Training done with the handler on the ground rather than in the saddle — leading, yielding, desensitising and listening. Groundwork is where trust with a fearful horse is usually won, and it underpins Noëlle Floyd’s horse-first method: before Lady could travel 25,000 miles calmly, the groundwork of thousands of small, safe interactions had to come first.
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Mentioned in: What a Feral Mare Taught a Celebrity Trainer About Trust, Time and Letting Go