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He did really well, so I guess I did my homework right.

I LOVED being in the clinics with Clinton. I learned SOOO much from them. It is different than learning from the DVDs because it was so nice if you had any questions you could just ask or if he saw you doing something wrong he’d let you know right away. Even just being in the audience & watching & taking notes at a clinic is informative too. But I do have a couple of his DVDs & watch them alot. Actually his colt starting one is what I use for starting one.

Now you can go back to work and get this reining thing figured out…together.

Hey thanks for the advice. I’m trying it out already. We’re doing looooots of work in that magnet corner of his. Thanks for the support too. It’s nice to know that I’m not the only one out there learning without a trainer. I’m jealous that you get to actually start a horse from the very beginning. I’d love to hear how it goes. Did you like the Clinton Anderson clinics? Did you learn a lot from them? More than in a DVD? I’ve never been to a clinic.

Al,

I took your advice today. Since we’ve been working hard all week, we took a break from circles and worked on other exercises. Also, the stables where I ride has access to trails. There is a big wide trail/road that goes straight up the side of the mountain. From the bottom, I let down the reins a little, and let him run as fast and as far as he wanted. He loooooves to run.

Here’s kinda it…we’re going along straight and he decides “let’s go this way instead”….ok maybe that’s a good idea, but if a little is good a lot is better. Wanna go to the right? Ok, let’s go right a lot…in a small circle. Not my fault it’s uncomfortable, it was your idea. These circles are too big and you want to cut them short? Ok, let’s see how small they can get at a lope. Go the way he wants to go but go a little farther than he was figuring. Seems they figure that I’m a complete idiot and I mess up everything they try to teach me so might as well just follow along with what what I wanted to do in the first place. In some situations it works better than trying to put em back where you want em or taking them completely opposite where they wanted to go.

Be careful too you don’t sour him (and you) on circles. If you got someplace to kind of “let him go” take him out and let him run a few cobwebs out. Sometimes I think we forget we’re basically dealing with “kids”. We get pretty focused on training and working toward perfection. Sometimes gotta let them “take the reins” for just a little bit to keep em fresh. That and every once in a while take him out and do something you know he’s really good at and he seems to like doing. Let him do it a few times, pet him and put him up. Gotta let him have some perfect days too.

So the reason I say we are in the same boat is I’m trying to learn & teach reining to my horses without a trainer, from DVDs mostly. I just ordered the Andrea Fappani set & should be getting that soon. Next year I may call a trainer that lives close to me when I get my gelding going along good.

Something I wanted to suggest about your horse’s issue about not wanting to turn on the side that leads home…something that Clinton teaches is to make the wrong thing difficult & the right thing easy, so I would really make him work hard at the end he wants to be at, like trot or canter him in small circles there until he gets pretty tired & then take him to the other end & let him rest for a while, keep doing that til he decides he doesn’t want to rush to or stay at that end because its no fun place to be, just like horses that like to hang out near the gate, work them hard in front of the gate & rest them at the other end of the arena. It may take a while for them to catch on, but they will.

I also feel for you with the cantering. My filly isn’t too good at staying on the circle. I turn her head but if I let go she’ll just go off straight. But I’ve been riding once a week in an indoor arena since I don’t have one at home (yet! another story) & she seems to be improving every week. Actually last Tuesday she progressed alot. So keep plugging away at it, it should get better! Sorry for the book! Looking forward to your next post!!

~Amanda