29/08/2025
Sound advice from Gareth who is a bit-free rider and fabulous instructor. 🙂
How long do I do groundwork?
The first time I heard this question, I thought it was about how many minutes a day I work on groundwork. It turns out it was about how long II keep doing groundwork once I have a solid riding horse.
Dream Hunter, the horse in this photo, is 20 years old. He has multiple national riding championships, takes students on rides to build confidence, will carry any kid safely ...and I still do groundwork with him before I ride.
Most of that groundwork is just checking him out before I get on. He is incredibly reliable, relaxed and sound. In all the time I have had him, I have had one groundwork session that had me decide not to ride. It was the day after a wild hail storm, 3 or 4 years back, and he was not his usual focused, calm self. He was still better than 90% of the horses I deal with, but I didn't know him like that. I had no idea whether he would tip to more reactive during the ride.
For all I know he might have hurt himself in that storm and was just hiding his pain.
So I do groundwork for 11 years to save one bad ride?
Absolutely. That one ride could have ended with me in hospital. That one ride could have shifted a minor injury on him to a catastrophic injury.
Have I ever just got on him with no groundwork?
Yes. In an emergency, all my riding horses can be saddled and mounted straight away. An emergency that is more urgent than the risk of that once in 11 year risk.
I also know that if I just saddled and mounted every time I rode I would lose some of the reliability and relaxation my horses have.
Everyone comments on how lucky I ma to have such amazing riding horses, mindful, communicative groundwork has a lot to do with that luck.
Most times with Dream Hunter has my groundwork take me 5 minutes. If you feel you don't have the time to take an extra 5 minutes to have a conversation with your horse before getting on, that's fine, but I find it saves you a bunch of time fixing problems because you didn't.
For the record: groundwork, for me, isn't LUNGEING a horse to get rid of energy. It is a well thought out communication, checking all isolations and each gait calmly and safely. One day when I am rich, I'm starting an organisation called "the Anti-Lungeing federation" and making myself president! 😂😂😂
If you want to know more about the groundwork I do to orepare horses for riding, and to address relaxation, check out the about section for links to the website.