Our second Natural Horsemanship Clinic was conducted by Kathryn during our Holiday Bonanza week, December 27 - 29, 2004.

Free Lunge
Kathryn worked individually with students and their horses free in the ring.

Ground Maneuvers and Carrot Stick Techniques
Students learned how to use the "carrot stick" and move their horse over, backwards, and through obstacles.

Fun and Games Competition
Using techniques they have learned, students were divided into teams to play games and compete with their horses.

Featured was Dr. Sam, our resident Hanoverian stallion, whom Kathryn has trained since his birth on her father's farm in Maine. Stallions can be difficult to work with. They have an inborn responsibility to protect and manger their own herd of mares and foals. Because of this they must be strong and sharp in their fight or flight responses to new situations, even in domestication.

Sam and Kathryn showed the audience how to free-lunge. This is a method of controlling the horse (which is free in the ring and unattached to the person by any physical means) using nothing but eye contact, body language, and voice commands to communicate a change in gait (for example, walk to trot) and changes of direction to the horse. With Sam's complete cooperation, Kathryn was even able to show a bit of stallion behavior. Kathryn posed as a predator, and Sam responded, as a stallion would be expected to when truly defending his herd!

Samson (Sam's son), an eighteen month old Hanoverian colt, and his companion Satchmo, a two and half year old Quarter Horse gelding, were all part of the next amazing demonstration of the success of "Natural Horsemanship."

When you think about true "natural horsemanship," you must go back in history… Xenophon (born 430 BC), a Greek horse trainer for the cavalry wrote about his successful training methods. Many of these basic, time-tested methods hold true today. GaWani Pony Boy, Monty Roberts (The Horse Whisperer) and Pat Parelli are using their individual guidelines to achieve the same results today. How do they do this? The key is gaining trust to achieve willing cooperation from the horse. Sounds easy! Both Pat Parelli and Monty Roberts will be appearing at Equine Affaire November 11 - 14 in Springfield. Check out www.equineaffaire.com for more information.

It must be pointed out that these methods can be used on any horse; not just untrained or young horses. We will be offering more Natural Horsemanship Clinics throughout the winter. To learn more about Natural Horsemanship and to see Samson's and Satchmo's training progress, please join us in January 2005 for the next clinic.

All proceeds from the Natural Horsemanship Clinics will go to the Premarin Foal Rescue Program.