The Farrier Horseman

February Clinics

2012-02-01T19:07:00.000-08:00

Join Paul Rogers for an experience that will change the relationship between you and your horse.

Date:

February 5th
Time:
1:00 PM
Clinic topics:
Ranch Roping, Colt Starting, Art Of Feel Level 1-learn to be the kind of horseperson your horse needs you to be.
Location:
Weidenbach's Arena
Ellensburg, WA

Date:

February 11th
Time:
10:00 am-4:30 pm
Clinic topics:
Private Clinic
Location:
Grandview, WA

Date:

February 16th-19th
Time:
Spirit of the West Cowboy Gathering
Location:
Ellensburg, WA

Date:

February 25th
Time:
1:00 PM
Clinic topics:
Ranch Roping, Colt Starting, Art Of Feel Level 1-learn to be the kind of horseperson your horse needs you to be.
Location:
Weidenbach's Arena
Ellensburg, WA

Clinics are free of charge, but Smoke will be collecting donations for the "Hungry Horse Fund"

Please make sure to call Remuda International at (509) 899-2928 to reserve your spot in one of the clinics.

November Clinic Schedule

2011-11-02T19:38:00.000-07:00

Date:

November 5th
Time:
9:00 am-4:30 pm
Clinic topics:
Ranch Roping, Cow Working, Colt Starting, Art Of Feel Level 1-learn to be the kind of horseperson your horse needs you to be.
Location:
Dos Arroyos Ranch
Ellensburg, WA

Date:
November 12th, 13th
Time:
9:00 am-4:30 pm
Clinic topics:
Ranch Roping, Cow Working, Colt Starting, Art Of Feel Level 1-learn to be the kind of horseperson your horse needs you to be.
Location:
Fairgrounds
Enterprise, OR

Date:
November 18th, 19th, 20th
Time:
8:00 am-4:30 pm
Clinic topics:
Ranch Roping, Cow Working, Colt Starting, Art Of Feel Level 1-learn to be the kind of horseperson your horse needs you to be.
Location:
Aldergrove, BC

September Clinics

2011-08-30T17:48:00.000-07:00

September 2nd-5th Ellensburg Rodeo , Ellensburg, WA

September 10th Home Clinic, Dos Arroyos Ranch, Ellensburg, WA
Ranch Roping, Cow Working, Colt Starting, Art Of Feel Level 1-learn to be the kind of horseperson your horse needs you to be.

September 14th-17th Pendleton Rodeo,

Pendleton, Oregon

September 23rd-25th Beach Clinic-Ride Like The Wind Tour Stop- at Ocean Acres,

Grayland, WA

Driftwood Eventing Course, Global Dressage, Flying Lead Changes to the rythm of the waves, Art of Feel Level 1. Featuring a whale watching boat tour, surfing class. Paul will introduce a new sport based on the Nordic sport skijoring "Surfjoring".

August Clinic Schedule

2011-08-08T12:30:00.001-07:00

August 13 Home Clinic, Dos Arroyos Ranch, Ellensburg, WA

Ranch Roping, Cow Working, Colt Starting, Horsemanship, Trail

August 20 Ranch Rodeo, Enterprise, Oregon

August 27 Home Clinic, Dos Arroyos Ranch, Ellensburg, WA

Ranch Roping, Cow Working, Colt Starting, Horsemanship, Trail

Clinics are free of charge, but Smoke will be collecting donations for the "Hungry Horse Fund

Public appearance

2011-07-15T11:06:00.000-07:00

Please join Freedom's Lady at her first public appearance since her rescue. Come and meet this special mare in person and see how well she is doing. Meet the special people who are responsible for her progress from wild/frightened horse to a gentle mount ready for training as an endurance horse. See what rescue is all about!

Come ride at the beach

2011-07-07T15:19:00.000-07:00

July Clinics

2011-06-29T17:11:00.001-07:00

July 2 Home Clinic, Dos Arroyos Ranch, Ellensburg, WA
Ranch Roping, Cow Working, Colt Starting, Horsemanship, Trail, Problem-Solving Behaviors

July 8-9 Horsemanship Demonstration, Bandit Springs Endurance Ride/Ochoco National Forest, Oregon

July 15-16 Ranch Clinic, Enterprise, OR, Ranch Roping, Cow Working, Colt Starting, Horsemanship

July 23 Home Clinic, Dos Arroyos Ranch, Ellensburg, WA
Ranch Roping, Cow Working, Colt Starting, Horsemanship, Trail, Problem-Solving Behaviors

July 29-30 Beach Clinic- Ocean to Alpine Ecosystem Series
5pm Friday 29th Sunset Ride
9am-12 Saturday 30th Horsemanship, Trail, Problem-Solving Behaviors

Upcoming new series of clinics/classes

2011-06-15T17:11:00.001-07:00

Be the Kind of Person and Rider Your Horse Needs You To Be
Learning and utilizing the art of feel in your life and with your horse. A psychological approach with three fundamental principles: The power of focus-setting you and your horse up for success, the power of language used to describe what’s happening and where you are going with your horse and the power of physiology-understanding what your body is communicating to the horse.
This program is tied into the “Conquering Fear” program- If you are too concerned about your own self-preservation, how can you expect the horse to turn loose of his? If you want your horse to be forward, confident and spook-free, it is up to you to be confident and free of fear on the inside. It’s a partnership and you are the captain-if the captain is certain there is a leak in the ship-the crew will jump overboard instead of fixing the leak.

June Clinics

2011-06-15T17:09:00.001-07:00

June 18 at 2:00
Ranch Clinic-ranch roping, cow working, trail, horsemanship
June 24-25 Beach Clinic/Ocean Acres- Grayland, WA
First in the “Ecosystem Trail and Horsemanship Series-Ocean to Alpine”
June 24 evening 6-9 pm
June 25 9am-noon
Ride in the ultimate arena where the land and sky and sea meet-no boundaries

April Clinic Schedule

2011-04-16T10:14:00.000-07:00

April 2-3, 9-10, 16-17 Private Scheduled Lessons
April 22-23 Ocean Acres; Greyland, WA Beach Clinic
April 29-30 Endurance Clinic; Ellensburg, WA

Upcoming clinics

2011-03-14T20:32:00.001-07:00

March 19: Colt starting, cow working, ranch roping, horsemanship, cow dogs. Weidenbach Arena Ellensburg, WA-start time 1:00 pm the clinic is FREE but donations will be accepted.
March 26: Colt starting, cow working, ranch roping horsemanship, cowdogs. Weidenbach Arena Ellensburg, WA-start time 1:00 pm the clinic is FREE but donations will be accepted.

February Clinics

2011-02-07T20:18:00.000-08:00

February 12: Colt starting, cow working, ranch roping. Weidenbach Arena Ellensburg, WA-start time 1:00 pm the clinic is FREE but donations will be accepted.
February 26: Colt starting, cow working, ranch roping. Weidenbach Arena Ellensburg, WA-start time 1:00 pm the clinic is FREE but donations will be accepted.

January clinics-Free, arena fee only

2011-01-18T22:05:00.000-08:00

JANUARY 22: Colt starting, cow working, beginning ranch roping, horsemanship Weidenbach Arena Ellensburg, WA-start time 1:00 pm the clinic is FREE but there is arena charge that will be divided among the participants.
January 29: Colt starting, cow working, beginning ranch roping, horsemanship Weidenbach Arena Ellensburg, WA-start time 1:00 pm the clinic is FREE but there is arena charge that will be divided among the participants.

October Clinic Dates

2010-10-07T19:42:00.000-07:00

October 9-10: Colt starting, cow working, ranch roping, horsemanship on the trail, preparing a horse for gunfire and monted shooting for hunting and competition Dos Arroyos Ranch Ellensburg, WA
October 23-24: Mule clinic, riding, packing, communication Dos Arroyos Ranch Ellensburg, WA

Some testimonials

2010-10-03T10:42:00.000-07:00

I will never forget the trip to Grayland Beach colt starting clinic. I had worked on my horse, but I had not been out of the round pen/pasture. With your couching and work with my horse, we had a nice weekend riding on the beach and going into the ocean. You really gave me and my horse the confidence to get out there and ride.
Since then we have gone on some mountain camping trips and a couple of 25 mile endurance rides. She is really coming along.
Barbara Ott

"Paul has a way of pushing your limits while not pushing you to do something you don't have the ability to do..I never dreamed my horse had the ability to perform as he did during this clinic, but Paul instinctively knew and could see the talent in my horse. Paul encouraged me to bring out the talent I didn't realize my horse had within him.”

Terry Liberty

The clinic I attended was an amazing insight to me as I am new to the horse world. I have a wonderful horse, but him and I just don't speak the same language, yet! With Paul's help I have a much better understanding of what I need to do to make us work. I can't wait attend another clinic and this time I will be bringing my six year old daughter, so he can work his magic with her and her horse as well.
~ Katy King

"Uniting 4 Hooves and 2 Minds has been given true meaning by Paul and every horse that has ever felt his presence. He has an indescribable gift in understanding and communicating with horses. Not only can Paul help you understand the struggles and frustrations your horse may be having, he also helps you recognize your own areas of weakness in listening and feeling your horse."
Kayla

September is customer appreciation month

2010-09-05T15:51:00.001-07:00

September is customer appreciation month. For every three trims you have me do you get one free. Get two shoeings and get 20% off of a third. Have me start your colt for you and receive your first clinic class free or the first hour of a private lesson free.
I appreciate my customers and want to thank them for a great year.

September Clinic Schedule

2010-09-05T15:36:00.000-07:00

September 4-6: Ellensburg Rodeo
September 11-12: Private Clinic in Chio California
September 18-19: Pendleton Rodeo
September 25-26: Beach Clinic

July Clinic Dates

2010-06-21T09:47:00.000-07:00

July 3-4: Haines Rodeo • Haines, OR
July 10-11: Bandit Springs Endurance Race/Horsemanship Seminar • Ochoco National, Forest, OR
July 17-18: Beach Clinic-Horsemanship, Level 2-3 Coastal Ecosystem Trail Clinic• Grayland, WA
July 24-25: Dos Arroyos Ranch Clinic, Colt Starting, Cow Working, Ranch Roping, Horsemanship,
Level 2 Desert Ecosystem Trail Clinic, Kids n’ Cows, Ranch Rodeo • Ellensburg, WA
July 31-Aug.1: Horsemanship, Level 2-3 Rainforest Ecosystem Trail Clinic • Fall City, WA

June Clinics

2010-05-26T18:32:00.000-07:00

June 5-6: Ranch Roping, Cow Working, Colt Starting, Horsemanship Clinic • Enterprise, OR
June 11-13: Brian Neubert Clinic • West Monroe, OR
June 19-20: Beach Clinic, Ecosystem Trail Clinic Level 3, Conquering Fear
Level 3: Colt Starting, Horse Surfing • Grayland, Washington
June 25-27: Colt Starting, Ranch Roping, Horsemanship • Glacier National Park Alpine Ecosystem Ride Level 4 • Browning, Montana

Farrier

2010-04-10T14:39:00.000-07:00

New logo and March clinic schedule

2010-03-04T20:14:00.001-08:00

Here is my new logo.
March clinic schedule:
March 6-7 • Ocean Acres-Grayland, WA • Level 3 Beach Clinic • Colt Starting
March 13-14 • Fairview Stables-Spokane, WA • Colt Starting Clinic • Mounted Shooting
Level 4 Horsemanship
March 20-21 • Mustangers Arena-Pendleton, OR • Colt Starting • Ranch Roping • Cow
Working • Kids ‘n’ Cows • Hoof Care • Horsemanship
March 27 • Ephrata, WA • Endurance Race • Hoof Care Clinic
March 28 • Weidenbach’s Arena-Ellensburg, WA • Ranch Rodeo

Conquering fear

2010-02-04T18:19:00.000-08:00

2010 is going to be a great year for this country; the economy and all the people out there that have had a tough couple years. There is a lot of fear of the future at this point and that is the subject of this horse tip of week: conquering fear.
Fear and self-preservation are at the center of horsemanship. They are the root cause of most of a horse’s behavior. Humans take this for granted in the horse as well as in themselves. The causative agent of most undesirable human behavior is fear and it is masked with aggression, repression, and denial. You can lie to people, but you cannot lie to a horse. They can smell the fear or apprehension in you a mile away. Most people don’t talk about self-preservation in a human and yet ironically people need uncertainty, adventure, and excitement-they are fundamental to the human experience. Hence the extreme sports adrenaline rush and all the fans that flock to it. People want to do things that scare them mildly like horror movies, carnival rides, or riding horses.
People have an instinctual fear and respect for the horse and its power. Most men (not so much women) would never admit that they are scared of anything, yet they are. I have seen even the toughest men humbled by a horse. Something about sailing through the air and hitting the ground violently with the force of a car wreck that really makes you take a hard look in the mirror at the person looking back at you. Like one of Ray Hunt’s favorite poems “The Man in the Glass”, fear is the first and foremost obstacle in the way of people reaching their goals with horses and life in general.
The horse also is very limited by the need for self-preservation in their life with the human and all problems people have with a horse’s behavior or performance stems from this. Most people are aware of the horses’ nature and tendency for self-preservation, but still don’t fully understand how to utilize this instinct. They fight it rather than being in harmony with it and opening the door to real connection with the horse. Any performance horse only gives 80 to 90 percent of their potential to the rider because they always hold something back due to need for self-preservation. Well, more to follow in this series of articles and clinics on unifying self-preservation of the horse, human, and conquering fear.
Tally ho amigos
Paul

Tips

2009-11-12T18:19:00.000-08:00

Well it has been some time since I had the opportunity to write a horse tip of week, for that I apologize. This time of the year there are a few things that are very important to me when it comes to horses. First, this is a great time to have an assault on thrush before the wet weather hits and stays till May. One product I use and has been tested to be the number one thrush medicine is White Lightning. You will have to order it online, Grand Circuit Products makes it; I tried to get the local stores to carry it.

The second thing is nutrition and teeth. Having the teeth checked will save you hundreds on your feed bill during the course of the winter, not to mention the better shape your older horse is in the less chance for colic. I also believe adamantly in loose salt and horse mineral this has been proven by numerous nutritionists as well. Salt blocks are designed for cows and any cattleman knows even cattle gain weight more effectively when on loose salt. Horses do not get enough salt out of a salt block and scrapping a salt block with their teeth causes dental issues down the road. Who can lick a salt block when its 20 degrees outside anyway. I recommend a bag of loose salt with trace minerals to start with and then go to the specially designed horse mineral/salt. Also pour the feed to the older horse or under weight horse now. It is a lot easier, calorie effective, and cheaper to put weight on them when the temperatures are above freezing! Feeding a soaked mash once or twice a day, in addition to their regular feed, will help those horses who have trouble gaining or holding their weight.

The third thing to address this time of year is getting your shoes pulled when the snow hits or get snow pads. If you want to encourage navicular disease, permanently crippling your horse just let a horse walk around with ice balls frozen to his shoes for a few winters.

Thanks for riding with me, see you soon

More pictures from the beach

2009-09-27T15:53:00.000-07:00

Thanks for riding with me, see you soon.

Beach Clinic

2009-09-07T17:04:00.000-07:00

The second beach clinic of the year went well.
Here is a picture of some of the participants. This is going to be an annual event, hope to see you there next year!
Thanks for riding with me, see you soon.

Clinic for the clinician

2009-07-28T15:42:00.000-07:00

I am looking forward to spending July 31st - August 3rd in Bridger Montana studying with my mentor Bryan Neubert. You can read more about him at his website: http://www.bryanneubert.com/
I feel it is important as a teacher to renew myself by studying with the best horsemen I can. I look forward to passing on what I learn to each participant at my clinics.
Thanks for riding with me, see you soon.

Tip of the week

2009-07-11T18:59:00.000-07:00

The importance of letting horses roll in some good dirt or sand is something that is often overlooked in horse care. I was speaking with a person about this recently and they were saying how good it was for the horses’ muscle skeleton; I had not thought of it from that perspective. I was always focused on how good it was for their skin, especially in bug season a heavy coating of dust in their hide really helps with bug bites and exfoliation.
Something else I feel is very important is for horses to spend part of their day with another horse so that they can groom one another and play. Horses need to gallop every day, this is as important as feed and water, even if it is for a few seconds at play . This is fundamental in the psychological well being of the horses as well as the physical exercise they get from the interaction. Horses are by nature a herd animal, even in a stabled environment it so important to have a horse in a large paddock with at least one other horse for a companion. Most behavioral problems and vices stem from the horses being locked in a stall by themselves too many hours a day. I have lived this long enough to know that this true. I am very blessed to have observed horses in a free range environment. I observed and soaked in the interaction of horses, not only among themselves but with deer and elk as well. At my place the elk and horses graze together and bed down in the same draw together. They share the same salt tubs and watering holes. I have yet been successful in gathering the elk and running them in the corral, I have come close to roping one on a couple of occasions, but then considered before I threw my rope; what will I do with a 800 lb mad cow elk on the end of a sixty foot rope.
Thanks for riding with me, see you soon.

Horsemanship at the beach

2009-06-29T16:43:00.000-07:00

Join me for a very special clinic at the beach. Celebrate our Nation's Independence Day while you build your independence with your horse.
July 4th-5th at Grayland, WA. Don't miss this very special opportunity.
Thanks for riding with me, see you soon.

Cow clinic

2009-06-22T12:49:00.001-07:00

These are photos from the cow clinic held June 19th at Weidenbach's arena. There were 10 riders who participated in the clinic. Experience levels for riders ranged from beginner to advanced. The horses had a wide range of experience also, some had never been in an indoor arena let alone seen a cow before.

Thanks for riding with me, see you soon.

Photos from the Enterprise clinic

2009-06-09T11:33:00.000-07:00

Here are some photos from the Enterprise Clinic.
We covered horsemanship and colt starting.

Thanks for riding with me, see you soon.

Photos from yesterday's demonstration

2009-05-24T13:42:00.001-07:00

Yesterday I gave a demonstration at E & K Stables. I worked with a couple of horses who were having problems.
One was a horse who had trailer loading issues. The thing about trailer loading is that it takes the time it takes to successfully load a horse without traumatizing it. I was able to help this horse overcome the issues it had with the trailer and alleviate the loading difficulties.

I also worked with a young horse. The colt is new to the halter and needed started with desensitization and groundwork.

The weather was lovely and the demonstration was a success.

Thanks for riding with me, see you soon.

Press release for clinic in Cashmere WA

2009-05-05T18:32:00.000-07:00

Headline: Renowned horse expert to visit Cashmere

By Sebastian Moraga
Staff writer

Paul Rogers, a horse trainer from Ellensburg and head of Remuda International, will put together two clinics on May 9 at the Chelan County Expo Center.
Rogers has been training horses for more than 20 years and this is his first teaching trip to the city.
Remuda International, Rogers' business puts on horse-training and hoof-care clinics all over the Northwest. Just in May alone, Rogers will teach in Cashmere, Pendleton, Ore., and Wenatchee, among others.
Training a horse is like getting to know a person, Rogers said.
"You interact with them, you get to know them," he said. "Horses don't speak English, so you gotta kind of use body language with them, when you're interacting with them."
Spoken language may not be their thing, but horses are responsive to other aspects of the human body, such as pheromones and touch, Rogers said.
Training a horse is easier than people think, he added. Horses gravitate toward humans and that's what kept the relationship between human and beast alive for centuries.
"You put a horse that is ornery and temperamental toward grown-ups," he said. "And you put it around a kid, and it'll take care of that kid like it was its own."
Rogers got his start as a trainer taking care of, as he put it, the horses other people didn't want. Troubled, tough, tantrum-prone horses, gave him the best school possible on how to tame and teach any kind of horse.
"I realized that these horses acting this way, they weren't born that way," he says."Their interaction with a human made 'em difficult to deal with or trouble. Self-preservation is a very strong instinct in a horse."
Rogers still deals with a lot of troubled horses and what he calls human-made issues. "It's kind of my specialty, I guess."
Nowadays, Rogers is busy getting another facet of his business off the ground: applying the horse-human relationship and its communication methods, to the business world.
People can discover much around themselves when they interact with horses.
Rogers grew up around horses, so he took that interaction for granted. It wasn't until he grew up and realized most people have to wait and get a job and save money until they can afford to have a chance to own a horse.
The first horse clinic will start at 8 a.m. and will last until noon. In the afternoon there will be a horsemanship class.
The clinic is open to people with all levels of expertise, from beginner to professional.
"It's for everybody who loves horses," he said.
Registration is $50 for each class. Each class is four hours long.

Sebastian Moraga can be reached at (509) 782-3781 or by e-mail at moraga@cashmerevalleyrecord.com

More philosophy

2009-04-27T19:15:00.000-07:00

This is some of the philosophy, global concepts in horsemanship and hoof care, combined with scientific education and twenty plus years of experience that allows me to work on a horse from a holistic approach, physiological, mental, emotional, behavioral and therapeutic viewpoint. I work on the horse from the inside out. While building trust I am nurturing the spirit of the horse, enabling that spirit to rise to the surface. Once the reservoir of confidence, trust, and willingness is full on the inside of the horse then changes can appear on the outside of the horse, changes that are readily visible to the observer. A horse has so much willingness to offer the human it is immeasurable. Yet, if it is not recognized at the start by the human, the horse will not continue to open up to the human and will operate in a manner that is at a subsistence level- mentally and emotionally they are shut down. Walk into a boarding stable where horse spend a lot of time in solitary confinement you can see that look in their faces and eyes, the eyes are vacant of life. Horses have to have contact with other horses to achieve happiness they are a herd animal, that is the nature of their spirit. Once you see horse in a free-range environment with the herd dynamics, in their natural state, you will understand what I am talking about. There are techniques I utilize to create herd dynamics in a boarding stable environment, to revive the spirit of the horse, and to rekindle the life in their eyes. A horse will do everything in its physical ability to do what the human asks of it, if it understands what the person is asking! Horses do not speak English; they cannot be treated like a human or a dog that is a pet. You must learn to speak horse. Sounds absurd but it is true. Horses operate by body language, sight, smell, taste, hearing, touch, pressure and release, instinct, hormones, pheromones, and a sixth sense that is razor sharp. They also have an innate gravitational curiosity for the human; this is the part of the horses’ nature that never ceases to amaze me. This description is what is referred to as operating through feel. A horse communicates, lives, and learns through feel. Tom Dorrrance brought this idea to the world and created the renaissance in horsemanship we know today. The contributions to the world of horse and human relationships this man has made is beyond description in words, it is truly immeasurable.Every horse comes with a different dialect and has to be approached on an individual basis. Try to understand where the horse is at and then begin working with them. This takes time, to open a line of communication with the horse, develop some rapport and then proceed with helping them learn what is going to be asked of them in there particular discipline. You cannot force a horse to do things with gimmicks, gadgets, leverage, pressure- these things have no place in working with a horse. When you interact with a horse in their language you can see an immediate recognition and response, even on a horse that has been shut down to the human for years. If you approach a horse in a way that honors their spirit, the depth of their understanding is unfathomable. When you get grasp on this and get it working for you there is no greater feeling in the world, having a horse rather be with you than anyplace else.

Thanks for riding with me, see you soon.

Some clinic footage

2009-04-26T08:25:00.000-07:00

This footage was taken at my April 19th clinic by one of the clinic auditors (best viewed without sound, there is some friendly teasing going on). In this portion of the session we are working on forward motion. I am having the horses follow and pass a bag that is being pulled behind another horse. This is a continuation of the work that was done in the cow clinic session that was held in the morning. This little black colt has difficulty moving forward with impulsion. Moving forward in a lackadaisical manner is no problem, moving sideways is not an issue either, but forward motion is a sticking point. So I help the rider help her horse by adding some pressure using the flag.

Thanks for riding with me, see you soon.

Clinic Season

2009-04-20T20:57:00.000-07:00

Clinic season is here. The photos are from a clinic held on April 19th. Group instruction was held, along with plenty of time for individual attention.

Clinics are a time for horse and rider to become united into "four hooves and two minds".

I design my clinics to facilitate that happening. I hope that you will be able to come ride or audit one of the upcoming clinics. I can promise it will change the way you relate to your horse.

See the listing of clinic dates in the sidebar.

Thanks for riding with me, see you soon.

Horses' legs are reservoirs of self-preservation

2009-04-11T08:02:00.000-07:00

Farrier science coupled with the art of feel enables me to work with horses on a different level than most farriers. A horse has to have trust in the human to give a leg freely and in a relaxed fashion. Taking a leg away from a horse prevents them from defending himself and from escaping a situation they are unsure of. The horse also has trouble standing on three legs, primarily with a front leg up as it is not a natural position for them, and they are not interested in learning to balance on the other three legs as it is work for them to do so. So trust has to be earned and they have to learn how to balance on three legs for a horse to be good to shoe. Some horse have a lot of trouble with this, lips chains, twitches, tranquilizers are of no long term help to the situation and most of the time make it worse, I don't believe in them. I Take the time to make every horse I work better about their feet, if they are comfortable with a human handling their feet then everything else will go so much easier, the relationship between the horse and human is much stronger, they believe in each other and trust each other. It is an investment of time that will last the horse their whole life.For a horse to give you his leg freely, he is trusting you with his life, that is a horse's perspective on shoeing and trimming.

The Vaquero Way

2009-04-08T20:27:00.000-07:00

Originally from Mexico, the Vaqueros brought their horsemanship traditions to the vast California cattle ranches during the late 1700s.

Based on centuries-old traditions, the Vaquero method takes a horse from hackamore through the two rein and finally into the spade bit, producing a finely tuned working horse and partner. Its emphasis has always been on the resulting equine athlete’s quality rather than on how quickly the goal is reached. With no strict deadline for finishing a horse, the Vaqueros prided themselves on investing the time necessary to train a ranch horse that was light in the bridle, maneuverable with only tiny signals from the reins to the bit, as well as agile, smart and responsible.

The Vaquero method of training is about the total harmony and togetherness of horse and rider.

Thanks for riding with me, see you soon.

Clinic April 18th

2009-04-05T13:25:00.001-07:00

I will be holding a horsemanship clinic at the Hart Ranch located in Selah Washington on April 18th. Advancing your horsemanship skills and problem solving is going to be the key feature of this clinic. I will also address individual participants needs during the clinic. Starting time is 9:00 AM. Contact me at (509) 899-2928 to register and reserve a spot.
Here is a link to get directions to the clinic location: http://maps.google.com/maps?sourceid=ie7&rls=p,com.microsoft:en-US&oe=utf8&um=1&ie=UTF-8&q=hart+ranch,+selah+wa&fb=1&split=1&gl=us&cid=0,0,12996896079598434594&ei=AZiwSYmQHZmQsQOyqdCQAQ&sa=X&oi=local_result&resnum=1&ct=image
Thanks for riding with me, see you soon.

Clinic April 4th

2009-04-03T15:18:00.000-07:00

I will be holding a clinic at Weidenbach's arena, Ellensburg WA on Saturday. The arena is located on Passmore Rd just off of HWY 97.
The clinic is a two-part clinic. There is a cow working clinic starting at 10:00 AM. This clinic will cover the basics, it is a good clinic to start building the skills needed to advance into competitive events or just to hone your horses skills for working cows on the ranch. The general horsemanship clinic begins at 1:00 PM. This is a good clinic for getting personal help in improving the relationship that you have with your horse. Each participant will receive individual attention and help with any issues that that they may be trying to work through.

Thanks for riding with me, see you soon.

My philosophy

2009-04-01T13:22:00.000-07:00

Uniting Four Hooves and Two Minds
Communication that considers the nature of the horse; allows their innate willingness to become more visible to the human. You must channel and direct the energy within the horse, towards a union of their ideas and yours.

The intent of this blog is to share my expertise and experiences with fellow horsemen. Join me as I work with horses and learn what we have to teach.

Thanks for riding with me, see you soon.