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Bucking
V Outfit
Crow Country Curly Horses
horsemanship
page |
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articles and links that I believe give
an excellent introduction to the foundation
philosophy of "excellent horsemanship"
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RESPECT & TRUST vs. INJURY
~ Bob Russell's Horse & Rider Education
I have seen a tremendous increase in the number of horse
related injuries to horse owners in the past few years. I know of more injuries
during the past 3 years than during the previous 10 years. ... I believe
that 99% of all of these horse related injuries could have been avoided or
at the least minimized if the riders had possessed 2 things from their horses:
RESPECT and TRUST.
Respect & trust are the basis for all relationships
within the horse's world. If a horse is a worthy leader he is respected and
trusted. Horses learn to respect those horses above them and through this
respect they learn to trust those same horses. The head horse in a herd has
earned that position by gaining the respect and trust of every horse in the
herd. Whether the herd is 2, 20 or 200 makes no difference.
There are a series of consequences to all of this respect
and trust. The other horses do not invade the personal space of the head
horse. The other horses will pay total attention to the head horse and do
whatever he leads them to do. The other horses will place their lives in
their leader's care. The last thing any of them want to do is to injure the
head horse. The same dynamic applies to humans and horses. But only if the
human becomes the "head horse" by gaining respect and trust from the horses
in the herd.
Gaining a horses's respect and trust should be, in my
opinion, a major goal for all horse-owners simply as a foundation upon which
to build the ultimate horse to human relationship. I believe that respect
and trust are the most important elements in every horse to human relationship.
It has taken me years and hundreds of horses to figure out just how important
respect and trust really are around the horse world. Why has gaining a horse's
respect and trust become so important to me? Over the years I have developed
a terrific allergy toward pain. Specifically, the pains associated with
horse-related injuries. Injuries and their associated pains are a tremendous
educator, attitude adjuster and perspective creator. There is not a horseman
out there who has been bucked off into the dirt and not thought: "I don't
want to do that again!" Experiencing pain or just having the wind knocked
out of you creates a big incentive to not have it happen again. Working with
horses full time has given me a different perspective than the average horse
owner because I deal with more potential horse-related injuries per month
than most horse owners will deal with in a lifetime. I have experienced many
painful injuries and as a consequence have been educated, had my attitude
adjusted and have learned a different perspective. Almost all of my
past horse-related injuries have come from working with horses that did not
respect or trust humans.
A very good friend of mine experienced her first serious
horse-related injury a few years ago. She had owned a very nice stallion
for a number of years. He was quiet and well mannered. They went everywhere
together: trail rides, clinics, all kinds of horse events. Their relationship
was a good one until the day she was painfully injured. It seems she got
caught between her stallion and a mare when her stallion decided she was
invading his harem. The bite he inflicted nearly crushed her hand. The physical
pain was tremendous. The emotional pain was worse. The disbelief of her injury
led to distrust for her horse which ultimately led to fear and intimidation
of her horse. All this in the matter of maybe a few hours or even a few minutes.
Her entire relationship with her horse would never be the same. She now had
a different perspective of her horse. One experience with a painful injury
made her more aware of not only what did happen but what could happen again.
She had her stallion gelded shortly thereafter.
Why did this happen? I believe that my friend's horse
neither respected nor trusted her. I also believe that my friend was not
fully aware of her responsibilities in the relationship. Her horse did not
respect nor trust her and she did not notice. Her horse was the head
horse and she did not notice. A horseman once said; "Your horse always notices
when you notice or don't notice." In other words, your horse notices when
he has done something disrespectful or distrustful and you correct him. This
helps to create respect and trust. He also notices when you do not notice
that he got away with something. This helps to create disrespect and
distrust.
My experience has shown me that horses do not respect
and trust someone one moment, but not the next. Respect and trust are not
situational. Once a horse respects and trusts someone then it is relatively
easy to maintain that respect and trust. Now, this is not to suggest that
just because a horse respects and trusts someone that they will never
be injured. However, I do believe that the chances of being injured are
substantially reduced.
How can you tell if your horse respects and trusts you?
Here are some simple questions for you to answer about your horse:
Does your horse always face you and never point his butt at you?
Does your horse come to you without a bribe? (leading, halter-breaking)
Does your horse move away from you on the ground when asked? (driving)
Does your horse stay out of your personal space?
Does your horse stand quietly next to you without rubbing on you?
Does your horse stand still when you mount?
Does your horse load into a trailer without a bribe?
(this added by me:) Is your horse gentle? Can you always
pet every inch of your horse's body?
If all of your answers are "YES: then you have gained
your horse's respect and trust. Your chances of being injured are minimized.
If any of your answers are "NO" then you have not quite gained your horse's
respect and you know what areas to work on. Your chances of being injured
are increased. If all of your answers are "NO" then find someone who can
help you work with your horse. Your chances of being injured are great.
Once your horse respects and trusts you:
He will try his best to stay out of your personal space.
(Minimizing physical contact, minimizing potential injury)
He will pay total attention to you and try to do whatever you ask.
(Maximizing communication, minimizing potential injury)
He will believe in you as a good leader and follow you anywhere.
(Maximizing focus on you, minimizing potential injury)
Once a horse respects and trusts his rider there are
no limits to the potential of their relationship.
taken with much gratitude from:
Montana Horseman's Journal Volume 9, Issue 3, March 2001 page
16. |
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ooops! halter-"breaking" - the hard way!
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Bob Russell TALKING HORSES ....
STANDARDS BOUNDARIES AND HORSES
~ Bob Russell's Horse & Rider Education
It seems that everything we
do in life is based on some set of standards. We all try to live by our own
morals and ethics on an everyday basis. We set standards by which we want
our children to grow up. We set standards for our society in the form of
laws and regulations. Perhaps an easier way to relate to the concept of standards
is to look at them as boundaries. These boundaries define the limits of what
is allowable and acceptable behavior.
When it comes to horses we should always set some standards
or boundaries. Horsemanship is basically the concept of setting boundaries
for our horse and then helping him learn to maintain those boundaries. For
instance, with a weanling just learning to be led, the boundaries would only
allow taking a forward step when someone pulled pressure into the lead rope.
Every other response from the weanling would be outside of the boundaries
and therefore the pressure on the rope would not be released until he took
that forward step. Setting boundaries is very easy; all horse owners do it
multiple times every hour they spend with their horse. The following are
four examples of boundaries commonly required by horseowners but just as
commonly ignored by horses:
Requiring your horse:
to walk up to you to be haltered (instead of running
off).
to have ground manners (instead of invading your space).
to stand still when you are mounting (instead of moving).
to stop when and where asked (instead of not stopping).
The secret to horsemanship is not the setting of boundaries;
it is the maintaining or enforcing of boundaries. This is the challenge and
responsibility of the horseman. The best method of enforcing boundaries is
to make everything outside of the established boundary very busy, (lots of
work), while everything inside of the boundary very relaxed, (lots less
work).
As an example, if you require your horse to walk
up to you to be haltered but he chooses to run off, then make him run
more than he chooses until he comes back to you inside the boundary, (busy
outside-relaxed inside). Every time you approach your horse, if he moves
off make him run, if he comes to you pet him and say, "Good boy." This is
the basis of the success of the "round pen" as a training tool.
A round pen is a great tool for establishing this boundary.
Your horse does all of the work running around the outside of the circle
while you stand on the inside doing very little work. It is up to your horse
to realize that it is easier to be with you on the inside than it is to be
running on the outside. It is up to you to be patient and wait for your horse
to come to you. Do this every time your horse chooses to go outside of the
boundary.
If you require your horse to have ground manners
but he chooses to invade your space by bumping you or rubbing on you or stepping
on you, then tap him on the side of his muzzle rhythmically, (tap, tap, tap,
tap, tap, etc.), until he moves his head and one of his front feet laterally
away from you, (use as much pressure on the "taps" as is necessary to make
him move away), then stop all the "taps", (busy outside-relaxed inside).
Do this every time your horse chooses to go outside of the boundary by invading
your space.
If you require your horse to stand still when you
are mounting but he chooses to walk off, then, holding the inside rein,
tap him on the side of his hindquarters rhythmically until he moves his
hindquarters laterally away from you a few steps, then stop the tapping.
Do this every time your horse chooses to go outside of the boundary.
The most common boundary I see riders and their horses
working on is "Requiring your horse to stop when and where asked".
This is also the most unsuccessful boundary I see being maintained.
Last year I attended a Les Vogt clinic and one of the
words of wisdom he shared was: "The five things a well-trained horse should
do: STOP, STOP, STOP, STOP and STOP."
It is very easy to set a boundary that our horse stops
when and where we ask. However, it is a bit more difficult to maintain that
boundary. The basic reasons for this are our lack of patience and our horse's
responses to our lack of patience. Always remember that patience is a virtue
when working with a horse. Patience is necessary for consistently maintaining
boundaries. If we look at the steps in teaching this boundary we can see
why patience is such an important part.
Boundary: "Stop when and where asked".
Step One: With your horse moving forward sit down into
the saddle, maintain lower leg pressure while applying slight rein pressure
on the bit and say, "Whoa". Maintain all of the above with no increase in
any pressure until your horse stops all forward motion and takes two steps
backward then release all rein and leg pressure. Go to Step Two.
Step Two A: If ANY forward movement by your horse occurs
after Step Two then go directly back to Step One. If NO forward movement
occurs go to Step Three.
Step Two B: If ANY head tossing or pulling occurs
immediately back your horse two steps by leaning back in the saddle, applying
lower leg and rein pressure. At exactly two steps release all rein and leg
pressure and sit up in the saddle. If NO head tossing or pulling occurs go
to Step Three. If ANY head tossing or pulling occurs go back to Step Two
B.
Step Three: Repeat Step One and Step Two many, many
times until your horse stops with the lightest cues at the walk consistently.
Then move on to the trot with Step One and Step Two and then move on to the
lope with Step One and Step Two and then move on to the gallop with Step
One and Step Two. Do not move on to any other gait until the previous gait's
stop has been accomplished. Your horse should now understand and be able
to maintain the Boundary: "stop when and where asked".
This all sounds pretty simple. It is only three steps.
But if it so simple why is stopping a horse "where and when asked" the number
one problem area amongst riders?
To borrow from Les Vogt: PATIENCE, PATIENCE, PATIENCE,
PATIENCE, and PATIENCE!
Steps One through Four are relatively simply and would
appear to be relatively easy to accomplish. However, they are also potentially
very, very repetitive and BORING! Repetitive and boring is how riders would
characterize everything described above. However, to a horse "repetitive"
is never boring: it is his only way to learn and to become enlightened. A
horse is willing to learn through repetition, while a rider becomes bored
by repetition. This is exactly why the following things happen:
Step One: Your horse does not stop fast enough so you
apply more pressure. Your horse responds by locking his jaw, raising his
head, running onto his front legs and applying more pressure to your reins.
You get a bit frustrated and start pumping or seesawing the reins with more
pressure. Your horse responds by locking his jaw more, raising his head more,
running onto his front legs more and applying more pressure to your reins.
Finally, you are standing up out of the saddle for more leverage and your
horse's jaw is as locked as it can get, his head is as high as it will go,
he is standing on his front legs, the reins are beginning to stretch and
the two of you "stop". You have just taught your horse to be pretty ugly
when stopping.
Step Two and Step Three are a long, long way down the
road. Patience has lost out to impatience. Teaching has lost out to frustration.
Willingness has lost out to confusion. Both horse and rider are lost in a
now ongoing battle. The battle will continue until the rider can find the
way back to establishing boundaries through patience.
Patience is the key to maintaining an established boundary.
You must be patient enough to take the time to always recognize when your
horse has crossed a boundary line and then, take the time to correct him
and re-establish the boundary line.
Your horse will test your patience time and time again.
This is very similar to the behavior of young children. A child will ask
to do something over and over again no matter how many times the parent may
say no. If the parent gives in and ultimately says yes then the child has
learned that no means nothing. One boundary line, (the parent's), has been
crossed and another, (the child's), has been established. Does the term "spoiled
child" start to ring a bell here? Your horse learns in exactly the same way.
If you want your horse to perform within certain boundaries
then you must have the patience to stick with the repetition required to
teach him where those boundaries exist. You must also have the patience to
be totally consistent in maintaining those boundaries. EVERY TIME your horse
crosses any boundary line it is your responsibility to correct him.
IF YOU DO NOT CONSISTENTLY HELP YOUR HORSE UNDERSTAND THE BOUNDARIES THEN
HE WILL IGNORE ALL BOUNDARIES AND BECOME SPOILED.
Bobby Atwood once said, "A spoiled horse leads to a
ruined horse".
Be patient, establish and maintain boundaries, set higher
standards for you and your horse and discover the wonders of horsemanship.
taken with much gratitude from:
Montana Horseman's
Journal
P.O. Box 507 • Stanford,
MT 59479 • 406/566-2200
Email:
7mhjrnl@3rivers.net
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Riders on the Edge of Night
- Christopher Marona
"The Horse Who Kills You Has Warned You
First"
~ this article by Sheila Green has become something
of a classic
We interrupt our regularly-scheduled litany of
"show-'em-who's-boss" responses featuring babble about shopworn yet ineffectual
methods of proving only that the offerers are devoid of both constraint and
cognizance, to insert a word of sanity in the interlude so generated among
those chanting "whip them, beat them, and call them nasty names" and present
the truly functional technique for avoidance of equine-inflicted damage to
humans:
Take the damn beasts at face value, not as some kind
of imaginary friends. One needs not be less intelligent than the animal,
but that would seem to be the case whenever one chooses to ignore the realities
of their behaviors and the significance to them of the herd hierarchy and
its requirements.
Horses will very distinctly present their opinions of
humanity to those who take the modicum of time and effort it requires to
discern this. Those horses who do not willingly submit to human dominance
are not properly trained and invariably pose a significant risk to anyone
around them.
The technique involved in properly initiating or restoring
this appropriately submissive (read "respectful" rather than "fearful") state
of affairs to the horse doesn't require the idiocy of pounding on the animal
in any way shape or form.
I've said before that when John Lyons tells people to
let a horse think they're gonna "kill" him for biting, he's just let them
miss the boat all over again. The reality of the situation is that the only
times horses bite, kick, strike, or otherwise inflict intentional damage
on people is when they have already been allowed for some time to believe
that this will be acceptable.
Do horses unfamiliar with each other just walk up and
start biting and kicking? No, they use a significant amount of body language
first to establish dominance, which when done authoritatively by one or the
other can entirely preclude any such contact subsequently. The real fights
erupt when neither can convince the other to submit via more immediate means,
and if a human lets it get that far that human must have 'being compost'
as his highest and best use anyway.
You dominate a horse very easily and gently, simply by
never letting him dominate you. You don't let him look at you as if to push
you around. You don't let him touch you. You don't get out of his way, you
make him get out of yours. You don't let him think that you will ever give
an inch. You can enforce all this with nothing more than your voice, soft
but firm touches, and the willingness to brandish a longue whip to emphasize
your point.
You dominate the horse in his field, in his stall, as
he eats, as he plays, as he exists in entirety. You don't do the beast any
favors if you think you'd like to pretend he's in charge; he can't understand
that it wouldn't mean he's thus allowed to literally kick you around. In
the horse's world you're either the boss or a potential victim. You can assert
your intent on being the boss and nothing but from the very first second
you approach a horse, and if you don't you have to expect to get hurt.
I've cultivated the ability to approach horses with whom
I'm entirely unfamiliar in such a way as to convince them through visual
input alone that I am simply not to be fooled with. It's worked time and
again when I've been called in to deal with "vicious" stallions and the like,
but I'd use it in some measure with about any horse. I stand up tall, I move
boldly and openly, I quickly take possession of the animal's space, and I
will accept absolutely NO attempt on the horse's part to dominate me, while
expecting any beast worth his salt to try.
If a horse gives me a pushy look, I'll squeal at him,
show him the whip, or, in the vast majority of the cases, simply use my hands
to gently shove his head out of my space.
If a horse switches his tail at me, or stomps, or moves
toward me uninvited, I'll move in on him immediately and apply the
above-mentioned techniques as appropriate. When I move toward a horse I don't
know, I approach his center of gravity from the side, and if he doesn't fold
before I get within range I'll touch him with the whip, on top of the croup
or under the belly, to ask him to step aside. Once he does that, he has begun
to submit.
It's that easy: don't let them decide that you're a lesser
member of the herd at any time, unless you want to be treated like one (read
"get hurt"). If you let them make faces at you, you're telling them it's
ok to move in on you. If you let them move in on you, you're telling them
it's ok to push on you. If you let them push on you, you're telling them
it's ok to bite, step on, strike, or kick you, and it's only a matter of
time before they'll do so. Rest assured that it will be entirely deliberate
on the horse's part when it does, in fact, happen, as well.
In contrast, all you have to do is get the horse to notice
that you have the right to move in on and touch him, without letting him
do anything of the sort, and you've convinced him of your relative standings.
No hitting, no kicking, no whipping or yelling or otherwise making a fool
of yourself will work in the absence of this, and all of that idiocy is thus
rendered unecessary thereby anyway.
I would ask those who want to tell others to bash a horse
after the behavior has occurred just how such a stupid idea would help someone
who has in fact already been so badly injured by the horse that such response
is impossible? Once your brainpan has just been pulverized, no such "method"
will be useful at all.
In short: pay attention to the horse. Make him pay attention
to you. Insist on manners and don't take no for an answer. Your life and/or
somebody else's depends on your ability to head off rather than deal in hindsight
with such problems.
taken with much gratitude from:
Subject: Repost: "The Horse Who Kills You Has Warned You First"
From: SheilaGreen@Freedom
Date: 1997/07/31
Newsgroups: rec.equestrian
|
Deb Bennet's Horse Training
Commandments
©1999 by Deb Bennett, reposted on internet with
permission
THOU SHALT NOT SCARE THY HORSE TO DEATH
Neither because you're mad, nor by the force of your aids, nor by the
force of your personal energy. When your horse makes a mistake, it is not
your business to punish, but to teach - and re-teach.
THOU SHALT NOT GET THY HORSE IN TROUBLE
So that he loses his perfect inner comfort; nay, not even because you yourself
are brave. Your main aim is to help your horse stay 100% OK 100% of the time.
For your bravery does not help him; what he needs is help finding courage
within himself. Nor does he understand your "performance requirements." For
truly, no amount of performance nor degree of obedience is justified when
it is not the horse's idea as much as yours.
THOU SHALT NOT REST AT THE BARN Neither
should you always get off your horse there. Instead, either tie your horse
up at the barn, or find some busy work to do there. Don't ride him away from
the barn in order to work him - ride him away from the barn in order to rest
him!
THOU SHALT NOT WORK THY HORSE HARD Without
thorough warm-up, nor ask of him more work far away from the barn than at
the barn, nor overmuch at any time. Remember that your horse learns only
upon release and reflection. Blessed is the time of quiet unity which often
comes at the end of a ride; blessed is him who would rather play with his
horse's tail. And blessed are the little children, for they know not the
meaning of hardness and contest.
THOU SHALT NOT RENDER THY HORSE'S BODY
HARD Nay, not even in quest of "fitness." Remember that the horse's
heart is already created bigger and his muscles stronger than those of any
other creature. Hardness of muscle deprives your horse's joints of range
of motion. O vain human! Your plans for fitness are no more than legs upon
a snake, and your failures in competition are the result of your own errors.
THOU SHALT NOT PUT THY PETTY AMBITIONS AHEAD OF
THY HORSE'S WELFARE For truly, no horse knows the cut of your
saddle, the style of your hat, the color of your ribbon, the time on your
watch, nor the smell of your money.
THOU SHALT NOT HANG UPON THE REINS Neither
through thoughtlessness nor because some "authority" has taught you that
this is necessary. Never pick up the rein unless you intend to wait at the
same pressure until there is a change in the neck and a change in the feet.
And when there is a change - then you shall release!
THOU SHALT NOT PULL You shall not turn
your horse's head and neck away from the direction of his attention. For
truly where his eyeballs point, there also shall his feet be pointing --
no matter how hard you drag on his head. Horses do not steer from the head;
they steer from the brain. Therefore shalt thou call the birdie.
THOU SHALT LEARN TO USE THE OUTSIDE REIN
WELL You shall not steer; but instead, you shall prevent the horse
from turning away. You shall call the birdie into the turn, knowing this
will turn the feet as well as shaping up the body. You shall guide the inside
forefoot by connecting that rein to it, and you shall anchor the outside
hind foot by feeling of it. And to stop you shall stop the feet, not the
face. And when thus for a time you shall have turned and stopped, so that
the horse's body and postural habits shall have developed, truly will you
call that collection.
THOU SHALT LEARN TO WAIT FOR THE HORSE TO
RELEASE And if he does not release, you shall continue to wait
at the same pressure. And while waiting you shall not move your hand forward,
neither shall you move it back, nor yet shall you repeat your first request,
but you shall simply wait!
THOU SHALT NOT TRY TO OBTAIN COLLECTION BY "CAPTURING
THE FACE" OR MERELY BENDING THE NECK Nor through a "head set,"
nor by means of a "frame," neither by "pushing the horse forward from the
seat and leg into a fixed hand," nor yet by leaning back to "weight the
hindquarters." For these are the dictates of ignorance. Thou shalt remember
that a horse is "on the bit" when every change in the rein creates an equivalent
change in the hindquarters. This saying is correct, and implies humane and
intelligent technique; but even technique shall pass away. Yet unto those
that live all these commandments, collection shall be given: for the truth
is, the horse collects from his innermost self, out of the joy of his being;
he teaches people what collection is, and for this he needs no help from
you.
THOU SHALT MAKE THE WRONG THING DIFFICULT AND THE
RIGHT THING EASY - BUT THOU SHALT EMPHASIZE MAKING THE RIGHT THING
EASY How easy it is for us to make it tough on the horse when
he makes a mistake! How difficult to create ways to make doing the right
thing easy and obvious!
THOU SHALT STRIVE TO GET YOUR HORSE TO WHERE HE
WANTS TO BE WITH YOU MORE THAN HE WANTS TO BE ANYWHERE ELSE For
truly, your ability to create ways to do this is the measure of your
intelligence, and this shall be the measure by which results are measured
out to you.
|
|
Tom Dorrance
Limited Edition Print of the Tom Dorrance
Benefit in Ft. Worth, TX. Print shows Ray Hunt, Buck Brannaman, Pat Parelli,
Bryan Neubert, Dennis Reis, Peter Campbell, Mark Rashid, Larry Mahan, Chris
Cox, Ray Berta, Joe Wolter, Harry Whitney, and many more clinicians standing
together at the Ft. Worth Stock Yards. |
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Favorite Horsemanship Links
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First, this is a list of trainers who are humble & credit all those they
learn from;
Second, these trainers follow many traditional Vaquero horse handling
methods
- Tom Dorrance
(deceased)
- Bill
Dorrance (Leslie Desmond) (deceased)
- Ray Hunt's
Website (deceased)
- Richard Caldwell
living master of the old vaquero style of horsemanship
- Mike Bridges living
master of the old vaquero style of horsemanship
- Martin Black living
master of the old vaquero style of horsemanship
- Buck Brannaman
- Bryan
Neubert
- Peter
Campbell
- Joe Wolter
- Tom Curtin
- Greg Eliel
- Richard Thompson
- Steve
Mantle's Wild Horse Clinics
- Terry
Church - Dorrance + Sporthorse Dressage
- Harry
Whitney
"In a perfect world horses would all be trained the old traditional
vaquero way which factored in the impact to young horse's bodies
of too much, too soon. Years ago, horses were not started until
they were 5-6 years old. Nowadays, with so much pressure to start
horses at 2 years old, the old ways have been adapted so that 2
year olds are just lightly ridden to prevent damage to growing bones
and joints. This is in contrast to modern training where many young
show horses are started at two years old and rammed and jammed during
their formative years ending up physically and emotionally ruined
by five years old. Most modern horses are started in a snaffle bit,
and are often ridden their entire lives that way. The old way is
to start a horse in a snaffle bit or start the horse right from
the gitgo in a hackamore, making sure that, especially thru the
fourth year, when the horses' teeth are in transition, that the
horse's sensitive mouth is protected by going bitless with the hackamore.
At the beginning of the fifth year, the horse's teeth are full size
and now there is a good environment for him/her to start packing
a bit using a "2-rein." Control is still with a small
hackamore, but the young horse can carry the bit and get used to
it for another year to year and a half before he gradually transitions
to "straight up" in the bridle. Everything is done slowly
during this time as a solid foundation is carefully built physically
and emotionally for the horse. The ultimate goal is to put the horse
into a spade "signal" bit but not many horsemen know how
to do this anymore! This process, along with traditional vaquero
training techniques, results in the highest level of harmony and
communication with the horse that can be achieved in ranch riding.
These old vaquero traditions are not seen much anymore except throughout
the Great Basin.
"After extensive research, Richard Caldwell, Mike Bridges
and Martin Black are the three living masters of old-style vaquero
horsemanship that I recommend to learn from. It is especially important
to have a solid understanding of traditional gear and how it should
be used and these three are sticklers for keeping and teaching the
old traditions. Be sure and read the info written about and by Bridges
on these links: Bridles
to the Past (about Mike Bridges) by Robert Miller Western Horseman
May 1996. Check out this Martin Black video about the
2-Rein Also check out this Martin Black youtube video on the
spade bit horse... Martin Black on the
Hackamore And, new... A DVD about "Traditional Vaquero
Gear" by Richard Caldwell...(order from his website)."
~ Mary Williams Hyde (Buckaroo
Country)
You might pay attention to who is not included on my link list...
Anyone who boasts to have come up with the most natural method
of horse handling, single handedly, are not on this list.
If I have missed someone who belongs on this list, email
me.
"...Now you got me going. I detest clinicians that need an
ergonomically engineered extension of his hand. Is he afraid to
get that close to the horse? Does he have an allergy that prevents
him from actually touching a horse? Looks like a ski pole with that
web looking thing on the bottom removed.
How about the guy that twirls his loooooong lead rope and slaps
the horse with it to get it to move. What is his problem? Can't
push the horse over.
Give me that hand extension or that loooong lead and I'll make them
move too.
It seems that all these new TV star clinicians have some kind of
gimmick or gadget that they are selling instead of training the
horse.
Where is Richard Caldwell and the other guys in here when we need
them?"
~ Doc
- Less
is More (lots of links)
- Gentling
& Training Wild Horses
- NaturalHorsemanship.biz
- Good
Horsemanship (German)
- Forum
für Horsemanship (German)
- Good
Horsemanship (French)
- Eclectic
Horseman Magazine
- the Trail Less
Traveled Magazine
- Rope-Halters.com
(not in production yet)
|
#~~~~~~#~~~~~~#~~~~~~#~~~~~~#~~~~~~#~~~~~~#~~~~~~#~~~~~~#
Indians - CHARACTER
Lithograph 22 x 28 in - $12.99
A “War Horse” is the term given to someone who has
lived through many hardships and can always be relied on.
"The horse.
Here is nobility without conceit;
friendship without envy;
beauty without vanity.
A willing servant, yet no slave."
~ Ronald Duncan
"In my opinion, a horse is the animal to have.
Eleven hundred pounds of raw muscle, power, grace and sweat between your
legs
-- it's something you just can't get from a pet hamster."
~ Anonymous
"Horses know nothing of money, status, beauty or accomplishment…
Horses see only our hearts, and they accept or reject us based on what they
find within…
In short, horses do naturally what humans can pass a lifetime without ever
mastering."
~ Author Mary Miidkiff, quoted in the Denver
Post
I care not for a man's religion whose dog and cat are not the better for
it."
~ Abraham Lincoln
"God forbid that I should go to any heaven where there are no horses"
~ R.B.Cunningham-Graham
"We can judge the heart of a man by his treatment of animals."
~ Immanuel Kant
"The one best precept - the golden rule in dealing with a horse -
is never to approach him angrily. Anger is so deviod of forethought
that it will often drive a man to do things which in a calmer mood he will
regret.
~Xenophon
"Every animal knows more than you do."
~ Native American Proverb
"Riding: The art of keeping a horse between you and the ground. "
~ The London Times
"It's cactus that makes a good rider."
"There never was a horse that couldn't be rode.
Never a cowboy that couldn't be throwed."
~ old cowboy sayings
"When God created the horse he said to the magnificent creature:
I have made thee as no other.
All the treasures of the earth lie between thy eyes.
Thou shalt carry my friends upon thy back.
Thy saddle shall be the seat of prayers to me.
And thou fly without wings, and conquer without any sword. Oh, horse."
~
Quote of unknown source (often incorrectly attributed
to the Koran)
"If you're not having fun, you're not doing it right"
~ Tina Estridge
"Life's greatest gift is the soft feathery
breath of a horse blowing gently on your neck."
~ Ellen Bancroft's
website
"Small friend, from you we learn
that a horse without a rider is always a horse,
but a rider without a horse is only a man."
~ Hans Heinrich Isenbart
"Be sure you know the condition of your flocks;
give careful attention to your herds."
~ Proverbs 27:23
"A good man is concerned
for the welfare of his animals."
~ Proverbs 12:10
"Properly caring for animals ("beings without fire")
is a sacred responsibility taught by Crow Elders."
~ Burton Pretty On Top, Crow Tribe publicist
The Big Sky Briefs, October 2005
"His neigh is like the bidding of a monarch and his
countenance enforces homage. He is indeed a Horse"
~ William Shakespear
"You can spend a lot of money on a fine dog,
but only kindness will make his tail wag."
~ Will Rogers
"May the trail rise up to greet you as you ride
May the stars reach down and touch you with their light
May the tumbleweeds at play, keep you company by day
And the coyotes serenade you through the night
May no mountain be too high for you to climb
May no river be too rapid or too wide
May your pony serve you well, and take you home to your corral
May the spirit of the prairie be your guide"
~ Dave Stamey, Cowboy Poet
"Riding a horse is not a gentle hobby,
to be picked up and laid down like a game of solitaire.
It is a grand passion.
It seizes a person whole and, once it has done so,
he will have to accept that his life will be radically changed."
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
"She never shook the stars from their appointed courses,
But she loved good men. And she rode good horses."
~ Margot Liberty
Wyoming historian, circa 1900
"There's nothing like the outside of a horse
to help the inside of a person."
"No matter who says what,
don't believe it if your horse says it's a lie."
"Be what you want the world to be."
~ Ghandi
Magpie
Claude Monet
32 in x 24 in
©1991 Bucking V Outfit. All rights
reserved.
©1996 Crow Country Curly Horses.
All rights reserved. |
