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The first rule for ride in the dark is do not use a light.

     Johnny was comming down Bear Creek after dark with a mule string and a hunter. The hunter kept flashing his small light, then shutting it off. Johnny told him to stop that- but the hunter was afraid of the darkness. He flashed his light once again.The mule boogered off the trail and into a bog. Johnny had a mess to fix. Johnny was lucky. Where we ride- off the trail could mean death. Death in rocks, death off a cliff or down a mountain. Every outfitter has their wreck stories. I have mine. Wreck stories make good tales if you survive to tell them. In Durango one year we had 3 dead horses. One died from a picket line wreck. One died in the rocks when it stepped off the trail.  The third horse that died was mine that I loaned to a friend. From then on, if I loan a horse, then I useally go with it.

      Gene Basset rode at night. He is the one who taught me to ride at night. He was on an unbroke colt who kept stepping off the trail. It was so dark of night that he could not  see his hand in front of his face. Gene is an old Colorado cowboy and quite the horseman. He  starts all his own colts in his string. He taught me to do this, for the best mountain horse is the one you make, and they do hold your life in their hands, or hooves or hearts, and/or minds. His colt kept stepping off the trail. One of the first things a mountain horse must learn is to stay on the trail- let the trail guide you on a loose rein, on auto piolet. They have to travel on a loose rein on auto piolet (no guide) if you are going to ride at night; for some nights you can’t see the trail, but they can.  

       So they stepped off a cliff; Gene and his colt. Gene did not know how far it was to the bottom. There he sat, on his horse, in the air. I did this once too, it was a wreck of course, that turned out; like Gene’s wreck that night. They landed and he tied up, got under a big blue spruce for shelter, and waited for light to brighten his day. Rule number two, dont ride at night on a horse that will not stay on the trail.

Rule number 3. Dont ride a night blind Appaloosa. 

      I started some colts for a ranch family in Mancos. Not all people who own land and cows and a cowboy hat in the west are horseman. These people were greenies. How one can be raised in a ranch family in the west and not know how to tie a knot is beyond me. It takes all kinds for the world to go round. We went on a pack trip, 2 guys and me. I was riding colts for them, and they wanted to go have some fun. We went to the nearest roadless area. Roadless National Forest land in the 1970’s and 1980’s ment not  maintained. No people. Trails were logged in (full of downed timber) sluffed off, missing in places, and often hard to find. Challenge trails they was.  I have been lost on challenge trails many times.  So off we went, two greenies and me, on 30 day or less colts; and a night blind appaloosa. When I was young, I did a few dum things. It was the best we could do , at the time.  

      We rode all day, found the ghost of a trail, camped for the night, our gear on a packhorse or two. The next day they wanted to ride a different trail back, on  a circle. You never do this with ghost trails, non- maintanied Forest trails abandoned since the 1930’s; becuse you dont know what you’ll find. But I tried to please my clients. I was riding colts for them. That’s how I found us riding in the dark. Thats why we rode trails I would never ride- I would go back. There was rain and a rock slide, but we continued on. There was that wet place, if we step will the trail fall out from under us? We went on.  They had jobs to retrun to the next day, we had a scedule to keep. 

      If we missed the trail to the left in the creek drainage, we was done for- we would come out miles from our trailhead where the vehicles waited. It was dark- I could not see at all- my hand in front of my face? What hand? We were at the trail fork- I knew it. I reached out with my hand and felt the old Forest Service sign. Somehow we found the creek ford. The guy on the appaloosa complained his horse kept goiog off the trail. I got to ride problem horse. Every time he stepped off the trail, I clubbed him with my spur. I had no clue he was night blind. I did not know some appaloosas had that problem– at the time. I demanded alot from my horses in those days. If God be for us, then who can stand against us? I made it to the trailhead, with my Colorado cow folk, and I.

      It was 11 pm. My truck had a flat tire. I turned the horses loose at the trailhed, and they took me home, in their car. Next day my horses were where I left them, for mountain horses stay in camp, and camp is where you stop and graze. I did not get back to them tell late in the day , though.              

     Once upon a time I went for a spring ride with my friend; on reservation land. Indians own miles of wild places in the west. We came to deep snow on the ridge, so rode the slope with no snow below the ridge, on no trail. I stopped my small 1/2 Arab to rest or breath. There is a rule in horsemanship every horseman knows from East to West. Do not invade the personal space of your neighbors horse; espically horses that do not know  one another. Kick and bite and squeal and who knows what can happen.  I never had to teach this to any cowboys I rode with.   

      Sharon is a passenger, not paying attention. Her large big boned horse Glory comes up passed my little horses butt, on the high side. Glory stops. Glory rubs her head on Smokey’s butt, sending him sideways down the mountain.  She knocked us off the hill. Sharon was clueless about what she had done. She just sent us to hell.  Sharon was riding in the dark- but did not know what she had done. She broke that horsemanship rule I thought all horsemen knew. I know how to breath, so should you; we should not have to teach each other basics we all should know. Never ever enter the space of a horse you don’t know; stop the wreck before it happens by preventing the wreck because you think when you ride. My horse could of kicked the crap out of Sharon, and we were on dangerous steep ground. Instead it was me, who was going to die. 

      Smokey staggers sideways down the steep mountain trying to catch his balance. He almost does. Then we go off that rock cliff. Here I am in space, sitting on my horse. Sharon said you could of put a man standing under us, we were 6 feet or more from the ground. It all happened in slow motion, for my brain is telling me we will land, Smokey will fall, he will roll over and over again down this hell of a mountain untill he quits rolling.  And I am in the saddle and I too, will be involved in the roll. Broken ribs and maybe death will be what happends next- I could see it all.

       Smokey lands on the ground and he does not even gather his feet. He lands and stands like we never left the earth. Not possible? I think an angel caught us. It was not my time to die. Lesson learned? Be careful who you ride with in the mountains. Some people ride in the dark.           

      Travler is smart. I learned this when he was 3. We were crossing Bear Creek in the spring and the water washed him down stream. I tried to return to the ford. He could not walk upstream on the slippery rock. He told me this by balking. I tried a second  time, for we humans are bull headed know it alls at times. Again he refused. I gave him his head to get us out of the creek his way and he headed for a bank I thought he could not climb. One step and he was out of the creek. Wow. Travler you have long legs.

      Travler is smart. I learned this in Hungry Creek. Justa Dunn and I in the lead and we wove around the downed lodgepole across our trail. Travler following second found a better way. This shows a thinking horse, not a robot following on automatic. All the other horses behnd him followed his way - the best way. Oh- Travler is smart.

      Travler is reliable. After his first 30 days at Johnnys I was told to keep this horse because he was a good mountain horse. Surefooted enough to go where Johnny did not ride a normal horse, and safe enough for Grandma.  Anybody could ride this horse. He is old reliable. Johnny found my Morgans are surefooted and have great endurance too.

     Travler is ugly. His head is to big, his body too narrow- big boned, skinny ,tall, just like the horses in the pictures in 1905, with a cowboy on them. Travler is an old piece of history. He is our best horse to use with someone who has never - ever ridden, but wants to go to the mountains with us.  Sometimes ugly is beautiful, it depends on what you are looking for. He comes from an outfitters Morgan string, a 3 generation outfitter. He looks just like his dad, the old Morgan stud. I wondered why they had that long backed Morgan stud horse, with an un-morgan look. Now I know. I have not one but 3 of Morgan studs last colts. Every one is old reliable. Sometimes ugly has value. What is your goal? What is ugly anyway? Travler flunks the horse beauty contest everytime. I did not buy him for halter class though. We have a job to do, me and Travler. Go to the lost secret place where no  one rides and come home safe. Sometimes I ride with people on beautiful horses who kick, and buck or can’t keep up with me and Travler. He is a jewel, my jewel;  a one in a thousand that I could never replace.   

      Travler came home from school and said , “Dugh. I must be pretty dum.”  What happened to you? Where is the light in your eye? At cowboy school they make the horse go in the water and over the  log by force; kick and spur tell you win. I get my horse in the water and over the log with out a fight. I learned that from my Arab mare Cally. Spank an Arab and they just come more undone in the head. An Arab trainer told me Arab’s are smart. He said you must become smart too, to train an Arab. Cally would not  cross this little tiny ditch. We circled round and headed for home. She crossed. That was not a big problem to solve; how can I make my horse want to cross the ditch? Ray Hunt calls it making your idea, his (the horses) idea.  

      I was kind to Travler and he lost his dugh I’m dum automatic robot brain. I freed his feet and his mind with kindness. And when unsure like in Bear Creek, I let him decide.

       Justa Dunn, my go forward at a fast walk Arab- QH mare put her head down. Took one slow step. What the heck? I just sat there- mystified. We did this again and over again and again. It took forever to travel the four or five steps across that draw. I came back on another horse that day, riding this circle. She was belly deep in a biog. Again and again, until I thought we ‘d drown in mud. So that’s what Justa Dunn was up to. My horses are free to use their brain when I ride. They know where the quicksand is- they can find the best crossing, not I

       My friend went to a class with one of those clinic guys who charges too much money. She learned go forward with less. No kick or spur. They can feel a fly after all. Well how the heck do you ride then, I wondered? I went home and quit thumping on my horse so much. I did not think I thumped really at the time. I thought I was normal or being kind. I don’t thump anymore, because after all my horse can feel a fly. My horses became more responsive. My horse got smarter too.

I have not spanked a horse across a creek in a very- very long time.   

A picture of Travler is in my photobucket album in my first post.  

      Not much. They tell me wet saddle blankets make a horse.  I have 9 horses and I am just one me. I ride when I want to.  

      under construction

       Al Dunning had us walk a circle in a corner. The corner has two fence rails to help keep contained. Not that you are going to spill out anywhere at the walk, LOL. Another clinic we rode into the circle with a spiral down circle, and step around (turnaround )  then trot or canter forward. Run out because the turnaround is a forward motion exercise. Spiral down, turn around - then forward.

       A third exercise is the figure 8. The head or top is little and the bottom or body is big. Trot the bottom or big part and turnaround at the head or small part- one step at at time.  A forth turnaround exercise involves foot control. With the left rein ask the right front foot to step on one o’clock. Then turnaround to the left. One step right, turnaround left. Why ? We saw at that clinic how much more flashy the step right then turnaround left was. Wow. What a difference. Amazing. I need to put this on video on U-tube; but I have not yet. 

      When do you add the turnaround exercise to your training program? LesVogt is going to begin trot and canter turnarounds at the end of the first 6 months. He puts a solid foundation on his colts before he begins the turnaround.  I might wait a year in my program. 1) I get my colt going good on trails. This is kindergarden. I am mostly stuck in kindergarden, by the way. 2) Boone’s Secret, my elementary school- stuff learned mostly from a Larry Carsen clinic,  with other stuff thrown in.  3) Third School- Here I begin canter work and baby turnarounds. At the end of Boone’ s Secret I am cantering some.

      Boone was a crazy difficult Morgan Horse that I could not ride on trails, becuse I could not control his feet. So we did arena work exercises which became Boone’s Secret.  Boone ended up in a 4 - H home near Seattle, with a six month return guarentee; because he was after all a difficult horse. I have never had a colt I trained returned, and I was afraid Boone would break my record. But they kept him. So that means he was wanted and loved, in his new home. And that is all that matters, or counts.  Making dreams come true for someone looking for a good horse. Its all in the foundation. I believe the first 30 days lasts a lifetime, so get it right. My horses always go back to the first 30 days, when given a break or rest.

      I dont want any buck or resist in the first 30 days in my program. This is the first 30 days under saddle I’m talking about, which you can begin when the ground work is done. I did 4 years of ground work with my Kieger mustang- he broke my groundwork record for sure, LOL.  Difficult horse are great teachers. I learned the most from my Kiy.          

     under construction .             

1) I used my leg aids as taught in hunt seat riding; because I began my riding journey in Virginia Hunt country. 2) I quit using my leg aids. 3) I went back to using leg aids. I found my horses more soft and responsive to my leg. My horse who can feel a fly can surely feel me.  I found horses can become non-responsive to the leg, as they can be non- responsive to the bit, commonly called hard mouthed.  When I got to stage 3, I knew my horse at stage 1 was not responsive to my leg. I had to experience non- traditional riding in stage 2 (no leg) to learn this.  I did not know, what I  did not know, but I found more softness. 

    I got on my unbroke colt, first ride. No movement. I feel on this colt  if I kick I may get buck.  What to do? I pick up my left rein. With the left rein I ask the left foot to step forward and sideways on about 11 o’clock. The colt does. The feet become un- stuck. One foot is connected to the rest of the feet and my colt moves forward in a good calm walk. This is exactly what I want in a first ride. No storms.  Wow? How did that happen? Not sure.  I did not know I could do that. I was amazed.  Who do you know that directs the specific placement of the foot with the rein?

       A cowboy in Washington state told me to listen to what he said. I did not understand. He told me to use what you like and toss what you dont like. I have been doing that ever since I met him, each and every time I meet a trainer or coach.  I did it with him, too. He taught me how I can learn something from people I dont agree with. Maybe there is something they say that I do want to keep.  Train or ride your horse to the best of your knowledge today, and keep what works for you.  And I am learning to be kind to everyone I meet, but I am not good at it yet, LOL.   

      I am at this clinic. The clinic guy is tearing up styrofoam cups and putting them on the ground. Our assignment is to step one foot on that cup, and stand. Horse put your foot exactly precisely here.  What the heck are we learning today?  I was confused. I did not know what he was teaching me until years later.  All we did was walk and stop at that clinic.  I learned alot from him, but did not know it at the time.

      Happy Trails to you, and may you always ride a good soft-light horse.

      My friend called today with a dog training problem. His sweet, happy, boxer loves to run. She gets loose and she won’t come. He wants to know how to hard train her to come no matter what.  I told him I’d teach him how to hard train or soft train and he could pick his method.  These two methods are also in the horse world, both methods are used by backyard owners to top riders.  

      Hard training involves force and pain. The good side is you may achieve quick results. The badside is this can crush the spirit, and ruin want - to attitude and drive.  Soft training involves conditioned - response. You set up a place where you can get yes answers. For the horse it may be a round pen. For the dog, it may be a leash.  I was raised in a military family with hard training. I learned how to crush spirits in horses and dogs and men. Then someone taught me how to train soft.  

      I own 2 intelligent, strong willed, tough, sweet, soft Catahoula Leopard dogs. They are used in the south to gather cows and work hogs. The man I got my dogs from told me only teach your dogs two things go and come. To teach come use a shock collar. I have not needed the shock collar yet. This guy has owned Catahoulas 20 - 30 years, he knows Catahoulas. If ever there was a shock collar breed of dog- this is it.  

       My Catahoulas stay close to me when I ride. They were bred to wander. After a winter off my doggies had a drifting problem as they went hog wild. My first thought is get the shock collar- since this is how I was raised. But then I thought about conditioned response. When the horse does not obey, go back a step in training. If I went back a step in training with my dog I would go back to the leash, back to obedience school; back to come on the leash. This I did. My problem fixed. It took time.  

       Andy trains dogs for the military. He only uses a shock collar if its the last gasp effort before the death camber for the dog. He told me my intillegent high  energy dogs needed a job. Build them an agility course. This has got to be an excellent answer for exerciseing the body and mind of  a German Shephard on a military base in Germany, or a dog in a limited environment like the city. I could run my dogs more, I get my 4- wheeler or pick - up and they race ahead, wind in their face- happy in their heart - for this breed loves to run. Meeting the needs of the breed,  exercise can problem solve. But it takes time.   

      The shock collar is fast and easy. What is your goal?  Come no matter what? I have lost more dogs in Central Idaho than anywhere I have ever lived. If my dog is not with me he is dead. He better come no matter what. My dogs sorta kinda listen and obey. If I put more time in them they would be better. Or I could get the shock collar.  I could get a leash. They are always 100% ok on leash. Off lead obdience without the shock collar takes time.  You get to choose.  

      When the horse is corrected or trained with pain he stiffens up, he gasps, he may loose the light in his eye over time. Top preformance is lost.  John Lyons recommends instead of correct- direct the energy whenever you can in training. I try to apply this and I see a free, loose, not stiff horse and a happy dog. My dogs loves his job. He works hard with a waggin tail. Back in my shock collar days, I lost that joy.  I’m always looking for  a softer way to train.

      My dog had 2 weeks of training in him. We had a problem to solve. Could he find the sheriff on an 8 hour old partly flagged trail? Our first corner was not marked. Other turns werent’ marked. The trail would take a half hour to walk, with no mistakes. We were there in 15 minutes. Dogs with happy hearts can do more. I love soft training. The head of the SAR team was agahast! You have to work a half hour trail, and you must put a shock collar on that dog for a least a year; for after all he is a hound.  Thats not what I wanted in my training journey. We never went back.  I made a choice.

Ps. We teach disobedience when we ask for a yes answer and do not follow through. If you call the dog, he must come.  My dog just ran out the gate and he is running like a banshie- I am not going to call him because I am 99% shure he will not come. Or case B Jeb is in my fenced yard and I call him to come in the house and he refuses. I step on the porch and he comes. He knows the next step is I go to him, and he comes. He knows I followup. I have to teach this concept to my husband. Do not ask the horse, Can I catch you, and then not follow up, or you teach the horse he can win, or run away. I dont want my horse to realise that he can win.  I do not want to teach resist- I want to teach obedience.  

      My son learned how to jump out of airplanes recently. He had 2 people jump with him so he would learn how to fall. We must learn how to fall so we land correctly.  This applies to life. It applies to horse training too. Lerning how to fall is a very important lesson. We all fall. We make mistakes. Storms hit in life too that flatten us. Fall correctly and land right.  Some unwritten rule in horsemanship I learned many years ago was when you fall off- get back on. I learned the same rule in a church once; when you fail get back up. We all fail. Not all of us get back up.  Is this topic about jumping or falling? Is the glass half empty, or is it half full? It is both. Attitude is everything.  Happy trails.     

       I first learned the back a circle exercise from Al Dunning. When I found he was doing a clinic in my small part of Idaho, I did not let the fact that I was riding a green colt detur me from attending. He did not tell us why reiners practice this exercise, just do it. He did not tell how; one rein, two rein, what about leg aids? I got off my colt and backed her from the ground. We got her done with no resist, because Ruby has learned to follow my feel. Learning an exercise on the ground first can make it go smoother.

     Les Vogt teaches the back a circle exercise also. He tells us when to add it to the training program, how often to practice it in a training session, and what it does for the horse.  It strengthens the back end, the back leg muscles, and helps build the stop. Since it is a muscle builder, it should be practiced slowly, like conditioning an endurance horse, step by step. If I remember the DVD’s from last winter correctly, you begin towards the end of the first 6 months of training the reiner.    

      Riding Mac last week he stopped his feet at my request, but shoved his nose toward the sky, so  I backed a circle before I released. I learned if I release the rein when they are tossing the head, I teach them to toss the head, LOL. So I used the back a circle exercise with Mac for a correction. He broke at the poll and yielded his head a lot before we were through. Back a circle gives us many gifts.  

     It helps in turnarounds. My turnarounds are just baby beginner steps of 1/2 or 1/4 turn at the walk, step by step. Back a circle can be married to a beginning turnaround exercise. 1) Pick up left rein, 2) back a circle butt to left away from right leg ( to move butt over use right leg) then 3) stop or pause, 4) step 3 steps to right. ( move shoulder over. ) It really helps my shoulder flow right when I start with back a circle, but I have no clue why this works so well.  ( Butt is backing to left pause- shoulder forward to right- This is hard to put in a word picture.  Butt  moves away from right leg.  )   

      The horse must know to move the butt away from the leg before B a C exercise is done from the saddle. I teach yield butt to leg with a turn on forehand exercise. I do my training exercises in a dee ring snaffle. When I taught back a circle at a clinic last spring, we backed one step. Pause. One step over ( move back leg one step )  repeat back one step- stop or pause, one back foot over. If my horse will not move that back foot over from my leg, I know how to connect the rein to the foot and ask with the bit, so that is my demand cue. I teach step by step, and I begin with one then two, then three steps of B a C, not with the whole exercise at once. I train in steps slowly. Hope that helps give yah something to chew on this week.    

      The turnaround is a forward motion exercise. Knowing this I may ask for shoulder over one step, pause, one step forward, repeat- shoulder over one step, one step forward, to keep the horse thinking forward in the turnaround, or pre- turnaround. This is surely not the finished product, only a part of the beginning. I hope that was clear, teaching is not easy. LOL>   

      Why back a circle?  Les Vogt talks about this in his Cowhorse U program. It builds muscle in the hind legs for stop, helps the stop. I found if I a back a circle to the left- then step right 3 steps it frees the shoulder for a better turnaround. It is a great exercise to get the horse to yield his nose too.  

      For more information on back a circle exersise see Al Dunning tapes and Cowhorse U DVD’s. Happy Trails-