“I wouldn’t start piaffe before doing this, but even when a horse is advanced, the basics don’t stop.”

The results can be striking. “We used infrared cameras once to compare warm-ups,” she says. “It took 20 minutes ridden for the horse to get the topline engaged – with groundwork, it took 30 seconds.”

Trainer Kathrin Roida, who has written extensively on in-hand work, agrees that the benefits scale right up to the top of the sport: “Every horse can also passage gracefully in-hand when it’s taught with lightness. It develops body and mind together.”

Four groundwork exercises you can try right now

These groundwork exercises can be done at home with horses of any level.

1. Introducing the whip as a communication tool

Before you can do any meaningful in-hand work, your horse needs to trust the whip as a guiding aid – not fear it as punishment.

“From the ground, we can teach the horse that a whip resting lightly on the top line means halt,” says Charlotte. “Then, touching the girth area means go forward. Just as the calf at the girth is a ridden aid, the whip becomes a ground aid. With those two – start and stop – you have the basics.”

Why it helps: Establishing clear “start” and “stop” buttons from the ground creates a shared language. That clarity carries through every other in-hand exercise – and later, under saddle.

2. Hindquarters around shoulders

How to do it: Stand by the horse’s shoulder, facing slightly towards the hind end. Hold the reins – or line – in your inside hand, whip in the outside hand, angled towards the hind legs. Then, ask for a step of the quarters around the front end by gently tapping the hindquarters while keeping a light feel on the reins. You want the inside leg to reach in and over the outside hind leg. Reward even one correct step.

Why it helps: Teaches the horse to bring the hindlegs under and respond to sideways aids. Begins to mobilise the hips.

3. Shoulders around hindquarters

How to do it: Position yourself just behind the horse’s head, body angled slightly towards the shoulders. Keep the neck softly flexed inwards and use the whip near the shoulder to ask the front end to step around the hindquarters. Take it one stride at a time.

Why it helps: Separates front end from hind end, develops shoulder control, and lays the foundation for shoulder-in.

4. Lateral basics

How to do it: Position yourself near the horse’s shoulder, holding the reins in your inside hand and whip in the outside. Next, walk purposefully but steadily with the horse on a diagonal line. Face the horse as you move, matching your steps to their rhythm.

Keep the aids clear and simple – tap lightly with the whip at the girth to ask the hindquarters to step away, while maintaining a soft inward flexion with the reins. Reward every correct crossing step, even if it’s just one or two at first.

Why it helps: “As well as activating the core, the horse is developing an understanding that will become the foundation of your ridden work, that’s why it makes sense to use the same lines as you will use when riding,” Charlotte explains.

Building it into your routine

With all of this work, it’s worth remembering that in-hand training is physically demanding, even without a rider on board. You wouldn’t thank a Pilates instructor for making you repeat the same exercise endlessly! Start with three to five correct steps and build progressively.

But whatever your horse’s age, size or breed, all can benefit from short, regular sessions. Even five to ten minutes in-hand before schooling or hacking can switch on the right muscles and improve focus.

Are you a fan of using in-hand work as part of your horse’s regular exercise routine? Let us know what benefits you’ve seen at hhletters@futurenet.com, including your name, nearest town and county, for the chance for your letter to appear in a forthcoming issue of Horse & Hound magazine. Letters may be edited for clarity and length.

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How often have you found yourself wondering how get your horse to listen to you? It’s probably plagues you on a regular basis. But how much do you consider the alternative notion: how do I listen to my horse? Horse liberty exercises start with this very basic premise, that you are tuned into what your horse is “saying”.

As Yvet Blokesch, founder of Feather Light Academy, describes, turning your attention to equine body language and signals is how to connect to with a horse. It’s the foundation of much of her liberty work.

“First listen, don’t teach”

“When I first start working with a horse, I don’t teach him anything,” explains Yvet. “I don’t teach him to come towards or stick to me, I spend those initial moments or sessions showing him that all the signals he’s giving have meaning to me.

“The connection that follows and makes him hook on to me is really just a result of him feeling seen and heard,” she continues. “He thinks, ‘OK, we can communicate’. And that feels good, and he feels he can stick to me.

“Once we have that basic connection, that’s when we go deeper into liberty training.”

Of course, without ropes, halters and training aids, horses can opt out. So, as Yvet explains, the challenge is maintaining the kind of dialogue your horse wants to participate in. This also means making him feel understood, which can only be gained by recognising the signals the horse gives you.

“This is where liberty only succeeds with a connection and understanding,” says Yvet. “If you’re handling your horse on a rope and miss a signal from him, you can always use the rope to pull him back.

“If you don’t have a rope and you make a mistake, you can’t compensate or cover up miscommunication.”

Introduction to horse liberty exercises

How to connect with a horse at liberty

For a beginner trying to establish connection for the first time, Yvet recommends starting fresh from the stable or field, rather than following a ride.

“You want it to be unbiased, the first interaction you have,” she says.

“I usually start in the arena or lunge pen. You might want to make the space a bit smaller so you don’t have to run around as much when you take off the headcollar.”

Yvet reiterates that making a connection with a horse isn’t about asking them for anything specific.

“You just let you horse free in that space and don’t ask anything to begin with,” she confirms.

Once your horse settles somewhere in the arena, which could be near or far from where you’re standing, you can ask a question.

“You’re not looking for an exact response to what you’re asking,” explains Yvet. “Just some sign from your horse that shows he’s interpreting a small signal from you.

”For example, I might want to ask, ‘hey, I’d like you activate the right side of your body’. This would look like growing in energy or stature on the right, it doesn’t matter if the horse is moving or stood still.”

Yvet says the key to asking your question is to do so slowly.

“I would point to him by raising my right hand very slowly, and make myself bigger in my body position gradually,” she explains. “Grow in your own body, and look for your horse to grow with you.”

Yvet adds that you’re searching for a signal from your horse that shows he recognises you’re asking a question.

“If you go too fast, you miss the precise point at which your question has meaning to your horse,” she says. “He doesn’t necessarily have to come up with the right response yet. He might look at you, flick an ear towards you – something like that will show you he understands you’re asking something.

“As soon as he shows you he’s listening, you stop asking,” she continues. “Then you ask your question again in the same way.”

Yvet says it’s important to acknowledge your horse’s response, whatever that might be, but this might look different owner to owner.

“I just has to be a genuine response,” advises Yvet. “For some people, that might be saying ‘good’, or ‘yes’. Others might be silent. The most important thing is to feel that understanding between you on the inside.”

Not joined at the hip?

Handlers shouldn’t worry if their horse doesn’t stay next to them for much, or indeed any, of the session.

“It’s important not to expect your horse to stick to you the whole time – it doesn’t mean your work with him is any less ‘liberty’,” Yvet says.

“Finding connection with your horse in the early stages doesn’t have to be from up close. Liberty is not just about being next to one another. It’s about being together even at a distance.

“Show your horse he has a choice when working with you,” she continues. “It’s OK if sometimes he runs away, just be aware that he’s just disconnecting temporarily, and there’s a reason for that disconnection.

“If you stay aware of and connected with him, he will always come back – as long as he feels there is something in it for him. That’s the beauty of liberty: it helps you become something that your horse wants to be with.”

These are baby steps at the very start of liberty training, and is likely to feel and look unimpressive, but like all foundations it’s important to get it right from the outset. And when you witness Yvet’s skill with her horses and ponies at her demos in front of thousands of people at shows, or on her social media, it’s inspirational stuff.

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A pushy, bargy horse is not much fun to be around. It can literally feel like they’re walking all over you. We asked Jason Webb, founder of Your Horsemanship, for some simple groundwork exercises to improve bargy horse behaviour. Jason is a leading UK-based Australian horse trainer who works with international riders of all disciplines and has built an outstanding reputation for solving behavioural and ridden issues at his yard in south-east England.

Jason explains: “Horses learn to become pushy the first time they move into your space and you passively step out of it. This can quickly develop into a situation where they force you to move just because they feel worried, want to move somewhere different, or fancy eating some grass.”

“Any reaction they receive is a message, so each time you move out of their path, it is a green light for them to behave in this way,” he adds.

Your horse’s behaviour may also begin as curiosity; perhaps they gently nibble your sleeve, which might at first seem quite endearing. But, Jason warns, at some point, the horse will push the boundaries, testing you with a nudge or nip to gauge your response.

“Start by asking yourself whether you can stand still around your horse or whether they force you to keep moving,” says Jason. “If you can’t stand still without the risk of being trodden on, your horse is too pushy.”

Groundwork exercises to improve bargy horse behaviour

“Firstly, you need to become more self-aware,” advises Jason. “Some people worry that asserting themselves might offend or upset a horse, but your horse must respect your personal space.

“Don’t be afraid to be clear and firm. Watch how horses communicate with each other – they respect boundaries. If you think of them as humans, rather than horses, you risk becoming ineffective and being pushed around.”

Kit: a headcollar or rope halter and 12-foot rope (like this one).

Exercise 1 – projecting personal energy

Aim: to create a “safe space” by projecting enough energy to move your horse away from you.

Make sure you have a well-fenced area with someone competent nearby and wear a hard hat and suitable footwear. Begin by letting the horse loose into the corner where they feel most comfortable, which might be nearest the gate and then move them away from where they want to be.

Jason advises: “Begin by finding out how much energy it takes to move your horse when they are loose. Stand tall, lean forwards, project your body, be assertive and, if necessary, make a noise, raise your hands or slap your legs.”

He adds: “Some people, especially those with low self-esteem, really struggle to assert themselves enough to achieve this.

“If you can’t create enough energy with your body, use a lead rope, stones in a bottle, a flag or a bag on a stick.

“Once the horse has moved away, maintain your space, but don’t chase the horse. If your horse comes back to their preferred area, let them, then repeat the exercise until they are happy to settle in the area that you want them to be.”

Exercise 2 – moving the hindquarters away

Aim: to maintain your personal space while you’re standing still. The horse is wearing a halter in this exercise.

To achieve this, Jason explains, it’s essential you’re able to move your horse’s hindquarters away from you while using the headcollar to prevent them moving forwards.

But he warns: “If the horse has ever pulled away from you in the past, they may try this again at some point during this exercise, because it’s a learned behaviour, in which case you may require some professional help.”

Start small and build up, using the same amount of energy you created for the first exercise directed towards their hindquarters.

The horse should step their hindlegs away from you and, for a moment, you should be able to see both eyes. If the horse moves back into your space during this exercise, you need to use more energy to move the hindquarters away.

Once you’ve consistently succeeded with this exercise, move on to exercise 3.

Exercise 3 – maintaining personal space while you lead the horse

Aim: to maintain your personal space while leading the horse.

This exercise addresses the exact point where your horse’s behaviour has previously dictated your speed and direction.

Jason explains: “I begin by leading the horse and allowing them to ‘make a mistake’ when they don’t pay attention. When this happens, I will stop while the horse walks on. Then, as they walk past, I will turn their head towards me while moving the back end away.”

He warns: “If the horse is walking past you and you are forced to step backwards, then you aren’t doing it correctly.

“You will need to push the back end away, maybe even bump the headcollar with the rope, so they turn to look at you with both eyes. You’re saying, ‘Don’t walk past me, look at me, thank you, now we go again.’

“The horse will learn that if they’re not paying attention, they can’t travel forward. When you stop, they will take themselves back, moving the hindquarters away so they can see you.

“In this way, they will give you space. You should see results within a few days.”

• If you want to read more expert advice on subjects ranging from groundwork and relationship-building to training advice for specific horse sports, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

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Groundwork for horses: what it is and why it’s useful

If you’re tired of your horse leading you a merry dance round the field while you stand helplessly, headcollar in hand, the chances are you need to go back to basics. Alas, it’s rarely simple as finding magical groundwork exercises for catching horses in an instant, but you can build foundations on the ground that should increase the likelihood that he will come up to you in the field.

We asked Tik Maynard, international event rider, author and a leading voice in equine behaviour, to share three simple techniques to practise with your horse. As Tik explains, “I don’t want to have to catch my horse, I want them trying to catch me.”

According to Tik, there are two main reasons why horses can be hard to catch.

“Some never really overcome their fear around people, so they always worry about someone coming into their space,” he says.

Other horses aren’t fearful, but they’re smart, realising life is easier in the paddock. Tik explains: “If, when you catch your horse, you immediately make life hard by dragging them in and putting them straight to work, they’ll quickly learn to avoid being caught. Each time this happens, it reinforces the habit.

“Approaching your horse needs to be the opposite of how you might greet another human,” explains Tik. “With a friend you haven’t seen for a while, you might run straight towards each other, immediately touching.

“With horses, you need to think differently. If you face them head-on, leaning forward to touch, that’s predatory behaviour.”

Set yourself up for success by becoming more self-aware. Practised regularly, the exercises below will improve your connection with your horse, making it easier to catch them.

Groundwork exercises for catching horses

Step 1 – looking for a positive connection

Aim: this exercise aims to recognise and reward even subtle signs of communication.

Start small, ideally in the stable, and always wear a hard hat and suitable footwear.

“The smaller the space, the easier it will be to achieve,” explains Tik.

“Look for a positive connection, however nuanced – an ear flick, a glance towards you or a longer stare – and reward the horse by turning away and stepping back. The more often you notice and reward the horse’s behaviour, the smoother and easier it will be.”

Positive reinforcement enables the horse to move to the next stage.

“Begin by just drawing their eye towards you, rewarding that, and before long they’ll be moving their whole body the same way,” says Tik. “In most cases, you’ll see a massive improvement in a day or two.”

“If the horse is looking away, tensing, or turning their back towards you, just turn your body slightly away and wait until they look for an answer.”

But he warns, “Never put yourself in danger. If you’re worried, walk away and seek professional advice.”

Step 2: physical connection

Aim: this exercise aims to build up your horse’s confidence about having you in their space.

Start in the horse’s stable, holding the back of your hand outstretched.

“As soon as they look towards your hand, take a step away and relax your arm,” explains Tik. “Repeat the exercise in stages, so next they stretch their muzzle and almost touch your hand, then you feel their breath or whiskers on your hand, to a point where they eventually touch you.

“As you achieve each stage, back away and relax; that’s the reward that encourages them to keep going.”

Your horse will gain confidence by touching you before you touch them. However, Tik warns, “If you’re too quick to go into a horse’s space, that’s when they’re going to learn to keep leaving you.

“Once your horse regularly touches your fist, build the exercise into your daily routine. The more you practise, the better.”

Step 3: catching your horse

How you catch your horse – and what you do next – is the key to success.

“Become aware of how gently you’re putting the halter over your horse’s ears, then take at least 30 seconds to give them a good feeling about being caught,” advises Tik. “Give them something they enjoy – a rub or a scratch, a feed and a rest.”

Finally, Tik explains, how you release your horse can affect how easy they will be to catch next time.

“Avoid letting your horse go suddenly by the gate, so they turn their back to you, kick out or gallop off; instead, think about going with them to what they want to do next – roll, drink, eat hay, or greet their friends. Spend time with them there, and always leave them before they leave you.”

So, how long will it take to see a difference if you follow these groundwork exercises for catching horses?

“It depends on how much a horse has learned to leave people and how good your timing is,” says Tik. “The key is to reward small improvements. In around 60% of cases, practising these simple bonding techniques with your horse will make a difference.

“However, some cases are so complex and nuanced that you will need professional help.

“Recognise that every situation is different, every horse unique, and don’t get too frustrated. Keep observing, keep curious, and keep learning.”

To find out more about Tik’s next clinic in the UK, visit Horsemanship Hub.

• If you want to read more expert advice on subjects ranging from groundwork and relationship-building to training advice for specific horse sports, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

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Groundwork exercises can help address anxious behaviour for spooky horses, whatever your horse’s age or stage of training.

We asked horse behaviour specialist Kelly Marks for some groundwork exercises that you can practise to build your horse’s confidence and trust. Kelly is the founder of Intelligent Horsemanship and has toured the world “helping horses and humans to have happier relationships”.

Some horses are born far spookier than others, as Kelly explains: “If you suddenly open an umbrella five yards away, you’d expect the average horse to spook about three strides, then come back and look at it, while a truly spooky horse will be gone in a second. But the most challenging horses to work with are those that ‘front up’ and look as if they’re on the attack.”

When it comes to groundwork exercises for spooky horses, Kelly practises “acceptance training” rather than “desensitisation”.

“You don’t want a horse to ignore its surroundings; they need to stay alert without feeling stressed,” she explains, adding, “The advantage of groundwork over ridden work is that you can watch and listen carefully to what’s going on with the horse.”

Begin by ruling out common causes of spooking, such as incorrect feeding, too little exercise, a lack of pasture time, or limited exposure to a “normal” environment.

Kelly advises, “You also need to check that the horse doesn’t have any health issues because pain can make a horse spookier.”

Above all, Kelly warns against punishing a spooky horse: “Imagine being scared of something and then someone inflicts pain on you. It just makes everything worse.”

What kit do I need?

Kelly uses a Dually halter, which has a sliding noseband that avoids damaging the horse’s mouth, sensitive areas of the face, or poll, and features in our guide to the best control headcollars. Alternatively, you could use a well-fitting head collar or rope halter.

Whatever your choice of halter, Kelly recommends attaching a 20-foot line or rope (like this one) to reduce the risk of injury if your horse spooks off.

Groundwork exercises for spooky horses

Exercise 1: backing up

Aim: Kelly explains that backing up enables the horse to concentrate, listen, and give you space, as well as calming them down before you begin work.

“This exercise is the foundation on which to build everything else,” she says. “It helps the horse physically, mentally and emotionally – and most horses will find it easy.”

However, she warns, “If the horse finds it difficult to step back, and you’re confident you’re doing the exercise correctly, get them checked by a vet.”

• In a stable or safe, enclosed area, stand facing your horse and slightly to one side.
• Then ask the horse to step back by applying light pressure on the line or by using your fingertips on their chest. You may like to add a verbal cue such as saying back or make a specific noise that you don’t use at any other time.
• Release the pressure as soon as the horse takes one step back, then give them a moment to process what they’ve learnt.
• Repeat the pressure and release, one step at a time, giving the horse plenty of time to process this during the early stages.
• Begin this exercise with just one step back on the first day, then build up gradually to 10 steps, with the horse’s head slightly lowered, over time.

Exercise 2: head lowering

Aim: lowering a horse’s head can reduce the heart rate, helping them to relax. Kelly advises practising this exercise regularly, beginning in the stable.

“It’s a bit like a human taking a deep breath,” she explains. “It calms them down before or during work.”

Put on the halter and lead rope, then apply gentle, steady, or slightly pulsing pressure on the rope, releasing immediately when the horse responds by lowering the head.

“This teaches the horse that if you put the slightest downward pressure on the line, you’re asking them to lower their head and relax,” says Kelly.

“Be calm and consistent. It might take a few minutes the first time, but most horses get it within three attempts.”

Once this technique has been established in the stable, you should practise the exercise in other familiar places for your horse such as your arena, before trying to use it in more challenging situations, such as out at shows.

Exercise 3: acceptance training

Aim: use this exercise to address issues with an all-round spooky horse or with an obstacle you’ve found particularly challenging, such as a tarpaulin or dustbin.

1. Find a safe, well-fenced area and wear a hard hat, gloves and suitable footwear. Never wrap the line around your hand.

“It’s important to find a time when you’re feeling calm and relaxed but alert – and remember to breathe!” advises Kelly.

2. “Lead the horse calmly, keeping yourself between the obstacle and the horse so that, if they shy away from the obstacle, you stay safe.

3. “Gradually let out the line and begin by circling the object rather than approaching it directly.”

It’s important to monitor the horse carefully for signs of stress or acceptance during this process to ensure positive associations are built.

4. Kelly adds: “Over a period of time, you can help your horse to ‘accidentally’ touch the spooky object.

5. “Build on this over several sessions until the horse can walk over or past the obstacle calmly. Sometimes, just allowing a horse to touch a ‘scary’ object with their nose can help them gain confidence, but don’t try to force this.”

Using another horse as support or food as a reward can also help.

Kelly suggests: “Just leaving hay or pony nuts on or around an obstacle can take away the pressure and will reward the horse for being brave.”

However, Kelly warns, “If a horse is frightened, never punish them or insist they approach it directly. And, above all, make sure you keep yourself safe.”

Contact Kelly Marks for more information or advice.

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With just two cues, you can create a framework for learning liberty work that your horse will understand and enjoy. With more and more riders making an introduction to liberty training alongside their work in the saddle, you might be curious about adding liberty exercises to your horse’s day-to-day routine.

Liberty training means different things to different trainers, but broadly speaking it encompasses anything a trainer does with their horse free from restraint, with no ropes, tack or training aids beyond cues or a long whip as a guide.

For expert free rider and liberty trainer Emma Massingale, liberty training’s scope is far-reaching.

“Most people do forms of liberty with their horse every day without realising,” she explains. “If they can pick out their feet, squash bothersome flies or brush them without tying them up, that’s the evidence their horse is on board and with them.”

If you’ve started making progress with beginner liberty work or feel that your horse would benefit from working in this way, read on for Emma’s simple groundwork exercises that will start you on your journey.

Introduction to liberty training

Teaching beginner cues

Emma is adept at cultivating a partnership with her horses in a state of freedom. However, handlers can only achieve this by first understanding how to get a horse to listen, which involves harnessing their horse’s ability to learn patterns.

“Many horses only have their headcollar and leadrope taken off when their owners let them go in the field, and they learn through repetition that this is when they’re free to run away and graze,” says Emma.

“This system absolutely sets a horse up to learn that running away from you equals fun, which makes liberty training exercises really hard to work on!”

She adds: “What we can do is use that same repetitive learning to teach them cues that make working at liberty, and a broader experience of life off the headcollar and leadrope, possible.”

Emma explains that you don’t necessarily need to be sure of your horse’s undivided attention before you start beginner liberty work. In fact, teaching two foundational cues is a great way to begin cultivating the togetherness required for successful liberty work.

“It’s comparable with training dogs, and even clicker training,” explains Emma. “It’s about marking a precise moment of desirable behaviour with a suitable reward.”

Teaching the horse to find the right answer

Emma explains that horses who understand when they’ve answered a question correctly become more engaged with their training.

“When you show them how to understand, ‘yes, that’s right’, you’re also teaching them to look for the right answer,” explains Emma. “To mark this moment, I say ‘good’ or ‘yes’.”

But in the search for the right answer, the horse might find the wrong one.

“So, I use sound, which means whatever you’re doing is incorrect,” she continues. “It’s never ‘no’, because we’re not telling the horse off for trying. That’ll just kill his desire to try.

“Instead, I use a quick ‘shh’ noise to say, ‘almost’. I recognise that he tried. Now, I want him to try something else.”

When horses are learning a new skill, it’s important to be picky about when you mark the right answer with “yes” so that they learn the right pattern.

“Alongside the vocal cue of ‘good’ or ‘yes’, I also use a high-value reward, such as a carrot, when they get it right for the first time,” Emma adds. “It’s about paying them fairly for the effort. Down the line, a scratch on the wither might be enough, but when they are first learning, they need something more.”

Put it into practice

The principles of “yes” and “almost” can be taught alongside any new skill, be it teaching your horse to halt at your shoulder every time you stop, back up or move quarters away.

Important takeaways are only to reward when the behaviour offered is spot-on, and to reward well with a high-value treat the first time your horse gets it right.

If your horse loses interest in the session when the reward becomes a scratch on the wither, you can try lower-value treats such as fibre nuts.

Hotter and colder

By using “yes” and “almost”, you can create a cue-learning structure that resembles a game your horse will understand and enjoy. Plus, once “yes” and “almost” are learned cues, it will make teaching him new things much easier.

“It’s like the ‘hotter, hotter, colder, colder’ seeking game that kids play,” says Emma. “You’re teaching the horse to search out the right answer. Once they know this, teaching them something else becomes 10 times easier because they have a structure for the learning process.”

“Once they know how to learn, you can then teach them many, many different things.”

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The biggest secret of beginner liberty training according to Emma Massingale? You’re probably already doing it.

“A lot of people have got into the mindset that you’re not doing liberty unless you’re in an arena,” she tells H&H. “But really, you’re doing it every time you touch your horse, every time you go near him.

If you’re reading this, you might not need an introduction to liberty training. Briefly, though, liberty work can be defined as ground or ridden activity performed without restraint, tack, or with the horse on any kind of lead or lunge rope.

According to Emma, anything that demonstrates togetherness and a relationship with your horse – be it picking out his feet or grooming – is in essence liberty, especially if you can do these things without restraint.

“When people have a great relationship with their horses, it’s really easy to teach those horses liberty,” she adds.

Beginner liberty training: asking the key question

Working with horses requires mutual cooperation and enthusiasm – especially at liberty.

“Another way to look at it is like dog training,” says Emma. “You don’t let your dog off the lead in an uncontrolled environment unless you know you have his attention. It’s the same with liberty.”

How do you know you have your horse’s attention?

“My favorite question that I always ask my team is: ‘are you with me?’ If they answer ‘yes’, your work completely transcends equipment.”

How do you ask?

According to Emma, there is no one way to ask your horse if he’s “with you”.

“For someone doing beginner liberty training, you might start by tucking the leadrope into your beltloop so there’s no pressure on it and seeing if he’ll follow you as usual, or knot your reins while riding and see if he’ll keep to a circle.”

A horse that stays with you without “hand holding” from a leadrope or rein aid is one who is tuned in to his handler or rider.

What if the answer is no?

If your horse wanders off, Emma suggests trying again in a more controlled space, such as the arena, lunge pen or yard.

Emma adds that to help cultivate your togetherness, these everyday examples of your horse’s attention need to be rewarded.

“Maybe you never need any pressure on the rope when you handle your horse on the yard – this in itself shows that your body language alone is enough to draw your horse to you,” explains Emma.

“While it seems par for the course, we need to be recognising these things, marking it with a cue like ‘yes’ and a reward. It’s all about praising behaviour you like in a way your horse understands.”

Breaks, scratches or pony nuts are all suitable rewards for desired behaviour, even if it doesn’t feel like an especially teachable moment. But what about if you are ready to teach something new?

A question of motivation

“It took me four days to teach my stallion to lie down,” explains Emma. “He’d been playing with my donkey, who’d actually taught him to lie down himself by grabbing his fetlock. So I thought, I’ll put a cue on it.

“The first three days, he offered the head posture and lowered a bit, but didn’t lie down,” she continues.

“On day four, he was starting to get it and finally did it, so I marked the behaviour with a carrot and a ‘yes’. He was like, ‘why didn’t you say so?’ And the behaviour became repeatable.”

Emma cites this story as an example of turning extrinsic motivation into intrinsic motivation.

“Initially, the motivation to perform the behaviour is the promise of external reward,” she says. “Over time, a scratch on the wither and my positive body language is enough to motivate him – the satisfaction comes from within.

“Learning something new is hard work, and I think we can all agree hard work should be fairly paid,” she continues.

“While the cue is new, we tap into extrinsic rewards that compensate effort. In time, acting on the cue becomes easy; that extrinsic motivation transforms into intrinsic.”

Too treat focused?

If your horse is especially food-oriented, you could ditch the apple or carrot for a treat with less power, such fibre cube or a handful of chaff.

“You could also place the treats close by, but out of reach of wherever you’re practising the behaviour such as over the gate, fence or stable door,” says Emma. “Use the ‘yes’ to mark desired behaviour and follow up with the treat.”

Deepening the relationship

As you reflect on your day-to-day life with your horse, you can probably identify a few areas where you’ve been doing basic liberty all along. Marking that automatic, everyday behaviour with rewards and a “yes” will not only tell your horse he’s doing something brilliant, but mean that when you ask “are you with me?”, the answer will increasingly be yes.

For Emma, your horse’s enthusiasm is your foundational ingredient.

“If they say ‘yes’, it transforms the relationship and you can shape it into anything you can dream up. That’s why there’s such a variety in liberty and horsemanship with what trainers do.”

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I’d never fully understood long-reining before. I’d done it, with horses coming back from injury, and planned to do it, with my young home-bred when she gets to that stage – but had not realised just how much more there can be to it.

But the way long-reining specialist Berith Eriksson does it is something else entirely. It truly is riding from the ground; I watched in awe as my mare was working beautifully within minutes, the lightest aids encouraging suppleness, straightness, rhythm and impulsion.

Seeing what she could do without a rider made me appreciate what she can do with, and having had one session with Berith, she is going better under saddle as well. I can’t wait to learn more about it, and use its benefits for more horses.

Long-reining: for training horses at any level

It’s fair to say that in the UK, long-reining is mainly seen as something for young horses as part of the pre-backing process, helpful for rehabilitation after injury or a period out of work – and that’s about it. But for Berith, her clients and their horses, it’s so, so much more than that.

Berith is a dressage rider and coach who for more than 35 years has specialised in what she describes as “riding from the ground”.

“Talking about long-reining is like opening a book of 500 pages,” she says. “There’s so much we can do with this.”

Berith was born in Sweden, where long-reining plays a far bigger part in horses’ ongoing training, and completed a university degree in equestrianism, which included passing an exam in long-reining.

“We use it for any training, of any horse at any level,” she says. “I was always very interested as I’ve been producing horses since I was very little and never had ready-made ones, and I love to learn.

“We learned from very good trainers at the university, and I’ve continued to use it in training horses and riders.”

How long-reining can give feel of riding from the ground – and more

Berith’s long-reining is different to many other ways of doing it; she uses a leather roller that’s hinged, to help it fit in such a balanced way that the girth does not have to be tight, allowing the horse to stay relaxed.

She uses long leather reins rather than lunge lines, to be able to feel the contact as she would from the saddle, and the outside rein runs through a ring high on the other side of the roller and back into the hand.

“You never get the same contact into the hand if you have a long line behind the tail,” she explains.

But the other benefit of having the rein in such a position is that it acts as the inside leg would; with a touch of it on the flank, the horse can work laterally, shoulder-fore or leg-yielding. Berith often has barely a contact on the reins as the horse can be in true self-carriage.

“Sometimes even the most experienced riders can have a negative impact by over-managing the horse’s balance, hindering the opportunity to developing self-carriage,” she says. “I suggest – I never make a horse do anything, but you can suggest to the horse, and then he responds. That’s the part of training we can do with long-reining, much more than riding.”

Berith uses the three types of aid in long-reining as with riding. The reins are obvious, the outside rein is “the perfect leg aid – we don’t press, we touch”, as above, and her seat aid is her legs and posture on the ground.

“When I’m standing in the middle, I go with the horse,” she says. “If I straighten myself up and change the rhythm in my feet, the horse comes back to me exactly the same as when you’re riding and using your seat, when you slow down your rising trot.

“It’s magic but that is what happens. You use the three aids, and can improve the riding, how the horse picks up the rider’s aids, by doing it on the long reins.”

“I’m the horse’s interpreter”

Berith says she acts as an interpreter for the horse; and that each horse can tell her a great deal.

“I’m basically giving people a riding lesson while I am on the ground,” she says. “I might never have seen them ride, but I can feel in the horse how they’re being ridden.

“If they ride with too much leg aid all the time, if it’s a ‘lazy’ horse – they say, but horses are not lazy – because it’s been bombarded with this leg aid all the time. I can see that and they agree, and then we work on it. We work through the scales of training, and get the horse to improve its way of going.

“Sometimes I let them take one rein and I take the other. Some learn to do it but most want to see the horse being long-reined by me, because I can show it coming from themselves. People get quite emotional when they see it, and it’s lovely.”

Berith works with horses of all levels, from youngsters learning the very basics to grand prix dressage horses, tailoring the programme for each as a rider would do.

“Pole work is very good for motivation,” she adds “We can’t forget that we’re working with horses. They love to have fun, and it should be positive; there can be too much seriousness involved.”

New inspiration

Berith says in her experience, most horses enjoy the work on the long reins, and the riders enjoy it too, as they see what the horse can do, and gain inspiration for ridden training. And whatever the rider or owner’s goal, she can help.

“Some people just need that guidance,” she says. “How life is nowadays, all the pressure with and what’s happening in the world; there’s so much stress. So when you come to the stable, you don’t want more stress and feel you’re not good enough, or you can’t and you’re afraid of your horse.

“All this pressure you put yourself under, and that’s something I can help with. ‘This is your horse, this is how it moves and what it needs to be able to do. Let’s start here and build on it’.

“I’ve had people cry when they see how well the horse moves, and I say, ‘This is what it can do being ridden from the ground – it can do it with you too’.”

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These groundwork exercises for sharp horses are ideal for those that tend to be over-reactive when you first get on, or have had time off. Perhaps you are getting to know a new horse and you’re unsure how he will react. Establishing good manners and softness before you hop on board will increase the likelihood for success and will help you feel confident that you and the horse are singing from the same hymn sheet.

These simple groundwork exercises take only a few minutes, but pay dividends in building safe habits, connection and trust for when you are in the saddle. Teaching from the ground allows the horse to listen, learn and respond. A sharp horse may take two or three sessions of working through these exercises before he’s ready for a rider, and they are a great tool for setting up the foundations before ridden work.

Darren Hegarty, who trained with the likes of Dick Stilwell and John Smart, has produced horses to top level in eventing, showing and showjumping. He demonstrates these groundwork exercises with an ex-racehorse who has had some time off and is just starting ridden work again. The horse is naturally sharp and benefits from some initial work in-hand before a rider gets on.

For all these exercises, Darren works with the horse tacked up and ready to be ridden. He just twists the reins under the neck and inside the throat-lash, so they don’t hang loose. He attaches a lunge line to the opposite bit ring to the side he’s working, and threads the line through the inside bit ring. The stirrups are secured so they don’t dangle down and bang against the horse’s flanks.

You can work in an arena, a field or just outside the stable. For very hot horses, Darren prefers to work on a flat area outside the stable to begin with, to make sure the relationship is in place right from the outset.

“What you want is to normalise good behaviour, so when the horse does go in the arena, or a rider gets on, they don’t over-react,” he says. “Some people say with sharp horses that you should let them let off steam, but I think that then becomes learned behaviour. It’s much better and safer for horse and rider if he’s engaged and connected with you and then any antics don’t need to happen.”

Three groundwork exercises for sharp horses

Aim

Darren explains that he is reading the horse’s body language, his mouth, nose and eyes, which will indicate how the horse is engaging with him.

“I want to see the horse chill,” he says. “He might yawn, take a breath, blow through his nose. These signs show he is releasing tension, softening and wanting to work with me. You see it with physios when they stretch horses.

“I want this horse to be calm, but equally I don’t want him dead to the leg, so he still needs to react when he feels the tickle of the whip or hears my voice.”

Darren emphasises that the handler’s posture is crucial.

“When you want a horse to be relaxed, it’s important that you are very relaxed yourself, your breathing is slow and you’re not hyper alert and tense.”

Kit

• The horse’s usual tack
• Lunge line
• Schooling whip

Exercise 1: desensitisation to touch

Darren begins by patting and scratching the horse all over. This horse is sensitive to the touch, and has already been groomed with a body brush.

“When we started with this horse you could barely touch him, especially where your leg would go or round the girth,” he says. “I put my hands all over him, including his sensitive areas, and scratch or rub. He’s had a few sessions and he loves it now, but he didn’t initially.”

Then Darren gently rubs the schooling whip over his back, quarters and sides.

He explains: “Because I’m not on the horse, I don’t have my legs as aids, so the stick is part of the cue system. I use that, my voice and my body language.”

Teaching the horse to feel comfortable with light physical pressure, particularly on the areas where the seat and leg aids will be applied, is essential to reduce the likelihood of undesirable reactive behaviour when the rider gets on board.

Exercise 2: rein-back

Darren stands facing the horse with the horse square, then lowers the lunge rope, applies gentle downward pressure and points the whip towards the horse’s front hooves, which encourages the horse to step backwards. Having taken a few steps back and then halted, Darren then lifts the rope and walks backwards himself to encourage the horse forwards, then stands square again. If the horse doesn’t immediately understand to walk forwards, he points the whip behind the girth, and follows up with a light tap if necessary.

“I use my voice to say ‘back’ so he connects that aid too,” he says. “I teach rein-back very early in a horse’s training so they learn not to lean on you. Once this is established on the ground, he’ll understand the movement more easily when ridden.

“I want to see him stepping back in diagonal pairs, with his neck lowered without dragging his hind feet. I don’t want him rushing with his head up, but concentrating on me.”

The rein-back teaches the horse to engage the hind end and respond to the handler or rider’s aids.

Exercise 3: engaging the hindleg

Darren turns the horse around him almost as if lungeing on a 2m circle, bringing the line towards him and pointing behind the girth with the whip. He is looking for the horse to bend through the body and step underneath his belly with his inside leg. Darren continues for three full turns, until he is satisfied that the horse has released any tension. He repeats this three or four times on each rein.

“He’d like to just walk round in a circle rather than stepping under and through, but that step is really important as you’re asking them to lift the core and soften in the back.

“Just like when you are riding the horse and do any lateral work, it helps them to soften and become more supple. But sometimes when you’re riding them, they don’t understand what you’re asking.”

Darren gives the example of a young horse he had recently that would panic when you put your leg on under saddle.

“By teaching him from the ground, he learnt the movements and to accept my aids so when I asked him while riding, he’d say, ‘oh yeah, I know what I’m doing’.”

Groundwork exercises for sharp horses aren’t a silver bullet, but they can pave the way to a much safer and more enjoyable ride for both horse and rider.

• For more expert training advice to help you and your horse be at your very best, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

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Clicker training is a method of positive reinforcement training, perhaps better known in the canine world, but equally applicable to horses. In this training article exclusive to H&H subscribers, clicker expert Lucy Chester outlines two straightforward exercises to introduce you and your horse to this technique

Clicker training for horses relies on the concept of positive reinforcement. This method involves giving the horse something it enjoys – typically a treat or a scratch – after it performs a specific action, increasing the chances that the desired behaviour will be repeated.

Clicker training requires great timing, and a few important bits of kit. It’s best to have a professional help set you on the right path, as – according to expert Lucy Chester – it’s “one of the hardest training methods to do well at the beginning”.

Lucy suggests two clicker training groundwork exercises for beginners.

How to clicker train a horse – the basics

1. Teaching a horse the meaning of the clicker

You will need:

• Empty bowl
• Clicker
• Dampened chaff or low-value reinforcers, such as haycobs, pressed hay or meadow grass
• Alternative feed source (such as haynet within reach) so you are not the only source of food

Set-up

Pick a quiet place where the horse is relaxed.

Either work behind protected contact – a barrier such as a fence or a stable door – or tie your horse up with a haynet, if they are happy to be tied. Try to stay a short distance away so they cannot reach you to snuffle your pockets.

Shaping plan

• Click and put a handful of chaff or a few hay pellets into the bucket.
• Before the horse finishes the food, click and add more. This teaches them that the click comes before the food.
• Repeat until their eating rate slows down. They will make the connection between the click and the reward very quickly (classical conditioning).
• After about 10 repetitions, give an extra big handful to the food, then retreat and allow the horse to finish eating. This will prevent you from moving into the negative punishment training quadrant (by taking the food away).

Once the horse understands that the click is followed by the arrival of a low-value food reward in the bucket, you can move on to the next task.

2. Teaching a horse to touch a cone

You will need:

Everything listed above, plus a cone or other marker.

Set-up

As above

Shaping plan

Hold a cone (or other marker) up for your horse to touch with their nose. Horses are naturally curious so usually will but if they don’t, you can put it on the floor or even reward them for looking at it to begin with. Then click and put a few haycobs in the bucket. Using a yellow or blue cone (or other marker) will help as horses have dichromatic vision; they see clearly shades of yellow and blue.

Repeat three to five times, then add a handful of food into the bowl and step away to give the horse a break. It’s important with positive reinforcement not to use negative punishment accidentally by taking food away from the horse.

When the horse understands to touch the cone, you can add the voice cue “touch”, then only reward (click, then feed) when you have given the horse the cue (stimulus control).

Try to avoid frustration, be clear with your asks and include breaks when you put food in the bowl, then retreat. Make sure you do this when you finish training too.

Lucy adds: “These are my two foundation exercises before teaching horses how to take food from my hand, first with the barrier, then without.

“You can avoid negative punishment and frustration by always leaving the horse with food before you leave.

“Once the horse understands what the clicker means and how to be calm around food, the sky is the limit!”

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Clicker training for horses is based on positive reinforcement. It is adding something the horse likes (usually food or scratches) after a behaviour, which makes that behaviour more likely to happen again.

The desired behaviour is marked with a click, also known as a “bridge signal”, which bridges the gap between click and reward. This means the horse knows reinforcement will follow hearing the click. Timing and correct use of food is crucial to success, and to avoid unwanted behaviours.

Lucy Chester, of Lucy Chester Horsemanship, says all horses can benefit, from days-old foals learning the very basics to adults learning advanced liberty and ridden work.

Setting horses up for clicker training success

There are several things you can do to help get your clicker training off on the right foot.

“Making sure the horse has a full stomach before training is important,” Lucy says. “I always make sure that mine has had a haynet and a bit of hard feed.”

Lucy’s second recommendation is to use appropriate reinforcement – not all treats have the desired effect.

“I generally recommend something of very low value to horses like Thunderbrook’s HayCobs or Simple Systems’ HayCare,” she advises. “Pressed hay or meadow grass, or even chaff, which has a longer chew time, will lower arousal around food.

“You want something that doesn’t smell strongly as horses have a good sense of smell and as foraging animals, they will try to find it. This makes training harder and can result in undesirable behaviours such as ‘mugging’.”

The time of day is another key factor.

“If your horse is desperate to go out in the field, it might not be the best time to be training,” she says. “I made the mistake once of trying to train my horse during his nap time. He always has a sleep about 11 o’clock, and that was never going to work.

“Mosquitoes and midges are more likely to be around in the evenings and the horse could get annoyed by them, which would have an impact on training,” Lucy advises. “It’s about knowing your horse and experimenting to find out what suits each one best.”

Another aspect to consider to get the most out of your training session is your working environment.

“If someone has just started trimming the hedge by the arena, it’s probably not an ideal time to start,” Lucy cautions. “A lot of people are in livery yards that are really busy, so it’s much better to try to do it when it’s quiet. Then you can focus 100% on the horse.

“Horses love positive reinforcement training and if you’re busy talking to someone else, the horse is going to be nudging you for the food, because you’re not focused on them, and it’s not fair. I find people are really interested in what I’m doing, which is great, but it means you’re distracted from your horse and the training. So if people are interested, ask them to talk to you about it afterwards.”

Likewise, if there is another horse in the arena, because you are using food, there can be an issue with resource guarding, so Lucy prefers to train on her own.

How to learn the correct techniques

Don’t expect to be able to nail clicker training by yourself, straight off. Lucy says that of all the ways she has tried training horses, clicker training has been the “hardest to do well – in the beginning”.

“It’s important at least to start with a professional to guide you; timing of clicking and rewarding is key, and all these things will have an impact on the success of training,” she says.

“Food is highly motivating to horses, and once you’ve got a solid foundation, everything else becomes easy.”

How to avoid mistakes in clicker training for horses

Lucy outlines how to use the treats correctly.

“People think horses can get pushy or bargy because of the food but as well as using appropriate treats, as above, it all comes down to timing,” she says. “If the horse comes to sniff your pocket and you just give them a treat, you’re reinforcing that coming to your pocket gets the treat.

“It’s very easy to make simple mistakes like that, or to click at a moment where they’re coming back towards your hand or towards your pocket. I tend to use a bowl of chaff or something with a longer chew time, and I reward constantly for being in a certain position. So you’re training them where you want them to be when you deliver the reinforcement.

“You put food in the bowl. They eat it. You click and then you put more food in the bowl before they finish eating. You’re teaching them that after the click, food comes, and they don’t need to stress about it. Then you can do the same thing standing next to them, because they’ve already understood that you bring the food to them, they don’t come to you for the food.”

But even when you’re doing everything right, some horses can still be snatchy.

“For me, this highlights that everything isn’t OK,” warns Lucy. “If a horse is in pain, their ‘stress jar’ is fairly full so it doesn’t take much to tip them over.”

Changing times for horse training

Lucy has noticed a shift in attitudes towards horse behaviour, but believes there is still some way to go.

“I think things are changing but I saw recently, for example, someone had posted on a behaviour page a horse showing pretty extreme discomfort; tail swishing, head tossing, ears pinned back,” she says. “Probably 60% of people said pain, talk to the vet, but 40% said, ‘You need a better trainer, sell the horse, it’s being naughty’. I thought, ‘Poor horse, why aren’t you listening?’”

Lucy lists research papers to back up the system with science.

“If people are sceptical, there are numerous studies to back up the effectiveness of positive reinforcement as a way to train horses,” she explains, listing Larssen & Roth, 2022, Sankey et al, 2010, Carroll, Sykes & Mills, 2022.

“And there are many trainers like me who are proof it works, for all horses from two-week-old foals to stallions and everything in between,” she concludes.

Are you keen to try clicker training for horses yourself? Check out Lucy’s starter exercises below.

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Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Teaching a horse to be good to handle means learning how to get a horse to listen. After all, if you have your horse’s attention, he’ll be more likely to follow your instructions.

“If I’m walking my horse along on a lead rope, I’m looking for signs he’s tuned in,” says liberty trainer Emma Massingale. “I should be able to feel his ear and eye on me, and he won’t be looking out over the fields or at his friends.

“When horses pull away from their handlers, you see it in the head position first,” she continues. “The horse will turn his head first and then shove his shoulder into the person holding them. Then, that’s it!

“People generally try and force the shoulder back to regain control, but strength never wins with horses. You actually need to start further back; your horse needs to want to be with you first.”

How to get a horse to listen: play to his strengths

“My favourite technique in getting your horse on side is to make sure the first thing you ask him to do is something he’s really good at,” advises Emma. “It could be literally anything.

“Maybe he’s really good at backing up, waiting to go through a gate, moving his quarters round, standing to have a hoof picked up or doing a baited stretch – it doesn’t matter. Anything you know your horse can do first time, and that you can praise him for, will be really motivating.”

As well is in groundwork, Emma adds that this approach works in a ridden context, too.

“Ask your horse to do something you know he likes off the bat, and he’ll want to listen.”

Use cues

Everyone loves to be told they’ve got it right, including horses.

“It’s really important that working horses understand when they’ve achieved a goal,” says Emma. “If they don’t, then they miss out on the motivation to do the next thing.”

While a treat or a scratch works well as a reward, timing can be tricky. Rewards need to be given quickly to mark desired behaviour.

“If you’re leading, or especially lungeing, it can be tricky to near impossible to deliver a scratch at the right time,” explains Emma.

“Let’s say your horse has just offered a perfect canter transition on the lunge. By the time you’ve called him in and given him praise, he won’t link that praise with the transition.”

Emma’s advice is to establish specific cue words or sounds that tell your horse he’s done something right.

“I use ‘good’ or ‘yes’, but it can be anything. It’s good to have a few options.”

How do you teach your horse the cue? Use it in step above!

“Start using the cue when he successfully completes a task he’s already good at, like backing up or lifting a hoof, and he’ll soon understand it means he’s done something right. He’ll feel motivated, which you can use to help perfect the things he isn’t so great at, or to teach him new things.”

Be the catalyst

Emma says handlers should forget trying to be the leader – they should aim to be the most exciting or interesting person in their horse’s life instead.

“The best-liked herd members are the catalysts for fun; the ones who engage the other members in play,” she explains. “When you open a gate to a new field, it’s not the leader who makes the first move. The horses who engage in play motivate the herd to hoon about and explore the new space.”

With that, Emma’s ultimate advice on how to get a horse to listen is to be the catalyst for fun and novelty for him.

“A client asked me recently how she could stop her horse from dragging her in from the field to patches of grass on the track. Brute force will never win, so I asked her to start doing transitions as she comes out the gate.

“A few strides of trot, then back to walk. As soon as she feels her horse’s concentration break, ask for a faster walk. The horse thinks: ‘I’d better stay with my owner, because I don’t know what’s coming next.’

“This has been working because she’s made herself more interesting to her horse than that patch of grass, and her horse was never left to his own devices to get distracted.”

Like owner, like horse

When asking for your horse’s attention, ensure you return the favour.

“Don’t leave the conversation with your horse to scroll on your phone or focus on something else,” warns Emma. “If you check out, your horse will too!”

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You may also be interested in:

Emma Massingale shares her best tips to bond with your horse – and they really work

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Handling horses with confidence doesn’t come naturally to everyone, especially if you have a horse who is tricky to manage or you don’t have the necessary experience. Fortunately, building confidence on the ground is usually a case of increasing competence and expertise, which comes from good guidance and preparation as you tackle this area.

There are degrees of the extent to which you may want to handle a horse from the ground, from leading horses in and out of the field to long-lining horses over poles. Regardless of the level, anyone with anything to do with handling horses needs to be competent. This applies to non-riders, too – for example the parent or other half who is roped in as a helping hand at shows, loading horses to competitions or just on the yard.

Horses soon clock if their handler doesn’t know what they’re doing, and while many may adopt a nannying role, there are plenty who will take control of the situation if their handler appears unsure. Confidence and competence are key.

Good groundwork is essential, whatever your level of experience, for the safety of the handler, the horse and everyone else on the yard. If a horse is tricky to handle, the best practice is to go back to basics to establish appropriate, safe behaviour. Do not be afraid to seek help from an experienced coach.

Right from the outset, horses should be taught to lead politely, to stop when asked, to wait and to back up. Horses weigh half a tonne, and so you need to establish trust and communication, and set boundaries of personal space, because if they throw their weight around, you are going to be at risk.

4 areas to boost your confidence in handling horses

1. Remember to trust in yourself

Debbie Hill of performance coaching business Ahead for Life says when we are worried about something the conscious mind can become overloaded and people can revert back to the learning stages, but by trusting that you know how to handle a situation, you can focus on the task at hand.

“When learning to drive a car at first you get in the car and you don’t know what you don’t know, that’s called unconscious incompetence,” explains Debbie. “Then you learn about the clutch and gear stick and what you need to do, and that’s called conscious incompetence and you’re aware of what you don’t know.

“Once you pass your test you have reached conscious competence, where you’re aware of what you’re doing but you still need to think about. Then when you reach expert level in something, it becomes unconscious competence, for example you drive to work and don’t really think about how you got there.”

“To be able to perform anything really well we need to be in that unconscious competence because we need to be able to trust that we can do it. If you start thinking that something bad is going to happen then you can start believing it, and that’s all emotional thinking.

“You need to change that belief set and trust that you know what you’re doing, and in doing so you move towards logical thinking which allows you to move forward clearly.”

2. Take appropriate safety steps

Five-star eventer and BHSI coach Georgie Goss says simply being prepared and properly equipped for a task can instil confidence around handling horses on the ground.

“When you feel safe, you’re naturally more confident,” she says. “If your horse can be difficult to lead you’re going to feel safer using a bridle or a lunge line instead of lead rope, and wearing a hat and gloves, so you’re putting yourself in the safest scenario.

“If your horse is a bit fresh when turning them out for example and you’re not prepared, that’s often where things can go wrong. If you’re ready for these things, then if they spook or do something silly, you’ve got the right kit from a safety point of view, and you’re going to feel more confident in how to handle that situation.”

3. Learn to understand horse body language

Tina Canton of Tinderbox Sport Horses, a BHSI, UKCC level three coach, and Centre 10 advanced coach, recommends learning from others and not being afraid to ask for help.

“If you are struggling with confidence then spend some time with someone experienced in handling horses and get them to explain how they are reading them. A lot of people who have major problems on the ground don’t read the horse’s body language, because they don’t really understand it,” she explains.

“They might anthropomorphise and put human emotions onto the horse, but we’ve got to remember that they are herd animals and they read our body language a lot.”

“Some people try to deal with their horses by feeding them titbits or allowing them to run over the top of them and we have to remember that they are half a tonne of animal that could do us damage, so we need to understand how to handle them safely. By doing some research on what is the natural way of a horse, what is their herd instinct, and the owner can start to understand why the horse is reacting in a certain way and adapt accordingly.”

4. Put your CEO hat on

Tina says taking a step back and assessing things from a different perspective can also help.

“When people are lacking confidence with their horses, I ask them to look at how they perform in other parts of their life,” she explains.

“They might have a job where they have to make really big decisions, but when it comes to their horses they turn themselves inside out making decisions about what rug to put on. If you put your CEO hat on, or team leader hat, or whatever that role might be, then consider how you would make a decision if it was another aspect of your life.”

You may also be interested in:

Why do you lack confidence when riding or handling horses? Five questions to ask yourself

Lost riding confidence after having a baby? A confidence coach explains why becoming a parent can affect your equestrian life

Struggling with nerves? Boost your confidence and enjoy riding again with these helpful tips

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Horse and rider training

Welcome to Horse & Hound’s training hub. Whether you are looking for techniques to improve your riding skills, insight from top trainers and riders on how to prepare your horse for a specific sport, or tips to help solve specific problems, you will find useful advice from experts to help.

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When you confidently know how to lunge a horse, then you might be interested to learn how to lunge a young horse, especially if you have aims of working with a new horse or a project over the forthcoming months.

Why should I lunge my young horse?

Lungeing is one of the first training exercises a young horse learns during his early education. Some of the benefits include:

• Encourages a horse to move forwards freely before being ridden
• Gets the horse used to tack, including a bridle and a roller or a saddle
• Helps the horse to become balanced on his own before the weight of a rider is added during the later stages of training
• Helps develop muscles and body condition
• Aids the bond between rider and handler; the horse becomes responsive to voice commands which can be used when he is being ridden
• The horse gets used to light pressure

What age should you start lungeing a horse?

You can begin to lunge your horse when he is mentally and physically ready to start light work. Every horse is an individual and it’s important to ensure that the horse is sufficiently developed to commence any type of training.

As with all forms of training, lungeing work should be introduced gradually, and sessions should be short in duration and low in intensity. In the early stages, it’s important to do little and often. Lungeing is hard work for the horse as he is working on a constant circle so always ensure that he is strong and developed enough before you start training him. If you are unsure, consult with your vet.

If you are inexperienced at lungeing, it is advisable to ask a trainer or someone with more experience to teach your horse before you take over. Practice with a horse who knows how to lunge before you try lungeing a younger horse.

Before you begin lungeing a horse he should be established in his ground work and should lead confidently with good manners. He should be able to walk in-hand and have respect for the handler before you start lungeing, too. Before you start lungeing, you could also train your horse on the long reins, as this establishes control by developing steering and brakes.

Tips on how to lunge a young horse

If you want to know how to lunge a young horse, then four-time Olympian Jennie Loriston-Clarke MBE FBHS has some helpful recommendations to follow. Jennie’s advice has a particular focus on training and exercising young horses on the lunge, but the legendary rider and trainer’s tips can be applied to horses of any age.

1. Walk the horse in-hand on the right rein around the area where it is going to be worked before you start so it can get its bearings. If you don’t have a lunge pen, you can improvise and make a suitable area in the corner of a field or by cutting off your arena with blocks or wings and poles. Once the horse is settled waking in-hand then change the rein and lead it in the opposite direction.

“By showing it the lunging area on the right rein first, this means it will leap inwards away from the handler if scared or spooky, rather than over the top you,” explains Jennie.

2. Expect the horse to behave differently if you are in a different or new place. Always be alert as accidents can happen quickly, particularly if the horse is young and fresh.

“When sending a horse out on the lunge be aware that they can turn away from you and kick towards you, as well as turning in and turning around,” says Jennie.

3. Dress appropriately when lunging a horse. Ensure you are wearing a riding hat, gloves and have suitable footwear. If you do not have pen or penned off area, it is helpful in the beginning to have an assistant standing in the open area of the arena to help guide the horse around the circle if needed.

4. Don’t be in a hurry: “With young horses you have to give them the time they need to understand what you want of them. Have patience, don’t start working with them if you don’t have plenty of time to give them, you need to allow the horse to learn in its own time,” says Jennie. “If the horse learns in its first lesson to walk on and to halt, then praise in a soft voice as a reward. Don’t muddle the horse by asking too much in each session.”

5. Start lunging with a light contact on a big circle.

“Have a light feel on the lunge rein, keep your elbows bent like when you are riding and remember to give with the rein when the horse accepts the contact and the circle,” adds Jennie.

6. Remember that your voice is key when lunging a horse.

“Your voice is one of the most important things in lunging and riding and is your first communication of the natural aids. Start using it to give instructions — the horse should recognise it and be obedient to it — a soft voice to calm and slow down, a sharper voice to activate and tighter body language. You don’t want them to be frightened of you, but to have respect,” continues Jennie.

7. Use your body language as well as using your voice.

“Slow your body’s direction on the circle and relax when asking the horse to slow down and act positively to encourage it to go,” says Jennie.

8. Limit canter work.

“There is no real need to canter young horses on the lunge, you are better to train them in canter on straight lines when you are riding them,” says Jennie.

9. Introduce an outside side rein before using both.

“Putting the outside side rein on when lunging teaches the horse to accept the outside rein and helps the horse to become better balanced and carry itself better,” adds Jennie. “Don’t overuse it though and give the horse plenty of rest in its neck without the side rein as it will tire easily. Always release the side rein when changing the rein. Introduce the second side rein on the inside when the horse is happily accepting the outside side rein.”

How to lunge a horse – your essential guide

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Lungeing a horse is a long-established means of providing training and exercise, proving useful when time and space are limited or if a horse needs work without a rider on. But do you know how to lunge a horse correctly and effectively? If you’re unsure, then read on to learn more about this useful skill.

So, what is lungeing?

Lungeing is a training method that involves the horse moving in a large circle around the handler. The handler is attached to the horse via long lead rein — known as a lunge line — and the horse moves around the handler in a circle. The distance between the horse and the handler dictates the size of the circle. A horse can be lunged in all gaits and both directions (clockwise and anti-clockwise).

Basic lungeing is fairly straightforward for both the horse and handler to learn, but being able to identify if the horse is working optimally and in such a way to improve their balance and movement is a skill that takes time to develop.

What are the benefits of lungeing a horse?

There are a number of reasons why lungeing is beneficial to a horse, including:

• Improving or maintaining cardiovascular fitness
• Developing strength and topline muscle
• A beneficial form of exercise when time is limited
• Useful for helping to settle an overly energetic or fresh horse before a rider mounts
• An early training exercise for young horses where they learn the basic voice commands, to more forwards independently, and to become familiar with wearing tack
• Adding variation to an exercise programme
• Can help a horse become more supple, engaged and obedient
• Helps a horse become more balanced without the weight of a rider
• Aids the bond between a horse and handler as voice commands are used to move the horse between paces
• The rider is able to see how the horse is moving and working from the ground

When used under veterinary direction, lungeing can play an important role in the rehabilitation of certain physiological issues, such as impinging dorsal spinous processes (kissing spine) or pain in the sacroiliac or caudal articular facet (joint surface) regions. Always consult your vet before lungeing a horse after any type of injury.

The potential dangers of lungeing

Lungeing can be hard work for the horse and it doesn’t come without risks, especially if your horse has a tendency to play around or you aren’t skilled in how to lunge a horse correctly. The potential dangers include:

• Working on a constant circle places excessive strain upon the distal limb structures
• Torque and twist — when a horse is working on a circular path, his body is subjected to a “centripetal force”, which is directed towards the centre of the circle and causes him to lean inwards. He lean in towards the centre of the circle to reduce the force on his limb joints, created as each hoof makes contact with the ground. If he didn’t — and maintained the same posture as if he were travelling in a straight line — this would further increase the force on his joints. The centripetal force, and therefore the amount of lean, will be greater as circle becomes smaller and the speed increases. Put simply, the faster the horse goes and the smaller the lungeing circle, the greater the strain.
• If the horse gets tired, they may stumble or take a “bad step” that can result in a musculoskeletal injury
• Risk of slipping if the surface isn’t suitable; you should aim to lunge your horse on a non-slip surface that is as flat as possible
• Risk of losing control of the horse; unless your horse is an experienced and well-behaved lunger, opt for a smaller area to lunge in rather than an open field

Lungeing, or any exercise which involves small circles, should not be used for rehabilitation purposes of certain injuries, such as collateral ligament injuries of any joint, typically the coffin joint, the tarsocrural joint in the hock and the fetlock, and suspensory ligament branch injuries. Always consult your vet before lungeing a horse after he has sustained any type of injury.

What kit do I need to lunge a horse?

As well as a lunge line and a lunge whip, your horse will need either a bridle or lungeing cavesson. The handler should always wear a riding hat, gloves and suitable footwear for safety.

A lungeing cavesson is recommended as it removes the sideways pressure of the lunge line from the horse’s mouth, which can encourage the horse to tilt its head or snatch away from the rein. By attaching the lunge line to the central ring on the cavesson noseband, the horse is encouraged to flex slightly to the inside without tilting the head. It also makes it easier to swap from side to side when changing direction. Some cavessons have attachments to allow the bit to be added. Otherwise, a skeleton bridle with the noseband removed can be worn with the cavesson if a bit is required.

It is sensible for the horse to wear overreach boots on their front legs and brushing boots all-round to protect against accidental knocks.

The horse can also wear either a correctly fitted roller, or their normal saddle with either the stirrups removed or secured in such a way to prevent them banging around.

Here is a selection of useful lungeing equipment if you’re incorporating this form of exercise into your horse’s training programme.

Lungeing aids

There are several lungeing aids that are designed to be used to help improve the horse’s way of going, including:

• Pessoa — uses ropes and pulleys to encourage the horse to stretch over his back and work into an outline.
• Chambon — a strap which runs from the girth to either side of the bridle or bit to encourage the horse to lower his head by applying poll pressure when he puts his head in the air. The pressure is released when he lowers his head.
• De Gogue — similar to a Chambon, but the De Gogue passes through the bit rings. Used to help build muscles and promote a round outline.
• EquiAmi Lunge Aid — the chest attachment is placed on the girth or belly of the roller. The aid goes right around the back of the horse, looping through the bit and back to the roller. It places the horse in a self-centering loop. It helps the horse to step under from behind, using his back and lifting his shoulders, working into a soft, equal contact.
• Bungee reins — elastic reins which pass through the bit and clip to either the roller, or the D-rings or girth of a saddle. They encourage the horse to lower the head and neck while inhibiting forward movement of head.
• Side reins — two separate elasticated reins that clip from the roller or saddle and run to the bit. They keep the horse’s body fairly straight and prevent the horse from bending excessively in either direction.
• Harbridge — attaches to the girth or roller between the horse’s legs and the two separate elasticated lines run up to the horse’s bit, attaching on each side. They aim to lower the horse’s head carriage.

All training aids must be used with care and as a temporary aid to help teach the horse a better way of going. They must be fitted correctly to have the desired effect. If you’re unsure on how to fit or use a training aid, ask a trainer to help you. 

How long should I lunge my horse for?

Lungeing is hard work for a horse so it’s essential that the lungeing session is suitable for his level of fitness.

Lungeing sessions can vary in length, but single bouts of activity should not exceed around 20 minutes as working on a continuous circle can put strain on the horse’s joints and limbs. Consequently, short periods of lungeing are preferable and you should keep a constant eye out for signs that your horse is tiring.

You can build your horse’s fitness up over time, starting with shorter sessions. When he gets fitter you can slowly increase the length of the lungeing sessions. 

How to lunge a horse correctly: the process

• When training a horse to lunge, it is best to begin without any training aids until he learns how to move around the handler
• Enter the lungeing space by leading the horse. The handler should stand in the centre of the circle
• Direct the horse out onto the rein you wish to begin. If you are beginning on the right rein, hold the line in your right hand and the whip in your left. Mirror this when you change direction
• A session on the lunge should be similar to a riding session. Start by allowing the horse to naturally stretch down in walk, then trot so they can gradually warm-up their muscles, before asking them to work in a more uphill frame, doing upward and downward transitions
• Once the horse is warmed up, then you can attach the lungeing aids if you are using them. Do not begin a session with the aids in place as the horse is more likely to pull a muscle or get injured as he has not had time to loosen up
• Canter is a challenging pace for a horse on the lunge and should only be introduced when the horse is able to easily maintain their balance in trot and through transitions
• At the end of the session, ask the horse to stretch again before walking him off

Top lungeing tips

• Use your energy, body language and voice to encourage the horse to move forwards. If the horse needs further encouragement, then point the lunge whip towards the horse’s hindquarters. The whip can be gently brushed or tapped on the horse if necessary
• The handler should use consistent voice commands to ask the horse to move between paces and for more or less energy
• While lungeing, try to maintain a triangle shape, with you at the head of the triangle, your lunge line and whip creating the two sides and the horse as the third side. This will ensure you are in the correct position and do not get in front or behind the horse’s movement
• The horse should show even suppleness through the body in the direction of the circle, tracking up or slightly over-tracking, and shouldn’t be falling in or out. He should have a good swing through the loins with a soft tail and his neck in the appropriate place depending on whether he is working up into a contact or down into a stretch

How to identify if your horse is working correctly on the lunge

NB: Horse & Hound does not recommend leaving the horse standing with side reins attached to the bit when you are not lungeing

Common problems and how to fix them

1. The horse over-bends and falls out through the outside shoulder

Solution: Side reins can help keep control of the outside shoulder, or if you are capable, use two lunge reins — the second rein is attached to the outside bit ring and either goes behind your horse’s quarters or over his withers which will give you control of the outside shoulder.

2. The horse is strong and tries to pull away from you

Solution: Practise using half-halts as you would if you were riding to steady and balance the horse and use a smaller area to lunge so you have more control.

3. Poor handling of the equipment

Solution: Dropping the lunge line on the floor, stepping into your loops or getting them in a muddle is potentially dangerous, so it’s important to spend time handling the lunge line before you have a horse attached. You should be able to hold the reins in large, neat loops held well off the ground and be able to shorten and lengthen them easily. You must also be able to use the whip independently in the other hand at the same time.

4. The horse falls in on the circle

Solution: Keep the horse out by pointing or shaking the lunge whip towards his shoulder. If you are teaching the horse to lunge, ask someone to lead the horse around the circle initially while standing on the outside of the circle to help guide him.

5. The horse runs around and around

Solution: If the horse decides to run off and you can’t stop him, gradually decrease the circle size and use half-halts and your voice to steady him.

6. The horse turns in to face the handler

Solution: Check your position and make sure you are staying in line with or behind the horse’s girth while directing energy towards the horse’s hind quarters to keep the horse moving forwards. You may need to walk a small circle so you are stepping towards the horse’s hind end to keep the horse moving, rather than standing still.

Can I lunge a horse with a rider on?

You can lunge a horse with a rider on. During the early stages of starting a horse, after the horse has been accustomed to being lent over, sat on and led around with a rider in the saddle, it is usual for the horse to be lunged with the rider on board. This gives the inexperienced horse the chance to move with more independence while learning to balance with a rider’s weight on their back. Normally at this stage the handler on the lunge continues to give the commands, and the rider will begin to introduce their aids to coincide with the hander’s signals, so the horse starts to learn by association what the rider’s aids mean.

The other situation when it is normal to lunge a horse with a rider on is to improve the rider’s skills – particularly their position, seat and balance. Because the horse is being controlled by the trainer on the ground via the lungeing tack, the rider can focus on themselves. Being able to ride without reins (and stirrups), without being concerned about controlling the horse, can be an excellent training opportunity. Finally, horses used for the equestrian sport of vaulting are also lunged with one or more riders on board.

• To stay up to date with all the breaking news throughout the Paralympic Games, Burghley, Horse of the Year Show and more, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

How do I lunge a young horse? Useful advice from Jennie Loriston-Clarke

What is lateral work, and how can it help my horse?

How walk work over poles benefits equine rehab and strength

9 bits designed with young horses in mind

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

What is long reining and when it is beneficial?

“Long reining has long been an integral part of the breaking-in process in terms of getting a horse used to the rein and voice aids and establishing the steering and brakes,” explains freelance rider and trainer Brendan Gallagher. “It also gives you the opportunity to expose a young horse to scenarios outside the arena, getting them more confident going on their own.”

Long reining is equally beneficial for older horses and those recovering from injury.

“You can long rein in straight lines, which is low stress and low intensity, and it is effectively like riding your horse but from the ground,” says Brendan. “You can use half-halts – a squeeze and release down the outside rein – and you can change the bend, ask for transitions and perform many shapes and movements.”

For a horse that has been on box rest and needs rehabilitating, long reining is perfect.

“It’s great for bringing a horse back into light work without the rider having to get straight on, which is safer,” says Brendan.

“A horse that has been on box rest is likely to be very fresh, so having two reins gives you more control [than when you are leading them in-hand or when lungeing]. It’s also a good way to warm your horse up before you ride.”

Long reining doesn’t have to be restricted to the arena – as long as your horse is established in the long reins, you can take them anywhere.

“It means you can negotiate undulating ground and hills, which can help with improving the horse’s balance,” advises Brendan. “It is not only great for young horses because you get them striding out confidently while experiencing new things, but it adds variety to an older horse’s routine, too.”

What tack do I need for long reining my horse?

The most common equipment includes a bridle or lunge cavesson with either a saddle (if you are planning to ride afterwards) or roller, and two long reins or lunge lines. It’s up to you whether you then add in any additional training aids, such as side-reins.

“When I start a young horse off, initially I use a lunge cavesson that has the bit attached [to get him used to the feeling in his mouth], but the reins are attached to the cavesson,” explains Brendan. “You don’t want to put unnecessary pressure through the bit if he spooks or gets lively. For an older horse, I would use their usual bridle and saddle and for a horse that is being rehabilitated, I’d use a roller. For both young and more experienced horses, I like to use a pair of side-reins to offer additional stability.”

Some people feed the long reins through a ring on the roller or stirrups (secured to the girth), but Brendan prefers to keep them loose.

“Having the reins free gives you a direct contact to the bit,” says Brendan. “When the reins go through a ring they can act as a lever, and if the horse becomes strong they pull more tightly on the horse’s mouth. Having them loose also makes it easier to manoeuvre a horse on to a circle without putting too much pressure on the mouth. Just ensure the reins don’t drop too low below the horse’s hocks.”

Brendan also chooses not to wear gloves as he prefers the close feel he has on the reins. H&H recommends lungers wear a riding hat conforming the latest safety guidelines, as pictured.

“I also find that gloves can slow down your ability to adjust your reins,” he says. “Occasionally I’ll carry a whip, too. Most go well from the lines, but if the horse is being lazy, I’ll gently flick the line on the horse’s side where my leg would go. If they don’t respond, I back it up with the whip.”

Where should I long rein my horse?

When it comes to facilities, the world is your oyster, although it sometimes helps to have a boundary to work within, especially with fresh or inexperienced horses.

“You can use jump wings and poles to split an area or field up to ‘contain’ you,” says Brendan. “Pick a corner of the field so you have two sides to work within – that halves the chance of the horse running off across the field.”

How to long rein

When starting a horse off on the long reins, attach both reins to the bit or lunge cavesson, then (standing on the inside of the horse) pass the outside rein over the withers and back before gently sliding it down over the outside of his hindquarters.

When you are ready to get started, ask them to walk on while you’re standing at the horse’s shoulder, then gradually allow them out on to a bigger circle in walk. You can then begin lungeing with two lines, the outside one behind the hindquarters. Voice aids are important – use the same voice aids you use when riding and lungeing.

Once they are confidently walking, you can do the same in trot and then change the rein.

“Sometimes, changing the rein can cause them to react because you disappear into their blind spot briefly,” Brendan says. “When I change the rein from left to right, I take up the outside line and place myself so that I’m walking behind the horse on the circle. I stay slightly to the inside so the horse can still see me. Keeping at a safe distance, I ask the horse to come across the middle of the circle and move across my path. I would then move from the left to the right-hand side of the horse and allow a bit of line on what was the inside rein as I encourage the horse to turn right.”

When you are ready to start long reining, position yourself behind the horse, ensuring that you still stay slightly to one side so they can still see you.

“You should stay about a horse’s length away,” Brendan advises. “You want to feel as if the horse is taking you forwards into a consistent contact in a good, active walk.”

Once your horse is relaxed walking large around the arena, you can start asking for halt transitions and changes of direction.

You can also trot horses on the long reins, running along quietly behind them.

“I ask for trot coming out of a corner on to a long side and use my voice and a gentle flick of the rein on their side,” says Brendan. “Stay slightly to the inside of the track so they can see you, and only ask for a few strides at first before coming back to walk to check you have control. If they get a bit bright, ask them on to a circle to calm them down.

“I like to eventually have the horse walking and trotting large, changing the rein on the figure of eight and on the circle, and doing serpentines and transitions to halt.”

Once the horse is working consistently in the arena, Brendan then takes them out on the lanes.

“I only stick to quiet times of day and safe roads,” he says. “If the horse spooks and isn’t confident to go past something, I take up my inside line and go back to the left-hand side of the horse at his head. I then quietly lead the horse past the obstacle and once they are striding forwards again, gradually move back behind them.”

When it comes to duration, it depends on the level of fitness of the horse and what they are allowed to do if they are being rehabbed.

“If you are using long reining as an addition to your ridden work, you can do it for the same time you spend riding,” says Brendan. “If you are doing it correctly, long reining can be as beneficial as ridden work. Having a rein behind your horse can collect the hindleg and get them stepping through more, giving you a better quality of work.”

The handler also needs to take their level of fitness into consideration.

“You do need to be at least walking fit,” says Brendan. “Another benefit to long reining, especially if you only have one horse and it’s been off due to injury, is that it gets you fit as well as your horse.”

Long reining exercises

Straight lines – set up two poles running down the centre line either side of X and practise driving your horse down the arena between the poles and staying as straight as you can.

Basic shapes – apply some of the floorplans that you would use when riding, including circles, starting at 20 metres and scaling down to 10

metres, serpentines, changes of rein and shallow loops.

Lateral work – encourage a bit of leg-yield back to the track, opening the outside rein and flicking the inside rein on the inside girth to ask them to move over, the same concept as if you were riding the horse.

Transitions – practise walk-to-halt and halt-to-walk transitions. Always remember to ask for a downward transition or a reduction in pace with a gentle squeeze and release of the rein and not one constant pull. You want the horse to respond to a lighter aid.

Raised poles – work over an odd number, so three or five in a row (two could look like a fence, four like a bounce) and build it up by increasing the number and then height, keeping the distance relevant to your horse’s stride.

About Brendan Gallagher

After a stint as a jockey, Brendan Gallagher focused on training and backing young horses, managing a large breaking and pre-training yard in Newmarket for 10 years. Now part of HB Equestrian in Warwickshire, he provides a comprehensive service breaking a variety of horses from youngsters for Olympic riders to riding club horses. Brendan works with vets and equine professionals in the rehabilitation of “problem horses”, alongside running clinics and helping people work horses from the ground.

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Horse liberty training is a growing movement in the equestrian community, so how does it work? In essence, it is a method in which horses are handled and ridden with minimal training aids and equipment, such as a neck rope, bareback pad or schooling whip, or perhaps nothing at all. The horse operates free from restraint, with no ropes or tools to keep them engaged. Rather, the relationship between horse and handler is the “glue” that keeps them together.

There are many different interpretations of liberty training – perhaps as many as there are liberty trainers. Additionally, each trainer has their own philosophy. For example, while one trainer might view the roundpen as a setting for liberty work, another might consider a small space a training tool in itself. That said, many trainers are united in underscoring what makes for successful liberty training: communication.

“People talk a lot about connection, but I think it’s a buzzword,” says Ben Atkinson, liberty trainer, performer and pioneer of the Ben Atkinson Method.

“It bypasses what liberty really is for me – the art of communication. If liberty isn’t working or falls apart, it is a clear sign of poor or confusing communication between horse and human.”

Jump to:

• History and evolution
• Purpose and benefits
• Approaches
• – Teaching cues
• – Reading and responding to body language
• – Target work
• Dos and don’ts

Liberty training: history and evolution

The roots of liberty work are as far-reaching and diverse as its practice today. However, one definitive development in the liberty training story is the work of Philip Astley, an English 18th-century cavalry officer, and later Sergeant Major, in the King’s Light Dragoons. His interest in horses progressed into trick riding, and, later, the birth of the modern-day circus.

“His work was designed to showcase discipline and trust, but there’s the slight illusion of freedom there,” says Emma Massingale, liberty trainer, free rider and adventurer. “You have to ask, is the horse co-operating voluntarily, or is it shaped through circumstances? With the confines of a small circus ring, does the horse have options?”

Emma acknowledges another, more everyday source of liberty – the mutual understanding between a working horse and his handler.

“Take a 19th-century milkman,” she says. “He and his horse would make the same round every day. The horse would learn where to stop, where the best hedgerows were to browse from, how to be calm when other horses passed and so on. Pretty soon, the milkman would barely need to drive the cart anymore, much less tie his horse at each house. The horse could take ownership of his own tasks because there’s mutual trust that each will respect and follow the routine with minimal prompts, if any.”

The origins of liberty training aren’t confined to the UK. Branches of modern liberty, especially in the US, find their roots in the California vaquero tradition. The vaqueros were Spanish cowboys who came to California in the 16th century as part of Spain’s colonisation of the Americas. In a nutshell, they trained horses slowly and meticulously, often bitless, prizing subtle communication and training horses to respond to the lightest touch.

Other traditions are rooted in studying equine behaviour and body language in their natural environment and replicating these observations in training. Renowned US natural horsemanship trainer Monty Roberts spent much of his youth watching wild mustangs near his Nevada home and, from his findings, developed his signature Join-up technique. This, in turn, inspired other trainers such as Kelly Marks, who together with Monty founded the Intelligent Horsemanship movement.

Today, liberty is seen as an alternative way to train that champions communication, bond between horse and handler and equine wellbeing. Trainers note that there is a growing appetite for liberty training among a wider audience.

Yvet Blokesch, founder of Feather Light Academy, explains: “When I started, I was the weird girl doing groundwork with horses. People hadn’t really heard of it. Even 10 years ago it was rare to see.

“Now, with social media and courses online, it’s becoming way more popular.

Emma adds: “People seem to be having a look around for alternatives rather than sticking to traditional methods – it’s a good thing.”

Purpose and benefits

There is no one end result when it comes to liberty training. Some trainers can use liberty to teach high-level lateral and collection movements, such as half-pass and piaffe, while others work with entire teams of horses at liberty. For Emma, the mutual understanding and bond between horse and handler is the most important result.

“My passion is going out with my team at liberty into any environment, with many distractions that don’t influence the connection with my horses,” she says. “When I take them up onto the moors, they aren’t tempted to go off with the wild ponies or to graze. Our relationship is the most enticing thing.”

For Ben, one key benefit for the horse is an owner who’s willing to listen.

“Observing, reading and adapting to the horse’s actions and expression gives the horse much more of a voice than traditional styles of equine sport,” he remarks. “Tradition relies on verbal and tactile cues only, and often makes seeing and adapting to body language much more challenging.

“Broadening our equine ‘vocabulary’ in this way means that, once we’re confident and competent, daily life becomes easier,” adds Ben. “From leading to and from the field to standing at the mounting block or entering new environments, liberty arms us with the tools we need to guide our horses like never before.”

Ben warns that liberty shouldn’t be seen as a cure-all.

“It’s not a silver bullet to fix all issues. Nor is it a magical sport that allows out-of-work horses to make a miraculous comeback. I think these false perceptions come from the very ‘Instagrammable’ side of the liberty world that gives hope to people who feel lost. Liberty is just another option when it comes to equine sport.”

Yvet explains that liberty unlocks a high level of trust because a well-practised trainer can show horses that their signals are being read.

“Whenever I’m training a young or new horse, I don’t ask anything of them,” she says. “First, I show that we can communicate in a way that’s familiar, responding to small signals that let them understand that it has meaning to me. It makes them feel good, they are calm and relaxed with you, and that’s where the connection comes from; that’s why he wants to stay connected with you.”

She’s also witnessed horses become more outgoing.

“With a shy horse, you can’t just go ahead and play with them,” she explains. “They don’t know what to do with all that energy.

“But if you listen to their signals very carefully, you see the moments where they open up and become curious or expressive. You can encourage that. Then, they start to feel free to express themselves, and working with you feels good.”

Yvet’s practice sees her teach horses self-carriage and dressage movements from the ground – all bitless.

“Always needing contact through the rein with a bit never made much sense to me,” she says. “So, I don’t teach horses on the bridle then take the bridle away; I teach new things on the neck rope.

“You can prepare horses for everything on the ground,” she continues. “You let them feel what it’s like to keep their own body in balance. And when they get self-carriage, I always give my hands or reins to the horse, even if it’s just for a split second. This helps him feel like ‘oh yes, I can do this myself’.

“It’s so beneficial for whatever you want to do under saddle.”

Approaches

Just as many different liberty training philosophies coexist, so too do trainer methods. That’s not to say they are all mutually exclusive, and trainers will use a combination of tools depending on the horse, the environment or desired result. We discuss some of our experts’ approaches below…

Teaching cues

Much of Emma’s liberty training takes place in open fields and wild spaces. What keeps her liberty team engaged? A vocabulary of cues that not only refer to specific commands, but “yes” and “not quite”, too.

“We think nothing of training our dogs, and really there are so many similarities,” she adds. “We teach dogs verbal cues, hand signals and body language. All of this allows you to communicate mutually, teaches them how to work with you and keeps their attention.”

Emma explains her cue-teaching method in this introduction to liberty training. However, in a nutshell, teaching cues uses a horse’s natural pattern-learning capabilities to learn new skills.

“I don’t like to use ‘no’, it’s so negative,” she explains. “Horses love to be told they’re great, so a ‘no’ can derail their motivation, which is exactly what we don’t want for liberty.

“Instead, I use a brief ‘shh’ to say, that’s not quite right. It encourages them to keep searching for the answer.”

Reading and responding to body language

Ben Atkinson’s method forces the handler to be acutely aware of the horse’s whole body – as well as their own.

“Good liberty is about translating our desire to the horse via tactile, visual, verbal, body language and footwork signals,” he explains. “In return, we employ our powers of observation and perception to analyse the horse’s body language and signals. These signals let us interpret the horse’s confidence, competence and consent, and we can adapt our communication style accordingly.”

Ben’s signals in action take many forms. A slight turn of the body might tell the horse to change direction, or the brush of a whip might ask for a bow. What’s clear is that Ben can produce the full range of equine motion from the ground, totally at liberty.

“Another huge positive for liberty-trained horses is the opportunity to learn movements,” he adds. “They can learn the simplest canter transition all the way to canter pirouettes without the burden of a rider’s weight or variable balance.”

Target work

One aspect of Yvet’s work is to encourage the horse to use targets.

“These aren’t physical targets that I hold,” explains Yvet. “But when I go further into liberty work, I’ll use my belly or my shoulder as a target, or a point for the horse to hook on to and move towards.

“It becomes something that they’re searching for, a focus. I can then ask for them to circle around me at liberty, or learn lateral movements, anything like that. They understand what to aim for, and it makes them eager to work with me.”

Liberty training: dos and don’ts

If you’re looking to start beginner liberty work, our experts share their dos and don’ts to help you make a success of your first sessions.

“A pitfall I often see is people getting so obsessed with learning liberty, that it becomes all about the person and not about the horse,” says Emma. “Turn your obsession to your relationship with your horse and embrace the journey you go on.

“You might get faster results in a roundpen, because a horse doesn’t really have any other option. It’s fine to work in a roundpen, but it’s important to respect the power that space has. Check in with yourself, your practice and aim to work in a variety of spaces – the wilder, the better.”

Ben advises matching the level of intensity to the horse.

“The trainer dictates the intensity of liberty training, like any equine pursuit,” he explains. “A 21-year-old arthritic heavy horse shouldn’t be asked to learn piaffe-passage transitions at liberty.

“Those wishing to practise liberty with horses with injury history or in the horse’s twilight years should consider the same things as a rider,” he continues. “For example, you could make circles larger and turns shallower, while being conscious of challenging terrain. Just because the horse is loose with no tack or rider doesn’t mean its body is under zero strain.”

When done thoughtfully, groundwork and liberty are wonderful options for younger and older horses.

“Personally, I find the benefits of liberty for general handling, loading, riding and carriage driving highly advantageous,” adds Ben. “Do have a go; don’t write it off before you’ve tried it. Do expect it to be confusing and humbling at first, and don’t let one bad session let you lose hope. Don’t rush, but keep going.”

Yvet’s also mindful of the tempting pull of progress.

“Don’t go towards that teaching phase too quickly, because you first want to have that initial connection coming from the horse,” she says. “You want the horse choosing to be with you, not made to stick to you.

“Do be really aware of all the signals that your horse is giving,” she adds. “When you work with your horse, you have to be very aware of what he’s looking at, where his ears are pointing. I always walk in the opposite direction to where the horse is looking. This automatically draws him with you again.”

Working with horses at liberty is a dream for many riders and, while it won’t happen overnight and progress is rarely linear, the fruits of your labour could be sweet indeed.

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What is groundwork?

Groundwork can include any sort of training you might undertake with your horse from the ground rather than under saddle. It includes in-hand work, lungeing and long-reining, as well as techniques like liberty training and horse agility. Almost all young horse trainers will use groundwork exercises as part of their process of starting young horses under saddle, even if they don’t refer to them as such.

When we talk about groundwork, this doesn’t mean simply leading horses in and out of the field, handling them on the yard and all the everyday chores that are part and parcel of managing horses. However, groundwork can certainly help with horses that are tricky to handle day to day, and enable humans to be better at reading and giving signals. It can help re-establish basics by working on the relationship between horse and handler.

But groundwork per se is more about a specific, unmounted training session working with the horse to build the bond between you, fine-tuning your confidence and trust in each other. It enables you not only to watch the horse as he moves physically, to help identify any stiffness or potential problems, but to learn to read body language and how the horse behaves and reacts. Groundwork has often been dubbed as “natural horsemanship”, but most people who practise it regularly would simply call it horsemanship, an integral part of training horses.

There are a wide range of horse training systems that use groundwork as a primary part of their system. Some of the best well-known include those developed by Warwick Schiller (Attuned Horsemanship), Tristan Tucker (TRT) and Pat and Linda Parelli (Parelli Natural Horsemanship), but there are many others.

Each system is different. Some are based on positive reinforcement, some focus primarily on building the relationship. There are those with roots in classical dressage, and those based on liberty, while traditional training from the ground, such as long-lining and lungeing will use elements of some of these systems, too.

What horses can benefit from groundwork?

Groundwork is beneficial in a variety of situations.

1. It’s often the first introduction a young horse has to training and learning to negotiate the human world as it can be introduced before they are mature enough for ridden work. When starting a horse, groundwork is also a great opportunity to teach the young horse basic cues and it provides a good base to start ridden work from.

2. It can be especially useful for horses and riders that struggle to communicate well with each other. Perhaps you feel they don’t understand what you are asking them to do from the saddle, or they are displaying some sort of behavioural issue. Many people start looking into groundwork hoping for a “cure” for horses that nap, won’t load and so on.

Groundwork can help with mutual understanding, as well as the horse’s proprioception and awareness of you.

3. For horses who are returning from injury and need to work through a rehabilitation programme, groundwork is a really useful addition to your routine. It will help focus the fresh horse by stimulating his brain and encouraging his focus on you as the handler – rather than being reactive to things around him.

It also gives variety when you have many weeks of walking ahead of you, as you can create new challenges, such as poles, cones, new commands, even liberty work, as your rehab programme allows. And it allows the horse to work without any weight directly on their back.

4. It adds variety to your training, giving you and your horse different options for a work session. This is great for engaging horses that are perhaps sour of the school, or showing signs that they are finding their regular work monotonous.

5. Almost any horse can do ground work sessions, even those that cannot be ridden (providing they’re not on full box rest) whether due to injury or age, or because they are too small for the available riders.

6. Groundwork can also be useful when the rider is injured – in some cases individuals are able to work their horse from the ground and maintain their horse’s training and some sort of fitness plan if they can’t do so in the saddle.

Benefits of groundwork

Groundwork is a useful way of establishing communication and connection with horses of any age. Working with the horse from the ground gives the rider/trainer the chance to visually assess the horse’s natural movement patterns (how they prefer to move their body) without the influence of the rider on board. This can provide useful information that can then be used to help formulate work in-hand, and under saddle, to improve a horse’s way of going.

The horse and handler can establish trust through groundwork and set useful boundaries around personal space, which can make the horse safer to be around. It can also be used as part of a training or rehabilitation programme to improve physical attributes, such as strength, coordination, flexibility and proprioception.

Horses with problems such as separation anxiety, loading, rearing, food aggression and so on, can benefit from groundwork to help change their pathways of behaviour.

In-hand dressage training is popular in Europe, but knowledge and uptake in the UK is increasing. Specific exercises, such as lateral work, can be worked on from the ground and some riders and trainers use groundwork when teaching new movements, such as turn on the forehand or leg yielding. Piaffe is also often introduced to the horse from the ground, allowing the horse to build the necessary strength for the movement without the weight of a rider on board.

It’s also a handy session for those who don’t have time to do a full ridden session. There is less kit involved, so less time spent tacking up, and there is less essential grooming.

In as little as 10 minutes you can work on a simple exercise that stimulates the brain and enhances the bond between you. In fact, little and often is a great way to build mutual understanding and good habits.

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Clicker training is popular in the dog training world, but many people use clicker training for horses, too. It’s a method of positive reinforcement training, which means a reward is offered in response to a desired behaviour. The theory is that by rewarding the behaviours you want to see, your horse is more likely to reproduce these behaviours again in the future.

What is a clicker?

A clicker is a small mechanical device that makes a sharp noise when pressed. It’s used as a marker to communicate the exact moment of good behaviour. You could use other distinctive sounds, such as saying “yes” or “good,” a whistle or a cluck of your tongue, but using a clicker is more clear cut and contains no emotion, so it’s more consistent and your horse is more likely to respond.

How does clicker training work?

Using a clicker is a way of marking a moment. There’s nothing special about the noise, except that it’s not something your horse is likely to hear elsewhere. By always following up the click with a reward, your horse will learn that the click indicates a reward is on the way. The clicker communicates the exact moment your horse does what you want, so the timing of the click is essential and every click must be followed by a reward.

Horses learn at different speeds. Some will make the connection quickly, while others will require a number of sessions.

How to introduce clicker training to your horse

You’ll need a clicker with a wrist strap (like this one), some horse treats, and a bag that you can put them in that keeps your hands free – a small bum bag (like this) is ideal.

To begin with, it’s important that you teach your horse how to behave during training. He must learn not to nudge or sniff the bag for treats. Instead, use the following steps to teach your horse to be polite, look straight ahead and wait for the treats to come to him. This process will help your horse understand that the clicker is part of training, rather than just being associated with food.

• Stand to the side of your horse in a position that allows you to easily move out of the way if necessary.
• Take a treat from the bag and hold it in your hand. If your horse tries to take the treat, ignore him and ensure that he does not receive the treat.
• When your horse give up and looks away, click the clicker and instantly give them a treat.
• Repeat this exercise from each side.

Keep the sessions short – no longer than 10 mins at a time – and feed your horse away from the bag so that he can’t steal treats.

How to use teach your horse with clicker training

Once your horse understands the basics, you can introduce the clicker to your normal training routine. Think carefully about what you want to teach your horse and break down the training step by step.

A good action to begin with is teaching your horse to touch an object, such as a cone, with his nose.

To do this, first click and reward your horse when makes a movement towards the target, however small it is. Follow this up by clicking and rewarding every step of the behaviour, so that every movement towards the target earns a click and a treat. Continue in this way until your horse touches his nose on the target and fully understands the command. Once he fully understands what you’re asking of him, you can add a vocal cue.

Once your horse starts to offer the behaviour more frequently, wait until the touch is more dramatic – for example, when your horse come from a few feet away to touch the target instead of a few inches. You can increase the difficulty by looking for “duration”, which is when your horse touches the target and keeps his nose there for a few seconds.

Once a behaviour has been learnt on command and is performed consistently, the clicker and treat can be phased out. You can apply this method to any action or behaviour you’d like to teach your horse to produce on command.

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Lunging a horse can be an excellent way to exercise him without the weight of a rider. It can be useful for gaining and maintaining fitness, especially during the winter months when limited daylight can make it a challenge to find time to ride. Most horse owners will find lunging useful at some point in their horse’s lifetime, whether it’s lunging them as a young horse, bringing them back from injury or as part of their regular fitness and training programme.

In addition to basic horse lungeing equipment – a lunge cavesson, lunge line and lunge whip – there are a variety of lunging aids available. When you’re lunging, it’s also important to wear proper yard boots, riding gloves with good grip and a riding hat.

Horse lunging equipment

Shires Fleece-Lined Lunge Cavesson

Sizes: Pony, cob, full or extra-full | RRP: £27.99 |

A lunge cavesson allows you to attach a lunge line and is fitted tightly so that it’s not pulled out of position. It can be fitted over a bridle with the noseband removed or used alone. This nylon web lunge cavesson has padding at the poll and synthetic wool fleece padding at the noseband for enhanced comfort and to prevent chafing.

In the UK? View now at amazon.co.uk, viovet.co.uk, equus.co.uk, rideawaystore.com, naylors.com or gooutdoors.co.uk

In the US? View now at amazon.com

Shires Wessex Cushioned Web Lunge Line

Size: 8m | RRP: £9.99 |

A lunge line is much longer than a usual rope and clips onto the cavesson. This one is padded and features a swivel trigger clip at one end and hand loop at the other.

In the UK? View now at amazon.co.uk, viovet.co.uk, equus.co.uk or naylors.com

In the US? View now at amazon.com

MacTack Lunge Whip

RRP: £30 |

A lunge whip is used as an extension of your arm to communicate with your horse.

In the UK? View now at amazon.co.uk

Shires Roller

Sizes: Pony, cob, full or extra-full | RRP: £30.99 |

A roller can be used if you’re not using a saddle to lunge with two lines or attach side reins. This roller has 11 D-rings, a fleece lining across the top and a girth that is adjustable on both sides.

In the UK? View now at amazon.co.uk, viovet.co.uk or equus.co.uk

In the US? View now at amazon.com

Hy Equestrian Lunge Roller Pad

Sizes: Pony or cob | RRP: £17.99 |

This is used underneath a roller to provide extra cushioning. It features loops for extra security and to prevent slippage.

In the UK? View now at amazon.co.uk, viovet.co.uk or equus.co.uk

Leather Lunging Cavesson Bridle

RRP: £80 |

This bridle can be used for riding or lunging and can be used with or without a bit.

In the UK? View now at amazon.co.uk

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Jennie Loriston-Clarke: expert advice to solve your lungeing problems

In her latest book 'Lungeing and Long Reining', Jennie Loriston-Clarke takes the reader through a step-by-step guide to training, exercising

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More understanding is needed from owners when using training aids for lungeing and riding, research has suggested.

The study “Evaluating Horse Owner Expertise and Professional Use of Auxiliary Reins during Horse Riding”, by researchers at the Free University of Berlin, was published in Animals last month and investigated how much knowledge owners have regarding auxiliary reins, including side-reins, draw-reins and running martingales – and whether they are used appropriately.

Of 823 people who completed the study questionnaire, 199 used auxiliary reins “regularly”. Reasons for using training aids included problems with the horse “leaning”, external advice, or that owners had been used to using them since training started.

Of respondents, 296 used training aids mainly for lungeing, and most only attached auxiliary reins after the warm-up phase, but half of participants did not adjust them during the entire session. Three quarters could identify what the horse’s correct head position should look like, but 50% adjusted the reins too tightly and did not adjust them, even if the horse showed signs of breathing issues.

The researchers concluded that there is lack of information, and a need for clarification, among owners regarding the pros and cons of using training aids and the effects of the different reins used.

“The majority of participants felt they had sufficient knowledge about the use of auxiliary reins attributed to their experience as a rider. More serious violations were only recognisable in a small section of the respondents. However, against the background of animal welfare, these are to be taken very seriously in some cases and stopped immediately,” said the researchers.

“The goal must always be to use auxiliary reins for a short time in a problem-oriented way in the training and correction of horses in order to make these reins superfluous, and this knowledge must become an integral part of riding training.

“Further examinations should focus on the distinction of a running martingale versus the other auxiliary aids, as many riders would use the former as standard tack throughout a horse’s career.”

UKCC level three coach and Olympic eventer Sharon Hunt told H&H often riders are heavily influenced by whoever is training them at the time, and she believes there is a “time and a place” for training aids, if they are used in the correct way.

“Riders need to be trained correctly so they are only using training aids when necessary. This is really about the horse’s welfare – there is no point using something if the horse is unhappy, it’s not going to work,” she said. “You need to have a flexible approach because every horse is different and some take longer to understand things.”

Sharon added she was surprised that in the study, riders said they used training aids when the horse was leaning.

“A horse that leans is likely to lean more [with auxiliary reins on],” she said. “I think some riders need to look a bit deeper into the training when it comes to gadgets and think, ‘Why am I using this?’ They need to have an understanding of what they are doing, what they shouldn’t do, and the feeling they are trying to get from the horse.”

The British Horse Society’s (BHS) director of education Alex Copeland said the safe and correct use of tack is “critically important” to horse health and wellbeing.

“The BHS always recommends equestrians seek professional advice regarding the use of any piece of equipment or tack that they are not absolutely confident of using in the correct way,” he said.

In 2018, H&H reported on research that found riders think they know more about equestrian topics than they do, and “demonstrated an over-estimation of their equine knowledge regardless of qualification level”. The research was the first to provide evidence of the Dunning-Kruger effect, by which lower performers tend to be unaware of their lack of knowledge or ability, within equestrians.

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With the British Equestrian Federation advising against riding during the coronavirus pandemic, many riders’ daily routine with their horse has fallen apart.

But if you’re still able to go to the yard (and we appreciate some can’t or have chosen not to at this time), there are still options to bond with your horse, keep him or her happy and amused, and continue his education – and your own too.

1. Lungeing can be a great way to keep your horse exercised and improve his way of going. Make sure you wear a hat, gloves and suitable footwear and read up on what your horse needs to wear and how to lunge if you are not experienced. These problem-solving tips from Jennie Loriston-Clarke may prove useful if your horse tries to turn in or away to avoid working.

2. Never tried long-reining? Now’s the time. As with lungeing, ensure you and your horse are suitably dressed for the occasion and check out this advice from leading show producer Julie Templeton on how to introduce long-reining. You can move on to exercises such as leg-yielding once you and your horse have had some practice.

3. Give your horse a holiday. Assuming there are no particular reasons why your horse can’t take time off work, a break can be good for him both mentally and physically. How you manage him during this time will depend on his personality and body shape – a horse who is liable to become overweight or could succumb to laminitis will need his weight managed carefully and may not be able to spend 24 hours a day in a field. Similarly, some horses don’t enjoy being full-time field animals and need the routine of time in a stable each day. Others may benefit from a proper break where they are turned away, with twice daily checks.

4. Take the time to give your horse some really good grooming sessions. Scrub his feet. Get to know every inch of his body – you might be surprised how many little lumps and old scars he has that you’ve not noticed in your quick daily flick over. Learn how warm each of his legs feels and how filled they are, and how this varies at different times of the day. Pull his mane and tail if they need it, trim his bridle path and heels as appropriate for his type and job.

5. Try horse agility. A basic course would involve leading a horse through a corridor in the shape of an S without the horse stepping out or touching the poles. You could also work towards leading your horse through a curtain or a narrow gap or over a tarpaulin. Always assess the risk of trying new exercises at this time, particularly if your horse is sharp or spooky.

6. Those carrot stretches the physio gave you that you never quite have time for? Yup, now’s the time.

7. Sit down and assess your horse’s conformation. Pull out that Pony Club Manual of Horsemanship then take a look at your horse and make a critical analysis of his conformation – think about how that impacts on his work and the way you train him. Perhaps your horsey friendship group could all share conformation pictures of your horses, take notes and share views in an evening video call with a glass of wine. Keep it polite and objective – remember, everyone thinks their ugly duckling is a swan!

8. This is the ideal time to perfect your bandaging and plaiting technique. Check out this video on how to apply a stable bandage correctly and read up on leading show producer Katie Jerram’s plaiting tips.

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Julie Templeton is a leading producer of children’s show ponies; her team has had wins at both the Royal International Horse Show (RIHS) and Horse of the Year Show (HOYS). She has been involved in training horses all her life and is

based in Shropshire with her co-producer, Fiona Wallace.

Training the stars

Colbeach Salaman (Ralph) and I spent a lot of time on the long-reins together. He was only 12.2hh, but had the personality of a lion and a stride that was difficult for a jockey to sit to.

Long-reining proved to be the schooling method that suited him. It allowed me to keep my staff and children safe while educating him, until I knew I could contain and control him in a way his rider could emulate. He went on to be a big winner and part of his show preparation was to get him back on the long-reins.

It could be said that long-reining is the most essential part of the backing process. It establishes pace and direction, and allows your horse to find balance in all gaits before a rider is introduced.

It also establishes the concept of going forward into a contact, which is important in the early stages. If you don’t have long-reining experience, practise with an older, experienced horse first — it’s not ideal to have two novices learning together.

Long-reining can be a tool to introduce lateral work, and is especially helpful for reschooling when your horse needs to return to work without a rider. It’s also great for schooling your horse without endangering the rider. Napping is a great example; you can drive the horse forward if he is established in his napping.

Tackling the issue

1. I use a bridle with a bit, plus either a saddle or a roller, with two lunge-lines clipped on to the bit and passed through the D-rings or stirrups. I attach the stirrups to the girth with a Velcro strap for more stability and a consistent contact.

2. First, I long-rein around the yard in long, straight lines until my horse is confident. Then I’ll build in turning and corners. Once brakes and direction are in place, we can move into the arena.

3. Have someone lead your horse for the first few times. Use your voice and gently flick his sides with the reins to encourage him to go forward. Hold the reins as you would do if you were riding; you need to keep the contact subtle and elastic.

4. Make sure your horse is going straight and forward, as you would when riding him. Once the walk is established, you can proceed to faster paces on a circle, ensuring you work equally in both directions.

Article continues below…

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Consider this…

• Always wear gloves to protect your hands when long-reining.
• Avoid getting left behind — your horse should not be steaming ahead as this can make you pull on the reins, preventing you from driving him forward.
• Ensure the bit is in the correct place — once an animal learns to get his tongue over, this is a difficult habit to correct.
• Use an appropriate bit, as too strong a bit will encourage your horse to overbend rather than take the contact forward.
• You need to be fit to keep up with your horse’s pace. You also need enough stamina to be able to persevere with solving a problem, or it will be even more difficult the next time you attempt it.

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While there isn’t a fast-track way to make you a better rider, lungeing sessions are the next best thing. Here are five expert tips that will transform the way you sit in the saddle

Learn how to lunge a horse with a rider on board and see how it could transform your riding:

1. Take away your stirrups

This is a quick way to see an improvement in your position. Have a neck strap and begin in walk, building up to trot and canter as you become confident and feel more balanced. “Riding without stirrups automatically puts you in a better position as the leg will naturally hang in the right place,” says Italian Olympic eventer Vittoria Panizzon, who regularly schools and hacks out without stirrups, and likes to remove riders’ stirrups when she is teaching. “It will also help strengthen your core.”

2. Lift your thighs off the saddle

It may seem tricky at first, but lifting your thighs off the saddle, stretching them back and then down, is a brilliant exercise to do on the lunge. “It gives the feeling of wrapping legs around the horse,” says Steph Lynn, a freelance riding instructor. “Riding without stirrups also helps improves confidence. It makes you more aware of your balance, whether you are compensating for your position in any way and encourages you to ride with a longer stirrup length.”

3. Raise your legs and bend your knees

Abi Hutton, dressage rider and senior instructor at Talland School of Equitation, recommends holding the pommel and lifting your legs away from the horse. Continue into trot and canter, moving your toes in and out and bending your knees. “It’s about keeping your core strong while being able to move your body around in the different paces,” explains Abi. “The only tight muscles in your body should be your tummy or fingers — the rest should be loose.”

4. Have a lunge lesson on a schoolmaster

According to international dressage rider Sara Gallop, who runs Summerhouse Equestrian Centre, this is a great way to improve your position without thinking about the horse. “Riders often fall into the trap of focusing on the horse, but usually fixing the rider will improve the horse’s way of going,” she says.

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5. Take away your reins

Knot your reins so that they sit on your horse’s neck. Place your hands on your hips or hold them out to the side. This helps soften your upper body. “If you can relax your shoulders and arms this follows through to the contact,” explains Sara. “You need a soft, mobile forearm in order to have an elastic contact.”

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Call us mad, but there are some things we all end up doing on the yard that we know we shouldn't — from wearing unsuitable shoes to mucking out in our work clothes

1. Mucking out in work clothes

It’s Monday morning and you’re running late, so instead of rushing to the yard then coming home for a quick shower and change, you decide to get ready now and go straight from the yard to work. All you have to do then is change your shoes — win! And it is, so long as you don’t mind your colleagues spending the whole day sniffing and saying, ‘What’s that smell?’ Answer: it’s your hair. It smells of horse pee. Still, you weren’t late for work and that’s what matters.

2. Leading in unsuitable shoes

In your own yard, not going near your horse in a pair of, say, Converse, is one of those rules that tends to fall by the wayside, particularly on hot, sunny days where you’re just bringing him in from the field for a quick feed and don’t fancy pulling on a pair of sweaty boots. This does mean that, at some point, you’ll be stood on by a half-ton beast while wearing a pair of Crocs. (You, not the horse. That would be weird.) It really hurts. Don’t say we didn’t warn you.

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3. Telling people you’re moving yards

There’s only one thing horsey people like to do more than ride, and that’s gossip. Should you casually mention to someone that you’ve heard that such-and-such a yard is a pretty good place, you’ll instantly be met with the response, ‘Oh no, their fencing is unsafe/their tackroom is full of saddle-eating mice/their school has a massive hole in it that leads directly to Hell.’ It doesn’t matter if the facilities are Olympic-standard, you’ll find yourself speaking to the one person who has a beef with them. If you’ve made the decision to move, keep it yourself. Do not tell anybody – repeat, anybody. Oh. You already did.

4. Leading too many horses at once

This is a tricky one. We all know that leading multiple horses by yourself may result in our limbs being torn off like something out of a Greek myth, should said horses all take off in opposite directions. Or at least being left standing watching helplessly as one or more horses return to their stables/field sans handler with their leadrope twirling dangerously around their legs. But on the other hand, many horses experience severe anxiety — OK, totally lose the plot — if left in the field on their own. This basically means that although we know we shouldn’t lead two horses or more at once, we do it anyway. And hope for the best.

5. Lungeing without gloves

Put down a pair of riding gloves, and they will instantly vanish through some wormhole. Right now, somewhere in Outer Space, millions of lost gloves are swirling around together, like a giant inter-galactic whirlpool. This is something to ponder when you’ve decked your horse out in his lungeing gear and brought him up to the school, only to discover your gloves have vanished. The solution — naturally — is to go ahead and lunge him anyway. You may lose some skin from your fingers and palms — but who needs skin anyway? Just don’t shake hands/high-five anyone for a few days. You have been warned!

6. Worrying about our horses being horses

Being humans, we have a tendency to, well, humanise everything. In summer, we worry about our horses being too hot; in winter, too cold. We worry if we’re turning them out enough, or too much, and if they’re wearing enough rugs, or too many. We worry about how they’re interacting with their field mates, and if they’re enjoying their ridden work. It’s silly, really, because deep down we all know that so long as our horses get enough food, water and leisure time, that’s pretty much all their dreams come true. Sure, they have other needs in terms of regular visits from the farrier and the vet, but they certainly don’t worry about any of that stuff. All they really want to do is mooch about, being horses. So stop worrying! Go, on, stop it!

So come on. It’s time to confess. What are the things you do with your horses which you know you shouldn’t? Let us know below…

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

In her latest book 'Lungeing and Long Reining', Jennie Loriston-Clarke takes the reader through a step-by-step guide to training, exercising and suppling horses from the ground. Here she looks at tackling some of the problems lungeing can throw up

Lungeing may appear a very straightforward activity but horses can react in many ways and they don’t all walk and trot quietly in a perfect circle as we would like. Many cut in on the circle and then pull out on the opposite side.

In this case you should move towards the horse in a more attacking manner and not retreat to collect up the rein which has become slack as he has moved in on the circle.

You must point the whip at his shoulder and move forwards towards him — almost placing yourself a little in front of him. You should look him firmly in the eye so he knows you are confronting him.

Then stand firm when he tries to pull out on the opposite side of the circle and gently give him a few sharp jerks on the cavesson to make him listen to your voice. After a few rounds like this he will settle down and continue on the circle correctly.

Continued below…

10 training tips that top riders swear by

Turning in

This is when a horse turns in to face the handler.

When inexperienced lungers try to insist on a horse walking when he is first put on the lunge, they often come across this problem. They send him out on the lunge, he trots, they pull on the lunge rein to steady him and he turns in to look at them, wondering what he is to do.

If you find yourself in this situation you have to decide whether the horse is being cheeky or is genuinely confused.

If the latter, keep a fairly firm feel on the lunge rein, walk up to him, turn him into the correct direction and start him off again.

If he continues to turn in, ask an assistant to correct him with a sharp flick with the whip on his upper hind leg while you keep the contact on the lunge rein. Be prepared to move slightly to the inside of the horse as he is driven forward.

If you are lungeing singlehandedly you must ‘attack’ him with an aggressive stance, looking him firmly in the eye and chasing him back out onto the circle again. He must understand that the turning-in behaviour is not acceptable; and if you use a soothing voice when he is good and are careful to keep yourself in a driving position, he will learn to please you.

Turning away

There are a few horses who try to turn away from you when on the lunge.

This can be very dangerous and usually only happens when the horse has been started incorrectly and has got away with this kind of behaviour before, either on the lunge or when being led. A horse never forgets and will try to repeat any ruse that has been successful — and, of course, these horses are always more difficult to change.

If a horse has got into the bad habit of turning away from you, you will have to resort to lungeing with a restrainer bridle or off the bit, via a check rein, to give you more control. In this case, the lunge rein should be threaded through the ring of the snaffle, passed over the head and attached to the bit ring on the other side. This works like a one-sided gag and does not pull across the jaw, which often makes horses lean out on the rein and is not to be recommended.

When lungeing a horse off the bit you must be more careful how you handle the lunge rein and be sure to have a light feel on the rein. If the horse suddenly tries to pull away from you, you must be quick and firm to stop him and turn him back, and then continue lungeing him. Remember that he will try to repeat the performance several times, so don’t get caught out.

A horse usually does the same thing at the same place on the circle, so anticipate his moves and make sure that you are one step ahead of his thinking. After all, it is our superior intelligence which helps us train and ride horses. Horses are simple, biddable creatures by nature; most love to please you and to be your friend.

This extract is taken from ‘Lungeing and Long-Reining’ by Jennie Loriston-Clarke, published by Kenilworth Press and available from the 24 June for £18.95. Visit www.quillerpublishing.com

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Some of the most intensive and important exercise we undertake with horses referred to us is the work we do with them from the ground. It really is our bread and butter and may include either lunging or in-hand proprioceptive work, but most often will involve a period of long reining at some point.

We are particularly busy at the moment and as many of our horses are around the same stage in their rehab, the girls and I reckon we walk miles each day behind the horses between us!

I was asked to do a lecture demo for a group of second year degree students recently on the subject of long reining and it got me thinking about all the uses we find for it.

I have been long reining horses for years, having being taught how by my very first boss Jo Luton, so I could help start youngsters that came in to be backed. As soon as we had established ‘turn’ and ‘stop’ in the school, they went straight out along the lovely quiet lanes around my home in Scotland.

Jo reckoned that long reining helped establish their confidence and willingness to go forwards, as well as the beginnings of contact, straightness and cementing steering controls in place.

I still adhere to these basic principles, if not in a slightly adapted form — for a start we are missing the quiet back roads around Hartpury that we were so fortunate to have at home.

There are many reasons that we long rein horses rather than lunge them, the foremost of which is straightness; it’s amazing how many horses wiggle about when they have no help from a rider to, quite literally, keep them on the straight and narrow.

We also long rein them for accuracy and control. For example if the horse is restricted to straight lines and square turns only by the vet or therapist, then we may be able to achieve this more effectively in long reins than with a single line.

Two line exercise also allows us to do lateral work with the horses, along with other movements such as rein back. We can switch them between true and counter bend, and improve the quality of their half-halts and transitions.

A horse who is difficult or fussy in the contact can be helped by working them in long reins, and we often couple them with side reins to aid consistency in these type of cases.

In some respects, I think long reining beyond breaking in young horses has become a bit of a lost art. It seems that if there no specific reason to do it then people don’t even think about it as a way of working their horse, or indeed that they just don’t feel confident enough.

It’s a great skill to have and basically, if you have decent feel when you ride you will be pick up long reining no bother at all. We use light cord lines which run freely through the rings on the roller, and enable a more refined feel than with heavier material. Thicker lunge lines will do the job if that’s what you have available, but you have to remember that the further away you are from the horse, the more drag there will be on the mouth due to the weight of the line itself.

So my rule is basically that you should only be far enough away from the horse that you are well out of kicking distance!

We start all of our horses as if they have never had long reins on before to be safe, and I find that if something does spook them then it’s best if you go with them and bring them back to you as you go.

Standing stock still and pitching my weight against a 600kg horse has never really gone that well for me to be honest! You should always be on the move when long reining so it’s a bit of a work out.

End of the season

We’ve had a new wave of outpatients starting to use our services of late, largely those who were waiting until the end of their respective season or competition schedule to make a change to the horse’s routine.

Likewise we have a couple of horses who have been out with injury and are now coming back into work in preparation for the new year. Some of these are coming to us to use the Aquafit water treadmill and it’s always really nice to put more lovely horses on our books. They’ve all taken to it well so far and we look forward to getting them going over the winter — hopefully the owners will reap the benefits of their investment over the coming months.

A new addition

My horse Charlie is getting a new ‘little sister’ this week, as I await the imminent arrival of a four-year-old chocolate Labrador. Her name is Damson and she will be as involved as he is in proceedings around here as I’ve already primed our resident canine hydrotherapist, Tessa Lewis of Cotswold Dog Spa, to include her on her list of ‘demo dogs’. I’m told she loves water which is handy!

I have a feeling that will be a few Damson adventures to report in the coming weeks — watch this space…

Fizz

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Lungeing is often seen as a time-saving workout, one that riders can carry out en route to the office – but when undertaken correctly, it can be a really beneficial activity as long as it is not overused. When you can only grab a short respite between downpours, you might decide this time could be better spent lungeing your horse, than hacking him round the block, and choosing the best lunging aids to suit your horse may help.

However, according to Kathryn Nankervis of The Equine Therapy Centre, Hartpury College — who is about to publish a paper on the pros and cons of training aids — and consultant osteopath Liz Launder, this is only true if you are lunging your horse correctly and in an aid that is appropriate to his level of training, his conformation and way of going.

Best lungeing aids

Pessoa (or Pessoa-style training aid)

Manufacturer’s claim: creates a fluid contact. Its sympathetic ropes and pulleys encourage the horse to use the correct muscles and to work in the perfect shape

Liz and Kathryn use it to: limit extension of the hindleg. Lower the head and neck if placed low, or compress the neck if set higher

View now at amazon.co.uk

Kincade Chambon

Manufacturer’s claim: encourages the horse to lower his head by applying poll and bit pressure when he raises his head too high. This pressure is released when he lowers his head

Liz and Kathryn use it to: lower the head and extend the neck

View now at viovet.co.uk or amazon.co.uk

Kincade De Gogue

Manufacturer’s claim: helps build muscles for a rounded outline

Liz and Kathryn use it to: lower head and neck. Can also be used in higher position to raise head and neck

View now at viovet.co.uk or equus.co.uk

EquiAmi

Manufacturer’s claim: helps the horse to step under from behind, using his back and lifting his shoulders, working into a soft, equal contact

Liz and Kathryn use it to: limit extension of hindlimb and lower head and neck.

View now at ebay.co.uk

Bungee reins/side reins

Liz and Kathryn use bungee reins to: lower head and neck and inhibit forward movement of head

And side reins to: depending on placement, encourage lowering of head and neck or simply restrict movement to aid control

View now at amazon.co.uk or viovet.co.uk

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How do I lunge a young horse? Useful advice from Jennie Loriston-Clarke

Lungeing over poles: the benefits and how to do it

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Q: I should like to long-rein my horse but am worried about what to do if he panics.

A: Always try to prevent a situation where the horse begins to panic. Before long-reining, work the horse on the lunge so that he becomes used to someone walking behind him and to the rein coming from behind or away from him.

Continue this until he is completely happy and accepts the rein rather than kicking at it. The horse should be used to the touch of the rein on his hind legs before you let it drop behind him.

Keep him on a circle and try to keep the outside rein very light but off the ground so he cannot kick his leg over it. Keep circling on the lunge until the horse calmly accepts the feel on the rein.

If he should panic at this stage, accept that he will canter quite fast on the lunge for six or seven circles before you should try and stop him.

If the handler does not panic, the situation is less likely to become dangerous and the horse will calm down by himself.

If the horse does panic because somethingfrightens him while you are behind him, immediately move into his sight. If necessary, turn his head into the hedge or fence.

Pulling him round to face you is always safer, even if you need to drop the outside rein.

When starting to long-rein, try to always be slightly to one side of your horse so that he is aware that you are there.

Never long-rein on roads, as this is very dangerous. Instead, try to find a space in a field where you can turn and circle.

As in anything with horses, it is a question of preventing danger rather than creating situations which may lead to panic.

When starting from scratch, be very insistent and always stop your horse when he is frightened.

When long-reining on tracks or in a field, make sure your horse is wearing a bridle, as attaching the reins to a cavesson noseband gives you little chance of control.

Read more about lunging and long reining:

• All about long reining
• Going round in circles
• Solving lungeing problems

Once you’ve learnt how to lunge a horse, you might want to introduce lungeing over poles to his routine.

Lungeing over poles is a great strengthening exercise for the horse and can add variety to a training programme.

Why should I lunge my horse over poles?

There are benefits to using pole work during a lungeing session, including:

• Gives the horse something different to think about
• A solid introduction to pole work and jumping
• Helps the horse improve his balance and technique over poles without the weight of a rider
• Aids the horse’s muscle development and helps him to work from behind 
• Helps the the horse develop his length of stride
• If a horse rushes to a fence, lungeing over poles teaches him to find his own stride pattern

How do I lunge my horse over poles?

If you would like to introduce trotting poles into your lungeing sessions, but you’re not sure how to start, here are some tips:

Using trotting poles on the lunge is a good exercise, but always warm your horse up on the flat first.

Introduce the poles in trot, but don’t go over them every time. Making the circle smaller or larger to miss or include the poles will make the horse work harder.

Start off with four poles fanned out on a circle with the distance at the centre of the poles correct for your horse or pony (between 4-5ft). Use coloured poles if possible as the horse can see them easier than rustic poles.

The poles will encourage your horse to look down, stretch the muscles in the neck and back. This will improve the activity in his stride, help him keep an even rhythm and increase engagement behind. If working in side reins make sure they allow this stretching to take place.

To encourage more joint flexion, poles can be raised at alternate ends using jump blocks. This encourages the horse to work harder and prevents the poles from rolling out of place. Working over raised poles is strenuous and shouldn’t be over done.

Canter poles can be used if your horse is sufficiently balanced to canter on the lunge. Cantering over a single pole helps the horse negotiate a stride and multiple poles will improve rhythm. Start with a single pole and then add two more poles approx 9ft apart – you may need to adjust the distance to suit your horse.

Your can vary the distance between the poles to encourage the horse to shortern or lengthen his stride in trot and canter. Never use two poles as the horse may jump them.

You might also be interested in:

How do I lunge a young horse? Useful advice from Jennie Loriston-Clarke

Lungeing for a better riding position

Expert advice from HORSE magazine on how to improve your riding position onthe lunge

What is lateral work, and how can it help my horse?

Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade your subscription to access our online service that brings you breaking news and reports as well as other benefits.

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