As a horse trainer, that is a normal conversation that comes up. It could vary from discipline to discipline but the beginning stages are always the same. Everyone wants a safe, well-broke horse with drive to do whichever discipline they plan on participating in. They want a partnership and a horse that takes care of their rider in all situations. It takes time, consistency, and patience to achieve that goal. Here is a little bit of what goes into foundation training.
The biggest part of training is positive reinforcement. Positive reinforcement is using a reward to encourage desired behaviors which would make the horse more likely to repeat that behavior. Some forms of rewards are praise, pats/scratches, giving breaks, and treats. You always want your horse to understand that they did the correct thing. If not, that will cause confusion in the horse which may lead to more negative situations instead of positives. It is important to reward any positives, no matter how small it is. Small accomplishments can turn into big ones if you’re consistent with training. Foundation work starts on the ground and works up to under saddle. It is not all about getting on a horse, riding them, and getting off. It is about the communication between horse and rider which never stops, even when you’re not riding. Ground work such as lunging, longlining, lateral movements, etc. all build the foundation. That makes it much more simple to ask for certain movements under saddle when the horse already knows the cue that you are using. The basics such as standing tied, grooming, bathing, loading, and leading are also part of the ground work included in foundation training. Being able to touch a horse everywhere is just as important, as well. Not only would that make your life easier, but it would make it safer for other professionals that may work with your horse (vets, farriers, bodyworkers, dentists, grooms, etc.).
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