Buck the movie review

I met friends for lunch in downtown Sacramento on Friday before making our way to see the documentary movie Buck which opened July 1st.  I have been looking forward to this because I have learned much from another true horseman, Tom Simmons, over the last 18 years.  Horse people need to be taught about the horse and made aware of how they can be for us if we just learn how to "get with them."

True horsemen are a very rare breed although most horse folk like to think of themselves as the "real deal".  One can spend a whole lifetime working with horses and not really understand them like the "true horseman".  A true horseman has a real sensitivity regarding how the horse thinks about things.  Most horse folk (myself included) can not relate well to how a prey animal thinks about things.  We think they are like us in what we need.  We pride ourselves in being good to horses...or are we?  We think we are, but the horse needs us to be good with them in their needs.  In the movie, Buck said that he often spends more time helping horses with people problems, than helping people with horse problems.

There was a powerful illustration of how wrong people can get with horses.  A woman brought a young stud colt to one of Buck's clinics as a last resort for this dangerous stallion.  At birth, the colt had lain without oxygen a long time before the woman intervened and breathed life into him.  She took him into her home and nursed him, spoiling him, and not teaching him anything until she had the most dangerous animal I have ever seen on her hands.  One of Buck's assistants suffered a vicious attack by the horse; showing the woman, once and for all, that the horse had to be destroyed.  Buck was obviously disturbed that people had failed this horse in their idea of being good to the horse.   Buck told the woman (who had 18 more stallions on her place) that the colt told him a lot about her and the problems she has in her life.  She became emotional and acknowledged this, finally seeing the wrong she had done to the horse.

Buck is the go-between horse and human.  He has wisdom gained through personal experience and great mentors such as Tom Dorrance and Ray Hunt.   Buck chooses his life on the road 9 months of the year doing clinics.  Although a good family man, the life can be lonely; but, he continues to help the horse and teaches the human how good it can be through understanding, empathy, trust and respect.  Yes, he is a true horseman and we should seek what he knows for our own horse's sake.  For our own too...it all transfers into every aspect of our own lives.

Thank you Cindy Meehl for making this film and making us aware of a real Horse Whisperer.  And yes, true horsemen and women come to the same knowledge about horses from different paths.

Wishee...an old friend with a new, important job

Tom Simmons delivering Wishee to Kim in Fresno, CA

A friend of mine bought a yearling, sight unseen, and shipped him directly to Tom Simmons farm in North Carolina to live and be trained before being shipped to my friend's home in California, as a four year old.

Now...she was not unhappy with Wishee...No, he was good as gold.  She just wanted a horse with more "get up and go" for riding and driving.

Beginning driving in North Carolina

Sometimes it takes a bit of time to find the right situation and job for a good horse.  Well, here is Wishee's new job as shown in this TV report of a great program for returning veterans from war.

http://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/Horses_for_Heroes_Bay_Area-123666304.html
 The director of the program said that although Wishee has only been in the program for a few months; he, and the other 2 horses shown were the most trustworthy.

Like my trainer Tom says:  "A good horse is never an accident."

I would like to add that a good horse (well trained) will always have a home and a job.

July 2013 update on Wishee  from... Martha C. McNiel, LMFT, TRI, CEIP-MH
DreamPower Horsemanship


www.dreampowerhorsemanship.com
Follow us on Facebook: DreamPower Horsemanship
Mailing address: 12425 Foothill Ave. #8, San Martin,
CA 95046

"This veteran served in Iraq and has two rods in his
back.  Wishe takes good care of him."

Doing the best we can with what we have.

The ever serious Winfield

Ever since it was suggested to me that I need a new horse, I have been thinking why we have the horses we do and what is our motivation to use and keep them when they are not the best choice for what we do.

A few months ago I decided to close the circle on a driving career of one of our Morgan horses by entering him in an upcoming pleasure show where he began his driving career 16 years ago.  LH Winfield Scott made his debut at the driving classes at the Motherlode circuit show held at the Nevada County fairgrounds where the famous annual Draft Horse Classic is held.  Due to poor scheduling that year, the driving classes didn't start until 10 p.m. and so it was "stand around and wait" until the wee hours in the morning.  For a young Morgan gelding, it was a testament to his good start that he patiently awaited his classes, under full lights and loud metal grandstands to show.  From that show, Winfield went on to provide good driving experience to inexperienced owners...(that would be us) while we embarked on our driving journey that took us to undreamed of heights. 


Winfield, although obedient and steadfast, never achieved the success that our other Morgan climbed to in sport, but that does not mean he didn't deliver what was asked.  He was bred for performance but didn't quite have the conformation or mind set to make him a more than willing outstanding athlete.  Just how many horses have what it takes to reach the top of sport?  Not many I think.  I think one can breed for the necessary traits, but life or circumstances can derail the best candidates and they may never get the chance.  It is about being at the right place, at the right time, with the right horse, with the right guidance. 

 The Marlboro Man on his working horse Win

Winfield would have excelled in another area involving western working.  He showed a real aptitude to move cattle and would rather hang with the bulls than his own kind.  A sort of rugged individual with a serious demeanor. A working man's horse.  He did work well at that job, but now at age 19, and our advancing age, we don't do that work any longer.  Winfield has been relegated to occasional trail riding and trail driving with an occasional odd request from myself like the upcoming show next month. 

I realize he is not the best choice for the Gig type carriage horse I will try and present, but I am going to do the best I can with what I have. 

LH Winfield Scott being a road horse at a Traditional Day of Driving

We have been fortunate to have had Winfield in our lives and hope to have him for many more years before he sleeps the big sleep. 



Here is to the people who keep on with their trusty, yet not totally perfect horses.  And here is to the longevity of the nicely bred Morgan horse who continues to give safe service albeit not totally willing.

working for the upcoming last show

Sick and tired of basics

I read this exchange from Jessica Jahiel's Horse Sense newsletter and it gave me opportunity to pass on to my readers some advice that I have discovered from another source.  No matter where it comes from...it is good advice.  Here is my new favorite quote:

“We don't receive wisdom; we must discover it for ourselves.”

—  Marcel Proust

Question to Jessica:
From: Veronica
Subject: Sick and tired of basics


Dear Jessica, I hope you can help me think of
some way to get my instructor to back off me a
little. She is a total bug on basics. Basics,
basics, basics! That's all I hear about, every
single lesson, all of the time. She is a good
rider and her horses go great and she's a good
teacher when she isn't going "Basics basics
basics yadda yadda yadda" all the time. I
understand how it is for her because she teaches
a lot of beginner riders (adult beginners) but
I'm seventeen and I have been riding horses for
more than ten years. I'm no beginner, and I
would like to know some way to get her to snap
out of her "teaching beginners the basics"
routine when she works with me. I stay with her
because I have had good results for the last two
years and my horse and I have both improved a
lot, but this "basics" stuff is getting so old
with me! I'm probably her most advanced rider
now because so many of her other students are
people who are like 50 and older. I like them
mostly, I don't have anything against them and
they are mostly nice people but we're so
different. They're riding for fun and a hobby or
to get some exercise, some have been riding like
forever and they're still not all that good, so
basically they aren't serious riders. I can
totally see why they need basics all the time,
but I want to get places with my riding I work
hard and I am ready to move on. How can I get my
instructor to understand that I'm not that
little fifteen-year-old kid anymore and I'm ready to do some real riding?

Veronica




Hi Veronica! Come on, you didn't really expect me
to contradict your instructor on this subject,
did you? If you came here to ride with me you
could certainly expect to hear "Basics basics
basics yadda yadda yadda" all the time, for
years... in fact, for as long as you rode with
me. One of my students has been with me for at
least 25 years now, and I'm sure that if you
asked her when I stopped talking about basics she
would just laugh, because I haven't stopped yet.
I will stop talking about basics when I'm dead. Probably.

You shouldn't feel picked on or singled out, and
you shouldn't feel bad about your instructor's
VERY CORRECT emphasis on basics for both horse
and rider. I'll say it again: NEVER feel bad
about spending time on the basics. Lots of time.
ALL the time. At EVERY lesson and during - in
fact, all the way through - every ride between
lessons. There is no such thing as too much
emphasis on basics or too much time spent on
basics. On the contrary, wherever I go, the more
horses and riders I see and work with, the more I
appreciate the ones that have a good solid
foundation... and there aren't all that many!
Those are the lucky ones because they can make
progress right now; they don't have to start over
again, learning things they had never learned or
- sadder - having to re-learn things that they
thought they knew and could do, but actually
didn't know and couldn't do at all.

The more time you spend on the basics - not just
doing them, but doing them WELL and understanding
how and why to do them well - the better. Here's
a thought for you to ponder: At my clinics, I
have never yet seen a single problem that didn't
go back to a flaw in the horse's or the rider's basics.

EVERYTHING is basics.

Think of the most basic concepts in classical
dressage: CALM, FORWARD, STRAIGHT. If you can
keep your horse calm, ride him forward, and make
him straight, you can do anything. ANYTHING. And
when something - anything - goes wrong, it's
always because one or more of those qualities is
missing. Riding doesn't get any more basic than that.

Why not ask your instructor to suggest some
interesting and challenging books for you to
read? You've had years of riding experience, I'm
sure you could assimilate some riding theory as
well, and it's the combination of the two -
practical, physical time in the saddle AND time
spent in thoughtful reading and discussion - that
will help you make the most and best progress.
This may also be the single best (non-riding) way
to show your instructor just how serious you are.
Most instructors are delighted to assign and then
discuss books and articles; in fact, we're
typically over the moon when we discover that
we've got a student who wants to ride AND read
about riding AND discuss her readings.

My main advice to you, though, is that you please
not confuse "beginner" with "basics." Basics are
for beginners, yes, but they're also for
intermediate riders, and for advanced riders, and
for expert instructors and trainers and
clinicians... and for highly-successful
international competitors as well. Basics are
what help riders get to the top; a lack of basics
is what holds riders back. It doesn't sound to me
as if your instructor is holding you back - after
all, didn't you just tell me that after two
years, you and your horse have both improved a
lot? It sounds to me as though you're working
with a good instructor and are making excellent
progress. Keep up the good work, learn to regard


Oh, and one more thing. Do me a favour, please,
and go a little easier on those of us who are
over 50, okay? We know that we aren't as flexible
as you are, and most of us are dealing with some
physical issues, but we really do work hard at
our lessons, our riding is important to us, and
we care about making progress even if we make
progress much more slowly than you do. Please
don't write us off entirely. I know it's hard to
believe now, but in a mere 33 years, if you're
still riding then (and I hope that you will be),
YOU will be one of US! When that day comes, you
might feel a little bit sad if there's a
flexible, coordinated, talented
seventeen-year-old rider at your barn who holds
you in contempt just because you're 50 and still
haven't managed to achieve perfection as a rider.
Here's a tip from someone who's been there, done
that, and is still and forever doing that: I
don't think that anyone ever actually achieves
that much-desired state of perfection as a rider
- I know I never will! But I'm never going to
stop trying... and even at my age, the keys to
success and progress are, yes, you guessed it: Basics.

Jessica




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------------------------------

the message

How do you like to hear the message about what is true with horses?  Do you like to hear from the famous?  The one who wins the most?  The cutest?  The one with the foreign accent?  The one who charges the most?  The one who charges the least?  The one who compliments and strokes your ego?...OK, you get the picture. 

 I have come to the conclusion that the great horse men and women all arrive at horse truths from different roads, but are basically the same truths.  There is really nothing new in horse training only new human language.  Equipment may be new with a different little twist, but someone, somewhere in time, figured out a similar thing that makes it all basically the same.   Methods were used that suited the time and place, but only the real horsemen and women crossed into the rare zone where understanding is real between the two species.  All horse people want to be knowledgeable and expert about the animals they care for, compete, and use for work; but, there comes a time when they realize they have only scratched the surface when they see what true horsemen and women can do with the horse. 

The movie"The Horse Whisperer" was based on one of the modern true horsemen, Buck Brannaman.  He also consulted with the movie team.  Whatever you may think of the movie and it's storyline, it showed a glimpse of what can be accomplished with communication between the two species.  

Cindy Meehl's 2011 Sundance Film Festival U.S. Documentary film "Buck" is due out next month.  It follows Buck  through the eyes of the Sundance Institue filmaker who just happened to be a horse person and attend one of Buck's clinics eight years ago.  It took her two years, 300 hours of film, and working with talented people to cut to documentary length of 84 minutes.   

Here is the link to the story of how the movie came about and a video of the trailer to see a bit of Buck and his horse logic.  http://www.indiewire.com/article/meet_the_2011_sundance_filmmakers_buck_director_cindy_meehl/ 

I see so much similarity in philosophy to my true horseman and friend, Tom Simmons, that it confirms my conclusion that the great horse men and women are rare but come to know the horse as it truly is.  

Buck says two things in the movie trailer that I have heard before but makes powerful sense.

"A lot of the time, rather than helping people with horse problems, I am helping horses with people problems."

"All your horses are a mirror to your soul; and sometimes, you might not like what you see in the mirror.  You can't hold it against him for how his life has been.  Maybe there are some things for you to learn about you; and, maybe the horse is going to be the only damn way you're gonna learn it."

The Peace Zone by Tom Simmons

This is one of my favorite articles written by my horse trainer, Tom Simmons.   This is what every horse needs before work together can begin... Also note that this article has been slightly re-written and more information can also be found at: http://tomsimmonsstables2008.blogspot.com/2008/06/peace-zone.html The Peace Zone by Tom Simmons  I will try to explain to the best of my ability the peace zone and how it works. First of all, nothing works without having good solid basics. The basics that the human needs is a thorough understanding of how a horse's brain works. I am fascinated by the mind of a horse. I have spent lots of time studying the horse and trying to find better ways to communicate with them. In studying the horse I learned two important factors. The first factor is that a horse learns by putting things in categories. The second factor is he learns nothing when he is afraid. So my goal was to learn how to program the categories. Once I learned this I found I could teach a horse in a few hours what would have taken me a month to teach before. I also found that fear will let nothing enter the horse's brain. That is why when you have trouble with your horse, he doesn't stop, turn, or do anything that you want, it is because he is consumed with fear or anger...they work the same. This is what first started me to develop a peace zone for the horse. Before I go further I would like to address a question I got from Jonni about horses that pace the fence. There can be a number of reasons why a horse would pace the fence. I have found certain breeds do this more than others. Mostly Arabians, Thoroughbreds and Saddlebreds. They seem predisposed to this type of behavior. I think this is because they are the most intelligent and sensitive of horses. Not all horses are born equal. Some are born with learning disabilities. Some of these horses, because of their sensitivity, just plain give up on mankind. It does not have to be from what we consider cruel handling. These horses never learn to have any peace in their life. The reason they don't get tired when they pace the fence and determine their actions are futile is because their brain has gone someplace else. They have "spaced out." Once a horse has learned to "space out" it is virtually impossible to bring them back. They may ride good, and do fine as long as you have your hands on them; but the minute they have a spare moment, they go back to spacing out because there is no peace in their life. These are some of the reasons why I try to give my horses a peace zone. The first thing I have to do is establish leadership with my horse. This can be done in a round pen, it can be done on the end of a lunge line, it can be done as you lead your horse from the stall to the turnout.  There is never a time when I touch my horse that I don't consider it training. Every time you handle a horse you either advance him or take him backwards.  Please understand that the things that I am talking about now are very important to you in your process of learning to develop a peace zone in your horse. In studying the mind of the horse I found that the horse is the most honest and sincere animal that you will ever encounter. Therein lies one of our biggest problems with horses. Most humans lie to horses almost continually-we don't mean to but we do. Our body says one thing and our mouth says another. If a horse could talk, and he were asked to describe humans in as few words as he could, he would say that we are liars. For instance, if I pull on the left rein and the horse turns left or gives his head, I should release some of the pressure on that side of his mouth; no matter what that pressure is, the horse should get some relief. That’s the agreement: "If you give to pressure, then I will give you relief."  If I do not release the pressure, I have lied to my horse. We lie to them all the time in the stall, in the pasture, in cross-ties, because we do not keep our end of the agreement. In this whole wide world all a horse, any horse, wants is to be left alone. This is the Golden Key. Learn to let your horse alone. If you want to reward your horse, let him alone. Once the horse discovers that you will let him alone after he has completed a maneuver, he will work continually until he completes the maneuver correctly. In the beginning he should be rewarded by being let alone for making the slightest progress. Once I am in the round pen I turn the horse loose, I just stand there and wait to see what's on his mind. If he stands around I'll ask him: "Can you trot?" I may snap my lounging whip or just use it to make a whistling sound. This is all about control, but peace is not far behind. The peace zone will come almost as a by-product of control. If the horse trots a few rounds I just let him go at any speed or gait that he wants. Then, in a very normal way, I simply walk across the round pen and cut the horse off. I do everything at my normal speed, which is slow.  I do not rush nor do I sneak. Everything has to be done at a speed that is normal to you. You will want your horse to know what is normal for you. Later, when things get hectic, you will want your horse to know the normal you, the all is well you, the nothing to worry about you. Because pretty soon your horse is going to start to imitate you. He is going to imitate the speed at which you move, but most of all, he is going to imitate the manner in which you take things that are NEW TO HIM. In training horses, I think the most important thing that I have to do is prepare the horse to become a willing and pleasurable partner.  Because he is 5 times my weight and 20 times stronger than I am, I cannot force him to do anything.  The only way to train a horse is to inconvenience him when he exhibits a behavior that you disapprove of.  You just want to inconvenience him as humanely as possible. In the round pen when I cut the horse off, I am moving at my normal speed. Most horses will stop and go the other way. I will repeat this process in both directions for a few times or until the horse starts to look at me. When he starts to look at me, I feel that he is beginning to admire me. You see, I have just defeated him in a horse type of confrontation. It was all display, no contact. When he runs to get away from me, I cut him off. He does not realize the pen is round. So he thinks that I can out run him. When I send him the other way, he feels like he is being directed, which means to him that I am dominating him. This is the way many animals select their leaders, it is all display, not much contact. Sometimes I will get a horse that will not turn when I cut him off. No matter how close I get to the wall they just keep on coming and would run over me if I did not move. When they do this I get out of the way of course, but I slap him on the fore legs with the whip. The next time I move to cut him off, he will usually stop 20 feet away and go the other way. There are some that will try this 1 or 2 times, very few will try more than that. At this point I am merely saying to the horse:  "I mean what I say." Every time he stops, the horse is looking at me now. When he first came in he was looking over the wall of the round pen and when he stopped, he would have his rump to me. We have been in the round pen for about 20 minutes now...Now I that I can control the direction, I start to control the speed. By this time the horse will be stopping and turning on the slightest move of my body. Any time that he forgets, I will go all the way to the wall to stop and turn him if I have to. To control the speed I move from the center of the ring toward the horse's head. He will usually slow because he expects me to stop and turn him. When he slows I move back to the center of the pen. Within a very few trips he will learn that if he reaches a certain speed, say 8 MPH, that I am going to interrupt him, so he will travel very steady at 8 MPH. I do the same thing in both directions. At this point I am getting a horse that is willing to be directed, one that will control his speed in both directions; and, I am training both eyes. Each eye has to be trained equally. By now we have been here 30 minutes. The horse is showing signs of wanting to herd-up, meaning wanting to come in to me and touch me. At no time have I been hostile to this horse, my body has been in neutral, which is normal for me when I work a horse. I have directed this horse, but at no time has my body transmitted any anxious, angry, aggressive, or fearful messages to this horse. So this horse has no reason to think that I am a leader that he should fear. No animal wants a weak leader. An excellent example of this is in a wolf story that one of my customers, who knew that I study wolves almost as extensively as I do horses, sent me. A family had a wolf as a pet, the animal was kept in a pen most of the time. One day when the man of the house went into the pen the wolf attacked him. He was able to get out of the pen without being hurt. After three days of the same kind of attack, the wolf was put down. The devastated family went over and over the attacks trying to figure out what could have triggered the attacks. They finally remembered that the first attack came the day after the man had come home from the hospital after an automobile accident. He came home with a limp. To a wolf, a limping leader is a weak leader. The attack was not one of meanness, just an attempt to make sure that the leader was strong enough to lead. Now that the horse is willing to herd up I walk over and pat him on the neck and pull his forelock. At this point I will even put my hand around his ear, but make no attempt to hold it. I just put my hand around it. If he lets me put my hand around his ear, he has given me authority over his body. I do both ears. This is a horse that didn't even let me touch his ears before we went into the round pen. gaining attention gaining authority over body by putting hand around ear introducing halter on untouched mustang When I walk back to the center he might want to follow me. If he is hesitant I will work one round and stop him. Now I am working him only one round at a time. I work him both ways. Each time he stops I will walk over and touch him. By doing this he learns that when he stops and stands quietly, I will let him alone and pat him. So this time when I stop him I make no attempt to pat him or move toward him. The horse will stop and look at me. When I do not move, most of the time, he will walk over to me. I have been going to him and touching him, but now he will begin to come to me.  He may stand a foot or two away from me or he may stand with his body touching mine. Most look past you and do not look you in the eye. To herd and pack animals looking into the eyes of another is considered a challenge. letting horse touch and muzzle I do not say much, most of the time I say nothing at all. Some will touch my cheek with their muzzle very softly and just smell me for a long time. After a while I will walk very slowly away and for a very short distance. The horse will walk just as subtlety after me . He is my horse now and he wants it that way. I move, stop and pat, move, stop and pat. The horse has learned that I am his leader, he has also learned that life is very soft, quiet, and slow when he is near me.  Most horses want to be quiet. Horses that bounce off the walls in their stalls are usually over-fed and under-worked. The horse has his peace zone now, but by no means is it finished. The next time I work him the same process will be repeated with a bridle and surcingle on. It should repeated with only the left rein attached lightly, then repeated to the right with the right rein attached lightly. I want the horse's head tilted in the direction of the attached rein. This will help the horse to start to follow his head. The peace zone will get stronger each time I take the horse out. I will take him on walks, and every time he shows the slightest sign of concern, I will walk him up to that object and stand soft and quiet. Horses are individuals so some react differently. Some will walk right up to the object, some will jump around a little. At this point I say nothing to the horse. I make sure I do not verbally console or reassure him. I just stand soft and quiet. Most of the time in about 2 or 3 minutes the horse will walk up to the object, smell and touch it. It is very important that the horse smell and touch it. Each time the horse stops, smells and touches a strange object he will gain confidence. Soon nothing will be able to stampede him....as long as you are quiet and ask him to be likewise. Earlier I said that I do not verbally console or reassure the horse if he shows concern or fear of a object. Verbal is the key word. I do not verbally console or reassure. In the mind of the horse, he thinks that you are agreeing with him if you console him. I want my horse to be consoled by my body language not my voice. If I use my voice, the horse will think that I am saying "yes, this is a very bad object, It is going to eat both of us". If I say nothing and my body says "all is well", the horse will follow my body lead because I am his leader. He will imitate me. I demonstrated this once at a clinic. I cautioned a horse about a blanket that I was going to put on him. I sneaked up to the horse, let him smell the blanket, and rubbed it up and down his neck and back. My actions were telling the horse that I was going to put this very bad thing on him. He let me do it and did not move. I then took the blanket off and tried to walk up to him in a normal way. The horse ran backwards dragging me along with him. He wanted no part of me putting that very bad thing on him again. It took 45 minutes of clinic time to get this horse to accept the blanket in a normal way. Cautioning and consoling are very much the same. Do I talk to horses? I most certainly do. Earlier, I said that I do not talk to horses. To add a little clarity to that statement I will say that I do not talk to horses in the early stages of their training. At that time I want them to listen to my body not my voice. The first word that I add to my non verbal training is whoa. But my whoa is pretty well perfected before I add the word. I never add the word until after the maneuver is pretty well perfected. I want my horse backing very well before I ever say back to him. My backing is all on voice which leaves my reins free to guide or steer the horse. In the early stages of training when I do not talk, I simply want my horse on body language. When I put the horse on a lunge line or on long lines, I start teaching my horse to read my body through the lines. I want him to learn to read my body without seeing me. My horses read my body through the touch of my whip. They know if I am brushing a fly off of them, or if I want them to move over two inches, or if I want them to leave in a hurry. I carry a whip because ADS rules say that I must. My horses will die for me without one. I rarely touch my horses with the whip while driving. To me it is still body language, and my horses read my body language through anything that I attach to them or touch them with. The body language is instant. It does not hesitate. The second a thought is conceived, the body transmits it. The voice is like a repeater or a recording that is stuck. It takes a great deal of horse understanding to have the body and the voice saying the same thing. I do talk to horses and would never try to convince anyone else not to do so. Once a Buddhist monk told me that talk only causes confusion. To me talking is kind of primitive.....but boy does it make us feel better. Hope this makes my reasoning a little clearer. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Learning the Peace Zone Note: The steps are successive, Part One is foundation to Part Two, etc. Part One: Some Principles 1. How a horse's brain works. 1.1. Horse learns by putting things in categories. 1.2. He learns nothing when he is afraid. 2. Leadership precedes everything else 2.1. Every time you handle a horse you train the horse for better or worse Part Two: 3. The horse is honest and sincere animal, humans are not. 4. Our body says one thing and our mouth says another. 4.1.All a horse wants is to be left alone. 4.1.1. Learn to let your horse alone. If you want to reward your horse, let him alone. 4.1.2. In the beginning he should be rewarded by being let alone for making the slightest progress. 5. A horse wants a leader, not a buddy, 5.1. Gain control in the round pen: 5.1.1. Turn the horse loose, stand there and wait to see what's on his mind. 5.1.2. If he stands around, ask him to trot. Snap the lounging whip or just use it to make a whistling sound, (whatever is needed to get him moving). 6. The peace zone will come almost as a by-product of control. 6.1.1. Let him go pick the speed or gait. Then walk across the round pen and cut the horse off. 6.1.2. Do everything at normal speed. Do not rush or sneak 6.1.3. As a result, your horse is going to start to imitate you. He is going to imitate the speed at which you move, but most of all, he is going to imitate the manner in which you take things that are NEW TO HIM. Part Three: 7. Gain control of direction and the attention of the horse 7.1.1. In the round pen, moving at normal speed, (when I cut him off) most horses will stop and go the other way. 7.1.2. Repeat this process in both directions for a few times or until the horse starts to look at me. 7.1.3. When he starts to look at the handler, he is acknowledging that the handler has defeated him in a horse type of confrontation. It was all display, no contact. 7.1.4. When he runs to get away from me, cut him off. He does not realize the pen is round. So he thinks that the handler has out run him. 7.1.5. When sent the other way, the horse is being directed, and therefore dominated, according to typical herd rules. 7.1.6. If a horse that will not turn when cut off runs past me, I slap him on the fore legs with the whip. There are some that will try this 1 or 2 times, very few will try more than that. At this point I am merely saying to the horse I mean what I say. 8. Gain control of the speed. By this time the horse will be stopping and turning on the slightest move of my body. 8.1.1. Move from the center of the ring toward the horse's head. 8.1.2. Repeat in both directions. 8.1.3. The horse is showing signs of wanting to herd-up, meaning wanting to come in to me and touch me. At no time have I been hostile to this horse, my body has been in neutral (not displaying any emotion or speed ), which is normal for me when I work a horse. 8.1.4. I have directed this horse, but at no time (except for point 7.1.6 above) has my body transmitted any anxious, angry, aggressive, or fearful messages to this horse. So this horse has no reason to think that I am a leader that he should fear. Part 4 9. No animal wants a weak leader. Leadership is demonstrating by submission to touch and looking to the handler on how to act. 9.1. When the horse stops/stands, give no further direction to the horse. Just be near. 9.2. Life is very soft ,quiet and slow when he is near me. 9.3. The horse has his peace zone now, but by no means is it finished. 9.4. Repeat with tack. 10. When spooking at specific objects. Show him the object and how to behave toward it. Walk him up to that object and stand soft and quiet. I make sure I do not verbally console or reassure him. I just stand soft and quiet. He will imitate me.

Marianne's lesson from Tom

Marianne riding her beloved Criollo Mise

Continuing on from my last post,  I decided to quote from the book Marianne Du Toit wrote about her 2 year journey accompanied by two horses.  In her final leg towards her goal of long riding to NYC in time for the Saint Patrick's Day parade, she passed through our town where we met and spent a few days together.

In her book, Crying with Cockroaches Argentina to New York with two horses, Marianne wrote of her problems with American horse Toto and how Tom Simmons addressed them.  She writes:

"Tom was and expert with equines and strongly believed that they should be outside in their natural habitat as much as possible and allowed to be horses.  He was well-known in the area, as well as in California, for his direct and intuitive approach with these animals.

"Toto wants to be the leader," he said, "and as long as you allow him to be that, you'll have these problems and outbursts." 

He told me that Toto did not get enough leadership from me and that I hadn't yet established my authority over him.  I told him how I was more a friend to the horses than a disciplinarian but that I recognized the importance of being in control. 

He also reckoned that while we rested at Annette's for the five days, the daily alfalfa and sweet feed combination could have made him particularly hyper.

He took Toto in a ring for a bit of training and to get him to become more submissive without hurting him.  Afterwards, Toto was like putty in my hands.  I took him on the leading rope and walked with him.  When I stopped, he stopped, when I retreated, he did the same.  You could see that he was now respecting me as the boss.  I had a feeling Toto would always have his dominant personality, and I would not have wanted to break his spirit, but at least it was clearer to him now as to who was in charge.

Tom said that Toto needed to feel safe with me and that he needed a lot of reassurance when something frightened him.  I tried to apply all the tips and advice and the improvement was noticeable immediately."

Fred Rojo, Marianne, Nancy Rojo, Tom Simmons & Camanchi


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Crying with Cockroaches