Sorry for the booming sound, my microphone was unfortunately attached too close. Also feel free to take a look at my website: www.ninas-horsetraining.de For detailed instructions, read the info box again! ⬇︎⬇︎ Today I'm dealing with the question of what to do if the horse suddenly sees something during ground work and stands rooted to the spot and forgets everything around it. Here I would first try to assess my horse: Is it so scared that it could "explode" at any moment? That means it runs off in fright or jumps to the side, etc. Or my horse is watching something and stops, but is not panicked but also a bit curious. In other words, it is curiously watching what is happening and therefore forgets everything else around it. You should be able to distinguish between the two cases, because I'm going to present you with two different methods of how you can deal with them. However, if you treat the panicked horse like a curious one, it can backfire. Conversely, treating a curious horse like a fearful one would not get you anywhere. If you are at all unsure, treat your horse like a fearful one - that is safer for you. The fearful horse: In the middle of ground work, your horse has discovered something scary and is looking at the object with its head raised and back/lower neck tense and is not moving anymore. My very first tip: wait. Take a few steps back so that you can see your whole horse and your horse can see you well. More distance is better at first, because your horse could still suddenly jump up. Then ask yourself the question: does my horse notice me? Wait a moment and see if your horse shows any emotion: is it blinking? Is it moving its head? Are its nostrils flared? If your horse doesn't even blink, I would recommend that you just wait. Yes, it sounds boring, but such horses can quickly switch to racing mode and that can be uncomfortable if you are not that experienced. However, if you can see your horse blinking and maybe even moving more, then I recommend you do the following: Give your horse a light feeling on the rope by inviting it to you and at the same time send its hindquarters away from you. When your horse now comes towards you, walk backwards and relax. Ideally, you now have your horse's attention again. Depending on the situation, your horse may turn away from you straight away, in which case you repeat this step over and over again. This means that you keep asking your horse to come towards you and ask that it looks at you with both eyes. (Tip: If your horse is still very tense, do not let it come too close to you in case it suddenly gets a fright again and jumps to the side/runs off) So keep your horse at a distance and ask that its nose/eyes always look in your direction. If your horse starts paying more attention to you, you can start walking backwards in a serpentine line and see if your horse follows you. Do this until your horse's attention is back on you. Then take a break and praise it profusely. The curious horse: If your horse is more curious and less afraid and perhaps moves back and forth a bit and wants to run, then immediately start by bringing its nose towards you and sending its hindquarters away. Ask your horse to always look at you with both eyes, while you yourself remain constantly moving and walk backwards in a serpentine line so that your horse does not take its eyes off you for a second. If your horse's attention is back on you and makes an effort to mirror your every move, then take a break and praise it. However, start playing the "catch me" game again straight away if your horse is distracted again. If you are not fast enough in reverse and your horse is more keen to move forward, you can also let the horse walk on your shoulder, incorporating lots of changes in speed and direction. But don't forget, our horses are our partners and best friends, allow them to be distracted from time to time and look around. They will then be all the more happy to give you their full attention again. :) See you soon, your Nina