Whole Horse Training

Harry Whitney Clinic - August 2006

Red has turned out to be the perfect horse for Linda. He takes everything in stride and is the best caregiver we know. "I love you, Linda."		Linda had to present Red with a rather rude awakening. Work means moving out and being responsive. "Whoa!" says Red, "Let's not get hasty! The sensible horse conserves his energy."


Kathy borrowed Herc from Kate for her mount at the clinic. At the time, Kathy was considering purchasing Herc and wanted to see if her time spent with him could be quality. They experienced a bonding experience and the rest is history.		Fred pulled double duty for the riding sessions since Razzle was only able to do limited work. My rides on him were intense and he seemed up to the task.


Fred was on and, with total respect for Marcia's competency; he stepped up to the plate and displayed his remarkable Warmblood work ethic.		Marcia worked hard on getting Fred to "Snap to!" during her sessions. When Fred came to us, he was angry and uncomfortable. It took us two years to get him comfortable and happy. In the process, we had allowed him to become placid. Now, with a new Fred to work with, it was time to pick up the pace.


One of my concerns with Razzle was that he was lackadaisical and unenthusiastic while I work with him and I felt that there was a potential blow up but it wasn't coming out. Harry used a flag to turn up the heat and break through Razzle's seemingly placid façade.		Razzle decided in short order that co-operation was the best choice. He became much calmer and attentive. He felt better inside himself.


When I worked with Razzle, he was happy to join up with me and no longer threatened to push past me or challenge me. I felt much better about riding him after he made this shift.		Harry gave an awesome demonstration of how to work with ropes around a horse's feet to help prevent panic should they put their foot in something or to prepare a young horse for picking up their feet. This also works for hobbling and leading a horse by the foot. The keys are: (1) The horse must not feel trapped, so the rope should come off if much fuss arises. If they know they can get away, they will be much less frightened. (2) You can't have an agenda or be in a hurry with this process. (3) The handler must be totally present and focused so the horse can depend on him.