Price Horsemanship offers programs for weaning foals and the development of weanlings and yearlings. All other horses on a per client basis.
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Heads up!
This lady is just awesome. If you’re interested in learning more about hooves keep an eye out for her upcoming Zoom classes. Beginner to advanced friendly. Navicular, laminitis, and white line are the topics due to majority interest.
Building a willingness to get together is one of the first steps to a great future. **tstarting
Tonka’s learning he loves the hose 😄🏆 Developing life skills ✅
Today was, Mr. Gray’s three year old gelding, Boli’s first day on the Heel-O-Matic and he did great! Thank you Matt Davis for a job well done starting him 🏆
This handsome gelding is by Mr. Grays stallion!
So cool to see the role genetics play in these youngsters! Watch Gail’s (cow bred quarter horse) natural response when first presentated with the flag versus Tonka’s (draft cross) natural response.
🏆 “Gail” 🏆
1/15/2024 Red Roan Filly by Little Puma x DMAC Dancin Spoons x Hes A Peptospoonful. This fancy little girl is one sharp cookie. Always the first to volunteer. Checks in to make sure she did what you wanted. This filly is made of try. Plus she’s got a real “Got it, so what are we doing next?” attitude. KB Ranch & Stallion Station bred. Located near Weatherford, Texas. Happy to help arrange shipping. Low xx,###. Message or text 9️⃣7️⃣0️⃣. 9️⃣2️⃣2️⃣. 9️⃣0️⃣8️⃣5️⃣.
More clips of her on the Price Horsemanship page.
In this clip you’ll see our process for haltering. We “white glove” these little ones because every part of them is extremely sensitive and malleable. We strive to be gentle with the bones in their heads and avoid any pulling on their little atlases as much as possible. We’ll talk about skull bones, the atlas, and tying in a future clips.
We really want to point out that for the most part their little vibrissae (whiskers) have only touched their mommas, their feed, and the ground. Vibrissae have their own nerve and blood supply. There are areas of their developing brains that are dedicated solely to the sensory information that comes directly from the vibrissae. Think of them as high power feelers far more attuned than our hands but able to differentiate between hot and cold, soft or hard, wet or dry, etc.. For example, when a horse puts his muzzle on let’s say a saddle pad he’s not smelling it. He smelled it from quite some distance away. He’s not smelling it he’s feeling it. So you can imagine how our hands and all the unnatural things like halters feel new, odd, and often unsafe to a young horse. In preparing them for each step, even seemingly simple actions like haltering, we want to lower the stress and fear response. It’s our goal to present things in such a way as to make each next step a non event.
Not having a rodeo background I love the irony of Clayton’s experiences getting around and saddling up broncs helping him be such an amazingly gentle and efficient weanling and yearling starter. God’s always building your tool box.
Speaking of tools, traditional ones like the extra soft knotted horse rope Clayton uses the end of in the clip, are absolutely indispensable. The metal hondo at the other end of that same rope is curved so pressure can be released as swiftly as possible for learning. Again, it’s never about force at any point. We are looking for acceptance and the cool confidence that follows.
We sure hope this is all helpful!
Full version viewable on YouTube, https://youtu.be/7gpzYoD9frQ?si=OzWhfbBTM_QFQLeB
**tstarting
🏆 TESTIMONIAL 🏆
“I have known Clayton Price as a quality horseman and person for about 20 years. He has worked with my breeding stock as well as my young horses. I believe strongly a young horse must have a solid foundation prior to going out into the world. Clayton provides my babies with this. When they are started by him they quickly develop trust and confidence. He reads the horse and provides them with what they need to develop. He is constantly educating himself and continually looking for ways to improve. Those who buy my babies consistently are impressed with their new partner's skill and confidence. In my opinion this prevents my babies from ending up in a bad situation as they exceed expectations. Of course they always have a safety net to come home to if needed. I wouldn't trust my horses with anyone else.”
-Elizabeth C. California, owner and breeder, pictured with Stallion JMF Black Hawk Morgan World Champion 2011. Started by Clayton.
-Also pictured, Sizzlin’ Hot Night Hawk, a gelding out of JMF Black Hawk, started by Clayton. Photo credits to Point Reyes National Seashore Association, Voices at the Seashore Magazine Greenblatt, Ellen. “Morgan Horse Ranch.” June. 2021:https://ptreyes.org/app/uploads/2021/06/Morgan-Horse-YoPa-10-Voices-FINAL.pdf
🔷 Ponies on Payroll 🔷
Cookie, our 12 hand 22 year old Welsh mare, and Jezzie, our 5 hand 17 year old mini are worth their weight in gold! They truly are the Nanny McPhees of our program. Cookie and Jezzie step in to help us teach the weanlings and yearlings about boundaries and manners when we feel one needs a little tutoring in that area.
For instance in this session you’ll see the girls work as a team applying just enough pressure for Tonka, a weanling quarter horse shire cross, to learn about yielding and boundaries. Yielding and boundaries start from day one and are foundational tools that will serve him for the rest of his life. He’s a cute little boy now but his dam is 15.3 and his sire is 19.1. It’s our job to help him be a well mannered youngster and set him up to be a well mannered adult.
It only took one session with the nannies to gently and positively influence Tonka in the right direction.
**tstarting
🎈 Peripheral Acceptance 🎈
In this clip Clayton is working with Ayla, a 7/21/22 Quarter Horse Friesian cross filly. Exposure to peripheral activity is an important component of our weanling and yearling program. Appropriately, weanling peripheral sessions are different than yearling peripheral sessions. These clips are a good example of yearling sessions.
Our goal with peripheral work is to prepare young horses for activity within their periphery. For example, weanlings need to be accepting of grooming and ground work activities whereas yearlings graduate to saddling and bridling preparation in anticipation of their two year old start. Building blocks.
Whether the horse’s future rider swings a rope, wields a polo mallet, takes off their rain coat, or has an arena banner flap mid way through the perfect round we want to prepare horses for those peripheral pressures from the beginning.
WORTH NOTING: We love our little 25 pound synthetic saddles with their flappy little plastic stirrups! We add a back cinch and always use a breast collar. For yearlings the sole focus is the movement and feel of the pad, saddle, cinches, and breast collar. They are presented prior with cinch pressure from a soft horse rope and then with our customized surcingle.
**tstarting
📚🔬 Science Saturday 🔬📚
Foal Brain Development and Why Early Handling Makes A Difference.
Dr. Stephen Peters discusses in his book Evidence-Based Horsemanship, co-written with one of our favorite horseman, Martin Black, undeniably “The horse is born much more “ready for life” than we are. How does this happen? There are many reasons but one of the most important ones he writes about in chapter one “… is the process of myelination that contributes to (their) rapid brain growth and maturation. Myelin is a fatty substance that works like an insulator covering nerve fibers which transmit information. The myelin insulation on these nerve fibers allows information to travel at an accelerated extremely high rate of speed compared to non insulated fibers.” Put in a way many of us can understand a truck can travel much faster down a freshly paved highway than a pothole covered gravel road. “…think of myelin as the highway pavement. In this case, it’s an information highway.”
He goes on to explain on page three of that same chapter the development of myelin starts with motor roots because for a herd animal movement is top priority. Early on “The brainstem pathways (involving many automatic behaviors and where the spinal cord meets the brain) continue to develop….At this point no real thinking is involved….Motor patterns of (the) immature brain are mostly under the brainstems control. The next key area of connection is to the cerebellum….The myelination of this pathway allows the cerebellum to coordinate and smooth out the horse’s movement.” The lack of development (at birth) of the connections to the cerebellum are the reason for foals erratic unbalanced movement.
Why is this phase important? Because the connections that are developed in the cerebellum play a major role “in controlling balance, head, and eye movements….For the rest of the horse’s life, the cerebellum will act as a library for storing all learning regarding physical movement.” During this chapter of a young horse’s development Dr. Peter’s research, utilizing functional MRI, has shown we can influence both myelination and neurology. In doing so we influence how a young horse learns to balance their “head, limbs and trunk”. Imagine the implications those myelin roads have on muscle memory as they mature! Whether you’re a barrel racer, cutter, reiner, jumper, or dressage rider that aught to sound pretty darn valuable. It is fact in light of this research we can enhance and maximize their potential by briefly influencing their neurological roads as they are being built during their weanling and yearling growth phases.
Now, imagine what your two year old c**t starter can do with that c**t in light of the genetics you’ve painstakingly selected.
NOTE: This was Tonka Toys first session and was less than ten minutes long. Tonka’s a 2/29/24 KB Ranch & Stallion Station c**t by a gorgeous 19.1 hand Shire out of Ima Secret Mistress x I Gotta Cool Secret. Tonka’s a sweetheart with a strong desire to please. He’s going to make someone a real solid horse in every sense 💪🏼🐴 PM if interested. Happy to help arrange shipping.
Dr. Peters, Stephen, and Martin Black. Evidence-Based Horsemanship 1st ed. Kentucky: Wasteland Press, 2012
🚛 LEARNING TO LOAD 🚛
This is little Gail’s (name TBD) third loading session. We keep the sessions low stress but effective.
Note the turnaround in the trailer. This little A student is already learning to follow a feel. Also, bumping her behind her front leg sets her up to know what pressure in that same area from a rider means when the time comes. Good stuff.
2024 roan filly by Little Puma x DMAC Dancin Spoons x Hes A Peptospoonful. This fancy little girl is one sharp cookie. Always the first to volunteer. Checks in to make sure she did what you wanted. This filly is made of try. Plus she’s got a real “Got it, so what are we doing next?” attitude. KB Ranch & Stallion Station bred. PM if interested. Happy to help arrange shipping.
Summer schedule means out the door just before dawn so we beat the heat! Pulled out the hose for some pre lunch equine water park entertainment ☀️💦 🐴
The owner of the yearling and mare in the first frames wants to be able to swim them when they go home. Don’t think that’ll be a problem 😉
In response to changes in the equine industry we are expanding our weanling and yearling program. A carefully curated chapter beginning at weaning or as a yearling adds value and a competitive advantage.
Affecting the trajectory and health of today’s meticulously bred foal via correct and appropriate handling simultaneously sets the stage for maximizing genetics, gives you a jump on addressing health issues, and establishes demeanor for the current owner, future buyer, future c**t starter, trainer, vet, farrier, etc. Influencing how they use their bodies, increasing their confidence, as well the ability to be haltered, tied, groomed, doctored, prepared for sale and shipped confidently is key to the health and success of all young horses in today’s equine industry.
We look forward to providing you the head start you both deserve.
• Catch and Halter
• Leading
• Tying
• Grooming
• Feet Handled
• Pressure, Relief, Yielding
• Peripheral Activity Acceptance
• Loading, Trailering, Unloading
• Intro to Ground Work
• Intro to Bathing
• Posting/Listing
Specific feed or handling requests met per individual. Minimum 30 days. Initial pick up required with few exceptions. Located near Stephenville, Texas.
✨🐑✨
Lambert is obsessed with empty troughs. This is what happens when we clean them. If someone isn’t on guard while the hose is on route they get woolly! He jumps in paws and paws and then visits with the nearest horse 😆♥️
Needless to say all the horses, like Henry pictured here, become pretty sheep broke.
Quinn loves his job! As some of you know he came to us through a loving owner who trusted us to set him in a better direction. After six months off followed by a full “reboot” he now helps other horses get the kind of start he was not afforded.
He’s the first at the gate, practically shoves his head in the halter, and can’t wait to get to work. Make no mistake folks he’s not bored that’s a happy, dopamine delivering yawn on his sweet spotted face.
He’s six now and will remain with us for life ♥️
We love our “Mighty Quinn”!
⚙️ Beet Pulp ⚙️
Spring weather can mean dramatic temperature swings for many of us. Colic and impaction are always on the radar but particularly in the Spring. That said beet pulp is a year round mainstay in our feed and nutrition program for many reasons. Easy keepers and hard keepers alike benefit noticeably. Plus its contributions to hind gut health and biome are absolutely priceless. Oh, it’s worth mentioning, our easy keepers find themselves full and satisfied enough from the beet pulp they back themselves off their hay achieving a harmonious balance.
This article from Horse.com, February 2024, sums it up nicely.
“Beet pulp has long been a mainstay in many feed rooms, especially during the winter months. People often incorrectly think of it as a concentrate because in many cases it is fed instead of or alongside grain; however, in reality, it is actually a forage. Relatively high in hemicellulose, a fermentable fiber, beet pulp digestion relies on microbial fermentation in the hindgut. This makes it a feed closer to pasture and hay than traditional concentrates such as oats, which are high in starch and require enzymatic digestion in the small intestine. Yet, when it comes to the calories supplied per pound it compares more closely to oats than hay. This is what makes it such a good choice for hard-keeping horses.
A by-product of the sugar beet industry, beet pulp is what remains after the sugar is removed. Therefore, despite the name the sugar content is low. In fact, it is low enough to be safe for horses with insulin resistance (IR) or polysaccharide storage myopathy (PSSM) as long as it does not have any added molasses. Beet pulp with molasses is often less dusty and might be more palatable, but it’s not safe for horses with IR, PSSM, or hyperkalemic periodic paralysis (HYPP). If you cannot find molasses-free beet pulp, you can soak beet pulp and then rinse it before feeding to wash off the molasses.
The low-sugar and -starch content means there are no concerns of overwhelming the small intestine’s ability to absorb these nutrients. There’s also no concern about them entering the hindgut and disrupting microbial fermentation as can happen if large amounts of high starch grain are fed. By feeding a product that requires microbial fermentation and provides a form of complex carbohydrate that’s relatively easy to ferment, the beneficial microbial populations in the hindgut are supplied with abundant substrate.
Beet pulp comes in two physical forms; shredded and pelleted. The pellets tend to be very hard and some are quite large, whereas shreds are exactly as the name implies— thin strips of pulp about half- to three-quarters of an inch long and about one-sixteenth of an inch wide.
Because of beet pulp pellets’ hardness and size, I always recommend soaking beet pulp pellets. And, given that it is always beneficial to increase your horse’s water intake.
Shreds soak slightly more quickly than pellets. A good general rule that results in a good consistency of finished soaked feed is one part beet pulp to two parts water. Shreds swell and absorb water more quickly than pellets. To speed up pellets or shreds soak them in hot water; just make sure it has cooled enough before feeding. Soaked beet pulp typically remains good for about a day; however, in hot, humid climates it might go bad in less than 24 hours. If it smells like wine or vinegar, it has spoiled and should not be fed.
As for amount to feed, this will depend on your horse. If you are needing to stretch hay or have a hard keeper or a horse with poor dentition you can feed up to 50% of the dietary forage as beep pulp (dry weight). So for a 1,200-pound horse being fed 2% of body weight as forage, you would feed 12 pounds of beet pulp per day.
Also, if you have an easy keeper, remember that beet pulp provides more calories per pound than an equal amount of grass hay. This means that if you are going to feed beet pulp to an easy keeper you will likely find yourself feeding less total forage per day, as you’ll need to reduce total intake to prevent the horse from gaining weight.
Beet pulp has a lower potassium level than most grass hays making it a useful substitute for horses with HYPP, where dietary potassium should be less than 1%. Beet pulp’s calcium content is good, as well, being higher than most grass hays although lower than alfalfa. As such, it compliments traditional grains such as oats that tend to have low calcium and higher phosphorus levels. The protein content is comparable to grass hay at about 8 to 12%. However, because it is not a fortified feed, a mineral and vitamin supplement will be needed to insure adequate intakes of trace minerals and necessary vitamins, such as vitamin E.”
Horse.com is your source for everything equine. From tack to horse supplies & riding accessories, we have what you need at the lowest prices, guaranteed!
The proof is in the pudding! So proud of these two boys. Look at this young horse having his sixth ride, first outing at the new facility, after not being handled for SEVEN MONTHS. We give priority to client horses which means ours don’t always fit into the day. The solid foundation Clayton built has given this young horse the ability to adapt and adjust with a level head. He is far more familiar with cars and garbage trucks than pastures and ponds but has made the transition seamlessly.
“The beginning is the most important part of the work.” -Plato
Plato must have been a horseman 😉
Love watching them progress from being uncomfortable with the unknown to being curious about the questions, and finally to confident in knowing they know the answers.
This yearling filly is an honor student 📚📝 A+
Price Horsemanship has an opening for training starting in February. We specialize in c**t starting and offering customized training as well as marketing and sales packages. We share a combined 50 years experience - Clayton has contract c**t started at some of the most successful performance horse facilities in the country and also has a comprehensive back ground in rope horses. Elise has a hunter jumper and combined training back ground that includes working for Olympian Michael Plumb and Hall of Fame hunter trainer Rick Fancher. With our multi-industry experience and team focused approach, we look forward to setting you and your horse up for success in and out of the arena.
Our training facility affords your horse access to work live cattle and exposure to outside ranch riding. Large pens with cover and turn out options available. All breeds and disciplines welcome. References upon request. 60 days minimum. Located in Desdemona, just 20 minutes West of Stephenville, Texas.
Everyone’s settling into our beautiful new place in Texas. We’re excited to get to work! Stay tuned!
We’ve seen loads of how to handle the heat articles this Summer 🔥 This one from Cayuse caught our eye because most of us have a dog or two in tow.
Horses, Dogs, Humans in Heat Dogs, horses, and humans resting during a recent cattle drive. It’s hot as heck! But we still want to get out there with our four-hooved and four-pawed compadres. You’ll find LOTS of advice from professionals and non-professionals on scores of sites, shows, podcasts,...
🔸Connecting Fundamentals🔸
In this session you’ll see Clayton working on connecting fundamentals with Magnum. Magnum is a six year old quarter horse Friesian cross who was gelded last year. He is a stout, thick hided but surprisingly sensitive gelding. Magnum had been started prior to coming to Clayton. This has required Clayton circle back to fill in the gaps and address important fundamentals that had been skipped. He’s pretty big on learning about a horse from a horse.
Magnum was a bit of a dragon on a string initially meaning Clayton was not even a blip on his radar. He has since been learning to focus and, you could truly say, Magnum’s been learning how to learn.
Regardless of a horses job we believe a horse should not require lunging or working down in order to be safe and focused. Consequently “recess comes after class not before”. The result is a horse that can settle himself, tune in, and do his job efficiently straight out the stall or pasture. After all we only get one set of tires in this deal. As you will see in the clips this approach builds a horse that is mentally and physically with you.
It’s worth mentioning this is a horse Clayton handles one day a week. Applying experience and evidence based horsemanship allows Clayton to pick up where he left off the week prior. Consistency follows rapidly.
No gimmicks or fancy tools required. Clayton does swap out a flag for a plastic grocery store bag from time to time. Call it cowboy recycling.
Work at guiding your horse through a good mental sweat, anyone can make wet saddle blankets.
Horsemanship
Evidence Based Horsemanship
**tstarting
We love the insights and wisdom of avid horseman and former Olympian Denny Emerson. Clayton was quick to point out that Mr. Emerson’s philosophies are applicable across all disciplines. Take a quick read and see what you think.
Rein contact
On the heads of 99.99% of horses being ridden, there is either a bridle with a bit of some sort, a hackamore of some sort, or some other type of bitless bridle.
Attached to that head device, from the bit or from some other contact point, run reins or ropes or some other types of lines, which in various ways feed into the hands of the riders.
Generally speaking, most of this has to do with steering and going at a pace that the rider wants, and with stopping.
Control is the main reason for bridles and their various attachments, and here is where there is an enormous range of degree. We see some horses trussed up like the proverbial Christmas turkey, with lines going every which way, often connected to bits that appear to have been designed to stop a charging bull rhinoceros.
Other horses are ridden in very light to virtually zero contact, being asked to balance and steer, stop and go in far more subtle ways.
I think that a large part of this immense variety must be related to the particular need and desire for control of the particular rider.
Some riders are total “control freaks”. They must “own” every footfall the horse makes. Some do this in rough ways, others through years of schooling, but either way, that control is front and center.
I watch some riders walk, trot and canter, even on the most uneven terrain, on almost floating reins, leaving it up to the horse to figure out how to use its various body parts.
Other riders want to have a horse trained to be within the constraints of leg to hand, but who generally leave the horse alone unless they feel the need to intervene.
Some horses handle constraint, some resent it, some battle to get away from it. Some riders have great tact in the application of control, others want total submission, many fall between the extremes.
Horses are able to be ridden by humans in large measure because they can be controlled, but the application of that control can cause the horses huge misery if it is done badly.
Much of learning “how to ride,” to put it in simplest terms, has to do with how the human deals with reins.
🚩Multipurpose Flagging🚩
In this clip you’ll see Clayton handle Bo (RBR Playin Dirty). Bo is one of Clayton’s personal horses. Clayton started him at Legacy of Legends for Buster McLaury and is circling back to groom him to be part of the team. Bo will eventually help Clayton start c**ts and handle horses with behavior challenges.
Naturally, being Clayton’s horse, this is not the first time Bo has seen a flag. He has also been flagged from the ground with Clayton in the saddle. This exercise helps the horse learn to move his hind quarters and front quarters. The positive impacts toward building a roll back, turn on the haunches, turn on the forehand, and just turning in general are pretty super. Bo is a green 5 year old but is already light in the bridle due to exercises like this one. Whether assisted from the ground or simply done by yourself the results are the same.
**tstarting **tstarter
Happy Easter from our family to yours.
There are many paths to horsemanship…..
We couldn’t have said this better ourselves.
Happy and blessed New Year from our family to yours 👏🏼 🎉 👏🏼
Desdemona, TX
| Monday | 9am - 5pm |
| Tuesday | 9am - 5pm |
| Wednesday | 9am - 5pm |
| Thursday | 9am - 5pm |
| Friday | 9am - 5pm |
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Building a willingness to get together is one of the first steps to a great future. #aqha #DraftCross #horses #coltstarting #friesianhorse
Tonka’s learning he loves the hose 😄🏆 Developing life skills ✅ #aqha #DraftCross #horses #shire
Today was, Mr. Gray’s three year old gelding, Boli’s first day on the Heel-O-Matic and he did great! Thank you Matt Davis for a job well done starting him 🏆 This handsome gelding is by Mr. Grays stallion! #aqha #ropehorse #horses #cowhorse
So cool to see the role genetics play in these youngsters! Watch Gail’s (cow bred quarter horse) natural response when first presentated with the flag versus Tonka’s (draft cross) natural response. #aqha #ncha #DraftCross #horses
Their futures so bright! #aqha #ncha #nrcha #coltstarting #DraftCross #horsemanship
🏆 “Gail” 🏆 1/15/2024 Red Roan Filly by Little Puma x DMAC Dancin Spoons x Hes A Peptospoonful. This fancy little girl is one sharp cookie. Always the first to volunteer. Checks in to make sure she did what you wanted. This filly is made of try. Plus she’s got a real “Got it, so what are we doing next?” attitude. KB Ranch & Stallion Station bred. Located near Weatherford, Texas. Happy to help arrange shipping. Low xx,###. Message or text 9️⃣7️⃣0️⃣. 9️⃣2️⃣2️⃣. 9️⃣0️⃣8️⃣5️⃣. More clips of her on the Price Horsemanship page.
In this clip you’ll see our process for haltering. We “white glove” these little ones because every part of them is extremely sensitive and malleable. We strive to be gentle with the bones in their heads and avoid any pulling on their little atlases as much as possible. We’ll talk about skull bones, the atlas, and tying in a future clips. We really want to point out that for the most part their little vibrissae (whiskers) have only touched their mommas, their feed, and the ground. Vibrissae have their own nerve and blood supply. There are areas of their developing brains that are dedicated solely to the sensory information that comes directly from the vibrissae. Think of them as high power feelers far more attuned than our hands but able to differentiate between hot and cold, soft or hard, wet or dry, etc.. For example, when a horse puts his muzzle on let’s say a saddle pad he’s not smelling it. He smelled it from quite some distance away. He’s not smelling it he’s feeling it. So you can imagine how our hands and all the unnatural things like halters feel new, odd, and often unsafe to a young horse. In preparing them for each step, even seemingly simple actions like haltering, we want to lower the stress and fear response. It’s our goal to present things in such a way as to make each next step a non event. Not having a rodeo background I love the irony of Clayton’s experiences getting around and saddling up broncs helping him be such an amazingly gentle and efficient weanling and yearling starter. God’s always building your tool box. Speaking of tools, traditional ones like the extra soft knotted horse rope Clayton uses the end of in the clip, are absolutely indispensable. The metal hondo at the other end of that same rope is curved so pressure can be released as swiftly as possible for learning. Again, it’s never about force at any point. We are looking for acceptance and the cool confidence that follows. We sure hope this is all hel
Preparing the weanlings for travel is vital to their health and success! Short trips on property at 5 mph and with frequent stops helps manage stress and prepare them for their futures. #KBRANCH #aqha #coltstarting #horses
🔷 Ponies on Payroll 🔷 Cookie, our 12 hand 22 year old Welsh mare, and Jezzie, our 5 hand 17 year old mini are worth their weight in gold! They truly are the Nanny McPhees of our program. Cookie and Jezzie step in to help us teach the weanlings and yearlings about boundaries and manners when we feel one needs a little tutoring in that area. For instance in this session you’ll see the girls work as a team applying just enough pressure for Tonka, a weanling quarter horse shire cross, to learn about yielding and boundaries. Yielding and boundaries start from day one and are foundational tools that will serve him for the rest of his life. He’s a cute little boy now but his dam is 15.3 and his sire is 19.1. It’s our job to help him be a well mannered youngster and set him up to be a well mannered adult. It only took one session with the nannies to gently and positively influence Tonka in the right direction. #coltstarting #horsemanship #horses #draftcross
Let’s get started! Learning to follow lightest pressure of the lead rope at their start builds for lightness at the end of the reins in their future. Boundaries and willingness are real bonus too! #aqha #aqhafoals #coltstarting
🎈 Peripheral Acceptance 🎈 In this clip Clayton is working with Ayla, a 7/21/22 Quarter Horse Friesian cross filly. Exposure to peripheral activity is an important component of our weanling and yearling program. Appropriately, weanling peripheral sessions are different than yearling peripheral sessions. These clips are a good example of yearling sessions. Our goal with peripheral work is to prepare young horses for activity within their periphery. For example, weanlings need to be accepting of grooming and ground work activities whereas yearlings graduate to saddling and bridling preparation in anticipation of their two year old start. Building blocks. Whether the horse’s future rider swings a rope, wields a polo mallet, takes off their rain coat, or has an arena banner flap mid way through the perfect round we want to prepare horses for those peripheral pressures from the beginning. WORTH NOTING: We love our little 25 pound synthetic saddles with their flappy little plastic stirrups! We add a back cinch and always use a breast collar. For yearlings the sole focus is the movement and feel of the pad, saddle, cinches, and breast collar. They are presented prior with cinch pressure from a soft horse rope and then with our customized surcingle. #horses #yearling #coltstarting
📚🔬 Science Saturday 🔬📚 Foal Brain Development and Why Early Handling Makes A Difference. Dr. Stephen Peters discusses in his book Evidence-Based Horsemanship, co-written with one of our favorite horseman, Martin Black, undeniably “The horse is born much more “ready for life” than we are. How does this happen? There are many reasons but one of the most important ones he writes about in chapter one “… is the process of myelination that contributes to (their) rapid brain growth and maturation. Myelin is a fatty substance that works like an insulator covering nerve fibers which transmit information. The myelin insulation on these nerve fibers allows information to travel at an accelerated extremely high rate of speed compared to non insulated fibers.” Put in a way many of us can understand a truck can travel much faster down a freshly paved highway than a pothole covered gravel road. “…think of myelin as the highway pavement. In this case, it’s an information highway.” He goes on to explain on page three of that same chapter the development of myelin starts with motor roots because for a herd animal movement is top priority. Early on “The brainstem pathways (involving many automatic behaviors and where the spinal cord meets the brain) continue to develop….At this point no real thinking is involved….Motor patterns of (the) immature brain are mostly under the brainstems control. The next key area of connection is to the cerebellum….The myelination of this pathway allows the cerebellum to coordinate and smooth out the horse’s movement.” The lack of development (at birth) of the connections to the cerebellum are the reason for foals erratic unbalanced movement. Why is this phase important? Because the connections that are developed in the cerebellum play a major role “in controlling balance, head, and eye movements….For the rest of the horse’s life, the cerebellum will act as a library for storing all learning regardin
🚛 LEARNING TO LOAD 🚛 This is little Gail’s (name TBD) third loading session. We keep the sessions low stress but effective. Note the turnaround in the trailer. This little A student is already learning to follow a feel. Also, bumping her behind her front leg sets her up to know what pressure in that same area from a rider means when the time comes. Good stuff. 2024 roan filly by Little Puma x DMAC Dancin Spoons x Hes A Peptospoonful. This fancy little girl is one sharp cookie. Always the first to volunteer. Checks in to make sure she did what you wanted. This filly is made of try. Plus she’s got a real “Got it, so what are we doing next?” attitude. KB Ranch & Stallion Station bred. PM if interested. Happy to help arrange shipping.
Summer schedule means out the door just before dawn so we beat the heat! Pulled out the hose for some pre lunch equine water park entertainment ☀️💦 🐴 The owner of the yearling and mare in the first frames wants to be able to swim them when they go home. Don’t think that’ll be a problem 😉 #horselife #horses #texas
#horsesofinstagram #horselife #horses
In response to changes in the equine industry we are expanding our weanling and yearling program. A carefully curated chapter beginning at weaning or as a yearling adds value and a competitive advantage. Affecting the trajectory and health of today’s meticulously bred foal via correct and appropriate handling simultaneously sets the stage for maximizing genetics, gives you a jump on addressing health issues, and establishes demeanor for the current owner, future buyer, future colt starter, trainer, vet, farrier, etc. Influencing how they use their bodies, increasing their confidence, as well the ability to be haltered, tied, groomed, doctored, prepared for sale and shipped confidently is key to the health and success of all young horses in today’s equine industry. We look forward to providing you the head start you both deserve. • Catch and Halter • Leading • Tying • Grooming • Feet Handled • Pressure, Relief, Yielding • Peripheral Activity Acceptance • Loading, Trailering, Unloading • Intro to Ground Work • Intro to Bathing • Posting/Listing Specific feed or handling requests met per individual. Minimum 30 days. Initial pick up required with few exceptions. Located near Stephenville, Texas.
Variety at the right pace makes for a well rounded horse! Go have some fun. Your horse will thank you.
🔸Connecting Fundamentals🔸 In this session you’ll see Clayton working on connecting fundamentals with Magnum. Magnum is a six year old quarter horse Friesian cross who was gelded last year. He is a stout, thick hided but surprisingly sensitive gelding. Magnum had been started prior to coming to Clayton. This has required Clayton circle back to fill in the gaps and address important fundamentals that had been skipped. He’s pretty big on learning about a horse from a horse. Magnum was a bit of a dragon on a string initially meaning Clayton was not even a blip on his radar. He has since been learning to focus and, you could truly say, Magnum’s been learning how to learn. Regardless of a horses job we believe a horse should not require lunging or working down in order to be safe and focused. Consequently “recess comes after class not before”. The result is a horse that can settle himself, tune in, and do his job efficiently straight out the stall or pasture. After all we only get one set of tires in this deal. As you will see in the clips this approach builds a horse that is mentally and physically with you. It’s worth mentioning this is a horse Clayton handles one day a week. Applying experience and evidence based horsemanship allows Clayton to pick up where he left off the week prior. Consistency follows rapidly. No gimmicks or fancy tools required. Clayton does swap out a flag for a plastic grocery store bag from time to time. Call it cowboy recycling. Work at guiding your horse through a good mental sweat, anyone can make wet saddle blankets. Horsemanship Evidence Based Horsemanship #horsemanship #coltstarting #westernhorse #aqha
🚩Multipurpose Flagging🚩 In this clip you’ll see Clayton handle Bo (RBR Playin Dirty). Bo is one of Clayton’s personal horses. Clayton started him at Legacy of Legends for Buster McLaury and is circling back to groom him to be part of the team. Bo will eventually help Clayton start other colts and horses with behavior challenges. Naturally, being Clayton’s horse, this is not the first time Bo has seen a flag. He has also been flagged from the ground with Clayton in the saddle. This exercise helps the horse learn to move his hind quarters and front quarters. The positive impacts toward building a roll back, turn on the haunches, turn on the forehand, and just turning in general are pretty super. Bo is a green 5 year old but is already light in the bridle do to exercises like this one. Whether assisted from the ground or simply done by yourself the results are the same. #pricehorsemanship #AQHA #coltstarting #coltstarter #legacyoflegends #benefitsofaflag #nodesensitization
