|
Less Is More Horsemanship Forum
Welcome to the Less Is More Forum. This forum is to post questions, comments, suggestions, ideas, principles, concepts and ideas regarding Natural Horsemanship and more importantly, the philosophy of "Less IS More". This is a place where like-minded people can come to throw away all the old traditional ways of training, and riding, and begin to experience a new FREEDOM in their relationship with their equine partners. Whether your goal is to learn more about natural horsemanship, get support for your own personal Less Is More belief, find solutions for problems that are hindering your relationship, begin a journey of discovery or healing, this is your home. Regardless of what the current "fads" are in traditional circles or natural horsemanship circles, I encourage you to think 'outside the box'. Feel free to post a message.
|
|
| Search For Similar Forums · Return to Website | ||
 First |
 Prev |
 Reply |
 Forum |
Next  |
Last  |
| Viewing Page 1 of 1 (Total Posts: 4) |
| Author | Comment |
Maggie
Jan 14, 08 - 10:48 AM |
All kinds of questions
Hi! Not sure if you remember me or not, you put on a demo for us at Kingswood Equestrian Center (it was Purdue Polo Club's barn at the time) a couple years ago. I'm down in Indy these days and finally getting a new horse (mine died shortly before that clinic) in about a month! I'm going to get a 3 or 4 year old Arab. I have about 10 to choose from on an awesome farm down in Kentucky. None have had anything done with them beyond the basics being led, being groomed, things like that so I get to start with a clean slate and do everything myself the right way. It'll be quite nice. I spent 2 years undoing all the abuse and poor "training" (which mainly consisted of beating him until he figured out what they wanted...I'm amazed he stayed as sweet as he did) my old gelding had done to him before he fully trusted me. I only had him for 3 years, but he sure taught me a lot! I've done all the bits and pieces on many different horses, but I've never gone from start to finish on just one. Question 1: which of the programs is your favorite to follow so I don't leave any 'holes'? I know they're all basically the same, but if you had to pick just one which would it be? I know the most about Parelli, but there are a zillion others. I'm going to start her in a rope side pull that I made (I copied the exact design of the AB Side Pull you like - the design makes sense to me) and probably ride in it almost exclusively. However I would eventually like to at least have her comprehend a bit even though I'll rarely, if ever, use one. Question 2: if you had to pick an extremely mild bit for learning purposes which would it be? I was looking at either a French link snaffle, a rubber bit of some kind or those Happy Mouth bits. Any thoughts on those? Any other suggestions? I rode my old guy in a copper pelham because it was the only bit he liked. I tried any milder bit I could get my hands on and he didn't like any of them copper or not. I tried a side pull one time and he went absolutely nuts. I just put it on him...didn't even pick up a rein or do anything with it. He flipped out, tore away from me ran around for a few minutes and eventually scraped it off on the fence. As soon as it was off he came right back to me, followed me back to the tack room to get his regular bridle and let me put it on without hesitation. I never saw him that out of his mind about anything. I decided it wasn't worth trying to undo whatever horrible association he had with it. Question 3: any reason not to ride in a leather 'jumping hackamore'? If you've not seen them, they basically look like a somewhat snug noseband that has rings you attach reins to. I like leather a whole lot more than I like rope. Question 4: are you going to have any clinics within an hour or two of Indy anytime in '08? I'd love to come to one (and I've got about 4 other girls that'd join me!) if there is going to be one nearby. There isn't much of anything where I'm going to be boarding. Its mostly just pastures with shelters and a few stalls for the truly horrible weather. They haven't put the arena in yet or I'd love to hold one there. Thanks, Maggie |
|
Michael Gonzalez
Jan 18th, 2008 - 11:13 AM |
Re: All kinds of questions
Hi Maggie.... So nice to hear from you again!!!! I actually thought I might not hear from you since the last little seminar didnt end so well because I got extremely diabetic sick during the seminar. That has gnawed at me for a very long time but didnt have a way to contact anyone form there, and then I heard they moved the Polo Club and horses to Foxton Farms. First, I would love to come down to Indy and hold a clinic for you. If you have a facility, I'm in. Would love to come down and hold a full riding clinic with all of you. Let's talk!!! As far as what program...? Well, I still hold that the NEW Parelli level 1 and Liberty series are the best places to start. Forget the hype...forget the nay-sayers...no one..and I mean NO ONE puts out more information concerning the mental, emotional, spirit and physical components of horses than the Parellis. And they have been doing it for years and years. Plus, in the new series you have Dr. Stephanie Burns teaching humans about learning to learn, over coming fear, etc. etc. yes, there are a million programs out there...and yes, disengaging hindquarters is still disengaging hindquaters, and touching a horse all over with your hands nad objects is still touching a horse all over regardless of what nams we call them. Dont let that distract you. Here is the secret...the Parelli Level One is NOT about training your horse....it truly never has been..it is about reeducating YOU and helping you to begin looking at, and performing, new habits in yourself. This is about YOU and not the horse. When you "get it right", all of sudden it will seem like the horse got it right. Look on Ebay, you can buy the program for a lot cheaper than from their site. Again, ignore the nay-sayers....this is about YOU AND YOUR HORSE...thats it...no one else matters..nothing else matters. But which ever program you choose...follow it...to the letter...throw yourself into it wholeheartedly. this is the best time for you to begin a program...by Spring time when everyone is starting to get the rust off their horsemanship and get ready for the horse riding season, you and your partner will be light years ahead of them. as far as a bit....in a truth, any bit in the world can be super mild or super harsh...it does depend on the hands..however some bits are inherently easier than others right off the bat. I like a Myler Bit. French Link are nice too... CONTINUED.... |
|
Michael Gonzalez
Jan 18th, 2008 - 11:28 AM |
Re: All kinds of questions
CONTINUED FROM ABOVE..... as far as the bitless bridle...thre are several on the market....I dont care for the Dually by Monty Roberts nor the Dr. Cooks Bitless...both of these use a "tightening" of the halter around the head when you pull onthe reins. For a claustrophobic horse, or a headshy horse, this will cause them to panic..and of course, the more you panic, the more you pull and the more the bridle tightens, and the vicious cycle goes on and on.... Remember, I ride a Paso mare...my wife rides an Arabian mare..my now 8 year old granddaughter rides her Arabian mare...and I start all horses in teh AB sidepull rope halter!! in our pasture, on the trail or out in the wide open, we use it extensively and have never run away...and we all ride bareback! however, this comes from having built a relationship and partnership with our horses. I also ride my Paso mare bareback and bridleless out on the trails. In other words..WE HAVE DONE OUR HOMEWORK!!! And so should you. I wouldnt just put a halter on a horse and ride onthe trail without first knowing that we have the foundational requirements well covered and that we have trust between one another. If I dont trust my horse exclusively, then I dont step out on the trail...and with my mare, I trust her to take me through the flames of hell and back....and she would if only because I ask her to. I dont have a lot of horses that I have to split my time and love between...I have my "Desi"..thats it...so I put allof my time into her and it pays off. This is where you want to get with your horse. Let the nay-sayers all say what they want...in the end, when you know that you have the OPTION to ride bareback and bridleless on the open trail (but perhaps choose not to) while the others are still struggling with what bit is going to give them braking power and control, then you will know that you have a partnership and not just riding a horse. I held a clinci in Edwardsville and had a young woman (Brittany who posts here in this forum) ride her Arab gelding bareback and bridleless and cantered beautifully all around the arena. I would love to get you to that point...and if we ever get to have a clinic in Indy, we will do our best to help you get to that point. Hope I have answered your question.... Let's chat on the phone and see what we can come up with for a clinic in Indy. Always Yours In Horsemanship.... Michael |
|
Maggie
Jan 18th, 2008 - 4:17 PM |
Re: All kinds of questions
I thought the demo was great despite your getting sick. Everyone from the PPC as you saw it pretty much went their separate ways. Not long after you were out there things went really sour. My horse had just died and I didn't really have a horse to ride so I was helping out the club by working with a couple of their "problem" horses (horses intolerant of stupid people basically...) and people ended up getting mad at me about it. Sofia and Campi (that silly Andalusian stud you worked with) moved to Columbia to be with her fiance and his family (Campi came from his mother's farm). I have some major issues with and refuse to have anything to do with the group that moved out to Foxton at this point. I vehemently disagree with the way they handle and treat the horses. In any event, if I had gotten my own horse to work with sooner I definitely would have been talking to you before this! We all very much enjoyed your demo and wanted to do a clinic, but weren't able to before things went sour. The problem with a clinic down here is that the barn I'm going to be boarding at doesn't really have much of anything. Its got pastures with shelters and a barn with a few stalls for the truly horrible weather. (None of us like stalling unless we *HAVE* to.) They're supposed to be putting an outdoor arena in sometime soon, but who knows. I'll have to ask around about an arena we could use. I run with Parelli then. Its the one I know the most about anyway. I'll definitely check out Ebay...much better prices! I know any bit can be made to be harsh in the wrong hands. :) I learned real fast riding a couple Saddlebreds in double bridles to develop a light hand when I was younger. We were deliberately put on the ones who would, in no uncertain terms, dump you in the dirt if you were the slightest bit heavy handed. Most of us learned pretty quick! I was just wondering what your preference for a simple starter bit that most horses don't mind. My thought was the French link - I actually found one in my tack boxes anyway - not sure where it came from though... I'm definitely going to start my new girl in a side pull I made (I copied AB's design), I just hate the feel of rope and was hoping there was a leather alternative of some sort to use for the bulk of the learning phase. My goal is to be able to ride my girl like you ride Desi. Actually my ultimate goal is to try barrel racing bridleless a few times because I've been told it can't be done... I know an Arab probably won't beat QHs in the long run, but it might be fun to try! And I *HATE* being told something isn't possible! :) In any event, email me privately (maggie.taylor28@gmail.com) and I'll give you my number. Maggie |
| First |
Prev |
Reply |
Forum |
Next |
Last |
bravenet.com