A pessoa can be used in a number of different ways. I use mine to help build the back muscles and teach my horse to work through properly and ensure it has the top line to enable it to take a saddle and rider comfortably, not to change its outline from western to english. It's a useful tool to have (along with other ways of working), especially as I'm injured and can't ride at the moment. We still lunge using western paces, and then sometimes I get her to do a good trot and canter to open her up (and ensure I keep my options open for hunter under saddle classes)

It took my mare a couple of goes to get used to being long reined, but she was great on it (we starte doff with one using long reins and one person leading at her head to give confidence) and I could happily take her around the village on long reins which proved useful with traffic training. I intend doing it again next month when I bring her back into work.

I have found the following forms of groundworking really useful with my young horse...backing up, turns on the forehand and rollback, Going up through walk and jog on the lead, circling and changing direction. He has got to the stage now where he will do these things from hand signals and voice commands, or just following me, with no pressure, which will hopefully be really useful when I come to ride him.
I also find (because I cant ride him yet!) leading him out alone around the lanes really useful. Getting him working nice and relaxed with minimum pressure and maximum concentration is great for bonding and again reinforces voice commands.
Although I do occasionally lunge him dont really enjoy it, so tactile groundworking suits me best!
You could also try looking at the pat parelli 7 games
http://www.todayshorse.com/Articles/LanguageofHorses.htm as something different to do when you dont ride - variety is the spice of life!

thanks!

i'd have no idea how to go about getting him to do roll backs etc fromt he ground? esp using hand signals!?

i agree lunging can become a bit boring and i am therefore happy to vary groundwork with a few ideas! thanks for the link.

Hi,
Is there any chance you can describe how to teach roll backs on hand? I'd love to gve that a try but wouldn't know how to start it.
Thanks

You need to start with the Parelli games 1-3. They will teach your horse to move away from pressure, and hopefully eventually to move from your signal of forthcoming pressure, so that you dont actually need to touch the horse.

I started with backing up, then coming forward, and turns on the forehand as they seem to find this easier. For a turn on the hind hand stand at the shoulder facing the horse, look at and point to his hind end. If he does not move swing the rope, still no movement, pressue on the hind, as soon as his hind quarters move - pressure off good boy!! It can help to ask for a slight turn of the head towards you as this naturally helps the quarters to move around..

For a roll back I would stand at the head, to one side facing his head, keeping his neck straight and his nose pointing forwards. Then using your finger tips pressure onto the top of the front leg, asking him to move away from the pressure but not to turn his head. Again as soon as he moves pressure off ,lots of fuss and smile! Take it slow, one step, two steps, and eventually all the way round!

Your aim is for them to anticipate the pressure when you give the first signal - pointing at and looking at the part of the body you want them to move, and move onthat signal.

Then you have to build up to pressure from your hand, which you may have to do if its totally new to both of you, always use fingertips, or I make like a claw, and use all my finger tips to initiate a movement off pressure - try to not use the same hand shape and type of touch you use to make a fuss of them or be afectionate with, as you need to make sure there is a distinction - you dont want them side passing away from you everytime you try to stroke or groom them!!

As said though, these things become a lot easier if you can master the parelli games, which are, in his own words "the words which make up the language" when communicating with your horse. I recommend his books.

I dont follow him, or Monty Roberts methods religiously, but I take from them what works for me.

sorry in the second paragrah I meant for a turn on the forehand point to the quarters - teach me for not reading back through it before I posted!!