Feel is one of the hardest things for me to teach people. When teaching vertical flexion, I wish that I could say, "When the horse tucks his head in, turn loose and reward him." But I can’t because it’s not about where the horse puts his head, it’s how he feels in your hands. It’s called a soft feel, not a soft look. The best advice I can give you is, "If it feels good, it is good." If you’re having trouble feeling if your horse is softening and giving to you, have someone watch you from the ground and tell you when to release the pressure. If you pick up on the reins and the horse is heavy and stiff and all of a sudden he gets lighter, that’s him softening to the pressure, so that’s when you need to reward him. Over time, you’ll develop your feel and timing. The only way to get good feel and timing is through experience. The more you practice, the more horses you train, the more DVDs you watch and the more tours and clinics you go to, the more experienced you’ll become.

Another group of horses has graduated the Fundamentals training program and been sent home with owners excited to build on their brand new partnership. Every six weeks, we take in a group of horses that range from colts that need started to horses that have been to three or four other trainers and are deemed lost causes. After the horses complete the Fundamentals training course, their owners are invited to the ranch to receive a day's lesson with the Academy student who trained the horse. During the lesson, they cover all of the groundwork and riding exercises the horse knows and get to work over the obstacle course and trail ride around the ranch. If you're interested in sending your horse to the ranch for Fundamentals training, contact Ash Rowen at 254-552-1037 or ash@downunderhorsemanship.com to be placed on the waiting list. The next available session will be in the fall. 

A Must Do for Horses and Owners
We made the decision to send our horse, Sunny, to Downunder Horsemanship when we realized the work we were putting in was not getting us the results we wanted. Throughout the weeks Sunny was in training, our trainer Bobbie Pickrell stayed in touch and let us know the progress they were making. When we went to pick Sunny up and spend our day in training, there were so many thoughts going through our heads. What would we see, how much had she learned, what were we going to be able to learn in one day? By the end of the day all of our questions had been answered and so much more. It was amazing to see all that they had worked on and accomplished in 6 weeks! We left confident that we would be able to continue the training at home and knew what to look for to be sure it stayed that way. Since leaving the ranch, leaps and strides have been made from the relationship that existed before Downunder Horsemanship to the one we have now. It is like having a "do-over." The issues that we had before and the confidence that had been shrunk are a distant memory. Knowing how to communicate with Sunny, what to expect and look for, and how to address any signs before they become an issue has been amazing. This program has given back so much more than we could have ever asked for! Anyone who is considering this program for their horse and themselves should absolutely go through with it. It not only provides you with a horse that has had amazing experiences, but the ability as a human to communicate effectively with your horse and reap the rewards of the work you put in. A definite "MUST DO!" - Donna DeGroot

"It’s never too early to start a horse’s training." That’s Clinton’s philosophy when it comes to building a foundation of success for horses. In the new Foal Training series, Clinton reveals how to make the most of a foal’s first weeks from imprinting the newborn to taking the young horse through the Fundamentals level of the Method. The series follows the progress of two foals and comes complete with 8 DVDs and 14 Arena Mates. Clinton imprints one foal at birth and purposely leaves the other untouched for a month to illustrate the training approach he takes with each young horse as he introduces them to first touch, leading, handling feet, tying and much more. Over 30 exercises are detailed in the series in addition to a section on weaning and overall foal handling success tips.

We’re officially releasing the all-new Foal Training series this week with a blockbuster deal: receive 33% off YOUR price. Call or click www.downunderhorsemanship.com. Offer expires April 30th. Unexpectedly, our shipment has been held up in the supply chain, and has not arrived yet, but we will be taking pre-orders to lock you into this great deal!

Clinton’s first and only Fundamentals clinic of 2012 starts tomorrow with 30 participants ready to live and breathe the Method for two weeks! They’ll spend most of the first week in the arena, concentrating on groundwork and riding exercises, and then Clinton will take the group out to the obstacle course and cleared tree area on the ranch to put their new knowledge to use in a practical setting. As an added thank you to this year’s clinic participants at the ranch, sponsor Standlee Hay is providing Whinny Nicker Horse Treats for their equine partners. Discover what a clinic is all about on the Downunder Horsemanship website. If you’d like to get hands on help with the Method, be sure to check out all of the clinics Clinton and his clinicians have to offer, including private lessons.

If you have a horse training question for Clinton or just want to hear some great horsemanship advice, be sure to watch MyHorseDaily’s website at www.myhorse.com. They will soon post a webinar that took place yesterday evening. During the hour-long on line discussion, Clinton answered selected questions viewers sent in to the webinar’s host and MyHorseDaily Managing Editor Amy Herdy.

Every day that you work with your horse, review the previous day’s lessons before teaching him something new. The exercises in the Method are set in a specific order to get the best results. Each exercise builds off the other; if you skip one or the horse doesn’t wholly understand how to do an exercise, you’re guaranteed to run into a roadblock later on. While there’s no shame in trying something new, realizing your horse doesn’t understand what you’re asking of him and going back a few steps, you always want to set your horse up for success. Take the time that it takes to make sure your horse understands each exercise before teaching him a new one.

With the launch of our new software system, we gathered the entire Downunder Horsemanship team in Stephenville for an intense, hands-on training session, and of course, some fun, DUH style. The office staff had been working intensely with the new system long before its "go-live" date earlier this month, and worked with the road staff throughout this past weekend to make sure they too understand how to work the system at our live events. This past Saturday evening, a companywide party was held at the ranch to cap the week off. With everyone under one roof, it was a great time!

The Downunder Horsemanship crew is off to the Midwest Horse Fair that takes place this week starting on Friday, April 20th and lasting through Sunday, April 22nd. Held at the Alliant Energy Center in Madison, Wisconsin, the event is one of the largest horse fairs in the country and features demos by top professionals in a variety of disciplines and unforgettable performances. Although Clinton will not be attending, Downunder Horsemanship will have a booth at the expo and a couple of Academy students will be on hand to answer training and product questions. Learn more about the Midwest Horse Fair on the expo’s website.

Mark your calendars! MyHorseBooks, the online book club of MyHorseDaily, is hosting a FREE webinar with Clinton on Monday, April 23rd, 9-10 PM EDT. The hour-long interactive, online discussion will be moderated by MyHorseDaily Managing Editor Amy Herdy. To register for the webinar, follow this link https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/414513542. If you have a training question you’d like Clinton to answer, email it to Amy at amy@myhorsedaily.com. Clinton will answer selected questions throughout the live webinar. Limited spots are available, so register now! Learn more about MyHorseDaily at http://myhorse.com.

Most people fail when it comes to desensitizing their horses to scary objects because they're sneaky and overly cautious. They slowly walk up to the horse with the object hidden behind their back, and then very carefully try to touch the horse with it. Of course the horse gets scared and moves away because he assumes that if you're being cautious, you must have a reason. I have a saying, "Heart attacks are free, so give one to your horse." Or, in other words, don't tip-toe around your horse and be afraid to scare him. In reality, trying to protect your horse from objects he's scared of only makes the situation worse. As a trainer, your goal is to desensitize your horse to as many objects that move and make a noise as you can. You can't get that done if you're afraid to scare him. When I'm desensitizing a horse, if he wants to get scared, that's fine by me. Heart attacks are free. As long as I'm in a safe position, I don't care if he has a heart attack.