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!

When you’re starting a colt you’ve got a clean slate, and a real chance to learn (again) the simple building blocks necessary to develop the well-balanced mind and body of a great riding horse. These building blocks aren’t just for trainers and clinicians or even just for colt owners—they are for all of us.

For example, if you have a spooky horse, by watching colt starting you can learn how to understand and address the flight (from fear) behavior more effectively. We watched Martin manage the flight zone while directing the feet of several colts at once. He does so with minimal input and great consistency, narrating each step of the process—his and the colts’. Each interaction gave us another perspective on managing flight in the young horse, for the betterment of his future and his rider’s safety. So, rider with a spooky horse, you would have witnessed some of the basis of your horse’s reactions, and come away with ideas to improve his ability to interact safely with his environment (and you).

The power of observation. The super-sensitivity in a colt being handled by a human in his first few training sessions is fascinating. Of course, Martin’s mastery is very high, and his actions and insights are super clear. As our own skills develop, we too can tone down our energy, and like Martin, simplify and refine the most effective parts necessary to influence a young sensitive horse in a positive direction. And, we can apply these skills to interacting with horses of any age and temperament.

Herd-bound horses. All horses are herd-bound to different degrees. We saw many levels of this in the colt start, and Martin showed how it is possible to direct their attention away from the herd and to the handler safely and effectively. We had one 3 year old and two 4 year old colts, back after being turned out for a year. All had been in the four day colt start last year, were turned out for a year, returning to the clinic a bit more mature and ready to learn more. Martin started where we left off last year, preparing 3 colts and their senior riders for training under saddle.

Just a great clinic. So, what about the rest of the clinic? Well, that was just pure fun. We explored the whys and hows in the mornings during our conversations with Martin in the classroom. We saddled up and applied new insights to our experienced horses in the afternoons, during the horsemanship and cow working sessions.

Gratitude. As ever, deep thanks to Martin Black for coming out here year after year and taking us that much further in our horsemanship! Thanks to all the participants for showing up ready to learn, try new things, refine what we know, and have fun doing it. We had great support from helpers Elise Dean, Bella Greimes, Avonlea Lawrence, and Nile Bellows, and photos from Mary and Kip Tulin, Avonlea, Niles, and Iyreland Lawson. You can view the album here.

In closing... So here comes late spring/early summer. I’ve got a number of horses here for training, and am lucky to have Elise Dean as my training assistant. Senior hoof beats riders Bella Greimes and Ellie Dam are also a great help as exercise riders. What a team!

 

Colt starting with Martin Black--saddles on!

 

 

 

Colt starting with Martin...riders on!

Martin demos influencing the poll, afternoon session on mature horses.

This cow gets a group escort, afternoon session!

Mary Gallagher applies these and other principles of wise horsemanship in her teaching as well as her training work. A great way to start is in Friday morning Ground Work class, where she teaches horsemanship through ground work to students at all levels, inside and outside of Freedom Farm's covered arena and round pens.