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Routine Groundwork Session

January 13, 2017 by John Leave a Comment

Groundwork

A lot of people have asked about groundwork.  What do we do?  How long do you work? Does it get boring?

All good questions.  I use groundwork to build my relationship with Scratch.  Being able to move him around on the ground builds respect. Groundwork also gives me confidence in a couple of ways.  First, I get to see how he moves.  Watching him move from the ground helps me see how he’s going to move under saddle.  Secondly, it’s a way of determining if he is paying attention.  Having him move off of my cues shows me he is paying attention.

The most difficult part of groundwork is deciding what to work on and in what order.  I try to place a few exercises that Scratch knows well at the beginning of the session.  Yielding the hindquarters and flexing work well for this.  These exercises are easy for him to do, he does them well, and he gets a reward (a kind word and a pet).  Then, I put in an exercise he knows but doesn’t like to do.  Backing up fits this category.  Scratch knows the backup, but it is a little more work and he can sometimes be resentful.  For an exercise of this type I try to get Scratch to do it off of a light cue and at the very first sign, I end the exercise.  So, if he backs up without resistance on the very first try, we are done with backing for the day.

groundworkOnce we’ve warmed up, I like to work on lunging.  Most of the time it is at the end of a lunge line.  What I work on here are transitions.   Getting Scratch to move from trot to walk, then walk to trot just off of my body language was a goal of one recent groundwork session.  Using my posture, upright with shoulders back to trot, relaxed and shoulders slumped for walk, Scratch was able to follow my cues.

Boredom

Usually, our sessions last no more than 30 minutes unless Scratch needs a little conditioning.  I try to vary the exercises enough so he doesn’t know what next.  And, I add a new exercise somewhere in the middle of the session to stimulate his brain.  The final exercise is something he does well and likes doing. For Scratch, that’s standing still while I swing the stick & string.  Scratch loves to stand still and watch me work for a change.

Have fun with your groundwork sessions!

Filed Under: YouTube Tagged With: Downunder Horsemanship, Groundwork, horse, Horsemanship, Training, wild mustang

Scratch Working in the Sorting Pen

December 13, 2015 by John Leave a Comment

sorting PenScratch needs to work cows, so we headed to the sorting pen to try our hand.  Trepidation is a good word to describe how I was feeling as we entered.  There were horses and trailers everywhere.  At this point in Scratch’s training, he was still spooking at objects and people he saw moving about.  We still had the problem with going in and out of gates.  Those pinch points had Scratch bolting to get through.

The Sorting Pen had its own problems with all the cows and another gate to squeeze them through.

Our partner in the sorting pen asked me to go into the herd on both runs.  We were happy to do it.  It gave us something to focus on.  Videotaping the event is a great way to see where you are making mistakes.  It also shows the holes in your horse’s training.

From this video, I could see that my reins would get a bit long and I was micro managing Scratch.  Scratch was not moving quick enough, and, when asked to stop, he wasn’t stopping quick enough.

All-in-all it was a good effort for our first time in the sorting pen and I was real happy with the way Scratch handle the situation.

Filed Under: YouTube Tagged With: adventure, competing, Fun Stuff, horse, horseback riding, Horsemanship, Inspiration, Scratch, Training, wild mustang

The Competition is Over

October 21, 2015 by John Leave a Comment

The Competition is Over

The competition is over.  Scratch and I managed to pull out a 4th place finish despite a few problems.  The top three finishers were all professional horse trainers who make a living training horses.  Scratch was my first.

There were four phases of the competition.  We had to negotiate an obstacle course from the ground, then under saddle.  We performed a freestyle routine, where I rode bridle-less and blindfolded.  The final phase was to take an untrained colt and gentle it.  We had three one hour sessions and were judged on how well we hooked up.

There were many stories to tell from the experience and I hope to share them with you on the upcoming podcasts.  The best one is, that at the end of the event the horses were auctioned off.  Not every trainer chose to sell their horse.  We had to.  We own a half an acre with two Quarter Horses.  There just isn’t room.  The man who bought Scratch manages a 40,000 acre cattle ranch nearby and hired me to continue Scratch’s training and invited me to the ranch so Scratch can continue his education.  It looks like Scratch will spend the rest of his life working cows.  I really appreciate the vote of confidence the ranch manager gave me too!

Anyway, here are two of the videos we shot of the event.  There is more if you want at my YouTube channel.  I hope you enjoy them.  Feel free to comment.

Filed Under: The Podcast, YouTube Tagged With: competing, Downunder Horsemanship, horse, Horsemanship, Inspiration, Training, wild mustang

Clos des Amis Wines Bruce Freeman

February 13, 2015 by John Leave a Comment

Clos des Amis Wines

As part of a podcast production involving the Ojai Valley Cowboy School we had an opportunity to meet and chat with a fellow student, Bruce Freeman.  Bruce, we discovered is a winemaker and bottles Clos des Amis wines.  After a wonderful afternoon of horses and cowboys we sat around the fire.  It’s not often one gets the opportunity to chat with a winemaker and I asked for an interview.  Bruce was kind enough to tell us a little about his wines.  We tasted a little of the Chardonnay and it was wonderful.  For more information, check out Clos des Amis.com

Filed Under: YouTube Tagged With: Fun Stuff

Ojai Valley Cowboy School Video

February 3, 2015 by John Leave a Comment

Ojai Valley Cowboy School Video

The Whoa Podcast about Horses and Horsemanship was invited to spend an afternoon at the Ojai Valley Cowboy School.  Jeff and Jay Ohaco, Vaquero Boone Campbell and Laura Fullilove have created a unique environment to spread the cowboy lifestyle.  The cowboy school is set up to cater to the needs of their students.  If there is a particular topic you need help with, say roping, they can tutor you on that.  If you want to explore your inner chuckwagon chef, the group is set up to demonstrate the intricacies of Dutch Oven cooking.  Need to know how to set up a tepee?  Pack a bedroll?  Or, maybe you need help knowing when and how to use your spurs.  This group can help.

In this short video we offer just a small taste of what the Ojai Valley Cowboy School has to offer.  To learn more about the school listen to our extended interviews on the Whoa Podcast about Horses and Horsemanship

Filed Under: YouTube Tagged With: cowboy, Entertainment, Fun Stuff, Horsemanship

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