Unexpected ways in which Grass Training can pay off

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Have you seen this video I shared recently on my FB page? In this video, that\’s called \”Plant vs Pony\” we see a dedicated horse loving girl leading her adorable pony through a ground work parcourse. Her beautiful snowy white pony just found out the plants for decoration are REAL! Yikes! Who made that decision!!

Some people think this is funny (I admit giggling about the comments of the MC) but honestly: my heart went out to the girl who obvious envisioned the whole day quite differently, I’m sure.

My heart cried a little because I know this could have been prevented with training. I would like to share unexpected ways in which Grass Training can pay off.

Imagine if the pony would have had a bit more clarity…

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Imagine if this pony would have had clarity about what to do, so he could have focused on his actual job, the day would have been totally different. Way better, don’t you think?

Fact is, that grass training comes in handy, in the most unexpected situations (who could have anticipated the plants and flowers in the competition arena would be real!).

Being prepared, keeps you out of trouble

Grass training is actually very versatile! It not only improves your communication and bond you have with your horse, it also helps you to:

  • Ask your horse to stop eating, leave the hay/his food and follow you (in Winter)
  • Get your horse out of the pasture and leaves the grass willingly
  • Get your horse’s attention at liberty work [see my video below] without force and frustration
  • Ignore grass in and around the arena at liberty work and during riding.
  • Enjoy a trail ride without snacking on leaves and trees

You might be thinking How will Grass Training help me in Winter?

Doing Grass Training in Winter

Have you considered that the principle and way of training stay the same and it doesn’t matter if you start training on hay or on grass? I think starting Grass Training on hay makes it even easier…

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As soon as your horse understands that the Stop Grazing cue leads to something even better (something you offer), it will be so much easier to ask to leave the grass in a few months. By that time, you’ve made this into already a habit!

Next time you lead your horse on grass, take him out of the pasture or ride in your outdoor arena, pay attention to how often you lose his attention because of the greens around you. 

(The point is that we can all get into this kind of struggle, simply because eating is a natural behaviour and a need to survive. This is why punishment and aversives won’t solve your struggle.)

Real horse people know this

Real horse people know they need to keep developing their skills so that they keep improving their communication with their horse and keep working on their relationship. You know what they say about love… Love is a verb.

So, if you’re ready to crack the code on grass training, I would like to invite you to my online course Grass Training with Coaching package. This is your last chance before the price goes up in 2021! 

This package includes two whole weeks of online coaching:

  • You get personal and tailored advice on your training videos that you can share in our private Facebook group, ask questions and best of all:
  • You’ll be around other R+ trainers!
  • You get forever access to my online Grass Training course (that includes over 27 videos + workbook)

Every horse and every situation are slightly different and being in a group allows you to learn from all of them.

Happy Horse training!
Sandra

PS Do you realize that in 2021 the price will go up?

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