In the Horse Business

One of the questions I dread the most is when a polite stranger on a plane asks me, “What do you do for a living?” Usually, the question was preceded by an inquiry about whether I am traveling on business or pleasure (rarely the latter). Sometimes this question comes up when I am at a social function with my husband’s business.

For starters, I am never really sure how to answer that question. How do I sum up what I do in a simple phrase or what title could I use to describe my job? Horse trainer doesn’t quite cut it (although I use that a lot, hoping there won’t be follow-up questions). “Clinician” certainly makes no sense to civilians and invokes images of white lab coats and stethoscopes. So usually I reply with the innocuous answer, “I am in the horse business.”

At that point, one of two things usually happens. Either their eyes glaze over with a lack of interest and they move on to another subject or their eyes light up and stories ensue about their own personal connection to horses (or their wife-cousin-neighbor-childhood friend’s story). In the latter case, it can lead to a long and one-sided conversation, most of which I spend nodding and smiling.

If the conversation continues past the initial statement, at some point I will find myself trying to explain what I do. Usually I start with saying I am a public speaker; most people can understand, at least in theory, what that entails. Also, I fall back a lot on saying I am an “educator”. If their curiosity persists at this point, I’ll find myself explaining what goes on at a horse expo and the difference between an expo and a horsemanship clinic. That is usually enough to kill the conversation. I rarely bring up the TV show because, well, it sounds sort of vain.

Another dreaded question from the non-horse person, is, “Are you a horse whisperer?” Man do I hate that question! Actually, it’s great that people have a basic understanding that there are humane and seemingly magical training techniques that promote a cooperative relationship with the horse, I just don’t want to be labeled a “Horse Whisperer” because it sounds very Hollywood and silly.

Given that statement, you may ask yourself why then is my TV show called Horse Master? Well, for starters, I didn’t think of or pick the name and yes, I would feel really silly referring to myself that way. But, I recognized the tone and meaning that the title conveys and the promising marketing appeal. I also like the fact that we encourage and help people master certain skills in horse handling and riding.

I am lucky to have such an interesting job. Well, I guess it is not so much luck as appreciation, because I worked hard over the past few decades to get where I am; it wasn’t entirely by luck. But I love helping people with their horses (and, better yet, helping horses with their people) and working with so many different horses in different places. I know that I have benefitted in knowledge and skill by working with such a variety of horses—much more than I would have experienced if I had been cubby-holed in one discipline or even one region of the country.

Although I miss being able to ride my own horse, I am fortunate to get to ride a lot of really cool horses at expos, since I don’t travel with my own horses. Last weekend I rode a beautiful QH stallion called “Papas A Little Sexy.” He was an easy-going gorgeous hunk of horse flesh and all else being equal, I like to ride a pretty horse!

Today I am in route to Murfreesboro TN for QuarterFest, a weekend celebration of the American Quarter Horse. I’ll be teaching clinics and riding a cute little dun QH gelding that a friend is bringing for me to ride. With any luck at all, I may be able to sneak into one of Mike Major’s cowhorse clinics with my weekend partner. Mike is a world champion versatility ranch horse trainer/breeder and Rich and I have ridden with him several times. It should be a great weekend “in the horse business.”

Enjoy the ride,

Julie

 

 

My First Horse: Share your story, too on http://www.facebook.com/horsemaster.tv

Although I grew up with horses and we had many over the years, my first true love of a horse was a grade Morgan mare named Minnie. She was the most beautiful horse in the world, to my young and naive eyes; she was my best friend, my closest confidant and I was pretty sure that together, we could do anything. And we did-- everything from jumping to barrels to running bareback and bridleless through the orange groves (in my home town of Orlando). To a shy little girl who had trouble making friends, this horse gave me confidence and independence—qualities that I draw on as a sense of strength today.

We had other horses when I was growing up and some naughty ponies that took great delight in going under low branches or rubbing you off on tree-trunks (the school of hard knocks), but Minnie was my soul mate. She would do anything I asked without hesitation (because she knew I would never abuse that privilege) and we seemed to have that psychic connection that is somewhat rare with horses—not everyone gets to experience this and I have always believed that it is an extreme honor to have this kind of horse once in your lifetime (but I confess I’ve had 3—more than my share).

I was a card-carrying member of the “Justin Morgan Fan Club” back in the 60s and I have retained my love for the breed ever since. In fact, one of my bonus “horses of a lifetime” was another Morgan mare, Pepsea (this time purebred and a prime representative of the breed). She came into my life 20 years ago and is still alive and active; I still own her though I no longer ride her (she is leased out to someone who gives her the attention she deserves). Although I also have an affinity for Quarter Horses and Thoroughbreds and other breeds, Morgans have a special place in my heart because of Minnie and because I love their go-for-it, do-anything work ethic and their athleticism.

If I were to tell tales about my first horse, Minnie, there would be many stories of adventure and accomplishment but the thing I think about the most was seeing her run full-speed through the pasture with our family dog (a German Shepherd—the must-have dog back in the days of Rin Tin Tin) latched firmly onto her long bushy tail, dragging the dog behind her like he was water skiing in the dirt. They did it frequently and both seemed to love that game although the human observer could never actually figure out why either animal was attracted to it. I guess they had a psychic connection too.

Please go to my FaceBook page and share your story too. If you post your first horse's name and story on the fan page wall by the end of April, 2010, you'll be in the running to win a DVD!

http://www.facebook.com/horsemaster.tv

We have been collecting stories of people’s first-horse stories and the response has been huge. Some have suggested it is good material for a book—and I am not surprised because the stories make for very poignant reading. Those of us who are smitten with the horse bug have been influenced tremendously by our experiences with horses and the indelible impression they have made on us. I love reading them and even after my lifetime with horses, I still am amazed by their strength, willingness and ability to challenge us in ways we never thought possible. I am lucky to have yet another “horse of a lifetime” currently; Dually, my big black Quarter Horse, who can also do anything you ask and who tries harder than any other horse I have ever known, but Minnie will always and forever be my first love. BFF.

Enjoy the ride,

Julie

The UK/USA Horse Lingo (Horse Master Now Airs in the UK)

In May my Horse Master TV show starts airing in England and Ireland on RFD-TV’s cousin, Rural TV. They are opening with the popular surf episode where I train a warm-blood to go into the surf—it was an exciting and wet ride. As I read the European press releases about the show, I was reminded again how horse people everywhere have the same issues, but how the terminology varies, depeding on which side of the pond you are on. At best, terminology in horsemanship is illusive and seldom defined; added to that, a language barrier and different terms for the same things and sometimes we are left wondering what meanings apply, yet we are all dealing with the same issues.

For instance, in the UK, you don’t put a horse in a trailer for transport, like you do here in the US; you put him in a horsebox. I think for the most part, if you substitute the word trailer for box-- trailering (which my spell check constantly reminds me is not really a word) for boxing-- you’ll get the gist. Although I noticed whilst in the UK that most horses are transported in vans specifically designed for horses, here in the US we most often use tow-behind horse trailers of spacious design, while in Europe there is much more consideration to narrow roads and limited space.

“Backing” a horse in the EU has different meaning than here in the US. While we still use the archaic term “breaking” to mean starting a horse under saddle and “backing” to mean that the horse steps backward on command; over the pond “backing” means to start a colt under saddle (and I doubt they use the word “colt” to refer to all young and uneducated horses). I hate the term “breaking” but I find myself using it a lot because everyone knows what it means. A “broke” horse is one that is very well-trained and very experienced and can virtually do no wrong—it is an ultimate compliment to a horse. Actually it’s a really weird term we have adopted since the revered “broke” horse is actually one that is extremely fixed and functional.

And then there is the discrepancy over the terms “rug” and “blanket." On this score, I think we Americans may finally win the award for clarity. In the UK, you put a “rug” on your horse in the winter and it refers to any horse blanket that you might put on your horse—heavy, mid-weight, storm-proof. Here in the US, we refer to them as “blankets," or sheets—in the case of the light-weight summer coverings.

I am sure there are other fun and interesting examples of differing terminology for the same age-old issues. What other varying terms do you know?

As I’ve said before, horses and horse people are the same no matter where I go. Horses all have the same natural behaviors (with a few extreme and/or deviant examples in-between) and horse people all make the same mistakes and have the same successes. And always, education and awareness can have a huge influence on how successful they are with their horses. I hope that my show playing in the UK and Ireland helps people with the same common problems that people here in the US experience and we welcome the new viewership! Maybe one day, we can tape some episodes of their show ever there!

Enjoy the ride,

Julie

What is "Fresh" for Your Horse?

I had a great week at home and now am travelling once again, this time headed to Tallahassee FL for a Horse Master shoot. Getting home on Sunday last week mean I actually was home for one of Rich’s days off and we had a great time riding our horses—for the first time in a LONG time. By waiting until afternoon to ride, the snow had melted from our outdoor arena and we took full advantage of the elbow room. Sadly, the next day it snowed again  but we enjoyed one day of riding in the sun.

It’s rather odd, but my horse, Dually, is always mellow when he hasn’t been ridden in a while. When ridden regularly he’s a little hot, likes to anticipate and loves to go fast. If he’s been in mothballs for a while he’s mister mellow—pony-loping around like a kid’s horse. When I go back to regular riding, he’ll start thinking too much and trying too hard. Rich’s horse Diggs (the polar opposite in temperament) was very good too. He’s never fresh—it’s not in his DNA—but after a long lay-off he seems a little more interested in being ridden and happy to have some attention (or at least less disdainful of it). What’s your horse like if he hasn’t been ridden in a while? Do you have to “work him down” or work up to your normal riding routine or can you just step on and go, as if you had been riding every day?

I am not a big believer in having to longe a horse before he is ridden in order to get the heebie-jeebies out of him. I realize that a lot of people feel the need to do this and in some cases I think it is okay, unless you get into a pattern of behavior in which you have to longe him and he holds you hostage to that. If your horse is too fresh to ride and you feel you are required to longe him so that he can explode in exuberance for a few minutes in order for you to have control once you mount, you may be a hostage to bad behavior. Think about it—if your horse is trained and obedient, he should act that way all the time; having a little extra energy is no excuse for disobedience (exuberance, yes, but disobedience, no). Often in this instance, the horse develops a pattern of behavior that involves him bucking like a maniac on the longe line until he feels spent, then you sheepishly crawl on his back, hoping that is the end of it. You end up in a which came first—the chicken or the egg situation. Are you longeing him to get the bucks out or is he bucking because you are longeing him?

The moral of the story is that you should always insist on your horse’s obedience, whether he is fresh or not. I might long-trot a fresh horse right away to get his energy level down or I might do 5-10 minutes of ground work with a young green horse that hasn’t been ridden in a while, to get his attention. But if you feel that longeing is necessary to get the bucks out, your horse may be controlling you and you may be unwittingly condoning disobedience (if you think he would otherwise buck and go wild while you were on him).

There may be other good reasons to longe a horse before you ride him, but if you are doing it because you feel like otherwise you might have a control issue, then you may want to rethink it. That’s my two cents worth. Do you always longe your horse before riding? Do you think it is a beneficial pattern?

Enjoy the ride,

Julie

For training tips from Julie, visit the Training Library at http://juliegoodnight.com/q&a.php and check out her online store--full of training tools and DVDs-- at http://juliegoodnight.com/products.html