Product Description
With Brent Graef
Set includes 4 DVDS: Circling, Backing, Leading, and Reach the Hind
Leading DVD: Getting the Reins Connected to the Feet
Brent explains, “If we can get connected to their feet, we can get connected to their mind.” The horse’s thoughts cause his feet to move. Therefore, by getting a hold of his feet through the reins (or lead rope) you can get a hold of, and re-direct, his thoughts.
Getting your horse to ‘hook on’ often makes people think of roundpen work but, what if you don’t have a roundpen? What if you just arrived at a new place, your horse is worried; he’s looking at everything else but, ignoring you! This exercise is a simple, yet effective way to get your horse mentally hooked on to you — without a roundpen. You can do it anytime, anywhere. Of course, it’s not just about the horse. This exercise is just as much about building awareness in the human, as it is the horse.
One of Brent’s teachers was a horseman named Ronnie Willis. Ronnie used to ask students, “Where do you put your halter?”. Of course, most people would say they’d put it on their horse’s head. One day, Brent asked, “Ronnie, where do YOU put your halter?”. Ronnie replied, “I put my halter on his feet…. through his mind.” The goal is to get the horse with you, all the way from his mind, down his body, through his legs, to his feet.
Sometimes we go through the feet to get to his mind. Ultimately, we’d like to start with his mind, have your idea become his idea, and then go all the way through to his feet.
Entire DVD is 50 minutes.
Circling DVD – Asking your horse to go in a circle is more than just a gymnastic pattern. It’s an exercise to help you and your horse develop a language together, it’s a fantastic way to help supple, straighten, engage, and develop a healthy posture. Brent will give an initial overview of the things he’s looking for and how you can communicate with your horse by making the right thing obvious instead of always making the wrong thing difficult.
1. Introduction/Overview: 1) Have your horse follow the feel on the rope instead of driving him out onto the circle, 2) Achieving a quality bend.
2. A balanced halt.
3. How can I help my horse move forward on the circle?
4. Why is my horse crowding me?
5. Straightness (What is straightness?): My horse is 1) pushing out through his shoulder?, 2) counter bending, 3) Drifting toward the gate.
6. My horse goes in one direction but, not the other.
7. Directing the mind. Send the mind, and allow the body to follow onto the circle, If you can cause him to ‘think’ onto the circle, sending the feet is easy!
Running time: 1hr 21 minutes
Backing DVD:
When a horse backs correctly, it has an emotional effect. When a horse is scared, his instincts tell him to run forward, If he backs CORRECTLY, he will learn to let go of his self preservation, and find comfort in following the feel presented by the person.
Reach the Hind DVD:
Some call it ‘natural horsemanship’. Brent simply refers to it as seeing things from the horse’s perspective. If we can work with the horse’s nature, using an understanding of how horses think, we can communicate in a way that develops a relationship of unity based on trust.
8 reviews for Groundwork: The Key to a Solid Foundation Discs 1-4 with Brent Graef
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samadler10100 –
I think these are the best DVDs I own. They have lots and lots of information and amazing attention to detail. If you can only buy 1 set of Dvds, these are the ones you should buy.
dp509 –
These DVDs are some of the best available. The information contained in them is amazing. Brent is one of my favorite horseman to ride with, and the DVDs are like being at one of his clinics.
Each chapter goes into great detail about how the exercise works and what the person should be doing and what the horse should be doing too. Parts that require more detail are repeated in slow motion,and there are captions to explain certain things in more detail.
Most of the footage was filmed at Brent’s clinics around the country, so you also have the opportunity to see Brent working with any different types of horse doing the same exercise. This provides a lot of footage which helps you get better and better at seeing more and more detail. These DVDs are definitely worth it and are the most valuable in my collection.
suz_shop –
Brent’s groundwork dvds take the time to break down and explain all aspects of ground work. Not just for starting a young horse, but refining and advancing a going horse.
His focus on helping the horse build core strength, balance and staying mentally relaxed provide for a solid foundation to any further work you want to pursue!
These DVDs will help you refine your feel and develop a real communication/partnership with your horse. They bridge the gap between the technical “how to” aspects of learning various groundwork exercises and establishing a true feel in your work.
gemfox –
These dvds are so helpful not only in the detailed instructions given, but the fact that you see a wide variety of horses doing the same exercises and see a wide array of problems that are being addressed. Each dvd is devoted to a single topic and you get a thorough background in what to look for and do. A lot of instructional dvds show you how to do something, but they do not portray the variety of problems that might arise and how to deal with them. This series helps you know exactly what to do with whatever it is your horse is doing when you present that exercise. Brent is both an excellent horseman as well as a very good teacher, so you get the best of both. His methods are very effective without bring up anxiety in the horse and causing dust to fly.
laurenkryder –
I have been so impressed by these groundwork DVD’s every time I watch them. I think groundwork exercises can help anyone who works with or rides horses, and Brent Graef’s DVD’s cover topics that any level of riders can understand.
The DVD’s teach fundamentals that help explain how the horse and rider can create a foundation together based on mutual trust and understanding. The ideas and the approach Brent presents in these DVD’s has helped me connect to my horses in a more meaningful way, and also helped my horses become more balanced supple.
The assortment of exercises and the detailed explanation in each section of the video is one of the best attributes of the series. When I am struggling with something, I can go back and watch a specific section in order to see if I am missing something. The variety of exercises helps show different ways to ask a horse for something in a way that they can understand. Using the DVD’s as a guide, I have learned about the horse’s perspective and how it’s trying to communicate with me, and being more aware of what I am asking and how I am asking for it. The awareness of subtle cues that Brent points out has saved me some frustration and has helped me have an enjoyable experience while working to improve my skills.
kmmontgomery (verified owner) –
After learning about Brent Graef, we ordered this DVD set, with interest and excitement. The lessons were extremely helpful and helped fill knowledge gaps. From the Leading dvd to the end, it was reinforced how much of a mental connection you can have with your horse that goes way beyond technique. We learned great ways of getting in timing with the horses feet through ground exercises, which we have been able translate into connecting the reins to the feet while riding.
allisonlandro –
I ordered these DVDs hoping to expand my depth of knowledge of groundwork and looking for some new things to think about. The exercises that Brent works through such as leading are seemingly basic and simple, but the subtleties that Brent brings your attention to are the keys to realizing new insights. I learned some things from Brent’s videos that I never stumbled onto on my own, nor had other horseman taught me. For example, in the leading video, Brent explains how the lead rope swings from side to side in time with the horse’s feet so that you can learn to know where your horse’s feet are, even when you aren’t looking at him; this has helped me to learn this while astride as well.
I have never met or ridden with Brent in person, but the obvious kindness in his approach to both his students and the horses indicate to me that he is the kind of person that I would like to spend some time with. This DVD set certainly has me looking at his website to see when he might be in my area, and I intend to buy the next set of videos in this series.
Ali Pullin –
I have ridden with Brent Graef for the last 10 years and was really looking forward to the videos coming out. And I wasn’t disappointed!
These DVDs are the best horse DVDs I own. They are filled with information that is not in any other training video I have seen. Plus the way they have been taped allows you to really see what is going on with the horse and Brent at the same time, which a lot of times doesn’t happen. The quality of the video is very good.
The videos have slo-mo parts to emphasis important information and subtitles at points to make sure you know and understand what was being said.
I cannot recommend these videos enough. They cover all of the aspects of groundwork thoroughly and well to produce a horse with a solid foundation.