05/02/2026
A few pictures of today's lesson ❤️
Horsemanship Week is *such* an important week for a multitude of reasons. Here are just a few:
1.) It gives the horses a break. Let's be honest, being a lesson horse is not for every horse. It's a lot on them to have to balance, read, and learn each new rider. And some days, they have upwards of 5 or 6 students working with them. Everyone acts, reacts, talks, rides, balances, sits, and handles things differently. So the horses need the physical break ever month so they aren't drained.
2.) It corrects behavioral holes. Lesson horses learn really quick who they can bully and who they can't, especially Ranger 🤣 Doing groundwork with the horses takes them back to square one. Horse being pushy? Teach them boundaries and respecting space by lunging and moving their feet. Horses learned to avoid certain obstacles? Correct it on the ground. Spooky? Desensitize & encourage (DON'T flood - thats a whole other convo). The list goes on...
3.) Soundness check. Horses act like they pay their own vet bills, so someone is always a little stiff or sore from an ill-timed pasture buck, rolled wrong, or they ran just a little too hard out of excitement 🤣 Lunging gives us the ability to make sure our horses are working soundly.
4.) Learning the horses body language. Horses communicate through reading body language. Lunging & groundwork give us the spacial ability to step back and pay attention to each horses nuances and communication signals. It helps the students/riders to be able to notice little things faster, helping the horse and keeping themselves safe.
5.) The horses become more familiar with their riders. Horses are always reading us. So doing groundwork gives them the ability to get to learn their riders better, and create that bond that is necessary for a good working relationship.
6.) Its a lot of fun! Students feel successful and encouraged when they learn how important their body language and movements are. When they learn they can communicate with their horses by a simple feet shift, command cue, and body position, they recognize quickly just how important they are.
7.) Stretches. We all get a little stiff and sore (especially when you get old and creaky like myself 🤣). A good stretch helps the horses to feel better and carry themselves correctly. Stretch out the kinks, and the horses feel better!
8.) Strengthening their weaknesses. Let's use Ranger as our example. Ranger-Danger walks, trots, and canters stiffly. He tends to hold himself camped under, simply because it's easier. By showing him how to stretch, lengthen his stride through cavaletti's and ground poles, and how to pay attention to his feet, he's slowly learning how to hold himself better. (He's still a dork, so there's that 🤣🤣)
9.) Teaching new skills. One of my favorite things to work on with the horses is simply standing still. Exist, relax, and wait for cues. This is a very important skill set to have. Star, for example, hates to stand alone. She feels the most comfortable when she is copying another horse, or following me. She doesn't have the confidence to just 'be'. So, we take horsemanship week, and show Star that she can stand and relax and wait her turn, and she doesn't have to stress. After taking the time to teach her this skill, she now ground ties as well as Lady Mae.
10.) Most importantly, riding is a treat, not a necessity. Groundwork week teaches students how to care for the horses that take care of us. These horses do so much for us, so taking that week to understand, listen, and care for them is of utmost importance. Its why I created this week every month to solely focus on our horses. I can't stress it enough - caring for our horses is *THE* ultimate goal. It is the essence of being a horsewoman / horseman. If you don't learn to care for, read, and understand your horse, then you're just using your horses for selfish purposes. It's a harsh truth, but one I firmly stand on.
