With Buck Brannaman When you are riding with a mecate, especially on greener horses, you should always be in a ready position to keep yourself out of trouble. If you’re going to the right, you’re going to want to have that coil in your left hand because if things fall apart you’re going to want […]
Written by Martin Black This article originally appeared in Eclectic Horseman Issue No.66 It is always interesting to me when working with riders to see what they demonstrate when asked to stop their horse. Some may trot or lope out and perform a nice, soft, straight stop with the horse using his hindquarters, supple from […]
Written by Martin Black This article originally appeared in Eclectic Horseman Issue No.65 I was watching a rodeo recently and they had a calf scramble with about 30 kids ages 8-12 and the same number of calves weighing about 400 lbs. The kids were in a marked off area in the center of the arena that […]
Written by Martin Black This article originally appeared in Eclectic Horseman Issue No.54 After returning from The World’s Greatest Horseman competition, I found it interesting how the contestants handled their cattle in the fence work. After a lifetime of working cattle and studying how other people handle cattle; how and why they do what they […]
With Ty Weber Short days and unpredictable weather can make for inconsistent riding in the winter and early spring. This lack of riding coupled with cool and windy days can make for distracted and energetic horses and sometimes wilder rides than we had hoped for. While riding out might seem like the last thing you’d […]
With Jeff Derby For many of us, the start of the winter season means an end to our riding season. Even if you have access to an indoor arena, it’s easy to feel limited by what you can get done in a small space or on icy ground. Instead of focusing on the limitations the […]
Written by Jeff Derby This article originally appeared in Eclectic Horseman Issue No.49 In a previous article I stated that gaining our horse’s attention is the initial step to effective communication (EH #39). Building on that idea, I’d like to discuss the importance of developing the habit of waiting in our horse. A familiar analogy […]
Written by Sylvana Smith Being Worthy of the Horse— Thoughts on Humility in Horsemanship A Five-Part Report on Ray Hunt’s Colt-Starting and Horsemanship Clinic Hosted by Linda Hoover and Karen Miller Southern Pines, NC – October 23-26, 1999 Dominance, force, punishment, and “alpha” status are popular themes in horsemanship. Yet profound results are achieved when […]
Written by Heather Smith Thomas photo by Melissa Stone Ray Hunt wasn’t the first horseman to travel a different path in handling horses, utilizing what has now become known as “natural” horsemanship, but he was probably the person most responsible for teaching others about it. His students now continue his teaching methods around the world, […]
Written by Martin Black This article originally appeared in Eclectic Horseman Issue No.43 Why do some horses have more trouble with their head position than others? This is commonly an issue with horse people, regardless of whether it’s a trainer with performance horses or recreational riders. Often the solution is tying the head down or leverage […]