Courses Explained & What to bring

Click on the links below to find out information about following courses and which ones will suit your level of experience:

COW WORKING

All clinic participants should have a good pair of riding boots, approved riding helmet compulsory for participants under the age of 18, appropriate sun protection.

Clinics can be tailored to your needs and desires. For example if you are wanting to learn how to teach your horse to work a cow, or you want to concentrate on leads and lead changes, or roping, etc.

Colt Starting

The Colt Starting Clinic is designed to teach the person a safe, efficient, and effective process for teaching a young unridden horse to be ridden under saddle.

The participant brings a suitable young horse, and under the coaching of Steve, will teach the horse to accept leadership, accept being saddled, accept being ridden with a hackamore and a snaffle bit, and learn to yield from all the different parts of his body.

A partnership between the human and their horse is encouraged through developing communication on not only a physical level, but mentally and emotionally as well.

The clinic runs for 9 mornings of 3-hour sessions. These sessions are made up of some theory, some discussion, demonstrations as well as lots of practical groundwork and riding techniques with your horse.

Horsemanship Introduction

This clinic is not only for beginner riders, but also for people who are just getting started with learning the process of obtaining a true partnership with their horse. You will learn why horses act the way they do in different situations and how you should act in return.

You will learn lots of skills and techniques on the ground which will help you not only be safe around horses, but teach you how to gain a horses respect. From here you will learn safe and effective saddling and mounting techniques as well as how to transfer the respect you gained on the ground into the saddle.In the saddle you will learn basic rein positions, how to relax in the saddle and how to start to maneuver your horse in different directions and at different gaits.

This clinic normally runs over 4 afternoons of 3-hour sessions. You will need a rope halter and 12 foot line, saddle and pad, and hackamore or bridle with a snaffle bit.

Horsemanship Intermediate

This clinic is made up of some ground work and more riding. Groundwork includes on-line and liberty to help the human and horse become more relaxed and more responsive. The person will learn how to and how not to use their bodies while riding and how to get affective with their legs and reins.

Through knowing how to get respect from your horse whilst riding, you will develop good impulsion. This means your horse will get his "life up" when you ask for it, while staying relaxed. It also means your horse will slow down or stop when you ask for it.

You will learn how to teach your horse to walk, trot, and canter straight lines and circles, depart on the correct lead, turn on his haunches, stop and back-up better, and move sideways in each direction. You will learn how to use obstacles such as fence lines, gateways, jumps, trees, bushes, ditches, cones and barrels to help develop your horse.

This clinic normally runs over 4 afternoons of 3-hour sessions. You will need a rope halter with 12 -15 foot line, also a 22 foot line, saddle and pad, bridle with a snaffle bit.

Horsemanship Advanced

The Advanced Horsemanship clinic moves into the areas of lightness in your hands and legs, even better impulsion, preciseness in maneuvers, speeding up maneuvers, flexion, straightness and more engagement from the hindquarters.

You will spend most of the clinic riding, during which you will learn how to teach your horse to stop better, back-up better, depart better, get leads and lead changes, spin, roll-back, side-pass and counter arc, maintain gait and direction and much more.

Another important ingredient in horsmanship is finding a balance between "principle and purpose" which will also be covered during this course. As in the intermediate clinic obstacles such as fence lines, gateways, jumps, trees, bushes, ditches, cones, and barrels will be used to help develop your horse.

This clinic normally runs over 4 afternoons of 3-hour sessions. You will need a rope halter with 12 - 15 foot line, saddle and pad, bridle with a snaffle bit, (40 - 60 foot soft lariat rope optional).

Cow Working

This clinic involves a combination of dry work exercises, working the mechanical cow, and working live cattle. As well as this, you will learn simulations that prepare you and your horse for what will happen when you are working live cattle.

This is a fantasic clinic if you want to put your horsemanship skills to practical use. The clinic is not only preparation for cutting, campdrafting, team penning, etc, but a wonderful way to motivate your horse. You will be amazed how confident, responsive and light your horse can be when you both have a fun purpose.

Back to previous page

This page will give you an explanation of what to expect from the Horsemanship and the Colt Starting Clinics with Steve.

Click on the links at the top of the page to go to the course that you are interested in.

Read about what some of the past particpants have to say

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Registration info →
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Contact Steve →

Courses Explained & What to bring

COLT STARTING

HORSEMANSHIP INTRODUCTION