All long lasting structures are built on solid foundations. You wouldn’t live in a house with no foundation so why ride a horse with limited ground work? You don’t have to! Ground work is fun and helps develop a stronger bond and understanding with its handler. Everything in the saddle should start on the ground! I personally do 80% of my schooling from the ground and 20% in the saddle. Saddle time for my horses, clients and myself are simply to check for understanding with the horse and review. I don’t start battles in the saddle I want saddle time to be the horses reward. Groundwork is where the “jesus meetings” happen. On the ground you’re your strongest self. On the ground there’s minimal chance of error and the horse doesn’t learn bad habits. Throw a leg over a horse too soon and you could be setting yourself back more than moving forward. I want my horses to look forward to saddle time. My horses are easy to catch and look forward to working and I like to keep it that way. A good partnership and solid foundation are built on successful training sessions sometimes only 20 minutes long but the horse realizes it doesn’t have to work hard to please you. “Work smarter not harder” applies to horse training as well! Go enjoy your horse and forget the stresses of the world. Let your horse be your paradise.
J Randol horse training 