Horse Tales from the LOPE Ranch

Ex-Racehorse Story Sharing

Jan has been a long time supporter of LOPE. He is very interested in natural horsemanship and horse psychology. Jan recently emailed me an interesting story about his mare Queenie:

"Queenie is six-year-old bay thoroughbred mare. Her racing career was very short; there is some evidence of some old leg injuries. She suffered a severe cut to her left rear foot in a trailer loading accident in 2007, and was nursed back to near-normal by a friend of a friend. Queenie was therefore essentially a three-legged horse for over a year while she convalesced. I adopted Queenie in 2008; I'm at least her fifth caregiver.

Queenie is a very smart TB and fits many of the Linda Parelli ;Horsenality' profile attributes of a Left-Brain Introvert. I've been retraining Queenie using a blend of Pat Parelli, Dennis Reis, and Clinton Anderson techniques.

I just recently adopted another horse, Sienna. Sienna is a 13-year-old bay QH mare. I'm her third caregiver. My initial impressions are that Sienna has some of the Linda Parelli Horsenality profile attributes of a Right-Brain Extrovert.

Now, here's the real reason I'm writing you. In one of Pat and Linda Parelli's DVDs, Linda comments about going out to the horses and the horses say 'Take me, take me!'

For reasons unknown to me, "Queenie" has had an indifferent attitude since I adopted her. Her attitude has been essentially, 'please feed me, but it's OK if you don't want to work with me, I'm content to hang around in my stall.'

My friend who was Queenie's caregiver before me thinks that Queenie's attitude is a result of her severe injury in 2007. Have you or your readers seen similar behavior in the TBs you've taken in who suffered severe injuries and were immobile for a long period of time?

On a positive (and very interesting) note: once Sienna arrived and settled in at our place, Queenie is now the first to say 'Take me, take me!'"

My response: We sometimes have seen horses in rehab become withdrawn emotionally. My thoughts are that this is due to the horses feeling vulnerable -- as if they want to take up as little "space" as possible (both literally and metaphysically) so as not to be noticed by predators. But the horses all did rebound quickly once they felt better and began to heal. I would guess Queenies behavior might be also due to her large number of caregivers in a short period -- she may have decided to not become attached to any one person (since her ownership changed so frequently).

First Rides at LOPE

I don't always have the opportunity to ride the horses at the LOPE Ranch -- sometimes they get adopted too fast. But usually I'm the one in the saddle during their first post-racetrack ride. Many people assume that these rides must be pretty wild and crazy, with lots of excitement for everyone (me, the horse, any spectators).

It's really not like that at all.

For example, last week I rode Pogo, a three-year-old gelding here. Pogo's last ride was in fall 2008 during his very first race. He chipped his knee during the race and came to LOPE (read about his surgery from Austin Equine Associates).

After a very successful post-surgery rehab and rest period, Pogo was ready to begin work again. As I led him into the round pen, he pouted -- clearly he had become used to the couch potato lifestyle here at LOPE. But after some ground work and free lounging, Pogo settled into the "in school" mode. He tuned into the cues, his face relaxing into a calm, attentive expression.

Even though it had been months since his last ride (as a two-year-old), I decided to mount Pogo. Actually, I decided to "try" to mount Pogo and just see how things went. I'm not a professional trainer, so I do a lot of the "let's see how this goes" approach. Pogo had this cheerful look of expectation in his eyes -- I felt like I'd be somehow letting him down if I didn't at least put my foot in the stirrup.

Once my foot was in the stirrup, it seemed like a shame not to hop up once or twice, and then maybe even lean over Pogo's back. Pogo stood quietly, his head lowering. Then it seemed downright silly to not mount him. I was already there, hanging over the saddle, petting the right side of his neck.

So I then I swung my leg over and sat in the saddle. Pogo seemed comfortable with that and so we walked around the round pen a little. He steered pretty well for a green ex-racehorse, wasn't spooky about my legs, and (best of all) he stopped when I said "whoa." Pleased with how relaxed we both were, I decided to dismount Pogo and call it a day.

Our ride was short and completely unexciting. Just the way I like a first ride to be here at the LOPE Ranch.

A Week at Tom Curtin's Winter Camp

A few weeks ago, I went to Tom Curtin's horsemanship camp in Florida. And so did Lightening Ball and Sally, two LOPE horses here (thanks to Equine Express, one of LOPE's sponsors)

I had three other camp mates: Ginny, Kriestin and Linda. We shared a comfortable bunkhouse (just like "real" camp) and spent a lot of time laughing (and eating).

It was a great adventure! Each day, we'd be up at dawn to feed the horses and get ranch chores done. By 8:30 am, we'd be in the saddle and out on a ride with Tom.

I never was sure what each day would bring. One morning, we herded cattle. Sally was pretty excited about that, but settled down quickly. Within a couple of hours, she and I were even cutting a few cows from the herd (though very slowly). Our next challenge was opening gates from horseback. I was the one that got excited about that (but Sally helped me get over it).

Another afternoon, we rode for hours out in the pastures and woods, crossing many different farms. Lightening Ball got worried during the ride, but, thanks to Tom's coaching, I eventually learned how to help Lightening Ball relax. By the end of the week, he was an old pro at trail riding -- I was so proud of him. And Lightening Ball even moved cows too (he'd stalk up to the herd, towering over the cattle at 16.1H and glare at them till they sidled away).

I've been to local clinics with Tom in Texas -- but I was amazed at how much more effective the camp setting was. It was like the difference between taking a Chinese class vs. traveling in China -- the immersion of living at Tom's ranch, surrounded by master horsemanship, taught me so much more than I expected.

I can't wait to practice what I learned on the other LOPE horses here.

Especially Wooden Phone.

Ray Hunt, 1929-2009

Ray Hunt was the best horseman I've ever known. In the early days after founding LOPE, I watched his colt starting DVDs over and over, hoping to learn more about horse training. Although I run a racehorse adoption ranch, my training credentials at that time were woefully thin. I needed a crash course and Ray's videos seemed like a good start.

Ray was a holdover from another era, when horses were valued partners in the rugged work of large-scale cattle ranching. His imposing height and sardonic humor belied his gray hair – Ray was an impressive physical presence on camera. In his clinic tapes, he barked at the riders, recited poetry, squinted off into the horizon and gentled every equine rogue, no matter how wild or crazy. Ray was supremely confident in his skills, never once showing worry or fear – he'd just laugh and say something cryptic like "You got to take the bitter with the sweet," or "It's best to stay on the edge of trouble, not in the middle of it," or "You got to adjust to fit the situation."

I was fascinated with his mix of gritty machismo and zen-like slogans. Summoning up my nerve, I put in a request for LOPE to host a clinic with Ray in 2006, and he agreed.

That clinic changed everything for me.

Ray's sharp eyes, crusty Yoda-like comments and deep respect for the horse made a profound impression on me. I turned away from horse training – and towards horsemanship.

It was a seemingly small shift – but like Ray says, "It's the little things that make a big difference." He taught me to recognize the smallest change, the slightest try in myself as well in the horses.

Because of Ray, I might not know where I'm going, but I'm sure not lost.

Thank you, Ray.

Wooden Phone

Wooden Phone is our most famous racehorse here. He won over $830,000 -- his biggest win was the $500,000 Strub Stakes in 2001. Jim and Marilyn Helzer and Tom Durant donated him to LOPE. With his incredible history, Wooden Phone is staying here -- he is a wonderful "spokeshorse" for LOPE.

But like many big-money winners, Wooden Phone can be somewhat of a diva. Before he came here, he had a reputation for being difficult -- especially with other horses. It took awhile, but we finally figured out the right group of gelding buddies for Wooden Phone. The good news is that he now easily mingles with other horses in the pasture.

The bad news is that he has become a little herd sour -- he becomes upset when separated from his friends.

So it's time to start working with Wooden Phone more. Because he hasn't been ridden much since his racing days, I decided to go slow and start with some groundwork.

A couple of days ago, I haltered Wooden Phone and led him out of his pasture. Although he nickered a few times at his buddies (who ignored him completely), he led pretty well. But when we got too far away (in his opinion), he puffed up like a big dragon and began prancing around, squealing for his best friend (Vienna Circle, who was too busy cribbing to notice).

Anyway, I ignored Wooden Phone's dragon moves -- fortunately, we were close to the round pen, so I could lead him in there. He flew around the pen, agitated, calling more loudly for Vienna (who was still cribbing).

After watching Wooden Phone canter frantically for several minutes, I climbed into the round pen with him. To my surprise, he focused on me right away. Although somewhat excited, Wooden Phone seemed to come to me for help -- which I really appreciated, since the dragon imitation had been kind of scary.

He round penned well, slowing his gait when asked, maintaining a respectful distance and halting quietly. When I invited him, he even walked into the center of the pen with me.

Impressed with the change, I haltered him and ended the session with some grooming (which he loved). He led quietly back to his pasture and stood politely when I took off his halter.

Wooden Phone is an interesting horse -- sometimes he seems to throw conflicting signals. But he is very intelligent and I am beginning to understand his diva moods better.

I'll be posting more about Wooden Phone as we continue working together -- stay tuned!

Tom Curtin Colt Starting Clinic

Recently, I attended a Colt Starting clinic taught by master horseman Tom Curtin and held at Hycourt Farm. I brought Lightening Ball (actual spelling), one of our favorite older racehorses here at the LOPE Ranch. While Lightening Ball of course already knew how to be ridden (after racing for 7 years and winning $300K), I thought the Colt Starting class would be a good experience for him.

Sometimes racehorses are started quickly under saddle, often having full-time racing careers as two-year-olds. Because of that, they can have gaps in their foundation work – for example, they might never have learned to stand still while being mounted (since jockeys don't mount from the ground).

And Colt Starting clinics are also good for older horses that might have problems with spooking or bucking or other troubled behaviors.

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.

Tom is adamant about getting along with the horse instead of punishing the animal for doing wrong. He states simply that if you have a job for your horses to do, you have to cooperate and if you fight against your horse it will eventually sell out on you. "When I work with a horse, I want my ideas to seem like good ones to the horse." he says "I approach him in a manner that makes sense to him. I don't go against his instinct. I work with him and not against him and I try to fix it so that my ideas are his ideas." This communication between horse and human is a key point for Tom and is easily seen in all he does with his horses. Tom explains, "My main goal is to have my horse want to help me, to want to be around me."

Lightening Ball is a terrific horse, but he occasionally gets nervous in new situations, sometimes tensing up and spooking slightly in place. And while he and I always had good rides together at the farm, I worried how he might react to new places and situations. He and I had fallen into a bit of a rut, always riding the same pastures, never really stretching ourselves.

So I decided the clinic would be a good "growth experience" for both Lightening Ball and me. And I was right: I learned how to be a better, more confident leader for Lightening Ball – so I could help him through scary situations like walking toward Tom and his flapping training flag.

Lightening Ball was not happy about that flag at first. And I was pretty wary myself, as he started to back up rapidly, trying to escape that dangerous, horse-eating flag. But with Tom’s help, Lightening Ball and I both steadily worked through our nerves – until finally, Lightening Ball successfully (and voluntarily) walked up to the flag and touched his forehead to its flapping fabric.

Lightening Ball and I had many training breakthroughs (and a lot of fun) at Tom's clinic – it was a wonderful learning experience for both of us, thanks to Tom Curtin and the great people at Hycourt Farm!