Every so often I hear from this guy...
Mr. Walker,
After about 6 months messing around with your teachings this is my conclusion....
All these top horse gurus that go around the country doing demos and such are no different than a magician doing a show. You have made the videos no magician wants anyone to see.
I lack feel, timing, rhythm, mind reading ability, and all the other mystical horse guru abilities needed, but I can bring a horse into compliance and get every horse so far to do whatever I want with little problem. Riding ability to know where the feet are from the saddle is the only thing slowing my higher level training.
One thing that I find interesting... I love doing the drunk cowboy tack up. I quit doing it where it was possible for anyone else to see. I got tired of random people coming over to show me the "correct" way to tack up a horse. It was funny everyone chose to label my behavior as "very disrespectful" towards my horse. I always got informed if I had a "higher level" type horse like them I would get seriously hurt from my lack of skills. I always gave the sarcastic answer along the lines of this was one of those unbroke, free to anyone who can catch her horses so she has very low handler expectations.
Thanks,
I enjoy hearing from him. Not because he slaps me on the back and gives me "atta boys," but because he is very intelligent and extremely intuitive.
At some point or another I told him about my "Drunken Cowboy Tack Up" despooking routine.
Extremely simple concept. I just tack up the horse as if I were falling down drunk.
I might put the saddle upside down or backwards on the horse's back and I might put the saddle pad on the horse's head, neck or even cinch it under the horse. I might try to put the bridle on upside down. The object is to not do anything right.
Just as if I was drunk.
Why?
Because I want the horse used to, and accepting everything, no matter what, no matter how unexpected it is, no matter how silly it is, as long as it doesn't physically hurt the horse.
I have been chided and corrected about my sloppy willy-nilly use of the ultra-long longe lines I use for various purposes such as ground driving, shape longeing and so on. I let the ends fall and drag as they will. I make sure to keep my feet from getting wrapped up in them but I will intentionally allow them to entangle the horse's feet. I may even set the horse up to get tangled, even immobile. If the horse seems to get anxious, I simply let go and the lines loosen and drop free allowing the horse to walk out of them. I use this to teach the horse, "If you get hung up wait for me to undo you!" I use this and other unexpected things as an impromptu despooking exercise.
I don't do the Drunken Tack Up nilly willy. I am well aware of what the horse can do and I do everything very carefully. I am continually on the look out for the slightest sign of concern and I immediately back off until the concern is gone and then I go back at it again. Before too long the horse accepts whatever I do, as long as I do not hurt the horse.
I've never had anyone see me do it who was not fully aware of what I was doing. It's not good in a clinic situation to leave folks in the dark when you're supposed to be enlightening them.
The reaction of people watching who had no idea what was going on never dawned on me.
When I read about people coming up to "help" I nearly laughed myself silly picturing it.
Low handler expectations! Priceless!