Many riders underestimate the value of groundwork, but for dressage rider, natural horsemanship advocate and performance coach Chelsea Canedy, groundwork is a crucial part of her program. And it’s about a lot more than getting your horse’s excess energy out

“Groundwork enables you to continually make sure you and your horse are doing the same thing at the same time,” she stressed. “You should both be thinking in the same direction and be ready for the work you’re about to do in that moment, which will carry over to your time in the saddle.”

When done correctly, Canedy explains that groundwork provides an opportunity for you and your horse to connect with one another on a different level, where he can see you in a very different way than when you’re on his back.

“Establishing proper boundaries from the ground and teaching your horse to look to you for answers in times of doubt is very useful in stressful environments,” she said. “And when you’re in the saddle, it will result in him being more attentive and ready to respond in a respectful way.”

In Part 1 of this two-part groundwork series from her video collection on EQUESTRIAN+, Canedy explains the important concept of pressure and release, how to put it into practice and how to establish proper boundaries with your horse while leading him from the ground.

Understanding Pressure and Release for Groundwork

“One of the most important concepts to understand about groundwork is how to utilize pressure and release, because horses learn through this process. But it’s not the pressure that teaches them; it’s the moment that we remove the pressure that they actually learn.

“Always start with the lightest pressure possible. Your horse can feel a fly land on his side. When interacting with each other in a herd, horses apply pressure on each other with merely a look or slight movement. This is the type of intention you should set behind your groundwork.

“When you apply the pressure you believe is adequate to elicit a response and your horse responds accordingly, immediately remove that pressure. In your horse’s brain, he goes, ‘Oh, that’s what I was supposed to do.’

“Think of pressure in terms of a scale. For example, the lightest pressure possible might be merely my intention—my mind goes toward what I’m about to do. Then, maybe my body squares up to prepare for the aid I’m about to apply. Next, I apply a light aid by simply moving the air between me and my horse. If I need more pressure I might touch his mane or skin or muscle if necessary. But the second my horse does something I’ve asked the pressure goes back to zero.”

Pressure and Release in Action

“To demonstrate the concept of pressure and release, I start by just hanging out with my horse to allow him to start to read and understand my body language. I keep my eyes and voice soft and simply maintain a calm, casual demeanor. When my horse sees my intention—or lack thereof—he should understand there’s nothing for him to do but hang out.

“When you take the time to allow and encourage your horse to watch and really connect with you from the ground, he’ll learn to read your intentions and what they mean, which is so helpful when you’re in unfamiliar environments. Even if chaos is going on all around you, your horse will learn to look to you to determine if he needs to do something instead of just reacting to the environment. The stronger your connection is, the less likely he’ll be bothered by uncertain things happening around him.

“Now I’m going to use the concept of pressure and release in my intention to ask my horse to back away from me. This one of the most basic skills I teach all of my students. Ensure there’s no tension in your rope, because if you’re asking him to move away from you while pulling that’s not a fair question to your horse.

“I keep my rope and hand soft, square up my intention and use a slight movement of the air. With just this slight pressure, my horse’s foot went backward, so I tell that was a good effort and let him rest on that. But if your horse doesn’t respond to that light of pressure, slightly increase the pressure on your scale.”

Leading with Boundaries During Groundwork

“Every time you handle your horse—whether you’re bringing in him from the field, putting him in cross-ties or walking him into the arena for a lesson, you’re teaching him how to relate to you on the ground. Your goal is to establish a bubble of space—about 1 to 2 feet—around you that your horse learns to respect and stay out of. Too often, I see riders who allow their horses to barge ahead of them or constantly walk into their space.

“If you let your horse barge ahead of you, it instantly puts his shoulder in your bubble and could even lead to him accidentally running over you. Other times, I see horses bump their handlers or try and wrap their necks around them. So it’s crucial to create an invisible wall between you and your horse that feels comfortable for both of you. And if your horse crosses that wall, you simply need to apply pressure to ask him to get out of your space.

“If I don’t apply any pressure, I’m signaling to my horse that he’s maintaining a comfortable space that he’s good to stay in. Then, he’ll start to seek that place.

“When practicing maintaining this space from the ground, I use my stick like a metronome keeping the rhythm. This can be especially useful if you’re somewhat uncomfortable applying a lot of pressure or your horse is sensitive. As I ask my horse to walk next to me, I just keep a rhythmic movement with my stick and then I practice asking my horse to stop. If he doesn’t, he’ll simply walk right into my metronome. You don’t have to apply a lot of pressure, be mean or get after him. Just let him walk into it.

“When we try it again and I stopped, he noticed my metronome and backed out of my space, which is exactly what I was looking for. If your horse tends to crowd your shoulder, you might try swapping the motion of your stick in front of him to create that bubble you’re always trying to maintain.

“While you want to maintain your bubble, you also want your horse to be walking right next to you at all times to make sure he’s focused on you and ready to do whatever you’re going to ask next. If your horse is on the lazier side and lags behind when you ask him to walk next to you, reach back and apply a little pressure where your leg would be under saddle to send him forward.

“Every time you lead your horse, put these things into practice so he knows what you expect of him. This means you have to be attentive at all times to where your horse is in relation to your space. Making little corrections and establishing boundaries will pay off in the long run, because those fixes will get smaller and smaller over time and your horse will seek finding that relaxed state next to you.”

In Part 2 of this series on groundwork, Canedy will teach you how to move your horse laterally from the ground and how to introduce transitions on circles. Stay tuned!

For More:

• To watch these episodes and Chelsea Canedy’s full EQUESTRIAN+ video collection on groundwork, click here.
• Read more about using groundwork to teach your dressage horse respect and self-assurance with Stefan Schneider and Uta Gräf here.