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Take a day to do nothing. Find a pasture or lot with a bunch of horses in it. Find a fence or somethin to sit on and get comfortable. Then just watch.

Watch how the horses interact. How they “train” each other. How the young ones learn from the older ones. How a look and twitch of the ears let’s the others know they are pushing the limits. How they buddy up together. How all the little groups all come together and get along when the weather gets bad.

Watch their footwork and movements. How each foot is placed with precision. How they know when to work off their hindquarters and when to work on the forehand. How each one has a different gait. Their facial expressions and moods.

Now, when you’re training do you think you have to force a horse to do something or show him what you want and get out of his way? Do you think it’d be best to try and refine a horse’s natural abilities or try to rough him into something he probably never can do well? How can you help a horse to do their best to highlight their strengths and minimize their weaknesses?

These are living breathing animals. They have physical and mental personalities. They have likes and dislikes. They’ve got experience…some good, some bad. They can sense your voice and touch. They don’t know about registries, futurities, shows, trophies or paychecks…and don’t really give a damn about em. Eatin, sleepin, and messin in the stall is what’s important.

We have ideas about what horses should and shouldn’t do. They got ideas about what they should and shouldn’t do. Since we’re gonna partner up we gotta have some discussions and work out some compromises. They’re gonna have to tolerate some things and we’re gonna have to tolerate some things. Just like people we gotta deal with it, don’t always work out.  That’s not good or bad, it just is.

Can we make a horse do what we want? Yeah, but do you want to? Wouldn’t it be better if we helped them to want to do it? We can jerk a rein or stab a spur to get them to do something. Wouldn’t it be fair if they kicked us half way across the barn if we didn’t feed them on time? Maybe next time we don’t give them the proper cues they throw us over the arena fence…that’d be fair.

These days we got a lot of information and stuff available. Natural horsemanship, joinin up, round pens, square pens, forty dollar halters, clinics, internet, TV, etc. But their still horses. They don’t give a damn about any of that stuff unless it means better feed, more sleep and bigger stalls to mess in.

We’re supposed to be the smart ones here. Look around a horse show or training barn sometimes and see if you think that’s true. Bits and spurs and all that are training AIDS. The only real training TOOL you got sets between your ears. Try to reach a little deeper into the toolbox before you pull out one of those aids.

First thing comes to mind is “who cares?”. well don’t matter none to me cause I’m gonna tell ya anyhows.

Illinois weather gets pretty interestin this time of year. Wear everything you own one day to fight off the wind chill then get peeled down to keep from sweatin the next. Makes for pretty darn bad ground conditions too. Since my “indoor arena” is the 12′ wide aisle of our barn, gotta put up with the nasties when you get a chance to ride this time of year.

Been doin some horse transport..just local stuff. It’s a pretty good gig,  get to meet some new folks and their horses. Chris, my wife, and I are “team drivers”. She does most of the unloaded miles and I slide over when we get loaded up. And I get to do all the miles backin up. A lot of stops are narrow drives where you gotta back into the road around a corner and such. Wish folks would think a little about that when they set up their properties but it’s just part of the job I guess.

Now with everything goin on what do you think is the last thing we needed? How about a yearling dun colt? Yup, our daughter Heather sweet talked Grandma and Grandpa out of a Doc’s Hickory colt. Of course if I was half sane I’d have said “absolutely not, are you nuts?” Course when it came out it sounded more like, “I don’t care”. Which if you know me for a while that translates into…”When can we pick him ip and get him over here???” He’s a good little fella and of course he’ll grow up to be an AQHA Superhorse.

 Time sure does fly. All the equipment maintenance that is supposed to be done way back when is piling up like it does every year. Few nice days here and there remind me better get to it or it’ll be gettin in the way of ridin and stuff once spring starts inching in. Flatbed trailer needs wiring and paint job, tractor needs regular maintenance, truck needs to get tuned up, barn and property needs cleanin after winter. Best get to it I suppose.

Show season won’t be long away. Is there really horses under that winter hair and dirt? How come my dogs and goats can run through a mud puddle and stay clean but the horses could get dirty in a hospital?

MJ’s goin to make me rich and famous. Got me in the first Les Vogt newsletter!! I suppose maybe winnin the World Series or the Super Bowl is kinda nice but, WOW, to get in the Les Vogt newsletter now that’s the big time!!!!! Gonna start carryin a pen with me to sign autographs and stuff.

If you wanna see some pictures and stuff look at our website. www.home.earthlink.net/~accuratedesign

Since I hear “we’re not ready to show yet” quite a lot from folks I figured I’d tell about my first show.

I was about 18 when I bought my first horse from a buddy and kept her at his barn. A 9 yo AQHA dun mare…”Susie”. She stood about 14.2 and was as broke as they come. She’d been used as a ranch horse so there wasn’t much she hadn’t seen. I put a lot of miles on her on the roads and trails.

After a few months into my new found passion there was a flyer for a horse show coming to a small town near us. Just a little open show with the usual halter and pleasure classes. So my buddy talks me into trying it. I figured it’d just be some locals getting together on a Saturday to ride their horses a little.

Friday night was spent getting spiffed up. Bath (Susie and me), clip bridle path, clip the mane, cut off some whiskers (Susie and me), some extra brushing, wipe off the saddle and tack, shine up the boots, clean shirt and pants and we’re ready to go. Buddy said my clip job looked like it was done 2 weeks before.

Now I didn’t have a trailer at the time and never was much one for borrowing stuff so only one option left…ride to the show. It was about 6 or 7 miles…no big deal…figured probably be some other folks that lived close be doing the same. So we saddle up in the morning and head off. My buddy and his wife would come over later in the truck to watch.

Well we ride over and come around the last corner to a little surprise. Big shiny rigs, living quarter trailers, fancy shiny horses, people wearing show clothes that cost more than my truck. Well maybe this wasn’t such a good idea after all. Figured at least I could sit on my horse and watch since I’d rode over here.

So buddy shows up and I chastise him for getting me to do this. Told him I rode all the way over here when I coulda came in the truck to watch. He’s laughing…now I’m figuring out why he came in the truck. So he wanders off and next thing I know he comes back with a back number….tells me he paid my entry in the western pleasure class so I’d better go over to the warm up area and get ready.

I go over to the warm up area. Gotta wear sunglasses for the sun shinin off all that silver on them saddles. Them horses were lopin slower than Susie’s walk. I remember thinking if she loped that slow we’d never get home. So we just kinda walk and trot around so we wouldn’t lap the rest of em too many times.

Now it’s time. I go into the arena feeling like people called all their friends and relatives just to watch me screw this up. I figure out to stay by the rail and kinda keep in a single line. So far so good, just walking. Then judge calls for the trot. Now if Susie had a fault it was her trot…pretty darned rough. But once she got with those other horses it was a nice slow, pretty smooth trot. I guess she kinda figured out this show thing quicker than I did. Once we loped she tried her best to match them other horses but we still lapped em.

So I figured we survived and could be on our way home. But the judge calls some of us to the center. I figured we did something wrong but there was some pretty nice horse there in the center with us. Judge walks down the line and starts asking each rider to back their horse. I couldn’t wait until he got to us. Susie would back up with the best of em. Trot backwards if I asked her to but it seemed judge wanted a slow back. So he gets to us and I touch her with the rein and give a little squeeze…Susie locks up tighter than a federal prison. Won’t move. A little more rein and she throws her head up. Judge moves down the line. Her way of saying this goin slow horse show stuff really wasn’t her thing and she didn’t want to be getting no ribbons and having me haulin her to shows.

We leave the arena and buddy comes over all happy cause we made the final cut. Said we’d of probably won something if we coulda backed up. Think Susie smiled when he said that. On the ride home a few of them shiny rigs passed us on the road. Susie was showin em what a real lope was….one that gets you home at the end of the day.

Just a few things I’ve come to like to do when working a horse.

Fencing - Reiners always talk about fencing their horses to work on stops and rollbacks. I do that some too but I like to use the fence to get their attention and respect. Doesn’t even have to be a fence…sometimes I use the border of my property to the corn field next door, anything to use as a reference. Simple enough - just ride along the fence and when the horse drifts move him pretty abruptly in the opposite direction. The fence gives both you and your horse a reference to keep him from cheating or you from nitpicking. When I get to a corner I like to keep em guessing…sometimes turn the corner, sometimes rollback, sometimes just stop and wait. Also helps to work on alignment and some with speed control through the gaits.

Rounding - Pretty much same as fencing but I use the outside of our round pen. Probably works better than fencing for gaining respect because as they come around they get closer to the barn and really think they’re gonna get to go that way. Also gives a young horse a little aid in making nice circles and the pen helps keep them from leaning too much to the inside.

90’s - Riding squares. Just ride a straight line and when you want to turn make it a sharp 90 degree turn not a round corner. Helps horses get used to keeping forward motion in their spins.

Gates - Working on lateral movements is kind of a challenge for me. So I kinda came up with the idea of having the horse wanna do it. At the end of session I’ll take them over to a gate to the lot and make them work it…sidepass, forehand turn, back up. They seem to get pretty good at it pretty quick when they know that gate leads to being unsaddled.

Trail Backing - You’ll see this in the trail classes at a show. Lay down some timbers or something and have the horse back through them. I use landscape timbers cause they kind of make noise and move around when a horse steps on them….they don’t like that and pay attention more to what they’re doing. I like to make a cross pattern so I can back a horse straight or turn the corners left or right. Gets em really thinking about their footwork and working their back ends.Can start out with the alleyways pretty wide and narrow them up as they get better. Real good exercises for hip control. Can also do some turnaround work in the middle of the cross.

Some of these things I do sometimes just to keep me or the horses from getting bored. Some horses seem to need a reason to do things and work better with some references to work around or through.

I think any good trainer will tell you his/her most important tool is time. All the techniques and equipment in the world won’t make a horse without time and effort. But this is a hurry up world. Time is money and all that garbage.

I watched a tape the other night on dressage training for young horses . I don’t remember his name but it was by a very high level trainer.

Although there were some good techniques involved, the biggest thing that struck me was the training times. What I would consider to be done in months, weeks or maybe even days he took YEARS to train. What he said should be accomplished in the first year I try to basically try to put on a colt in the first few weeks.

Since my patience level is usually about as short as a politician’s promise, I really have to keep myself in check when working with a horse. Doesn’t always work out that well but next time I get that “we ain’t gettin nowhere” feeling…I’ll hear that German fella’s voice telling me it doesn’t happen overnight….or maybe even not this year.

Here’s a little about the tack and gear I like to use.

Saddle: I’ve got a Billy Cook saddle that’s goin on 30 years old. I believe when I got it was called a steer roping. Sounds about right cause it weighs as much as good sized steer. It’s plain as day - not a lick of tooling except for the maker stamp. It has seen it’s rough days…uncooperative colts, brush, weather. It’s got some scratches and some discoloration but it’s still in great shape and just fits…the horses and me. I’ve had offers to buy it but I suppose it’ll be one of things that gets buried with me.

Cinch: For training and short rides I’ve come to like the neoprene cinches. The Smart Cinch from Weaver works pretty good and they don’t cost a whole lot. They hold good and seem to be pretty good on the horse. Easy to clean too. Mohair cinches are great but they tend to pick up sand around here with puttin the saddle on and off different horses and such. I’ve just got some info on horsehair cinches from a cowboy board I look into. I might just try one if the money tree bears any fruit this season.

Pads and Blankets: Nothing fancy for me. When I started out there wasn’t all the pads and stuff they got now. I don’t really recall ever soring a horse cause of a pad. Therefore my stuff is pretty unexciting. I like the ones with the fleece stuff for most riding. In the brush and for long rides wool pads for me. Starting colts and “enthusiastic” horse I use a wool blanket instead of a pad…I think they keep the saddle from slipping alot better.

Wife has and Impact Gel pad for her mare that cost probably as much as all mine together. It sure is nice but heavy. It does work well for her. If I ever learn how to rope good enough to catch something besides the horse I’m riding I think I’d get me one. I think it’d work well for taking the shock out of a critter pulling one the saddle.

Breast Collar: Can’t say I ever really use one. Probably should I guess. Maybe I’ll try and get in the habit cause there is a couple of them in the barn.

Flank Cinch: Since I don’t rope mine is usually hanging in the barn. I do like to use them some when starting horses just so they are broke to it. I was taught to not put em on too tight or too loose…about where you can get your hand under it. And never use one that ain’t attached to the front cinch.

Bridles: For snaffle bits browband style only. For curbs I use either browband or a one ear. One I really like is from Weaver Leather made of latigo leather. Very plain and I think cost around 15 bucks. But they hold up really good and get real nice and soft if you oil em. Fits every horse I’ve had it on and got a throat strap that I think is important. Mine lead a hard life being I use them for training and colt starting. They been dropped, stepped on and otherwise treated badly. A little cleaning and they’re good as new. When they bury me I’m gonna have them throw one of them bridles in the hole with me.

Bits: Be writin a whole book if we get into this one. Like most stuff, gimmicks and fads don’t work.

Reins: I grew up with leather reins and that’s what feels best to me. I can get along with rope, horsehair, braids, etc. but when it gets serious there’ll be leather in my hands. About 5/8″ works for me. They gotta be long enough so the ends hang down nice…too short and it always feels like they’re pulling outta your hands. I like em good soft so they feel like they got some life in em. Never used rawhide reins but they sure are pretty.

Cavesson: I like to use a cavesson with my snaffle bit rigs. I use a leather one, again nothing fancy. Gotta be careful with them and get them adjusted right. It’ll sometimes scare a horse if it’s too tight and they ain’t used to it. Most times if that happens they’ll wanna rear up and maybe flip over.

Slobber Straps: I use them on my snaffle rigs except when showing. i like the feel of them and the wieght they add near the bit. I also think they give some vibration to the bit giving the horse subtle cues. Since slobber straps you buy are made with a big hole for rope reins, I made my own of a little different design so I can use them with leather reins.

Training Fork: I use a simple martingale that I think they call a Texas training fork. Nothing but leather straps with rings for the reins to go through. Some horses do real well with it others don’t accept it too well. It’s not for starting colts and it’s another simple looking piece of equipment that can be dangerous if not used right.

Leg Boots: I don’t use leg boots on young horses. It’s my belief that support boots hinder tendon development and it’s not really a bad thing if a colt bumps themselves once in a while…makes em pay attention to their footwork. But I don’t push my colts into very stressful maneuvers.

On older horse that is at a higher performance level I have a set of Classic Equine support boots that I really need to get in the habit of using. I also have a set of standard splint boots which I like to use. I’ve also got the bell boots but haven’t had a big need to use them. Once a horse starts getting the idea of stopping on their back end I put em in leather skid boots. One bad experience of a burned fetlock can set things back quite a bit. I prefer the leather ones but probably just habit…the neoprene boots probably work good too.

Shoes: Well this would be a long subject itself. I believe in barefoot horses for the most part but sliders are a necessity.  Get the best farrier you can find and make sure you learn enough about it that you are 100% confident in what he/she is doing.

I’m needin some advice.

Due to some unforseen circumstances the Smokin P Ranch is gettin a little behind in the financial way of things. Therefore this ol’ fella gotta do some creative earning. I been tossing around the idea of giving some riding lessons here at the place. Nothing too fancy, just beginner kind of stuff. I always figured I was better with horses and other animals than I was with people, but I kinda think I’d be ok getting some folks and their kids started out right.

Anyways, I was wondering if anybody knew if I gotta carry insurance for that kinda thing. Or is that covered by those signs that I gotta post at my place about the Equine Liabilty Act?

Actually I got this lessons idea from a commercial on TV. It’s for some cell phone company. They show 3 or 4 girls standin there looking at a pretty nice pony. The girl that got it is all depressed cause she got a pony instead the latest whiz bang cell phone. That really pissed me off. To this day if that commercial comes on I turn it off or walk away. When I was that age I woulda gave important parts of my anatomy to someone that gave me a pony, horse, mule, donkey, dog, etc. And she is all broke up cause she didn’t get a cell phone? This world’s going to hell.

Don’t mean to rant bout stuff but that ain’t nothin compared to what wife had to listen to when I saw that commercial first time.

We’re leaving this morning for Congerville, Illinois to attend a hoof trimming clinic presented by Ida Hammer. Ida teaches “Natural Barefoot Trimming”.

After somewhere’s around 30 years off and on around horse I gotta admit what I know about em can be carried on a mosquito’s back. So here I am starting at the bottom - the hoofs.

In the last few months I been doing a lot of reading and asking questions about hoof functions and care. My previous hoof care knowledge was basically limited to hoof picks and farrier’s phone numbers. Although I’ve always been interested in farrier work, it always seemed like a mix of science and black magic.

Since we got “Dixie” I’ve been nudged into learning more. Vet said she has navicular.  We’ve gone through some ups and downs with her and a lot of different “cures”. Glucosamine, Isoxsuprine, bute, barefoot, shod with pads, etc. But what seemed to work best was when I told my farrier to shorten her toes as much as possible.

Then we met, Tom Marshal, a “barefoot trimmer”. Tom was a “regular” farrier for a lot of years before moving into the barefoot techniques. He’s traveled the country attending seminars and clinics. He’s one of those fellas that has the abilities and desire to learn. He is also a great horseman with knowledge and caring about the horses.

Anyways, here I am trying to learn this stuff. For the first time it is making sense. Most of what I’m learning has been right there in front of my nose for years in my horses’ feet. As I learn new things and recall past experiences it all comes together.

Now if you want to start a drag down, knock down argument just go to any horse related message board and put “Barefoot vs. Shod” in the subject line. You’ll also get a bunch of great information and experience if you can read by the b.s. posted by the close minded “experts”. And there is a difference between someone who is passionate about their opinion and can back it up and someone who just knows that is the way it ought to be.

Whatever your opinions I would suggest two books that I’ve read. “The Principles of  Horseshoeing” by Doug Butler. The copy I have is from the 70’s and he’s up to the 3rd revision. It’s expensive but I have the highest regards for his knowledge. “Making Natural Hoofcare Work for You” by Pete Ramey. This one was recommended by the trimming clinic. Tom Marshal has been to Mr. Ramey’s clinics. It is an excellent book written by a very knowledgeable man. It “turned on a lot of light bulbs” in my head when I read it. It’s less than 20 bucks and should be law that every horse owner reads it.

Wish me luck. We’ll be staying over Friday night in a motel and the clinic is on Saturday. By Sunday hopefully I’ll  be a more informed fella that ain’t scared to death of trimming a hoof.

As of now we got 9 horses on the place. Here’s a little bout em.

“Bandit” - “Stetsons Lil Diamond” APHA Black/White Tovero gelding- My re-entry into the horse world after a pretty darn long layoff. Bought him as a weanling from in-laws. He’s now a 2 yo started under saddle. Everyone thought he’d be a bronc. I took him to an open show after his 3rd ride and took 4th in a western pleasure class. Guess they were wrong.
“Ginger” - “Dixies Lil Girl” PtHA Black/White Overo mare- My wife’s entry into the horse world. She’d never really been around horses much. Also bought as a weanling. She had a good disposition for wife to work with. She’s 2 now and I’ve got her started in the saddle. She’s more spooky when ridden than Bandit. We tried a show and she got unnerved in the practice area and showed me she could buck a little. Has the most beautiful trot you’d ever want to sit. She is tall and elegant, shows very good athletics and moves.

“Dixie” - “Generation Gap” PtHA Chestnut Tobiano mare. Dam to Ginger and Crystal. Given to us in foal with Crystal by in-laws. Definitely a Paint but papers lost somewhere couple owners back. Also a beautiful trot. Seems she passes it on. Was diagnosed as navicular which we are working through. Wife and kids ride her since she’s pretty well broke. Few times I’ve rode her she has very good potential. Next spring I hope to work with her more.

“Brandy” - “Sweet Donna Twist” AQHA Chestnut mare- Dam to Jack. Bought her as a Christmas present for wife last year. Got great deal since she was a cow bred horse at a halter/pleasure type barn. She was bred when we got her. I started her as a 3yo since she hadn’t previously been handled. She was a challenge but learns very quickly and definitely has the desire and ability. Next year she might be the one that’ll make it look like I know what I’m doing.

“Crystal” - “Dixies Lil Gem” PtHA Chestnut Tobiano mare- Daugter of Dixie. She’s a yearling now but was a late foal so not sure when I’m gonna start her. I’ve heard some say that good reiners are kinda short with laid back dispositions. If that’s true Crystal ought to be a world beater. I don’t think she’s gonna be too tall unless she has a spurt. And she is very mild mannered. I’ve done some groundwork with her but I’m probably the worst in the world in figurin a horse until I’m actually on their back. Of course have high hopes for her.

“Jack” - “Smokin Jack Daniels” AQHA Chestnut Stallion - Son of Brandy. He’s my boy. He’s got a long ways to go and a lot to prove but he might just stay a stud. So far I really like what I see. I know his mom is good and I was impressed with his dad. He’s a very quick learner like his mom. I’m gonna give him every chance to prove himself.

“Arco” - “Arco de Santa Fe” PFHA Chestnut mare - Paso Fino mare given to us by inlaws (see a pattern here?). Didn’t work out for mother in law’s uses. She’s 17 yo. About 14.1 but definitely a herd leader. I know very little about Paso Finos but she was a top level show horse in her day. My daughter seems to get along real well with her so hopefully she’ll be able to work with her.

“Jake” Bay Grade Quarter Horse gelding - Jake was “repossesssed” from borders for non- payment. He’s a good riding horse with good foundation of training. He’s a “big circle” horse…can go all day and ask for more. He’s what I’ll usually tack up when I gotta do something or go down the road. Hopefully can put some work in on em but if not we get along well as is.

“Parker” Sorrel Grade TWH/Quarter Horse gelding - Also Repo’d from same people. Parker was broke by a young “trainer” that rode him in a halter. Fairly well broke but definitely needs some ride time. I’ve started getting him in a snaffle and he’s taken to it ok but I think it’s going to be harder than usual because of how he was started. Very easy keeper…if he sees a feed bag he gains weight.

Well if you check the Les Vogt website you’ll see that Level 2 is ready to go. Still time to get a letter off to Santa with the ordering info.

I’m looking forward to this one. I’ve always considered myself a “starter”, being able to get a horse to a certain level then hitting the wall. Although the folks I’ve rode for have been happy, I always felt like I was giving them an unfinished project.

Since we got a pretty big family, Santa kinda hits me pretty hard this time of year. So it’ll be January before I can get mine ordered. But I sure enough look forward to Mr. Vogt  putting a few more ideas in this thick skull. I’m hoping I can put on a few finishing touches that my horses deserve.