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by
EDGAR
M. HOOD, III
"The
objective of our Horsemanship Program is: Enjoyment, Education, and
Exercise. We stress these basic principles:
(1)
SAFETY (for both horse & rider)
(2)
COMMUNICATION (or Horse Handling)
(3)
RESPONSIBILITY
(4)
USEFULNESS
SAFETY
Horses
are 10 times larger than humans, yet their brain is only about the
size of a walnut. Their
only safety is flight. When
frightened they feel threatened and they will try to flee (escape).
Oftentimes they trample a nearby human in the process. A
horse's kick can fracture a leg or a skull. Their hooves are hard as
stone and can rupture a spleen or break a rib.
Handling a horse is like playing with a loaded revolver.
Respect them and use them correctly and they can save your life.
Be foolish or careless and they can kill you.
They are only as safe as you handle them.
Carelessness will get you hurt if not killed. Thus, our primary concern is for the safety of the
rider/handler. Even
though all our horses are gentle and tractable, all horses are
unpredictable. You have
to dress for the crash not the ride, i.e.; one has to prepare for
the worst. They bite on
one end, they kick on the other, and you fall off in the middle!
COMMUNICATION
(or Horse Handling)
"Train
by Trust, not Trauma". There
are other ways to communicate with a horse besides striking it or
inflicting pain. "Horse whispering" is actually
"Horse Listening". One
has to learn a horse's language, because he certainly cannot learn
to speak our language. They speak to us all the time; we just have to learn to
listen. Horses speak to us humans with their body language. They use their ears primarily, then their lips, their head
position & movement, and their body. If a human is "hooked
up" to the horse, he can command/control him by his body
position, hand signals and language (voice, inflection), etc.
CONTROL
Riding
a horse is like jogging. One
must use their legs and become one with the animal.
The rider's legs must be an extension of the horse's legs.
The rider should be able to feel the horse's feet like they
are his feet. He should
be able to control where the horse puts his feet.
The rider should be able to control the speed or the gait of
a horse. Stopping him
and starting him at his will. Controlling a horse takes hand, eye,
& leg coordination. Simply
shifting one's weight from front to back can cue or signal a horse
to stop or go.
RESPONSIBILITY
Being
a good horseman means taking care of horses.
Despite their size, they are very delicate excitable animals.
They thrive on attention and regularity. Not feeding a horse at the same time each day or feeding him
too much can kill him. Since
they are confined, they must depend on some human for feed and
water. If they are not
groomed (brushed) properly, they become dirty and develop sores.
If their feet are not trimmed regularly, they become lame.
Horses respond to attention.
Although they lack emotions, they become attached to their
handler's (groom's) attention and respond accordingly.
USEFULNESS
After
one has acquired these skills, of what use are they?
RELAXATION,
ENJOYMENT & EXERCISE and SATISFACTION!
Riding
along trail through the forest, competing in a horse show,
participating in a parade, playing Polo, gathering cattle, roping a
stray calf are just a few of the many useful things a horseman can
perform.
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Ed
Hood, originally from Texas, has been riding horses for 50
years, on and off, mostly on. He was given his first horse
at the age of just six, and he kept that horse for forty
more years. He's traveled around the country, ridden in 30
different states, Australia and Canada. He's guided in
Oregon, Utah, and Canada and started his own trail riding
and pack outfit in Utah in 1987. He says the mountains here
are the most beautiful he's ever ridden. He's quite a
historian and truly enjoys what he does. Ed loves meeting
people and taking them out on a ride. People from around the
world, including Russia, England, Germany, Taiwan, Japan,
just to name a few have enjoyed riding with Ed. You
might have seen Ed in the movies! He's had bit parts in The
Patriot and Gettysburg!
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Talented & Gifted Trainer, esp. good at starting colts, using "Ray Hunt" methods, have attended his
& others (Pat Parelli, John Lyons) clinics for over 15 yrs.
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Broodmare & Stallion management & care, all aspects, A. I. etc.
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Cutting (Pro), have trained & shown NCHA futurity colts 20 yrs. Placed in top 50 3 times
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Pleasure, Reining, West. Riding, Trail, Working Cow Horse, Barrel, Poles
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Trained 1996 AQHA top 10 Amateur Barrel horse, 1983 Amateur Barrel Champ
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NCHA National Level, Area Workoffs, Cert. of Ability on several horses, Gold, Silver, Bronze
awards
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AQHA Nat level, Pleasure, working Cow horse, Team Penning, Trail, Poles,
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