Tuesday, May 12, 2009

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! :)

8 comments:

Dena said...

Damn it Trainer X why did you have to go and shatter the illusion for me?
I am getting older. I do not bounce as well as I used to.
More of a hit and roll to a stop these days.
I wanted to believe that if I saved up someday I could afford some of those training options.
You know, tack em up and magikally they are broke, broke, broke.
Crap. The work never ends and the bones are getting brittle.
Thanks:)

GoLightly said...

Great Post!

I promise not to tell anybody...
:):):)

kestrel said...

Great practical info! Don't we just wish there was a majickal training wand? Plus, I want that assistant!

Anonymous said...

AMEN! i agree with each and every one of those points.

The Epic Barrel Racer said...

From one trainer to another thank you! If only every person had these few things pointed out to them maybe we wouldn't hate their horses so much lol, especially fixing another "trainers" (and I say that term loosely) mistakes aka screw ups.

ponykins said...

I am often behind the scenes at places where big name clinicians gather,( during hours that are closed to the public)and I have seen things done by these people that would make your hair stand on end. Things which are completely opposite from what they preach during their clinics the following day. Yet the gullible public stands in line to buy their videos and silly overpriced training aids, etc. How many times have we all seen some newbie proudly carrying their new "flag waving orange colored doo-hicky" out of a equine trade show? They get it home and have no idea what to do with it. Yet, they are experts with said doo hicky because they saw it do miracles at a clinic. Sigh.....

sterling said...

ponykins said...
Yet the gullible public stands in line to buy their videos and silly overpriced training aids, etc. How many times have we all seen some newbie proudly carrying their new "flag waving orange colored doo-hicky" out of a equine trade show? They get it home and have no idea what to do with it. Yet, they are experts with said doo hicky because they saw it do miracles at a clinic. Sigh.....


Oh, YES! Parelli comes to mind instantly (I did a spoof ad on his majickal 4k plus ugly-as-sin saddles, and have friends that audit his clinics for laughs). Did you know that if you got two carrot sticks, you could ride your horse without a bridle or any other training? Or that your horse will magically have great conformation if you buy said 4k plus saddle? Neither did I! [/endsarcasm]

And yet, some people still buy those saddles, those rope halters, and those flimsy plastic flag doo hickys, all because of some big name trainer's name on the label. And then other trainers have to clean up the mess.

SolitaireMare said...

I just had a NH trainer come and work a 2 hour session with my big green draft cross. I know this guy's training base is in Parelli but watching him work with my horse I get the idea he has taken what he's learned from Parelli and worked it into a method that is very effective for him without all the marketing attached.

I'm a successful rider with almost 40 years experience showing, handling and training horses. I called on this trainer after a bucking incident with my new horse and the realization that this horse was less trained and not broke than I was led to believe when I bought him. I have friends that raved about their experience with this NH trainer. I have always been skeptical of the NH "magikal training tools" stuff but I heard this guy was different so since I had run out of ideas, I figured I'd take the chance.

He really worked my horse and I could see the transformation from uneducated slacker to willing student over the course of the session. Even when he gave me the line and had me do the groundwork exercises to learn them I could see the difference. Through the lesson I found the places in my training approach that just didn't work with this horse as they worked with horses I'd schooled in the past.

I know after this session my horse is not magically broke and this trainer never gave me that impression. What he did do was open my eyes to the cues and responses to get the horse working with me, not against me and to continue from there. He liked my horse, especially since he is just green and not rank.

And yes, it was amazing how as my horse got tired, he also got more focused!