A SUMMER GREETING
from
DANCES WITH HORSES

Just in the last week, spring suddenly turned into summer here in Idaho. The hail, rain, snow, and wind that marked the month of May have turned into a wonderfully warm and welcomed change as summer almost instantly appeared.

I’ve personally had a fabulous spring that started for me in late March in the Bahamas. My last encounter with the Wild Horses of Abaco involved some vet work and hoof trimming one of the mares that needed attention. Private sessions with clients in Florida followed in mid April. And with dogwoods and redbud blooming in Virginia, we conducted a very intensive 2-day clinic in Christiansburg with participants coming in from as far away as Michigan, Indiana, and New Jersey! Visiting friends and conducting privates right across the country took me to Washington State where I headlined the annual Backcountry Horseman’s Rendezvous in Yakima. I then zipped down to central Oregon to visit my friend and mentor, John Sharp, who entered his tenth decade on the 19^th of April. We brushed up on his favorite subject, knot tying. He coached me through some of the more difficult knots. Interestingly, I’d bought a deck of cards just for John because each card had a different knot along with instructions and uses.

“Let me show you something Frank,” remarked John with a sly smile. He thumbed through the cards and found the one with listed credits. Whose name was right at the top of the card? John Sharp’s knot tying book was prominently credited right there. Again I bowed to the master. Not only were John’s knot-tying skills intact, but also he handily thrashed me at our favorite game of cards: cribbage. May we all be as vital as John at age ninety!

Driving back to Idaho along swollen rivers and greening countryside, I was delighted to see plenty of new foals playing in the pastures. Most of the horses and cattle along the way appeared to have wintered well.

The rolling hills of eastern Idaho were just coming to life as I arrived home to Windrider Ranch in late May. Since then the grasses and aspens have exploded as summer rushes in.

Summer and fall are the major riding seasons in this part of the world. We have about half the year for quality riding. It’s important to begin the riding season on strong footing. I will be personally tuning up a plethora of horses for friends, neighbors, clients, and my own. Believe me I will adhere to my own teachings and thoroughly work my 7-Step Safety System (7-SSS) with each and every horse. I encourage you to do the same. Starting out properly will make all future riding endeavors much easier and dramatically safer. The stories of springtime horses “feeling their oats” are too numerous to even begin to recount. As our Accredited Instructor, David Bishop, so wisely says, “It's the invested time on the ground that makes safe time in the saddle.”

Our Accredited Instructor Program is Smokin’!

Speaking of Accredited Instructors, our program is literally exploding as trainers throughout the country and world for that matter join our ranks. Sylvia Scott,one of our Accreditation Instructors, cast her net into the depths of our following. She encountered an insatiable hunger in horsemen and women of all ages who want to share our Gentle Solutions approach. So many of these equestrians have discovered the power of the 7-SSS and long to spread the wealth of wisdom. To say the least, I am overjoyed, as my dream becomes reality. We literally now have dozens of Accredited Instructor candidates who are perfecting their skills to become teachers of this remarkably effective set of exercises that immediately places the horse and rider on higher ground. Instead of riding in fear, thousands are now riding in confidence by using my 7-SSS. Halleluiah! If you share this passion to spread the good word and teach others how to more effectively communicate with their horses, please contact me  at: frankbell@horsewhisperer.com

The 3-T Test

Time and again I refer to the Three-T’s and want to expound on this valuable concept. Far too often in our quest for knowledge we take someone’s word as gospel without really scrutinizing just what is taking place. Sometimes this translates into whacking horses in the head with a specialized stick or running horses in mindless circles. This is not what the guru intended hence the first Three-T’s Theory:

• Theory. Always ask yourself what is the theory behind each exercise? Why am I doing this? If you cannot answer that question, don’t do it to the horse or yourself. It’s too easy to grasp just part of something and then try to apply it, only to fail. Think about what you are doing and if it doesn’t make sense don’t do it until you know exactly why.

• Technique. Once you do understand why you are doing something with your horse, then you need to effectively communicate it. And just how is this done? More importantly, what is the best way to accomplish this? In many cases we jump from A to N instead of an ABC approach that will make perfect sense to the horse. Baby-steps make so much more sense to every single horse you will ever encounter. Don’t hesitate to break the how down into a very specific set of exercises that leads to success for you and your horse. And whenever you get into trouble, back off and think about how you can make it more obvious to your student, be it equine or human. This is the true art of teaching.

• Timing. Now that you’ve mastered the why and how, it’s time to focus on improving your timing. Everyone’s timing to begin is poor, slow, and ineffective. It goes with the territory. In my clinics we begin with the twine game simply to improve each person’s release timing. If your timing is slow, so will be the horse’s reaction. If your timing is crisp and quick, so will be your horse’s. We predictably improve our students’ timing in our clinics by a thousand times in a matter of just a few minutes. Work on it. Your timing cannot ever get too good. Practicing with a friend first, before practicing with your horse, will speed you along there.

Next quarterly newsletter we’ll break down another of my favorite concepts: V-Thinking. Briefly, the bottom of the V is thought the top: extreme pressure. You can use this concept for every single communication with your horse, both to teach the positive and stop the negative behaviors.

We will also perfect a diagram on Natural Horsemanship and share it with you. This whole concept is a bit fuzzy to so many horsemen. Instead of being in the gray zone with this revolution in horsemanship, we’ll make it clearly black and white.

Past Clinics And Demos

The Christainsburg, Virginia, clinic was a huge success from several standpoints. Students came from far and wide with an intense passion to learn. I’ve not seen a group more intent on learning and carrying home as much knowledge as possible. Secondly, my Accredited Instructors, Sylvia Scott and Bob Claymier, who helped instruct there, were absolutely exemplary in their transference of the 7-SSS. We had some very challenging horses and challenged riders. Bob and Sylvia were able to help guide all parties to success. To say the least I was very proud of my team, now known as the “Virginia Mafia.”

My demonstrations in Yakima were as varied as could be imagined. In hindsight, the first three steps in my 7-SSS told the tale of each horse. In other words, if the bonding, take and give, and intimacy were solid, then the horses progressed beautifully. If these beginning trust-building exercises were not accomplished, the same progress was not achieved.

The first horse was an 8-year old quarter horse that melted for me instantly. He was perfect in every way with a very solid foundation that was evident from the moment we bonded.

The second horse was an attractive over-energized yearling paint stud colt. His excess energy was directed with purpose and within minutes this charged-up colt was a perfect gentleman standing quietly by my side as I addressed the crowd. He also had melted into the first three steps.

But number three was a real case. I’d heard about this three-year-old Egyptian Arabian gelding well before laying eyes on him. This was one sketched-out horse that had neither regard for human space nor the ability to focus on anything. Able to accomplish very little with this horse, I asked my Accredited Instructor candidate, Eric Schoch, to lend a hand. I had a slight boo-boo that prevented me from moving quickly enough there, and quickly was needed with this horse. Eric persisted and was actually able to ride this horse bareback which finally did get this horse’s attention. Admittedly this was his first time away from home and I believe he was also overfed. Not one rib was visible on Mr. Ditz. Generally horses with that kind of energy are downright skinny. In this case, I believe a change of diet might have worked wonders with this horse. Another approach with such horses is to place a variety of objects in their paddock, which forces concentration. Poles, balls, pylons, and tarps placed within the horse’s confines can work wonders in helping these wired-up animals to focus.

The final horse was a three-year-old Arabian mare with good manners and a level head. She also delighted in the first three steps of my program and Eric was riding her in three-quarters of a half hour. AND she had never been ridden before!

Three out of four of these horses performed the first three steps beautifully and progressed as well. The one that could not handle these trust building exercises didn’t progress nearly as far. The point is made.

Future Clinics And Demos

The Samuelson Ranch in Fraser, Colorado, will be the location for our June 26-27 two-day clinic. This is a magnificent setting in northern Colorado with a great group of people and no doubt interesting horses. Diana Marquardt’s horse Sparky will be showcased at this event. His fascinating story is still churning in my brain and will become a published article someday soon. For information on this clinic call Diana at: 970-887-2450 or Cathy Samuelson at: 970-726-8221.

Public and private sessions will be conducted at our home facility, Windrider Ranch, here in Ashton, Idaho, throughout the summer.

August in the United Kingdom: August will find me touring throughout England, Scotland, Wales, and perhaps Ireland. Sandie Chambers is organizing this full month of clinics, privates, and demonstrations. For information contact: SandieChambers@aol.com

September 20-25 Wild Horse Workshop, Brentwood, California: This annual event will promise to be a week of fun, learning, and excitement as 8 clinicians and about 70 participants gentle dozens of wild horses and burros. Mustangs present a whole new set of challenges and rewards. This is a one-of-a-kind hands-on week that is unique to any venue I have ever been involved in. Our pole gentling technique followed by the chute has untouched horses leading quietly usually in less than two hours. Most horses never break a sweat. Or participate there in Robert Denlinger’s human round pen, a concept that originated as Native Americans gentled wild horses. The different clinicians will offer a well-rounded variety of gentling techniques. This is always a truly unforgettable week.

September 25 & 26, Los Gatos, California, private clinic: A group of twelve will participate in two days of Gentle Solutions. This format is ideal for those who have a captive group focused on learning and equine camaraderie.

November 6-7 English Expo.

November 13-14 & 20-21 Florida clinics. Locations to be determined.

New Products

We are adding a few new tack items and a new video to our product line. Adding to our Mastery Tack Series  are several headstall/rein options:

• Headstall: ¾” harness leather headstall, stainless full-cheek snaffle bit, and black yacht reins with water loops.

• Headstall and Mecate: ¾” harness leather headstall, stainless full-cheek snaffle bit, and 22’ black yacht mecate with slobber straps. This mecate set-up is ideal for leading and tying horses thereby avoiding the need for a halter when out trail riding.

• Mecate: 22’ yacht mecate with leather popper
  

We are now offering a custom belly rope to address the pullback issue. This item is only sold along with our “Solving 7 Common Horse Problems” video that specifically addresses this dangerous behavior. If you have a horse that pulls back when tied consider this option.

Our long-awaited newest video, “Pole Gentling the Wild Horse,” is now available in VHS and DVD. This is actual footage of a yearling mustang that in the beginning is literally self-destructing into the side of the pen. Watch this well-explained transformation as this horse evolves to leading quietly and in the end standing tied to the side of the pen. This work is a compilation of Frank and John Sharp’s techniques and contains exclusive interviews with both Frank and John. This one-hour piece will be available for $39.95 VHS. The interviews add about thirty minutes to this masterpiece. We believe this is absolutely the most effective, gentle and expedient method for gentling all untouched horses, domestic or wild.

And finally, a Dances With Horses Spirit Cap. Our brilliantly colored Spirit Horse logo is on the front. “Gentle Solutions” is on the back along with horsewhisperer.com. This very attractive high quality hat is khaki with navy under the brim and is priced at $16.95. One size fits all.

Animals As Natural Therapy

Six years ago Sonja Wingard attended our very first 7-Day Intensive in Bushnell, Florida. With a passion for learning and a caring spirit she had big dreams for her future. Today those dreams are realized as she directs this amazing program in Bellingham, Washington (www.animalsasnaturaltherapy.org). The program focuses on at-risk teens who have lost their way in our hurried society. Connecting with the wide variety of animals at the farm is a first step in getting them back on track. Please visit Sonja's website and learn about this remarkable program that is really making a difference. Hats off to Sonja and congratulations!

Happy Trails from Frank Bell and  Dances With Horses!

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