Groundwork Fundamentals for Young Horses: The First 90 Days

By Schneider Saddlery • May 27, 2026 • 9 min read

The first 90 days of groundwork with a young horse are the foundation underneath every ride that horse will have for the next 20 years. Skip them, rush them, or get them wrong and you will spend the rest of the horse's career undoing the mistake. Get them right and the horse becomes a partner who looks for the answer instead of bracing against you.

This is the framework we recommend for any 2–4 year old getting their first formal handling, any older horse with handling gaps, or any rescue/retraining project that needs to start from scratch.

Five non-negotiable skills before any saddle time

If a horse can do these five things reliably, on both sides, you can put a saddle on with confidence. If a horse can't, the saddle goes on too early.

1. Stand still. Tied. Untied. With one foot held. With grooming happening. With life happening around them.
2. Lead off a soft cue. Walk on with a light cluck. Stop with the lead going slack. Back up off a finger waggle, not a yank.
3. Yield to pressure. Move the shoulders away from finger pressure at the girth. Move the hindquarters away. Move forward off a tap on the croup. Move backward off pressure on the chest.
4. Accept handling everywhere. Each leg, lifted and held. Mouth opened. Ears handled. Tail brushed. Saddle pad rubbed everywhere on the body without flinching.
5. Lunge calmly. Walk, trot, and halt in a small circle on a long line, in both directions, without bracing or running off.

That's the bar. Not "the horse mostly does these." All five, both sides, consistently, every day for at least a week running.

A 90-day progression

Two short sessions per week works better than five long ones. Young horses learn fast and tire faster. Sessions of 15–25 minutes are perfect. Anything over 30 minutes and you're training resentment.

Weeks 1–2 — Catching, haltering, leading.

Sounds basic. Get it perfect anyway. The horse comes to you in the field. Stands while you halter. Leads at your shoulder without crowding, dragging, or rushing past you. Stops when you stop. Backs up off a light cue.

If the horse pulls back when tied, deal with this before you do anything else. Pulling back is the foundation of every later behavior problem under saddle.

Weeks 3–4 — Yielding to pressure.

This is the most important set of skills you'll teach a young horse. Every saddled aid — leg, rein, weight — is built on the horse already understanding that pressure means move away from this.

• Press the shoulder → the shoulder steps away.
• Press the hip → the hindquarters step away.
• Press the chest → the horse steps back.
• Tap behind → the horse steps forward.

One cue, one response. Reward the smallest try. If you ask three times and don't get it, you're asking wrong, not the horse failing.

Weeks 5–6 — Lunging fundamentals.

Lunging is not "make the horse run in circles." It's teaching the horse to balance, listen, and respond on a line, at a distance from you. Start in a round pen if you have one. Start at the walk. Get walk-halt-walk on a 10-meter circle, both directions, before you ever ask for trot.

A young horse's joints are still developing. Lunge sessions should be short (10–15 minutes) and never on small circles for extended periods. Spiraling out to a larger circle for the trot work, in for the walk work.

Weeks 7–8 — Desensitization.

The horse stands while you wave a rope all around their body, drag a tarp at their feet, swing a saddle pad against their shoulder, and rub plastic bags on their neck. This isn't a parlor trick. This is teaching the horse that scary things stay still if they stay still — the foundation of bombproofing.

Common mistake: doing desensitization once and assuming it's done. Repeat it weekly, with new objects, for the horse's entire life. Yes, even at 12 years old.

Weeks 9–10 — Saddle introduction (no rider).

Pad first, then a light surcingle, then a saddle. Each step gets days, not minutes. Lunge with the saddle on. Let the horse trot and canter with stirrups gently bouncing. This is when you find out whether the horse is going to buck the first ride. Better to find out without a rider on top.

Weeks 11–12 — Mounting block work + first rider.

The horse stands at the mounting block. You put weight in the near-side stirrup without swinging a leg over. Repeat for many sessions. Then a leg over but stand up only. Repeat. Then sit, walk a few steps, dismount. Repeat. Then a walk around the round pen with a helper leading.

If you have a confident, balanced light rider who knows how to sit a buck, this is the first ride. If you don't, find one. The first ride should be uneventful. If it's eventful, you skipped a step earlier.

Common mistakes that ruin a green horse

• Asking too much, too fast. The young horse who learns to brace because you pushed past their understanding will brace for life.
• Skipping desensitization. The horse who spooks at his own saddle pad on day 14 is the horse who spooks on the trail at year 4.
• Lunging for fitness instead of learning. Lunging is a teaching tool. If you need fitness, walk the horse in hand. If you're just running them in circles, you're causing joint wear without building anything.
• Long, repetitive sessions. 90 minutes of "let's get it right" trains resistance. 20 minutes of "we accomplished one thing today" trains willingness.
• Inconsistent cues from multiple handlers. If three people are starting the same young horse, they must use the same cues, same words, and same standards. Otherwise the horse spends 90 days confused.

Where the library fits

The groundwork section of the library has 100+ exercises covering every skill above. Filter by focus area (leading, yielding, lunging, desensitization) and skill level (beginner for the foundation work, intermediate as the horse progresses).