HEY! THANKS!I'M GLAD TO BE HERE.

Howdy right back at ya!

Colorancher wrote: Don't think I've caught you online before so I thought I'd say howdy.

Hello. Thank you =]

Thanks Dave,

I  appreciate your take on these trainers!  I went to a Dennis Reis clinic a couple of weeks ago and I'm glad that I got the tickets for free!  It was just another guy running a horse around a round pen!  He then saddled the horse (a mustang) got on and rode around.  I realized later that this mustang was already worked with by one of his students prior to the demonstration.  Anyway, I left early since all of the demonstrations were set up that way.  Boy , he is sure good at marketing!  Have a client's horse and charge others to watch!  I am not "bashing" Dennis Reis, I think he demonstrated good communication skills with the horses...But, I think you are right about having other people being able to work with the horses too.

Star (my filly)is actually doing well with the lead rope.  I have left her tied to my trailer for 1 to 2 hours at a time and pony her behind the gelding when I ride.  She also developed a "boxy" hoof when she was 4 months old.  I had a farrier come every 2 weeks to take the heel off.  So she has learned to stand well for the farrier.  The only thing that she does is try to bite the buckle on the back of the chaps when he is working on the front legs!  She is very mouthy!  I learned how to rasp the feet myself, but I need to learn to be more aggressive.  She is still boxy but most people do not see it unless I point it out.  I am now going every 4 weeks with a trim.

 My gelding wears shoes and I actually haul him for the shoes.  I took my filly last week and she was very curious about watching him get shoes.  He gets hot shoed and looks like an old lady getting a pedicure!  Star wasn't skiddish about the forge or grinder at all!

I hope this is good exposure for her.  I guess I am impatient and can't wait to start with more advanced stuff!  I just need to be more patient.  You can see Star in my gallery with a tarp on her back when I went to a clinic.

Hope you have a great day and are getting over being sore!

Thanks again!

Kelly

Colorancher wrote: Hey,   Sorry I didn't see this sooner. I had a fun time yesterday trying a second try at trimming a neighbor's horse. This time there was a vet there and the horse was sedated to have his teeth floated so I gave it a try. After a second shot you would have thought that a horse that could barely stand couldn't kick...wrong. Even drugged I had to scotch both hind feet to do them. Bruised and sore last night, I didn't want to move when I got home. More fun and games today with a two year old...   So many things can work well or not with a yearling. All the clinitions have ways that work but the important thing to remember is that there is nothing new under the sun. The one thing that i see a lot is that young horses are not taught restraint. They grow up and sooner or later they have to be tied for some reason then...bam, something or someone is broken. Young horses learn to follow instead of lead. They connect to the person instead of the lead rope. De-sensitising a horse when you are holding  him or he is free is a good thing but if he has learned how to be tied he won't be that pulling demon at the end of the rope waiting for something to break when spooked. You might think that I am stressing this too much. If you think about it though so many thing later on in a horses life are based on some kind of control. For example, reading a horses body language and being able to get them to respond in kind to your's is actually a part of handling all livestock and the "trainers" can call them games. In reality what happens when you hand a horse off to someone else to lead through a gate or on a trailer? Will that horse go now or is he waiting for a "game" I know this is just one thing but it is a big thing. Even as a youngster i think they should be able to stand to be trimmed and groomed for that matter, while tied and without someone fussing at their head oft times giving them treats. While shoeing I want their attention. If they pull for some reason there won't be a body giving in at the other end of the rope. They know they have done it to themselves and can quit sooner.  I know I carried on about one thing. There is so much more. I like to at least put a bareback pad on yearlings and tell them early on that it is all right to have something fastened around their girth. Then too, a nice bright yellow, noisy slicker won't kill them when it is draped all over their body and that somewtimes it can fall off when they being led. Lots and lots. Hope I haven't bored you to death. The most important thing is that there is no one way. Take bits and pieces from everyone and make it into something that works for you. Dave      KellyHB1 wrote: Hey there Dave! Just wanted to say, HI! I have been trying to work with my yearling filly, and wanted your take on what training method has worked for you. Sounds like you have worked with lots of horses!

Colorancher wrote: bamahorsegal wrote: Just wanted to drop you a note and say........Colorado sure is getting it this week. I hope you weren't near the tornado or the mountain lion....I just saw a news piece on him. Well....be safe and don't work too hard... We have had our share. Tornado as well as lion well north of here. Thank goodness this altitude doesn't breed too many tornados. We did have wind and snow yesterday though. We have a few lions around but the troubles are always with the people that moved in to the lion's backyard and then wonder why the lion was in "their" backyard.

yea, thats kinda like the people on the coast who build houses right on the beach and wonder why it gets blown away in a hurricane....i'll take a mountain anytime over a sunny, white sandy beach.  probably because i grew up in FL and never liked the beach....and all the critters that can eat you in the water...lol