Price Horsemanship

01/18/2025

We feel blessed to curate and quietly witness so many firsts every day. This photo captured the first time this little lady met a saddle. It’s just a glimpse of your future pretty girl….and it’s bright.

“No one can possibly know what is about to happen: it is happening, each time, for the first time, for the only time.”

James A. Baldwin

💎 Thank you Flyin Sixes Ranch for sending this lovely filly to our program. We can’t wait to see where she goes from here!

01/14/2025

🥜 Squirrel: The Saddle Blanket 🥜

Squirrel came to us fresh off his momma. He is a 2024 c**t by Peptos NU Bar out of KR Pistol Lena. Squirrel is a gentle natured, athletic, lightening fast learner. He is moderately sensitive and we believe his current reactivity is simply rooted in a strong sense of self preservation. Certainly can’t hold that against him. Who was it that said we don’t ride the ones whose ancestors got eaten by lions at the water hole?

Squirrel has had about 30 days of handling to reach this point. The next 30 days will focus on everything we can do to prepare him for the smooth and easy two year old start we, and his owner want for him.

Can I just say what a kick it is to watch Clayton use a horse’s natural curiosity to draw them out of their current comfort zone and into the participitory role that will serve them in their future? Wow. Finesse, feel, and patience (and years and years of handling horses) pays.

On a side note is anyone else a sucker for a snip? He’s a handsome little guy who’s just full of try.

**tstarting

12/11/2024

🔐 UNLOCKING THE FEET 🔐

🚨 FULL LENGTH VIDEO AVAILABLE on YouTube 🚨

https://youtu.be/w4kPN4K8vsE?si=5j29_tEpaJCmjTb2

Jericho, a six year old quarter horse, is a steer tripping horse in the making. He was sent to us for two purposes; unlock his feet (for everyone including the farrier), and influence his willingness to wait on his rider while they both do their job. We believe those two things are more closely related than one might imagine. It never fails to impress us how a change in one area affects change in another.

Jericho’s first session, uploaded previously, looked pretty different from this one which is just his second. What a testament to a horses ability to process between sessions! Like us, their brain keeps working out the challenge and processing information in a big way once “class” is out.

As you’ll see in the clip he’s a big easy going guy who’s got a pretty established opinion about who should manage his feet. We hope you enjoy watching him figure out what’s being asked of him so he can make the necessary changes.

🚨 FULL LENGTH VIDEO AVAILABLE on YouTube 🚨

https://youtu.be/w4kPN4K8vsE?si=5j29_tEpaJCmjTb2

10/24/2024

🏆 Big shout out to our top fans! 🏆

Michele Grisham, Rachael Erin Zalar

Thank you for following. Your plays and likes mean so much to us! 🧡

10/24/2024

⚖️ Finding the Balance ⚖️

Little Hawk, a three year old appendix quarter horse, came to us post injury and after about a year of lay up that included support therapies. Since arriving he has had a pretty major chiropractic adjustment that included highly effective cranial sacral work and thera plate. In addition to his training sessions Hawk also benefits from ongoing rehabilitative bio-mechanic rehab and conditioning here with us.

Hawk’s original injuries included his rib cage. We are in the process of determining to what degree he will be able to carry weight. Happily his devoted breeder is committed to helping him find a purposeful career. Hawk has his whole life ahead of him and needs a job!

We are at a point in the process with Hawk that allows us to begin putting weight on him. Beginning with pressure from a surcingle and increasing, as you’ll see in the clip, to Clayton beginning to put some weight into the saddle. Hawk had an excellent start as a two year old just prior to the accident so many of the responses you’ll see are also due to him being green.

One of the components we are understandably aware of is his body. Clayton mentions Hawk being “nervy”. He is not referring to Hawk’s demeanor but actually referring literally to Hawk’s nerves. Due to Hawk’s injuries he had large areas of blocked, jammed up, and pinched nerves. He had areas of his body that had become numb and other areas that caused him to feel, for lack of better explanation, shocky. For example when we placed a soft hand on his skin he would respond as though we were shocking him. Post body work, which unblocked, un jammed, and un-pinched his nerves he is coming back on line in good health. We have noticed areas of his body, like his feet, that he previously struggled to allow us to touch due to nerve pain, are now beginning to soften for handling. Other areas are newly re-opened and still building toward a balanced healthy response.

Knowing which of Hawk’s responses are physical and which responses are emotional is a complex and vital part of his success. The ability to discern between the two is a result of miles as they say and not text books or YouTube videos. Not to suggest by any means we always get it right but experience, especially combined experience, certainly goes a long way.

It is worth noting Hawk’s adjustment and cranial work have brought about the full return of his vision. In every session we take into consideration that along with feeling things for the first time Hawk may also be seeing things for the first time. Site is often assumed and horses are phenomenal compensators. Vision issues are far more prevalent than generally recognized particularly in young horses. It is absolutely possible that limited vision played a role in the very accident Hawk is now rehabbing from.

Please check your horse’s vision regularly. There are a lot of horses labeled as spooky who are actually doing the best they can with limited to, in some cases, near blindness. For Hawk this means a lot of new experiences and firsts on top of the trauma of his accident. Studies have proven horses can have PTSD after traumatic events so the emotional components are real. Naturally we endeavor to support him while simultaneously moving him forward toward a career. Meeting horses where they are every step of the way is not just our goal it is our job.

FUNNY SIDE NOTE: Boy that little buckskin horse of Mr. Gray’s sure loves his sessions with Clayton and gets pretty insistent on going next 🤣

Tools;
•Soft Rope Halter with attached lead.
•Saddle
•Soft Cotton/Poly Rope
•Boat Bouys
•Snaffle Bridle
•Time
•Patience

10/14/2024

“Hanging between those reins is a thought” - Harry Whitney

Simple but profound like most good horsemanship. Regardless of discipline the keys to a horse fall under one of the following three simple categories; sending, leading, and directing. Those three all begin with a thought. In this clip you’ll see Clayton begin mining thought with Tonka, an eight month old draft cross weanling, who’s been with us long enough to be prepared and ready for this session.

“Because all a rein does is present a slight suggestion.” (Moates, Tom. A Horse’s Thought; A Journey into Honest Horsemanship. Spinning Sevens Press 2010.) A horse that is with you understands the lightest request and commits to your suggestion with his whole body. If you think about it being able to send, lead, and direct a horse’s thought is the goal of horsemanship. As horsemen and women, if we aren’t able to build a horse’s thoughts in ways that build the responses we are looking for from them, now and in the future, we have to ask ourselves just what the heck we’re doing.

When we begin leading them, guiding them if you will, with their thoughts true unity is created for whatever we endeavor to achieve with them. Now please make no mistake I’m not being fluffy here I just prefer to be with my horse unified and together over the fences rather than any of the alternatives. The same holds true for riders working a cow or riding a dressage test. It doesn’t matter what hat you’re wearing unity is a good thing.

In this clip you’ll see Clayton use a combination of timing, intention, feel, and approach that allows the unfolding of improvement of unity and you’ll witness the grounding effect it has on Tonka. Why you may ask is it important to start this work so early? Honestly for more reasons than could reasonably be listed here. First and foremost the more relevant people are to Tonka the more likely he is to excel at anything he is asked to do. This is a foundational skill he will carry with him from his earliest days of being haltered to his mature days as a finished riding horse. The farriers, veterinarians, body workers, and dentists appreciate this work because it’s pretty darn important for them to be relative too. Horses have to speak many languages over the course of their lives and in order for that to be possible people must be relevant.

So how does one teach a potentially 1,800 pound fight or flight herd animal to allow you to direct their thoughts? One session at a time. For each individual the time frame is unique but they all get there because we prove to them over and over again getting with us feels better than not getting with us. Good horsemanship takes root as easily as poor horsemanship so let the horse be the judge by telling you how it’s working for him. Is he able to give you what you’re asking for? Watch Tonka closely in this clip. Look at the change in his body language, note the softening of his eyes from the beginning to the end. The shift in his thoughts from outside the round pen to inside the round pen with Clayton is visible. He’s all eyes and thoughts on his buddy at recess playing in the nearby paddock initially but keeps his thoughts on Clayton when his buddy is playing later in the clip. That’s pure gold in any horse let alone an eight month old weanling. Also notice the balance Clayton keeps. If Tonka grabs some grass, needs a pause, or has an itch no problem. He keeps “class” relative and appropriate to Tonka in that moment. This is a kindergarten class not a college level lecture. The expectations and asks differ from horse to horse.

What’s the next piece of the puzzle? If you have a horse’s thoughts you have his feet. The moment when Tonka’s carry over from his right side to his left is strong enough to give Clayton his front left foot well, ….. GOAL.

If you can direct the thought you can direct the horse.

Tools;
•Round pen
•Extra soft horse rope with a curved metal hondo for quick release.
•Time
•Patience

The c**t in this clip is Tonka Toy a Quarter Horse Shire cross sport horse, eight month old weanling. Tonka is available but you will need to get in line.

**tstarting

10/02/2024

🌟 CONGRATULATIONS AND THANK YOU! 🌟

The Flyin Sixes Ranch sold Half Blood Prince to a wonderful home and has sent him to us for a soft start before he ships out.

This gorgeous Flyin Sixes bred c**t by Cash Taken Leader x Tempting Fame (Apollitical Blood) is weaned and ready for kindergarten. He’s got the good bone, great conformation and quiet disposition that makes the Flyin Sixes a quality breeder.

This super cool little man is eligible for FF, The Diamond Classic, Colorado Classic, C-N Futurity, BRN4D, VGBRA. He’s going to grow up to do BIG things and we are pleased as punch to be part of that process.

Thank you Flyin Sixes Ranch, Matt and Gwenny Davis , and congratulations on sending another well bred baby out the door to a great home and a bright future!

09/23/2024

PART THREE: 🏆 DEVELOPING CONFIDENCE 🏆

In part three you’ll see Kiva, details in part one, introduced for the second time to the Heel-O-Matic. Then, Clayton leaves her on her own in the round pen. These are the kind of proof is in the pudding moments Clayton lives for with horses. The real test of horsemanship is what does the horse do when they are free to choose. This is where the buck literally and figuratively stops right? The goal of any horsemanship objective is to build a horse that makes the right choice without our direction.

She actually trots toward the moving ATV and Heel-O-Matic! Way to go Kiva! Way to get it done CP!

Patient and consistent horsemanship will not fail you or your horse.

09/21/2024

PART TWO: ⚒️DEVELOPING CONFIDENCE⚒️

In Part Two of Developing Confidence you’ll see Clayton get to the other side of what we like to call an unscheduled opportunity. The tarp we had used to cover the Heel-O-Matic turned out to be a bit of an obstacle for Kiva. Obstacles are opportunities and the confidence gained by allowing Kiva to find acceptance will only positively influence her in the future.

Something to remember here, acceptance is not necessarily approval. Kiva may not approve of what she is presented with but she does need to accept what is presented to her. That requires her to learn to manage her flight response. Essentially she’s got to learn to keep her lid on. Her owners will need her to be responsive not reactive. That takes confidence on her part as well as theirs.

Please note, we absolutely do not ever ever ever absolutely never desensitize horses. One of their biggest assets is their reactivity once it is shaped into responsiveness. Whether working, competing, or riding for pleasure we all want a confident, thinking, responsive horse under us. Otherwise we might as well trade them in for dirt bikes. We want to build a confident thinking horse who will get us out of a pinch if we get in one. Or, better yet, do the right thing even if we do the wrong thing. As such we do not ever want to take the think out of a horse.

09/17/2024

PART ONE: DEVELOPING CONFIDENCE

Kiva and the Heel-O-Matic

In this clip Clayton is handling a Friesian quarter horse cross mare named Kiva. Kiva’s owners purchased her to be part of their breeding program but would like to have the option to ride her. They would like to be able to do whatever strikes their fancy which could be anything from camping and riding in the mountains to team sorting. Kiva needs to be what we call a special forces horse. She needs to be a Jack of all trades.

Kiva is an intelligent lovely mare. She is an absolutely fantastic momma. Her flight response is on the higher end of the scale and that has served her well. Who was it that said we don’t ride the ones whose ancestors got eaten at the water hole?

Kiva’s owners keep an incredibly full business schedule and like many non pro riders may only have time to ride her a few weekends a month. Kiva will need to be solidly reliable, safe, and fun even if she is ridden sporadically.

Clayton’s only ask in this clip is that she be with him. He allows her to navigate her discomfort with proximity to the Heel-O-Matic monster while maintaining that she be with him mentally as well as physically. Obstacles are opportunities so Clayton won’t miss the opportunity to get some quality lateral yielding as well as front and hind quarter yielding out of redirecting her flight response and channeling her need to move her feet into something positive.

Making the wrong thing a lot of work and the right thing a lot less work is the name of the game. Kiva was pretty sure she needed to be somewhere else and as you’ll see did attempt to head on out at one point. The process is not always sunshine and rainbows but we do believe this is the most effective and respectful way to build her confidence. The continuation and results in part two are pretty awesome.

Equipment: Plain standard rope halter with attached 14’ lead, no time restrictions, bottomless barrel of patience, and anything that un-nerves your horse.

08/29/2024

“Never buy horse feed from a mill that makes cattle feed. Period.”

Link within the Paulick Report for the extended article if you’d like to know more.

Dozens of rodeo horses are dead after their treating veterinarian says they consumed feed that may have been tainted with monensin.

"Much is known about what has happened here that cannot yet be told," the veterinarian said. "But the bottom line on this story is that it’s an important one to tell, so this never happens to anyone else. I will say this: Never buy horse feed from a mill that makes cattle feed. Period. Please quote me on that. Every horse that ate this feed is dead."

Read more: https://bit.ly/3XnaCNd

08/27/2024

🔶PART TWO LEADING: Direction and Poll Pressure🔶

Direction and poll pressure are both important for riding no matter what equestrian discipline you call your own. Our ability to direct a horse, whether for safety or competition, is an obvious requirement. Poll pressure, however can be slightly more elusive. We teach our horses that applied poll pressure means drop your head so we can put a bridle on or for grooming or veterinary purposes. We are typically less inclined to consider the influence of poll pressure with regard to riding.

Generally we think of directing a horse with the bit which connects to us via the reins. But, if we take a moment and look at how our bridles are engineered that same bit connects directly up and over a horse’s poll. When we take that in to consideration leading becomes quite relevant. Even bit less bridles work off of varying degrees of poll pressure. Naturally, though we often overlook it, a halter whether it’s a rope halter, leather halter, or nylon flat web halter, also works off of poll pressure.

That makes teaching a horse to lead pretty darn important because the way we teach them to lead will carryover directly to what we will have in our hands, and under our fannies, when that halter becomes a bridle.

Part one of the leading series touched on sending and impulsion. Most of us are familiar with impulsion but I for one had never had anyone define and make sending purposeful prior to working with Clayton. When I began this write up I asked him to define sending and direction. This is how he defined them for us….

•SENDING is when you stay in place and send the horse away from you in a direction of your choosing. For example in part one there is a clip of the little red roan filly being sent around the barrel.

•DIRECTION is when you are directing the horse to you from a location of your choosing. For example part two of the series begins with the roan filly being directed around the tree to Clayton.

Why direct and develop poll pressure response? As mentioned direction and poll pressure are mandatory for riding or driving. The sooner we develop those tools the sooner we have them. In truth, at the point we halter break and begin lead training we’re either building direction and poll pressure feel or, well, we’re not. When you ask a c**t starter what you can do with your weanling and they tell you to leave them alone this is why. If this opportunity is poorly executed a whole lot more work is made for that horse and for your c**t starter. The ability to squeeze by with 60 days just turned into minimum 90. This is why they’d prefer a clean slate to one that has been poorly halter and lead started.

Whether your goal is a soft responsive ride, repeat buyers, or simply a well mannered horse much of what you’re going to get in the future begins with the halter and lead.

**tstarting

08/24/2024

08/23/2024

Yes it’s 8:00 and 100 degrees but the breeze and the sunset are sure making the p.m. sessions a little extra tonight✨

08/21/2024

📚 Halter Breaking: Pulling Back 📚

There’s a whole pile of weanlings being halter broke this time of year. In light of that and the fact that pretty much everything we are about to cover applies to mature horses as well let’s talk turkey… about our horses. Put your thinking caps on because we’re gonna to get a bit science-y.

In an effort to take this subject head on, pun intended, let’s just jump right in. The first thing any of us want to do as soon as we get a halter on one is tie it to something. That fact runs into the fact that there has yet to be a horse born that arrives knowing what the heck a halter is let alone any of the skill sets that follow.

The above scenario sets us up for a pull back, set back, whatever we want to call it, it’s the perfect storm. It’s where impatience and lack of preparation meet. Own that because it’s the truth. Exceptions being people like my saint of a human and horseman husband whose idea of heaven is doing ground work with horses all day every day.

Two quick notes. Studies and dissections have shown the human equivalent of a pullback is whiplash. Also, for too many reasons to delve into here, horses are hardwired to panic when downward pressure is applied to the poll. Awesome. Pull back = bad and we have to prepare them to accept poll pressure, noted.

Now, the science, or what for all of our sakes is going to be the Cliff Notes version of the science, of a pullback. Most of us, particularly those of us with a performance horse background, know a horse’s skeletal system is not fully fused until they are five to eight years old depending on things like size and breed. But, we tend to talk a whole lot less about the skull and its tidy little zippered up un-fused growth plates. “Zippers” is my non science-y term for the sutures that hold the skull bones together but allow things like blood and nerves to nourish and function within those precious little faces. Guess which part of a young horse’s body is the easiest to compromise in a pull back? Yep, those facial plates. Specifically the occipitomastoid suture that influences the brain stem and cranial nerves. Now I’m no brainiac but brain stem and cranial nerves sound pretty darn important to development of any kind.

You may have heard of the next joint because we have one too. In fact we have most of this stuff too. The TMJ, or temporomandibular joint, is also impacted. The TMJ is absolutely jam packed (think 1981 behind the TV where the mass of your Dad’s speaker wires, the VCR, and your Nintendo resided) with nerves and is a major player in the vestibular system. It’s been a minute since I had biology so I had to look that one up. “Uncle Wiki” says the vestibular system “creates the sense of balance and spatial orientation for the purpose of coordinating movement with balance”. Yikes. Definitely don’t want to mess that up now or ever. Worth noting, turns out dissections have proven the links from the TMJ to the hyoid apparatus, from the hyoid apparatus to the base of a horses neck, and then right on over to that ever important thorn in our thigh (well their thigh) the stifle.

But wait, this goes on. Let’s go back to the head. Specifically the splenobasilor joint or SBJ. For Cliff Notes sake this is the joint that houses the base of the brain and joins the skull to the occiput. Please give these high dollar equine anatomical words a google if you’re interested so I can maintain a glimmer of hope to keep this from being an endless post. When the SBJ is compressed due to pull back little things like VISION, the ability to process, loss of social function, and chronic pain are among the resulting issues. WOW. Is any one else finding it challenging to prioritize the potential issues in order of importance? Horses with a compromised SBJ are spookier on one side than the other, they spook at changes in light and or reflected light. Chronically sore backs and or chronically tight muscles along the neck or back are also indicators. If your horse is head shy, has consistent difficulty picking up a specific lead, or difficulty turning their head you might check that SBJ out.

Next, have you heard anyone talk about the atlas joint? That one just sounds important. Remember your Greek mythology? You know, Atlas, the titan who was condemned to hold up the heavens for eternity. Well this atlas is a hard working bu**er too. Formally known as the atlanto-occipital joint or AO it is the joint that houses the spinal cord where it exits the skull. The atlas is also where the nuchal ligament attaches to the base of the skull (occiput if you want to be science-y). Cranial nerves run through the atlas as well including the all important Vagus nerve (definitely give that one a Google). From a structural standpoint the atlas is also significant because it is the only joint in the vertebral chain that has lateral flexion. For example when your horse reaches for something out in front or below and puts a little tilt in his head left or right that’s the atlas making that motion possible. If your horse is a chronic tripper, stumbler, or consistently lacking balance he might need his atlas adjusted. Horses with their atlas out also display issues like ear shyness and spookiness. What we can’t see is head pain, ear pain, and headaches. Yes horses get headaches. I can already see the tee shirt.

Last but not least a study by the Kentucky Equine Research team found “Weanlings are known to be at risk of gastric ulcer formation, with anywhere from 32-94% reportedly affected.” Further, “85% of the warmblood weanlings had gastric ulcers prior to weaning.” (prior to weaning!) and “After weaning almost 100% had gastric ulcers.” What the heck does that have to do with pulling back? Well, the body’s response to a trauma like pulling back, is to trigger its inflammatory process. The inflammatory process originates in the immune system. A mind blowing 80% of the immune system resides… wait for it…. in the gut. Speed rewind back to whiplash. Note, studies have shown people who have incurred whiplash or even a concussion trauma event end up with IBS and other gut issues resulting from the chronic inflammatory response.

Now no one’s cuing up the Alanis Morissett or horsemanship shaming here. If you work with horses long enough one of them, somewhere along the line, is going to pull back. Pull backs don’t happen too often but now instead of just thinking “well that didn’t do much for ya did it?” a call to the body worker might follow to make sure there aren’t physical ramifications that may affect future health and performance.

With that in your pocket now, consider being a little extra thoughtful with those babies. Yes they are made of rubber at this point but none of that rubber is solidly attached. Whether you’re out to ride or you’re out riding to win. Everything we do with a horse matters. Everything single thing we do with them is training. Prepare. Prepare. Prepare. Prepare them to halter, prepare them to tie. There’s nothing wrong with soft tying a newbie. You’ve put so much into them up to this point what’s a little patience? If you don’t have the patience or the time find someone who does. We all have the greatest opportunity at the beginning so make the absolute most of it.

In a personal note, Clayton and I so often look back over our combined 80+ years of horsemanship and think of a few we missed on. We wish with our whole hearts we had known then what we know now. That awareness for what we don’t know or even what we may not be aware of keeps us patient. Remembering the ones we now know we might have done better by goes a long way toward finding both the time and patience to prepare the ones that come through our program now.

The one thing we can all always be confident hard tying is our effort.

-EP

✨Thank you Cheyenne Thomison for sharing bucket loads of your incredible knowledge and for being part of our team! We wouldn’t have mined all this equine gold without your help!

You can trust this lady to point you in the right direction.

https://www.instagram.com/chey_t_equine_iridology?igsh=MW40OXk5cnByczVudA==

You can also find Cheyenne on TikTok @ Chey Thomison

Link to Kentucky Equine Research https://ker.com/equinews/study-ulcers-weanling-horses/

**tstarting