LRTC Wild Horse Mentors'
WILD HORSE WORKSHOP 2003
Part Six
Hue Simpson
Hue, who has been working with the wild horse mentors for several years, is a very important component of our program. If we were a baseball team she would be our utility infielder. She's often in a corner pen somewhere doing initial work with new horses so they will be ready for participants to handle or she is resolving "spot" behavioral issues in the pens. Her quiet demeanor doesn't grab much attention but she's a steady member of the team.

Her area of expertise involves what we call "Focused Training." It is based a great deal on TTeam methods. She will oftentimes be seen teaming up with another clinician to resolve an issue with an upset or unfocused horse. (We're looking for more pictures of Hue at work if anyone has some.)

Hue also uses the bamboo pole approach.

Hue with Barbara
Getting a youngster's attention
The purpose of Focused Training is to make the horse more aware of his body and his spatial relationships to his environment and things in it, and to think and respond calmly to stimuli rather than react. Most simply explained, Focused Training is a non-resistive approach designed to make the horse comfortable with focusing on his handler and it is typically used in support of, not instead of, other "natural horsemanship" methods.

Proper use of the bamboo pole, a "wand," the longe line, "body work," all involve encouraging the horse to quietly focus, accept being touched or worked, and connect comfortably with the handler.

Hue often works with abused and emotionally challenged horses where a horse's focus and emotional self-control is essential.

She also conducts the program's awareness drills such as "Pause, Think, and Choose before Acting."

Focusing on the labyrinth course
Pause, Think, and Choose before Acting

Donna West

Donna is an accomplished horse trainer and mustang gentler. During the program she spent most of her time gentling horses and working with participants in her horse pen. She took time out, however, to work with John Sharp and John's students with this wonderful 20 year old jack burro.

Anyone who will take the extra time to help out an old burro just has to be special.

Visit Donna's website at www.donnawest.com.

Donna West
Talking to students
Coaching a student
Making a point
Donna and a wild one
Bonding, bonding, bonding

Wild Horse Behavior
 Wild horses are social by nature. It is their gregarious attributes which allow them to accept humans in their social world once they have learned that humans are not to be feared.

Continue to Part Seven

Return to Part Five

Wild Horse Workshop Objectives

What is a mentor?

Check out the Workshop Sponsors

Album of Wild Horse Workshops

Return to LRTC Wild Horse Mentors

Return to KBR World of Wild Horses & Burros

Go To KBR Horse Net