June 20, 2011
Buck Brannaman Knows the Way of the Horse
People and horses alike listen when Buck Brannaman has something to say. This former trick rope performer turned cowboy philosopher was the inspiration behind the film and novel, “The Horse Whisperer” and is now the star of first-time-director Cindy Meehl’s documentary, “Buck.”
The story of Buck is one of a man who transcends the abuse of his childhood and learns grace and patience through his love of horses. His role-models, Ray Hunt and Tom Dorrance, were modern pioneers in the philosophy and methods of natural horsemanship, a discipline that Mr. Brennaman soon adopted and began spreading the word about.
For almost three decades Mr. Brennaman has run clinics all over the country teaching working cowboys and other horse devotees that riding a horse like a dance – it is a combination of wooing, leading and mutual respect. “When you get to the point where a horse accepts you, trusts you, it can change you as a person and change the way you relate to other people, not just horses.”
The film, “Buck” was a made to inspire people to make changes to the way they deal with both horses and life’s challenges. It teaches people to communicate using leadership and sensitivity rather than fear and intimidation.
Posted by admin @ 8:17 pm
Filed under: horse movies, horse quotes, horse training
Tags: horse movies, horse trainers, horse training, horse videos —
April 13, 2010
You Take the Horse; I’ll Gladly Take the Dog
You Take The Horse; I’ll Gladly Take The Dog
By Dave Barry
Recently a woman I know named Michelle came into the newspaper office with a big ugly wound on her upper arm. Realizing that she might be self-conscious about it, I said: “Michelle, what’s that big ugly wound on your upper arm?” Sensitivity is the cornerstone of journalism.
It turned out that Michelle had been bitten by a horse. It was her own horse, and it bit her while she was trying to feed it.
This is a typical horse maneuver. Horses are the opposite of dogs, gratitude-wise. You give a dog something totally wretched to eat, such as a toad part or a wad of pre-chewed Dentyne, and the dog will henceforth view you as the Supreme Being.
It will gaze on you for hours with rapt adoration and lick the ground you walk on and try to kill the pizza-delivery person if he comes anywhere near you.
Whereas if you spend hours grooming a horse and lugging its food and water around, the horse will be thinking: “Should I chomp on this person’s arm? Or should I merely blow a couple gallons of horse snot into this person’s hair?”
I don’t trust horses. “Never trust an animal with feet made from the same material as bowling balls” is one of my mottoes. I never believed those scenes in Western movies when bad guys would tie the hero up, and his horse would trot over and untie the knots with his teeth. A real horse would size up the situation and stomp on the hero’s feet.
I don’t blame horses for being hostile. I myself would feel hostile toward somebody who was always sitting on me and yanking on my lips. But what I don’t get is, how come they’re so popular? Especially with women?
Now, you’re probably saying: “Dave, you’re just bitter because in fifth grade you had an intense crush on Susan Cartoun, and you wrote `Sue’ on your notebook inside a heart, but the name inside the heart on her notebook was `Frosty,’ an imaginary horse that she loved much more than you, despite the fact that, if Frosty ever had the chance, it would have got imaginary snot in her hair.”
Yes, it’s true that I am a little bitter about that. Also, I have not forgotten my first experience with a horse. I was 9 years old, at a farm, and I attempted to ride a pony.
“Pony” is a misunderstood word. Many young people, having grown up watching the “My Little Pony” cartoon show, believe that a pony is a cute little pastel-colored critter with a perky voice and a nurturing personality and a 1973 Farrah Fawcett hair style. Whereas, in fact, a typical pony is the same weight as an Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme but with no controls or moral code.
Anyway, following my sister’s directions, I put my foot into the metal thing hanging down from the pony (technically, the “fetlock”), and instantly the pony, not wishing to be boarded at that time, trotted briskly off, with my leg attached to it.
I attempted to keep up by bouncing next to it on my other leg, like the famous Western cinematic star, Hopalong Dork, but finally, in a feat of astonishing equestrian skill, I fell down backward and got dragged across the field with my head bouncing gaily behind amongst the cow doots.
I could tell the pony enjoyed this immensely. It couldn’t wait to get back to the stable and tell the other horses via Snort Language.
“You should have seen his hair!” snorted the pony. “He’ll need to shampoo with industrial solvents!”
“Next time,” snorted one of the older horses, “try stepping on him. It’s like dropping an anvil on a Hostess Twinkie.”
“And the legal authorities can’t prosecute, because we’re horses,” snorted another.
So I stayed off horses altogether until 20 years later, when I was courting my wife. We were in the Rocky Mountains, and they had rental horses, and she wanted to ride one.
Naturally, she loves horses. As a child, she used to ride a neighbor’s horse bareback, an experience she remembers fondly even though she admits the horse would regularly try to decapitate her by running under low tree branches at 27 miles per hour.
I don’t want to sound like a broken record here, but why is it that a woman will forgive homicidal behavior in a horse, yet be highly critical of a man for leaving the toilet seat up?
But I was in Raging Hormone Courting Mode, meaning I would have wrestled a giant snake to impress my wife-to-be, so I let her talk me into getting on this rental horse.
It turned its head around and looked at me with one of those horse eyeballs the size of a mature grapefruit, and I knew instantly what it was thinking. It was thinking: “Hey! It’s Hopalong Dork!”
So while my wife’s horse trotted briskly off into the scenery, looking for low branches to run under, my horse just stood there, eating and pooping, waiting for me to put one leg on the ground so it could suddenly take off and drag me to Oregon.
So I sat very still, like one of those statue generals, only more rigid. I’d say we moved about 11 feet in two hours. Next time I am definitely renting the snake.
Fortunately, my wife’s horse was unable to kill her, and we got married and lived happily ever after, except that she keeps saying that she wants us to go riding again.
I don’t know what to do. I think maybe tonight I’ll fix her a candlelight dinner, give her some wine, and put on some soft, romantic music. Then, when the moment is just right, I will gently but firmly bite her upper arm.
Dave Barry’s column appears Monday on The Times’ editorial page.
Copyright (c) 1991 Seattle Times Company, All Rights Reserved
Posted by admin @ 1:02 pm
Filed under: horse humor, horse vices, ponies
March 25, 2010
Thank God for Cowboys!
It’s not often you hear of a cowboy being the hero these days. But that was the case on Wednesday, March 24th, as a 56-year-old ranch hand from Otay Mesa, California helped catch a band of renegade horses that were running through city streets in Chula Vista.
Reports say a band of about a dozen horses stampeded through the suburban neighborhood, followed by news broadcaster helicopters, Humane Society workers, and police.
No people or animals were hurt, thanks to Abel Canales, a cowboy who arrived on the scene with his horse and a lariat. “He was a real cowboy,” a witness is quoted as saying. Canales roped the lead horse and safely guided the herd to some corrals. There is no news on how the horses escaped in the first place, or who they belong to, but I’m sure that’s all been settled by now.
It’s just good to know that when you really need a cowboy around, there’s one to be found. Without an experienced horseman with a skill in roping, this story could have been a sad one.
Posted by admin @ 10:06 am
Filed under: horse news, runaway horses
March 17, 2010
Horse Trainers – if you can call them that
It’s been a little while since our last blog post, but with good reason. I witnessed a horse training video online that I’ve wanted to blog on, but I’ve been waiting for the right words to describe it – no, I have the right words to describe it, I’ve been waiting for the right words to use that won’t get me sued for libel.* The person I would like to defame is a famous horse trainer that would certainly have the means and motivation to probably shut down this entire site, so I’ll let them remain nameless – but certainly not blameless.
We all know that a percentage of horse trainers are probably more qualified to take out your tonsils than train your horses. And frankly, even great trainers can have bad moments. But there are certain trainers that I wish all of us would just refuse to watch on RFDTV, refuse to buy their videos, refuse to go to their traveling tent circus clinics, refuse to buy their high priced carrot sticks, etc etc. Simply because point blank, these people need to be stopped. Much like our government, it’s yours and my dollars that are fueling the madness!
The (very prominent) trainer I saw in this particular video was in this situation, a man had his horse – presumably at a clinic – and as near as you can tell, the horse isn’t paying close enough attention to it’s rider on the ground. As soon as Ms. Spandex pants takes over, things get quite a bit weird. Although if you want to make a big leap of logic, you can kind of tell what she’s trying to do, however, I’ve rarely seen such a demonstration of rudeness and poor timing in dealing with a horse. In a nutshell, she simply jerks the horses head towards her and as soon as the horse looks at her she then shoo’s his head away. She also spends alot of time randomly jerking and pulling on the halter rope, and every time the horse actually gives a little, she is either too late releasing the pressure or simply doesn’t do it at all! To make matters worse, there is speculation by some who’ve seen the video that the horse is obviously blind in one eye – I don’t know that I agree, but if so, it makes the whole thing nearly criminal. I wouldn’t hire them to muck my stalls, much less train a horse for me.
This post has gotten long and on the verge of rambling, so I’ll stop. I guess the moral of the story is, there are so many good trainers out there and most of them don’t have their own show on RFDTV. Can’t we please get past the point in our society where a good “show” marketed well or a funny way of saying things makes you incredibly popular for no apparent reason and makes you automatically pass for someone capable at your trade?! I bet political elections would turn out much differently if we did that, and we wouldn’t have the mess we have in this country. And, much like the truth behind our politicians, most of us “common people” never hear the stories of many of these trainers. For example how one of the most popular ones was sued for abusing and basically ruining a very expensive dressage horse but the suit was made to go away with alot of hush money because his RFDTV show was about to begin airing.** We also don’t see or hear the backstage antics where a prominent trainer refuses autographs and drops f-bombs all the way down the hall as his (mainly children) fans watch and stare.***
I guess my point is, fame and money in the horse business truly don’t always translate to competency. When you are watching a trainer, make them earn your trust, don’t simply give it to them because they are on tv or have a fancy marketing gimmick.
*(libel is written defamation)
**true story – given to me from a first hand witness
***true story – given to me from a first hand witness
Posted by admin @ 6:59 am
Filed under: bad horse trainers, horse training tips
December 31, 2009
2010 is here! Make it the "Year of the Horse!"
If you’re reading this it means you’ve made it through another year and it’s 2010! The Chinese Zodiac calendar has a sign for the horse and some years are termed “year of the horse” I personally don’t believe in astrology, and for me, every year is “Year of the Horse”!
If you are a person who likes to make New Years Resolutions, I’m sure I don’t have to tell you this, but make some involving your horses. But this year, make them attainable and realistic. Keep in mind that if you can’t go for a ride do to time or weather constraints, there’s still lots of things you can do with or for your horse. If you don’t have a couple hours for a trail ride, just halter your horse and take it for a walk for 15 mintues, work on respect, trust, spacing and reading your cues. The exercise and time together (which equates to horse training!) will help both of you!
It’s easy to find reasons why we didn’t do something, and if you’re like me, getting started is the hardest part. So many times, there is something that we dread starting or going someplace, but once we’re there it often turns out to be the highlight of the week.
On a business note…watch Liverystable.net and our horse blog closely the rest of this week. We will be announcing a promotional contest that will be running for the first three months of 2010. You won’t want to miss this! Hint…Your saddle may thank you for it!
Posted by admin @ 8:31 am
Filed under: horse training, saddle racks
December 15, 2009
Horse Therapy
In this day and age, where – except in rare occasions – the horse is not an “implement” or “tool” anymore, as it was in the past, our horses generally provide a form of therapy. Your therapy may come from the adrenaline rush of competition, the challenge and reward of training a new colt, or the comfort you get from your trusted old gelding when you’re heading home after a long ride and know he will get you there without any mishaps. The horse can be a wonderful break from traffic jams, cell phones, bosses, co-workers, customers, you name it…and your trusted companion for any adventures you can dream up.
Now, I guess we can chalk up another way that horses can prove useful in today’s world. I personally am really pleased to see someone who not only is willing to dedicate their time, but goes the extra step to include a horse. I can’t imagine using my high-strung mare to entertain shut-ins at a nursing home, but this mini and her handler seem to have it down pat!
Tiny Horse Brings Big Joy to Elderly
Posted by admin @ 4:05 pm
Filed under: horse therapy, horse training
December 10, 2009
Rewarding Your Horse in Training
If you frequent many horse forums these days, you will notice a growing trend in the way people think about training horses. Everyone wants their horse to like them, they’re asking how they can form a bond with their horse, and they’re against correcting a horse for almost any reason, but still have questions like “How can I get my horse to let me catch him? When I go into his stall he turns away and won’t let me halter him.”
In response to the question above, which was recently posted on a horse forum, you’ll see advice like: “Always take treats with you.” or “Spend more time brushing your horse and just hanging out with him, that way he won’t think it’s all about work when you go to catch him.” These answers may help you get the halter on the horse. But they do nothing in training your horse to respond positively to you when you approach him with a halter.
The correct answer for the problem at hand would be to use that halter rope in your hand the next time the horse turns his hind end toward you. Swing it, swish it, pop the horse on the tail end with it. But get him to face you and give you the respect you should be demanding from him. But look out if you post that for an answer on today’s horse forum! You are asking for a flaming, because the current trendy horse owner does not want to hear anything about hitting, swatting, or demanding anything from a horse. We’re just a little too politically correct these days to believe in anything close to corporal punishment.
The real misunderstanding here is that it is not punishment to throw a cotton lead rope at the rear end of a horse that is misbehaving. It’s called training. And a horse trainer who knows horses will confirm that a horse is far better rewarded by the release of pressure than by any little sweet treat you might carry in your pocket. This is the way horses learn, they are programmed to react to situations that please or displease them. Bribing them with sugar cubes might put a band-aid over the issue, and the horse might let you catch him. But training the horse to look to you for direction, to give you the attention you deserve, and to respect your wishes as to where his feet are when you are around him will take you miles beyond just getting the halter on the horse.
When you train a horse, you are setting him up to handle situations that come up in the future. Getting him to respond to you when you approach him, and training him to move his feet where you want them is not accomplished by petting him, brushing him, and giving him lots of treats. You have to train him to respect you.
Now, the actual catching part of it goes something like this: You walk into the corral or stall, the horse turns his hind end to you and faces the corner. You say something to the horse, maybe a “ck-ck-ck” sound to signal he should turn around and look at you or else. And then you swing the end of your halter rope at him. The horse will probably spook (if he doesn’t, you need to swing it harder, maybe kick some of the shavings or dirt on the floor in his direction) anything to get the horse moving. When he does move, his head will come up and start to turn towards you. When that happens, you immediately lower your halter rope, put on a “nice face”, speak softly, and encourage him to continue to look at you and come towards you. You are rewarding his good behavior (facing you) with a release of pressure, and he will recognize this instantly. Any sign of him turning his tail towards you, and you repeat the procedure. Consistency and timing are key, you have to become sweet the minute he looks at you, and become scary monster if he turns his heels towards you. And don’t get close enough to his heels to get kicked. If you do it right, you’ll have the horse coming up to you and putting his face into the halter.
This kind of training is just a foundation for everything you want to do with your horse. It prepares a horse’s mind for riding much better than treats in your pocket. When you ask the horse to whoa when riding, you’re going to do it by applying pressure and then releasing it when he obeys, correct? Or would you reach in your pocket for a treat to offer him so he’ll stop and reach back to take it from you? The simple answer is that releasing the horse from pressure puts a lasting mark in his mind that he will adhere to the rest of his life….even when you’re all out of treats.
Posted by admin @ 4:34 am
Filed under: horse training, horse treats, how to catch a horse
December 7, 2009
Welcome!
Welcome to the first ever horse blog on Liverystable.net! In keeping with the times, we decided to launch our horse blog to help keep our users (and ourselves) on top of some of the latest news from the horse world. This blog will be a little different from the Round Pen section of our site in that instead of the informational articles that the Round Pen contains, our blog will hopefully be more about current events and opinions on what’s going on in the world of horses.
We will not have a section for comments on this blog, primarily because it’s been our experience that those ever-present scammers and spammers spend a lot of time promoting their sites and it detracts from the overall feel and usefulness of the blog. We always welcome comments to our blog or about our site in general, you can always contact us at the bottom of every page.
We are going to try to stay away from inciting too much controversy with this horse blog, we primarily want it to be just that, a horse blog. ( If you have an overwhelming desire to debate politics, religion, child-rearing or any other inflammatory topic, then we’d encourage you to check out our Horse Forum as it is designed for a free and quick exchange of opinions). Having said that, we are well aware that when it comes to horse lovers, even a simple blog about colors can set off the hottest of debates! So, with that in mind, you’ll soon be seeing a lot more from us on Liverystable.net’s horse blog, and we hope to be seeing a lot more of you!
Posted by admin @ 2:02 pm
Filed under: Round Pen
