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Expert
Posts: 1205
 
Location: Danielsville Georgia | A while back I met a fellow that is kinda new in these parts and yet kinda not.A reining trainer and natural horsemanship clinician named Hugh Martin.From Gainesville Ga. Had moved away and came back years later.Lives near me now.We invited him to the house and a while later he came by etc.He liked our Driftwood stallion a lot.In fact he bought a colt from us.He also saw we had Walking horses.He commented he wouldn't mind starting a filly for us and working a few horses for us.He now comes over a few hours in the mornings,started the filly and rides a few horses for us.He was not hunting a full time job anywhere.He inquired about the Tobi Walking horse stallion and I told him he HAD been a heavy shod show horse but with my illness had not been ridden or worked in several years.One day he took him to the round pen.Old spot basically left planet earth.You can imagine.Within a few days he was watching Hugh like a hawk and following hand signals.A few days later he was in the big arena and saddled.He would NOT stand still,gaited wonderful barefoot but like a locomotive gone berserk and in a snaffle bit.Like NO brakes etc.Hotter than a stick of dynamite and the hotter he got the more his mind left him.Hugh spent several days just doing one rein stops and only releasing pressure when Old Spot would stand still.It got better day by day.Then he'd let him go forward and when his mind would leave him, BAM! back to one rein stops.Then Hugh tried to canter him;WOW! Cross canter on the rear,trying to blow up and BAM! one rein stops.When he would take a few steps cantering correctly Hugh would one rein stop and when Spot would stand still he's get off him and quit.In a few days the "canter correct" light CAME ON.He'd try to let his mind go away and BAM! one rein stops,stop,lope him off, one rein stops until he settled.Get off.Few days later he'd gait him,lope him,canter him,back him and if his mind started leaving him he'd do a little of all and slowly he'd calm down.Now no more one rein stops but a deep seat,hardly a touch of the reins,a quick release as he stopped and a pat and get off.The one rein stops got him to get under himself on the rear opposite leg.Then it went to him getting up under himself on both rear legs with a two handed stop with just a sit down deep and hardly a touch of the rein.The last few days he is now doing a FULL reining pattern and is SLIDING 2 to 3 feet BAREFOOT.Plus he settles now and gives a deep sigh with NO HINT of HOT.He can now turn on and TURN OFF.His gait has gotten gorgeous.He does roll backs like a pro.Backs so deep and hard with hardly a touch of the rein you almost think he's going to fall over backwards.He's starting to spin and plants a rear and crosses over like a pro reiner.Hugh said he's a super athletic horse no matter the breed.Monday Old Spot is getting heavy shoes again but now its SLIDING PLATES on the rear.LOL. Hugh says he's going to show him at a saddle club open show that has a reining class and then he's says he's taking him to Clemson to a NRHA show! Hugh Martin is just ALL tickled about this as we are.It will be a hoot if he gets in the money on a 15 hand Tobi walking horse that's built like a Morgan.All in all its been about THREE weeks from the first time Hugh walked Old spot out of his stall and paddock.He STILL likes our Driftwood Qtr stallion a lot but says OLD Spot is as good as a lot of stock horses he's ridden. LOL. |
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Expert
Posts: 1989
 
Location: South Central OK | My huntseat horse had a sliding stop too, it really rocked the Hunter Hack classes! Everything you said sounds really awesome except the backing up so fast he almost falls over. It goes to show that once you have seat control on a horse you don't really need anything else! |
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Expert
Posts: 1205
Location: Danielsville Georgia | I like watching every time Old Spot went to never never land by putting his mind/legs to work he came back to the rider.The time frames to bring him back got shorter and shorter until reaction didn't overpower the control the human had.Wonderful skill and horsemanship. Big difference in a real pro whom has been out it 4 decades and us horse owners and or so called wanna be horse trainers.Kinda like watching RFDTV live in the backyard.Hugh won't let a horse brace against him.He just plain won't argue or fight with one at any level.Its all in the realease of pressure.In the stops or backs the reins go slack every so slighly as soon as the action is in motion.Our Driftwood stallion I watched flex and actully snap at Hughes leg with ears pinned.Hugh said he got heavy on the bit,he asked for him to get lite.He didn't,he got flexed,was still heavy and Hugh put a spur in his side to flex the rib cage.Stallion snapped at him but GOT LITE in the mouth and front end.Little minor argument.Point is it didn't take more bit.Stallion knew what was being asked and complied.Shame there is no real money to be made for this kind of skill or even really apprecated by most horse owners. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 522
Location: Tucumcari NM | I had the opportunity to watch another true horseman work on some "untrainable" horses. Had the three of them working like they had done it all their lives in just a matter of days. It is a real pleasure to see an honest -to-god trainer at work. Marla |
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Expert
Posts: 1205
Location: Danielsville Georgia | He started a 4 year old Hancock/Wimpy filly for us.Once basics were done he tried some reining on her.She was ok but he said she really likes quiet slow work.Anyhow we hauled her a time or two to a couple saddle club shows to expose her over the last couple months.No rides just hauling,tied to the trailer and such.Today we took her to a saddle club show and he showed her in Western Pleasure.He has NEVER snatched or jerked on her face trying to slow her or get her head down.He took two fourths on her in Western Pleasure with about 9 or 10 in the classes and then took a first on her in Horsemanship with about 7 in the class.Said she was still real green but he was very pleased with himself and her.She lopes really nice and has a ok trot.Its natural for her.He said you train the horse at what the horse is good at and then its easy.Don't try to make one do something that its not cut out for.She is FOR SALE. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 644
Location: Odenville, Alabama | man, that's a great story. I wish he were closer to ride my cranky mule. Take a video ! |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 544
Location: Claxton, Ga. | Glad to see you get excited about horses again. Hope he does well. |
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Expert
Posts: 1205
Location: Danielsville Georgia | 'll be even more EXCITED when OTHERS buy and own about a 6 or 7 of these.The Hancock/Wimpy mare and two others are ready to go into Stablemates magazine and Craig's list today.My farrier bill yesterday was almost $4oo and the farrier is a FRIEND! ($20 trims,$55 for sliding plates rear,trim front etc.)Plus did not get to all of the ones needing something.I'm looking forward to a BEACH and a cold Corona! I did a FREE breeding on our Driftwood stallion when he was two to the owner of the feed store near here on a her own first cousin shake and bake San Peppy mare of his.Got a good looking Red Roan colt that at three was cutting/pleasure riding and HE started him at home not really knowing what he was doing.HE SOLD that colt last month for $2500 and still has not told me.PLUS that colt is now on a site for sale for $3500!!! It was his to do with as he wanted but he could have at least REFERRED someone this way in the last couple of years.He has said numerous times that as soon as HE sold one he was going to buy the Buckskin filly I have.Well I'm waiting! Oh well.I want some of these here GONE.LOL The only one I'm really tickled over and it is really no benefit for anything is watching my Waking horse stallion work.He loves it and it shows.Now just WHO wants a Spotted TWH stallion that does reining? |
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Expert
Posts: 1205
Location: Danielsville Georgia | UPDATE.Ole Spot worked great and did flying lead changes both directions like he'd been doing them forever.Was real pretty to watch.THEN we started schooling a mare in the arena with him.More then he could handle.He fell apart.Took a while doing very slow basics doing small circles and pivots to get him to focus on the rider.He finally did and Hugh quit him and walked him out of the arena.More work with a mare or mares in the arena with him is needed. Waiting on farrier to put sliders on him.He didn't have the correct size last week when he was here.Rest of our horses we are working and have for sale are doing really good. |
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Veteran
Posts: 151
Location: Manitoba, Canada | Who wants a walking stallion that reins? Umm, except for the stallion part, I would. However, I'm not in the market. As far as I'm concerned, the fact that he can rein just shows how well broke he is. To be a successful reiner, a horse must be able to yield every part of his body at the slightest request, and to me, that's the ideal horse. I don't compete in reining, but if things progress well, I'll enter enter a mare in a local show next summer. However, the show isn't the point. I teach all my horses all the maneuvers required for a reining pattern, and then proceed to trail ride them, chase cows, and barrel race. Maybe I'm the only one out there that checks to see if a potential trail horse purchase can spin like a top, but I like my horses to be broke, broke, broke, and a reining trained horse is all that and then some. Your trainer sounds great! Great post, thanks for sharing! |
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A remarkable transformation! This might be a first!
