101 Ground Training Exercises for Every Horse & Handler

Ground training is the key to safe, successful riding and a strong bond between horse and rider. In 101 Ground Training Exercises for Every Horse & Handler, best-selling equestrian author Cherry Hill offers a comprehensive series of exercises that cover every aspect of ground training, from haltering to driving, from turning to transitions, from backing to body languages. The book is appropriate for work with horses of every age and breed, and it features a pre-cut hole placed so that the book can be hung in the barn or on a fence post, allowing for easy reference during training. With this book in hand, riders of all disciplines and levels can help their horses become responsive companions that are a pleasure to ride.

From MyHorse Daily Editor Amy Herdy:

101 Ground Training Exercises for Every Horse & Handler is geared toward horses of any breed or age, and riders of any discipline. Matter of fact, if you don’t ride, the exercises will give you plenty of things to do with your horse.

This book is one I call a “traveler” –meaning I take it with me from work to car to barn to home and back again–as I work my way through it.

There are things in there that I had learned once but haven’t been putting into practice lately, like asking my horse to whoa and then just stand, which helps build a foundation for ground tying or mounting.

And as always, Cherry’s observations are spot-on, such as this section from Part 1, Laying the Groundwork:

“Horses are more capable of reading your mood and intent than you may realize. That’s why it’s so important to be in a positive, nonthreatening frame of mind when you approach and work with your horse…Assuming you are the positive leader a horse needs and that you can reliably read the signals he is giving you, the next thing you need to be aware of is your own body language. What you do, how you do it, and when you do it will have a great effect on your horse’s reactions.

“A horse wants a leader more than a friend.”

Paperback, 256 pages with color photographs and illustrations throughout