Saturday June 1 2013

I didn't get out all week to see Cooper, between stomach issues and being too darn tired after work. We were supposed to go Friday night but my spouse fell asleep and we didn't it out.

Cooper was very happy to see us, squeezing up against the corner of the stall door trying to get to us. 

I tacked him up with the bridle and bit and did some ground work for about 30 minutes. We did some half circles to the back of the indoor arena and once there we…

Are you looking for a way to build a better partnership with your horse?  Below are two simple questions that you can ask yourself to help release the tension and resistance between you and your horse.  All frustration and resistance (the effect) really comes from a misunderstanding and miscommunication (the cause).  If you can find a solution for the cause, you do not need a solution for every single behavior because they are all the effect of something deeper.  You can learn to observe the…

On the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend, I met Ellen at the barn.  After we did our chores, we decided to work with Dante.  Ellen is still a little nervous.  She is used to riding more experienced horses than Dante.  Dante hasn’t given her any…

“What if horses, along with other animals, are trying as hard as they can to find a way to communicate with us in a positive way, but because we’re so stuck on seeing ourselves as ‘superior’ beings, or because we have to feel our theories are right, we don’t even give them a chance? Well, for me, it seems that would be one serious lost opportunity. And I guess that’s an opportunity I’m not willing to let get past me.” — Life Lessons From a Ranch Horse by Mark…

Imagine the lecture I heard on the way home.

Yesterday the Minnesota Monsoon stopped long enough for us to take little spin in Wolsfeld Woods. A spring foray into nature’s beauty promised a relaxing hike through the trilliums. At least that’s what Madam intended, until we met with the first surprise. It was then I remembered that spring trail riding was a bit like a good poker game, dandy…

Natural horsemanship revolutionized the way that we interact with horses.  Even if you do not follow one of the big natural horsemanship methods, you likely have some knowledge of them.  I think that even individuals who say that they do not use natural horsemanship techniques have still been influenced, to some degree, in their approach to horses by the influence natural horsemanship has had on the attitudes of the industry.  Even the non-equestrian culture has been made aware of this…

Weenie Or Wise?

In recent years, rope halters have become very popular with many horse owners. Many 'natural horsemanship' gurus use them and market their own particular type of rope halter.  Because they are used by these famous clinicians, many people assume they are 'kinder' than a regular, old leather or web halter.  But in reality rope halters are meant to be used as training aids - not as a halter for regular, every day use.



In fact, rope halters can become instruments of…

Horses appreciate variety.  They can become bored with their jobs just like we can.  Dudley Mandy of Springbuck Natural Horsemanship of Collierville, Tennessee (www.springbuckhorsemanship.com) builds FUN into his training methods by allowing the horses to try things that they do not ordinarily see and do during the course of their routine training.  Here, we see Dudley introducing…

Jan 1 2013

We worked on the ground again to begin using the 12' rope attached to the bit for about 20 minutes, changing sides often. I didn't do any giving to the bit tonight.

144th ride, we walked to the back of the arena following another horse again. Cooper did good, he tensed up a little but continued on with no spooking.

We did some more sit trot, jogging tonight. We didn't do any circles but worked on Lyons 3 Step Stop exercise and rollbacks again. He started to stop…

Smart. Clever. Dull. Clueless. We all have stories of horses that connect the dots and others that …don’t. So, really, are some horses sharper than others?

As a trainer, I’ll swear to the value of having a well-defined, systematic approach to training. I’ve also learned (sometimes the hard way) that the cookie cutter has to be adapted somewhat for…

When I heard Jack LeGoff say for the umpteenth time, “Training horses is like religion … you have to BELIEVE!“ I must admit that I may have rolled my eyes at the time. Cut me some slack – I was just a kid! Twenty years later, I truly get it.

I also remember Jack telling me that YEARS after training with…

Last month we talked about the

questions that I ask every owner of a new horse coming into my barn.

Young or old, trained or untrained, it's essential to know as much about a new horse as possible.

Forty seven years ago when I first read Vladimir Littauer’s “Common Sense Horsemanship” I was first introduced to the mysteries of effective contact.  All of my previous riding, four years of trail riding in Chile and Uruguay, had been done on loose reins, and contact was a deep, deep mystery to me.  I tried to learn all I could from books since I could not ride much until I got my first horse 5 years later.  Then, since I could not afford good lessons, it was me and my…

I was riding Cole in the arena the other night, and a really nice boarder at our barn brought her horse in to lounge.  She has a sweet Paint mare, that I have never seen truly misbehave, but her owner is afraid to ride her.  She needs to lounge her a lot before she will ride her, and with her busy work schedule, she usually doesn’t have the time to both lounge and ride.  As we all know, fear isn’t logical, and it certainly isn’t in this case. 

I thought that demonstration of…

Henk writes:

I share my paddock with 4 other horses: two are Friesians (Wilby and Charlee), one is a Welsh pony (Bella), and the fourth is a Standardbred (Sunny). When it’s time to go inside for the night (and, of course, dinner!) Wilby gets to go first if he wants to. He’s the boss. Sometimes he chooses not to exercise this right, and lets me, Charlee, and on occasion even the pony, go ahead of him. Sometimes he hangs back like we’re allowed to go ahead of him, and then…

Well, it's been awhile since I've said much.  Maggie and I are undergoing a complete revision of our lives.

My trainer is a brilliant woman, and we sat down for a chat a month or so ago, after a lesson.  And basically she laid it out... we can continue as we've been going, not seeing much in the way of progress, but no crabbing about it, OR, we could re-vamp the program.  So, her thoughts were:  She takes over and fixes my horse (who has issues, holes in her training, a…

There IS a difference between a “broke” horse and a “trained” / broke horse” just because a horse is “broke” to ride does NOT mean he or she is “trained” Does your horse know how to “flex” and “give” to pressure? Can you do a “one rein stop”? I can train your horse to do these two simple tasks and more. I can teach him or her to lunge, neck rein, correct leads/lead changes, to back, side pass, run barrels, poles, trailer load, etc. and I can teach YOU as the…