The Ground Game

And dividends.

We've done some lungeing and a lot of leading this week.

It's important to do it right. Practice doing it wrong isn't very productive. The focus is on control and discipline. Controlling a horse is controlling the way the horse moves. When we (free) lunge - starting from a halt, I expect L to walk when, lined up with her shoulder, I turn to face forward and lift my inside index finger. Even from 30 feet away.

That's her signal to change gate. When I lift my inside index finger again, I expect her to trot. Again and I expect her to canter. I expect her to pay attention. She should be looking for my signals. That's the way the herd behaves. Every horse in the herd is constantly looking for signals from the alpha horse.

When I pause ever so slightly with my outside foot and turn my outside shoulder in, that's her signal to transition downward. It's such a subtle move you won't even see me do it. Transitions encourage her to pay attention.

When I turn my outside shoulder in and lift my outside hand I want her to turn. Inside turn please. She has to do an inside turn, facing me. I never ever accept her butt when we're working. When I drop my outside hand I want her to change direction. If I raise my inside hand as I drop my outside hand I want a full circle.

When I abruptly spin with my outside shoulder lined up with her shoulder I expect her to halt. It took me a long time to get good at this. We started on a lunge line and worked from there. Things don't always go smoothly and sometimes I have to get after her and be mindful of every opportunity.

It's not about being forceful or simply dominating. It's more about persuasion. I don't force myself on L. I persuade her to accept my position. What I'm looking for when we work like this is soft relaxed posture. Soft eyes. She's not in charge, she has no reason to be concerned about *anything*. She still makes me earn it. When everything's just perfect, and we're about to quit, she'll leap into the air, spin around and go charging around like a nut bag. She'll flag her tail and when she looks me square in the eye I know, far as she's concerned, we've barely started. We're going to be there for a while.

The real trick however, is to bark at her as soon as you see her think of doing that. Once she's moved, it's too late. Same thing under saddle, by the way. Once she's moved, it's too late. She has to think you know what she's thinking.

And then there's the dividends

Saturday morning L managed to unlatch her stall door. Her stall door has two latches, a toggle and a snap. She was out flirting at 4:30 am. My trainer was awakened by all the squeeing and wall kicking. Now, L has this cat like quality. She's really not very big. What she has is a lot of "presence". And...she can puff up like a cat. She appears to almost double in size before your eyes and she'll fill the barn. Her father did that. I've never seen anything like it. She's had people slackjawed. She's done it when we're riding and it's like *holy crap*.

So here she is, all puffed up, 4:30 am, it's hot, it's barely twilight, she's doing scratches with her favorite gelding, and, having "assumed the position", she's squeeing and stomping her feet. My trainer walked over to the gelding, L immediately moved away, my trainer took a spot by her shoulder and marched her back to her stall without having to say a word or lay a hand on her.

I was very proud of my L. When she's on her game she's a perfect pleasure to handle.