A basic groundwork exercise is asking your horse to move away on command. It is important that the horse moves away promptly and obediently. It shouldn’t bolt away from you nor require maximum effort from you to begin movement. I establish a clear understanding with a series of three cues. I begin first by pointing in the direction I want the horse to move with my hand that holds the line. I then add a voice command and then flick the whip held in the other hand. Over time the horse will respond with just the point of the finger. I will go through these series of cues if I want an increase in gait as well. I am looking for my horses to always start in walk, quietly and attentive, waiting for my cue to increase gait. I will ask the horse to turn and look at me when I want them to stop or change direction by leaning down slightly and looking towards their hip. This should feel somewhat similar to asking for them to disengage the haunches. A change of direction can be used as a reward for moving well the previous way. Allowing the horse to change direction and walk reinforces positive behavior. Rapid changes of direction with no walk steps can punish bad behavior such as when a horse is not focused on you but rather trying to pull away . As you experience improved focus and response to your cues then begin to allow walk steps to reinforce positive behavior. It is important the horse moves away calmly and promptly when asked. You can then begin to build upon this for further training exercises. Your training sessions will begin to become a series of working movements and rest sessions with desensitization. Check out the video for further explanation and visuals.