March 2015 Oreana Clinic

The March Oreana Clinic went superbly well. Below are photos of the participants, I have a lot more and will put a second post up on this clinic soon.








We enjoyed three beautiful spring days at Oreana, Idaho. The group of students was fantastic and everyone enjoyed the clinic and made great progress both with their own skills and with their respective horses. The picture to the right is part of day two of the clinic.

Carol Brand demonstrated various 'naughty horse' behaviors and had everyone laughing!
One of the techniques Ted often uses to help participants be prepared for trying a new exercise with their horse is to go through some of the most typical, when your horse does this - you do this scenarios. Carol was hands down the most entertaining horse role player we have ever had!
This clinic was such a fun learning environment for everyone.

  Rick Brand, did an awesome job throughout the clinic in spite of being only four months out from double knee surgery. Carol and Rick were able to tag team with Flint and participate in the clinic 'together' enabling Rick to be a part of this clinic although his knees got a bit sore here and there!
Also in this photo, Dave with his horse Noble. Dave made a long drive down and back to be with this clinic group.


I really love this picture of Dave flexing Noble under saddle.

Marilyn Hornbaker with her little mare.

Marilyn with her friend (and horse role player) Virginia. Bob and Virginia were originally planning to be participants at this clinic but were forced to change their plans due to Bob's recent knee surgery. However, they made a day trip of it and came to hang out and watch the clinic on Saturday. It was so good to see them! This photo was taken within minutes of their arriving which shows how long it took Virginia to get in on a little of the action!

Aileen Womer brought her little Morgan, Smokey Jo down from Dayville, Oregon to participate in this clinic. Little Smokey Jo doesn't look so little when you check out all the muscle mass, I think he probably had more sore muscle than any other horse there!

 Another particpant from Dayville, Oregon Teacia Irwin. T. came down with her husband Greg and had a fantastic weekend. Teacia and Greg also left a beautiful Arabian mare with Ted for training so we will be seeing them again in about six weeks!

Teacia with her naughty horse Greg!

LOTS of Horses Now In Training- Every Day is Full - Every day is Good!

 

Cowboy -  Ted's 'therapy' horse, meaning the horse he goes to ride to just relax! Cowboy is getting a short daily ride from Sam (our most inexperienced rider of the bunch), because there's nobody like Cowboy to build some confidence.

 

Flint - from Lost Juniper Ranch (Carol and Rick Brand). Check out how soft he is; not to mention drop dead gorgeous! Sixteen hands of beautiful.....

Popsy - wow has she come a long way! She now measures 14.2 - and is a great little horse, with a rock solid foundation. Gaining more experience daily, she is in pretty high demand here. Beth has officially listed her for sale, asking $3000, may negotiate price to the right home.

Smokey - I am loving having her here! I have been riding her almost every day for the last week- ten days. She and Flint went to town the last three days as we had noticed that she was overly concerned about vehicles particularly at highway speeds (imagine how that could be being raised in Oreana!). She also didn't love unfamiliar barking dogs - both issues thoroughly addressed along with trains, town noises, etc. etc.
Even with that extra weight she can out travel any other horse here right now!

 Ardreth - another of Beth's! Five year old registered, twelve hand Welsh gelding. The hope is that LJ and Beth can have him good to go for littlest sis to ride him in a few LD's this spring. We want to take him to the two Tough Suckers in Oreana and also to Karen Bumgarners, Owyhee River Challenge in May. So far he has been a super star this spring so it's looking good!

   Terrence with Cruiser - we will probably bring Cruiser with us to the spring Oreana clinic.

Isn't she photogenic? I think it's a bay thing.

Beth has added MJ to her current working list - lots of fun. Beth and MJ are a great match, work well together. Beth loves a horse that is always calm but can be really athletic (without any of that 'reactive Arabian stuff!'. LOL) MJ is actually registered paint breeding stock but very AQHA bred. She is a little girl, only 13.3 hands and four years old this spring. I will try to post training MJ updates as I get more photos of her.

She already wants to slide.....

A Clinic Description - by popular demand!

I keep getting asked, 'What is one of Ted's clinics like?'.   So finally - here is my attempt to give a somewhat coherent description of one! 

Outdoor classroom at Oreana! We chose whether to place chairs in shade or out of shade based on the temperature!

If you're not already familiar with Ted this page is a good intro to him 'About Ted and Foundations and Beyond'. He is in no way officially affiliated with Downunder Horsemanship and/or Clinton Anderson but he absolutely recommends and uses the DUH method of training. He has extensively studied and practiced the application of the Downunder Horsemanship training method and adheres to it because he firmly believes it to be the best method for helping the most horses and their owners. (Check out the What About Texas and Clinton Anderson's Academy page of this blog if you'd like a little more of that back story.)

First of all, the bare facts - they are almost always three days, with 'official' clinic times of 9 - 5 with an hour and a half break for lunch from noon - 1:30.  Ted always has some who come early and stay late so the hours are never only 9-5. 

The clinic begins with about an hour of Ted explaining the philosophy and reasoning of the training methods he uses.  He is a big believer in the importance of horse owners not only knowing WHAT works but understanding HOW and WHY it works. After class the participants head out to the arena with their horses; for the next two hours they will be busy learning (and teaching their horses) several groundwork exercises. There is an unbelievably short feeling hour and a half break for lunch - then we are all back to work until five. At five some of the participants wrap up for the day and some of them stay in the arena for up to two hours (or more!) getting extra help.  

On day two everyone reconvenes in the classroom area  for the classroom session. By this time everyone knows each others name and it is a fun combination of class instruction and questions and answers. At some clinics this class time is changed by popular demand to 8 am so we can get an earlier start in the arena! On the other hand at some clinics participants have chosen to be in the arena getting some extra practice in from 8:00 (or even earlier) until the official class start time of 9:00. Part of the fun of keeping the clinics small is being able to adjust to whatever works best for the needs of the particular group. At last falls Oreana clinic Ted was requested to start day three with a round penning demonstration - we love how keeping our groups small allows us not only to give tons of individual instruction but also lets us adjust to the needs of the clients.  

On day two saddle work commences after lunch break. Those clients who are perhaps a little uncomfortable riding in a group to begin with sometimes have Ted or one of his helpers ride their horse during or right after that day two lunch break. By the end of day two folks have covered a lot of material and are starting to see the results of their hard work. Day three is always too short - we are never really ready for the weekend to end. Everyone is enjoying applying the new tools they've acquired, their horses are beginning to master the exercises and it's starting to feel like practicing skills instead of trying to remember too much stuff! At the same time; by the end of day three everyone is tired and ready to take their notes home and apply all these tools in regular length training sessions versus working at it all day long.  Day three winds up with a barbecue/potluck meal; it is fun for everyone to unwind, talk about their experiences together and enjoy some camaraderie out of the arena. 

I find it a little difficult to sum up, it seems like each one is different though in many ways they are all very similar. The clinic experience is different for every participant I suppose. Every horse is different; so is every handler and horse relationship and so are each handler's individual goals. As Ted will repeatedly tell you at a clinic, "Everyone is at their own place in their own horsemanship journey with each horse, do not compare yourself or your horse to others, focus on and enjoy your own journey!"  

This is part of a classroom session, photo taken last fall at Oreana clinic. 

Some comments from clinic participants and/or observers have been:

Karen Vining: I loved my experience at Ted's fundamentals clinic last spring. I now have a calm, respectful horse! I am attending again this year as a review/tuneup for mainly myself.

Steph Teeter - Awesome clinic! Three days was just right. I gained a lot of confidence (with new skills) in my young horse and myself. By the end we were calmly galloping the arena in any direction the horse chose - 'cruising' - no direction from the rider - having fun. We got there step by step, progressively improving communication and respect - it was really an impressive job of teaching by Ted Nicholes. I HIGHLY recommend his clinic for anybody wanting to work through issues or problems that they have with their horse, or simply wanting to gain a higher level of communication. We are already trying to schedule another Oreana clinic for next spring!

Karen Bumgarner - Best money ever spent! 

 Trish Frahm - Ted gave me the confidence I needed to ride my young horse. He helped me teach her the necessary basics, giving to the bit, one rein stop and building me as a leader. I was able to take what I learned from Ted's clinic and start taking her out on the trails with confidence. Trish Frahm

Carrie Johnson - When Ted put his clinic on at the Teeter Ranch I jumped at the opportunity.   The clinic started with a short presentation explaining his program.  We proceed with groundwork learning the exercises with the stick.  Ted is a very patient person and explains his methods very well.  The second day we were riding our horses using what we had learned the first day.  If you are having a problem Ted would take the time that was needed to make sure you and your horse understood it.  If you were uncomfortable about doing something Ted would help you through it until it was comfortable for you and the horse. Ted's children Beth and Terrence were there to help with anyone one that needed it. They were great!  This is one of the best programs I have attended.  Thank You Ted.

Carrie Johnson

Boise, ID

Sam Nicholes (one of Ted's sons) - The horse people learn from my dad about horses while I catch lizards.

Revised Spring CLINIC DATES

New dates! The Colt Clinic has officially been moved to APRIL 10, 11, 12.

APRIL 17, 18, 19 will be our Parma area 3 Day fundamentals clinic.

There are still spots available at both of these clinics!

Spring Is Coming - Cowboy

Tivio's Poco Cowboy, Ted's AQHA stallion, looking like spring is practically here!

Cowboy is such an awesome stud horse. We have been around some mild mannered studs before but Cowboy is more than just gentle and calm. He has the most amazing retention ability of ANY horse we have ever worked. The speed at which he learns and the way that he never seems to forget a lesson, or even to be slightly rusty on anything, are, thus far in our experience, unique to Cowboy. I wonder if the elimination of the whole 'throwaway day' thing is hereditary? I doubt it but it would sure be cool! He is standing at stud here for $300, mare feed not included.

New Clinic on the Schedule- Bring on the Colts!

We have scheduled another clinic for this spring. This one is April 17, 18, 19. Exact location to be finalized but it will be in the Parma, Idaho vicinity. There are a few differences in this clinic and our typical three day clinics.  The days will be just a little bit longer, the cost is $350 instead of $300 and there will be fewer participants allowed. Because it is a colt clinic we are limiting the spots to a maximum of five participants. This will be a great opportunity to learn the specific colt starting exercises that we don't get to do at a regular clinic. If you'd like to participate in this clinic the first step is call Ted, 541-212-3330 and chat with him about you and your colt. Next step, send in a $100 deposit to hold your clinic spot. The mailing address is 31305 Boulder Road, Parma, Idaho 83660.

Hoof Progress - Lots of Pictures!

The horse who is featured in 'Is This Hoof A Good Hoof?' is making progress. The first check and trim was done 18 days after the set up trim. The next check and trim photos are from eight days after that. At each trim all that was done was to tune up the mustang roll on all four hooves, including making sure the quarters were relieved. Ted also worked at bringing front hoof breakover back a tiny bit more at each of these two trims. This is something that he will continue to work at a little bit at a time as Ted is very cautious to go carefully because he firmly believes that every trim should leave a horse as comfortable or more comfortable than prior to the trim. Keep in mind these are showing the progress these feet made over only 26 days. Particularly impressive given the fact that for a good portion of those days we had to restrict (rather than encourage) her movement due to risk of injury. However the weather conditions moderated and allowed us to begin turning her out for a lot more exercise right around that 18 day mark. Since the hoof and sole develop by load and release (as Pete Ramey says "Length of recovery time is measured in miles not days.") This truth is well demonstrated by the progress in the last eight days.

Right front, 18 days after set up trim

At this point the frog is beginning to touch the ground in some spots and some flaky junk has exfoliated off the outside of the sole and a healthier looking sole is beginning to appear.

Right front, 8 days of turn out later....

Now the sole is really showing growth and the frog has developed substantially. 

 For comparison - here is an original front hoof picture after the set up trim.

Starting Point - Right Front After Set Up Trim

Although it is difficult to see from this angle, the sole is developing some thickness so there is a little bit of depth at the apex of the collateral grooves. Also you can see the callous ridge development beginning to show up around the outside edge of the sole. Most impressive is the rapid growth of frog once the mare was turned out on soft footing. On the original set up trim day the frog was not contacting the ground at all, eighteen days later barely touching on a few spots. During those eighteen days she did get a couple of days of turn out play (when snowcover seemed adequate to offer some protection) but for the most part activity was quite restricted due to safety concerns. Eight days of turnout on soft ground later and the frog is fully functioning (at least on soft ground) and developing accordingly. 

This photo is of the left front but it is a better angle to see the development of some sole.  

Hind foot progress is going well too. The first photo is eighteen days after set up trim. All that she needed on the hinds at this point was a little relieving of the quarter walls and the second photo shows eight days of turnout later. Compare the apex of the collateral grooves in these two photos and you can see that she is getting a thicker sole. The frog is also beginning to develop well. We are very pleased with her progress. 

Left Hind - eighteen days in 

Left Hind - 26 days in (8 days after above photo)

Hind Hoof after Set Up Trim

Note how flat the bottom of this hoof is compared to the concavity that is beginning to develop now ( 26 days later). In about one month the internal structures of this hoof (P3 especially) is so much safer and more protected than when we started. 

I will keep posting progress reports. Personally I am interested to see if, when, and how much the bars begin to develop on these hooves. Up to this point Ted has not touched bars, frogs, or (of course!) sole. All work done has been to the walls.