ground training
Driven to succeed
Teaching your horse to ground drive offers many benefits and is just plain fun.
BY BRONWYN IRWIN / PHOTOS BY JASON IRWIN
Ground driving is a great way to improve a horse’s steering and stopping before he is ridden.
Ground driving is a fun activity that can be done with almost any horse. Some of the uses include:
◆ Teaching a young horse how to steer and stop before being ridden.
◆ Improving steering on children’s horses that are too small for an adult to ride.
◆ Building a horse’s confidence by having him taking the lead.
◆ Doing an enriching activity for horses that are unable to be ridden.
◆ Introducing a horse to obstacles or pulling a cart.
GETTING STARTED
I use a saddle, a bridle with a snaffle bit, and two long driving lines. A surcingle may also be used in place of a saddle, and you may want to carry a buggy whip to encourage forward motion.
Before running driving lines through the stirrups, tie the stirrups beneath the horse’s belly. This prevents the stirrups from flopping around.
Note: When ground driving, I run the driving lines from the bridle through the stirrups and then back to me. I tie the stirrups beneath the