Horsemanship Clinic

June 24, 2007

Solve Problems Due To Respect and Focus Issues

Key Objectives:

At the end of the clinic, you will:

  1. have gained an understanding of why it’s important for you to become one notch (and only one notch) higher on the hierarchy.
  2. have gained an understanding of what horse’s look for in their leader.
  3. have gained an understanding what you must provide your horse as his leader.
  4. have gained an understanding of how to become your horse’s leader, i.e., the better horse.
  5. have had hands-on experience in reading your horse’s body language and behavior in order to recognize lack of respect on the part of your horse.
  6. have had hands-on experience gaining the respect and focus of your horse both on the ground and under saddle.
  7. have had hands-on experience in getting ‘join-up’ and becoming your horse’s benevolent leader.
  8. have had hands-on experience in knowing what to do and how to solve some common problems due to lack of respect and focus, i.e., being hard to catch/halter, pushy, beligerant, stubborn, hard to lead, unfocussed, dull.
  9. have been introduced to some of the key principles and practices of horsemanship that will further your understanding of knowing what to do and how to do it when faced with any problem.

Clinic Format:

At the beginning of each segment:

  1. I will talk briefly on the principles and practices involved.
  2. I will demonstrate and teach the principles and practices with a suitable horse.
  3. One-on-one, I will help each participant put into practice the principles involved with their horse. Afterwards, each participant can either continue to practice with their horse in the arena while I help another participant or continue watching other participants.

Note:
This clinic is a combination of ground work and on horseback.

Key Points of the Clinic:

  1. Lack of respect and not accepting you as leader is the root cause of 50% of poor response or behavioral problems and is one of the main causes of repeated testiness and lack of trust and confidence in you.
  2. In order to become your horse’s leader, you have to act like a the better horse. You have to i) be more aware than your horse and let him know you are more aware by being pro-active, i.e., anticipating things before they happen and taking actions to prevent them; ii) be highly re-active, i.e., quick to shut down and respond to your horse’s leadership challenges; and iii) be 100% consistent.
  3. Once your horse is satisfied that you are his leader, i.e., the better horse, his hierarchy challenges will diminish, he will become more comfortable and relaxed knowing his place in the heirarchy and will wait for you to make the decisions rather than trying to exert his will and take control all the time.

Clinic Agenda:

12:00 - 12:10 Overview of Clinic Objectives & Agenda
12:10 - 12:30 Principles and Practices of Horse Leadership
12:30 - 01:30 Gaining Respect and Focus Level 1 (ground)
01:30 - 02:30 Gaining Respect and Focus Level 2 (ground)
02:30 - 03:30 Gaining Respect and Focus Level 3 (horseback)
03:30 - 03:45 Coffee Break
03:45 - 04:45 Solving Specific Problems due to Respect and Focus Level 1 (ground)
04:45 - 05:30 Solving Specific Problems due to Respect and Focus Level 2 (horseback)

Note: If you'd like even more detail, i.e., a description of all the exercises we'll cover in this clinic, email me and I'll send you the file.