6th August, 2008 Flat Out

Having been flat out for most of last week, Julie and I finished off with a clinic at Beaulieu working with seven lovely horses. Some of the horses had been Parelli trained so it was interesting to be able to debate and compare the use of cues versus direct body language. The organiser (who really deserves that title because she had everything we needed and a supply of good food too) is as keen as I am to explore different types of horsemanship to get the results she likes with her horses. We discussed the need to have a central backbone to everything you use upon which to hang the key things that matter to you: e.g. use of body language, pressure and release, constency and breathing. In the end you have to have your own book of horsemanship. I was then flat out on Sunday too, watching the Hungarian Grand Prix - you know, Louis Hamilton and I have a lot in common, when I went to fetch my take-away in the evening I had a flat tyre. Sadly, my pit crew consist of just David and a car jack so it was somewhat more than 8.5 seconds before we could go again.

This week is turning into foal week. Bryn's owners came down to see me on Monday and we went to find Cello on the Forest. Yesterday I was working with a foal that has taken to divebombing the farrier and double-barelling him too - he's not even asking to do her feet, she just doesn't like it when her mother is otherwise occupied. Today I am going with my other man, Fraser, who is taking me to see his Andulucian yearling and new colt. Tomorrow I am off to teach a six week old New Forest foal with very posh breeding how to lead. Richard Maxwell's book: Train Your Young Horse, has some really good stuff on teaching baby horses and has evolved out of his earlier book "From Birth to Backing". At the weekend I'm off to a Pat and Linda Parelli event although I can't promise to stay if they start hitting horses in the face with ropes.