Horse Tales from the LOPE Ranch

The Right Match

At LOPE, we’ve been involved with nearly 200 horse adoptions here at the ranch. We’ve seen many amazing matches between horse and human, and it’s one of the most rewarding parts of our work. The surprises are what make the adoptions extra fun to watch — like the difficult, complicated horse who falls in love with a gentle intermediate rider or the nervous, shy horse who blossoms into a show champion because his rider believes in him.

But we’ve also seen mismatches. Typically we spot these at the first adoption visit, when the prospective adopter comes to meet the horse and ride. It can be delicate situation to find a way to politely tell someone that they aren’t quite the right partner for that particular horse. Fortunately, we usually don’t have to do that — the rider knows that the horse isn’t the right match and is happy to keep shopping elsewhere.

Then there is the case of the stubborn mismatch — where the rider refuses to see that the horse isn’t a suitable choice. Most of us who work with horses see this particular situation occasionally here and there (whether it’s an over-mounted rider at a clinic or a tall cowboy loping a pony-sized steed during a trail ride). The most classic example is often a less experienced equestrian teamed with a gorgeous, but fiery, horse. The rider just can’t seem to accept that the horse isn’t the dream steed they hoped for, in spite of gentle hints from friends and instructors (as well as spectators to their latest near-disaster in the arena).

My original goal with this post was to come up with an entertaining list of “you might need a different horse” quips — as a way to get people talking about this topic and thinking about their own horses. The goal was to provoke thought and maybe help a few people (and horses) out there who need new riding partners.

As I typed along cheerily, my fingers paused, and I realized how well suited I am to write this post. I am in this situation myself — and it’s very hard to accept.

Those of you who have read my book about the LOPE horses know that Sally, the little bay mare, has been a huge part of my work at LOPE. Sally has plenty of pep as well as a lively, sweet disposition — alert and sensible all at the same time. Short and stocky with a round build, Sally is especially fun to ride in western tack.

Sally has taught me more than any other horse at LOPE — she was there with me at several key moments in my development as an aspiring horseman. For example, at a Ray Hunt clinic, Sally demonstrated to me the importance of adapting to fit the situation. During a demonstration ride at a horse expo, Sally showed me everything in myself that was lacking (and that was good) when it came to horsemanship. She means the world to me.

And I’m no longer the right rider for her.

About 20 months ago, I noticed that Sally seemed less rounded in her hindquarters. Sally is one of those short (15H) mares who seems to be curvy everywhere (belly, topline, even her ears). I assumed it was that she needed more exercise, a different diet (like more hay or alfalfa) and maybe a change in her worming program. But even after all those things, Sally’s booty remained leaner and it seemed, if anything, to be getting worse.

Sally still rode mostly the same — she was perky, sweet and easy (without ever being boring). But I felt something was wrong — and I began making excuses to not ride her as much. Finally, one day, I approached her from behind in the pasture and saw that one hindquarter was now much flatter than the other one. And it hit home to me that something more unusual was happening.

So I took her to Austin Equine Associates, and the diagnosis was that she had had an impact injury in the pelvic area at some point in her life (maybe a starting gate injury). Sally now had muscle atrophy in her hindquarters and the chances weren’t high that it would rebound back to normal. But there was also good news: she was very much serviceably sound and showed little sign of obvious lameness. She was weak on that hindquarter, of course, and high-powered sports weren’t going to in her future, but with steady riding, she might well tone up the surrounding muscles and become stronger.

So I kept riding Sally — taking her to clinics, doing trail riding at the ranch and generally thinking of her as my fun, “go to” horse. It didn’t matter to me that she wasn’t the perfect sport horse or a high-powered athlete — we were good friends and I loved our rides together. Sure, we often were more likely to ride jagged ovals than elegant circles and rarely attempted any kind of more advanced work (such as collection) — but we were just there to have pleasant rides and nothing more. And that’s just what happened for both Sally and me — nothing more.

Then, over the past few months, friends and colleagues began trying to help me see that Sally needs someone different. I didn’t recognize that at the time — I just wondered why people seemed to always talk enthusiastically about how I should ride Lightening Ball (my other favorite LOPE horse to ride) whenever I brought Sally to an event or clinic. Finally, a trusted friend was blunt with me: at 5’8” and 145 lbs, I am too big for Sally in her current condition. She has to put in tons of effort to pack me around. Plus she tries too hard to please me and give me the bigger, longer rides we used to do all the time.

Neither of us can progress further when we are riding together. The work we used to do is simply too hard for Sally — her needs have changed. Yet at the same time, she still enjoys light riding, long grooming sessions, ground work and hanging out with her pasture buddies. Sally has a great deal to offer to a good home — as long that home isn’t me.

Needless to say, I was quite resistant to these facts. It felt disloyal; as if I was tossing Sally aside for not being good enough anymore. But the reality is that I am holding Sally back by not letting her go to the ideal rider, job and home for her. When I realized this, I was very sad, because I knew that the best thing I could do for Sally was find her the right home.

For all of my experience with the LOPE horses, you would think I would have figured this out much sooner. But many of us horse owners have such a strong emotional bond with our horses that we forget to be objective. Another horse friend told me the story of a beautiful buckskin horse that she had worked with — they had a strong connection on the ground and made much progress with his trust issues. But he had been abused and was very fearful of being ridden. And my friend came to the conclusion (reluctantly, like me) that she was not the right person to take him to his full potential.

She rehomed Dakota to a trainer who specialized in working with horses like him. Many months later, she saw them riding together — a deeply emotional moment for her. She writes: “I think the biggest mistake people make in this situation is putting themselves and their own desires before that of the horse. If I had been selfish, I would have kept Dakota and he would have been a pasture ornament for the rest of his life. Now, he has a purpose and is probably much happier being able to trust humans again.”

So Sally is now officially up for adoption. She is a wonderful little mare and a terrific teacher. If you think you might be the perfect home for her, please contact us for more information. I have lots of great stories about Sally to share, and I promise to smile when the right home comes along and be happy for Sally (instead of sad for myself).

And for those readers who are wondering what my original idea for this post would have looked like, below is my quiz about horse and rider matches.

Quiz: Are You and Your Horse a Good Match?

Here are some questions that I have found useful to consider:

• Do you frequently postpone riding sessions with your horse because he is having physical problems? Is your horse ever sore (legs, back, withers, etc) after riding? Is this a consistent pattern?
• Have friends or family ever suggested to you that you might need a different type of horse? Has a trainer/instructor ever told you that your horse wasn’t a good match? Have multiple trainers/instructors suggested that you might want to reconsider your horse choice? Note: Multiple professionals giving you this type of feedback is a very serious signal to think about.
• Has anyone ever told you that they were worried that you were going to get hurt with your horse?
• When you ride your horse, do you both progress steadily over time? Do you work on new things or always do the same routine? Are either of you bored?
• Do you have fun when you ride your horse? Note: If your stomach is churning and you only exhale every 15 minutes while in the saddle, you are not having fun.
• Do you put off learning more advanced riding techniques because you aren’t sure you and your horse can do those together? Note: Not everyone is interested in learning how to piaffe, but this question did help me realize what was going on with Sally and me.
• Do you spend more time on the ground with your horse (round pen work, hand walking, grooming, etc) than you do riding your horse? Note: This question is not directed at folks who have pasture pals they adore but don’t ride for a good reason (the horse is retired or in rehab, for example). The question is for people who have a horse they acquired for riding. I often groomed or round penned Sally, but didn’t ride her as much — even though I considered her one of my primary riding horses.
• How often have you ridden your horse without supervision (i.e., not in a lesson) in the past 6 months? In the past year? A low number (i.e., one that you can actually remember) is food for thought.
• Pretend for a minute that you HAVE to rehome your horse for a good reason (such as you just got offered a dream job in New Zealand and can’t take your horse there). How does that make you feel? Sad, excited, relieved?
• If you use a trainer for your horse, how long has your horse been in training with that person? Have you switched trainers since you’ve had your horse? If so, how many trainers has your horse been with in the last year? In the last two years?
• Pretend for a minute that the horse person you trust or admire more than anyone (your current instructor, your most revered horsemanship master, your barn BFF, or Ray Hunt himself speaking from the grave) just sat you down and told you that your horse needs someone different. How do you react — are you angry (“What do they know?”), defiant (“I’ll show them and ride my horse in the Olympics one day”), concerned (“Oh no, what if they are right”) or sad (“I know they are right”)?

There are no official “scores” for this questionnaire. If you are noticing a pattern in your answers, please consider the quiz as a gentle catalyst for provoking new thought and insight into your view of your horse.

Patterns

As you know from previous posts, Chaplin and Lightening Ball are two of the ex-racehorses that I'm working with at Hy Court Farm. On the surface, the two horses couldn’t be more different from each other. Chaplin is a small (14H) 6 yo Arabian ex-racehorse who retired with just a few races under his belt. LB is a tall 15 yo TB gelding who raced until age 9.

Chaplin is short with a stocky, pony-like build. LB has the classic frame of his breed — long, elegant, very athletic. Chaplin is quite green, with little riding experience outside of racing (see video of Chaplin before he came to Hy Court). LB was once adopted to be a dressage lesson horse (only to be returned due to spookiness under saddle). Since becoming a PR “spokeshorse” for LOPE, LB has been to several clinics, participated in two schooling shows, did some trail riding and even went to winter camp at Tom Curtin’s ranch.

My time with Chaplin has been focused on following the work Janet Manley at Hy Court Farm did with him earlier this year. Ground work, gentling exercises and colt starting rides (by that term, I mean riding with saddle, halter and reins, but no bit yet). In contrast, LB has been my primary mount for my ongoing lessons at Hy Court — we have started learning some elements of classical dressage foundation work together.

The more I work with these horses (and think about horsemanship principles), the more I see that Chaplin and LB have some key things in common. Both have some gaps in their original foundation work. That might sound strange, since they both have been ridden successfully at the track and (in LB’s case) for years after their race career. But good foundation work goes deeper than simply training a horse to carry a rider, it also helps build into the horse a sense of confidence about his balance, movement and ability to deal with new situations consistently.

Both Chaplin and LB at times have some anxiety about being asked to move in new ways. Chaplin had some difficulty with his right side and with his right hind to left foreleg diagonal (see original post). LB has trouble with the same diagonal, and because he is older and has many more years riding, he has developed stronger muscle patterns and tightness (especially in his right shoulder, which tries to counterbalance the stickiness in the left foreleg-right hind diagonal).

Just like people, horses can develop physical patterns and muscle memory — and when they are asked to change these patterns, it can be stressful for the horses. They might really feel that they can’t move any other way — and if a horse feels like he can’t move (and starts feeling trapped), that’s when things can get a little exciting or anxious for him.

Good horsemanship gives the rider the tools to introduce and reinforce these new ways of moving to the horses — so that they can develop the “try” and the trust to take those new kinds of steps (both literal and metaphoric ones). If the rider gets frustrated and tries to “make” the horse do this, it won’t work out too well. As the same time, if the rider gets too soft in their approach and helps the horse avoid things — that will create a poor outcome as well.

It’s a big commitment to take the time to understand and learn these tools. Sometimes it can seem so much easier to just strap on a spur and “get it done” (even if the horse doesn’t really flow properly into the movement, but instead just reacts away from the spur). And I can always talk myself into not pushing my horse out of his comfort zone, because it’s “too hard” for him (even though what I really mean is that it is too hard for me).

When I slow down and take the time to understand what is really happening physically with each horse’s way of moving and carrying himself, I then can better set up the horse (as well as myself) for success under saddle. It takes longer and requires more of me as a rider. But the results are very much worth the wait (for both me and the horse).

The Education of Lightening Ball (“LB”)

I have talked about Lightening Ball (aka “LB”) several times in this blog. LB was donated to LOPE by his first race owners (Bob and Pat Orth). They had owned LB at the height of his racing success, back when he was Texas Three Year Old of the Year in 1999. Even long after they no longer owned LB, they still followed his racing career. In 2005, LB was running in $4500 claiming races at Mountaineer Park. He was nine years old then, and the Orths were concerned about his future. They claimed him back, just so they could retire him and eventually donate him to LOPE!

For those of you who have read my book about LOPE, you already know that by 2005 LB had developed a reputation at the track as a difficult horse. I never saw him that way (though I certainly appreciated that he was a very sensitive horse with a big personality), and over time, LB and I developed quite a bond. Although he probably was better suited for a more advanced rider, LB decided he liked me — and so our riding adventures began.

LB retired from the track sound — the only signs of his long racing career were two faint osselets on his front ankles. Tall, well-built and surprisingly agile for his size, LB was a formidable athlete and a terrific example of the Thoroughbred breed.

I did many things with LB. We went to a Tom Curtin clinic and learned about the many foundation gaps that both LB and I had. At that time, I mostly rode LB in a western saddle — we even went to Tom Curtin’s winter camp and learned how to do a little work with cows (even though LB wasn’t too sure if he liked them or not).

Eventually, though, I could see LB was a little frustrated. He would move slowly off my aids (such as they were), and had episodes of tension that confused me a little (though he was always careful to take care of me). I sensed something about my approach just wasn’t working for him, even though he liked me and wanted to please me.

So, over a year ago, I started taking lessons with Janet Manley at Hy Court Farm. Hy Court Farm has been LOPE’s horsemanship sponsor since 2008, and I knew they could help LB (and me) progress to the next level.

For the first few lessons, I rode Western as usual. But as LB began to work more through his back, it became clear that he needed a different saddle. His shoulders and withers simply couldn’t move well in my saddle. Schleese Saddlery stepped in and donated a wonderful, custom fitted saddle for LB last spring. The change was amazing! LB moved and felt like a different horse — he even won his class at his first horse show!

But there was more work to be done — specifically, by me on my riding technique. I had developed many poor habits over the years, and because I didn’t learn to ride until I was an adult, I also had several gaps in my education.

LB in some ways represents the classic OTTB. He is talented, attractive and very athletic. Like many OTTBs, he can occasionally have moments of tension under saddle too. So often, it is easy to dismiss these episodes as being due to the “TB temperament” — but the reality is that LB is an individual horse, with unique responses and experiences. The racetrack can often produce wonderful athletes with less than ideal foundations in place for activities besides high-powered racing, but that might also be said of the cutting horse or upper level dressage worlds too.

As a rider, I finally realized that it was MY responsibility to help LB work through his concerns and uneven education — it wasn’t appropriate to just write off any undesirable or unexpected reaction in LB as being outside my control.

So I got to work fixing and educating myself — a long, slow, sometimes frustrating (but always rewarding) process. Over the past months, I have begun to understand more about equine biomechanics, the importance of straightness to the horse, rein aids (and why I should not fear them), taking ownership of my riding and my horse’s needs under saddle, the reason why hind-fore diagonals are so key to the horse and rider, how interfering with the horse’s neck carriage can be so detrimental, why my posture is more important than my muscle strength, what is truly “lightness” in a horse and the difference between leg movement and back movement in assessing cadence in the horse’s stride. And that’s just a quick list off the top of my head. Wow!

I'm still nowhere near perfection as a rider. But, thanks to LB and Hy Court Farm, I am an improving rider as well as a serious working student of the field of horsemanship.

Stay tuned for more details on my journey with LB and the other LOPE horses during my working student adventures!

Educating Chaplin

Chaplin is an incredibly cute young Arabian ex-racehorse available for Adoption at LOPE. He raced a few times in 2010, but because of his small size (14H), it was difficult for him to win races. His race owners donated him to LOPE. A terrific foster home stepped forward — Julie gave Chaplin a wonderful place to spend time in turnout.

After several months there, Chaplin returned to the LOPE Ranch to begin some retraining and get ready for a new career. At 14H, he is the smallest ex-racer we've ever had at LOPE! But true to his breed, Chaplin has a wonderful, inquisitive temperament and a kind heart. He is green and inexperienced in many ways, but has the aptitude and willingness to be a wonderful partner for an experienced junior rider or petite adult.

After our flood in January, Chaplin came to Hy Court Farm. During the day of the flood, he had a very stressful time — while he was being led out of chest-high water to safer ground, he spooked and lost his footing. Being the smallest horse of the herd, the high water was especially scary for him!

Janet Manley at Hy Court Farm began working with Chaplin to help LOPE assess his personality, physical needs and overall suitability for different jobs. The first several sessions with Chaplin involved Janet working with him on the ground. I have a bad habit of sometimes rushing my ground work. Like many equestrians, I can be impatient to ride (it’s so much fun to check out the horses under saddle) and will accidently miss important cues in ground work.

So I was especially fascinated with Janet’s methodical, yet adaptive, approach to working with Chaplin on the ground. She carefully observed how Chaplin moved, where he was tight and how he carried his body. Chaplin’s frightening experience with the flood had made him extra cautious and tense about certain situations (feeling crowded, for example), and in watching his reactions, Janet soon came to some interesting conclusions.

First, it was clear that Chaplin was very tight on his right side. While it isn’t uncommon for green horses to be a little worried about their right side (since we usually work with them more on the left side for leading, mounting and so on), this tendency was much more pronounced in Chaplin. He had trouble turning his head to the right, so if something bothered him on his right field of vision, he would quickly turn his left side so he could see it from his left eye.

That might not sound like a big deal, but it made things pretty uncomfortable if you were standing next to Chaplin when he decided to move his left side rapidly to check out something on his right (instead of just turning his head to the right).

With further work and observation, Janet pinpointed that Chaplin’s right hind had difficulty stepping under (and thus creating stickiness in that hind as well as the left foreleg diagonal). Chaplin felt braced and tense whenever he was asked to step through the right hind-left front diagonal — which meant he often tried to back up or find other ways to wriggle out of that situation.

Watching this, I realized that riding Chaplin without first helping him work out the issue on his right side would be very stressful for both Chaplin and the rider. I had ridden Chaplin a few times when he first came off the track and when he was returned to our ranch from the foster home. He had seemed willing but super green — he stood still for mounting, stayed at the walk without trying to rush or trot, stopped on a voice command and so on. But he had been tentative, which I simply chalked up to his age and inexperience.

But now it was clear that he'd actually been tight (not just tentative) and uncomfortable. A tight and uncomfortable horse (especially a green horse) doesn’t need to be ridden so quickly. I would have served Chaplin much better if I had spent that time on the ground instead of in the saddle with him.

On the plus side, I was impressed with how generous and willing Chaplin could be. Clearly, he had every reason to be difficult with me under saddle those few times — but instead he did his best to please me (and also to gently let me know that he felt uncomfortable).

So many times I have been struck with how horses will “fill in” for people, and give us every benefit of the doubt while we make mistakes and rush around and maybe don’t pay as much attention to their signals as we should.

Chaplin clearly had a heart of gold, and I was excited to see what Janet and Hy Court would do next with him. Stay tuned for the next chapter.

The Best Laid Plans…

Several weeks ago, I worked on a draft of the blog post below. At LOPE, we had come to the decision that it was time to focus more on horsemanship education in 2012 — as part of our mission to help ex-racehorses find new homes and careers.

When I wrote the post, I envisioned a gradual process over the next several months — which LOPE would steadily shift its emphasis to education while sharing what we were learning.

Little did I know that nature had something else in mind. On January 25, a freak flash flood hit the LOPE Ranch after 7-9 inches of rain fell in three hours. Our facility sustained serious damage and the LOPE horses were moved to foster homes for their safety. Huge thanks to Sheila at Graymar Farm, Bill and Carol Matthews and Hy Court Farm for fostering the LOPE horses.

Because the LOPE facility has extensive damage from the flood, it wouldn't be appropriate to take in many new horses until the ranch is fully repaired. LOPE will continue to help place horses via our website, social media and other outreach options — but our usual adoption horse intakes will be reduced at this time.

So, LOPE will be taking this time to move forward more quickly on our horsemanship education program. We will be working closely with Hy Court Farm and the LOPE foster horses there. And I hope to see many success stories from those efforts — as the horses and I learn how to prepare them more fully for new careers after racing.

Please read more below:

LOPE and Horsemanship Education

LOPE was founded in 2003. Through the years, we have experimented with many different ways to help ex-racehorses find homes. The first year, we only did the website listing service — as we didn’t yet have the means or facility to take in horses at that time.

In 2004, we opened the adoption ranch — and started working directly with all types of ex-racehorses. Some years, we took in mostly rehabilitation horses — so that they could have the time to rest and heal their injuries here. Other times, we’ve had a variety of sound horses (from unstarted 2 year-olds to veteran champions retiring after many years of racing).

As we look back over the past nine years, one consistent theme has emerged. The more that we learn about horsemanship (and share what we have learned), the faster the horses find homes. A better-educated horse has more of a chance to excel at a second career — and as we become better students of horsemanship, we can help more horses.

At LOPE, we have come to believe that horsemanship and education are the keys to finding ex-racehorses new homes and careers. Too often people assume ex-racehorses are high strung, crazy or unsuitable for post-track careers — because they don’t understand the racehorse’s track training as well as his sensitive and willing nature.

Over the last few years, we’ve steadily learned more about horsemanship technique, equine biomechanics and horse psychology. Hy Court Farm has been LOPE’s horsemanship sponsor since 2008 and has helped us discover such terrific teachers as Janet Manley, Tom Curtin, Buck Brannaman, Ginger Gaffney, Anja Beran and Linda Hoover. These teachers hail from many disciplines of riding (from jumping to dressage to western). Yet at the core, they all stress the same principles — the foundation work that is the most important to the horse’s development and well-being (whether as a pleasure riding mount or as a competitive performer in any discipline).

With this style of horsemanship, the kind of tack on the horse is less important than how he feels about himself, his work and his rider. The horsemanship foundation work is fun and beneficial to every kind of horse and rider — but especially to the ex-racehorses (with their negative reputations) and to the riders who own and love them.

Many of you know from my book, Beyond The Homestretch, that I didn’t learn to ride until I was an adult. Although I have worked with nearly 200 horses directly over the years at the LOPE ranch, there are many gaps in my technical equestrian skills. At the same time, the LOPE horses have taught me a huge amount about horsemanship at a very fundamental level. So I often find myself with sophisticated knowledge about some aspects of horsemanship but only rudimentary knowledge about other elements.

In the past couple of years, I have written the book about my experiences with the LOPE horses — plus LOPE has produced a DVD on Retraining Racehorses (with renowned horsemanship teacher Tom Curtin). Since then, we have seen a large increase in interest about the LOPE program, the ex-racehorses here and our approach (of a student perspective, rather than an expert) to our work. People from all areas of the US have contacted us to share stories of their ex-racehorses, how they work with them and what they are learning. Even more exciting, we often hear from people who had ruled out ex-racehorses as mounts until they watched the DVD or read the book.

For the next phase of LOPE’s work, we will be concentrating more on horsemanship and sharing our learning journey with the horses here. As the first and most important step, I will become a working student at Hy Court Farm — to deepen my understanding of the horsemanship philosophy they teach. In the past few years, every significant step forward in LOPE’s understanding of the horses has come in some way from Hy Court Farm (for example, we met Tom Curtin and filmed our DVD there). So I am excited and honored to be a part of their program as a working student.

The LOPE horses at our adoption ranch will now be put in more formal career paths. We will select a couple LOPE horses to go through training and/or lessons at Hy Court Farm — so that we can give these horses a better “job training” plan, as well as learn more ourselves in the process. There might be fewer horses at the LOPE Ranch for adoption, but each horse will be able to receive more specialized attention and handling.

I will be blogging about my experiences as a working student at Hy Court Farm, as well as sharing the training adventures of the LOPE horses there too. Our hope is that one day the blog might help some ex-racehorses (and their owners) in their training — as well as encourage people to take a chance on an ex-racehorse as their next riding mount, teacher and friend.

Stay tuned!

LOPE is Beneficiary at AAEP Kate Tweedy Book Event

LOPE would like to thank Kate Tweedy (author of Secretariat's Meadow) and Macleod Pharmaceuticals for their support during the AAEP Annual Convention. Ms. Tweedy (daughter of Secretariat's owner, Penny Chenery) had a hugely popular book signing at the convention -- and she donated a generous share of the proceeds to LOPE. Macleod Pharmaceuticals sponsored the book event and also gave LOPE space at their booth. LOPE sold out of its inventory of Beyond the Homestretch at the event too! Thanks to Ms. Tweedy and Macleod Pharmaceuticals, nearly $1800 was raised for the LOPE horses (and their winter hay fund). We appreciate their support tremendously (as well as the help of the LOPE volunteers at the event: Suzanne, Judy, Jenn, Gina and Loretta).

Pictured: Kate Tweedy (on left) with LOPE Volunteer, Judy Marchman.

Interview with Horseman and Stockman, Tom Curtin

Tom Curtin grew up in Montana and has had a long career working with some of the most famous ranches in the US (King Ranch, The Four Sixes, Johnson Ranch and 7D Ranch). He counts such horsemanship legends as Buster Welch and Ray and Carolyn Hunt as his mentors.

He has helped the LOPE horses tremendously over the past few years. I’ve learned a great deal from riding in his clinics and attending his winter camp in Florida. Tom also is the star of LOPE’s DVD on Retraining Racehorses and we appreciate his affinity for ex-racehorses very much.

Tom will be coming to the Austin area on Nov 4-6 for Colt Starting and Horsemanship classes at Hy Court Farm. If you are in the area, please don’t miss the opportunity to ride in or audit the clinic — Tom is a terrific teacher!

You worked closely with Ray Hunt and knew him well. Can you tell us one or two of your favorite stories about Ray and why he was so important to you as a horseman?

Ray gave so much of himself to my family and I. I had the opportunity to show Ray how to make rope halters. It took some days for Ray to master these halter knots. At one point, he called and asked me for my help with some specific knots. I made him a simple diagram with a small piece of string stapled to a piece of cardboard. Years later, I found this same cardboard and string example that had traveled with him for ages, still in his halter gear bag. Being able to give back a small piece of what he gave us was an opportunity few have had — to give something to Ray, as he’s given to so many.

Ray also really enjoyed driving a team of horses. One time, he asked if I would come to Texas and start a couple of teams of his horses driving. It was really special to see him so excited to see these teams come together. And we then rebuilt a wagon to suit his needs. That two-week period in my life was so special to me — because I was able to give something to Ray, who gave so much to me.

As a teacher, you see so many horses and riders every year in your clinics and winter camp. Can you describe one or two of your favorite teaching moments (when a horse and rider achieved a special breakthrough or when you felt best as a teacher)?

This is a really difficult question. As a clinician, I have been blessed with the opportunity and the ability to teach what I have learned from many great stockmen. Each day of my life that I work with horses and people, I have great moments.

Recently I had the opportunity to conduct a horsemanship class of about 20 participants. Most of them had ridden with me previously. It was a pleasure to watch the harmony these people have achieved with their horses, to observe the changes that have taken place. I had the pleasure of watching the feel, timing and balance these riders had with their horses for the full three hours of the class.

As a human, it is hard to take credit for these changes — yet I am constantly reminded of how I have helped these horses and their riders achieve a higher level of respect, trust and understanding.

On your website, you are described as a stockman as well as a horseman. What does that term mean to you and why do so few people earn the right to be called that?

To me the term stockman defines a person who has a very good understanding of all livestock. A stockman has the ability to take one form of livestock and use it to teach another form of livestock.

To be able to move a cow with a horse, allowing the cow to teach the horse what he needs to learn and the horse needs to teach the cow what the cow needs to learn. When livestock learns the relationship between each another and the human, the job of the stockman is working harmoniously with all animals. This becomes fluid when done in a quality manner.

Seldom do people have the opportunity to work with the variety of livestock that I have had. My life has been filled with excellent horsemen and cattlemen. It is rare to find one person who could balance all talent — to set the stage, for each animal to be productive. I’ve been fortunate to work with good horses, cattle, dogs, mules and various other livestock. Being able to incorporate the human with various livestock in a harmonious manner makes a stockman — as has been defined by my peers and respected clients.

You will be hosting a two-week colt starting clinic this winter at your winter camp in Florida. How will the two-week format help people and their colts get a better foundation? What type of mistakes do people sometimes make in starting their colts on their own?

The two-week format will give a person the idea of where to take their horse beyond a three-day clinic creating a more in depth foundation. It will allow the human to understand how to keep things interesting for the horse.

A three-day colt starting class gives you a foundation to start out with your horse. In two weeks both the human and the horse have the opportunity to make the foundation stronger — and to develop respect and trust in each other.

But I can’t say that anybody makes any specific mistakes with their horse. They just lack the understanding of how to support the horse (in order to carry him further building respect and trust).

While you were filming the DVD on Retraining Racehorses, we really noticed how much you seemed to enjoy working with the LOPE ex-racehorses (and how much they liked you back). Not all clinicians seem to have the same positive attitude towards ex-racehorses as you do. Why do you like ex-racehorses so much?

Early in life I had the opportunity to ride some racehorses on the track. More often than not, these horses weren’t comfortable with themselves or the people that handled them. They lacked a foundation — which would have allowed them to have a second chance (which I always felt they deserved). This is why I feel obligated and honored to be able to help the racehorse, an athlete, which I highly regard.

When the racehorse doesn’t make the cut or when his racing career is finished, often he has realistically no place to go in life. He has no respect, trust or foundation. I feel that every horse should have the opportunity to have this foundation.

If the young, not-yet-started racehorse or the older ex-racehorse can be helped to develop respect, trust and a foundation, this will allow them the opportunity to have a second chance in life.

Fire Update and Online Auction

As you may have heard, the fires in Bastrop came close to the LOPE Ranch on Monday, and we decided to evacuate all the horses. Thanks to a huge outpouring of trailer help and foster homes from the Texas horse community, all of the LOPE horses were relocated to safety within hours. We are very grateful for everyone's support -- and our thoughts and sympathy are with the other friends and families in Bastrop who lost so much in the fire.

We have returned to the ranch -- there was no damage to the property and we are gradually bringing the LOPE horses back (as the fire risk diminishes).

Benefit Horse Show Still Scheduled

Many people have asked what they can do to help LOPE, now that the immediate threat of fire has been reduced. We would like to hold our planned Benefit Horse Show and Silent Auction Fundraiser on 9/17 at Hy Court Farm as scheduled. The LOPE volunteers, Hy Court staff, show sponsors and class judges have all worked hard to create a terrific event for a good cause. And we would like to move forward with the event and begin the process of putting the fire behind us. The fire crisis was a good reminder to us of how suddenly many horses can be at risk -- and we want to raise hay and care funds for the LOPE Ranch (so that we can help more horses in the future).

If you can attend the show, please register online here or download and mail the entry form and enjoy a fun, laid back show. For folks who can't come to the show but would like to support the event, please consider donating a $15 "virtual" show registration entry to LOPE here.

2011 LOPE Benefit Show Online Auction Now Open

The silent auction is now open for online bidding -- please check out the terrific collection of items our volunteers gathered for the auction (including a custom designed Derby hat, a VIP tour of Three Chimneys Farm in KY and tickets/passes to the 2012 National Cowboy Poetry Gathering). The auction will culminate with live bidding at the Benefit Horse Show on 9/17.

Thank you so much for all of your support, prayers and good thoughts this week for the LOPE horses -- it made a huge difference and kept us safe.

Horsemanship Philosophy of Buck Brannaman Interview Series: Cindy Meehl, Director of Buck

I first saw Buck, the documentary about Buck Brannaman, at the SXSW film festival in February. Last month, LOPE hosted a special sneak previewing screening of Buck in Austin, too. The film depicts the horsemanship philosophy of Buck Brannaman, as well as his own compelling life story. It's beautifully shot and very thought provoking (in a good way). LOPE highly recommends Buck — and you don't have to be a horse person to appreciate its entertaining combination of classic cowboy lifestyle, rugged scenery, pretty horses and quiet humor.

Cindy Meehl, the director of Buck, has quite an interesting story herself. She first met Buck when she brought a troubled horse to one of his clinics. The experience (and Buck) made a deep impression on her and she decided to make a film about him. Cindy was a first-time director and had no traditional filmmaking experience — but her passion for the project and for Buck's horsemanship philosophy carried her through the long process of creating the documentary.

The film has garnered much praise from critics and won the Sundance Film Festival's audience award. You can follow the latest news from the film and Cindy on Facebook, Twitter and the film website.

Please tell us about the mare you took to your first Buck clinic — you described her as troubled. How did Buck's clinic help you and her?

She was a Rocky Mountain Horse. I often ride alone and had heard that the Rocky Mountain Horses were good for trail riding. At the time, it didn't occur to me that the breed was less important than how the horse had been handled when it was young. My mare had been trained to be a flashy and extremely spirited show horse and she was quite troubled as a result. But I didn't take any of that into account — I guess you could say that I bought into the breed propaganda (laughs). Plus she was very pretty — which is another classic reason people buy the wrong horses.

My mare was very fearful and would bolt easily. She was challenging for me to handle and I knew I needed some help. I had heard about Buck and took her to his clinic. It was a very humbling experience. We all bring our own baggage and fears to the table at the clinics — and Buck is very clear about pointing that out. Instead of blaming the horse (or her early training), I had to learn to support her and give her what she needed to be less afraid. It was my responsibility and I had to own that fully.

The film especially captured the stoic, "no excuses" element of Buck's horsemanship philosophy. It reminded me of the saying, "there are no shortcuts to any place worth going." How did that aspect of Buck's horsemanship influence you as a filmmaker (particularly as a first-time director) and as an equestrian?

It influenced me very much, especially as a first-time director. Directing the film was the hardest thing I have ever done. Although I had strong visual skills (from my work in fashion and fine art) as well as a good sense of the importance of story structure, I didn't have any traditional film experience. I was driven by my pure passion for the subject and my desire to capture Buck's philosophy that I knew would help not only horses, but people, as well.

So many things that Buck teaches in the clinics translates to other areas of your life. For example, he often talks about having "presence" with a horse — where your sense of confidence and leadership is apparent to the horse. Because of my passion about the subject, I was able to project a certain presence that helped me "hold my own" with more seasoned filmmakers — I felt sure that I could make this film and that I had a compelling person at the heart of it. The film project soon attracted an incredible team, including Andrea Meditch (Man On Wire, Grizzly Man) and Julie Goldman (The Cove, In The Shadow of the Moon).

While working on the project (and particularly the editing phase), this incredible team of women came together in such a synergistic way. They really supported me and this film throughout every phase. As human beings, we often resist change and fear the unknown that it represents. But because of my experience with Buck's clinics, as well as the values my parents had instilled in me, I felt confident about making some of the tough choices in the filmmaking process. The film team was so talented and I am very grateful to them (and to Buck).

Riding with Buck makes you tougher in a good way — you learn to own your mistakes and figure out what your horse needs. Sometimes in today's culture, there is more of a tendency to evade, rather than take on, responsibility. I wanted to share Buck's approach with a larger audience through the film.

There must have been many good stories you had to cut from the 300 hours of original footage. What story do you wish could have stayed in the film (or was one of your favorite stories)?

We filmed Buck talking about his childhood pet, Sampson the bull. Buck loved Sampson and had even trained him to be ridden. One day, his father took him outside and told him he needed his help with a chore. He then shot Sampson between the eyes, right in front of Buck. I wanted to keep this in the film, as an example of his father's extreme cruelty — it was such a powerful moment, to see Buck relate this story. But we instead chose to include a story about Buck hiding from his father in the doghouse. The Sampson story showed his father's mental abuse of Buck and the story we kept in the film was more about his physical abuse. They are both heart-breaking stories.

I wanted to include another story about Buck. One day, during the filming, I asked him if he does clinics when he is sick or has the flu. He responded, "Of course I do. No one can take my place. When I was a kid and it was 20 below outside, I had to go feed the cows every morning. It didn't matter if I had the sniffles or wasn't feeling good. The cows still needed to be fed."

That was a special story for me and I think of it often. Now, whenever I'm not feeling well and still have to do something, I just tell myself, "hey, I gotta go feed the cows."

I've audited two of Buck's clinics and ridden in one. One thing I noticed right away was Buck's dry sense of humor — he made me laugh many times. What are some of your favorite examples of Buck's humor?

Sometimes when I'd be watching the film footage from one of the clinics, I would just crack up at something Buck said. At the clinics, I would always be the person laughing the loudest. My favorite moments are when he gently mocks someone who is being overly solicitous about their horse — as in, "Oh, poor Fluffy is sweating! Poor baby."

If you are a wimp about riding, Buck might tease you in the clinics. Buck spends 8 hours a day teaching from the saddle. Many of the clinic riders might only ride their horses for 20 or 30 minutes at a time — which is barely a warm-up for Buck.

Buck's humor often helps people who are nervous in the clinics. While he rarely singles out someone specifically (unless something unusual is happening), he often will make humorous remarks about certain types of riders in general. I've found it's best to assume he is talking about me and adjust my riding accordingly (laughs).

A few months ago, I was invited to give a talk at a juvenile detention facility here in Texas. I was surprised at how much the boys related to my work with the ex-racehorses at LOPE. They especially seemed to identify with the ex-racehorses (who are often viewed as "pitbulls" in the horse world: damaged, aggressive and unwanted). I can only imagine how deeply they would respond to Buck and your film. Are there any plans to use the film as a teaching tool in juvenile or other types of detention facilities?

I would love to see the film become a teaching tool in prison and other institutions (for substance abuse, mental illness and so on). A professor who was teaching a philosophy class wrote to me and asked if he could show the film to a class he taught at a prison. My response was, "Hey, let's screen the film for the whole prison, not just one class."

One of the reasons I did this film was to give people a sense of hope. As a culture, sometimes I think we have lost sight of what is important. There are certain basic principles in life that can't be ignored or avoided — such as integrity, hard work and purpose — no matter who you are or where you come from. You might think you are fooling people or that you have a shortcut — but in the end, you are only hurting yourself.

I'm 54 — and at my age, I hope I have some wisdom and perspective to share. I wanted the film to touch people, to uplift and inspire them.

Horsemanship Philosophy of Buck Brannaman Interview Series: Jeannie Choate

This is the second in a series of interviews about the horsemanship of Buck Brannaman — as well as the newly released film (Buck) that focuses on his work with horses. LOPE hosted a sneak preview screening of Buck in June — Jeannie was one of our speakers at the Q&A after the event.

I first rode with Jeannie at Buck’s clinic in Texas earlier this year. Jeannie has organized Buck’s clinic in Texas for many, many years. The clinic wouldn’t be possible without her hard work and dedication. As Jeannie put it to me, hosting a clinic is a true labor of love — so if you audit or ride in the Texas clinic, please be sure to thank Jeannie.

Jeannie also writes the Buckaroo Texas Blog, which chronicles her adventures in horsemanship.

What was your first experience like riding with Buck? What did you and your horse learn together?

My first experience riding with Buck was in Pearce, AZ. As I watched the morning class I got a terrible case of stage fright and a churning stomach (very unusual for me). As I watched this man and listened to him, I realized that this was the phenomenal teacher who I had hoped all my life that I could ride with and learn from.

Under Buck’s tutelage, my horse and I got a lot accomplished over the four days of the clinic. We survived riding near the loudspeaker, in a crowd of bothered horses (which in turn bothered both me and my horse). There were several horses having people problems — and Buck asked his assistant, Kip, to ride some of them. Buck called Kip to ride my horse, but then he turned to another horse and said, "No, ride that one instead."

I guess Buck saw something in my eye that said to just let me suffer through it, and he knew my horse and I would be ok. From this clinic, I started to get the importance of having a plan when you ride, for the horse knows when you know and he knows when you don’t know — and when you don’t know, it bothers the horse. I started learning about feeling of the horse — so she could feel of me.

Buck has us observe what he did. He encouraged us to remember what we were seeing and to compare what we had going on with the horse now, at the end of the clinic, as opposed to when we started the clinic. These are things that I am still striving to get better and better about. It takes work and dedication to really get these good — but once I become aware, it doesn’t take too long to get things working for me and my horse.

With a big grin on my face and tears in my eyes, I told Buck at the end of the clinic that I had just spent the last four days in horse heaven. He broke out in a loud laugh — that he then cut short, realizing that I was serious. But the smile on my face let him know, that yes, it was funny and such a wonderful feeling to have.

What is your favorite story about Buck?

I have so many stories, it is hard to pick out a favorite. At a colt starting clinic in San Angelo, Texas, I had a little sorrel filly entered in this class. I had spent the previous six weeks halter breaking three thoroughbred colts to earn money for the class. The little filly I planned to ride hurt her right front leg before the clinic. It was touch and go for a while if she would be sound for the clinic — so I did not get to do the homework with her I had planned.

On the first day of the clinic, Kip and I were in the round pen together with our colts getting them saddled. Kip’s colt was very touchy, and my filly was so nervous that I was trying to saddle her while she moved around some. It was cold, my latigo was sticky and I was having trouble getting her cinched smoothly. Buck saw that Kip’s horse was about to explode. So, he quickly walked to me and my filly, then said, "Here, lets get that cinch tightened." As he pulled it up smooth in a quick firm motion, he then said “Try to hang on to her,” — just as both colts exploded.

No saddles came off or slid sideways on either of the colts, which was important. It all happened so fast, I was in the wrong place to get the angle on my filly’s lead rope — and she got away. Buck said, "That’s alright we can catch her in a minute."

The next day as we saddled our colts and turned them loose in the arena, my filly took a few steps and then burst into a rodeo bronco exhibition. Buck was standing right next to me, turned his microphone off, and said, "Jeannie, I think you could score in the 70’s on her!" And with a chuckle, I said, "That’s if I could ride her, I would score in the 70’s."

Buck then turned and started walking toward the other colts and the stand. He turned his microphone back on and said, "Now if any of you are thinking you need some help with this first ride, you better go to asking." Upon hearing those words, I fell in behind him at a fast walk and said, "Buck, I’m asking!"

Buster McLaury was in the stands and Buck had him come ride that first ride on my colt. By the fourth day of the clinic, I ended up riding my filly her snaffle bit, loping around the round pen and even out in the arena. I still remember the feel of that filly, confident and happy. Great start for my filly, thanks to Buck.

How has this type of horsemanship changed you as a rider and as a person?

One of the main points of horsemanship I have learned is not to impose my will on a horse or another person — but at the same time not let a person or horse impose their will on me. I have learned to be more assertive in my everyday dealings and this has helped me to not be a victim. I have learned to really trust my intuition and to develop my emotional sensitivity as I develop a bond with each horse I work with. Not all humans I am around care to make a bond with me — and that’s fine too.

Another top point that I work on is being able to change on a moment’s notice. The tough part is letting go of my fifteen or more years of riding habits before Buck. This has been a challenge, but the understanding and ongoing study of this horsemanship has helped me change and adapt in my personal life (sometimes even to the extreme, if needed).

I am the better for it, striving to be the best I and my horses can be. My ongoing study and dedication to this style of horsemanship has led me on a path of adventure I didn’t think I would ever be on. And I have made friends from the very first clinic I attended (who are still close friends) and I continue to make more really terrific friends each year. You kind of bond before you even speak. It’s a happy trail I am on ☺

What are your horsemanship goals this year for you and your horse(s)?

I don’t really set firm goals each year, other than to study and go see and ride with Buck in a clinic. I try to always observe, remember and compare with humility. I strive to just keep raising the bar, so to speak, and expecting more of myself — but sometimes I have to back up and change to make a basic thing (that I thought was working) better, so I can raise the bar.

Most of the time, raising the bar is doing less. A goal that I am always refining is to be consistent with each horse and work exactly where that horse is at the moment. And always being aware of the balance and mind of each horse before I ask anything of that horse — working, building and refining, all the time, the basics.

Hopefully I will have my older horse in the two-rein next spring and I plan on showing a few times in Ranch Horse Versatility Competition too!