The Start with Control & Trust

3 Colts - 3 Days - 3 First Rides

Some background on The Start with Control & Trust...

We had been reluctant to do a colt's first ride video, seeing as everyone and their brother had one out, but we received so many requests to know how Wil goes about handling those first few rides that we decided it was something we needed to do. If you've been to one of our clinics and seen us in action, you know we don't make a big deal out of it, but we do like to get the horse's attention and get them light in the face, yielding well to the bit, before getting on.

We insist on control; consequently, in the fifteen years and with all the horses we've started at clinics, we've never had a wreck or an injured participant. That's a pretty good record in comparison to other clinicians known for their bridleless colt-starting sessions. So yes, we do things a little differently, and we are concerned with the welfare of the rider as well as the horse.

One can never expect things to go as planned when it comes to horses, and boy, did we have three difficult youngsters to start for this video! It was a last-minute plan, and we had to round up some un-started babies at the eleventh hour to get this filmed before the snow flew. We ended up with one gelding and two fillies (much to Wil's dismay...ha!). We didn't go out and hand-pick some $20,000 royal-bred two-year-old with a trainable mind and broke after the first ride, nor did we have to prove a point and go round up a "broom tail" off the desert that no one has any business trying to make into a saddle horse anyway.

What we got were three average horses, handled by average, everyday horse people who taught these babies to be gentle, but also allowed them to be pushy, disrespectful, and "doggy." Consequently, like most spoiled children, they threw a temper tantrum when asked to do something for the first time in their life.

$69.95

plus $ 7 S&H

Available in DVD or VHS

To order, call Beverly Howe

541-893-6353

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Wil Howe's

Training Video Series

These three sulky, stubborn youngsters give a true picture for many frustrated backyard horse trainers on what to expect when they attempt to start their colt. It shows you how to persevere with patience, gain leadership, build respect, nurture trust, and gain control, both mentally and physically, before mounting your horse for the first time.

Our goal was to emphasize the seriousness and reality of working with un-started horses, and hopefully to share some common sense with those who think that starting a young horse is an easy, romantic fairy tale, and that all you have to do is whisper to your horse and he'll let you ride him. That's right, let you ride him!?!

Personally, we prefer to exert a little more authority with our horses, and yes, we do have to impose our will on the horses or we'd never be able to ride them! We do this everyday just by confining them in a corral. We believe it's all in the attitude with which you approach the training and schooling of your horse.

Running time: Approx. 90 minutes

WIL HOWE RANCH