Re: Lunging up and coming..

[DVeritas@aol.com]

Yes, the methods Bob Morris describes are wonderful when applied by a "hand".
I think in this era of new "Horse Whisperers" popping up every other week, the
thing that gets lost is that good, tried and trued horse training methods can
not be circumvented.  From Xenophon to (Pick a "Whisperer"), very little "new"
methods have been discovered.  Monty Roberts is fond of saying that he "has
found no written evidence" that anyone every spoke "Equus" before he came
along.
    Right.
    The powers of observation needed to truly "train" a horse are not present
in every "horse trainer" out there.  That's the real danger of saturating
oneself with all the latest horse psycho-babble out there.  The one thing they
all have in common is the innate ability to truly "see" what is happening to a
horse and how his posture relates that to the observer.
    Sure, go to clinics...they can help.  Don't leave thinking you ready to
"train" a horse, though.
     "Legging up" a young horse, if done at all, should be left to people who
know what they're doing.
     In the hands of the overeager and unskilled, young horses are just better
left alone.
     Perhaps honest mental conditioning should be the focus for young horses
and the physical conditioning which follows would reflect a horse hungry to
learn and eager to please.
     The majority of problems I've seen is because most horses are better
LEARNERS than most folks are TEACHERS.  They learn EVERY time you handle them.
     Forgive my need to address the little I have.  Thank you.

     Frank Solano