The One Groundwork Exercise
Saturday October 3rd· 2 pm – 6 pm CEST · Live online
If I could only ever teach one groundwork exercise, for the rest of my life, this would be it. Not because it looks impressive. But because everything else is built on top of it.
Why This one Groundwork Exercise
Most people skip it.
Or they think they already nail it...
Circle work needs it. Backing up needs it. Lunging, obstacle training and traffic training need it. The horse who bites, who's pushy, who's distracted, who needs clear boundaries - none of it can be solved if this one groundwork exercise isn't right.
I've taught this to horsewomen who've been around horses for decades. To professionals who can ride a flying change but don't get this one thing right. Not because they don't want to, but because they thought it wasn't that important. Because they didn't realise this one groundwork exercise has an effect on so many other areas of their horse's training.
Most people skip it. Or they start with it, and after they can do it a few times, they think it's time for something else. They never stay with it long enough to become excellent in it, because it looks too simple to be the important one. So they move on to what feels more advanced, and later they wonder why the advanced work keeps falling apart.
I've seen it so many times. It's this one foundational groundwork exercise that was never really finished.
The one groundwork exercise
Leading in the
Lead Position
It's where I start every beginner, and it's where I even send professional horsewomen back to when something isn't working with their horse.
That's the one groundwork exercise. Leading in the lead position. Something that sounds almost too ordinary to be the answer to what's falling apart in advanced groundwork. But it's almost always is.
What you get
Thirty days.
Walk with me.
The Live Connection Circle
We meet online. I teach you a practice. You take it outside and work with your horse. Then we come back together, you share what happened, I give you specific feedback, I teach you something new and you head back outside to practise again with that feedback and new input.
We repeat this loop 3 times: learning, doing, adjusting, doing again.
The 30-day lead challenge
Leading in the lead position isn't something you learn once and that's it. It's something a body learns the way a horse learns, through repetition, day after day, until it feels natural. So after the Connection Circle, we go further.
Every day, for thirty days, you'll be walking your horse in the lead position, wherever you choose. Your own arena, the field, the trail, whatever's yours to work with.
Weekly
Monday audio
Every Monday, a new audio lands in the private WhatsApp group. Every week carries its own focus.
Something new for your and your horse to focus on, the work,on, to practise during your walks.
Fire Away
Friday
Every Friday, bring me your questions directly in the private WhatsApp group.
Whatever came up that week, whatever you're not sure about: I'm there to help you with it!
the promise
Thirty days from now, you won't just understand this exercise.
You'll be skilled in it.
This is for you
If you lead your horse well already, but you know it could be better.
If your horse comes to close, is pushy while leading, rushes, or just never quite settles into walking behind you
If you've been doing groundwork for a while and want to go deeper into the one groundwork ex that holds all of it together.
If you work with an easy horse and want to build something more interesting with him.
If you're experienced and ready to become truly excellent at the most fundamental thing
This is not for you if trust is still the open question between you and your horse. Start there first, with Liberty Connection Work™.
about your coach: Karine Vandenborre
More then three decades of asking the same question:
what does this horse actually need?
I'm Karine Vandenborre, founder of Horsefulness Training and creator of Liberty Connection Work™. I help horsewomen build genuine, natural connection with their horses. My work moves through Liberty Connection Work™, Mindful Groundwork, and Connective Riding. Connection is the red thread through all of it.
Leading in the Lead Position is the groundwork exercise I come back to more than any other. Not because it's my favourite. But because it's the foundation that every other groundwork exercise or practise is built on. I've watched it change horses in ways that no other groundwork practise has.
With love, Karine ♡
Join this upcoming Connection Circle
€57
Questions
Anything you
wondered ?
For who and for which horses is this valuable?
This exercise is for every horse, at every stage. The young horse who has never learned it properly. The horse who follows easily but still drifts a little too close. The older horse who has learned to pull on the rope and walk in front of you like he's the one taking you somewhere.
But leading in the lead position isn't only for the horse who makes it hard. It's just as valuable with the horse who already leads well, because that's where you get to build it out further, add fun lead exercises, and make it more and more challenging for yourself. The exercise grows with you. That's what makes it a foundation and not just a fix.
Can I join with every horse?
This is not for the horse who doesn't trust his human yet.
Groundwork only works when the foundation is already there: when your horse allows you close, lets you touch him, and there's a basic ease between you. If you're still navigating real trust issues, a horse you can't approach freely, a horse who pulls away or shuts down when you come near, this isn't where to start. That relationship needs something different first.
What it needs is Liberty Connection Work™.
Come back to this once that ground is solid. It will mean something completely different then.
What do I need for a Connection Circle?
Your horse, your outdoor space, a device to join the call, and an internet connection. You'll move between the online session and your horse several times, so being close to your horse makes the Connection Circle much easier.
When do we meet?
We meet online on Saturday Oct 3rd, 2 pm CET (Brussels time). This Connection Circle will takes about 3 to 4 hours.
How can I join the WhatsApp group?
When you join, you will get an email from me with an invitation to the group.