# Chris Irwin on Stateline Tack



## Scoutrider (Jun 4, 2009)

ChevyPrincess said:


> He is very right about the concept of 'round penning' and how some people take it totally wrong. And I love how he points out that *the round pen is not the only place the horse reads our body langueage, but every time he sees us.*


I've watched a couple, but not the roundpenning one (their video player makes my net connection grouchy, lol). I *LOVE* that he makes that point, and now have to go watch that vid. So many people that I know think that the horse only "learns" when he's being "trained", and they run into trouble when they put the horse away, and come back later without their game face, expecting that everything has gelled for the horse and he is fixed forever perfectly. 

They don't stop thinking like horses, ever. Part of thinking like a horse is testing the leader's credentials every now and again, to make sure that you're safe from the Boogey Man. Part of being the herd leader is being ready to respond to that test and pass, at any time. :wink:


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

I have never seen any videos by this man. He is American? Aussie? Can you explain a bit more of what he says about round penning? I learned round pen work SOOOOO different from Monty Roberts "join up" or other familiar brand names. So, I would love to hear a synopsis. My internet connection is better now, so I will also try to find a video, but just wanted to hear your take on it.

Scoutrider, what kind of new dressage saddle did you get?


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## ChevyPrincess (Aug 27, 2009)

tinyliny, honestly, I don't know what he is. His accent throws me off. I think he's from somewhere up North, or maybe Europe. 

In round penning, he uses a whip, not a rope. And he never beats the horse with it. It is similiar to join-up, I think he just takes it further steps into the mind of the horse. I wouldn't do justice explaining it, Lol. It's better to watch. The videos are free. Just go to www.statelinetack.com and find the 'Video Gallery'. It's best to watch the 'Basic Equine Videos' section first so you know what he is building on in the other videos. 

The ones where he does stall manners is amazing, you won't belive how quick he can turn a horse from hating and being mean to people, not wanting to be caught, into a loving, affectionate animal.


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## Scoutrider (Jun 4, 2009)

tinyliny said:


> Scoutrider, what kind of new dressage saddle did you get?


It took me a second to remember that I'd posted that, ha ha :lol:

I actually went with a Wintec 500, the older style. It's _very_ gently used, actually, but not a mark on it. I'd been lurking around Craigslist waiting for a used, affordable, leather saddle with a prayer of fitting me and my horse, but one never came up - at least until after I bought the Wintec, ha ha. I'm really happy with it; it fits me a far sight better, and more importantly, fits Scout much better than the no-name AP I was riding in. 

Sorry, I don't mean to hijack... I'll let the thread go back to topic now. :wink:


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## ChevyPrincess (Aug 27, 2009)

Haha, no problem  I didn't expect many people would know who the guy was anyway lol. I need to get a better saddle fit for my mom's gelding. The withers is never the problem, since he doesn't really have any. But his shoulders are so wide, if I put the saddle on by itself, just to check, I can't even fit a finger through the side where his shoulder movemant would be. Would a thick pad help raise it? Or only make it worse and tighter?

He is okay in my light wintec saddle, even if there is some restriction it's not a heavy saddle like my mom's leather one.


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## Scoutrider (Jun 4, 2009)

ChevyPrincess said:


> Haha, no problem  I didn't expect many people would know who the guy was anyway lol. I need to get a better saddle fit for my mom's gelding. The withers is never the problem, since he doesn't really have any. But his shoulders are so wide, if I put the saddle on by itself, just to check, I can't even fit a finger through the side where his shoulder movemant would be. Would a thick pad help raise it? Or only make it worse and tighter?
> 
> He is okay in my light wintec saddle, even if there is some restriction it's not a heavy saddle like my mom's leather one.


I'm afraid a thicker pad would only make the fit worse. Like putting thick socks on with too-small shoes. Actually, a correctly fitted English saddle shouldn't need a pad - maybe just a thin one to protect the leather/material from sweat and salt. Maybe look into a wider tree? Assuming that your Wintec is an English style, wider gullet plates aren't extremely expensive, and might buy you some space. There's no adjustment to their Western models. Even a lightweight saddle can make some wicked pressure points once the rider's weight is added. 

I got myself half-scared over fitting Scout. We literally don't have English saddle fitters in my area, and I probably couldn't afford a custom saddle if we did. :? I spent a good six months researching and finding DIY ways to fit saddles correctly, and I still get jumpy, even though the Wintec is, to my self-trained eye, about the best fit for him that I can afford. He seems happy, anyway.


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## ptvintage (Feb 12, 2010)

ChevyPrincess said:


> I also watched all the videos about the "swirls" on the horses foreheads, and I kid you not, I examined all of my horses, and they have the personalities he describes. Lol I'm adictted to studying a horse's forehead now. I do it to all of my freinds horses Lol


 
I haven't heard of this guy before, but if you found that cool, you should check out a book called Getting in TTouch that goes into detail about how swirls and conformation can tell you about your horse's personality. I haven't fully tested it out, but I found it fascinating. 

Amazon.com: Getting in Touch: Understand and Influence Your Horse's Personality (9781570760181): Linda Tellington-Jones, L. Tellington-Jones, Sybil Taylor: Bookshttp://www.amazon.com/Getting-TTouch-Your-Horse-Personality/dp/1570764158/ref=pd_cp_b_2


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## ChevyPrincess (Aug 27, 2009)

Thanks for the link ptvintage =) I will definitly have to check it out!


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## Scoutrider (Jun 4, 2009)

I just got the chance to sit down and watch some more of the videos, and I'm very impressed at this point. There are a lot more riding/training vids than there were last time I was on.

Mr. Irwin is really parallelling what I've been trying on my own to accomplish with Scout - natural horsemanship ideas applied to (at least my self-taught understanding of) dressage principles. Essentially "old school" NH; solid. I watched a couple of the long lining lessons, and a couple of the calm collection lessons - pretty good stuff! Now I have another good reason to procrastinate on homework! :lol:


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## ChevyPrincess (Aug 27, 2009)

Yes, and if you watch the Lead-In-Hand ones where he works with a chesnut, it's really good to watch becuase the horse isn't well mannered at all, and rears and bolts, and on camera, he explains why, and shows how he gets it under control. 

He is very down to earth, and he goes slow on his speaking so we can all get the idea. I am very impressed with them too, and that is a lot of information to get for free!


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## jimmygsp (Nov 8, 2010)

Hi, im pretty new to this thing, only my second post.

I have pretty much watched all Mr Irwins Videos and have started to use most of his techniques. He is from Canada originaly and he has also published a couple of books, wich i enjoyed. 

I even went as far as to find the only assosiate in africa who happened to stay here in South Africa to find out more. What i can tell you is that the more you use his ways the softer and more forgiveing your horses become. 

I dont like dominating horses, Sure you get them to do what you want but its far more enjoyable when they work with you more like a partner. His concept of using blocking drawing and pushing really makes things easer to understnad. 

Iv done alot of "Natural Horsmanship" stuff but as he says you dont want a natural horse but a supper natural one. 

Cheers!


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## spookychick13 (Jan 1, 2011)

Ok, the swirl theory is super interesting!

Thanks for sharing!


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## Poseidon (Oct 1, 2010)

tinyliny said:


> I have never seen any videos by this man. He is American? Aussie? Can you explain a bit more of what he says about round penning? I learned round pen work SOOOOO different from Monty Roberts "join up" or other familiar brand names. So, I would love to hear a synopsis. My internet connection is better now, so I will also try to find a video, but just wanted to hear your take on it.
> 
> Scoutrider, what kind of new dressage saddle did you get?



I looked it up because ChevyPrincess said his accent threw her off, but I thought he sounds completely normal.. His website says he's from a little outside Toronto. Haha. I guess it's true: North Dakotans talk like Canadians. Years of denial come crashing down.

I really like his theories on the swirls though. They describe Abby pretty well. She's averagely aware, but cannot focus very well. 

I have looked at the Getting in TTouch book and it's really cool. It uses every characteristic of your horse's head (mostly, other parts are included too, I think) to point out its personality.


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## spookychick13 (Jan 1, 2011)

The more I watch these videos, the more I like this guy's concept. At first I thought he was kind of a weenie, but it makes sense!


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## randomequine (Nov 19, 2010)

I love love love Chris Irwin -- his methods are what I learned from my instructor, long before we knew who he was and he's excellent about teaching to learn about the horse and it's body language, not we force the horse to learn us.

His book "Horses Don't Lie" is awesome, and I've heard great things about "Dancing With Your Dark Horse" but haven't read it yet.


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## spookychick13 (Jan 1, 2011)

I found them both used on Amazon...I will let you know!


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## spookychick13 (Jan 1, 2011)

Both of the books were great, I highly recommend them!

The more I hear from Irwin the more I like him. I try to take away a little bit of everything from each trainer I look into.


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## Northern (Mar 26, 2010)

I'm having a bit of pc trouble, but managed to catch the video on swirls, & didn't anyone notice how badly his horse wanted him to take his hands off of his head!? No lead rope, just hanging onto his head, & the poor horse was tossing his head forever! Plus, that heavy old web halter looked uncomfortable! At one point, CI leaned over to pick up something off of the ground, & I was hoping so much it'd be a blessed lead rope, but no, it was a whip that CI used to drive the horse back.


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## Falling Star (Mar 19, 2011)

Just wanted to jump in here and explain who Chris Irwin is. 
Chris Irwin is one of the top trainers and clinicians in the world. He hails from Ontario, Canada, but now lives at Riversong Ranch near Whitecourt in Alberta together with his wife Kathryn Kincannon-Irwin.
Chris Irwin is the author of two books, Horses Don't Lie and Dancing with The Dark Horse. 
Chris Irwin's mantra is: "Ask not what your horse can do for you. Ask what you can do for your horse."
Chris Irwin believes in training the trainer (anytime we are with a horse we are essentially training) so we can be the better horse (become a benevolent leader). It is all about proper body language, awareness, timing, consistency, empathy, compassion, patience and integrity.
You can find out more about Chris Irwin at www.chrisirwin.com
He also has a forum at My Community - Index


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## Hidalgo13 (Dec 24, 2010)

I am interested in seeing the videos but when I go on statelinetack I cannot seem to find the training video section. :$


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## Falling Star (Mar 19, 2011)

Hidalgo13 said:


> I am interested in seeing the videos but when I go on statelinetack I cannot seem to find the training video section. :$


 Try this link:
Breed Dynamics | Horse Videos – StateLineTack.com Video Library


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## Hidalgo13 (Dec 24, 2010)

Thank you very very much!


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## Falling Star (Mar 19, 2011)

Hidalgo13 said:


> Thank you very very much!


 
No problem . Enjoy!


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## AnneGage (Oct 25, 2009)

You can see more free training videos on Chris Irwin's website at Chris Irwin You can also find a listing of certified trainers and Chris' event schedule.


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## ARTEMISBLOSSOM (Apr 3, 2011)

HI I must be blind or something I can't seem to find any of these free training videos . I couldn't find a video library section at stateline tack and the links that Falling Star and Anne posted both went to the same place, Do you need to be a member of that website to see them perhaps?


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## AnneGage (Oct 25, 2009)

ARTEMISBLOSSOM said:


> HI I must be blind or something I can't seem to find any of these free training videos . I couldn't find a video library section at stateline tack and the links that Falling Star and Anne posted both went to the same place, Do you need to be a member of that website to see them perhaps?


Unfortunately, it looks like the videos aren't there anymore. However, you can order the full videos through the online store on chrisirwin.com They are very educational, go into great detail and are well worth the money.


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## Scoutrider (Jun 4, 2009)

AnneGage said:


> Unfortunately, it looks like the videos aren't there anymore. However, you can order the full videos through the online store on chrisirwin.com They are very educational, go into great detail and are well worth the money.


What a shame that they aren't available through Stateline Tack anymore... that must be a recent change; I swear I was watching one of them there only a couple of weeks ago. The link I bookmarked in my web browser from Stateline's video gallery now goes right to Chris Irwin's website. Ah, well, they were great free videos while they lasted...


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## ARTEMISBLOSSOM (Apr 3, 2011)

Thank you guys , nice to know I am just not too blind to find it LOL


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## spookychick13 (Jan 1, 2011)

That sucks!
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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