Habit Changing in Horsemanship

I've been riding a lot lately and it's given me plenty of time to reflect. I think about horsemanship frequently because I believe a lot of training is done with a philosophy in mind. By this I mean that to get into a horse's head you can't just run the air out of them. Well you can... And then they get in shape.... Or they get turned out for awhile and the problem is still there when you crack them out again. I like to stick to the mentality of "make the right thing easy and the wrong thing difficult". You must be a problem solver willing to think outside the box and think like a horse. There is no overnight remedy to a lot of horse problems. All you can ask for is a little bit of improvement every day. And most horse problems are created by people anyways. A lot of horse issues aren't really issues at all. They are just habits that need to be changed. Let's say you have a horse that's really bad about walking away when you go to get on them. There's a few drills that can fix that but if you dig deeper into why a horse does it, you can find the solution. Horses walk away when you get on them because most people get on and away they go. If you change that habit by getting on, sitting for a minute or two and relaxing of flexing your horse and do this every single time, they will usually stop walking off. They do that in anticipation and you have just taken away that anticipation with no hassle.

I have a colt in who has a strong flight response. He started bolting when I'd ask for the first few steps and would stiffen up and not respond to a one rein stop. I was at a loss and talking to a trainer staying with us and he said to change the habit. Start by ponying him off another horse for the first few steps and then unhook, or put him in a smaller pen and get his feet moving. I could have kept doing the same thing over and over again (insanity right?), or change the habit. Today when I rode the colt, he didn't bolt. I changed the routine and set myself up for success. It's not giving in or giving up. You have to let go of human thought and create a new routine for the horse.

All horse behavior is habitual. Use your brain, not violence or force, to come to an answer that best benefits the partnership of you and your horse.

"BREAKIN' NECKS and CASHIN' CHECKS" Cowgirl Profile: Wylene WIlson of Wild West Horsemanship

WATCH FOR THIS GIRL!!!

(Photography by Charles Brooks)

Wylene Wilson is making a SPLASH in the equine world! Not only is this chick hilarious and gorgeous, she is more of a hand than any man I've seen. It only makes sense that she specializes in colt starting!



Dubbed as "Extreme Wylene" because of her daredevil riding presentations and fearless competing style, Miss Wilson sure is building a reputation for herself. She has won Extreme Cowboy Races, Mustang Makeovers, and was just in an inspirational documentary about mustang trainers called "Wild Horse, Wild Ride". The film has debuted at many film festivals across the country and Wylene can add *MOVIE STAR* to her resume.



I met Wylene at one of her clinics in Arizona and she invited me to come assist her with a clinic in St. George, Utah. We had a blast and I learned a lot from her. I was blown away at how great the colts turned out. I have always started colts so slowly and with Wylene I was loping down the river wash on colts on their 2ND DAY! Her style and the way she builds confidence in horses is almost hard to believe!



Choosing Wylene as my first cowgirl profile was easy because she exemplifies COWGIRL! She can get the job done looking damn good! She wears makeup, hair glitter extensions, and a flower in her cowboy hat. Check out her website and youtube videos...It's a kick!!!

www.girlinprogress.com/wylenewilson

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oc4IMcfUyzQ

***Charlie Brooks, Wylene's friend and professional photographer is great at capturing all of the CRAZY moments:) Check him out at www.brooksphotog.com/ ***