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Bunkhouse
Reviews
Western Horseman April 1997
Wil
Howe’s From Foundation to Finished
Training Video
Series
#3
Beyond the Snaffle Bit
The Art of Finishing
Horses
This
is the third in a series of fine videos
offered by horsemanship clinician and top
trainer Wil Howe. It presents the
culmination of his logical step-by step
training program, which produces a quiet,
well-trained horse suitable for any task,
from the demands of the show ring, to
ranch work, or to a relaxing trail
ride.
Wil
lays the groundwork for this tape in his
first two: #1 Establishing
Leadership from the Ground
Up(reviewed July 1996)
and #2 10-Step Training
Program (reviewed October 1996).
In this 2-hour video, he explains how and
why a horse needs to eventually get out of
the snaffle bit and why the rider needs to
advance himself as well. Indeed,
there’s a world of difference between
a horse being pulled around in a snaffle
bit and one performing with
fingertip-finesse in a bridle.
Wil
first goes over bit selection, mouth fit,
and dental problems. He has a series of
bits he likes, starting with the snaffle
bit, followed by a transition bit,
sweetwater swivel cheek bit, high-port
swivel-cheek bit. Wil shows how he
accustoms the horse to each bit before he
mounts. In riding, there are specific
things the horse must accomplish before
going on to the next phase in bitting.
When bits are introduced in this logical
fashion, few horses have problems with the
transition from one to another.
Along
the way, Wil discusses neck-reining as it
applies to each step of the program. What
you end up with is a horse who is light
and comfortable in the bridle.
Wil
and his wife, Beverly, demonstrate these
techniques on several horses, some already
finished and some with just a few
months’ riding, so you get to see
typical responses from horses with
different levels of training.
As
with the other tapes in this series, the
sound and video quality are excellent. The
Howes have done an outstanding job of
presenting their gentle, make-sense
approach to horse training, and
they’ve done it with class. This is
not the usual backyard camcorder
production. Also included is a booklet of
notes and reminders, so you can review
what you’ve learned in the
tape.
Priced
at $84.95, plus $5 s/h. Even though you
can purchase and view each tape
separately, we strongly recommend buying
the entire set as an investment in
knowledge for $195, plus $13.50 s/h.
Checks, money orders, VISA, and MasterCard
accepted.
Trophy Magazine
Spring 96
Jeff
Tracy-Producer of Horseman’s World
National Radio Program
Establishing
Leadership From the Ground up & the
Ten Step Training Program
(Tapes #1 & #2 of Wil Howe’s
From Foundation to
Finished©
Training
Video Series)
Wil Howe’s training videos will make
sense to anybody who has worked their own
horse and wondered why faithful IBN
Boo-Boo didn’t perform well. Howe
takes a very down to earth approach to
getting and keeping your horse’s
attention, but he doesn’t dissect the
matter into too fine a detail which often
leads the viewer to believe they’ve
missed something in "step 6, part B,
subsection 23.5, line 207."
To train horses you have to be born with
some talent and natural ability, but to
enjoy handling or riding horses is within
the reach of all persons who can dedicate
themselves to learning the basics-a
discipline which Howe makes easy to
learn.
Howe, unlike many of his peers, explains
that at times a horse needs to be bit up,
tied back or around and that "attention"
must be gotten.
With all the round-pen revolutionaries out
there in the market today, Howe is one of
the best at keeping the message simple,
honest, and results-oriented. Your end
result, having watched the video, will be
increased knowledge of working your horse
not only in the snaffle, but also the
bosal and bridle.
If you’ve got space for two more
horse videos on the shelf then these two
would be excellent additions to your
library.
America’s
Foundation Quarter Horse Journal, January
1998
The philosophies and unique approach to
horse training of renowned trainer and
clinician , Wil Howe, are now available in
a three part, five hour video series
entitled "From Foundation to
Finished ©" and are some of
the best we have seen in years! Although
there are a lot of training videos on the
market today, it seems like every trainer
has one out, many don’t seem to get
their point across. This is definitely not
a problem with this series of videos. Wil
takes you from the groundwork with your
horse in the round pen to the finished
stage of advancing your horse in the
bridle with in depth instructions. Wil
claims with his "From Foundation to
Finished ©" program applied
to it’s fullest a horseman seeking
tangible information will have the tools
to advance their horse to any performance
level they choose, be it ranch work or the
show arena, and we have to agree.
The last in the series of three tapes
is "Beyond The Snaffle
Bit". After your horse has gone
through the ten step program successfully
and is riding well in the snaffle bit it
is time to put him in a bridle to make him
truly a finished horse. A common problem
we see in todays horse world is the lack
of information dealing with how to advance
ones horse past the "green colt" snaffle
bit stage. Wil’s program and videos
seem to offer the missing link. Wil is an
advocate of the results from traditional
California style of finishing horses and
he teaches his own easy to follow steps
for advancing a horse from the snaffle to
the curb and how to put a rein on any
horse. This art of finishing horses,
teaching a horse to handle in a full
bridle, Wil’s specialty, is rarely
offered to the public.
In this third Video , Wil goes beyond the
plateau of the snaffle bit, "two-handed",
pulling technique of directing a horse and
shares priceless skills on how, when and
why to advance your horse to neck reining,
"one-handed", in a finished leverage curb
bit. It a includes detailed techniques on
how to progress through a series of bits
and shares how different bits and reins
effect and can refine your horses
responses. It also covers in detail, more
advanced finishing and reining maneuvers
and their practical application for
everyday riding.
Wil Howe is a cowboy, horseman &
philosopher, having spent 30 years making
a living with horses, mainly Quarter
Horses. He spent 10 years cowboying on
ranches in Wyoming, Colorado, Idaho and
Montana before settling in Oregon where he
got started in the competitive world of
showing in which he specialized in reined
cowhorses & cutting horses. Since then
he and his wife, Beverly, have developed a
reputation for training and producing the
all around , well broke horse by
the high standards of their top performing
and high selling geldings throughout the
West.
This all around, well broke horse with
the traits and training Wil seeks to
produce, exemplifies the true Quarter
Horse and what the Foundation Quarter
Horse Associations are trying to
promote.
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