"One thing we have to remember is we are stepping into their world, they are not stepping into ours," Craig Cameron said Saturday at the horse training clinic at Buck Springs Arena.
Sarah Keller's horse, Miracle Maddie, had been ridden for 60 days last year and then put out to pasture for the winter.
As Cameron worked with Keller's horse, he said if you quit working with the horse when she is trying to get away, you end up teaching the horse the wrong thing. "You've got to have enough common sense to know if she is really panicking to quit," Cameron said.
Cameron used a red flag at the end of a dressage whip when working with the horse to desensitize her. He was getting her used to objects out of her line of sight so she would not panic.
He would take the flag and run it along her spine, to alleviate fear.
"The most important job is to take the fear out of that horse," Cameron said. "You can't ride a scared horse and do a good job. You can't ride a mad horse and do a good job. I can't ride a hurting horse and do a good job."
Cameron said you can judge a good cowboy by his horse. "I want the deal where people say 'He's always got good horses.' That is a reflection of the man riding."
"If you say a man has crummy horses, that is a reflection of the man riding," Cameron said. "It can't be the horses fault every time."
Cameron said it takes time to make a good horse. "You can't mass produce horses."
Keller said Cameron worked with one of her horses last year. The horse was tight and real afraid. Cameron ended up laying him down and rode him. "Craig lectured me pretty good," Keller said. "Sarah, you have got to get this horse more gentle."
Keller said "Yeah Craig, that is just how he is. He is just tight." That advice was given to Keller again, by the man who put the first 60 days on Miracle Maddie. "You've got to get this horse's feet moving, you got to get him more gentle."
Heller said, "I am riding him, I am hauling him to the barrel races, he is OK." Around April 15, that horse told Keller he wasn't OK and "It hurt, a lot".
"So when they tell you to get them more gentle, get that soft look. Please heed the warning and get that soft look," Keller said.
Cale Mowry asked Cameron about what to do with a horse that is constantly warmed up in the ring, but still has the fear of the flag. Cameron replied that he would take a different approach. Sometimes it doesn't work out.
Cameron shared a story of working with a stud in Pennsylvania before coming to the clinic in Wyoming. "They brought me a four-year-old thoroughbred stud that wasn't even halter broke." Cameron told the owner to get him another horse to help with the stud.
"Sometimes you can't work from the ground and you have to work from another horse," Cameron said.
Ground work with a horse, depends very much on the horse, Cameron said. Some may only need a day, some may need two weeks. "You can really sour them out just doing the same thing." Cameron suggested cross training. For instance, in the morning working on technical issues and in the afternoon take the horse on the trail or the obstacle course. "Don't make it the same old thing or same old drill every day," Cameron said.
"Sometimes I will get a horse solid on flagging and then not flag them for two weeks ... I do a lot of different things to get these horses solid."
After Cameron was comfortable with the progress he made with the flag, Cameron saddled and had Daynon Mowry fasten the cinch. Mowry would move from one side to the other to get her used to the cinch rubbing against her belly before fastening it.
While Mowry cinched the saddle, Cameron said to take time and not rush through the process to make sure it is done correctly. Cameron complimented Mowry on how he worked with the horse when cinching the saddle, constantly touching Miracle Maddie and reassuring her with each move he made.
Cameron spent more time doing the ground work to get Miracle Maddie used to the saddle before using his own horse to work with her. He worked her without the halter using the flag, then added the halter.
After working with the horse on the ground, he rode his horse and reinforced the work he had done on the ground.
Cameron said some trainers don't think a horse should buck. Cameron's belief is to let them buck before you get on them.
Eventually, Mowry was invited back in the round pen to ride Miracle Maddie. Using the same skill Mowry did with the cinch, Mowry reassured the horse as he stood in the stirrup while petting her. Mowry took his time and slowly rubbed his right leg along the back of the horse before putting his leg over in the other stirrup.
As Mowry started to ride the horse, she would try to buck a little until Mowry settled her down. Cameron said it was OK for a horse to buck and to realize she really didn't need to buck. "Sometimes they have to get scared before they realize they don't have to be scared."
Cameron said the horses are learning and they need to learn that people are not going to hurt them. "First, they have to figure out I am not going to hurt them, then they need to figure out the saddle is not going to hurt them," Cameron said.
"There is nothing natural to having a saddle on their back. There is nothing natural about having a predator on their back," Cameron explained. "All we can do is present it to (the horse)."
Cameron said people need to listen to the horse. "I used to worry about what people were thinking when I was working with a horse. Then I realized I only need to worry about the horse."
To see a video of Mowry and Cameron working together, go to http://www.saratogasun.com.
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