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May 01
Love2

A Late April Blog

By Blog, Uncategorized

MapMarkerApril has come and gone and May will be similar I am sure. Yesterday I returned home from DeGrey Station, in the Pilbera of Western Australia. While every year is always a great experience for all. This year everyone made great progress in both their  horsemanship, cattle work and overall stockmanship. The Bettini family who own DeGrey Station put a lot of effort into training their staff and this was showing through with individuals really trying hard throughout the course. The image below shows Mark Bettini riding a young 2 year old horse, we started last year and rode a couple of times and bought back in this year as a 3 year old.  All went well and we picked up from where we left off. When you take the time it takes and the horse gets confident you will often pick up where you left off, even if it was 12 months ago.

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During the course riders had 2 horses, in the morning they would ride one set of horses and in the afternoon the second set of horses. The morning horses were young horses that had been started. In the mornings we would work through some ground exercises and ride, with afternoon sessions then following on from the morning sessions with the older horses, that were already in the mustering string. We also would have cattle to work with in the afternoon sessions. The image below was of one of the morning sessions where we turned the young horses loose and moved them around to expose them to the saddle a little more at a walk, trot and canter. On the last day, riders were tracking cattle around on the young horses, I am sure that these horses will also soon move into the mustering string. When horses and riders have a purpose it gives a reason for the principle.

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This coming month I have a full young horse intake and a course in Gatton, Queensland, This course can be viewed on the course schedule page of my website. In June, I travel back into the U.K. for 2 months again, my UK schedule can be viewed on the website. For those interested in courses or young horse starting in the U.K. please contact Tina at:  [email protected] ,   Buck Brannaman will also be in the U.K. in June.

 

Mar 22
Love1

An Aust Autumn or U.K. Spring

By Uncategorized

MapMarker

I have just returned from the U.S. where I was attending the Legacy of Legends event. It was great seeing how this event has grown over the short number of years that it has been going. This year I believe audience numbers were up on previous years and if the weather in the U.S. had been kinder, numbers could well have increased again. It was good to see this event well supported from not only the U.S. but particularly from the U.K., Australia and Dubai. As I heard mentioned once, you can travel to the other side of the world to see the same faces.

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After Legacy I was able to catch up with Craig Johnson from the reining world and finally to track down a guy who I rode cutting horses with back in the late 80s. The following weekend after Legacy I went to one of Buck Brannaman’s courses just outside of Dallas. While there were many horsemanship lessons to take away from the 4 day course. An enjoyable part of Buck’s course and Legacy event was listening to the stories that Buck and others had of their experiences of both Ray and Tom. Over time lessons and stories can be diluted and turned into something that was never intended. So when you hear those stories and lessons from Buck they are closer to the original version.

In last months blog I had a short Q & A of questions asked during courses and due to the response, I have continued with this format.

 


DSC00130This was not a question but a comment that Buck made during his course in Texas. ” A horse will not be emotionally stable until they are in balance.”  There is much to consider with these few words.

Q A question that comes up periodically when starting horses is what cues due you use to canter?

A With a young horse that only has a few rides they are not going to understand your cues for canter.  [ Also if a rider has feet and hands going all over the place to get the horse into the canter they are going to be giving many cues ]   While you may have to initially use the end of your lead rope or mecate to get the horse into the canter as this transition becomes smoother and you are doing less you should try and feel which lead the horse is apt to take when they are making this transition into the canter. So as opposed to trying to cue the horse onto the left or right lead you are trying to time your asking for the lead for when the horse is set up to take that lead.  It is really about timing your “thoughts” to that of the horse and feeling when the horse is ready or setup to take the lead.

 

 

Feb 27
Love1

February’s Q & A Blog

By Blog, Food for thought, Uncategorized

MapMarkerIt is not that long ago that I was writing January’s blog and now we are at the end of February. Last week I was in Perth, Western Australia holding a week long course  hosted by Andrew and Maike Turnbull and the weekend before in Eidsvold, Queensland with the Pony Club.  It was good  to see the improvement in riders in both courses. The town of Eidsvold did experience an earthquake the following morning, hopefully riders will not remember the course because of the earthquake. Many topics were covered in the Perth course from ground work and the use of the round pen to lead changes and trailer loading.

All the young horses have now gone home with the next intake being in May. There are still positions available for those that are interested.DSC00088In writing these blogs it can at times be thought provoking as to what is going to be of help to everyone. For this month and the next I am going to have a brief  Q & A. of the questions or discussions that are asked during courses.  [ Please appreciate that this is the abbreviated version of the questions and replies ]

Q In an afternoon session after the course in Perth, the question of cow working was asked in relation to horsemanship.

A In reply I said that I had always felt that I could help a horse more when I was outside an arena than in an arena. As a result of time spent in the Northern Hemisphere I had to learn how to use an arena environment. While there are positives to both, an arena helps you to ride with more accuracy. Riding outside particularly when you  have a job helps your horse to become more forward going and confident and gives a purpose and a meaning to the horse, this can often be hidden or neglected in an arena environment. Riding outside shows the holes in your horsemanship and equally riding in an arena will also show the holes in your horsemanship, it is how you fill those holes so that you can do both and not have a change in the way your horse rides.

Q This was more of a discussion than a question and was on relaxation in the horse.

A My view is formed from my own experiences and those of my peers. Often to get a change on the outside of the horse you have to get that change to come from within the horse. Many see the scared horse from the outside and it may be necessary to help the horse gain confidence in the human and themselves by rubbing with a flag or  lead rope etc to be able to saddle and then ride. Some riders may need to do more  than others. An approach when riding to help the horse let down, is when the  rider can move with the horse without blocking, restricting or confining through their body and tack, while directing the horse’s feet and life until they have a rhythm within that gait or movement. As the rhythm of the gait or movement becomes stronger and consistent then this often shows on the outside of the horse in the form of the horse letting down and becoming relaxed. You may only be walking or doing an exercise slowly and in time the understanding and relaxation comes through. This is not just true when riding but also when we are ground working our horses as well. This also an example of where you are allowing the horse to learn the lesson. Many horses will not be made to learn the lesson.

On Thursday of this week I will be travelling to Texas in the U.S. for the Legacy of Legends event. More information can be found on the website www.alegacyoflegends.com 

I have also added the 3rd article to the  three part series Feel. Timing & Balance it can be viewed on the blog page of the website. My end of year course schedule for Australia and New Zealand is also being updated for the end of the year. If you are wanting to host a course or need more information then please email: [email protected]

 

Jan 27
Love0

The Start of the New Year

By Blog, Uncategorized

MapMarkerThe start of the new year is now well and truly upon us all. I still have young horses in  and they will all go back to their owners over the next few weeks. The next intake will be in May, places are limited so please book in early to secure a place. In March this year I will attend the 997049_590194787769690_8084338745135303709_n Legacy of Legends in Fort Worth, Texas. My U.K. schedule starts again at the beginning of July, dates are on the website for viewing.  There are still some course dates available for my Australian  schedule at the end of the year. In the next few weeks the last article in the Feel, Timing and Balance series will be available for viewing on the website as well.

I have just returned from Melbourne from a 3 day course with U.S. jumping legend George Morris.  While I was only a spectator it was a very educational course for everyone. The principles of horsemanship apply to all disciplines, George Morris covered many  horsemanship subjects in a similar manor as I have heard many of my peers speak. Some of the material cover through out the course was the;  importance of riding position, learning to carry your hands, having your horse’s poll be the highest point, inside leg to outside rein and riding leg to hand. Exercises in counting strides, lead changes and lateral work were also covered in the 3 days.  All the riders and their horses made improvement throughout the 3 days and will have a lot of information to soak on for some time. In finishing the course the comment was made that the horse was to precious to compromise.

I have upcoming courses in Qld at  Eidsvale and in W.A. in Perth in February, the course in Eidsvale is a 2 day course with the pony club. The Perth course is a 5 day course and  is being hosted by Andrew Turnbull and his wife. In April I will be back at Degrey Station outside Port Hedland Western Australia for 2 weeks. For more information on courses and schedules please check the website or email i[email protected]