So today I took the plunge and decided I was far enough advanced to get on Stanley my rising 3 Shire/Vanner (Cob) gelding - he is having an operation Wednesday to remove a blind wolf tooth so thought I would have a ride before his recovery period so he can ponder things, unfortunately I can’t upload the video here, Richard Boatwright when you try it only allows uploading of your videos and not from our library! 

Well it went well, went through basics as per normal then put weight in the stirrup a few times, he did walk off but I recall Richard saying it’s not really an issue at this stage, on the 4th time I committed and swung my leg over and we were off! 

Only a couple of minutes riding around or so, a couple of nice 1 rein stops and moving away, he took it all in his stride, lots more ground driving to do as he will be by nature more woe than go as we say in the UK but over the moon with the big lad.

My aim is to once recovered to have him sufficiently backed to bring him to Richard’s clinic in the UK in May to help bring him on, not sure yet if I will be riding or my better half but as I’m more confident than her I decided to throw my leg over today, even though this is the first youngster or any horse for that matter I’ve done a 1st ride on! 

My big worry was I am too big for him at present but he seemed to deal with it all, he is 14.3h and I am 6ft 1”.

Will try to get a couple more rides before his operation 

So I sent my 4 year old mare to a colt starter and she was just not the right fit for the program. She became violent and out of control. I started watching your videos since I had given hope. After some medication and starting from scratch with your videos I’m happy to say my little mare is making much progress. I sat on her bareback today, and we worked on just walking, halting and some trotting, and if she got quick I was able to turn her into a circle without any dramatics or arguments from her. She has become much more willing with your method and the hormone therapy. She seems to respond so much better and actually look for me when she gets nervous or flustered. We are still working on the commandments but happy to say we are on #5 and for the last few weeks we’ve kept all 4 feet on the ground at all times! Hopefully we can get to the next commandment soon!

Really appreciate the videos, the advice and the inspiration!

Is this the right place to ask a question? Just signed up this morning. Picking up a yearling Friday that's pretty much unhandled and I could use some real advice on a few things. 

Thanks! 

Richard Boatwright I'd like to ask where in your videos you think I should start with my horse? She's a seven year old cow-bred quarter horse mare. The colt starter I sent her to when she was two did not do a good job with her. She backed in a curve to the right or not at all when she came home. I spent years riding her terribly wrong; kicking, spurring, pulling, jerking, taking everything she didn't do personally and getting angry with her. She has holes in her foundation and is super bracy. The best thing I ever did was regulate my nervous system and learn how to stay calm and not take my horse personally. It's been a huge game changer for us. Now I have to learn how to undo the damage I've done. I started by watching your 10 Commandments videos and applying what I saw when riding and things started to get better. But I thought I should start with the colt starting videos to ensure she didn't have any holes. Day 1 went well. Day 2 not so much. Any time I ask her to go around me on a lead line (or with a neck rope), she drops her inside shoulder towards me and sticks her nose to the outside. In the Naches Day 1 video, you say that it's a great exercise for a bracy horse, but I'm not getting her to soften at all. Am I in the right place, and do I just need to slow down and focus on this issue before moving on with the colt starting videos? 

Richard Boatwright how long is your lead rope/neck rope? 

What are some must-know tips for riding in the winter that you swear by?  How do you stay warm?  Where do you ride?

Richard Boatwright hope you all are staying warm! I have a question. I've got about 30 rides on this horse, starting to work on the turnaround. Based on my understanding I should be starting with the step (even a single one) across and then building up from that a step or two at a time. Here's an example of how I'm working on that:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7xqggWsJiY . Am I heading in the correct direction with this approach?

Well I started my 2 youngsters on the ES20 Colt starting yesterday, such a contrast between the Vanner cross and Friesian cross, the former is just a plodder and so compliant in everything asked, making him move faster than a walk is a trial in itself but he listens and moved on to bridle and snaffle and worked him well, missed so many cues it was laughable.

Now on to the mare, the opinionated acrobatic, leg kicking, turning on a sixpence speed merchant, so much fun to work around the round pen, naturally turns in but the attention span of a knat, everything is 100 miles an hour with her, a bit of work on the head collar/lead before it got dark.

let’s see what we all digested over night….. I may get my old mare out today to start plugging her gaps also! 

more revision watching videos overnight, thanks Richard Boatwright

Four years ago i bought a 2 going on 3 year old. I work closely with a trainer who studies with Buck Brannamen and she has taught me a lot. But i have been exploring other trainers and clinicians and have been starting to question the progression from snaffle, hackamore, 2 rein then bridle. I am still using the snaffle, and am ready for hackamore. I question the necessity of it when so many people go right from snaffle to a shank bit. thoughts?

I've been a member for a few weeks now and am really appreciating the videos. I'm starting with watching the 10 Commandments videos. 

I'm restarting my 7 year old quarter horse mare. I've had her since she was a long yearling. She has a history of serious illness and injuries (fractured vertebra, cut an artery in her hoof, salmonella) and by the grace of God is sound and healthy. The colt starter I sent her to when she was two was not great. While I'm a lifelong horse person and am a good rider, I am not a trainer (though I want to be). I have audited a lot of clinics and watched a lot of videos, but I wasn't paying attention to the responses I was getting when I tried to apply what I was learning. I have done a terrible job with this horse. Due to bad riding from the colt starter and myself, she has not had a good start. In the past six months I've started to really pay attention to my horse and her responses to what I'm doing. It's made a huge difference. She's letting go of a lot of her tension. She's getting more relaxed and balanced, less bracy. I'm taking my time riding and working on one thing at a time. She's well-bred (Playgun), has great confirmation and is good-minded. She's never offered to buck and she loves it when my seven year old son rides her. (He's not riding now while I'm restarting her to ensure she has a good foundation.) She comes right to me whether in her stall or turned out in a pasture and releases/licks and chews a lot. Despite my flaws, we have a good relationship that is getting better as my horsemanship gets better. 

One issue I'm still having is that when she's in the cross ties in the barn (I board at a large facility), I can't touch her without her snapping her teeth at me. When I scratch, rub or brush her, she snaps her teeth. Sometimes she'll pin her ears and snap at me as a warning to stop touching her. She lives in a good sized stall with a decent turnout. I've been riding her at night in the arena alone most nights. I turned her out in a big pasture for an hour and a half yesterday and that made her happy. I was able to rub and scratch her all over in the pasture. I turned her out again today and then took her to the cross ties. Once back in the cross ties she was snappy when I touched or tried to brush her. Sometimes I can rub and scratch her her "spots;" belly, around her ears, etc., and she likes it. Sometimes it doesn't matter where I touch her and she'll pin her ears and snap her teeth. Riding used to be very adversarial and it's not anymore. It's much more relaxed and collaborative. I find out where she's at each day and what she knows and go from there so there's no confusion. I focus on one thing at a time, take my time, and don't ask for something for too long. She's doing so well, I'm really proud of how far we've both come in the past few months. But trying to brush her is still something that makes her cranky. What can I do to teach her to stop snapping when I brush or touch her? Richard Boatwright