You know I tried this with Rabbit the other day ( don't worry, at 26 there is NO way I am going to start Obstacle with him, I was just fooling around
) I just had a halter on him and we were standing his round pen. I thought about it because I haver seen lots of people ask about it, and it is something I have never done. So....how to start with an old horse who is NOT about to learn anything new?? Use a command he has always known. Logical?? I asked him for "over". When he started I engaged his front end. He was a little surprised but I've this to him all his life so he just moved his
whole body over instead of his rear. He did three steps of perfect side pass before he started to swing round. Time for praise, and now I'm hooked. It took me five minutes to have him side passing across the ring, in sets of four (ie four steps, half halt- praise, four steps, half halt, praise) not perfect but he's an old horse and he finds this hard so I'm not about to push it. So, my advice?? Start with a command the horse already knows and understands. You will never get a good side pass until the horse is touch sensitive- ie moves away from your hand, instead of pushing against it as he would do instinctively- so, if the horse does not "get over" to command, that's the first thing to teach him. I taught my mare Amira shoulder in and full pass in an afternoon, starting the same way, but this was from the saddle, and I found it easier. I see no reason why, however, the same principles cannot be applied to ground work- make it easy for the horse to learn, and the horse will learn more easily