Advanced Ground Skills Assessment (AGSA)

Once horses have demonstrated proficiency in basic ground skills, they are ready to progress to advanced ground skills. The Advanced Ground Skills Assessment (AGSA) includes eight skills that may be performed in unmounted or ground-based programs as a progression to the BGSA skills.

Many skills require the use of a timer and/or additional equipment. Have all equipment organized prior to the start of the assessment. A list of the equipment needed for the AGSA is found below. Skills can be assessed in any order according to the evaluator’s choosing. Use the AGSA scoring sheet to record the horse’s scores (see Appendix 5).

Throughout the skills, “you” will be used to signify the handler. The handler may also serve as the evaluator

Equipment:

• Assistant
• Cross ties
• Dressage whip (optional)
• Handler
• Lunge line
• Lunge whip
• Lunging cavesson or bridle (optional)
• Timer or watch
• Well-fitting halter and attached lead rope

1 Ground Tie

Why

Ground tie (or park without being held) advances the skill park. A horse may be ground tied if a tie rail is not available. Ground tying may also be used as an exercise for a handler to work on clear body language to communicate to the horse when they need to move with the handler and when they should stand still. Horses should remain still, where they are ground tied, as activities ensue (e.g., a person walking past, a person approaching to greet them).

How

Place the horse into a park position (see BGSA skill 5 Park). Drop the lead rope on the ground with the vocal command of “stand.” Walk around the horse in a circle, maintaining a distance of at least 10 feet, outside of the kick zone. Any forward motion from the horse should be corrected by backing up the horse into their original spot. Be clear in your body language so that when you walk around, the horse does not mistake your movement as a cue to follow (i.e., hold your shoulders up straight, look the horse in the eyes, and don’t turn your shoulders away from the horse). After walking around the horse a few times, approach at the shoulder and pick up the lead rope. The horse should remain ground tied for at least one minute, but the duration can be adjusted to reflect program needs.

Once the task(s) have been completed, score the horse according to the following rubric.

Scoring Rubric

NA Not Assessed

0 Unsuitable

Displays dangerous behavior and/or is in pain or otherwise unsound.

            1 Developing

Moves more than two times in one minute. Tense.

            2 Satisfactory

May look around at the environment (i.e., move head). Does not move more than once in one minute. Responds to pressure on the halter to step back into the ground tie after movement. Calm.

3 Proficient

Stands still. May shift weight but does not move. Calm.

2 Standing Tied: cross ties

Why

Standing tied in cross ties advances the skill standing tied. Horses commonly need to be contained outside of their living environment. This can be done by securing the horse in cross ties. Horses should stand in cross ties calmly for the duration of a lesson.

How

Secure the horse in cross ties with a quick-release feature. A quick-release mechanism should be used in case of an emergency. You will then move at least ten feet away from the horse but remain within sight of the horse to observe their reactions. The horse should remain in the cross ties for at least three minutes, but the duration can be adjusted to reflect program needs.

Once the task(s) have been completed, score the horse according to the following rubric.

Scoring Rubric

NA Not Assessed

0 Unsuitable

Displays dangerous behavior and/or is in pain or otherwise unsound.

            1 Developing

Does not stand still. Moves three or more times per minute. Paws at the ground or equipment more than two times per minute. Vocalizes.

            2 Satisfactory

Moves no more than two times per minute. Paws at the ground or equipment less than two times per minute. Does not vocalize.

3 Proficient

Calm while standing. Does not paw at the ground or equipment. May shift weight but does not move. Does not vocalize.

3 Leading: trot

Why

Leading at the trot advances the skill basic leading. Horses may be asked to trot to allow handlers to lead them at a faster pace, to demonstrate performance in a show setting, or to be evaluated for soundness and quality of movement. Horses should be calm and responsive while being led at the trot.

How

In proper leading position, from the walk (see BGSA skill 3 Basic Leading), cue the horse to trot by saying “trot,” stepping higher, and putting light pressure on the lead rope by bringing the right hand forward. The horse should start trotting with you. Once the horse starts trotting, keep your right hand at your side with no additional pressure on the halter. If needed, the horse can be slowed down or sped up by vocal cues and pressure on the halter. To down transition, say “walk,” and slow your feet into a walk tempo. Apply pressure back on the lead rope towards the horse’s chest, if needed. Once the horse has down transitioned, pressure should be released. Perform at least three walk-trot-walk transitions. Trot in a straight line and on a circle.

Once the task(s) have been completed, score the horse according to the following rubric.

Scoring Rubric

NA Not Assessed

0 Unsuitable

Displays dangerous behavior and/or is in pain or otherwise unsound.

            1 Developing

Is not responsive to walk-to-trot and trot-to-walk cues within three steps of cueing. Breaks gait without being cued and/or takes a lot of encouragement to stay in the trot. Does not maintain proper leading position.

            2 Satisfactory

Responsive to walk-to-trot and trot-to-walk cues within three steps of cueing. Take minimal encouragement (voice command or slight pressure on the halter with the lead rope) to stay in the trot. Maintains proper leading position with two or less corrections per minute.

3 Proficient

Responsive to walk-to-trot and trot-to-walk cues within one and a half steps of cueing. Maintains trot without additional cueing. Maintains proper leading position.

4 Leading: liberty

Why

Leading at liberty (i.e., leading without a lead rope or attachment between horse and handler) advances the skill basic leading. A horse that can lead at liberty has a solid understanding of the leading cues. Liberty leading can be a fun way to test a horse and handler’s leading skills. Horses should be responsive and focused on the handler.

How

In an enclosed area such as an arena, tie the lead rope attached to a well-fitting halter around the horse’s neck with a quick-release knot. Alternatively, you can unclip the lead rope from the halter, but this will remove your ability to quickly grab the horse if needed.

From the leading position, cue the horse to walk forward by saying “walk on,” stepping forward, using your body language and verbal cues to signal movement. The horse should start walking with you. If needed, you can grab the lead rope to reinforce the cue. To halt the horse, say “whoa,” and stop moving your feet.

To turn the horse away from you, turn your shoulders in the direction of travel and point your hand underneath the horse’s neck in the direction of the turn. To turn the horse towards you, turn your shoulders in the direction of travel. Make sure that turns toward you are wide to prevent the horse from stepping on you. When appropriate, turns away from the handler are preferred.

To test the horse’s liberty leading skills, complete, at minimum, the following tasks at the walk with proper leading position (i.e., the horse’s head at your shoulder): turn the horse away from you twice, turn the horse towards you twice, perform three walk to halt to walk transitions, and complete one 15-20 meter circle in each direction. Throughout all handling, remain aware of the horse’s responses to walk cues, halt cues, turn cues, and handler space defined as one to two feet around the handler.

Once the task(s) have been completed, score the horse according to the following rubric.

Scoring Rubric

NA Not Assessed

0 Unsuitable

Displays dangerous behavior and/or is in pain or otherwise unsound.

            1 Developing

Leaves the proper leading position more than two times in a minute (i.e., the horse’s nose is three or more feet ahead or behind the handler’s shoulder). Disengages from the handler (i.e., walks away). Takes more than five steps or seconds of cueing to halt or walk. Distracted and not focused on the handler.

            2 Satisfactory

Leaves the proper leading position no more than two times in a minute (i.e., the horse’s nose is three or more feet ahead or behind the handler’s shoulder) and re-engages when the handler places themselves back in proper leading position. Halts or walks within five steps or seconds of cueing. Focused on the handler.

3 Proficient

Does not leave the proper leading position (i.e., the horse’s nose is three or more feet ahead or behind the handler’s shoulder). Halts or walks within 3 steps or seconds of cueing. Focused on the handler and relaxed.

5 Pivot

Why

Pivot (sometimes called a turn on the haunches or yielding the front end) can be used to turn a horse in a tight space. It is also a maneuver performed in showmanship classes. Horses should be responsive and accurate in their foot placement when asked to pivot.

How

Start at a halt in proper leading position. Take a small step forward and turn so you are standing at the horse’s head with your shoulders parallel to the horse. Look over the horse toward their right hip. Cue for the pivot by stepping toward the horse and applying light halter pressure in the direction of travel. Be sure to reset the horse between pivot attempts by walking forward. Perform a 180 degree pivot at least three different times, giving the horse a break between each attempt.

Once the task(s) have been completed, score the horse according to the following rubric.

Scoring Rubric

NA Not Assessed

0 Unsuitable

Displays dangerous behavior and/or is in pain or otherwise unsound.

            1 Developing

Is not responsive to the cues. Steps forward or backwards more than one time for each 180 degree turn. Resistant in moving forehand. Tense.

            2 Satisfactory

Steps forward or backwards no more than one time for each 180 degree turn. Responds calmly to corrections. Hindquarters stay relatively in the same spot. May take one step at a time.

3 Proficient

Responsive to cues. Does not step forward or backwards. Hindquarters stay relatively in the same spot. Turns 180 degrees smoothly with the left front leg crossing in front of the right front leg.

6 Setup for Inspection

Why

Setting up for inspection, or standing square, is a demonstration of a handler’s control over the horse’s stance. Setting up for inspection is used in showmanship patterns to present the horse to the judge. It can also be a helpful skill when photographing horses, examining conformation, and assessing overall body condition. Horses should stand still and square, with their front and hind feet aligned.

How

From a halt, move so you are standing between the horse’s eye and muzzle, angled toward the horse. If the horse’s front legs and/or back legs are not aligned with each other, cue the horse to move each foot individually until they achieve a square stance. Use small amounts of pressure on the lead rope to signal movement for each foot. Typically, you should move the back feet backward with small pulses of backward pressure with the lead rope and the front feet forward with small pulses of forward pressure with the lead rope to achieve squareness. Once the horse is square, they should remain so until cued to walk forward. Be sure to reset the horse between setting up for inspection attempts by walking forward. Perform setting up for inspection at least two times, giving the horse a break between each attempt.

Once the task(s) have been completed, score the horse according to the following rubric.

Scoring Rubric

NA Not Assessed

0 Unsuitable

Displays dangerous behavior and/or is in pain or otherwise unsound.

            1 Developing

Does not move feet on cue. Does not achieve a square stance with any legs.

            2 Satisfactory

Moves feet on cue. Achieves a square stance with the front or the back legs (but not necessarily both). Takes more than 30 seconds to achieve squareness.

3 Proficient

Moves feet on cue. Achieves a square stance with all four legs. Takes less than 30 seconds to achieve squareness.

7 Advanced Backup

Why

Advanced backup, where a horse is asked to change directions while backing up, builds on the previous skill backup. Horses may be asked to perform an advanced backup to maneuver around obstacles and in showmanship patterns. Horses should readily backup when cued.

How

Following the same steps as the basic backup (see BGSA skill 7 Backup), cue the horse to back three to five steps, make a 90-degree turn, then back three to five more steps. It can be helpful to place poles on the ground to form a chute, providing the horse and handler with a physical marker for straightness and turning. To turn the horse right, turn your body right and take your hand slightly left. This will send the horse’s haunches right as their head and neck go left. Reverse the aids to turn left. Be sure to reset the horse between backup attempts by walking forward. Perform the backup at least three times, giving the horse a break between each attempt.

Once the task(s) have been completed, score the horse according to the following rubric.

Scoring Rubric

NA Not Assessed

0 Unsuitable

Displays dangerous behavior and/or is in pain or otherwise unsound.

            1 Developing

Requires a lot of pressure from the halter and/or whip. Steps back stiffly. Backs up crooked.

            2 Satisfactory

Cues with pressure from the halter and/or whip. Backs one leg at a time slowly in a relatively straight line. Crookedness is correctable. Turns when cued.

3 Proficient

Cues with body language and light pressure from the halter. Smoothly steps back in diagonal pairs in a straight line. Turns smoothly when cued.

8 Lunging

Why

Lunging is a valuable tool that can be used to train vocal cues, warm up a horse, observe for lameness, and work on strength and conditioning. Horses should be calm and responsive when lunging.

How

Lunge the horse in their normal lunging equipment (halter/lunging cavesson/bridle, lunge line, lunge whip) on an approximately 20-meter circle. Because there are many different lunging techniques, assess the horse with the techniques your program uses. One style of lunging is described in this section. No matter the style you use, ensure the horse receives a proper warm up before cueing for trot and canter. If the horse is not a “canter horse”, make a note on their scoring sheet and score them on their walk and trot only.

To send the horse out on the circle, start in park position with about ten feet of space between yourself and the horse. You should be holding the lunge line in a straight line from the horse to your hand. Excess lunge line should be held in the opposite hand along with the lunge whip. To cue the horse to walk on the circle, turn your shoulders in the direction of travel, point your hand holding the lunge line in the direction of travel, and add pressure from the whip and your energy at the horse’s shoulder, cueing them to turn the shoulder away from you. Once the horse is walking, you can use pressure behind or at the horse’s hind end to increase tempo. When the whip is not being used to actively cue the horse, let the tip trail on the ground behind you.

As the horse moves out on their circle, allow the lunge line to slide through your hand until the horse is traveling on a 20-meter circle. Make sure the lunge line does not touch the ground, as this can cause the horse to become tangled. Likewise, do not loop the lunge line around your hand or body, as this can result in injury.

To encourage the horse to move on a bigger circle, put energy toward the horse’s barrel by stepping at their barrel and using whip pressure if needed. To increase speed, use the appropriate vocal cue (e.g., walk, trot, canter, *kiss*), raise your energy, point with your hand in the direction of travel, and use pressure from the lunge whip behind the horse as needed. To decrease speed, use the appropriate vocal cue (e.g., and walk, and trot), slow down your energy, and raise the hand holding the line that is directly attached to the horse’s halter up to your ear to apply light pressure on the halter. As soon as the horse decreases speed, relax your hand back into the neutral position. To halt, use the vocal cue “whoa,” stop moving your feet, and bring the whip hand to your line hand, so the whip is pointing at or just in front of the horse’s shoulder. This will block the horse’s forward energy. To change directions, halt the horse, approach the horse while gathering up your line, and then send them the other way. Do not allow the horse to come into you or to turn off the circle, as this may cause problems in future rider lunge line lessons or if a horse is lunged in equipment.

Note that when lunging, you should be actively communicating with your horse by using body language, whip, and lunge line cues to shape the circle and horse. A correction is bigger than active communication. For example, a correction would be using a large motion from the whip to keep the horse out on the circle when they continue to fall in. Active communication would be using body language and small adjustments to the lunge line to maintain appropriate distance.

To assess the horse’s lunging skills, lunge in both directions, completing multiple transitions between the walk, trot, and canter. Complete each gait for at least one full circle. Lunge for no more than five minutes in one direction without switching. Lunge for no more than 20 minutes total. This is to prevent excess strain on the horse’s body.

Once the task(s) have been completed, score the horse according to the following rubric.

Scoring Rubric

NA Not Assessed

0 Unsuitable

Displays dangerous behavior and/or is in pain or otherwise unsound.

            1 Developing

Direction: Takes more than 10 seconds of cueing to send away from the handler. Changes direction without being cued.

Circle: Does not maintain a relatively even circle with consistent contact on the lunge line even with cueing from the handler. May pull heavily against the lunge line. Does not respond to corrections calmly and promptly.

Transitions: Takes more than half a lap to transition up and down gaits, including halting. Approaches the handler when asked to halt.

            2 Satisfactory

Direction: Takes less than 10 seconds of cueing to send away from the handler. Maintains direction cued by the handler.

Circle: Maintains a relatively even circle with consistent contact on the lunge line with cueing from the handler. Calmly responds to handler cues.

Transitions: Takes less than half a lap to transition up and down gaits, including halting. Halts on the circle, but may turn to face the handler. Waits for the handler to approach.

3 Proficient

Direction: Takes less than 5 seconds of cueing to send away from the handler. Maintains direction cued by the handler.

Circle: Maintains an even circle with consistent contact on the lunge line. Calmly responds to handler cues.

Transitions: Takes less than a quarter of a lap to transition up and down gaits, including halting. Halts on the circle. Waits for the handler to approach.