16th October, 2009 - Posted by Frank Bell - Comments Off
Dear Frank,
Long story short…I rode horses all my life. Broke my first stud colt at 13. Did the unthinkable, got more interested in boys and stop riding. Now I’m 43 and going back to something I love. Here is the problem bought a 5 yr old mare…she just needs some work and practice. The problem would be the 10 month old stud colt that has never had a halter on. I can’t even touch him. The day that I decided to buy him I took some sweet feed, he would eat it out of the bucket but when I would try to touch him, he wasn’t going to have any of that…on top of that the idiot that I’m buying him from (I was totally concentrating on the colt) came out in the field and thought it was funny to sneak up on him and run his finger down his ribs. You can imagine how that worked out with me trying to build a little confidence with the colt. With my colts when I was younger I always starting them from birth…so I’m not completely sure where to begin with this horse. By the way the mare is not the colt’s mother. Just really need a starting point. I’ve always believed in slow and easy wins the race.
Karin Ward,
Arkansas (more…)
11th October, 2009 - Posted by Frank Bell - Comments Off
Fall greetings!
I hope this finds you and your horses enjoying a wonderful fall as summer winds down and the finest riding season is upon us. In the west where I reside, we’re enjoying cool nights, sometimes even freezing, with days in the mid-70’s making for perfect riding weather.
Remember that the cool mornings can have horses feeling pretty frisky. It is always a good idea to take that ‘fresh’ out of them prior to riding. My safety system is designed precisely for this exact situation. A few minutes of groundwork can pay huge dividends later on the trail. Warming up with some Ballet on the Ground, followed by Ballet in the Saddle gets the horse’s mind into the game because they have to focus and place their feet accurately. This wonderful warm -up exercise is being used by horsemen worldwide with great success and the culmination of my 7 Step Safety System.
A few points as winter looms: (more…)