Colt Starting for Every Rider

by Mary Gallagher

Welcome April! It’s so good to see more blossoms, more buds and leaves unfurling, all around us. We’ve just completed our clinic with Martin Black, and I’d like to share some insights and thoughts here, while they are fresh, with thanks and news as well.

Colt starting for every rider. My favorite part of Martin’s clinic each year is the colt start. While we may think of colt starting as a whole other thing, separate from the familiar parts of a clinic, I consider it the most foundational and essential, and not just for the owners of the colts (and the colts themselves)! So much of what we expect from and do with our horses is distilled in every aspect of Martin’s guidance of the young horses, with their raw emotions and fresh view of nearly everything. To watch Martin work with them is to see horsemanship and horse psychology in its simplest and most direct form. You don’t want to miss it!