Te Rangi Horses

One of the questions I’m often asked is why I like to walk around the arena while I’m ground schooling, rather than standing in one spot and lunging.
For me, it simply feels like a more natural way to work with a horse.
Rather than travelling endless circles around a fixed point, I like to make use of the whole arena - walking, changing direction, weaving around jumps and encouraging the horse to stay connected with me wherever we go. In this reel you’ll see Hoot working through a few turn on the forehand and turn on the hindquarter exercises blended to become smooth changes of direction. These transitions help keep him thinking, attentive and responsive, rather than falling into a repetitive pattern.
One of the biggest things I’m looking for is that the horse remains softly bent through their body, aware of my position, and willing to shape around me as we move together. I want them to understand that their job isn’t simply to go around in circles - it’s to stay mentally connected and ready for the next conversation.
One piece of advice that has always stayed with me came from a horseman I greatly admire. He spoke about being mindful that we’re not training a flight response. That really resonated with me.
If we’re not careful, repeatedly sending a horse around and around on a circle can become more about keeping them moving than helping them think. I prefer to create sessions where the horse is encouraged to stay relaxed, attentive and engaged, with regular changes of direction and purpose behind every exercise.
As with all of these reels, this is just a short snapshot of one part of the training. The timing, feel and progression are what really make the difference. If you’d like to learn more about this approach, I’d love to welcome you to our Winter Horsemanship Clinic at the beautiful Malmo Equestrian on 25–26 July. We’ll spend two days building practical skills, better communication and stronger partnerships in a relaxed, supportive environment. Come along, ask questions, have a go, and enjoy a weekend dedicated to becoming a better partner for your horse.

Today - turn on the fore. One thing I’d like to mention before we get into this reel…

Instagram only allows for short snippets, so what you’re seeing here is just a little taster of the exercise. There is a lot more teaching, timing and feel that goes into introducing these movements, and every horse progresses at their own pace. My hope is that these videos provide a little point of reference or spark some curiosity, rather than being a complete lesson.

One of the first pieces I like to teach is the turn on the forehand. Before we ever ask for a turn, the horse first needs to understand how to softly move their hindquarters away from light pressure. Once that understanding is there, we can gradually build towards a forward-moving turn on the forehand, where the front feet continue to walk while the hindquarters yield.

I was taught by someone I deeply respect, Ken Dromgool, that it’s important not to let the horse stop and pivot on a planted front foot. Instead, encouraging the front feet to keep walking allows the horse to stay soft through the body, maintain a gentle bend, and avoid screwing or pivoting into the ground. That philosophy has stayed with me over the years, and it’s still the way I choose to teach this exercise today. Thanks, Ken, for sharing such valuable knowledge.

There are plenty of different approaches to teaching a disengagement, and that’s okay. This is simply the way that makes the most sense to me and has produced the feel I’m looking for.

For me, this exercise has never been about teaching a horse to spin around. It’s about developing clear communication, body awareness, softness to pressure, and helping the horse understand that we can influence different parts of their body independently. Those skills carry through into everything else we do, whether you’re hacking, competing, or simply wanting a more connected partnership.

This is exactly the kind of foundation we’ll be building at the Winter Horsemanship Clinic. We’ll slow things down, focus on the timing and feel behind each exercise, and help both horse and rider develop a clearer conversation together.

Give it a try and let me know how you go!

One of the most useful groundwork skills I teach is the send (or turn on the hindquarters).

At first glance it might just look like an exercise, but it’s actually about teaching the horse to yield their shoulders, have awareness of your personal space and learn to follow a feel. Those same skills carry over into everyday handling - whether you’re leading through gates, loading onto a float or truck, or simply moving your horse around safely and confidently.

One tip that has helped riders learning this exercise is to think about sending the horse’s nose towards a point on a 45° angle, rather than directly out to the side.

Why?

Because when we send the horse out on a 90° angle, they often step into our space instead of yielding away from it. Thinking about that 45° line encourages the horse to move their shoulders away first, creating a much clearer, softer response and setting them up to move out on the circle with clarity.

At the end of the reel, you’ll see a quick sequence of three related turns linked together - from sending the horse forward on a line, into a forward-moving turn on the forehand, and finally into a full 360° turn on the hindquarters. Although each exercise has its own purpose, they all build on the same foundations of timing, feel and clear communication.

It’s a small change, but one that can make a difference to the conversation you’re having with your horse.

I hope this helps you with your groundwork…if there’s something you’d like to see in a video pop it in the comments 🙂👊