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One of the best kept secrets in the collection of videos offered for
sale in the TWHBEA gift shop is the tape, Saddling and Riding the Unbroke Horse for the First Time,
which is part of the Sam
Powell Teaching by
Asking series. As Powell
explains at the beginning of the video, he comes "from Oklahoma by way of
Texas." His experience includes that of working ranch cowboy, rodeo cowboy,
federal livestock inspector, and Oklahoma Ranch manager. Now living in the
Nashville area, Powell applies the benefits of this experience in his current
occupation as the manager of a full scale Equine Consulting Service. On the
tape, he applies the principles he has acquired through a variety of
experiences to surely and safely take an untried stallion from the halter-only
stage to the first saddling and rider mount up. Windward Manor near
Franklin is the location where the action occurs. The film begins with the
audience watching Powell and a handsome flax sorrel stallion in the farm's
round pen. Powell explains that his job is that of a translator, to explain the
stallion's "language" to the humans that have not met the colt before. He
states that his major effort will involve teaching the colt a few things while
teaching the viewers some things about horses. Powell emphasizes that the
"horse is a whole culture", and to truly work successfully with horses, a
person must know and understand this culture. Round pen training has become
popular recently in walking horse circles. Powell takes these efforts a step
beyond the usual in succinctly explaining the "why" behind every step that
occurs in the round penning process. As he begins moving the high-headed colt
around the pen's outer perimeter, he explains that the purpose is to gain the
colt's respect, so that the trainer will be the dominant element in the herd of
two. A second purpose is to teach the colt forward motion. The driving
movement done by the trainer in the pen makes use of the culture
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that the young horse already knows, as this driving is learned at this
dam's side when she tires of his behavior and chases him away to gain some
temporary peace. As the minutes pass, Powell demonstrates the responses
that he expects the young horse to acquire as the training session progresses.
He advises viewers not to make solid wood round pens, but the open kind that
allow distractions to be part of the training process. He also provides the
ideal dimensions for a round pen, and states the reasons why these dimensions
work. Powell proceeds to sack the colt using his lariat, introduce him to
the saddle pad, then the weight of a saddle. When the colt's reaction to
working the rail in a saddle is fairly calm, Powell brings in a young associate
named Carol. She proceeds to introduce herself to the colt's culture, and
actually gives him his first lesson in carrying a rider while trainer Powell
provides the ground signals that the sorrel has learned in that day's training
session. This educational video is just that - an informative and
instructive tape that entertains while it provides important principles in
horse training that owners can use in their personal training programs. The
segment which involves using the rope to tie up the colt's leg should perhaps
be left to those with experience in working with ropes around horses or other
livestock, but the techniques involved in the rest of the tape could be used by
people from all backgrounds, including those with years of experience in riding
Tennessee Walkers. This is an excellent video, useful not only for
starting an unbroken horse under saddle, but also, as trainer Powell mentions,
as a fine aid in developing a program for working weanlings and yearlings to
prepare them for the jobs they will assume when they mature.
For info on purchasing this tape, call
TWHBEA'S Gift Shop at 1-800-359-1574. |
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