LRTC Wild Horse Mentors'
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Focusing in the labyrinth
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Hue, who has been working with the wild horse mentors for several years,
is probably the most underappreciated clinician in the workshop.
Hue's quiet demeanor doesn't grab much attention and she spends a lot
of time resolving "spot" behavioral issues in the pens.
Her area of expertise involves what we call "Focus 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. |
Practicing TTouch approaches
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Hue polling
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Getting a nice look
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The purpose of Focus Training is to make the horse more aware of his body and
his spacial relationships to his environment and things in it,
and to think and respond calmly to stimuli rather than react.
Most simply explained, Focus 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.
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Jerry Tindell |
"Understanding Horse Behavior"
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Jerry is an accomplished trainer and clinician who also trains the
Los Angeles Police Department's Mounted Division.
We were lucky to have Jerry stop by and teach a demonstration module on Understanding Horse Behavior. He also worked for a while in the pens and drew one of the most alpha horses of the group to work with. Jerry has a gift for interacting with audiences and getting his points across. |
Jerry with the "Alpha Horse from Hell"
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| 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. |