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Its a “colt starting clinic” - I am just not a fan of hauling green youngsters to a strange place - then attempting to introduce tack, and start them under saddle in a matter or hours, or days.
Buck’s clinics advertise that the “Colt Starting Clinic” is:
“A class for young horses that may or may not have been handled or worked with” and within 4 days (a few sessions) the horse will be undersaddle and working in a snaffle. So, “break a horse in 8 hours”? Maybe they spend that much time? And if they did 2 hours day - again, against the way I do things, short daily sessions - just not possible at a “colt starting clinic” - unless the clinic went on for 60 days!
To me - that is SUPER rushed. I just don’t push things that fast. And like I said, I get ZERO fireworks. No bucking undersaddle, no stress - just a half hour a day, slow and steady.
Makes for quiet, confident horses - I just have NO need to rush things and get a horse going in a few sessions.
But - I also had great mentors growing up - learned by working side by side, hours and hours a day, 7 days a week - clinics have their uses, but all too often most of the participants do not have good mentor-ship at home - and try to “rush” their education - just like they want to rush the starting process.
And I handle my youngsters - they aren’t ever left to be “wild” - so I am coming from that point of view.
And I agree with others - I don’t know if I “blame” Buck and these other trainers that much. I have a feeling things would be pretty different if they were just working horses at home - and not on these $$$ clinic circuits, and producing all these “DVDs” and whatnot. I bristle at these “celebrity trainers”.
Nope - out on 50 acres until they are about 5. I have had to walk down a couple, but just once. Still have never had to lasso one.
And I am not saying that a lasso is abuse - I just have never had to use one. Maybe its an “english” riding thing? Most tack rooms I know do not have a lasso in them, and I can’t say my trainers were good at throwing a rope - I always associated roping with cattle.
Do the europeans lasso their young stock?[/QUOTE]
I’m not trying to nitpick, but YOUR horses are all brought along slowly and are ready and willing because they have been handled and exposed. Some of the horses that people bring to these clinics are rounded up, loaded in a stock trailer through a chute and voila, clinic time. Is that ideal? NO! Is that what Buck Brannaman wants people to bring him? I seriously doubt it! Does he work with these previously unhandled horses the best he can? YES, I think he does!
I’ve seen European starting with FIREWORKS and some without. Start enough horses and one will not go easily, it’s just the way of it. For the 100 saintly, easy going horses there is one that is going to be HARD. It might not need to be roped, but that doesn’t mean things won’t get a little wild.
As to working under saddle in a snaffle…how long does it take you to get on a young horse and have it move forward? I don’t think 4 days is rushed at all? They are not starting horses with a longline and then ground driving, they are literally just letting them move freely and accept a rider - no collection, no frame, just follow face and move their feet. They get the forward and accepting a rider and then the rest comes later, which is different from the traditional European model, but no less effective (in my opinion). I have horses that have been started both ways. They are very different approaches, but when you look at the fundamentals both achieve the same results with different methods.
