Sooper Seekretive!!!

So I went to a clinic this weekend with S&D and it was all about starting and restarting problem horses or young horses SAFELY! The guy giving the clinic had been training horses for well over 35 years, he was AMAZING!!! Now, while we didn't learn a whole lot of new things, it sure did help confirm that what I was doing was pretty damn right on! And I like it! He was firm yet kind at the same time, he was like a male more experienced version of me :) There were a few things that he said that totally made sense too! For example he said he was friends with someone who was an assistant of a famous clinician and they were all at the clinic and he was back "stage" so to speak, and his friend said he had to go prep the clinicians horse. He asked what that meant and the answer he got was "I have a couple hours before he (clinician) needs this horse so I need to spend that time round penning the horse, I need that horse dog tired before the clinician works with him." Hmmmmmmmmmm Funny how that works isn't it??? The guy we saw hit the nail on the head when he said " TIRED is your friend! Get rid of the nervous energy so the horse focuses on you! SOME Clinicians like to make people think that they are MAGIC so you'll buy their tapes and gimmicks." I found that to make way too much sense!

Here are some TOP SECRET Tips I think people should know from me (a Trainer) personally.

• We (trainers) are not magic. We DO like tired horses, they are our friend!


• We HATE getting bucked off, reared off, bit and kicked. We are not made of stone. We bleed and bruise and break just like everyone else. We WILL do whatever it takes to keep ourselves safe.


• We decent trainers are constantly fixing the mistakes of "wanna be" trainers. For every 1 good trainer there are 100 other "trainers" clogging up craigslist, saying that they can fix your horse in 10 minutes for $15. You get what you pay for folks!


• TIME makes good horses! We do NOT rush our green horses. If they are not ready for the next step, then we wait and fully prepare them for it.


• Our training process consists of an infinite amount of training steps to get our horses to our goal properly. Not just 5 steps and your horse is broke.


• EVERY horse is different what we do with horse A may not work for horse B.


• There are 4 acts of war that warrant severe discipline: Bucking, rearing, kicking and biting will get your horse in BIG trouble with us! Aside from any medical, tack fitting, etc. issues it is NEVER OK for your horse to do these things.


• WE still take lessons from people who are better than us, so that we can keep learning.


• If you pay a trainer to train your horse, you are also paying for their opinion, for you to ask questions and more!


• Our mantra, from John Lyons, to me, to the clinician I saw this weekend believe firmly that Your horse should be RELAXED! That is the key word, RELAXED. Relaxed before you move on to a new step in training, relaxed while working, riding, doing ground work. A relaxed horse is a responsive horse. A horse that will be happy to learn and accept new things.


• We LOVE round pens! There small, safe and great for communicated with your horse.

Don't be fooled by gimmicks and fancy products that claim they will fix your horse. TRUST your gut, heart and head. Find a trainer you trust and trust your horse! If you send your horse to a trainer make sure you check up on them and they are healthy, don't look distressed and being trained properly.

We work very hard for our clients and their horses to keep everyone safe, happy and satisfied. When you have a good trainer for you and your horse they are worth their weight in GOLD! :)