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      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.