Tell them Horse2Heart sent you to the Course 1 Clinic
Furndale, California
Who: Clinician Jonathan Field
What: Course One Leadership Clinic
Where: Furndale Fairgrounds
When: November 18th-20th 2011
Why: To build a better partnership with your horse!
How Much: Participants – $550 tax incl.
Spectators – $25/day

This Clinic will be a three day event beginning on Friday, November 18th and ending on Sunday, November 20th. Included in the price of the clinic, each participant receives three free spectator passes.

For more information please see our logistics sheethere

For questions please contact Thommie Haskins atThommiekins@yahoo.com or by calling (707) 407-8020.
Only a few spots remain! Call Thommie today!

Post from: Horse Stories | Horse2Heart Equestrian News and Great Horse Stories

Working Horses at Liberty

Did you know?

“There are three parts to a horse that give you directional control”

“Always begin with a verbal pre-cue”

“Correct safety and respect behavior issues”

“Following tips will help you to be successful with this exercise and give your horse every chance to succeed.” Charles Wilhelm

The Concentrated Circles Exercise

The exercise we call “concentrated circles” is a critical foundation training exercise.  This exercise teaches the horse to bend around you which improves suppleness.  It also provides important schooling of the go-forward cue.  With a new or young horse, I normally do not begin training with concentrated circles.  The horse is fairly close in this exercise and it is important to have already established respect and a forward cue to minimize the risk of being kicked or run over.  Once I feel it is safe, I put the horse on a twelve-foot line and begin to lunge.  I start with some basic change of direction work out at the end of the line to get the horse focused on going forward, stopping his feet and paying attention to what I am asking him to do.  When the horse is fairly consistent in his response and is focused on me, I take the slack out of the line and move my hand up to the snap to begin the concentrated circles.

Before you begin this exercise, you should know that there are three parts to a horse that give you directional control: the nose, shoulder and hindquarters.  The horse will follow its nose, then the shoulder, ending with the hips and hindquarters.  Visualize your horse moving in a circle around you and how you control each of these parts.

For this exercise you may use a web or rope halter on your horse.  A rope or “cowboy halter” as I call it, has more bite.   You will also need a training stick or cane.   To begin the exercise, hold the line at the snap.  If your horse will be circling to the left, hold the line in your left hand.  If your horse will be circling to the right, hold the line in your right hand.  Keep your arm straight out in front of you and level.  It is important to not let your elbow bend.

Stand across from your horse’s shoulder with the stick or cane at your side.  Direct the horse forward with your basic verbal go-forward command and the hand holding the line at the snap.  This is a pre-cue.  If your horse does not go forward, you must follow through by adding pressure.  The type of pressure you choose will depend on the personality and emotional level of your horse.    To add pressure you can:

1.         Lift the training stick or cane from your side and point it at the horse’s hip.

2.         Whip the ground with the lash of the stick or cane to make a noise to add pressure.

3.         Take the stick or cane and tap the hip.  Increase the strength of the tap as needed.

As the horse moves forward, turn in place so the horse will follow.  Do not walk forward and around with the horse.  I try to keep my feet in place, moving off one heel so that the horse goes around me.  At first, your horse will not move in a perfect circle around you and you will need to watch which parts need adjustment.  The following tips will help you to be successful with this exercise.

Stand in the center of the circle and do not move out or back.  Pretend your feet or at least one, are glued to the center.  Keep your arm level and your hand steady while directing the horse’s nose.  Imagine yourself in the middle of a wagon wheel.  The horse should be yielding to you, bending around you and staying off the contact of the line.

If the horse pulls the line tight, maintain the contact until the horse gives.  It is critical to release immediately when the horse gives.  This follows the basic training principle of pressure/release.  Continue to ask the horse to go forward until he is soft and yielding for at least several circles in one direction without stopping.  When the horse is soft and consistent in one direction, switch hands and ask the horse to go the other way.

If the horse presses in toward you with its shoulder and/or its hip while it is circling, direct the horse outward.  The horse should not be in your personal space.  Check your arm position to make sure your arm is fully extended.  The horse should be bending and circling you in an arc.  If the shoulder or hip is in toward you, the horse is not in an arc and is not doing the exercise correctly.   Additionally, this is a safety and respect issue as well.  Correct this behavior immediately.  Tap the shoulder to drive the shoulder away and tap the hip to drive the hindquarters out.  You must do this every time a part of the horse comes too close to you.  It must be clear to the horse that this is not acceptable.  Use only as much pressure as you need to immediately get the horse out of your space.

Watch out for kicking.  It is common for a horse to kick when you tap it on the hip for the first time to make it go forward.  There are several dynamics that may occur and cause this.  The reaction may be the horse not liking the pressure on his hindquarters or you may be using too much pressure.  The horse may not like being asked to go forward while you are holding the snap, or may not like being asked to work.  The exercise is work for the horse and he must move his feet laterally to make the arc around you and this may be a new movement for the horse.   Kicking is never acceptable and must be corrected immediately.  Tap the horse fairly hard on the lower portion of the leg that kicked.  This is not a punishment.  It is applying the right amount of corrective pressure to change the behavior.  Think how an alpha horse would go after a new horse that kicked it — it would be very tough on the new horse.  We need to be as adamant and to act immediately.  If you don’t act immediately, the horse will miss the cause and effect and there is no point making the correction.

When you have your horse moving around you and you are ready to stop, say whoa and pull the line up toward the horse’s hip.  Take the slack out of the line and make contact until the horse stops his feet and faces you. This movement causes the hips to swing over and the horse to stop and line up facing you straight on.  At this time you may want to ask the horse to pause and then back up a few steps.  Then you can start the exercise in the opposite direction.

Give your horse every chance to succeed.  Always begin with a verbal pre-cue, a kiss or a cluck or whatever you use as your basic go-forward command.   If the horse does not respond, increase the pressure.  The worst thing you can do is to half-heartedly tap, tap, tap while the horse ignores you.  This teaches the horse to ignore you and become used to the pressure while failing to respond.  This is how horses get heavier in response to commands, instead of lighter.  Determine how much pressure your horse needs and be consistent about applying it.

Charles Wilhelm

Post from: Horse Stories | Horse2Heart Equestrian News and Great Horse Stories

Critical Horse Training Advice and Exercises from Charles Wilhelm

 Socialization of a Young Horse by Charles Wilhelm

We all have busy times when we can’t work with our horses as much as we would like.  Family, illness, work and weather can prevent us from working our horses consistently.  Particularly with young horses, it is important that they get some type of exercise.  Whether you board your horse at home or in a stable, turn the horse out every day or so, try to find someone to help you if you cannot do it.  It is important that horses get some kind of exercise.  If you put your horse in with other hand-picked horses, you can also socialize your horse.  Being with another horse will help him learn how to act around his own kind.  Socialization with their own kind, another baby or an adult horse, is very important and should be part of your horse’s training program.  Socialization can affect the emotional and mental development of your horse and make for a well rounded horse.

When I first bought my horse Tennison at 18 months, he had never been exposed to any kind of socialization.  It took him several years to learn how to “be a horse”– to romp and play and rear and bite and chase other horses in a pasture or corral.  Horses are just like people in that if they are not socialized enough, they do not know how to act around their own kind.  With socialization, a horse learns how to accept pressure and leadership.  An adult horse will educate a youngster.  Any time a puppy comes to the ranch, my dog Max, who is four years old, seems to think it is his job to teach the puppy manners.  An older horse does the same thing.  I use mares for this because they are usually good teachers. 

When you only have one horse and you board your horse at home, how do you provide the socialization?  Try to get your horse out with others at trail rides or horse shows.  Some of my clients have adopted or bought rescue horses with lameness problems to provide companionship for their horse.  This way, not only can you save a life by adopting a horse who normally wouldn’t be adoptable, but you can also make your horse happy.  I have also had clients who have gotten a goat to provide companionship for their horse and have seen the two animals romp and play together.

Since not every horse is a good match and you don’t want your horse hurt, you do have to be careful which other horse you match your horse up with.  When a horse comes to the ranch for training, we regularly match horses and I have never had any major problems or accidents other than a horse giving or getting a nip here and there.  I actually have seen more horses get hurt by themselves than when they are with others.  We try to match up two to three horses in the large turnouts so that they get plenty of socialization.

If you board out, it is important to pay attention to what goes on and to speak up when the situation isn’t good.  Even the most conscientious ranch or stable owner can get busy and not see everything that is going on.  You can’t assume that when you board your horse out, anyone but you is going to routinely see that everything is going well.  Know your horse well, behavior, soundness and personality.

Charles Wilhelm

Post from: Horse Stories | Horse2Heart Equestrian News and Great Horse Stories

Socialization of a Young Horse When Boarding at Home

It’s a natural to also take some time to think about how your business can prosper in the last four months of the year.  Your attitude may have more to do with your success than anything else.  Business owners’ attitudes range from unstoppable enthusiasm to abysmal negativity.  You’ve probably experienced this spectrum of emotion at some point in your own business life, too.  I know I have.

Escape cold, hard reality for  a moment to recall the children’s story, Peter Pan. This classic reminds of the importance of attitude.  As you recall, early on in the story, Peter convinces the Darling children they’ll be able to fly to Neverland with him if they just change their attitudes and beliefs about the things and events that can NEVER happen.

Unlike Peter Pan’s Neverland, where anything can happen, some folks in the horse business live in a different  Neverland where they are certain of things that will never happen.  Have you ever shared this group’s thoughts about Never?  Thoughts like these:

And the people living in their own Neverlands are right. What they believe will never happen, won’t.
Do you imagine any of the Olympic athletes in Beijing this month included never as a possibility?

Is it possible that the owners of the most successful horse businesses in your area built their businesses with an “I can never do it” attitude?

Did the smiling little girl on the pony leaving the show ring with first place think she could never win as she rode through the entry gate a few minutes earlier?

You’ll never know what you can accomplish until you eliminate Never from your vocabulary and your thoughts.

Contributor Doug Emerson writes “The ProfitableHorseman” the only weekly newsletter exclusively devoted to how to make more money in your horse business!

Post from: Horse Stories | Horse2Heart Equestrian News and Great Horse Stories

Do You Make This Mistake As You Build Your Business?

How many times have you ever heard these reasons for buying the wrong horse for the rider?

There are probably over a hundred other reasons for buying less of a horse than an owner should. It doesn’t matter what the reason is, what matters is buyer ignorance.
Naïve buyers don’t understand the fact that the horse is the cheap part of owning horses.
As experienced professional horsemen know, a lifetime of costs follow the purchase of a horse.

The common costs:

Numbers 1., 2. and 3. are maintenance costs of ownership. Number 4 is preventable maintenance.
While no horse carries a warranty for being problem-free, bargain horses usually have a reason for bargain prices.

Buying at the lowest possible price is good practice for securing commodities like No. 2 – corn, fuel oil and pork bellies. But, lowest price can be a disaster practice for buying pacemaker batteries, parachutes and horses.
How do you make a convincing sales presentation to a prospect to invest in a proven horse?

Tell a story about a wise man who was born about two hundred years ago. His name was John Ruskin and he probably never sold a horse in his life. He did a lot of thinking and writing and the following excerpt is a favorite of mine.

“It is unwise to pay too much but it’s worse to pay too little. When you pay too much, you lose a little money, that’s all. When you pay too little, you sometimes lose everything, because the thing you bought is incapable of doing the thing it was bought to do.
The common law of business balance prohibits paying a little and getting a lot – it cannot be done. If you deal with the lowest bidder, it is well to add something for the risk you run. And if you do that, you will have enough to pay for something better.”

– John Ruskin, 1890

People were ignoring quality in pursuit of lower price back in the 1800’s. I’d wager that even in the day of B.C. comic strip character Crock, a square wheel or two was sold as a discounted substitute for a round wheel.

Within the buyers’ circle of affordability, sell the horse that is the best match and explain: The horse is the inexpensive part of the transaction. (compared to maintenance costs)

A good match between horse and rider is priceless. With a busy life, the importance of quality recreational time with a horse is paramount. Safety trumps price, especially when the unsafe bargain horse leads to an unplanned vacation in the hospital to mend an injured and broken body.

Use your experience and wisdom from years of being around horses to help the buyer avoid buying a horse incapable of doing what it was bought to do.

Contributor Doug Emerson writes “The ProfitableHorseman” the only weekly newsletter exclusively devoted to how to make more money in your horse business!

Post from: Horse Stories | Horse2Heart Equestrian News and Great Horse Stories

What You Need To Know About Selling Horses

If establishing prices in your horse business is a struggle, you’re not alone. Often, professional horsemen are selling to customers not fully educated on current value.

Horse trainers, from colt starters to show-ring ready finishers, have no blue book reference guide for easy pricing.

Breeders who are selling weanlings, yearlings and two-year olds can only rely on historical sale prices to support their personal assessment of the present value of a young horse.

Riding Instructors, with decades of experience resulting in hundreds of accomplished students, struggle with establishing their value over less experienced instructors.

No doubt that you’ve found naming your price is a challenge at times. (maybe all the time)  It may be because of the following reasons:

Don’t feel like you are only person challenged with naming your price. Everyone has tripped over naming the price at one time or another. And everyone includes me.

So here are some tips for getting through the money talk with your customers:

Contributor Doug Emerson writes “The ProfitableHorseman” the only weekly newsletter exclusively devoted to how to make more money in your horse business!

Post from: Horse Stories | Horse2Heart Equestrian News and Great Horse Stories

Do You Use These 5 Excuses For Not Charging What You Are Worth?

Becoming fond of your horses is a terrific benefit of being in the horse business. It is also a financial tie down that can ruin your business. The profitable horseman understands the horses in his or her barn are assets; they aren’t pets.

A horse is either appreciating in value or depreciating in value.

As an asset, a horse is generating income as:

If not, the horse becomes a financial dependent on your business’s welfare roll.

Not only is it an operating expense, it is also an opportunity cost. Think about it, if a horse occupies a stall and generates no income or has little or no potential for future income, it is a thief horse.

Unlike a horse thief, a thief horse steals your potential to earn profit from the space and resources it occupies. That stall could be used for:

Boarding
Horse for training
Lesson Horse
Brood Mare
A speculation horse “bought right”
An empty stall for attracting the next opportunity

In economic terms, there is an opportunity cost for every decision you make in your equine business. An opportunity cost is defined as the cost of something in terms of an opportunity foregone.

Every fork in the road you come upon requires a choice. The road you choose is the path you follow.

The road not taken is your opportunity cost since you cannot travel two paths at the same time. Choosing the more profitable path that fits your business vision is the choice to make every time.

This week’s tip is to consider whether or not you have any “thief horses” in your barn and if you do, how to find a new home for them.

The horse business is just like any other business in that assets have to directly or indirectly contribute to  producing revenue. If your assets are non- producing, then it’s up to you to make changes.

Contributor Doug Emerson writes “The ProfitableHorseman” the only weekly newsletter exclusively devoted to how to make more money in your horse business!

Post from: Horse Stories | Horse2Heart Equestrian News and Great Horse Stories

Are Thief Horses Eating Your Profits?

I know it’s bound to happen on occasion, but was wondering if you knew of anyone that had a way of ‘decreasing’ the odds on that? We spend a great deal of time prepping our horses/ponies for potential buyers to come look at, make sure the farm is presentable, etc. and then set that time aside in our very busy schedule for these people….”

No doubt you, too, have been stiffed by a “no-show” sales prospect. I have and I know exactly what it feels like. I suspect the root cause for sales prospects to be no shows is their lack of good manners. And if that’s the case, bad manners are a problem only the bad mannered can choose to fix; you can’t do it.

But, here are seven suggestions you may want to use to reduce the chance of no-shows, no call, no nothing appointments.

Contributor Doug Emerson writes “The ProfitableHorseman” the only weekly newsletter exclusively devoted to how to make more money in your horse business!

Post from: Horse Stories | Horse2Heart Equestrian News and Great Horse Stories

7 Tips to Reduce No-Show Appointments

Once a foundation is built, the framing process takes just a few days to shape the new house.  The owner sees dramatic results in a short period of time.  However, when the framing is completed the detailed finishing process seems to move slower than a wall clock in an elementary school.

The trades that follow framing like drywall, trimming and cabinet installation, move slowly with results taking much more time to appear.   When the framing contractor has done a sub standard job, time almost stops.  Sloppy work like walls out of plumb, floors that aren’t level and kitchen soffits that are undersized, lead to constant frustration and “fix it” techniques by all of the trades finishing the house.  The lack of a good framework creates a lifetime of patch jobs, jury rigging and tolerations.

Patch jobs, jury rigging and tolerations -sounds like the way some businesseses operate, doesn’t it?

No doubt your business’s foundation, your core values, are sound.  But, if you are struggling with parts of your business, could it be a result of your framing job?

I know your business isn’t 2×4’s, plywood and trusses, but it will serve you best if it is framed with:

• A three year vision and one year goal
• A financial plan
• Adequate time dedicated to planning and review each week
• Leadership by you as owner
• Customer service for your students, clients and their horses
• Your sales program
• Your methodical marketing program
• A balanced life that includes rest and play for you

If you feel like things are shaky, take a look at the framework you’ve created and do something about it instead of attempting to prop it, cover it over or accept less than you should from it.

When a skilled and experienced framer is made aware of a mistake like a window opening framed in the wrong wall, a warped floor joist or a door jamb out of plumb, he simply fixes it.  He understands his business is providing a sound framework for everything that follows.

Level with yourself-what are you tolerating in your business framework that is the cause of squeaks, groans and pops?

Contributor Doug Emerson writes “The Profitable Horseman” the only weekly newsletter exclusively devoted to how to make more money in your horse business!

Post from: Horse Stories | Horse2Heart Equestrian News and Great Horse Stories

Structure Your Horse Business Like A Framing Carpenter

1. Let voice mail answer the phone (and cell phone) for an hour or two. If the message is urgent, it will get to you. Disrupting your activity to accommodate a ringing phone costs you more time than you think when you consider the time for the call in addition to getting back on track with the project at hand.
2. Get out of the mainstream in your workplace. Retreat to a conference room, back office or back barn and shut the door.
3. Leave the barn for a few hours and go to: the library, the park, a coffee shop. Take a cell phone, laptop, yellow pad and you can get a lot done off premise.
4. Establish a practice of an early start to your work day. Get to your barn a half hour or more before the rest of the group. Let the early birds know that you aren’t available early morning before the workday bell rings.
5. Get into the habit of saying No immediately to people who want you to do things that don’t make sense to your business plan or to your personal plan.  No is the switch that will turn your invisible fence on to protect your boundaries.

Be thinking of other ways to create your private invisible fence to protect others from intruding in your personal back yard.

Contributor Doug Emerson writes “The ProfitableHorseman” the only weekly newsletter exclusively devoted to how to make more money in your horse business!

Post from: Horse Stories | Horse2Heart Equestrian News and Great Horse Stories

Get More Done Behind An Invisible Fence