How Much Do You Want Your Horse to Know?

  • Can you get your horse to follow you at liberty, without a lead rope?
  • Can you point and have your horse go into a trailer and back out calmly on command?
  • Can you stand on the mounting stand, “draw” your horse to you, and have him stay parked in the proper position for you to mount?

These are challenging things that most horse owners don’t know how to teach their horses to do, and the things I am most often asked to help with.

Oh the stories I could tell!

Every encounter with a horse is an experience worth remembering. Often, we recall some special moment, an accomplished task or even the sound of his neigh… Sometimes, however, it’s almost like the horse decides to tell you his story! These are the tales that really stand out and last long in the the memory of those fortunate enough to share them.

I started out halter breaking two herds, 8 foals each, for Mike and Debbie Teate who had just started their business of breeding Tennessee Walkers, and the “babies” hadn’t had any handling. One herd was yearlings, the other, weanlings. You couldn’t even touch them, let alone start haltering and leading.

Some of the pictures you have in the photo gallery are their horses, but I don’t want those pictures there, as they don’t  demonstrate anything. Only my favorite pictures of me, my husband, and my horses would be in the photo gallery. Including Brandy. Mike’s horses would be pictured in the “colts I’ve trained” page, and I would like to add a little “story” about what the first round pen session was like, and what all they did when I was done.

I have pictures of  training sessions with:

“Chance”, a buckskin, –sequential training sessions with him, that show him turning and facing me at liberty, coming to me,  haltering, and circling

“Angel” (A Palomino) loading in a trailer (a Palomino)

“Prize”–my TW who they gave to me for doing the training. I have some pictures of early ground work, the first saddling, and being ridden. He is now in training with David Alexander to show this summer.

Reven: Another free colt I used in a clinic; he has an interesting story, as he had a developmental deficiency that made him un-ridable, and I ended up giving him away to a good home.

Other horses:

Can I mention the owner’s names?

Mary Stevens and “Merry”

“Misty”–can’t remember the owner’s name right now.

Amy Bragaw’s “Ollie”–walking through a hay ring on it’s side + other pictures of him, and a wonderful write-up by Amy about her experience with the training process.

Carissa Perry–She had a horse that would not load in a trailer,

“Phoenix”–The video clips I sent you and still need to edit