QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Books, Videos & Horse Whisperers
Foundation Training
Basics to Advance Training
Release is What You Teach
Basic Riding Skills
Starting an Un-broke Horse
Suggested Weekly Riding
Positive for Postive, Negative for Negative
Vertical & Lateral Flexion
Control Circumstances
Goal is the Process not the End Result
Q. Jeff, there seems to be a new breed of horse trainers, books, videos, horse whisperers, etc. These trainers seem to promote a mystical even spiritual relationship with horses. Is this actual horse training?
A. I think a person needs to separate the training practices of any trainer or clinician from the marketing and promotions they do. There is really nothing new. You can study the history of horsemanship and realize that they were doing many of the same techniques before Christ was born. I know several men on ranches who are closer to the cutting edge of training than any of the top clinicians.
Q. What is "Foundation Training"?
A. To me, foundation training is ascertaining exactly where the horse is in the fundamentals, then breaking down the training into different areas to make sure all of those fundamentals are understood. Virtually all of the problem horses that come to me have problems because of lack of foundation.
Q. What basics should any horse have to graduate to advanced training?
A. The horse should flex well laterally (left and right) and vertically (straight down) while standing still or moving with impulsion. They should walk, trot and lope to both directions under control, stop and back up without too much resistance, move off the leg and have a willing attitude.
Q. At a recent clinic, I heard you say, "Where you release is what you teach." What does this mean?
A. The point in time that is optimum for the horse to learn is at the release. Whatever the horse is doing at the time you release your hands, feet, body energy etc., he will automatically respond to the release and look for another release. Releasing at the right time and place in any exercise builds desire in the horse to go there again. Therefore, releasing at the wrong time teaches the wrong thing and not releasing at all kills the desire in the horse to perform anything.
Q. What basic riding skills should an owner gave to compliment the horse's foundation training?
A. A rider should have a good working knowledge of what is happening in all training exercises. The rider should also spend as much time in the saddle as possible to achieve the balance, timing and feel needed to train. Every minute you are on or around your horse you are teaching or training, so if a person is not comfortable with every aspect of riding, there is no way to get the correct timing down. No one can teach experience. A good teacher can give the benefit of their experience but you still have to experience everything for yourself.
Q. What is the usual amount of time it takes to start an unbroke horse?
A. By "start" I assume that you mean the first ride. This can vary a great deal depending on the horse and other conditions. It is important to cover every step completely and still move along in a natural progression. Most young horses who have not been spoiled usually take 45 minutes to 1 1/2 hours to ride the first time; keeping in mind that it is more important to do a complete job than watch the clock. Some clinicians make a big deal out of the time factor. To me, this is the wrong focus. I like to be goal oriented towards the process instead of the end result. If you are goal oriented toward the end result, you tend to hurry too much and not complete important foundation steps. If you are goal oriented to the process, foundation steps are completed and the horse learns much better.
Q. How many times a week should a person ride their horse?
A. Obviously, as much as possible. There is no substitute for lots of time and wet saddle blankets. No matter how good your training is, your horse needs a job and your body needs that deep seated muscle memory. Horse and rider must work as a team and team work takes practice.
Q. What do you mean when you say, "Positive for positive, negative for negative"?
A. Horses react one way or another to everything around them. Any type of stimuli from us is analyzed in a very simple way to find the horse's boundaries. They are always testing their environment to find their comfort zone or identify things that are dangerous. How the horse owner acts in return tells the horse where he stands. If the horse is trying to please and the owner responds negatively, the horse then tries something different. If the horse does something negative and the owner responds in a positive way, the horse learns to live in the negative. "Positive for positive- Negative for negative" simply means that each response is returned in kind.
Q. What is vertical and lateral flexion and why are they important in Foundation Training?
A. Vertical and lateral flexion are the terms we use to describe a bending , flexing or softening of the head and neck via the reins. In order to access the shoulder, rib cage or hip, you must first get control of the head. If the first thing that happens when you pull on the reins is a stiffening or pulling from the horse's head, all other movement thereafter is polluted. No maneuver works properly if the horse is pulling back. To make sure a horse flexes each and every time, it is imperative to only release when they tuck their head exactly where it is most advantageous for the maneuver being attempted.
Q. In a recent clinic I heard you say, "You cannot force a horse to do anything. However, you can control the consequences." What does this mean?
A. Force is not necessary when there is good communication. With good communication it is possible to let the horse make small decisions while setting things up so only the correct outcome is rewarded. Rewarding the correct outcome teaches the horse to identify good and bad consequences. We all can make choices in everything we do, but we can never choose the consequences of those choices. A trainer can control the consequences in a well planned and well timed manner.
Q. At a recent clinic I heard you say, "A trainer needs to be goal oriented to the process and not to the end result." What does this mean?
A. To only be thinking about the end result of any goal is like leaving on a trip to New York without working out all of the intermediate goals, like money, gas, route, time, etc. In horse training, focusing only on the end result or main goal usually results in missing important steps or trying to proceed too fast.
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