My new horse is in 60-90 days' training, for a major tune-up and oil change, etc.  Trainer is doing primarily ground work with Lucy at this stage, and I go watch the training sessions and have the occasional lesson.  Dang, there is So Much to Learn! 

Today was my intro to ground driving.  My shoulders are killing me--not from hauling on Lucy, but probably from tension re doing this totally new thing, having listen to trainer instructions, watch the horse, etc.  A lot of fun but a lot of work!

An interesting skill to have and one that is hard to envision if you've never done it.  I'd thought I'd be walking behind her, and the long reins were so she couldn't kick me!  Ha!

Anyway, if y'all have ground driving suggestions, stories, warnings, whatever, I'd love to hear 'em!

Thanks,

 Hey bc, I don't have any suggestions, stories, warnings, etc because I haven't done any ground driving yet.  BUT as soon as some of this snow disappears I want to start working with my filly, so how's about if you share what actually happened in your INTRO to ground driving to help me prepare for the experience.

Any suggestions, warnings, tips would be much appreciated  

Well, let's see....

Trainer actually got Lucy all rigged up, so I can't really speak to that other than to recommend that you put the reins away very carefully so as not to get 'em all tangled.

Supposedly this is just like riding, but from the ground.  Ha!  You're trying to keep the excess rein from getting all tangled around your feet (hold it or throw it over a shoulder, but I kept dropping it) while you keep your outside rein loose, but not so loose it's dragging on the ground.  The inside rein you use to keep your horse focused on you.  When it's time to jog, you wiggle the outside rein and double-cluck (I ride Western), and with any luck your horse knows what's expected and starts to jog.  Whoa still means whoa--pull back w/both reins, but it's harder to apply even pressure.  

Getting your horse to turn is where it gets tricky.  Relax the inside rein, pull (but not too hard) w/the outside rein, and if you're really lucky your horse turns!

Oh yeah, and at the end I walked behind her and reined a bit.  This was to have her get accustomed to not being able to see whoever's at the other end of the reins.  Lucy hasn't been worked a lot in the past couple years, so we're trying to bomb-proof her on the ground before getting her under saddle.  In an abundance of caution.  Naturally I'm chomping at the bit to ride her, but, being in my 50's, am letting common sense and respect for trainer override my impatience!

 The above probably isn't a very good description, but it's what I remember.  Trying to stay relaxed, watch the horse, the reins, and get yourself coordinated while trainer is calling out instructions is quite the challenge.  (I hate that word; it actually was a pain in the butt, but a fun pain in the butt!)

Very hard work!  Watching a trainer do it skillfully is a real treat.  With any luck, I'll be able to do more of it at this week's lesson.

Mary 

Long reining/'ground driving' is a great tool that can/should be employed a lot more than it is!  I have worked through so many problem/issues with my  horses using the principles while I was safely planted on the ground.   

I hope you're long-lining in a round pen and not having to chase your horse all the way around an arena! That WOULD be a lot of work! LOL! Sounds like you have a good trainer to work with, bc.

For CM's benefit (even though she doubts my efficacy as a trainer ): I break the horse to a saddle before I start long-lining, since it's often as much trouble to do the same thing with a surcingle and one less piece of equipment to find, clean or lug around. It also gives the horse more under-saddle time during ground training before he's backed. Once that's done, I hobble the stirrups with a length of rope under the belly and run the long lines through them. Running the lines from the bit at that angle applies sufficient down force on the bit to encourage dropping off of it and find his reward for listening to it. And besides, we all RIDE with low soft hands, don't we? 

A little trick I like to use when reversing direction is apply a tad MORE pressure to the inside rein and briefly draw the horse inside a bit and THEN draw up the outside rein for the turn cue. It moves the horse away from the rail and makes it easier for them to do the turn. Some trainers argue they WANT the horse to get bunched up and get under themselves for the turn. But I like to address that later on in the mounted training. The young or green horse is just trying to understand the bit at this point. And unless you're a very experienced rider, I don't think it's wise to be training the horse to do hairpin rollbacks just yet. But... to each his or her own. 

On the long lines I will also whoa the horse halfway through a turn, get it completely stopped facing the fence at a 90 degree angle while I remain in their blind spot, back them three steps, whoa again, then completely relax the lines so they droop on the ground and let him stand there for a minute without moving. If he moves a step or tries to turn I get back on the bit, whoa again and stand some more. The horse needs some time to think about what he did to get you to leave him alone. After a minute or two I start long-lining again. It's really a lot of fun (in a ROUND PEN, not an arena. LOL!) when you start to see how quickly they learn to listen to the bit. Especially when you can actually feel them getting lighter in your hands.

Word of caution: getting started on long lines can sometimes be an exciting experience when some horses see that line trailing out behind them. "My god! Look at the size of that snake! I must FLEE!" Especially if you lose your grip and a line drags in the dirt. Best to let them run until they decide it's not going to eat them and they finally calm down. It might also be a good idea to keep an extra line handy for when they step on one and break it.

All-in-all, I think proper long-lining IS one of the most rewarding and productive ground training exercises you can do with a horse. Even with ones that many people think don't "need" it. Refreshers keep both horse AND rider sharp. ~FH

I'm a greenie at ground driving myself.  I did it with Star a couple of years ago at the place I used to board at.  Now I've moved again, I hope to be able to start again (no arena at Dee's, nice as it was)

 Star is so big and WIIIDE I had the reins coming either side of her backside, which I'm not sure is correct.  And I was also a LOOOOOONG way back in case she decided to kick out.

There's a photo of me ground driving her at the bottom of this page

Hi everyone,

I agree with FH here longlining is one on the most rewarding/productive things you can learn to do with your horse.

A few suggestions:

hold the lines like you would hold reins - gives you a softer hand

do quite a bit of walking at first till you get the coordination down a little better before adding the speed of trot or canter

always be soft with your hands- if in an arena not a round pen try figure 8's (large half arena/half arena) good practice turning and steering without a lot of speed to the turn at first.

hummm my break at work is over - maybe more later

have fun and relax-