A Glass Horse

01/05/2025

Ray Hunt was a man before his time. ♥️

01/02/2025

Don't waste time looking for a shortcut because there isn't one. 🐴 With - Scarpati Horsemanship

12/28/2024

He was a man who spoke softly but carried wisdom forged in the saddle. A man whose words were measured and deliberate, as if he knew each one carried the weight of a lifetime’s understanding. Ray Hunt didn’t just train horses—he transformed the way people thought about them.

Born in 1929 in Paul, Idaho, Hunt grew up in a world where horses were a necessity, not a novelty. They plowed fields, moved cattle, and hauled wagons. They weren’t companions—they were tools. But even as a young man, Ray saw something deeper in the horse’s eye. There was a question there, an unspoken dialogue waiting to be understood.

Ray’s journey into the world of horse training wasn’t immediate or linear. Like many of his generation, he worked hard and learned by doing. In his early years, he followed the traditional methods: force, dominance, and brute strength. If the horse didn’t obey, you made it obey. That’s just how it was done.

But Ray Hunt wasn’t satisfied with “how it was done.” The harder he pushed, the more resistance he felt—until a man named Tom Dorrance crossed his path.

Dorrance didn’t see horses the way most men did. He didn’t see them as animals to be broken, but as partners waiting to be understood. It wasn’t about forcing the horse to submit; it was about giving the horse a reason to trust. “Feel,” Dorrance called it, and Ray Hunt listened. He listened to the horses, too.

Hunt became a student of this new philosophy, but more than that, he became its most vocal advocate. His mantra was simple yet profound: “Make the right thing easy and the wrong thing difficult.” To Hunt, training wasn’t about punishment; it was about creating a space where the horse could make its own decisions—and choose to follow the human.

Ray’s clinics became legendary. He didn’t sugarcoat his words or offer quick fixes. “You need to think like the horse,” he’d say, “because the horse is already thinking about you.” He taught patience, presence, and respect—for both horse and rider.

But perhaps the most revolutionary idea Ray Hunt championed was this: the horse is never wrong. If the horse didn’t understand, it wasn’t the horse’s fault. It was the human’s. “It’s amazing what the horse will do for us,” he said, “if we treat him like he’s one of us.”

And that’s the part most people miss. Ray Hunt wasn’t just teaching horsemanship—he was teaching humanity. He was showing people how to listen, how to be present, and how to respect another being’s point of view.

Over the decades, Hunt’s influence grew. He traveled the world, spreading his philosophy to cowboys, ranchers, and hobbyists alike. His clinics weren’t about creating perfect horses—they were about creating better people.

Ray Hunt passed away in 2009, but his legacy endures in the hearts of those who understand the quiet magic of a horse’s trust. His teachings live on in the clinics of trainers who follow in his footsteps, in the soft eyes of a horse willing to try, and in the patience of a rider willing to listen.

Ray Hunt didn’t just change the way we train horses. He changed the way we see them.



🎨 The Art of JOHN RALPH SCHNURRENBERGER

https://www.jrsfineart.com

12/06/2024

11/25/2024

Thanksgiving break for the lesson herd

11/25/2024

This applies to riders as well. The refinement is infinite.

11/04/2024

Why Accurate Lead Rope Work is So Important

When I get a new horse in training, regardless of its experience, I generally spend a good amount of time working on leading. To some, this may seem like a trivial waste of time - “he already leads! He’s here for canter work!” Or some such thing. Firstly, I’ll start out by saying accurate leading is so much more than putting a halter and lead on and dragging a horse around. And secondly, a horse that leads accurately is safer, more responsive to riding aids, and will more willingly load or cross into areas that might have otherwise created resistance.

So to begin, what exactly is accurate leading?

To me, a horse that is properly halter broke is one who understands and responds to the feel of the lead rope without resistance. This horse leaves the slack in the lead rope, and does not drag behind or pull ahead. This horse knows how to speed up, slow down, stop, back up, and turn when the feel of the rope changes without resistance. They don’t pull back, step on top of you, or crowd you.

Why does it matter so much?

I can tell pretty quickly from leading a horse how they’re going to handle under saddle. If they drag on the lead rope, pretty frequently these types of horses are heavy in the hands, stiff in the neck, and heavy on the forehand. If they are tough to speed up on the ground, you can pretty well bet they won’t respond to the leg promptly, and if they’re running over the top of you, well, you have some big problems there, too.

If I can get a horse operating on the lead rope well, not only can I tune up these riding issues before I’ve ever stepped in the stirrup, I can also make a more peaceful horse. Horses do not love being pulled on, and they also do not love pulling on you. They’re just doing what they know, and what their education has set them up to do. I can get them lighter in their shoulders and more balanced from just proper lead rope work - a horse who is resistant to lead forward is often very heavy on the forehand, therefore canter work (if that’s what he’s here for) is going to be a battle if he’s dragging around. The more little pieces I can help him make sense of and connect, the easier the more advanced stuff will be for him.

It makes a much safer horse. I don’t need to tell you that a horse that steps on you isn’t too fun to handle. Teaching these guys where to be and when makes all the difference. A properly halter broke horse will NOT jump on top of you when scared by something (provided you have given them enough space and have not trapped them and given them no other option). They will load in trailers, lead into wash racks, and walk over scary things on the ground, if you give them time and preparation, because they know how to respond to the lead rope. They will not pull back when tied (again, assuming you have not put them in a situation where they have no choice).

So many times, a riding issue can be cleared up by just tuning up your leading. If all you did was commit to better leading for 30 days, you would find a much easier ride the next time you climb I to the saddle. It sounds simple, because it is, but it isn’t always easy.

10/24/2024

We do have a few group lesson spots open for new clients!

09/21/2024

Ember being Ember

08/04/2024

Last week of Summer Camp 2024 at Faubion Farms! 🐴

07/30/2024

🥰

07/30/2024

These two 🤦🏼‍♀️😂

07/07/2024

Summer ☀️🐴🐴

07/01/2024

06/12/2024