Prepare your groundwork session

Which groundwork exercise is right for your level?

New to groundwork? Start with the beginner exercises, which lay the foundations of communication with your horse: yielding to pressure, moving forward, backing up and halting. Backing up without frustration helps you teach the back-up gently, even with a horse that gets worked up quickly. Ground poles and serpentine improves leading and halts in hand. Lateral steps – the basics teaches your horse to move away from physical or visual pressure.

Has your horse mastered the basics? Intermediate exercises call for more precision and coordination. With moving one foot at a time, you'll learn to move a single foot at a time, all the way to the campo (park-out stance). Slalom over poles and serpentine works on suppleness, steering and foot placement.

Looking for a real challenge? Advanced exercises are designed for horse-and-handler partnerships already confident in groundwork. Lateral work on a curved line challenges your horse's lateral balance, while linking lateral movements focuses on fluidity and precision over a variety of obstacles.

Exercises marked "adaptable" are suitable for all levels: simply adjust the difficulty to suit you and your horse.

Groundwork exercises for every goal

Building confidence and desensitising. A horse that stays calm in the face of the unknown is a safer horse, both on the ground and under saddle. Exercises such as desensitising your horse to an object trailing on the ground or working with a tarp help them handle unfamiliar situations calmly.

Preparing for long-reining. Before starting long-reining, your horse needs to accept the line around their body and understand forward pressure. Exercises such as alternating sensitising and desensitising or switching eyes lay these foundations.

Preparing for jumping. Groundwork is a great way to take the drama out of jumping. With free jumping in hand or the river jump, your horse learns to jump calmly before doing it under saddle.

Educating a young horse or pony. Groundwork supports young horses from their very first lessons, long before they're started under saddle. The magic corridor, for example, helps ponies stay straight and watch where they put their feet.

FAQ

Are the groundwork exercises free?
Some of the exercise sheets are available for free on the website and in the Appaloo Equestrian app. Exercises marked "Premium" are reserved for Appaloo Premium subscribers, who also get access to complete groundwork programmes.

How do I find an exercise that suits my equipment?
Turn on the equipment search at the top of the page and tick what you have (poles, cones, cavaletti, barrel, hoop…). Only the exercises you can do with that equipment will be shown.

Can I do these exercises without an arena?
Yes. Use the location filter to show exercises you can do in a round pen or out in the open.

How do I save my favourite exercises?
Create a free account or download the app to save your exercise sheets and find them easily during your sessions.

I know an exercise that isn't on this page. Can I suggest it?
We'd love that! Appaloo's exercises are partly contributed by the community. Suggest your exercise here.