Apprentice of the Horse

26/10/2021

23/11/2020

Focus is First.

Focus is First; Focus on That Which the Horse Focuses.

I wanted to write about something that happened with Macy. Yesterday, I got her out to graze and after I finished brushing her, started doing some groundwork. Mostly lunging and yielding her hindquarters. The area behind the barn is very wooded and there’s always little noises going on. I’ve been writing about how I’m really trying to pay attention to whatever the horse is paying attention to lately. As I was lunging her around to the left and yielded at her hindquarters away from me I was standing there giving her a rest when something made a noise in the woods behind her. She immediately raised her head and looked in that direction. When she did, I did as well and took one step toward that direction. When I did that she looked directly at me and sniffed my shoulder. It was a moment I won’t soon forget. She knew in that moment that I was listening to her. It was incredible. I think the lesson she taught me is: focus on that which the horse is focusing. Especially, if it’s something about which they’re anxious.

Tell me what you think in the comments below!

Have fun and stay safe!

22/11/2020

5 Horsemen to Emulate

Since I began my horsemanship journey, I’ve been very fortunate to learn from some talented horsemen. Listening to the right people is one of those best practices for life in general. It is especially true in our journey to better horsemanship. Following, is a list of 5 horsemen from which I have learned a lot. The first in the list, Mike Branch, is the only one I know personally. The rest, I’ve either seen in clinics, bought their books or DVD’s, or learned from their online content. I’ve chosen these individuals not only because they put out quality reliable content, but also because they have a humble spirit and a quiet confidence. This is important because as you get better in your horsemanship, you’ll grow as a person and you want to have good role models.

1. Mike Branch – Flying B Horsemanship

Mr. Branch is based in East Tennessee only a few miles from where I live. He has travelled the US doing clinics as well as the UK. He does lots of work with mustangs and in the past travelled with the Bureau of Land Management gentling mustangs at adoption sites and often riding them in an hour. He has several books and DVD’s on horsemanship and also has a presence on Facebook where he shares some insights on horsemanship. He also gives lessons to individuals. He also gives leadership seminars and his new book “Leadership; Through the Eyes of a Horseman” speaks of how partnership with horses teaches us how a person ought to lead in business and other organizations. His motto is: Leadership through Trust, Partnership through Leadership, Trust, Partnership, and Leadership through Love, Understanding, and Communication. Find him at www.mikebranchhorsemanship.com .

2. Warwick Schiller – Warwick Schiller Performance Horsemanship

Mr. Schiller is from Australia but is currently based in California. He’s earned multiple titles in the reining world and represented Australia in the 2010 and 2018 World Equestrian Games. He has a ton of free content on YouTube and has an online membership group. He also has a great Facebook group that is probably my favorite group on Facebook. I’ve written about Mr. Schiller before and what I love about him is his willingness to talk about changing his horsemanship as he’s grown. He teaches a desensitizing technique he calls Polyvagal Theory of Desensitizing that has really helped me to get my horses to relax in their work. Check him out at www.warwickschiller.com or search him on YouTube.

3. Buck Brannaman

Mr. Brannaman is based out of Sheridan, WY and travels 11 months out of the year teaching in clinics. He learned his horsemanship from one of the great horsemen, Ray Hunt. Mr. Hunt deserves his own article but to say the least his contribution to getting good horsemanship to the everyday horse owner is unsurpassed. Mr. Brannaman teaches what could be referred to as the vaquero bridle horse tradition. This tradition is about getting a very light, soft horse through quality horsemanship and involves the use of the traditional bosal progressing to the spade bit. There’s a 2011 documentary called “Buck” which shows Mr. Brannaman working with horses and their owners as well as telling the story of his life. It’s a great film. Find him at www.brannaman.com or look for his film on your favorite streaming service.

4. Guy McLean – Guy McLean Horsemanship

Mr. McLean is another talented Aussie horseman. He has travelled the world sharing his horsemanship at events and expos where he rides his beautiful Australian Stock Horses. He is also a two time winner of the c**t starting competition “Road to the Horse”. He has several DVD’s in which he explains his methods. He is sort of unique in that he is self-taught. One would think this would make him arrogant, but he seems to be one of the most humble horsemen out there. More than anything, he inspires you with what he is able to accomplish with his horses. He rides one around the arena while controlling 4 others at liberty. He’ll lay one down and sidepass the other 4 horses over top of them. It’s amazing. Check him out on YouTube, Facebook, or his website www.guymcleanusa.com .

5. Chris Cox

When you listen to Mr. Cox you are tempted to think he is an Australian. This is because while he was born in Florida and now lives in Texas he grew up in Australia. He travels the US Doing horsemanship clinics and demonstrations and is the winner of several prestigious awards including a two time winner of the c**t starting competition “Road to the Horse“. One of the things I like about Chris Cox is that he is one of the best at teaching someone who has little to no knowledge of horses and advancing them to be able to communicate effectively with their horse. He was one of the first people I began following when I began my journey of horsemanship. I have his Leg Yielding DVD set and I continue to follow him and learn from him today. Find him at www.chris-cox.com.

09/11/2020

Equipment 101

What Equipment Do I Need?

What should we buy first? What are the most essential tools we need with horses? Should I buy the best or is “economy” good enough? What will I need next? Western or English? These are questions we’ve all had and I hope to answer today. Growing up on a farm, we always had ropes and halters. But, it was when I got my first mustang that I realized I needed some quality tools that were made for communication. This article will share some things I learned.

Our number one need in working with horses is communication. However, the tools we use to communicate can be a terrible hindrance or a great asset. I’ve seen people with thousands of dollars in tack who cannot communicate with their horse. I’ve also seen people ride horses and do complicated maneuvers with no bridle or saddle. I’ve seen people ride a horse that’s never been ridden and their only tools to get this done were a couple lengths of rope. So if you think you could be a better equine communicator if only you had this equipment or that equipment, you’re wrong. The items we talk about in this article are only tools to aid in communication. They aren’t the communication itself. For example, our voice isn’t what communicates our ideas, the words we say are what communicates our ideas.

The important part is how you use the tools, not the tools themselves.

I would first recommend getting a quality rope halter and lead rope. I prefer the ¼ inch rope halters. This gives me more precise communication with the horse and a more distinct release of pressure. I also prefer the halter to be a little stiffer for the same reason. I like for the nose of the halter to hang “open” when on the horse, that way when I pick up on the lead or rein to cue the horse, it’s a completely different feel for the horse. This gives more clear communication which is what we want.

When selecting a lead rope I want one that is somewhere around 12-15 feet long and has a good weight preferably with a leather popper on the end. Most of my ropes are ¾ inch double braided solid ropes. These have good weight and usually very little stretch. I like the heavier ropes because they also provide better communication. When you take the slack out of a cheap “economy” lead rope the horse doesn’t feel any change until the rope is completely taut. With a heavier rope, the horse will feel a change immediately when you pick it up. The reason I like the extra length on the rope is that the tail can be used to create energy to drive or block the horse when training. If you buy a quality rope and lead and take reasonably good care of them, they will last for many years. I still have and use the “Professionals Choice” rope halter and lead I bought for my first mustang, Cochise. That was over 10 years ago. So spend the extra $15-$20 and buy quality. If all you have is a good halter and lead and you really work on yourself and your horsemanship, you can surpass 75 percent of horse owners with your horsemanship so don’t rush to spend a ton of money on other stuff.

After the halter, you might want to get a few grooming tools. These aren’t completely necessary, but most horses enjoy getting scratched and brushed and the more positive interactions you have with your horse the better the relationship will be. I’d start with either a metal or rubber curry comb, either one works. These are used to get any large clumps and dirt or mud off. Next, you need, one bristled horse brush. This will lift smaller bits of dirt and dust off the horse. You could expand and have softer brushes as well, but one is enough to give the horse a good experience before or after working. You also need a hoof pick to clean out hooves and evaluate hoof health. A simple metal one works fine. The curry comb, bristled brush, and hoof pick would complete the minimal grooming kit. You could expand to have mane and tell brush, other bristled brushes, mane and tail conditioner, fly spray, hoof conditioner, hoof polish, etc.. The list goes on. But those first three items can suffice for starters.

If you plan on riding your horse (of course you do) I recommend a good riding helmet. Of course it makes you look weird and John Wayne never wore one in his movies. But it’s only a matter of time before you fall off a horse and if you do, an impact to the head could send you to the ER or worse. So get a helmet and wear it.

Next, you’ll need a saddle. This is when you’ll have to make a decision on what style of tack you want. The two main types are western and english. I grew up riding western and I still ride western a majority of the time. However, if you’re just beginning and are just going to be doing basic arena riding and basic trail riding consider using an English saddle. The reason I say this is that western saddles tend to hold the rider in place more than an English saddle. If you learn to ride in an English saddle, you develop your riding seat and balance much quicker and if you decide you want to switch to western riding later, your balance will be there. That said, good riding position is the same no matter what style you ride so ultimately it doesn’t matter. Either way, I recommend buying a quality leather saddle that reasonably fits the horse with which you’ll use it. Buying used is usually fine, but be weary of the $50 Facebook Marketplace find. Oftentimes you end up having to repair them. Sometimes, there’s dry rot which can be unsafe. So, inspect well. If you aren’t sure what to look for, ask someone more experienced to go with you. Again, if you buy quality and take care of it good tack will last you years. My siblings and I grew up riding a saddle that my dad’s mentor gave him when he was young and we still use it at times today. You don’t need a custom saddle, but if you buy quality, you won’t regret it.

You’ll also need a good saddle pad. For western, I like the 1 inch thick felt/wool pad. In my experience, for the cost, these tend to distribute the weight from the saddle tree to the widest area. Later you can upgrade to fancier pad if you feel the need.

When it comes to headstall/bridle, again I recommend quality leather. You actually could ride and get and very responsive horse with just the rope halter and rope. So if you’re truly on the horsemanship journey consider developing your ridden communication using the rope halter before you begin using a bit. This is a point that often brings up differing opinions, but I recommend using a snaffle bit that won’t pinch the sides of the horse’s mouth and has a smooth broken mouthpiece. Riding with good hands can offer a soft cue with a bit like this while giving you the ability to refine your cues with a bit.

If you acquire all these items you can go very far with your horse. But remember, it isn’t the tools that make the horseman or horsewoman, it is the knowledge and experience of how to use those tools that make the horseman or horsewoman.

09/11/2020

How to begin your horsemanship journey.

This article will be for people who have horses or have access to horses. I know some don’t, but I hope that if you’re interested in horses that you are working toward the goal of being able to interact with horses on a regular basis.

I learned this technique from Warwick Schiller. He has a YouTube channel, and an online membership group, as well as “in person” clinics where he works with many people and their horses. My understanding is that he has a background in the reining world.

What I like about Warwick Schiller is

his humility and his willingness to change his horsemanship as he learns more. The videos he puts out today are different from the videos he put out say five or six years ago. This puts him in agreement with the vision here at Apprentice of the Horse. We are constantly learning. That’s why the tagline here at Apprentice of the Horse is about the journey of horsemanship.

This exercise is perfect for beginners just starting out learning about equine communication. It is also helpful for hot, nervous horses or for the horse that is hard to catch in the pasture.

To begin the exercise that we will be talking about today, all that is needed is you and your horse. You could optimize this technique by having a stick with a flag on it or a lead rope, but these will just be extensions of your arms and hands and are not required.

This technique can be done in a stall, in a pasture, even in a horse trailer. And, it will be a process that, once learned, can and will be used daily in your interactions with horses.

I recommend doing this from the first interaction of the day with your horse. In other words, don’t go get your horse take it to the round pin, then begin this activity. Practice this the moment you are within eyesight of your horse.

This technique will take being attentive to the horses expression, including all of its body parts from nose to tail.

As you get within eyesight of your horse, approach until he acknowledges you are there. Sometimes this will be a raise of the head. Sometimes this will be a flick of the ear toward you. Sometimes this will be a turning of the head to put you in its vision. Approach until the horse notices you. If he doesn’t right away maybe flick the stick and flag or lead to get his attention. When he does acknowledge you, stop and maybe step back two steps. What you are wanting is for the horse to just notice you, and to notice that you noticed him noticing you.

You want him to realize that you are listening to him.

The horse will eventually begin to continue whatever it was he was doing when you approached him.

When he puts his head back down to muzzle the hay or puts his head back in the corner of his stall or whatever it was that he was doing before, begin to approach again. Likely, you will get a couple of steps past your first stopping point. And again, when he acknowledges you, stop. Maybe take a step back. Wait, then repeat.

This whole process may take 2 minutes or 30 minutes. But it will be well worth it in the end. This process will be repeated until the horse either walks up to you, or stands with his head low and relaxed while you walk up to him.

If you do this whole process without rushing your first step in equine communication has begun.

You could stop there for the day. Or, you could continue. But, either way you have made a huge impact in your relationship with the horse.

09/11/2020

My Journey Here.

I don’t remember a time in my life before horses. I grew up on a farm in a little agriculture community in Speedwell, TN where my dad always had several Tennessee Walking Horse broodmares. He would breed the mares, raise the foals, and sell them. Dad was my first equine teacher. I can remember fun times where dad would get out one of the mares. My siblings and I loved one named Shelby. Early on Dad would lead us around while we held the reins and steered, as well as asked the horse to “Whoa”. We had a great time. Eventually, Dad turned us loose in one of the smaller pastures where we would ride around the square pen acting like we were in a show ring. Dad taught us a lot about life and horses. He taught us to always put our relationship with God first. And, he taught us to be confident on the horse, as well as being present, or “Watch what you’re doing!”

My siblings and I were homeschooled through middle school and high school (grades 6-12) so we had lots of time to spend with horses. I wish I had taken advantage of this more, but even so, we were able to spend hours with our horses. When I was around 12 or so, my dad gave me a black TWH mare named Motown Mimi. Mimi carried herself well in the bridle and was overall very gentle. I loved this mare so much. We rode all over our farm and would drive cattle when we needed them moved from one field to another. My siblings and I also rode her in some local 4-H shows in which she did fairly well. At this time, my horsemanship consisted of trying to get our Tennessee Walking Horses to get into the smoothest gait I could.

When I was around 13-14, Mimi had a gray roan c**t I named Thunderhead. My horsemanship began to grow from this point. Some of my first “pick myself up and dust myself off” stories came from early in his life. I remember once when he was just a weanling, I was trying to get him to gait while leading him in the pasture. He got a full head of steam and took off, dragging me, hanging on to his lead rope for several yards before I let go! But, I enjoyed growing with him.

He was the first horse I started under saddle. I knew next to nothing about starting horses at the time. I think my dad had told me that the way he’d done it was to put the saddle on and climb on while someone led him. One Sunday morning before church, that’s what I did. I saddled him up and got on while my brother led him around our hayfield. Believe it or not, he did extremely well. I credit this probably to my ignorant confidence and that he had been handled quite a bit from a young age. The craziest part of the story is that our 4-H show season started 7 days later and I actually took him to that show planning to ride him. He did well in the halter classes. He even did well riding outside the arena. However, the saddle with which we showed had a girth that was too long. I couldn’t get the saddle tight enough and when he spooked at something in the arena, the saddle and myself slipped off the side. Thunderhead had a nice bolt and buck across the arena. Needless to say, the people in charge of the 4-H show asked us not to bring the “green horse” back in the arena. It’s humorous now, but at the time I was so mad. Looking back, it was of course silly to have tried to show a horse seven days after he’d been started by a 15-year-old. I’m glad I did though, because it has made for a great story! Thunderhead was shown several times that season and did well when we got a properly sized girth.

My next big leap in my horsemanship journey happened when i was around 16 when at a 4-H Horse Bowl/Hippology Contest at the University of Tennessee I saw a guy in a cowboy hat named Mike Branch talking about wild mustangs. He was talking about an event called the Youth and Yearling Challenge in which a young person received a yearling mustang to gentle over the course of 90 days. At the end of the 90 days, there was a competition judging the mustang’s body condition as well as it’s handling. I entered the competition. I knew that gentling a wild horse would require a higher level of horsemanship than what I’d done before. We bought Mike Branch’s DVD on gentling the wild mustang. I watched how Mr. Branch worked with that mustang and haltered it and was getting it to give to the halter in about an hour. It took me longer than that, but I was able to gentle my chestnut mustang gelding out of Utah I named Cochise. In 90 days, I was picking up all 4 feet, leading at the walk, trot, and back up. Looking back, I probably didn’t do my best. But, at the time I thought having that kind of handling on a wild mustang was an incredible accomplishment. Competition day came and when we got there, I knew Cochise and I weren’t going to be competitive. There were people there who had their mustang walking over tarps, laying down, going over obstacles, among other things. I was blown away. We made it through the competition and met some cool people. But I knew I could do better and that I had to try it again. Over the following months, I progressed with Cochise to include some of the other work like the obstacles and tarp work.

The next year I adopted a mustang I named Macy. She was out of Nevada and was a beautiful black filly with a star. I had her haltered in no time and we were working outside of the round pen in just a few days. I made plenty of mistakes that I’m paying for now. (I’m currently starting her under saddle.) But, I progressed much further, quicker with her than with Cochise. Much of this was due to the fact that I started trying to learn more about horsemanship. I began recording episodes of Downunder Horsemanship with Clinton Anderson, and Chris Cox Horsemanship on RFDtv, as well as some others. I understand some might not care for these clinicians. Clinton Anderson really tends to draw some haters. However, they really helped me progress in my horsemanship journey and I’m very grateful. By competition time, Macy was lunging around on a loose lead, backing on a loose lead, yielding her hindquarters, jumping barrels, walking over the tarp, loading and unloading in the trailer, and more. I was very pleased. On competition day, Macy won the senior division but lost the grand prize by just a few fractions of a point to one of the junior handlers. Of course, it was bittersweet, but I was happy with the way we competed.

Perhaps the most important thing to come out of that competition was that Mike Branch, the horseman who coordinated the competition, asked me to spend a week at his place working with horses. I jumped at the chance. During the week, we were getting ready for another mustang distribution for a fall competition so there was a lot of work. But, I still learned a lot in that week riding his horse, Karma. Later, I was able to spend more time with Mike Branch and His wife, Lisa. I am extremely thankful for their influence.

It was also around this time that I started a few of my dad’s horses which gave me new experiences and other “pick myself up and dust myself off” moments. Those horses taught me much. I also ended up starting my first mustang, Cochise, under saddle. Cochise was the kind of horse that you could teach him something one day, not ask him to do it for 6 months, then ask him and he’d do it like he’d been doing it his whole life. Sadly, he colicked and died young.

When I graduated high school, I decided I wanted to go to school to become a funeral director and embalmer. This job is not for everyone, but I enjoyed the work. I gew up as a pastor’s son and watched my dad with grieving families and saw there was a need for compassionate care. The mortuary school was in Nashville so I moved to middle Tennessee to Unionville where I rented an apartment in a horse barn from some wonderful people, Earnest and Mary Ella Burke. They had horses that needed work and I was able to help. One of these horses was the spotted mare in the grainy profile picture on the “Who is the Apprentice?” page. Those horses taught me a lot as well.

When I moved home from school, my life started to drift away from horses because of my work schedule. My job requires you to be on call which meant I had to stay closer to work, away from the farm and horses. For probably 5-6 years there I didn’t start any new horses and rarely rode.

In May of this year, I married my beautiful bride Margo who is an accomplished horsewoman herself. One of the first things we did as a married couple was we started two c**ts, a red roan gelding named Ricky and my second mustang, Macy. Macy has challenged my horsemanship in a way it hasn’t been challenged before. I’ve had several rides on her in the round pen, but she continues to buck. I ended up hurting my knee while working with her in a freak accident where my knee cap subluxated and caused my knee to collapse. This made me step back from riding her and really evaluate my horsemanship which is part of the reason I’ve started this website. I’m hoping to share some of my experiences to hopefully help others not make the same mistakes or at least enjoy the process more. I’m eager to learn what the horses will teach me over the next part of my journey.

Please leave a comment if you don’t mind and tell me a little about your journey to this point.

09/11/2020

One of my greatest teachers.