2010 Clinic Calender…

February 15, 2010 by Smokie.

Hello Friends,

Well I can see the light at the end of a long winter tunnel and spring is just around the corner! I am in the process of booking clinics and setting  schedules for training for this summer so if your looking to get on my list don’t wait too long! I only have a limited number of spots for starting colts open this spring.  Here’s is where I will be so far..

March 20
Private Clinic
Green Bay, WI

April 10-11 2010
Horse a Rama
Manitowoc, WI

April 16,17 & 18
Midwest Horse Fair
Madison, WI

May 1st
Demo clinic and book signing
Silver Spur Tack Shop
Plymouth, WI

May 20-21
Sacremento, KY
Mounted Cavalry reenacting clinic

June 12
4H Clinic
Problem solving and ground work
Waushsara Co. Fair Grounds
Wautoma, WI
Jessica Nyhuis
920-787-7743

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Equiknowlogy 101… The history of Natural Horsemanship

January 25, 2010 by Smokie.

Hello Folks,
This is my answer to a question that I ask of the horse folks on Yahoo Answers. You might find it interesting and the answers on Yahoo are a good read as well! Smokie

Equiknowlogy 101…  The history of natural horsemanship

In the beginning it was Xenophon around 1 AD, a philosopher and horseman that advocated methods of training that did not break the spirit of the horse. His methods are documented in his scrolls, The Art of Horsemanship and are still available today in modern book form. It’s a pretty good read too!

  Willis J. Powell wrote a book, Tachyhippodamia; on The New Secret of Taming Horses to which John Solomon Rarey’s work, Taming of Wild Horses, was appended for publication. John Solomon Rarey was one of the nineteenth century horse whisperers, an important figure in the rehabilitation of abused and vicious horses during the 1850’s.  This book was issued before Powell died in 1848, but no publishing date is stated in the book itself. A later reprint was in 1872, in Philadelphia, by the W.R. Charter publishing house. Powell mentions the Irish “horse whisperer,” Daniel Sullivan in the preface to his own book and says that Sullivan may have possessed the same method.  Later in that same book he recounts how he heard of a man who had lived a century earlier and who had a secret method of taming horses. He says that he then resolved to discover the method for himself. Since he earlier mentioned that Sullivan had lived a hundred years before him it seems likely that he thought he had rediscovered Sullivan’s method. (The author believes Sullivan used some form round pen work and perhaps a type of “hooking on” as part of his method of training.)

Powell’s method…

  Powell says that the way became clear before him when he first realized that horses only offer resistance to humans because of fear. In order to tame a horse one must first quell their fears. To communicate calm and safety to the horse, nothing is more powerful than soothing touch. Once the horse is feeling safe it can become accustomed to things that might otherwise cause it alarm.

  Powell outlines steps by which an untamed horse may be approached without arousing alarm, how it may next be touched on larger and larger portions of its body. The same procedure of desensitization is to be followed in regard to all things in the horse-human environment that might cause unneeded fear. Finally, any fear of a saddle is handled in the same way.

  There was a man from Groveport, Ohio called John Solomon Rarey, who tamed his first horse at the age of twelve. Word of his gift spread and in 1858 he was summoned to Windsor Castle in England to calm a horse of Queen Victoria. The queen and her entourage watched astonished as Rarey put his hands on the animal and laid it down on the ground before them. Then he lay down beside it and rested his head on its hooves. The queen chuckled with delight and gave Rarey a hundred dollars. He was a modest, quiet man, but now he was famous and the press wanted more. The call went out to find the most ferocious horse in all England.

It was duly found.

  Rarey became a rich man after he demonstrated his method for Prince Albert and Queen Victoria. He traveled the world teaching the Rarey method, to France, Sweden, Germany, Russia, Norway, Egypt, Turkey, and the Arab countries. In one demonstration he took four hours taming a wild zebra to be ridden like the most docile horse. Newspaper articles were written about him and poems were composed extolling his virtues. In dictionaries of the time the verb “rarefy” appeared, meaning “to win by love, to mollify with oil of kindness, to reclaim a badly broken horse, to tame a horse by kindness.” Ralph Waldo Emerson said of Rarey that he “turned a new leaf in civilization.” His method was adopted as the official training procedure of the U. S. Army from 1862 until the advent of the Jeep. The English magazine Punch suggested that the Rarey method be practiced on obnoxious politicians, and Harper’s Weekly recommended it as a cure for wayward husbands

Rareys method:

 

THE HORSE is so constituted by nature that he will not offer resistance to any demand made of him which he fully comprehends. He has no consciousness of his strength beyond his own experience, and can be handled by man without force, after a little study of his habits and disposition. Being deficient in reasoning powers, he has no knowledge of right or wrong, of free will and independent government, and knows not of any imposition practiced upon him, however unreasonable it may be. Consequently, he cannot easily decide what he should or should not do. But being naturally of willing and gentle disposition, it remains for man to instruct him in a manner suited to his nature.

  The horse is a timid animal; but easily becomes familiar with objects and sounds that are at first disagreeable or frightful. We must therefore accustom him to such as he will be apt to meet with in his daily service. To do this effectually, he should be allowed to examine closely and leisurely such objects as would inspire terror, and to smell them and touch them. A log or stump by the road-side may be, in the imagination of the horse, some great beast about to pounce upon him; but after you take him up to it, and let him stand by it a little while, and touch it with his nose, and go through his process of examination, he will not care anything more about it. And the same principle and process will have the same effect with any other object, however frightful in appearance, in which there is no harm.

  I thus establish three principles on which my system of taming the horse is founded, viz.:

First. That any horse may be taught to do anything that a horse can do if taught in a systematic and proper manner.

Second. That a horse is not conscious of his own strength until he has resisted and conquered a man, and even in cases where he has temporarily triumphed he may yet be subdued ; - that by taking advantage of man’s reasoning powers a horse can be handled in such a manner that he shall not find out his strength.

Third. That by enabling a horse to examine every object with which we desire to make him familiar, with the organs naturally used for that purpose, viz., seeing, smelling and feeling, you may place or display the object around, over, and on him, provided that it does not actually hurt him or make him feel disagreeable.

 With this introduction to first principles, I will endeavor to teach you how to put them into practice, and whatever instructions may follow, you can rely on as having been proven practical by my own experiments. Knowing from experience just what obstacles I have met with in handling bad horses, I shall try and anticipate them for you, and assist you in surmounting them, by commencing with the first steps to be taken with the colt, and accompanying you through the whole task of breaking.

I have endeavored to render this little work as useful as possible, on three accounts. Firstly, on account of the profits arising from the sale of a useful work; secondly, for the credit one gets as the author of something good; and lastly, on account of the satisfaction every generous mind must feel in becoming useful to his fellow creatures.  (And excerpt from the preface of Powells book)

  Mr. Rarey’s system of horse-taming will infallibly supersede all others for both civil and military purposes, and his name will take rank among the great social reformers of the nineteenth century.
( Statement from an article in Harpers Weekly 1858)

  It could be said by reading this excerpt, and the notes on Rarey, that Powell’s first interest was in the money he could make from this book of his, and believing it to be the bible of “Horse Whispering” at the time. Secondly, to be recognized and get the credit for “his” secrets now revealed… Oh yes, and here is my gift to you sos I can really feel good about taking your money and becoming your idol! As for Rarey, one could picture him as the first “All knowing clinician traveling the country and getting rich spreading the gospel as the inventor of what we now call “Natural Horsemanship”. Of course I could be completely wrong in my ideas of what they were trying to say too!

  But, as an Equiknowlogist you will be studying all methods and teachings from every source, so as to become more rounded and knowledgeable within yourself, and pass this knowledge on to others. Not to get caught up in the idol worship of a particular method or teacher. Throughout equine history, and still today there have been masters and magicians, showman and horseman. And what you as an Equiknowlogy student can take away from this is perhaps we all can learn from each other when it comes to horses… And when looking back at these tidbits of history ask yourself this question…

 

  What’s the difference today in the methods of natural horsemanship that wasn’t mentioned by these folks 100 plus years ago?

Answer:  ADVERTISING!!

  As part of your ongoing studies, I would encourage you to do some follow-up research on these two fellows… They make for some very interesting reading and all jesting aside, they were very gifted horseman in their day and their methods are every bit as relevant today as they were in 1848! You will note as you read more of this drivel of mine that some of their teachings will be mentioned elsewhere in this text..

This completes your history lesson for today you budding students of Equiknology!

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Whisper This… is now an e book! And you can get it free!

November 30, 2009 by Smokie.

Hello all,

I just wanted to pass on to you all that my book Whisper This… is now available as an e book. For just $6.95 I will send you out a CD of Whisper This… or e mail it to you as a PDF attachment.   Please head to the products and services section of my web site to order yours today!

And as a special offer… If you purchase my new horse buying DVD, “You Can’t Ride Pretty” I will give you the e book FREE! I sure hope that if you are thinking about getting that new horse that you take the time to look at this DVD first. It is packed full of good info on getting that perfect equine partner and avoiding those costly  spur of the moment purchases!

Stay tuned for more news from round pen on my new book Equiknowlogy 101…

Best wishes and “Just Ride”

Smokie

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News from the round pen….A New Book!!!

September 11, 2009 by Smokie.

Hello friends,

Well summer is about over and the cool winds are starting to blow. Before long our outside riding time will be limited and we will be hunkering down to a warm fire and a good book.. Hence the reason for this note. I wanted to let ya all know that I am starting on a second book! And I wanted to post a brand new term for you all to chew on and think about…

“Equiknowlogy” 

As in..

How to obtain your degree in Equiknowlogy in one easy lifetime lesson!

From the Whisper This… College of home school horse studies.

Yes folks, you to can become a Dr. of Equiknowlogy with this brand new study guide packed full of lifetime lessons, tidbits of information, meanderings and musings!  In this one publication you will find all the prerequisite courses required to complete… or perhaps not.. complete, your equine education! From  getting your PHD, (Pre-horse degree) then continuing your education through studies from the FHD (First horse degree) program on through completion of the BOH (Bachelor of horsemanship) degree courses. All leading up to the ultimate degree… Your Masters of Equine Studies in Equiknowlogy!!!

Authors note:

To date this degree program has note been approved by the Horsemanship Higharkey for Higher Learning but we are hopeful that it will be taken with a grain of salt and enjoyed never the less!

And you too can be an instructor in this new study guide! If you have a humorous story about horses, training, getting bucked off, etc and the lessons you have learned from it and don’t mind someone laughing at our mistakes send it to me with your permission to use it in the book.. It might make you famous!  Of course no stories, names or credit will be printed without your consent. I am also in need of a cartoon artist to draw some cartoons for the book. I have the ideas but alas not the time to draw them.. So if your a budding artist I can use your help and you’ll be included as a contributor in the credits too! So drop me a line if you are interested  or just stop in and say HI!

So stay tuned folks and stay safe, enjoy the fall and…

Just Ride!

Smoke

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WOULD YOU LIKE TO WIN A $20,000.00 SCHOLARSHIP? And a special T shirt offer!!

August 7, 2009 by Smokie.

Greetings Friends,

Some of you might have heard that I have been recovering from some broken ribs that I received with the help of a not not so good horse! But thankfully I am on the mend and back doing what I love to do… Help people with their horses! And now I’m going about it a little smarter and a little less bulletproof then I did before.

Now you might be wondering what I’m talking about with the opening line about winning 20 grand for school, so I’m  gonna tell ya!  Here’s the deal… I have been donating a portion of the proceeds from the sales of my book and videos as part of the Horseman’s Services Scholarship Project. To date I have donated over $1000.00 to help educate our young folks studying equine related topics. But My true goal is to provide one lump sum scholarship to one lucky student!

So what I’m gonna do is for every sale of my book, videos or our new Tee shirts you will receive one entry into the $20,000.00 drawing to be held when I reach my sales goal or on August 1st 2010 whichever comes first. If the sales do not provide enough for the entire 20k, then the scholarship will be based on the total amount of sales  whatever that might be… Does this sound like something you would be interested in? Sure, you might not win, and you might not need or want to look at my book, videos or already have too many T shirts. But you might know someone that would and you just might end up the BIG WINNER! The odds of winning are 1 in 20,000 with one purchase, if I make my sales goal, and better if you buy more than one! Think of it this way, you take a gamble, and spend a whole lot more on worse stuff than this so give it a shot!

Now as promised here are the first of the new T shirts! These are promoting the video “You Can’t Ride Pretty” A complete horse buying guide. A 2 DVD set packed with 8 hours of vital information you need to buy that  perfect equine partner! They are available in womens sizes M and L and 2 colors white and pink. The price is $10.50 plus $3.00 shipping and handling.

BUT!!!!

If you purchase 2 or more books or videos you will receive the T shirt FREE!!!! And get 3 entries in the $20,000.00 drawing! 

Right now I have not put the shirts up on buy it now so if you want just the shirt you will have to mail me a check.. But if they sell they will be available through the web site. Those folks purchasing books or videos through my site only need to send me an e mail to include it with their purchase..

So friends that’s it in a nut shell. Hopefully you will join me in this project and make the day of one lucky student to get a good start on their education in the equine field! Please tell your friends and lets get this thing goin!

Here’s the pic of the first shirt.. The next one will be something I think both you gals and the guys will like!

That’s about all the news from the round pen for now, so have a good one… best wishes and “Just Ride”! Smokie

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News from the round pen…

June 20, 2009 by Smokie.

Hello Friends,

I hope your summer is goin well and you are enjoying this warm weather and getting out to ride! Things have been busy out here in the equine world with clinics, training and trying to get a little time on my own horses too But I wanted to give you a little update on whats coming up and also pass on a letter I recieved yesterday from a young lady who attended part of my trailer loading seminar that I did in May..

First the news…

This last spring a friend of mine suggested I make up some t shirts and put some of the logos or sayings that I stress as part of my teachings on getting a good horse,training etc.. Sooooo.. I did! The first of which will be on the site in the next few weeks.. This one is for the gals out there and I and hope you like it.. It has the saying that I whole heartidly stress when looking to buy a horse.

“You Cant Ride Pretty! ” And that is all you get for now, so stay tuned

I will be selling these seperately and perhaps using them as a free gift with the purchase of my 2 DVD Horse Buying Guide. The intial order will be small so dont wait to get your name in the hat if you want one!

And there will be a couple of more down the road if the interest is there so let me know what ya think and your ideas..

Now here is the letter I recieved on e mail and my response…

Hi Smokie,

You commented on my blog today, and I wanted to get back to you. It surprised me that you did, but I respect you for taking the time to hear my opinion. And I had no idea you had taught at the University of Montana! I would love to hear more about the classes. I tried to contact the University to find out what kind of philosophy they use and just more about it in general, but they haven’t got back to me.

And about the trailer-loading clinic, what disappointed me most was how if you could get the horse in the trailer, you considered him good-to-go. In my opinion, to get a horse good at trailer-loading, he needs to be confident in the trailer. For some horses, this means lots of going in and out, in and out; for others it might mean waiting until they get curious about the trailer; or it might even mean hiding treats inside. There’s lots of strategies available to use. But I didn’t see you cause any one of those horses to be confident. You just put them in, and said “next”. So, I didn’t feel that you fixed the horses’ problems at that clinic.

Also, I understand your philosophy of no BS, but it wasn’t fair to tell people to get their horses into the trailer however they could - that’s where I think you’re telling them what they want to hear. I know most people are just concerned about riding and don’t have any professional goals, but I think that the horses got the short end of the stick that time. You’re not putting their needs first. For example, I remember you played with one horse (Palomino?) that was very hyped-up, and a lady there said she was very unpredictable and was a rescue horse. You got her into the trailer, and then you were done with her (which I also didn’t like as I stated above). She still wasn’t very confident with the trailer, and telling the lady to get her in any way she could is only going to make the problem worse in the long run. Plus, somebody is going to get hurt: forcing a scared 1000lb animal into a place that it doesn’t want to be isn’t what I call safe.

Oh, and what’s a brombie? I’d guess a problem horse, but I really have no idea.

From,
Erica.

Hi Erica,
And thanks for the reply!! You are most right on most of your comments… But! Had you been there for the first part you would understand more about what happened when you did get there.. I do advocate a lot of reps to get a horse good about being in the trailer and getting in. Not just once in and out and call it good. But at this clinic it was designed as just a demo not to work with horses that are bad about getting in! All the horses that were used have been loaded many times with the exception of the palamino which I did take more time with cuz she needed it. And you are right there are a lot different ways to load horses but the key is to make them want to be in the trailer and think its their idea to do it! Doing a full blown trailer loading session might take all day on one horse and I have had some that take more time than that.. So I think your ideas are right but you missed the point of the class! And like I said thats why I dont normally do trailering clinics cuz sometimes you just cant get it done like they do on TV!  And about getting a horse confident in the trailer, you are right there too and the horses that I worked with at the clinic were confident in the trailer or they wouldnt have jumped in as easily as they did! What I mean by anyway you can is exactly what you were saying there are many methods out there to teach horses to load, just like there are many trainers out there and many horses you can learn from as well! You will learn if you work with enough horses and listen to enough trainers that there is no complete system, bag of tricks, special sticks or halters, or one person that will do things the same way or be able to fix every horses problem.. So don’t be so quick to judge a horse, trainer, or method simply because its not the way you do it.. or the way the guy on TV does it!
If you would like to talk more I’ll look forward to seeing you at the round pen clinic..
And I wish you luck in getting into U of M.. You can go to my web page under clinics and trainers and contact my friend Jeff Griffith to find out more about the class, he is one of the horsemanship instructors.. You can also contact my friend Rusty Heble at ***-###-$#$#. He also teaches in the program and he can get you in touch with the right folks to find out more..
Let me know if there is anything else I can help you with or explain more
Have a good one! And a Brombie is a wild horse in Austrailia!
Regards and “Just Ride” Smokie

That’s about it for now folks so get out there and ride! And we’ll see you on the trail!

Smokie

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Check this out!!

December 15, 2008 by Smokie.

Hello there friends,

I just wanted to let know about my friend Lana Yates and her business making leather coats and other great stuff!

She made this jacket for me for the wild west shows I do in the summer and it is just fantastic work. She copied an original jacket worn by Wild Bill and it is pretty dang close! Her website info is in the classifieds section of my website  and below..so go check it out! If you’re looking for something  different this is it!

www.lostriverleather.com
www.leatherbylana.com

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Some random words of thought..

July 23, 2008 by Smokie.

hello friends,

Here’s something that might give you some pause for thought.. Please let me know what ya think.. I also want to let you know that the new round pen video is at the printer and should be back in a few weeks! Stay tuned…

Here ya goooo..

The keys to being a good horseman and trainer…

 

  Not long ago my apprentice ask me the question… “ What is the most important thing you can teach me to become a good trainer and horseman?”  It took some thought, sole searching, and recollection of the things I’ve learned over the years to give her an answer but here goes…

 

Through the years, I’ve come to realize that the keys to being good with horses does not lie entirely in the sums of acquired knowledge of training principals, or the tutelage received from the all knowing masters of horse training. The keys to obtaining the level of wisdom and to truly be one with the horse come from the deepest darkest parts of your sole and your experiences in life. It is how you see, interact, and judge, your self, your horse, and others, against the perceived realities of the world around you. And how you manage the turmoil within yourself.  This is how the horse will see you, respond, and work, (or not work) for you.

 

Horses are remarkable creatures in that they can look into the eyes of you, “The predator” and instantly know if they can trust you with their life. They will not prejudge or hold a grudge if they cannot.  They will willingly accept you as the leader if you have their respect and their confidence as the protector of the herd, their life, and their existence on this earth.

 

People that have not had or lived through a profound life changing or emotional experience and know the true meaning of what life is all about, cannot become true horsemen.  If you do not know, or haven’t seen your life for how truly simple it is, and cannot give a part yourself, or your knowledge, without judgment, for the betterment of the others in the heard, you cannot appreciate or comprehend what it takes to really know the horse.

 

I’ve talked with horseman and women that truly have a gift with horses. Virtually all are at peace with themselves and all creatures, including the rest of the bipeds.  All have witnessed and faced death, the miracle of life, and they know that it all can change in an instant. One bad kick, bad argument, bad war, relationship, or decision made for some self-serving mission or concept of reality.

 

The horse is one with his herd and his environment.  He will do his part to continue his existence and that of his species.  It’s a simple forgiving life.  The horse has no concept of human emotions.  He knows nothing about love, revenge, hate, time, responsibility, perfection, prejudice, or production.  He knows only two… The only two perfect unchanging concepts of emotion and human reality, living and dieing. These two concepts manifest themselves in the horse as “forgiveness and fear”.  Trainers or horse people that base their training on other human concepts will not succeed in training or horsemanship.  If they cannot accept and let go of their distrust, anger, jealousy, control, and preconceived ideas of life, love, sacrifice, time, and how we live life on this earth, they will never know or experience a true willing partnership with the horse or the humans in their lives.

Learn to forgive yourself, your horse, and others for their imperfections. Do not fear yesterday or tomorrow. Or get balled up over those things that you cannot change, were unsuccessful, needs more work, or simply forgotten.  Just be patient, and live for today, the best way you can. Be in harmony with yourself, your horse, and the others you share your life with. Have no regrets, and expect no more in return.

 

Trust the horse and the human to give the same of him as he sees in you and your lives will be better for it…

 

Then you will be on your way to becoming a horseman. At peace with yourself, your herd, and the world we live in… like your horse.

 

I’m not a true horseman yet but I work on it every day and I hope this helps you along the way.

 

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A letter from a friend…

January 30, 2008 by Smokie.

Hello All,

Here is a letter I received from Steve DePriest in Colorado. It is interesting in the fact that it truly typifies why I wrote “Whisper This…” and my hope to help people become more educated and safer horse enthusieist.  Here ya go!

Dear Smokie,

You don’t know me but I feel like I know you. I’ve  just got finished with your book and enjoyed it VERY much. I’ve also read your brothers books and took some of his clinics over the years. I am the quiet fellow in Bucks’ book “Believe”, pages 11-12.

I  owe you many thanks for your book, especially pages 6-10. I got crushed by one of those colts who had the misfortune to have a dingbat mother and a rattlesnake daddy. I was foolish and believed that there was no such thing as a bad horse. Whoops! Thank you so much for explaining it to me in plain english. Thank you, Thank you, etc,etc,etc! I hope you have another book in you. I am waitiing for your next one with bated breath. Or worms on my tongue!

Thanks again,

Steve DePriest

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A letter from my new friend Michael Martin Murphy!!

October 2, 2007 by Smokie.

Hello friends,

Here’s a letter I recieved from my new friend Micheal Martin Murphy.
A great singer and fellow horseman. Love that song “Wildfire”

Regards, and "Just Ride" Smokie

Smokie,

I loved the book! It’s so practical, and down-to-
earth; a real breath of fresh of air and dose of reality in the
midst of all the “new age” horse stuff that’s going on. Some of that
stuff gets a little too weird for this cowboy!

My family ranch in Wisconsin, The Rocking 3M Ranch, is deeply
involved in equestrian activity of all kinds. We are breeders,
horse trainers, and  competitors- as well as the show business
activities that I do. We mainly show Paint and AQHA horses
though we do work with some pony  breeds and draft horses,
mostly in Working Cow Horse Events. Our oldest daughter,
Jessica, is studying to be a Large Animal Doctor at
UW- River Falls, and is the one who is most motivated about Paint
Horses. Our middle daughter, Sarah, spent all Summer working for Bill
Freeman in Texas, and has huge talent as cutting horse competitor.
She came within one point of the Superstakes Finals on her first
competitive ride! Sarah is also a very talented cowgirl poet. Morgan,
my youngest daughter, buys-trains- sells ponies( she does very well-
and is the most naturally talented rider in our family) and is
attracted to the farming side of agriculture, too. She is currently
working for, and being mentored by, an excellent dairy operator in
our area.

My wife, Karen is the real driving force behind the horse side of the
Rocking 3M Ranch. That’s not to say that she doesn’t do an awfully
lot of work with our Texas Longhorn Cattle and other critters on the
ranch- and she loves them all.

We’ll be in touch soon, as soon as we hear from Mike. And regardless
of what happens with the event at Steven’s Point, I’m hoping that we
can get to know each other as time goes on.

Murph

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