LRTC Wild Horse Mentors'
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| Willis, who is the founder and President of LRTC, considers himself a student of horse behavior and enjoys working with difficult horses, especially those whom others have given up on. His emphasis is on techniques that the average adopter can master safely. His mainstay with wild horses is his "Quiet Hour" approach. |
Getting people involved
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The idea behind the "Quiet Hour" is to spark curiosity, not flight.
If in the horse's mind he is not about to be pursued by the
human, he can start to constructively interact in his new
environment.
Willis typically worked in Pen 12, at the end of the entry chute and where all the horses coming in and out would pass by. It was challenging to keep the horses' attention which presented great opportunities to demonstrate a variety of calming and focusing techniques from the "undulating herd" to "Focus Training." |
"I'm gonna poke you in the butt!"
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Chris, Gwilly and Willis discussing safety rules
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A once frenzied horse now calm
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Willis and Jean Mountjoy
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Long week, long day
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| One of the secrets to gentling and training a wild horse is to avoid triggering the horse's flight or fight response. Low resistance approaches and positive motivators have proved to be the most efficient and humane approaches to wild horse gentling. |
Continue to Part 11
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