 Pedestal Had a nice morning riding with my pal Mark who lives out here on the ranch. We took his horse and Casino on a 2-½ hour ride in some pretty rough country. It goes up and down a lot. Casino is doing well. I’m surprised at how much horse is in such a little package. Because he is so short and small, his turning radius is pretty short so when he makes a turn or a move it’s pretty quick. He did well. He just needs more of it.
When we got back to the barn Mark’s horse, Pete, was ready to go home. He was standing there getting pretty upset that Mark would not head that way and when he gets like that he has a tendency to think about bucking. So Mark and I talked about it and Mark started flexing his horse at a stand still. Every time the horse started to walk off, with out permission, Mark would flex his head from side to side until Pete decided he just wanted to stand still. It only took a few minutes of that until Pete just cooled his jets and was happy to wait for Mark.
I teach this skill to all the horses that come here to me for training and all of my horses know this skill too. It’s important to have a way to get your horse to settle down and wait for you. Yes, you could do a lot of other things to get that done too, but it will require you to move your horse. What I have found is when we try to wear our horses out, in order to get them to stand still, they just get more stired up. You may want to give it a try at home.
The picture is of me ant Tim the Gray at Sue’s clinic a couple of weeks ago. I have been working with Tim to step up on a pedestal with his front feet. We have never done it with me on his back so I thought we would give it a try and, sure enough, he did it… was fun.
Coffee time.
 Ria and her boy! Had some folks stop by who have a place here on the ranch but don’t live here full time. Pam, the mom, Adam the son and his wife Brittney. We talked a lot about horses and I asked if they would like to work with one of the horses. They said sure, so I let them work with Pepe the new horse. They each had a good time and learned a lot about horses. It’s so exciting to watch the change in people when they, for the first time, really understand what a horse is really all about, and they start to understand what a horse needs. Was fun.
Casino and I had a bit of a review yesterday in the round pen. It’s always good to go back to some work you have done in the past, like round penning, just to see how they are NOW. Casino was much calmer then he was when he first got here, which you would expect, but he did the exercise with confidence, which was great to see.
The picture is of Ria and her horse at the clinic at Sue’s. Ria is a sweet person who really loves her horse and is working hard to be a better horseman. She does not have much experience with horses but she has a big heart and desire to learn.. Looking forward to seeing them both in the future and see their progress..
Coffee
 Casino Had a good weekend. Kathy and I got to play a lot of music, which is always a blast.
The horse we got in on Friday is settling in. I moved him from the round pen to a stall on Saturday. I keep them in the round pen till I know that I can catch them. I worked with him a bit after Lori, is owner, left for home on Friday morning, just enough so he could get to know me a bit. For this horse, so far anyway, I think that his problems have to do with respect and knowing who the leader is. This should not be a big deal; you just have to be willing to teach a horse that lesson and it takes a little time. I’m excited to see how he turns out.
Casino continues to do well. The great thing about having a horse here for 60+ days, is you really get to know who he is. Most of us only get to spend a little time with our horses every day. If we have real jobs or a family, we only have so much time to spend with them. They, the horse, on the other hand, have all day to be with his herd mates. It’s little wonder then that they would rather be with other horses then with humans. So in order for us to teach a horse where is place is in the herd, when we step in the pen, requires that the time we do spend with our horses is well spent. That the reason I talk so much about having a program. A way, a method of working with the horse, so he understands where is place is and how he is to act, and not re-act. What I have learned about Casino is, he is a very shy horse. He is also very suspicious of humans and what they are doing or what they are going to do. It takes a kind yet firm hand, to work with him. He is smart and physically very quick. So, staying calm when working with him is a must, so that he stays calm. I think that as he grows older he will mellow, like the rest of us I guess, and that will all work to the advantage of the owner and rider.
Time, time, time, it all takes the magic pill.
Coffee time.
 Clinic photos
 Clinic Talk! This has been a busy week and it’s about to get busier. But that’s good. Got a call from a lady name Lori who is bringing her horse over this morning for 30 days of training, so I’m pretty excited about that. I talked to Casino and he is pretty excited too. Said it will be nice for me to have someone else to pick on. He cracks me up.
Casino continues to do well. Will continue to up the pressure on him so he learns that nothing is going to hurt him. He is still shy but is getting better, a little at a time, everyday. Will work with him again on the ground and in the saddle this morning.
Have some really good pictures that Kathy took of the clinic and will share them with you as we go along.
Had to do a little work on the truck yesterday and will have to get tires for it this coming week. We had our share of trouble this week at the clinic with the truck and trailer. Hard to keep up with everything around here sometimes, but that just the way it is. Not a big deal, just a deal, and have to deal with it as it comes your way.
Coffee Time.
 Working with Sue and Mason! We are home from a great time with folks at Sue’s clinic. This was a private clinic where the folks worked together in the morning and then had private lessons in the afternoon. I think that everyone had a great time and learned a lot. Kathy and I love the chance to share what we know about horses with folks that want to become better horseman. Remember, if you want a better horse you are going to have to become a better horseman. The people that attended this one day clinic really took those words to heart and put their hearts into the work they were doing.
I only had one male at the clinic Ted. He did a great job. Funny how men seem to be the ones that need the clinics the most but don’t attend. I think it’s because they are so use to being the ones with all the answers or we think we have them, and don’t need anyone to tell us how to get things done. So glad that when I got started, Kathy insisted that I go to clinics and learn as much as I could. Hope to see Ted again in the future and hope that more men will follow his lead.
 Stan! The day we left for the clinic, Stan, one of my riding students, took his first long ride outside the arena. He did great. We had a tricky part of a canyon to go thru, and he handled it really well. I'm looking forward to more time in the saddle with Stan on the trail.
Coffee Time!
SORRY NOT MUCH TO TYPE ABOUT THUS MORNING? We are at a clinic we are putting on today and will be out of the loop till Thursday.
Stay SAFE?
 Kathy and Barrs! Kathy and I had a nice weekend in Kingston NM, riding in town for the New Mexico Centennial celebration. Kathy and I and our good buddy Mark were the only ones in town on horses and it was fun to see the reaction of folks, who don’t get to see horses everyday. Then, Kathy and I played music for the folks on the stage they had set up behind the lodge.. Was a good weekend and was nice to see Kathy horseback again.
This morning is Stan’s, one of my riding students, first long ride outside the arena. He is pretty excited. We will ride from Ted’s barn to our house and then haul the horses back in the trailer. Will try to take pictures, if I remember.
Casino and I had a really good session last Friday. He is doing great. He is walking by things that he use to look at and get a little nervous. He still looks but I can feel that he is not near as nervous as he has been in the past. He is a young horse. Not in years necessarily, but he has a young mind, an immature mind. What do I mean by that. Horses usually as they get older, will start to mellow, slow down and not be as worried about things as they did when they were older. And this is true of Casino, but just about everything is brand new to him every time he sees it. That part is getting better but you can feel, sense that he is not sure of himself. He lacks confidence that his age should have given him. So is there something wrong with the horse? Not at all. Horses are like us. Some of us are not sure of ourselves, we lack confidence or courage. Some of us get that in time, some of us never do. The same is true of horses. It is their personalities. That’s not a bad thing, it’s just a thing that we have to keep in mind when working with them and around them. I have a horse Tim the Gray. He is around 9 years old or so and has seen a ton of stuff in his time. But the other day when we were riding we came to one of those green electrical boxes that are out here on the ranch, and he jumped. He didn’t jump far, I stayed on, but we have been by that box a ton of times and he has sniffed, eaten by, stood by them so many times I can’t count. So, why did he just about jump out of his skin when we came by this box, this time? Who knows. But, because of his training he did not run off. He jumped and then waited for me to tell him what to do.
But this is one of the things I know about him. So, I have to watch out for him, help him when we come to those kinds of places and make sure that he sees them and that I’m ready. Most horses will get passed stuff like that, some horses never do.
It’s our job as a trainer, a leader, to understand what our horses can and cannot handle and try to help them past them. Time, it all takes time.
Coffee
 Casino waiting his turn! I know I talk a lot about the magic pill, time, but I think that I need to remind myself that it applies to me too. When you train for a living you know that folks who are paying you money are watching the clock too and that old saying, time is money, is true and can, and will affect the way you do things. Does me any way. And that can sure affect the way you go about doing things if you are not careful. We don’t get horses here very often that the owners are willing to invest in the magic pill, so when that happens I can take a breath and know that I don’t have to get it all done in 30 days or today, and that sure makes my job easier. But when you get a horse that is only going to be with you for 30 days you worry that the owners will not be happy with the results. You can only get so much done in 30 days, and most people know that, but you still feel the pressure and what happens is, you put that pressure on the horse. Some thing he does not understand, or like, and what happens is you cause yourself, and the horse, more harm then good. So I have to keep telling myself. Take your time. See it’s not the horse that minds swallowing the magic pill, it's the trainer and the owner that has the problem. Funny thing is, it’s always the human that gets in the way.
Kathy and I are in Kingston NM this Saturday to ride in their centennial celebration. We are just going to be riding around the little town with our horses so that city folks can get a feel for what it uses to be like. Herb, of Herb’s Body Shop has asked if I would mind packing some of his famous “Man Bar” lotion to sell while I was up there. Herb don’t have many friends so I told him I would be happy to. So if you have ever wondered what the “Man Bar” is all about just stop me and ask.
Coffee Time!
 Ruth! Gave Casino some time tied to the rail yesterday after his big ride the day before and took one of my riding students out for a long ride. Ruth has not had a lesson in some time. She spends part of her time here on the ranch and part of it back east and when she is here she is pretty busy, so it was a treat that she had the time to do it. There are so many really pretty places to ride here that it is hard to decide where go. The weather was perfect and we both had a good time.
Will get Casino back in the arena this morning and start working more on control and him standing still. Who knows why horse do what they do. When you think that they have something figured out they always seems to know you think you are doing a pretty good job. So, they want to keep you humble and they start to go backward. So we will just start at the beginning with the skills he needs to understand that standing still is his job. I’m pretty sure it won’t take him long to figure out it’s much better to just stand still then the work he will have to do if he chooses to move around..
What I see happen with folks when their horse seems to forget a lesson or a skill, like standing still, they get frustrated. They start to blame the horse, when it is probably something that they did. I think that’s were we are with Casino. I have put Casino in some places in the past week that he has never been in before and I think it may have been a little too much for him. Not that that’s a bad thing. You have to give your horse new experiences to know where the holes are in his training. Those give you the chance to help your horse. But at times, when we give our horse to much they will get confused about what we want and try hard to find the answer. Trouble is they may fine the wrong answer and think that it’s the right one. You and I have to always ask the question: What can I do better to help my horse? How can I become a better horseman? If we do that, then we will be able to find the answer or the tool we need to help our horses.
Coffee Time.
 Mason smiling! Had a good day and long ride with Casino. He continues to make good progress, but like all horses seems to find himself slipping back to some bad habits. Standing still while you mount and dismount is so very important when it comes to horses. Most accidents happen when we are getting on or getting off, so it’s very important that he understands this skill. He has been doing really well up till just a couple of days ago. So we are going back to some basic work to make sure he has this figured out. His owner does not need to have this as a problem when he gets home.
Other then that we had a good training ride yesterday. Most of the time he spent either trotting or loping. Very little walking for him. He has tons of stamina so it’s no big deal for him to do either of those things for long periods of time. We have a lot of green electrical boxes out here on the ranch and he sure gives them the eye when we pass but he does not shy away or jump away from them, which is good.
I think that horses that shy are sometimes encouraged to do so my US! When our horse sees something that makes them a little nervous and then we get a little nervous, because of what might happen, our horse gets more nervous till he just won’t go that direction or come up to the object that he is worried about. It’s hard for us to keep calm when we see our horse getting worried about something, but we need to remember that our horses get their courage, or lack of it, from us. So, altho I’m paying attention to what he is paying attention to, I think in my mind “ride on” and do not look at the object. I look where I want to go, where ever that is, usually straight ahead, and I focus on that.
Some folks say that you should force your horse to go up to the object and face his fears, and I’m ok with that if the rider is up to the task. What I prefer to do, and is what I will do with Casino, is just ride past the object again, and again, and again, and again till he gives it no consideration. True, we are going to come up to other things down the road that may cause us a little problem, but over time, as the horse gains experience and age he will come to trust that no matter what it is that we are going to face, he can count on me to protect him and I can count on him not to dump me on the ground. It don’t always work that way, but that’s what I’m shooting for.
Coffee
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