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      I went to a reiners barn. I looked at the stalled horses- every one- every single horse had lost the light or spirit in their eye. They were gone- but they were here. What happened to these horses?

       Some say not to look a horse in the eye. I do. Its part of reading my horse. How do you feel? I have owned Mac for 15 years- raised him, trained him- another cowboy put 2 weeks on him when he was 3- otherwise its just Mac and me.  He never has learned to trust. He does not say it in his behavior- he say it in his eye. He could come undone- he never has but it is there- I know-its in his eye. Mac is a difficult horse- but he does not have a difficult story- because he has always said yes.

     Yes I will cross the creek, yes I will load in the trailer- yes I will stop-  He gives a willing want - to attitude because I never pushed him over the edge. Doug Millholland said if you train a colt right- you will never have problems to fix. This works best on a colt with a good brain.  I trained Mac without a fight. We learned step by step how to dance. He is not an anybodys horse and he never will be- because he can come undone.  I see it in his eye.    

      One day I went to pick up a backfoot. Faster then lightening he kicked his belly. ” I could kick you, you know” - he said. Yes, I see that, and if you kick me I would never be fast enough to get away. I dont need to pick up your foot. I could if I wanted to. I could put a scotch hobble on him and tie that foot up- throw him on the ground if I wanted to- I could be boss- I know how to do all those things. But I wanted Mac’s trust, and you dont gain trust by force.  

       I have to go to the house and think. This is what I do when I am stuck. What happened? Oh- Johnny the cowboy ropes feet- Ray Hunt style. Mac got his feet roped. He does not want me around his feet no more. He remembers. Fast forward- I can pick Mac’s feet up today. I didn not re- train him or fix the problem, or work on the problem. I worked on building trust. And then one day, I could pick up his feet again- like when we were young in the days before Johnny.

     Control the feet- the foot placement the direction of travel- and you control the mind.

      Training without force builds trust. I want to learn how to do that. I want to learn how to do that better.  I never want the light to go out in my horses eye. That’s my goal.   

      Hank rode Mac on a search last spring. Us Search and Rescue folks was lookng for a suicide victum. Hank could not catch his horse in the spring; so he rode mine. Mac was a good boy. He took care of Hank. I believe if you take care of your horse, chances are they will take care of you too.

     I need to learn to post pictures. Until then Mac has a sub album in my photobucket album- sub albums are to the left. Photobucket link is in my first post.  You can tell in my Mac photo album, my dressage stinks, LOL>           

      I have ridden in a few Pat Wyse clinics. Pat rode with Monte Foreman, and he co - wrote Horse Training Science. My favorite clinic was with a Pat Wyse student. He is an un- known Idaho cowboy. After he listened to one of my songs, he began to train in slower steps- and that is why I enjoyed his clinic. I love training slow. I had to walk my horse through a rollback before I could go on with fun stuff.

     I put my Arab - Quarterhorse mare I have raised and trained myself into a fast gallop. I was told go faster- we did - then I was told to stop. She will never stop- I thought. I got in her mouth with that snaffle bit and she slammed her front end down to the ground in a very on the forehand stop. Rider error. Again we try- do not get in her mouth- do not get in her mouth I chant to meself.  She produces a beautiful butt in the ground slide. She taught me the stop is not in the bridle- its in the brains and in slow step by step training.  John Lyons calls it training the mind.       

I once read about a big Florida trainer who got burned out upper level dressage horses and taught them reining. The burned out reiners he taught dressage. So I began a quest. How do reiners train? What is dressage?  

   I learned about half halts in dressage and feeling the feet for timing the aids or cues this week on a dressage forum. Someone on the forum recommended Dorrence’s book- Horsemanship through Feel.   These two things I may work on all winter to get them from the brain to the ground- or horse.  Today I have been reading mugs blog. She is a delightful reining horse trainer in Colorado.   I went to this reiners blog- and she recommened 2 dressage books. LOL.

Now I am rereading Henry Wynmalen from a reining perspective. I went back to April when she started her blog- I am hooked on mugs. She has heart.

www.mugwumpchronicles.blogspot.com/2008/06/favorite-books-or-adds-guide-to-horse.html