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Release the back feet towards the float to ask horse forwards
Photographed by Aidan McFall |
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Teach horse to connect back foot to float
Photographed by Aidan McFall |
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Leslie Desmond
Photographed by Aidan McFall
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Photographed by Aidan McFall |
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Getting with the feet
Photographed by Aidan McFall |
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Off we go into the rocky desert hills...
Photographed by Aidan McFall |
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Stopping and standing on a float
Teaching a horse to release to a stop on a float is quite easy after a good, high energy trail ride in a herd. It is important to get out of the arena! Note the riders are committed to being still, and trusting the stop, not micromanaging it. Look at the faces on these horses.
Photographed by Aidan McFall
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Every morning the horses were turned loose in the vast arena to enjoy some social time :)
Photographed by Aidan McFall |
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It was fascinating to watch the horses when turned loose
The horses that knew each other really stuck together.This big dark bay decided he needed to watch out for his pasture buddy, the appaloosa mare, most fastidiously.
Photographed by Aidan McFall |
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50 ft ropes ??!!
I swore I'd never need to learn this, but after seeing how Leslie uses a 50ft poly rope in a colt start, I changed my mind :)
Photographed by Aidan McFall |
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Angel
This horse is a very sensitive mare, kindly loaned to me for the day by a local trainer who was also in the clinic. Here we are heading out to our second riding session that day. I had so much fun feeling of and getting with this little mare in the morning session, we felt like old friends now!
Photographed by Aidan McFall |
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Leslie on a new horse, Luigi - very interesting horse, and a fascinating case to watch Leslie work with
Photographed by Aidan McFall |
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Tuning into a feel to go right, showing up in Angel's right ear
Photographed by Aidan McFall |
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now to the left...
Photographed by Aidan McFall |
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When I get more centered in my position, open my shoulder and release my arm she starts feeling back to me, even though my left elbow is blocking (and she feels that too).
Photographed by Aidan McFall |
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Learning to hobble THROUGH FEEL: teaching the horse to think, make the decision to be still, ask for our help to release the foot or feet back to him
Photographed by Aidan McFall |
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Luigi, Leslie's new horse
Getting with Luigi in preparation for a trail ride. Luigi's prior training had inadvertently taught him some things about not turning and not stopping... he was improving by the day with Leslie's help, and he even tuned into my requests a little later on when we had been out on the trail for a while :)
Photographed by Aidan McFall |
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Luigi knows how to stop and be still, after I remembered to be still too :)
Photographed by Aidan McFall |
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Leslie and her saddle horse Callie
If you look really closely you will see that Callie has her front feet loosely hobbled. Callie and the other horses' demeanors speak volumes for Leslie's approach to this, through feel. Don't try this at home without thorough knowledge.
Photographed by Aidan McFall |
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Eventually Callie has three feet in leather hobbles... and she looks pretty confident about her safety.
Again, don't try this at home without thorough knowledge. I include these pictures so folks can see what teaching a horse to hobble can and should look like. When done through feel, hobbling has deeper training implications that you might imagine.
Photographed by Aidan McFall |
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Our lunch room, dinner room and class room!
Photographed by Aidan McFall |
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Hobbling Luigi through feel - lots of preparation goes into this, don't try this at home without thorough knowledge...
It becomes even more obvious with our feathered horses that knowing how to ask for a foot through feel, so that the horse picks it up and holds it in your hand, is more than worthwhile.
Photographed by Aidan McFall |
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In the evenings the tables turned - now the trainers participating in the clinic presented to the group
Topics included natural horse keeping and footcare, benefits of therapeutic riding, how to prepare for disaster recovery (very topical with the still raging wild fires nearby), colt starting, centered riding (one trainer had just come from an extensive Wendy Murdoch clinic), and my own on how martial arts can support your horsemanship and riding goals.
Photographed by Aidan McFall |
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Leslie and her saddle horse Callie
Ok I have a soft spot for these two ladies, they both taught me so much at this clinic!
Photographed by Aidan McFall |
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Confident trailer loading (see sizeable Luigi standing quietly in the back, while tall Leo steps up inside)
Photographed by Aidan McFall |
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Trailer loading Callie through release... off the mountain behind her.
Photographed by Aidan McFall |
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We rode out together like this alot. I hadn't known how useful it can be to ride in a 'herd'. I'm on Callie this time.
Photographed by Holly Clanahan |
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Galloping with Callie in the desert :)
Photographed by Holly Clanahan |
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Galloping with Callie
Callie is a super sensitive ride and clarified a lot of things for me on this series of gallops.
Photographed by Holly Clanahan |
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This gallop went down a hill into a hairpin bend and then up this hill into a long straight sand trail ahead. Callie has very nimble feet and keeps her shoulders elevated through her turns (if you ride successfully through release!). It was a great experience to feel how this can really feel - a privilege to have the opportunity to ride this ride on Leslie's saddle horse.
Photographed by Holly Clanahan |
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Yep, this was fun!
Photographed by Holly Clanahan |
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Photographed by Holly Clanahan |
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Photographed by Holly Clanahan |
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Photographed by Holly Clanahan |
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Photographed by Holly Clanahan |
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Photographed by Holly Clanahan |
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Leslie and Luigi
Photographed by Holly Clanahan |
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