Video Series; Basic Ground Work with Ellen Terray Part 2

Video Series; Basic Ground Work with Ellen Terray Part 2

Part 2 of the Ellen Terray ground work series with Everything Horse includes turn on the forehand, leg yield and mounting.

About Ellen

Ellen Terray is a professional trainer from Malmesbury in Wiltshire. She specialises in producing horses of all ages and abilities for dressage and eventing and uses a system that combines her classical training with aspects of natural horsemanship to produce well mannered, happy athletes.

More information about Ellen can be found here: https://ellenterray.wordpress.com/

Horse: The horse used in the video is named Darcy. He is owned by, Nikki Hand, and list 2 judge, Tessa Thorned. He is currently in training with Abbie Newbury

Exercises 1 – 4 can be viewed in part 1, click here

Exercise 5. Turn on the forehand:
– apply the pressure behind the girth where your leg should be, the horse should move away from it by moving it’s back legs;
– watch out for head and front legs, if head goes up and horse moves forward go back to previous exercises;
– look for willingness and be quick to praise by giving a horse a break.

Exercise 6. Leg yield along the wall:
– walk along the long side of arena with horse facing the border, put your hand on the inside rein and keep the whip on the outside. Ask the horse to move it’s outside back leg underneath him so he will end up walking along the wall on four tracks;
– look out for clear crossing of back legs;
– maintain good rhythm;
– if horse’s head moving too much – he is not relaxed, go back to previous exercises;
– don’t get overzealous by asking too much
– remember to take a break.

Exercise 7. Leg yield across the school:
– apply the same principles as leg yield above the wall just moving across the arena this time;
– remember you can only progress onto it after you and your horse are confident and happy with doing it along the wall;
– watch out for horse “dragging” it’s quarters;
– watch out for hurrying or bending too much and losing the shoulders;
– keep good rhythm but horse’s mouth has got to stay soft in your hand.

Exercise 8. Mounting:
– if you are successful at all the above exercises you will be guaranteed to have a relaxed, willing and attentive horse who is happy to stand still whilst you mounting;
– shake the saddle quite considerably this gives a horse sign to what you are going to do next. It also helps the horse to “plant” it’s legs to insure immobility;
– after you mounted the horse will stay put;
– do exercise number 4 to check for any left-over tension;
– have a lovely ride on a relaxed and willing four legged friend

In the next of Ellen’s video series we look at lunging over fences!

Suzanne Ashton

Suzanne Ashton, Founder of Everything Horse (Est, 2012), has a BA Hons in Marketing Management and a Diploma in Equine Science. Suzanne has ridden and owned horses all her life and has twelve years of experience in marketing, writing, design, SEO, and website creation.