Training Horses

Things have been really busy for me. I have been working with a new team of horses to put with our new chariots. They are Caesar and Spartacus. Father and son. 9 and 5 year old quarterhorse bay geldings. Spar has two white socks and a snip on the nose to add a little more color than his dad. They are good natured, but haven't been worked in a while. We see a lot of potential in them as a roman riding team too. They will even turn out better than my Cavalia team of Bandit and Hollywood. Bandit was the troublemaker on that team, but I think C and S will get along fine and work together really well. They look really nice. I'll get you photos as soon as I can. What can I say about "Sugar Cookie". Everybody who sees here falls in love with her. She is a rare breed and has this beautiful gentle look about her. (Don't be fooled though, she is a BIG draft horse who uses her size to get her way sometimes.) We are working on her manners and lots of ground control. When we start to work her in the round pen or on the lunge line she is little stand offish at first, but once she gets those big legs moving, the fire starts to burn and she gets all excited to work. She's a lot of horse to keep clean too, but we use a great shampoo from Absorbine (Superpoo) that keeps her clean and soft. I have been working on her show looks, taking care of her mane and tail with the Absorbine "Sante Fe" Detangler/Conditioner and trimming her up with our WAHL StablePro Clippers. This will enhance her beautiful mane and tail. I'm trying to get her mane to part on both sides. I think that will look beautiful under spot lights. A nice shiny coat, hoof polish and shimmery mane and tail. She's got so much potential. Tommie and I would love to do a bareback routine on her, just like we did together at Arabian Nights. She is also a nice driving horse. A friend of ours developed this cool new cart he calls the millenium cart. She will also be a favorite at any event, parade, or clinic. She has quite a history too. I'll publish her story on the website soon. She is destined to be a show horse!
Tommie has been incredibly busy working and training horses. He works everything from colts to wild mustangs to his own trained horses. He has been non-stop every day. In addition to training the ground work, he still has to add in the trick training. With all of the horses, he trains about 6 hours a day with the other 10 hours doing the cleaning, shoeing, washing, sweeping, and office work. He is constantly on the phone when he isn't training. You will never see him on the phone or chatting with someone when he is training. He wants to make sure he keeps the bond between him and his horses so there are no distractions so he can reach the goal he set for the day and be done. He really believes in only training what is needed. Giving the horse a way to do what is asked and then rewarded by being left alone in the paddock or stall to be a horse. Horses have such a keen sense and memory. They remember the good and bad things that happen, so that's why I like to give my horses something good to remember before I put them away with plenty of praise and pats. They really understand your voice, emotions, and body language. That's why we don't use treats to reward good behavior or as a reward for doing a trick. It creates a bad habit of the horse looking for treats or even biting at your pants pocket. We usually notice this from horses who are well trained but a bit pushy or disrespectful towards their owners. We want the experience of the training to be a loving one for the horse, where your excited voice and emotions are what he/she enjoys, not just about food or treats. Horses are grazing animals who eat any chance they can, so we give treats only when it serves a direct purpose. We know some trainers or owners who give treats after each trick, but we believe for most people it will create another problem and takes away from the loving caring relationship you should be developing.
Time to get back to work. Thanks for all the emails and questions too. I try to answer them all, so be patient. We have lots of cool stuff on the horizon including new t-shirts, sweatshirts, and training gear. Get ready all you "Equine Extremists" out there! Time to Ride Fast... Take Chances!
karen