Jordan Parker | February 27, 2017

Ground Manners
Presentation Script

Opening Slide
Teaching Ground Manners (and Learning along the way!) Presented by Jordan Parker

Ground Manners
What are ground manners? Ground manners are a horses confidence and
acknowledgement in your leadership. A horse with good ground manners will be aware of
your personal space. She will stand still patiently, be calm, will not push you around, and
will execute the commands you give her. By accomplishing all these tasks, it means she
trusts you, feels safe, and is aware of your role as her herd leader.

Importance of Politeness
Why are ground manners important? Ground manners are crucial for safe and enjoyable
interactions between a horse and rider. By looking at herd dynamics and equine behavior,
we can understand the desire for a horse to have a leader. In wild horse herds, there is a
head mare. Through body language and vocal communication, she lets her herd know
shes in charge, when the environment is safe, and when the herd is in danger. A horse
needs that kind of leadership in their human partner too. A horse who properly
acknowledges the leadership of their human counterpart will look to them in times of
uncertainty or fear for guidance. This is very important for bring a horse into a new
situation. If she trusts you, she is more likely to mimic your behavior in a new, potentially
scary situation. Additionally, a horse that has accepted you as her leader will be keener to
listen to your guidance under the saddle. Horses that are confident in their handlers
leadership are confident in themselves as well. Ultimately, well-mannered horses feel
safe most of the time and trust their partners.

Subject
George, Registered Name Princess.
Thoroughbred Warmblood cross, Dapple Gray Mare
Born in 2010, 7 years old
Bred by the Duchossois Family
Donated in 2014 by the Duchossois Family to Culver Academies
Became a Culver Jump Team Horse, so she is used primarily for jumping and Equitation
Rides in a continental French link Elevator bit

Motivation
She exhibited aloofness; would look past her human counterparts, pretend like they arent
there which was blatant disrespect.
 Jordan Parker | February 27, 2017

Ran over people

Exhibited impatience
Difficulty in stall and under saddle
Lack of spatial awareness and personal space awareness
Has difficulty lunging to the right because she was used to someone only being on her
right.

Goal
My goal in teaching George ground manners is to foster respect for people within
George, so that she is pleasant to work with and responds well to pressure cues or body
language by paying attention to her human counterparts. I hoped to improve her under
saddle work and general likability by improving her politeness.

Method
Through a series of exercises, little interactions, building of trust I helped George become
a more suitable and pleasant horse for the Culver stables. In the exercises themselves, I
used pressure cues to indicate a command. The pressure increased until she gave, at
which point she completed the exercise and the pressure was immediately released. We
practiced each exercise several times successfully before stopping for the day, though
each exercise was reviewed at the beginning of our sessions. To build trust, I groomed her
often, let her interact with the equipment I was using (sniffing, smelling), took her on
walks, encouraged her curiosity, and was very generous with rewarding at first. As time
went on and she became more advanced, she had to work harder for praise. Ideally, and
hopefully, at that point the praise was something she wanted and was willing to work for.
It is very important to understand that in teaching ground manners, while you are
presenting your leadership, you are not presenting your dominance. The relationship
between a person and a horse should be built on mutual respect, not on instilling fear or
submission. While I did want George to listen to me and be cooperative, and understand
there are consequences for being uncooperative, at no point is fear and unnecessary force
an acceptable way of interacting with a horse.

Exercises
Together we completed 7 exercises.
Stepping Under herself in a circle
o Her focus is on the person in the center. The dropping of the inside hip and
crossing the back inside leg in front of the outside back leg puts the horse in a
relaxed position, indicating they are listening.
Responding to pressure cues
o Helps her develop the sense of when to move away. In horse behavior, the horse
in charge will stand their ground, and the lower ranking horse moves away from
them
Walking on a lead line without trotting/walking faster than her leader
 Jordan Parker | February 27, 2017

o Again, being respectful and aware of her partner as her leader. Walking quietly
means she is at ease and feels safe.
o I would place a hand on her head and push down, encouraging her to drop her
head because a dropped head is a sign of relaxation.
o Placebo effect of smiling and releasing serotonin and lowering the head and being
relaxed.
Halting and backing with her companion
o Demonstrates shes paying attention to the person that is leading her, and is
respectful of their knowledge of when its appropriate to move forward, stop, or
back. She her is acknowledging her role as a follower.
Waiting before leaving stall
o Helps her develop patience
Walking through tight spaces
o Is an exercise in trust and self-confidence. Naturally, horses will not move
through tight spaces on the basis that it jeopardizes their safety. If she was willing
to walk through tight spaces, she was showing she was confident that she was
safe.
o A doorway
Approaching the ball, flags, or other scary objects without spooking
o Again, shows confidence in herself and her safety. If she is able to interact in new
environments or with new obstacles with her partner, she is showing that she
trusts them and their judgement.

Measurement of Improvement
How can I measure that she has become better? Trust and respect are not quantities that
can be measured?
The easiest way to mark improvement is by the number of times an exercise has to be
repeated to be completed to a level of satisfaction. The less pressure I need to use in an
exercise is an indication that she understands.

Accomplishments
Though I acknowledge her behavior is not always consistent, she is more sociable, has
not run me over lately, and has been able to walk in a circle to the right for lunging. She
waits before leaving the stall, is friendlier to people outside the stall. She had also been
working very nicely under saddle, and accumulated 4 blue ribbons over this past show
season.
Increased confidence
Increased patience
Increased capacity to lunge to the right
 Jordan Parker | February 27, 2017

Areas for Improvement

What did I not accomplish? How do I suggest moving forward so George continues to
improve? Acknowledge difficulty of time constraints
Still faces difficulty lunging to the right
Continues to want to charge past her stall
Sometimes fails to listen to those who are not me
In moving forward, George needs someone who is willing to take the time to develop a
relationship with her. She has been successful with me because I care a lot about her, and
have slowly built up a rapport with her by being patient, kind, and consistent.
She responds best, in my opinion to someone who is willing to work with her as opposed
to trying to make her work for them; in other words, dont try to make her do what you
want. Convince her your way is just as interesting and effective as her way.

Special Thanks
To Mr. Siems and Coach P, and Mr. Waller for providing me with resources

Bibliography
http://www.equisearch.com/discoverhorses/article/training-tips-teach-your-
horse-ground-manners
http://www.equusite.com/articles/ground/groundHome.shtml
http://www.horses-and-ponies.com/horsemanship/groundwork/basic-ground-
manners/
Lungeing for Longevity with Jane Armour DVD
http://www.thehorse.com/articles/35555/understanding-herd-dynamics
https://consideringthehorse.wordpress.com/2014/04/01/herd-dynamics-
hierachy-and-behavior/