Trainers and Clinicians - Not Ready for Prime Time Players

Something has been bugging me lately. It's been bugging me a lot. It started with this kid.

His name is Carson James. He keeps showing up on my FB page.
First off, I want  to be clear, he does a lot of things right.
His basic knowledge is okay.
Thing is, his execution is pretty shaky. In the video below, all I can see is his hands, picking, picking picking. He is making a video on creating a quiet horse, yet his fidgeting sends his horse constant messages asking for movement. When the horse responds, he receives a correction.
I recognize this, because K spent FOREVER kicking my butt over this very same habit. Eventually, I learned when to cue, when to fix and when to leave my horse the hell alone.
Then I was ready to spend the next eight years or so learning how to build a bridle horse.
In the mean time, I didn't start making videos.

This kid needs to spend some time with a quality horse trainer. It didn't really matter to me until I saw the video below.
My big fat huge problem is he is representing himself as a trainer of bridle horses.
Dude, you're not even close.
Not only that, but this is the kind of stuff that makes riders from other disciplines make fun of us.

Carson's video is a mish-mash of horse whispery stuff and some pretty rough riding.

The video below shows a World Champion run by a horse I'm quite fond of. He's still in the two-rein here, which means he's still not considered finished.
His trainer, Kevin Stallings, does not spend a bunch of time riding bridleless, or desensitizing his youngsters with a flag. He does however, create horses like the one you see below.
Watch how Kevin rides, watch how the horse carries himself, then go back and watch Carson again.




This kid is trying to scrape together a living, a very tough thing to do as a young trainer, so I understand what he's doing, even if I wish he wasn't.

If you want to see one that actually pisses me off...here goes.

In a recent interview in Western Horseman, Clinton Anderson said he was stepping out of the clinic gig so he could become proficient in the show pen.
He was very up front about knowing he couldn't advance in cow horse and reining unless he took the time to live breathe and ride the events.
He felt that in order to be taken seriously by someone other than beginning horse folks he needed to prove himself as an NRHA, NRCHA and NCHA competitor.
I thought...Great! Good for him!

It's an argument I have had many, many times.
Natural Horsemanship is shaped around the basic training put on many good western horses in the first thirty days of their training - while they're learning other stuff, like being ridden.
In order to keep making money and continue drawing crowds these very basic concepts are turned into smoke and mirrors, piddly little tasks, and lots of reasons to not actually get out and ride.

This approach has its appeal, but, when taken too far, it tends to create stiff dull horses who don't ride well and definitely don't cut in the show pen.

The worst part of this methodology is creating a bunch of horse owners never growing into the advanced (fun) levels of horses because they're still going to clinics to perfect game 72 part c/224.

Needless to say, I was very interested to see how Anderson's training program changed as he got deeper into the pro show circuit.

Then...what pops up on FB?

AAARRRRRGGGGGHHHHH!

How is he qualified to start selling videos on training performance horses? By his own admission, he just started riding in open shows. He hasn't won anything! Trust me--I know, hauling to a frigging show does not a competitor make.

This isn't the first time Ol' Clint has played this game. Several years ago Horse and Rider magazine followed Clinton Anderson as he started two reining prospects, preparing them the Down Under Way before sending them off to a competitive reining trainer. If I remember right, he planned on riding whichever came out the best in the Snaffle Bit Futurity.

First one washed out, then the other.

There was no follow up. Both Horse and Rider Magazine and Anderson became verrrrry quiet. I was dying to know some details. My personal guess was both prospects were so dull by the time the poor reining guy got them he couldn't get anything done. I'll never know, nobody was talking.

There is an enormous difference between the approach to training a top level competitor and creating a calm, friendly, trail riding companion.

This kind of crap can only degrade the beauty of a well trained horse.

Finally, I have posted four photos of trainers teaching a young horse to spin. Take your time, look at hands, body position, weight...then look at the horses. Check out the legs, the bend, the shoulders...

Carson - http://www.carsonjames.com/about/

Sandy Collier - http://www.sandycollier.com/nrcha_aqha_nrha_champion.html

Clinton - http://clintonandersonperformancehorses.com/

Pete Kyle - http://www.aqha.com/Showing/World-Show/Blog/09132013-CRI-FEI-Reining-at-WS.aspx

There is an on-going argument that clinicians are the only affordable way for people to learn. Some of the trainers I featured on this post are pretty pricey, but Sandy Collier has an amazing set of videos out that actually teach stuff beyond jiggling ropes and following you around a round pen.

None of the featured trainers cost as much as Clinton. I checked out his website and the prices he slaps on his horses. Do me a favor. Check out this site.

http://www.warrenreining.com/trainer-profiles.html

Look at his horses, their bloodlines, the services he offers and his experience. He shows and wins on what he breeds. So do his clients. Devin is a friend, a local guy and highly accessible. I can guarantee if you haul out to him and invest the same amount of money in lessons as you would on The Four Savvy's you'll have a whole new insight to what a partnership with a good horse can be.

Finding Horsaii

I'm not done with my NH conversation, mainly because, mugwump that I am, I see another side, a positive one, to what these folks bring to the table.

It's pretty clear to me I have a problem with the term Natural Horseman.

I might qualify as one, if you factor in forgetting to shave my legs until I'm forced to expose my lily white legs to the public, but other than that, no.

The NH moniker was created as a commercial promotion. It's become a catch all phrase for anybody in a cowboy hat, baseball cap or chinks with an eager group of check writing followers, a round pen and a theory on training through communication with a horse, usually based on the training of Ray Hunt and the Dorrance brothers.

While I don't reject Ray Hunt or Tom Dorrance, I do reject the NH label. So that's that.

BUT!

There's a terrible situation out in the equine world.

There are still many horse hungry people ready to enter the horse world.
There are lots of available horses.
What there isn't is a steady supply of solidly trained, rider friendly horses, or access to free/inexpensive advice that is actually usable.

Because my experience is all based out here in the west, I can only go by that. I don't know how those in the other parts of the country fare, but I'd like to learn, so please, jump in with your experiences.

When I was a kid there was always a horse-savvy adult around somewhere to help me along the way. My shoer took me aside and explained how I could get weight on Mort with more hay and less grain.

The guy at the tack store showed me the mechanics of various bits, hackamores etc. and knew from experience how they worked.

The judges at my little horse shows were breeders and ranchers who knew their stuff.

My riding club was stuffed chock full of people who had owned horses for generations.

Knowledge and support were there for the taking. While it wasn't always good information, it wasn't from ignorance, it came from tradition and experience.

Help was available to me.

Broke horses were readily available. They turned left and right, stopped, went down the trail and had enough manners to not kill us.

Horses that bit, kicked or weren't safe to ride were sent down the road. Yes, they probably ended up on the slaughter truck. But there weren't that many, because there were still plenty of ranches, breeders etc. who wouldn't dream of selling horses that weren't properly started. It reflected on their sales if they did.

There were still a lot of people who had horses as a way of life. So information was readily available.

It just isn't like that anymore.

Now there are many horses, not started, poorly started etc. and many people new to the horse world are a generation or two from people with long term horse experience.

We have lots of new people without a grandpa who kept horses who find themselves with green or wish they were green horses. Or broke horses with crazy stupid vices.

What are they supposed to do?

Yes, there are riding lessons. This doesn't help you learn who horses are. And, much of the instruction nowadays come from people who are first generation horsemen themselves. Nothing wrong with it, but it's going to lead to misinformation and mistakes.

It's easy to say, "You need to ride a 12-year-old been there, done that gelding."

Good luck finding that one.

This is where clinicians come in.

John Lyons taught me to break things down to the smallest step and build.
Monty Roberts taught me to watch herd behavior and adapt it to my training methods.
Pat Parelli taught me I'm a total geek when it comes to using long lines.
Lyn Palm taught me to study dressage and become a better western rider.
Ray Hunt gave me feet and feel.

See where I'm going here?

I'm sure there are plenty of stories out there slamming each and every one of these folk. It really doesn't matter to me. Each and every one of them gave me something I needed in order to climb the ladder to becoming Horsaii.

Sometimes only one sentence, sometimes whole chapters, but I was able to get information from these people I wouldn't have had access to unless they were travelling around the country, spreading the word and making a little dough at the same time

It was never a waste of my time or money.

Through clinics I gained enough of an understanding of what made a horse tick to head into the world of the cow horse and remain a thinking, caring trainer. I understood what as taught to me even if I had to watch and figure things out over having technique explained.

Through clinicians I learned to really study the horses mind, to become patient, to not take short cuts. I learned anger has no place in my relationship with a horse and that has leaked out into how I handle my present life.

The deep well of patience I've developed is saving my sanity these days.

Maybe it's because I have never had the money to follow one trainer, it certainly taught me to pick and choose what I use.

But there is information out there for everyone and a lot of it comes from these travelling trainers. Some bad, some good, just like I got from the locals when I was a kid, but it's out there.

I kinda sorta think there's a lot of horses and new owners out there who would be screwed without them.

Poking Fun

In a recent fluff piece I told you guys I wouldn't be dissing on the Natural Horsemen any more.

My concern is I may have misled you. I meant individually. 


During a short, entertaining, yet brutal foray into the world of knee jerk reactionistas FHOTD I learned picking on an individual in order to criticize a philosophy or opinion doesn't do anything but divert the real meaning behind the criticism.  


For example, if I start a post with the statement, "I have serious disagreements with the Natural Horsemanship Movement," and I am inundated with comments like, "Pat Parelli shone his glowing beacon of light on me and my horse, and not only enlightened me but all the little children in three third world countries," it creates an argument I not only don't want, but never, ever, have any intention of having.

Personally, I wrote a post on FHOTD, "I hate nose bands,"  and the crazy insults just started rolling in. It seems I am an ignorant, stupid, uneducated fool who can't ride, can't think, never actually trained a horse, has never seen a dressage horse, a hunter jumper, an English saddle, a reining saddle, wait, there's more, can't spell, can't write, beat my children and dogs and am a long time hoarder of Mongolian Cremello Paintalusians.

Was I surprised? Well, no. I was feeling a bit combative and decided to go trolling, so I very thoroughly deserved what I got. Trolls.

The thing is, a few people read what I wrote, thought about it and went ahead and tried their horses without a nose band. Many of them actually got my point, they focus control to the head of the horse, not the feet, a training approach I disagree with. They didn't see what I wrote as a personal attack, but as an opinion, maybe worth thinking about. How those few managed to put all that together in the middle of all the yammering I'll never know.

So it got me wanting to clarify. I want to poke fun at theories, groups, ideologies, anything that strikes my fancy in the horse world, with the understanding I'm not after any one person, unless of course I really do know this person, then God help them.

There is a point to this post BTW. It is to point out some of my problems with NH movement. Because, boy howdy, I do have them.

The first and foremost would be cookie cutter colt starting methods.

Any time you get a large group of people together, with varying levels of experience, temperament and resources, all trying to get a handle on horses in the exact same spot, you have to begin teaching in specific steps.

Teach A, to get to B, to get to C and so on.

There's really no way around it.

Then you need specific types of equipment to get everybody with the same program. So why not color your horse whacker orange and create some kinder gentler lingo to go with it so your gentler souls will buy it? Why not tout the panels you use to create a round pen (known in the olden days as a breaking corral) as a much needed accessory, conveniently sold by you, as the only way to start a horse? This is, after all, only good business, added on top of getting your group into a like minded place, which will help you get your training method across.

But here's the root of the problem.

Horses don't follow cookie cutter rules.

While one young colt may very well accept being broke (excuse me, gently introduced into joining heart and soul with their human companion) in three days with a bunch of other hapless youngsters, others might not.

If you're selling a method, it ripples the waters of your horse man ship to have them not conform. So there has to be answers.

Go back, reintroduce the basics - the exact same way - and keep at it until the miscreant catches up.

If this doesn't work, it must be the owners fault. The trusting, check writing owner who believes every word coming out of your mouth, and knows if they truly understood the mind of their little horse, they would have gotten it by now. Because it sure works on the videos and the books and the RFD channel...

But how can a horse person, inexperienced enough to be at one of these clinics in the first place, know any different? Nobody taught them they need to read how much their horse can absorb at one time. Or how much repetition said horse will put up with before turning the whole process back on them and developing a vice.

Nobody taught them the way to safely start a colt is by having ridden and learned about horses on at the very least, one, older, safe mount that can give you the time to learn to read them. So it must be their fault right?

Repetition is taught as the way to work through this. Ground work in the round pen is the key.

Except again, nobody tells you that repetitive motion, say continuous round pen work or  teaching them to yield, left, right, left, right on the end of a ten foot lead will totally trash their legs.  As in cripple them. Faster than a speeding reining trainer on a two-year-old, quicker than any rollkur dominatrix with a double bridle and definitely sooner than some old ranch hand that slaps a saddle on em, bucks em out and heads out to ride the herd.

Cathy Atkinson republished a great FHOTD post on conditioning polo ponies on FB yesterday. I seriously recommend reading it.

http://fuglyblog.com/2011/01/08/best-of-fhotd-conditioning-its-not-just-for-your-hair/

There's not a circle or round pen in it.

The only way to avoid the potential disappointments and hazards of blind NH training is to have alternative experiences to draw from.

Smart marketing encourages consumers to stick with a name brand. It's how we roll I'm afraid. The marketing behind the NH movement takes basic, sound training practices and turns them into tricks, magic, deep secrets which can only be learned through the guidance of the clinician.

This in turn, encourages many of us to miss out being horsaii, to miss the delight and joy that comes from learning from your horse, because we're tangled up in the mess of cookie cutters thrown at our feet.

So there's problem number one.

Larry Trocha and Keeping It Honest

Anon said : Mugs - speaking of Larry Trocha what's your take on him? I have always wondered. I have been reading his stuff for awhile and mostly dig the guy. Do you have any personal experience with him?


I CAN'T BELIEVE I FORGOT TO ADD THESE

Part of why I did the Larry Trocha spiel was to share these videos.

His colt starting is very similar to mine, except I don't do the longe line part. I'll get somebody to pony me sometimes.

Notice there's none of this lope the first ride stuff? I like that too. I have loped my first ride, but only if that's where the colt chose to go.

I like the way he gains control using turns on the fence. It seems more productive than my way of bending in circles. That little horse is already using his hind end.


-Smoke, 3rd time saddled:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&feature=endscreen&v=7-fQuJwcUHg

Smoke, being ridden on lunge line:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&feature=endscreen&v=JdoUOWD5Lqc

Smoke, firt ride with NO lunge line:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WU5DjlsslsI&feature=related

Smoke, the 7th ride:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TgomApAZKQI&feature=related

I also wrote a "Horse Training Tips Insider" newsletter about the "Time Frame"
of training a colt.

You can read it here:
http://www.horsetrainingvideos.com/horsetraining-timeframe.htm

I have been a supporter and promoter of Larry Trocha for many years.

When I first started training horses "officially" I was in way over my head. I was riding a bad tempered, poorly handled stud and the only thing I knew about the events I was supposed to ride him in, or stallion management, was that I didn't have a clue.

I was working with a competent trainer, but I felt like a complete gunzel and desperately wanted some more input.

I read every book and horse magazine I could find, but it wasn't enough. One day I read an ad in a magazine for a free training video. A cutting trainer in California, Larry Trocha, was offering a free video called "How to Slide, Stop and Spin."

Free was in my budget so I sent away for the video without any high hopes. How good could it be for free?

I was delighted. I completely understood his approach and was able to apply a lot of what he said to what I was learning with the trainer.

When tax return time came around I looked at his video packages and couldn't quite find what I needed, so I called Trocha training stables to see what it would take to get what I needed.

Larry answered the phone, which kind of threw me. "It's a slow day and the gal who takes care of the business side of things is off today. How can I help you?"

I told him the situation I was in and he helped me put together a great video package. Before we finalized the deal he asked me what my background was. I told him I had studied Monte Foreman's training methods under Mike Craig and had spent one long summer cleaning stalls for Monte in exchange for one, 8 hour day riding with him.

He laughed and said, "That sounds like Monte."

I asked if he knew him and it turns out he was a student of his.

No wonder I got all his concepts about rhythm and timing! We got to talking some more and it turns out we were both there the same summer. I was shoveling and he was riding. He was one of those kids who kept his horse there and rode with Monte daily. One of the kids I was so jealous of I would have spit if I hadn't been choking on my own bile.

The tapes helped me immensely and as the years passed and I finally became competent, I still bought his videos. I've used Larry's tapes for cow work and hackamore training. We have emailed back and forth occasionally and although I don't know him, he's always come across as a friendly, accessible guy.

I would kill to actually ride with him someday.

Larry and I don't train the same, but he's as close as I get to somebody you can buy a video from. I think he's easy to understand and honest in his opinions. I also get the impression he doesn't give a rat's ass about public opinion, he just wants the horse to get trained and for everybody to stay safe.

So here's where I make a slick segue into my next subject - keeping it honest.

One of the biggest traps we trainers fall into is trying to keep everybody happy and to act like we know all the answers for every situation.

Just because I know how to start a colt and train a cowhorse does not mean I can watch a rope horse go and understand why the horse had a slower time than the one before it. Beyond, 'it runs out of the box and the rider catches the cow,' I'm ignorant. I could no more help that rider improve his score by watching his run than I could teach a Mahout how to cheer up a grumpy elephant.

If I keep it honest I could help a roper with horsemanship skills, trouble shooting and behavior issues. I could help limber the horse up and teach him to take both flipping leads, if that's what was wanted.

If I was smart I would get the roper to help me build a loop, explain the difference between a good run and a bad one, why they ride long in the stirrup and what's different between their roping saddle and my cutter.

This still wouldn't make me an expert, but I would have an idea of what was involved in the sport and could provide better training if I got a rope horse in to work.

The next side of keeping it honest is to find my "holes." I just love finding holes. I found a great one this past summer while I was out riding with the Big K.

I have been having a heck of a time with the right side of my horses. From the nose, to the  rib, to the haunch, Madonna and Odin have been slow, stiff and sticky. Fence turns were slow and awkward to the right and smooth to the left. When I was cutting, Madonna was stopping short on her cow to the right and kind of slinging herself through the turn.

I knew it was me, but I couldn't figure out where it was. I had friends and family watch me ride and nobody could see anything. My hips were straight and my legs were even. I rode looking through her ears like I was supposed to.

I emailed and called the Big K but he couldn't figure it out either. It was really frustrating.

Then I went to visit K at his ranch.

Five minutes into our first ride he said, "Why Janet, you're crooked."

"Not!"

"Yes you are."

"Where?"

Turns out my hips and legs, head and neck are even. But my right shoulder has begun to curl in and has also dropped a couple of inches. Kind of like I'm looking to the left, but I'm not. This was causing me to very effectively block my horses right shoulder.

"I wonder what caused that?" I said.

"I don't care, just quit doing it," Mr. Communication replied.

If I had fallen into the easy trap of hiding my weakness it would have caused me all kinds of problems down the road. Hiding a problem I'm having from my clients (back in the day when I still had clients) and especially from myself, can only hurt my horse's performance, physical ability and mind.

I'll use my weird twist as an example. If I had been dishonest with myself I would have blamed my horses. I would have rammed and jammed on them and forced them to work their way through my weakness. They would have eventually done what I said, but it would teach them to tune or what I was saying to them with my body.

Why listen to any of my cues when they only meant something one way? I would have ended up relying on hands and spurs more and communication less. This creates resentment on both our sides and eventually is how horses are labeled untalented, difficult or sometimes, dangerous.

You also can't get in the money riding that way.

Over the years I have learned the hard way to keep it honest with my horses. I've paid my price for thinking I had the answers when I didn't, and by learning to ask for help, I've started to get the answers to quite a few of my questions.

I just love finding holes.

Being the mugwumpI am, I can't write an article about working with trainers without going back to why we should use clinicians. It shouldn't be a surprise. I have said more than once Ray Hunt changed my whole world. And I don't think it's much of a secret why I dropped out of the race to the top in the horse training world.


Buying Local Has It’s Limits

By Janet Huntington

When I first starting taking lessons as an adult I rode with well known APHA trainer Devin Warren.

I was training out of a color breeding barn and needed to update my sadly behind the times show skills. Devin was training my boss’s stud, River, and the boss wanted me to maintain him when he was home.

Sounds simple enough doesn’t it? OMG. I didn’t have a clue how to ride using the new and improved performance horse. I didn’t know what to do with my hands or legs, my concepts of drive were completely off kilter and the show world was a blur of confusion for me.

Devin was patient, funny and had no problem yelling at me when I needed it.

The problem was I just didn’t get it. I felt awkward and foolish, hated much of what I was being told to do and simply didn’t understand a lot of the information being thrown at me. Devin was busy and had only so much time. I realized I needed to accept responsibility for my horse education.

I was in desperate need of a clinician. I needed somebody who trained to show. I was completely capable of getting a horse down the trail, but I needed some concepts I could absorb and apply to the show world.

I found an introductory offer of a training tape for $10 in a horse magazine. Not quite my clinician, but some sorely needed information for not much dough. It seemed well worth the risk.
When my tape arrived I got to meet Larry Trocha, a cutting horse trainer from California. His method of training made complete sense to me, it reminded me of the training philosophy of Monte Foreman, the trainer I had followed since my youth.

I called and ordered more. I talked to Mr. Trocha and he helped me put together a tape package which would compliment the program I was on with Devin.

It worked out great. Because I could watch my tapes as needed and practice technique on my own. Even though I was listening to a cutting horse trainer and riding all around with Devin, I began to understand drive, balance, frame and leg control.

This opened my eyes to looking at clinicians. I began to go to as many as I could. I rode when I could afford it and observed the rest of the time.

I also began to read. Mainly books about dressage because the theories seemed to come into play no matter what I was riding or who I was riding with.

I also had a great secret weapon when I rode with the trainers who had knowledge so beyond mine. Common sense. Strong convictions about what worked and what didn’t. I had a personal opinion about what was fair or not fair to my horses and I had enough education behind me to back up my thoughts.

If I thought something was wrong it took some honest conversation to convince me otherwise.
If I didn’t agree I didn’t do it. Don’t get me wrong, I did things during my training years I wouldn’t do now, but I am willing to bet we all have. I developed this conviction through the clinicians I observed and rode with.

My absolute favorite thing about clinicians is they don’t ride my horse. I do.

When I work with a clinician I am learning his opinion by training my horse myself. This is all I’ve ever wanted. To learn how to be the best horseman I could be, so I don’t have to let anybody else ride my horse.

Local trainers can be hard to understand, demanding, short on time, patience and sometimes, just plain wrong. They can be dishonest or cruel. They are jealous of their clients and unwilling to share them.

When you ride with a local trainer you represent him/ her. So he wants you to win. He wants you to be horsed the way he thinks will make you succeed.

This is not a bad thing, but something every horse owner who seeks out a local trainer needs to be aware of. You very well may be pressured to “change up” on your horse. You may be encouraged to put your horse in training and feel it’s the only way to get there.

In a clinic it’s about what you and your horse can do together. The only time I’ve seen a clinician (well, a good one anyway) tell someone they needed a new horse, the horse was in obvious pain.

Clinics can give you a lot of knowledge for not a bunch of money. If a clinician wants thousands of dollars to ride with him I’ll go watch him work instead.

Clinicians prepare you for trainers.

I think a good horseman is a person who spends his life learning. When you first start with horses it’s your primary responsibility to learn how to care for them safely. This includes feet, feed, medical care and proper riding technique. Then you get to learn about how a horse moves, how you can direct them, in other words, begin to advance your knowledge.

It should never stop. The better you get, the better off your horse is. If you ride with a clinician you will come away with knowledge, if you ride with a trainer you will too. It doesn’t matter which route you take, you’ll always be riding with yourself and your own moral compass.

Going to clinics and watching tapes taught me to think. Going to trainers taught me to really ride. Becoming a trainer helped me really delve into what makes a horse and ultimately, myself tick. I don’t regret any of it.

Knowing what I was willing to do and how far I’d go while training my horses came from myself. I rode with people who I admired and hated. I picked up what worked for me and dropped what didn’t.

If I saw a spectacular result from a method I couldn’t condone I would figure my way around it. I do it to this day.

Clinicians and their videos can reach everybody, no matter how far out in the wilderness they are. Help is available for everyone. Videos can arm a rider with enough knowledge and ability to think on their own.

Clinician, video or trainer, none of them are worth a thing if we don’t learn to think.

Down Under Horsemanship? - Buy Local

Here's this weeks column, this is definitely one I wanted to share with you guys.

Down Under Horsemanship ? – I’d Rather Buy Local
By Janet Huntington

When I was still in the horse training biz I had a client/student, Lyn, who was a huge Clinton Anderson fan.

She would call and cancel her lesson so she could go to his clinics.

The next week she would show up with a $40 dollar halter, $50 stick and $30 lead rope she had bought at the clinic.

“I just couldn’t help myself,” Lyn would say, “when I watch him I get so excited I just have to go buy his stuff.”

I would give Lyn a bleak glare and sigh.

Then she would hit me with the big one.

“He trains just like you do, it’s incredible, he explains things like you and everything.”

Ay Yi Yi. I would put my head in my hands.

“Lyn,” I would say, “if I train like this guy and explain things like this guy why didn’t you just come to your lesson?”

“I’ll tie you a knotty rope halter, make you a lead rope out of climbing rope with a carabiner on it and everything. Shoot, I’ll cut you a stick too. I’ll charge you $40 for the whole mess and still be about $35 ahead,” I would add.

Lyn would laugh and say, “Your right, but he’s just so cool.”

She did this to me a couple times a year.

She took evil delight in showing me her new Clinton Anderson toys and wearing her Clinton Anderson baseball cap to her lessons.

Lyn was also one of my favorite students and her burly bay quarter horse Ted was one of the neatest horses on the planet. So there you go. I put up with the Clinton Anderson moments from Lyn.

I have absolutely nothing against clinicians. These are horse people who have figured out how to make a living and for the most part help people along the way. I tip my hat to them.

I have studied Tom Dorrance, Ray Hunt and John Lyons and learned tons from all of them. Through their books, tapes and clinics I became a better horseman. I refined some of my methods, dropped others and learned a whole new approach to working with my horses. So you sure aren’t going to hear me tell anybody not to attend a clinic.

The thing is, after I went to enough of these clinics and read through a bunch of books I realized something. All of these guys were singing a variation of the same song. You can get pulled into huge arguments about who started this training style, but to me it doesn’t matter, it’s still pretty much the same approach for all of them.

Make the right thing easy and the wrong thing difficult.

Release as a reward.

Approach and retreat.

All of them preach it and every horse person on the planet needs to use it.

The thing is, that’s all they teach. Everything else is just molasses on the oats.

My first apprenticeship was with a young cow horse trainer from Calhan.

“Horse trainer” had been the only job description on my tax returns for about five years and I considered myself pretty handy.

In the five years I was under the Big K's mentorship my horsemanship and training skills soared. I was pulled into a world way over my head and floundered around for an awfully long time before I began to place in the NRCHA (National Reined Cow Horse Association) and AQHA (American Quarter Horse Association) horse shows.

I’m telling you, these people could ride. The horse trainers I got to rub elbows with could get more out of, not just their horses, but themselves, than anybody I had ever had the honor to meet. I busted my butt to learn how to train my horses.

Every horse I came across in my new world already did everything I had seen on my tapes. They learned the majority of this stuff in the first 30 days of training, the rest they picked along the way.

Pretty soon mine did too.

K became one of the top money earning trainers in the country.

He was right here in Calhan.

There are trainers available in Colorado who can teach you anything you want to learn with your horse. I can guarantee all of them know the ins and outs of what the clinicians teach. If a trainer is worth his or her salt this basic horse training has been learned first off. Then they go on to the good stuff. And they’re right here, waiting to share it with you.

I went to the Clinton Anderson Walkabout Tour last weekend.

The guy can work a horse and a crowd. He is engaging, funny and full of common sense. Most of his work was on the ground, but when he rode, he rode well.

He has a great Australian accent.

He covered many of the fundamentals a horse and horse owner should know.

I didn’t disagree with a single thing he said. Because Lyn is right. He trains pretty much like I do.

He also trains pretty much like every decent trainer I know. I assume when he goes home he works on some of the other stuff. Mr. Anderson seems like a good hand.

But it costs $4000 to attend one of his clinics. For 10 days.

That’s the equivalent of 40 lessons by a local trainer. One on one, just you, your horse and the trainer.

It’s the equivalent of 6 months of full time training for your horse with lessons thrown in. With a local trainer who can teach you all of the stuff the clinicians teach plus how to work a cow, show in a horsemanship class, run barrels or compete in Western Versatility classes.

I don’t think my ticket was wasted at the Walkabout Tour. I picked up a couple of things I could add to my repertoire and learned a bunch about how to talk to clients.

Even though I’ve retired as a trainer, Anderson’s P.R. skills are phenomenal and could certainly help me as a writer.

He created enthusiasm and desire to take his techniques and apply them to the horses at home. He has rabid fans who pay to belong to his club and buy incredible amounts of his products.

He is offering clear examples of how to apply tried and true examples of horse training. He goes a long way towards demystifying getting your horse to do what we need them to do.

It wouldn’t hurt many of the trainers I know to go watch this man in action. He is kind, funny and most of all he can explain things in a clear and concise way. Many local trainers could polish up their communication skills. Ahem.

I think everybody should go watch a clinician or two. It will help you at home with your horse and give you a clear idea of where you want to go.

Then you need to find a trainer who can teach you what you and your horse need and go for it. Here. In Colorado. Buy local, save a horse trainer. I think Clinton would agree.

Thoughts and Discussions

I have been to two clinics in the last two weeks. One I participated in and one I observed. They were the kind of clinics I prefer, both with locals in a specific discipline I'm interested in. I ignored an invitation to a problem solving clinic done by a young man who used to be a steady supplier to my training business.

I used to get in at least two horses a year who were out of control bone-heads after a few months of his "round pen religion", or whatever he calls it. One year I got six, count 'em six horses in who had 60 days of quality time with him. I guess I should send him a Thank-you card. I've made a lot of dough undoing his training philosophies.

Anyway, the clinics I did feel were worth going to were a cutting clinic and a Ranch Versatility Clinic. Jack McComber, a man who I admire greatly, for his knowledge and his hotness (ahem) gave the cutting clinic.

He started out making it clear he hasn't earned any NCHA (national cutting horse) money for ten years.

"I know the old time basics of cutting," he said.

"Those of you who are actively competing on the NCHA circuit might want to put something together with somebody more current. I'm just a stop, rock, turn and go kind of guy."

Jack shared some of his "old time basics" with me when I was first trying to fathom the intricacies of cutting. I would sneak off when the Big K was out of town and grab a lesson or three. The Big K wasn't one to share those who rode with him. Jack was an absolute rock star and never told a soul I was showing up at his place to ride every time the Big K was on a road trip that didn't include me.
He did stand behind the cattle pens and grin pretty big when I finally started to not only get a score, but beat the Big K once in a while in the herd work.

His clinic was pretty much a warm-up for the cutting club who put it on. He was great help to those of us who needed him and gave great commentary on the riders who really had it going on.

There was one stand out, a gentleman named James Autry and his good gelding, Buddha's Mike.
Turns out the duo recently were reserve champions in the Beef Empire Days Century Cutting Competition in Kansas.

The requirements for this competition are pretty simple. The ages of the horse and rider have to add up to more than 100 years.

I'm don't know exactly how old Mr. Autry and Mike are, but considering the sunken hollows over Mike's eyes, the oxygen tank Mr. Autry keeps tied to the back of his saddle and both of their many arthritic twists and turns, I'm sure they qualify.

None of it mattered once they began to cut. They were magic.

I put some good cow time on Pete and was gently chastised by Jack to ride my young ones down a bit more before we went into the herd. The kidlet heard the same advice.

I always try to leave a clinic with some new information to chew on. I got some good stuff too.
Both the kidlet and my friend Kathy were advised to ride without spurs.

The kidlet, because her horse is so tuned and sensitive, and Kathy, because her Rosie is so intent on picking a fight with her she forgets to hold her cow.

Jack noticed that Kathy anticipates Rosie's snotty attitude before she actually gets one. So Rosie is justifiably pissed, she sets up in her own anticipation of Kathy. It's a case of them knowing each other too well.

Jack's simple solution is to take away the spurring.

We talked about this on the way home and I realized this wouldn't work if Rosie was just lazy. But she's not. And she wants to cow. So we're betting that her desire to turn with the cow will outweigh her desire to fight with Kathy as long as there is nothing to fight about. This will be interesting.

Don't think this guy was anti-spur. My slightly lazy boy Pete would prefer to make friends with the cow, hang out a while, maybe swap a little cud.

I was told more than once to, "Git up there! Wake him up!"

Interesting.

The second clinic was a Ranch Versatility clinic given by a very nice couple, Jeff and Gerrie Barnes. I've been sending some of my old clients to them, simply because I liked what I heard about them. Now I finally got to meet them.

I'll tell you what. These folks have built a business doing exactly what I should have been doing myself. They are riding good quality horses. They are competitive in a sport they enjoy. They help people ride the horse they have and offer assistance from very rudimentary newbie horse keeping skills to advanced riders on their VRH team.

They are not wheeling and dealing their own brand of horsemanship, or a line of horses they are trying to fit clients to. They will help people find a horse, sell a horse or learn to ride their own.
They are also friendly, warm and welcoming, they seem to actually be making a living too. I have to admit I was impressed.

Check out their website at http://www.barnesranch.com/.

So I've got a lot of thinking to do.

I've been piecing together a new training program for my colt. He is coming two. At this point he leads around some, will let me touch him all over, likes a good scratch on the withers and will tolerate being trimmed and vetted.

This fall I'll be starting him. My goal is to make each step be the base for the next. Sounds simple doesn't it? So far I'm combining what I know as a cowhorse trainer, some basic thoughts from dressage, ropers and kids, and a bunch I've learned on this blog.

Both of these clinics fell under my thoughts on this. I'll be going deeper, believe me.

Clinics and Such

Before I get into clinicians I want to get back to GoTucker Go....She asked about what I mean when I say sit still on her pluggy horse -

Once he trots just sit quiet, no squeezing, pumping, bumping, nothing. Quiet weight, hands, legs. When he walks and just sort of dribbles to the gate, sit deep, exhale and make yourself as much dead weight as you can. If he stops, big praise, then ask him to trot out again, squeeze, bump, make him hustle....then sit quiet again. If he doesn't stop until the gate, don't worry about it. Still exhale, praise, then go again. You'll start building a whoa off an exhale while you're sitting quiet. Always a good thing. The key here is getting your horse to respond off a soft cue. Once he will trot off with energy and stop off your exhale you can work on sustaining the desired gait.

So onto clinicians.

I think clinicians are pretty valuable. We don't have access to the big ranches and farms who used to produce decent broke horses. There just aren't enough left. So we have a pretty large population of people who want to ride and a fairly large population of horses, but neither the horses or the people have the education they used to.

Lessons are great. Being able to put a horse in training can be great, especially if the owner gets the opportunity to ride the horse in training.

But there's a serious expense that goes with lessons and training. For the most part the owner will need a trailer, lots of extra money, time and luck to guarantee the right instructor or trainer. Unfortunately, once you own a horse your extra $$ flies right out the window and into the feed tub.

Also, as far as I'm concerned, the primary purpose of a clinician is to get the horse owner to think. Think about the horse as a horse, not their child, their dog or their boss. To help a horse owner understand and function in the equine world in relative safety and to be able to gain and develop their own philosophy and approach to horses.

If you can avoid the hype that tends to go with a popular clinician and simply glean the information you need to be safe and happy with your horse, than none of them are a waste. I personally refuse to buy anybody's stick, halter, mecate, T-shirt or ball cap. I just won't do it.
I go to clinics to watch how the clinician rides and works the horse, hear what he has to say and go home to think about it, not buy their crap.

If I ride with a clinician I do every single thing they say. I never tell them what I think or what my old trainer said, I NEVER tell them how they differ from the last clinician I went to. I usually ride a horse I am confident on because I want to be able to watch and absorb, not worry about getting tossed. I will ask about a problem horse, but I rarely ride one in a clinic. I don't believe in quick fixes, so insight is what I'm looking for over immediate answers. I stay and watch every rider, every day.

In the year before I retired some of my students became enamored with Clinton Anderson. I have never seen the man, as I don't get the RFD channel, but I had read a few of his articles and he seemed OK.

As a rule I would encourage my students to go see whoever they wanted, then come tell me what they've learned. Often I would have them ask the clinician about specific things we were working on, because hey, maybe they could help.

One of my students, Lyn, couldn't get enough of the guy.

"I know you don't want to hear this," she told me, "but he sounds just like you."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"He has a bunch of the same approaches you do, it's just wild."

I looked at her new Clinton Anderson hat, halter and mecate and sighed.

"If he's just like me why don't you save some money and just show up for your lessons?"

Greed aside, the point I made to her was of course we sounded alike, at least in some ways. Because horse training is what it is. Not rocket science by the way. Everybody has to approach it in a variation of the same way or the horse won't get trained. And in my part of the country every trainer has been influenced by Tom Dorrance or Ray Hunt. Every one of them. Including Clinton Anderson.

The standard clinician method of starting a colt is based on the Dorrance/Hunt teachings. And guess what? They didn't invent it either. Basic horse sense is essentially the same the world over. So it comes down to learning to listen, think and apply what works for you and your horse.

Things branch off once you begin to specialize. Then your mentors become the trainers who are the tops in their field. By the time you get to them they expect you to know how to handle your horse. But the discussion still revolves around the mind of the horse and how to get in there.

GTTYUP asked what clinicians I liked. So here goes. If I don't mention some it doesn't mean I don't like them or disapprove of them (although there are plenty of those out there). It simply means I'm telling you who I like. You should know, I think reading a clinicians books or watching their tapes are every bit as valuable as seeing them in person.

Monte Foreman. The reason I'm a trainer. His Balanced Ride methods helped me learn to use rhythm and timing to get my results. My riding is still heavily based on his teaching, almost 40 years after the fact.

John Lyons. He's great for a beginner. He will help you think. He likes people to take many, many steps. He might bore you to tears but by God, you'll know how to move a horse around by the time you've finished step 97b.

Monty Roberts. Yes I know he's politically incorrect. But he taught me more about reading a horse's body language than any of them.

Julie Goodnight. Smart, sensible and creative. She can teach you to handle your horse in a sensitive manner without going all "mystic unicorn magical puppies and kittens" on you.

Ray Hunt. If you missed him, than read him. Very dull, poorly written (but better than Tom Dorrance) and loaded extremely important food for thought.

That's it for the basic clinicians.

On to the specialists.

Don Murphy. He's the Reined Cowhorse god. No shit. He spent ten minutes explaining how he wanted me to approach my hackamore horse and it changed my entire training philosophy.

Sandy Collier. She is consistently a top ten finalist in all the major reined cowhorse events. The first time I rode with her I understood why. She can place a horse between her reins and legs more effectively than anyone I've ever seen and is very generous with her information. Again, she can help a woman ride from a woman's point of view.

Martin Black. I have just started reading and watching Martin's videos. He is intent on teaching and training true bridle horses. So far, I'm impressed with his approach.

Larry Trocha. A cutter from California, Larry has been incredibly generous with his information over the years. He is Monte Foreman based, so I understood his approach from the get go. He has been a great resource for me not just in cutting, but in reining basics too.

Now that I've gone through the big names, I'll share a few secrets. I prefer to get a group together and approach a local trainer who I admire. They will jump at the chance believe me. We're all horse poor.
I'll get with a reining trainer for reining input, a cutting trainer for cutting, etc. I don't need them to be approved, graduated or certified. They just need to know something I don't. Because I'm like this I have a pretty good range of contacts.

Another money saver is to get the same group together, buy a few tapes from a clinician you're into and study them as a group. Practice their techniques and help each other.You'll save loads of cash and you won't have to buy a single specially designed rope halter. Not one, I promise. If you add a pitcher or two of Margaritas to the mix you'll find yourselves talking about your horses and how to ride them, train them and love them well into the night. That's what I would call a clinic.

Martin's Hackamore

And then there's Martin Black.

I have a lot of trouble with the horse training industry. I question what we do to our horses, why we do it and who the people are that do it for us.
Horse trainers bug me. Even I bug me.
I was lucky enough to be a trainer for many years. I was privileged to ride many horses of many levels of breeding and ability. I got to ride enough to become a decent horsewoman.
I still bug me.
I love the elegance, the thoroughness and the time involved in creating a bridle horse. I became fascinated with the whole process while learning to train a reined cowhorse.
Ideally it takes a minimum of five years to develop a bridle horse.
This beautiful, time-honored training method creates a horse that can be ridden with a flex of muscle, a lift of the romel, a clean, clear thought.

As a competitor in AQHA and NRCHA events I found that a successful trainer does not get to spend five years developing a winner. A successful trainer needs to win on three-year-olds. Win on four-year-olds. Win on five-year-olds.
Keep on going, even if it takes twisted wire snaffles and logging chain hackamores to make that next show.
Keep on going, even if our horses have hocks so blown that by the time they are four they creep forward in exaggerated strides like a crab. Just inject those hocks and head for the next show.
Keep going when everything that inspired our event is left behind in the dust.

I left my profession, disillusioned and sad.

As many of you know, I can't leave anything alone. You see I have this horse. This cool little horse. She has the makings of a winner. She has never let me down. She is sharp on a cow, sweet and beautiful in her dry work. She is a horse I want to show.
I rode her in a snaffle her three year-old year. I rode her the best I could. I showed her a little. She did OK.
I rode her in a hackamore for the following two years. I used the wonderful things I learned and rejected the terrible. I figured as best I could. But I have holes. Huge holes in my knowledge. I showed her maybe an eighth of what I should have. She did pretty good.
I moved her into the two-rein. She had a tough time. I had nobody in my circle I could go to. Nobody I knew had truly studied the two rein. They simply rammed their horse into the bridle, forced a frame, added a bosal and showed.
I rode at home. I played with my two-rein. I showed her once. I rode mainly with the bosal.

So now I have a six year old mare. She's still sound. She has been trained to the best I know.

I've gone back to my hackamore. I'm not willing to push past what I know. You see, I have this cool little horse. She responds to the flex of a muscle, the lift of my mecate, a clear, clean thought. I'm afraid I'll ruin this wonderful thing.

I read a few articles written by a man who grew up ranching in Idaho. He went on to work in California, Texas and more. His articles rang a bell. He didn't talk about futurities or derbies or sliders on two-year-olds. He talked about finding the release. About patience. About listening.
"AHA!" I can just hear all you NHer's holler. But guess what?
HE SHOWS! HE WINS STUFF! HE GETS IT!
He doesn't talk about being above the show world. Or not needing it. He rides to succeed. He also tries to be kind and fair with his horses.
This guy is doing what I had given up ever having a shot at.
He rides bridle horses.
He trains them one step at a time.
He shows.
How cool.
So I watched the first of his bridle horse DVD series. The Hackamore.
His instruction is clear and to the point. Lots of information on fitting the hackamore. About the different sizes and how they work. About quality.
Then we got into using the hackamore.
This guy is good. I learned some new things, some incredibly helpful things.
I learned some practical information that I definitely needed.
This DVD will help the beginner who's interested, and people like me, who want more.
I'm going to work through the series. I'm planning on staying impressed.
I'm planning on showing my mare.
Check out his website, it gives you a peek into my world. The world I 'm beginning to think I don't have to leave.
I am very intrigued.
www.martinblack.net

Go Ahead, Make My Day

I only have a few minutes today.
I also have a lot on my mind.
I have had it pointed out to me that I remind some folks of different NH trainers that they know.
Loneplainsman isn't the first to bring this up to me.
This bugs me.
A bunch.
So I've been really trying to think why. I was up into the wee hours sorting it out.
Thanks guys. I don't need sleep, really.
I come from a background of not much money.
I supported my horse by babysitting, and then giving lessons and riding for people.
When I needed a piece of extra equipment I made it.
You wouldn't believe what I can build with baling twine.
The first trainer I had the pleasure to ride with was impressed with the running martingale I made with curtain rings and an old set of reins.
It never occurred to him to say, "You have to have the "Sooper Dooper Mothers Milk Hackamore" to succeed. Because I thought of it, it's just triple what it costs at the tack store "
If that had been a requirement I could not have afforded to learn what I did.
Most of the people I have ridden with over the years have been generous with their time and information.
Many of the trainers I go to now don't charge me at all. Trainers share with each other.
I have been able to take a lesson here and there, once in a while, my whole life.
I could never invest the equivalent of my college education to become "certified".
I am a master at picking up information from random conversations, or a few hours with a good horseman.
I listen to everybody.
I weed out the bad, and absorb the good.
I don't have the time, patience, or money to go through levels, channels, phases, or journeys with somebody who I feel is only after my money.
I try to respect my clients. I listen and learn from them. I am working really hard at not thinking I'm always right. I try to be as economical with my clients as I am with myself.
I am generous with my time and input.
The equipment I use is basic.
I have a taste for good bits, hand braided rawhide, and custom saddles.
I don't require my students and clients to share that taste with me.
I will teach them why I like those things.
Maybe that explains a little why I have trouble being compared to a NH clinician.
The concepts aren't theirs.
They've been around forever.
They don't come with mecates, or orange flags, or parachute chord anything.
A good horseman works the horse, not the crowd.
I'll leave working the crowd to P.T. Barnam.

Uma is doing great.
We had a repeat of the first day, except that the arguments were not as fierce.
I started out with my pulling, yanking, harassing monkey routine, instead of waiting for her to initiate the argument.
Uma thinks I'm an idiot, but she was caught, and bridled with a minimum of nonsense.
After I longed her, and explained to her that the bucking thing was still a no no, I got on.
We rode around for about 20 minutes or so.
She's a throw the reins out, and go down the road kind of gal.
When we were done I got off, loosened my cinch, and led her to the tie rail.
I got a friendly sniff at my elbow from Uma.
I didn't pet her, praise her, or give her a treat.
I just tied her up and went on with my day.
When I put her up she was brighter eyed and more relaxed than she's been since I got her.
I think Peg will do fine with this mare, if she's the kind of horse she wants.
Peg did let me know that she can catch her and longe her with no problem at this point in time.
So Uma/B.O.B. was trying her stuff out on me.
The key is that Peg doesn't feel safe riding her.
I get that.
Uma is tolerating Peg. But she still thinks she's in charge.
Peg has the ability to ride this mare.
It will come down to if she wants to. It will be interesting to see how things change through the 30 days I'll be working with them.
Later.

Horse Whispering in Maui

OMG.
I am so chucking this training crap and becoming a horse whisperer. I found a guy that does clinics in the mountains of Colorado, and also in Maui.
I have no idea if he is any good.
I have no idea if I would be any good.
I just have to convince someone in Maui that I'm good.
I'm gonna pick my five good things to teach and start up my whispering.
I looked this guy up.
He's dapper. He has a really cool hat.
His really cool shirt had lots of shiny buttons on it.
He wears his gloves tucked into his chinks.
I bet he had a duster for when it gets cold.
He has a round pen, and a flag.
Most of his clinics leave riding as an option.
OK, I need to be fair here.
I read some of his training tips. He seems good minded, like he knows his stuff.
He generously answers questions sent to him.
He'll be quick to tell somebody to get professional help if it's a dangerous situation.
Maybe I'm just jealous.
I wear faded Walmart Wranglers until they fall off me in shreds.
I've just switched to my "spring" flannel, a cheaper weight of shirt than my "winter" flannel.
My cool hat is the inevitable sweat stained baseball cap you see on every eastern Colorado head.
I'm pretty geeky looking. A little lumberjackish.
I would still love to whisper in Maui though.
Maybe I should get some chinks.

Ahhhh....Clinicians

For years, when I am tired, frustrated, or broke, (yeah, yeah, most of the time) I have been known to say, "I'm going to do learn five things really well, and then I'm going to become a clinician."
When I first started training full time I realized I was woefully behind the times. While I was still using the Monte Foreman techniques I had learned in high school, Round Pen Reasoning was hitting the scene. Go ahead, look up old Monte, I dare you.
Anyway, a horsey friend showed me a grainy, cheesy video of a guy running a horse around a round pen, and eventually getting that horse to load itself into a trailer.
I was intrigued.
That was my introduction to John Lyons.
I played with the little bit that I picked up with our ranch horses. I got them to "join up", it was pretty fun.
Soon, I was told by another newby trainer that John was full of crap (I don't feel that way personally) and I needed to see Ray Hunt. So I did. Whoa baby, did that guy open my eyes. To this day, I bow down in awe to Ray Hunt. He shows you his philosophy, if you pick it up, cool, if you don't, he doesn't care.
I really paid attention to what he said and did. Tried it on my horses. Liked what I was getting.
So now I was hooked on these clinicians. I was going to go see whoever, and pick up everything I could. If I couldn't see them I was going to read their stuff.
I threw away everything I thought I knew before. I decided I had been an ignorant fool.. I knew nothing. I completely opened myself to the clinician experience.
Then I went to see a few that made me pause. They all seemed to be doing a variation of what the other guys were doing. They ALL insisted they had discovered this method through their own experience. I noticed a preponderance of special equipment that had to be bought in order to properly implement each training method.
They wore cool hats, had great mustaches, and their horses had tassels hanging everywhere. Don't let me forget the mecate'.
There seemed to be a lot of women following them around.
Everybody wanted to write them checks.
Hmmmm.
I think a good clinician begins by wanting to share information. They see a need for the knowledge they have. They are able to improve a group's horsemanship within a short amount of time by sharing their technique.
They are able to get a pay check while sharing their knowledge. More power to them.
There are a lot of people out there who bought the horse first and asked questions later. They want to get along with their horses and can't.
A good clinic can start you on your way.
It's only a start. It's only a stepping stone.
There isn't a single method that comes from a clinician I saw that is the only way. If that clinician tries to tell you so they are wrong. There isn't a single clinician that knows all the answers. None of these people actually invented these methods. If they tell you they did they are lying. If their clinics smack of an old fashioned medicine show be very, very careful.
Beware of clinicians in cool outfits.
On the other hand, you can learn to be safe from a good clinic. You can learn how to listen to your horse. You can improve your riding and handling skills. You can have your eyes opened to the amazing world of working with your horse.
I think everybody should go to several. I still go to clinics.
Be critical. Be judgmental of the clinician and yourself. Trust your gut.
I still use lots of what I learned from those clinics.
I also find myself often going back to what I learned in the old days. What do you know, it wasn't all crap.
No information is, if you think it through.
No information is gospel.
Except what I tell you.
At my clinics.
Psyche!