The Beginner's Guide to Groundwork

The Beginner's Guide to Groundwork

Build the foundation every great horse starts with in The Beginner’s Guide to Groundwork on Ride TV. This playlist breaks down essential groundwork exercises for horses, helping riders develop clear communication, trust, and respect from the ground up. From leading and personal space to yielding to pressure, desensitization, and lunging, these step-by-step lessons give you the tools to create a responsive, confident horse before ever stepping into the saddle.

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The Beginner's Guide to Groundwork
  • The Beginner’s Guide to Groundwork Workbook

    1.96 MB

  • Spacial Awareness on the Ground

    Monique Potts talks about what she means by "my space" when training horses. She then demonstrates how to communicate this with your horse.

  • Spatial Awareness

    As Monique was doing groundwork drills, she noticed her horse reacting to the flies that were landing on her. So she goes over the importance of having spatial awareness when you're standing next to your horse so you don't get kicked or hit when they react to the bugs.

  • Socializing Your Horse

    If your horse doesn't get to live in a herd environment, it's important to socialize your horse so he can be near other horses without any problems. Monique Potts talks about how she safely socializes a horse that doesn't live in a herd environment.

  • Introducing Your Horse to Obstacles on the Ground

    Before you attempt obstacles in the saddle, make sure you have control of your horse's feet on the ground. Monique Potts shows you how she likes to have her clients approach a new obstacle for the first time on the ground.

  • Introducing Your Horse to a Scary Object

    Monique Potts breaks down what she likes to do when a client is working with a horse that is scared of an object. And shows you how to stay in control of the situation from basic groundwork drills.

  • Petting Your Horse

    Monique Potts explains how she likes to go about petting a horse and teaching her horse boundaries at the same time.

  • Yielding the Hindquarters with Luca Fappani

    In this training session, Luca Fappani focuses on teaching a young horse to yield its hindquarters—a key component of body control and responsiveness. Luca walks through his step-by-step approach to engaging the horse’s hind end while maintaining softness and clarity in the cue. This builds the f...

  • How To Deal With A Pushy Horse

    In this video, Luca Fappani demonstrates how to safely and effectively correct pushy behavior in horses—whether it shows up on the ground or under saddle. He explains why respecting personal space is a cornerstone of good horsemanship and walks through step-by-step exercises that establish clear ...

  • Working With a Jumpy Horse

    Does your horse scare easily? Or jump out of his skin the minute he sees something new? Monique Potts shows you how she works with a jumpy horse on the ground and how she likes to build their confidence before getting in the saddle.

  • Building Trust with Hobbles: Groundwork Session with Luca Fappani

    In this training session, Luca Fappani demonstrates how to safely introduce hobbles to a young horse, using the tool as a way to build patience, trust, and confidence. He explains how hobbles can teach a horse to manage pressure without panic, and walks through the steps of preparation, applicati...

  • Introducing Your Horse to Clippers

    Whether you clip your horse or not, it's always a great idea to desensitize him to things like horse clippers. Natural horsemanship instructor Monique Potts demonstrates how she introduces a horse to clippers and the importance of getting them comfortable around them.

  • Hand Grazing Your Horse

    Does your horse like to drag you around while you let him graze? Monique Potts explains how you can fix that problem and keep slack in your lead rope at all times.