# Clinton Anderson reviews? Yeah or nah?



## Patches101

Ok so Clinton Anderson.....Do you like him or no? Personally I really like him! I think he explains things really well! I do believe his "stuff" is really expensive!! Like really expensive! But....he is a really good trainer in my opinion! What would you say? And why?


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## greentree

He's not for me.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## farmpony84

His stuff is really expensive but his methods have been really helpful for me


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## LoveofOTTB

My trainer uses a bit of Clinton, and some other trainers together. I do like his methods, and I do have to agree they are very expensive! I have never bought any of his things, except the halter (I love it! helps with ground work very well) and I bought that directly through my trainer. I feel like his methods do work, there is a horse at the barn I board at where a girl trainer him completely with Clinton methods and he is an amazing horse! Trained very very well! But she trained him from a baby. haha my guy came to me already trained, just rsuty on some things from being a lesson horse for a little bit ;]


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## farmpony84

I bought the halter, lead rope, and lunge line... And the stick. The stick is shorter than a lunge whip so it is easier for me to handle but you can buy a $10 pig stick and tie a heavy string to it and get the same effect. You can also get a rope halter and the heavy ropes everywhere. It is nice quality and I am certainly happy with the quality. Some of his methods are a little more "agressive" than me because I am a quiet and slower mover but I very much like them and anytime I need something different I will turn to John or Josh Lyons and even Parelli on occasion.


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## tinyliny

Clinton Anderson trainings help people if they are being too submissive to the horse, since they are built on being a very assertive leader.

I feel that often the person gets so focussed on being assertive through certain motions that they can go right past a softer place where the horse might have responded, without the stress of banging the leadrope with a stick.

also, he is very focussed on "chasing" the hrose around a lot, chasing his hind end into disengagements and turn arounds. it works in that the hrose becomes quick to do these things, but it can make a horse a lot less of a thinking being and a lot more of a reacting being.


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## 4horses

I think Clinton Anderson is an excellent "teacher". I know when Parelli first came out, I was very disappointed. I bought his first book and it was so boring! I didn't see how I could apply anything from that!

Clinton does a good job of explaining things, and building up a foundation.

I don't care for his trailer loading techniques. My horse would run miles around the trailer and doesn't even focus on it. His method would not work for her. What works for her is to make her back, ask her to move forward, back again, and go forward until she wants to stand quietly in the trailer. 

I think Clinton Anderson is a lot tougher on his horses than I would be. I would be surprised if they didn't come up lame after his demonstrations. He takes a very out of shape horse and works it until it is soaked. 

I like to take use his methods, but a much lighter version. I don't require my horse to move that quickly. If my mare wants to back up slowly that is fine with me. If she wants to turn slowly that is fine with me... I just want her to do what I ask when I ask. She doesn't need to do it at full speed and I don't need to make her soaked with sweat to get something done. :wink: 

Of course if I had a really pushy, nasty, spoiled horse I might be a little more forceful or assertive. My horses are rather sensitive, and aren't pushy so I adjust his methods to suit their personality. 

I don't care for doing the one rein stop with as much repetition as he does! My horse bends around the corner, and gives to the bit. I really don't feel the need to pull her nose to her shoulder. I might do it a few times at the start of the lesson during warm up, but that is it.


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## mrwithers

I watched some of his stuff on TV the other day and definitely liked his presentation style better than Parelli. Was more to the point and less storytelling.


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## tinyliny

i dont know why one would EVER pull your horse's head around to his shoulder, while he's just standing there. most of the time, the horse just rolls his head to the side, tipping his ears to the left, his nose the to the right, and then touching his muzzle around to the right (as an example) to the saddle. all this does is tip his weight forward onto his front end and end up disconnecting the rein from his hind end, like causeing a "jacknife" of a semi-truck to it's load.


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## Palomine

tinyliny said:


> i dont know why one would EVER pull your horse's head around to his shoulder, while he's just standing there. most of the time, the horse just rolls his head to the side, tipping his ears to the left, his nose the to the right, and then touching his muzzle around to the right (as an example) to the saddle. all this does is tip his weight forward onto his front end and end up disconnecting the rein from his hind end, like causeing a "jacknife" of a semi-truck to it's load.



And to me it smacks of cheeking a horse too.

And I didn't like him before the Friesian incident where the horse was killed, and detest him now, after his "looky loo and sticky beaks" comment over the death of the horse.

Further reading of his "Academy FAQ's" did nothing but strengthen that dislike.

There isn't anyone that would advocated taking a horse to any trainer, if you weren't able to go visit the horse upon calling, or even just showing up in some cases. Nor would you leave one knowing you couldn't take your spousal unit, or friend to go pick up the horse from the trainer.

And his outrageous price for "training" done by students? Cannot believe anyone would pay that.

Not even getting into the 7 out of 10 horses will end up girth galled answer.

He's not anyone I would ever emulate, or think well of.


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## churumbeque

Palomine said:


> And to me it smacks of cheeking a horse too.
> 
> And I didn't like him before the Friesian incident where the horse was killed, and detest him now, after his "looky loo and sticky beaks" comment over the death of the horse.
> 
> Further reading of his "Academy FAQ's" did nothing but strengthen that dislike.
> 
> There isn't anyone that would advocated taking a horse to any trainer, if you weren't able to go visit the horse upon calling, or even just showing up in some cases. Nor would you leave one knowing you couldn't take your spousal unit, or friend to go pick up the horse from the trainer.
> 
> And his outrageous price for "training" done by students? Cannot believe anyone would pay that.
> 
> Not even getting into the 7 out of 10 horses will end up girth galled answer.
> 
> He's not anyone I would ever emulate, or think well of.


 He was an idiot about the Friesian and the horse should not have been left unattended in the hot sun with his head tied to his foot.
I also know someone who was instrumental in his video of the gaited horses. Things are much different behind the scenes at night when no one is around. I have no respect for the man.


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## tinyliny

What is "cheeking" a horse?

EDIT

I just realized you probably meant "checking a horse". I honestly did not mean my question to come off as making fun of a typo. I genuinely wondered what "cheeking" a horse was.


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## Hackamore

I am not a follower but I am familiar with his methods. I think what he offers is a good starting point someone new to horses & horse training. However you will need more than a structured system if you want to become a successful trainer so don’t limit yourself to one method. 

There are a lot of people that can mimic the methods taught by TV clinicians and you can have some success with this, but if you do not understand horse behavior and why or when to use a specific technique your success will be limited.


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## ellen hays

I like most of his methods, but any contact with his website to secure methods of training ie cds, you are usually bombarded with continuous sales techniques. I bought several cds on shows that aired and could not keep my train of thought regarding the training techniques because of sales promotions during the lesson. They offer a discount of whatever you paid for the cd to be applied to one of the very expensive packages of training material if you purchase it. And so on and so on. I don't like to be manipulated when it comes to purchases and their sales techniques makes me feel like a cow being herded into a roundup pen.. I had rather buy the products because they are helpful.


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## tinyliny

seems if you paid once, for the cd, you should be completely free from any sort of advcertising. this is one thing I hate about cable tv; they have one show one, while there's a visual banner running along the bottom advertising some other show the want you to watch.


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## DressageHorse

When I first bought my horse he was very difficult to handle bordering on dangerous at times. I picked and chose from Clinton Anderson's methods depending on what best suited me and my horse at the time, and they worked really well! I still will use them if he reverts back to bad or dangerous behaviour. I don't agree with following any one method of horse training religiously. In my opinion it is best to pick and choose from different methods depending on the situation, as well as your horse and your abilities. I do find some of Clinton's methods to be overly harsh, and that is why I pick and choose from his method depending on the severity of the situation and the horse being worked with. I think his methods are great for dangerous horses or dangerous situations though, in which a harsher method is necessary.


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## STT GUY

We like CA because he is easy to understand and methodical. One has to master fundamentals/foundation in any undertaking in order to progress safely and successfully. No unicorns and magic pixie dust. Action...expected result, if not as expected do THIS. Very simple to follow and this I like. It's like a troubleshooting flowchart. 

We also enjoy Craig Cameron. I dislike PP because I find his system confusing and lacking a solid results oriented approach. Doesn't mean its a bad system, its just not the system for me.

No one person has a corner on the market when it comes to good ideas, study several and choose the parts from each which work for you and your horse.


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## jaydee

He's a good rider but he's also a very 'intimidating' person where horses are concerned and the horses know that so another less dominant person trying to copy him could get themselves into a lot of trouble if the horse saw through them - which they almost always do


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## Carrie94

I am going to be bluntly honest - the whole Friesian incident is a load of crap. It is NOT true, not even remotely. I have been following him for years and have NEVER had a problem with him. I researched the whole story and came up with a very interesting tale that truly made me question its credibility. I decided naysayers were a waste of time.

But, I do understand that Clinton Anderson is the type of guy you either love or hate. He's politically incorrect, he swears, he's direct and to the point. If either of those things offend you, yes, you will probably dislike him.

As for his horse training methods and ability, his results speak for themselves. He trains reining horses, cutting horses, reining cow horses, and working cow horses. He breeds his own line of performance horses, he competes in the national show ring, and he actually does very well! Most renowned trainers don't compete - the fact that Clinton does speaks for his confidence in his method and his nature.

He trains what he calls "Signature Horses," that are extremely soft, athletic, and safe riding horses. If you look at his own horses and the way they behave around him, you will clearly see that they are not afraid of him, but have a tremendous amount of respect for him. They trust him and enjoy being around him. They are safe and dependable with ANY rider, because they have been taught that humans are to be respected, not feared. I don't see how any of those things are in any way negative.

He trains people to train their own horses. He has a clear way of communicating that makes it easy for people to understand. He never waters down the truth. He gives you the complete, honest, blunt truth, and if you are offended by that, you need to adjust your ego. If you suck at riding, he will tell you so, and then give you tips to help you succeed. If you're great at riding and training, he will be honest about that as well.

He is not afraid to take a completely untrained or problem horse and train him in front of a live audience. With great success, I might add. He has won Road to the Horse twice.

His products are relatively expensive, I agree. But they are worth it. His advertising and sales methods are like any other company out there, but I've never been disappointed by the quality of any of the items I've ordered. DVDs, halters, lead ropes, and saddles - they are all worth the money you spend on them. If you try to take the cheap way out, you're not going to see a lot of difference in your horse.

If you are a horse whisperer, yes, you will not like him. He is always as gentle as possible, but as firm as necessary. So when he gets an aggressive or pushy horse, he will be firm in order to get the point across. This is NOT intimidation, this is just good training.

I have personally followed his methods on my horses with huge results. Now, I'm not a religious Clinton fan. I do think his method gets all the bad stuff out of your horse and produces a safe partner, but I'm not so stuck in it that I'd follow him over a cliff. I research other trainers, I get other opinions, and at the end of a day, I come to my own conclusions.

The results speak for themselves.


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## gee50

I like CA's concepts. They are not new nor are they specific to him. His method is standard practice as Australian Natural Horsemanship. You can get any of his stuff at a reduced prices (used) on Ebay or Amazon.

I think, as pointed out, you can get so into the aggressive actions of his techniques you by pass the greater point. I use a mixture of my dad's teachings, CA, Monty Roberts and Warwick Schiller. Someone on another post was talking about some “horsey” Flix thing you can subscribe to and see lots of these guys training video's.

So, my critique of CA's methodology is generally, you up your energy to just above the horses energy. Then as the horse gets the concepts you can lower you energy levels. As the horse tests you, you up your level of energy. Any and all horse test as they can not help them selves. It's in their DNA. No pecking order in a herd is set and set for life. It is ever evolving.

You just need to always be the leader. And leader to me does not mean the “BOSS”. Leader means head of the herd. It's a partnership. No mare ever wants to be the lead mare. It's just that all the other horses look at her and well... she gets the job. As for studs, they are slaves to the testosterone and must always be in challenge mode due to their DNA. Geldings and colts will not challenge the lead mare in such that manner. Studs will try to push the lead mare around but generally get there butts kicked in the process. But this is deep in the weeds horse behavior that is markedly different between horses in the wild and those even in the pastoral setting. The point is, you are human and not a horse. You just need to always stay alpha in the pecking order as all people should. Again..., think partnership and maybe even mentor-ship. 

I am a firm believer in ground work. I use much of CA's ground work methodology (only one way to back up horses). I believe, if you can't do it on the ground you can't do it in the saddle. I do not use a lung whip. I use hand signals. If I need to up the pressure I use a stick (actually the top half a two piece fishing rod) and plastic bags. It doubles as a desensitizing tool. I don't hit, whip or spank horses. If I had to, that means I'm the problem. I like the Monty Robert's Dully Halter. It's the best tool in horse training I have ever used bar none. I also use them to ride with. If I can control my OTTB with a dully halter then no need for any metal in the mouth. 

My suggestion is buy used CA stuff. Ask lots of questions here and get other trainer's material and learn as many different concepts as possible. Then you can integrate what techniques works best for you. Knowledge is power, experience makes wisdom.


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## Carrie94

tinyliny, I'm confused by your statement "a very assertive leader." Now, I know that Clinton is a firm leader, but that is what all horses need. They need a leader to help them feel safe and secure. If they feel like you are not a confident, capable leader, they will not turn to you for safety. As soon as Clinton has a horse's respect, he becomes very gentle and easy with them. He's just trying to make sure everyone stays safe.

"Chasing?" Interesting term, one I wouldn't use. He demands a horse's respect, yes, and the more you can move a horse around and change directions, the quicker they start paying attention to you and start thinking, _instead _of reacting. The more a horse disrespects him, the more changes of direction he does to get the horse paying attention to him better. Once the horse is respectful, he resumes passive body language and invites the horse to come towards him. He is no more aggressive than the average alpha mare would be in a herd.

As for flexing (bringing nose to shoulder) - that helps get your horse light on the ground. It is the key step to teaching emergency one rein stops under saddle - and for more dangerous horses, it is a very important tool to have. THAT is why he teaches it. When done properly, the horse softens, lowers his head/nose, and lets the rider guide him. Only when a horse is still stiff does he ever "roll" his head to the side, because he is still trying to avoid the pressure and is secretly being resistant. And if he is stopped, he's not on his front end. Once you start doing one rein stops under saddle, it is also a great tool to teach your horse to stay on the correct gait, stay responsible for his own speed, and get him soft laterally. As we know, lateral flexion is the key to vertical flexion.


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## jaydee

Carrie - I think you misunderstand my meaning of intimidating and maybe Tinylinys meaning of assertive too. We - or at least I am not saying that there's anything wrong with being a strong leader who shows no fear around difficult or challenging horses and so makes a success of training them- just that there are actually very few people who are like that in the 'amateur level' of the wider world of horse ownership.
It worries me that he maybe does make it look too easy (with the problem horses) and even though he works with people and shows them how to do it 'his way' it takes more than that to turn a nervous owner into a brave one.
Quite apart from all of that I was making a living out of breaking horses for hunting and eventing when he was still in junior school so while I don't dislike him or his methods I've managed just fine without them!!!


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## PreecePerformanceHorses

He is a very good people trainer. He is very step by step and very repetitive, which is what you need to be a good horse trainer. He really breaks things down so you won't fail. After you go through his riding with confidence seiries 1 through 3 all the other trainers make a lot more sense when you watch their videos. He doesn't only teach you the training methods but teachs you the lingo. The only Clinton Anderson stuff I have bought has been his DVDs.


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## greentree

I only have second hand experience with him, but my good friend was asked to send horses up for a clinic of his, and it Did NOT go well, he could not catch the horse after unsuccessfully " training" it to get in the trailer (the horse got in the trailer to go 3 hours to the clinic(!)), and the other horse came home with spur gouges on its sides. 

I would prolly not give him the honor of my presence.....


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## churumbeque

greentree said:


> I only have second hand experience with him, but my good friend was asked to send horses up for a clinic of his, and it Did NOT go well, he could not catch the horse after unsuccessfully " training" it to get in the trailer (the horse got in the trailer to go 3 hours to the clinic(!)), and the other horse came home with spur gouges on its sides.
> 
> I would prolly not give him the honor of my presence.....


Hers got off easy. Some come back with their mouths all cut up and peeing from fear.


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## churumbeque

Carrie94 said:


> I am going to be bluntly honest - the whole Friesian incident is a load of crap. It is NOT true, not even remotely. I have been following him for years and have NEVER had a problem with him. I researched the whole story and came up with a very interesting tale that truly made me question its credibility. I decided naysayers were a waste of time.
> 
> But, I do understand that Clinton Anderson is the type of guy you either love or hate. He's politically incorrect, he swears, he's direct and to the point. If either of those things offend you, yes, you will probably dislike him.
> 
> As for his horse training methods and ability, his results speak for themselves. He trains reining horses, cutting horses, reining cow horses, and working cow horses. He breeds his own line of performance horses, he competes in the national show ring, and he actually does very well! Most renowned trainers don't compete - the fact that Clinton does speaks for his confidence in his method and his nature.
> 
> He trains what he calls "Signature Horses," that are extremely soft, athletic, and safe riding horses. If you look at his own horses and the way they behave around him, you will clearly see that they are not afraid of him, but have a tremendous amount of respect for him. They trust him and enjoy being around him. They are safe and dependable with ANY rider, because they have been taught that humans are to be respected, not feared. I don't see how any of those things are in any way negative.
> 
> He trains people to train their own horses. He has a clear way of communicating that makes it easy for people to understand. He never waters down the truth. He gives you the complete, honest, blunt truth, and if you are offended by that, you need to adjust your ego. If you suck at riding, he will tell you so, and then give you tips to help you succeed. If you're great at riding and training, he will be honest about that as well.
> 
> He is not afraid to take a completely untrained or problem horse and train him in front of a live audience. With great success, I might add. He has won Road to the Horse twice.
> 
> His products are relatively expensive, I agree. But they are worth it. His advertising and sales methods are like any other company out there, but I've never been disappointed by the quality of any of the items I've ordered. DVDs, halters, lead ropes, and saddles - they are all worth the money you spend on them. If you try to take the cheap way out, you're not going to see a lot of difference in your horse.
> 
> If you are a horse whisperer, yes, you will not like him. He is always as gentle as possible, but as firm as necessary. So when he gets an aggressive or pushy horse, he will be firm in order to get the point across. This is NOT intimidation, this is just good training.
> 
> I have personally followed his methods on my horses with huge results. Now, I'm not a religious Clinton fan. I do think his method gets all the bad stuff out of your horse and produces a safe partner, but I'm not so stuck in it that I'd follow him over a cliff. I research other trainers, I get other opinions, and at the end of a day, I come to my own conclusions.
> 
> The results speak for themselves.


why do you think the Friesian story is not true? CA himself offered the owner another horse to replace the one that dies.


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## MinervaELS

Carrie94 said:


> I am going to be bluntly honest - the whole Friesian incident is a load of crap. It is NOT true, not even remotely. I have been following him for years and have NEVER had a problem with him. I researched the whole story and came up with a very interesting tale that truly made me question its credibility. I decided naysayers were a waste of time.


Yup. I hadn't heard about it prior to reading this thread so I went hunting the other night and ended up spending hours reading about it. My biggest issues with it were:

1. The owner was nuts. Claiming that her horse was communicating its homesickness to her in dreams while at the clinic? Mmmkay. Not to mention the whole "I believe in fairies and 'majik' even though I am old enough to have grandchildren" thing.

2. I saw a picture of the horse and it sure as heck wasn't a "16.2 Friesian." Try a 15, maybe 15.1 mustang or mustang cross. It was stocky and black and that was where the similarities to a Friesian ended; it didn't even have feathers. The fact that it was standing next to a standard 5' tall livestock fence, with its withers about level, provided a good measurement of his true height. 

3. She deliberately did what she was told NOT to do before sending the horse to the program. Anderson suggests feeding the horses MORE and making sure that they are a bit fleshy coming in, since they will be worked hard and struggle if they aren't a good weight coming in. She said that she was feeding LESS and cutting him back to get him to lose weight. She claimed that she was told to do this, which was untrue.

4. She posted cryptic and prophetic posts regarding the horse's death to her Facebook for days before it supposedly happened. 

5. Anderson was in Florida when this occurred and had nothing whatsoever to do with the actual incident one way or another. He flew back immediately when he found out and informed the owners himself.

6. The owner REFUSED an autopsy, so one way or the other the actual cause of death is unknown.


Anderson did throw a childish hissy fit with his post on his website that made him look like a complete tool (which perhaps he is, I don't follow him), but I can somewhat understand that as I would be ****ed too in his position. The owner started slandering him on Facebook, claiming that she didn't know if they even fed the horses at the program even though SHE was the one cutting her horse back before sending it.

The horse was apparently tied or tethered out in a field to graze. The owner mentioned hobbles, but I couldn't see anywhere where this was mentioned by the people working with the horse. There is NO evidence or statement that its face was tied to its leg. I actually found the exact post on COTH where a member wildly speculated and made that up. 

Frankly, the impression I got was that the owner wanted to capitalize on the situation to get herself the horse she wanted. She was constantly posting pictures of other people's Friesians on her Facebook and probably hoped that, since she was claiming her mustang/grade was a Friesian, she could get a real, purebred replacement. Anderson just wanted to give a clueless, not horse savvy person a mount that was safe for her, but since it wasn't her "majikal" (her term) Friesian she threw a tantrum and refused.

Ridiculousness from start to finish, but not something I'd credit or hold against anyone.


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## DarlaPony96

I personally really like Clinton Anderson. His products are really expensive, so I've never bought anything from him. I get his newsletters in my email and I really enjoy them. I find his methods and general approach to horses very good and easy to understand.


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## Carrie94

churumbeque said:


> why do you think the Friesian story is not true? CA himself offered the owner another horse to replace the one that dies.


What MinervaELS said. It was a wild tale told by an obvious "horse whisperer" designed to stain Clinton's good name. The story, the horse, and the people were _created_ - even Clinton's response to it was created.

Very often people assume Clinton is abusive and cruel towards animals because he can really get firm with a horse in the beginning of its training. Yes, he uses training sticks, and yes, he whacks horses that are disrespectful and want to run over the top of him. He does it to stay safe. Once they behave, he resumes complete passive and gentle body language. Yes, he uses spurs - he uses them to encourage lateral bending and flexion if and when he encounters a really dull, lazy horse who doesn't bend well off his leg alone. He does not tie horses' heads to their own legs - it's a ridiculous concept and has no merit whatsoever. Yes, he hobbles horses, but not the horses that come to him for training. He only trains horses that have advanced groundwork and are already very easy to ride / work with.

Clinton does not train academy horses (problem horses or unstarted horses that people send to him). He does not even train his Signature horses. He trains his own performance horses, that's it. His academy students, who he selects for their work ethic, passion for horses and people, and friendliness, are the ones who train academy and signature horses. Clinton is very involved in this process and uses it to teach his potential clinicians (academy students), but he is not the one overseeing their training.

I don't see why some people insist on seeing purely the negatives. Time is much better spent focusing on positives, and being honest in your critique/review, if you even have the right to review Clinton at all. How many of you actually are really familiar with his Method? How many of you have watched his DVDs, shows, and studied them honestly? Making stuff up about someone is not only bad etiquette and disrespectful towards them, it's plain old dishonoring to yourself. Of course, if it's TRUE, then you have the right to bring it to our attention, but it shouldn't be done because we like saying bad things about other people and throwing our own "****y fits", it should be done because we genuinely care about our horses' welfare.

How about I stop wasting my time defending him and just let people think what they want to think? Seeing as how they're going to come up with their own conclusions anyway.


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## STT GUY

Carrie94 said:


> How about I stop wasting my time defending him and just let people think what they want to think? Seeing as how they're going to come up with their own conclusions anyway.


 That's probably the smartest part of your post.

CA is a big boy and can pick and choose the battles he wishes to fight.

When you're at the top there are lots and lots of wannabies and haters chucking stones up at you. Success breeds contempt, I speak from experience and being on top and having to dodge an occasional stone, beats being on the bottom getting ****ed and pooped on any day!


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## boots

I'd hire him. But, he probably wouldn't work for me.


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## vethorse

*Clinton Anderson*

I have read most of the "natural" horse trainers, but currently I think Mark
Rashid is really amazing for those of us who have our one horse that we want to really have a deep, kind, and trusting relationship with!


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## thunderstruck

I think he's amazing!!! I don't see how anyone can fault his methods,if you have truly listened to all of it and not just bits and peices, his equipment is expensive and I'd say he could be a bit arrogant on a personal basis but I love his training and will continue to use it.


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## thunderstruck

Someone said they thought his methods could make a horse over reactive but that's why he tells you to balance sensitizing with desensitizing and make adjustments depending on if you have a more reactive horse or a dull type horse. The horse learns to read what you want based on your body lainguage and not just because you have a stick in your hand.


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## BowmanFarms

I like Clinton again i will agree with many others where i think he can be a little arrogant but his methods make sense and seem to work.

I pick and chose what i use on my horses, i do not just follow one method to a tee.


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## Patty Stiller

His general philosophy is right along the lines of the trainers I admire and follow closely such as as Dennis Reis, Craig Cameron, and their mentors the late great Tom Dorrance and Ray Hunt.
But I think he is a little harder on his horses, physically, than I prefer. He really asks for a lot of hard collection and a lot of backing in circles , and I don't like to push a horse's body quite that hard .


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## Patty Stiller

and PS if you understand the principles and techniques, you don't need THEIR stuff to get the job done. You can buy cheaper or make your own, except the rope halter and lead. In the case of the halter and lead get GOOD ones, because the weight and feel of a really good heavy marine line training lead with the proper NO SNAP attachment makes a world of difference. But as to sticks, flags etc, I have ten dollar fed store training sticks with a piece of nylon hardware store cord for the string and a plastic bag for the flag.


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## Patty Stiller

> I think he can be a little arrogant


that is a polite understatement


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## Joel Reiter

Patty Stiller said:


> In the case of the halter and lead get GOOD ones, because the weight and feel of a really good heavy marine line training lead with the proper NO SNAP attachment makes a world of difference. But as to sticks, flags etc, I have ten dollar fed store training sticks with a piece of nylon hardware store cord for the string and a plastic bag for the flag.


I find it interesting that so many people think Clinton Anderson's tack is expensive. Compared to what? There are dozens of sources for high quality marine grade rope halters and lead ropes, and their prices are all in the same ball park with stuff from Clinton Anderson, Pat Parelli, etc.

I have two Clinton Anderson rope halters and they are extremely high quality. I haven't used anything else for riding by big guy for the last four years. I'm allergic to giant heavy snaps, so I bought a lead from another source, but its price was comparable to the Clinton Anderson product. Patty, you'll get a kick out of this -- after ten years of experimenting with various lunge whips, bats, tubing, sticks, dowels and rods, (all of which worked to some extent) I finally bought one of Clinton's Handy sticks. I wish I had done it right away.

One tip for anyone thinking of buying Clinton Anderson stuff -- he sometimes has huge discounts on black Friday. I always wait for the day after Thanksgiving to buy.

What I appreciate most about Clinton Anderson is the structure. He is the best people trainer. (Chris Cox might be the best horse trainer) For those who find him too heavy handed, I suggest you study Mark Rashid.


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## WinstonH123

I really like clinton anderson's methods! I want to use them with charlie! I am not sure how i feel about soem of his foal trainign but I love his adult training!


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## Saskia

I've watched a little Clinton Anderson. 

Besides the whole weird Australian vibe (it's disconcerting if you're Australian) he seemed alright. He explained things clearly and showed them clearly. I can see how they way he explained things would be more accessible and understandable to a lot of people than some other trainers. ALL trainers, whether they are international or local have their good and bad, their mistakes, rumours, so I try to be critical but open.

I tried out a couple of his things, but I found it was a bit too high energy for me. The horse I was working with was quite nervous, and doing the way he said my horse got more and more worked up. Nothing that couldn't be fixed easily, but it didn't work great for me. For another horse who is super calm it didn't work either, it was asking too much too fast, where as a going a little slower, with a little more reward and calmness I got better results with both horses. 

I'm not an expert but I've owned many horses, trained some of my own etc and I'm quite confident so when I could see my horse getting worked up I knew when to back off and how to fix that. I worry that if a less experienced person pushed a more nervous or young horse with the intensity that Clinton does they could get themselves in some trouble and not know how to get out of it.


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## tinyliny

what's "the Australian vibe"?

what I've seen of CA work a horse made me uncomfortable. the horse appears to be desperately looking for the right answer, and CA makes it so hard for him to even make any mistakes while he's looking for the right one. the horse gets to worrying about it so much that he starts to try and anticipate the handler. then you get him going through the motions as fast as he can , to get the pressure off. 

watching him at the Road to the Horse, two years ago, was upsetting to me.
guess I'm a softie.


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## Joel Reiter

tinyliny said:


> watching him at the Road to the Horse, two years ago, was upsetting to me.


Apparently it was upsetting to the judges too, which is why Clinton is not yet a three time RTTH winner.

I first saw CA at the Minnesota Horse Expo in April of 2005. My first clumsy attempt at lunging for respect transformed my spooky gelding and I've been a fan ever since.

Clinton says the pressure should be "as little as possible and as much as necessary." I tend to disagree with his application of that principle, but I have learned more from him than all the other trainers combined.


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## Textan49

Joel Reiter said:


> Clinton says the pressure should be "as little as possible and as much as necessary." I tend to disagree with his application of that principle, but I have learned more from him than all the other trainers combined.


 What he says is worth listening to but his actions can certainly contradict his words. If someone can adapt his theory for their own use it is one thing. Where I feel the danger lies is when someone watches a few of his videos without fully understanding the concept behind the action and now feels capable to train their horse.


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## Joel Reiter

Textan49 said:


> Where I feel the danger lies is when someone watches a few of his videos without fully understanding the concept behind the action and now feels capable to train their horse.


Ah yes, the "ridiculous overconfidence stage." I went through that about 15 years ago after I watched a John Lyons tape. While there was certainly danger involved, I think the blame belongs to me and not John Lyons. And since we're all training our horses every time we are in their presence, I was probably better off having seen the video, even if I was only 1% as competent as I thought I was.

In an ideal world we would all have a trainer and a riding instructor and a performance coach and we would get along with all three of them and they would all agree with each other. In the real world the cost of that would ensure that most of us would never own a horse.

Even if money was no object, finding competent professionals is painfully difficult, and there is plenty of evidence of that in this forum. And in the end, we are quite capable of undoing all our trainer's hard work if we don't learn to be trainers ourselves. Clinton Anderson has been most effective in helping me to that.


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## mountndew1

MinervaELS said:


> Yup. I hadn't heard about it prior to reading this thread so I went hunting the other night and ended up spending hours reading about it. My biggest issues with it were:
> 
> 1. The owner was nuts. Claiming that her horse was communicating its homesickness to her in dreams while at the clinic? Mmmkay. Not to mention the whole "I believe in fairies and 'majik' even though I am old enough to have grandchildren" thing.
> 
> 2. I saw a picture of the horse and it sure as heck wasn't a "16.2 Friesian." Try a 15, maybe 15.1 mustang or mustang cross. It was stocky and black and that was where the similarities to a Friesian ended; it didn't even have feathers. The fact that it was standing next to a standard 5' tall livestock fence, with its withers about level, provided a good measurement of his true height.
> 
> 3. She deliberately did what she was told NOT to do before sending the horse to the program. Anderson suggests feeding the horses MORE and making sure that they are a bit fleshy coming in, since they will be worked hard and struggle if they aren't a good weight coming in. She said that she was feeding LESS and cutting him back to get him to lose weight. She claimed that she was told to do this, which was untrue.
> 
> 4. She posted cryptic and prophetic posts regarding the horse's death to her Facebook for days before it supposedly happened.
> 
> 5. Anderson was in Florida when this occurred and had nothing whatsoever to do with the actual incident one way or another. He flew back immediately when he found out and informed the owners himself.
> 
> 6. The owner REFUSED an autopsy, so one way or the other the actual cause of death is unknown.
> 
> 
> Anderson did throw a childish hissy fit with his post on his website that made him look like a complete tool (which perhaps he is, I don't follow him), but I can somewhat understand that as I would be ****ed too in his position. The owner started slandering him on Facebook, claiming that she didn't know if they even fed the horses at the program even though SHE was the one cutting her horse back before sending it.
> 
> The horse was apparently tied or tethered out in a field to graze. The owner mentioned hobbles, but I couldn't see anywhere where this was mentioned by the people working with the horse. There is NO evidence or statement that its face was tied to its leg. I actually found the exact post on COTH where a member wildly speculated and made that up.
> 
> Frankly, the impression I got was that the owner wanted to capitalize on the situation to get herself the horse she wanted. She was constantly posting pictures of other people's Friesians on her Facebook and probably hoped that, since she was claiming her mustang/grade was a Friesian, she could get a real, purebred replacement. Anderson just wanted to give a clueless, not horse savvy person a mount that was safe for her, but since it wasn't her "majikal" (her term) Friesian she threw a tantrum and refused.
> 
> Ridiculousness from start to finish, but not something I'd credit or hold against anyone.





Carrie94 said:


> What MinervaELS said. It was a wild tale told by an obvious "horse whisperer" designed to stain Clinton's good name. The story, the horse, and the people were _created_ - even Clinton's response to it was created.
> 
> Very often people assume Clinton is abusive and cruel towards animals because he can really get firm with a horse in the beginning of its training. Yes, he uses training sticks, and yes, he whacks horses that are disrespectful and want to run over the top of him. He does it to stay safe. Once they behave, he resumes complete passive and gentle body language. Yes, he uses spurs - he uses them to encourage lateral bending and flexion if and when he encounters a really dull, lazy horse who doesn't bend well off his leg alone. He does not tie horses' heads to their own legs - it's a ridiculous concept and has no merit whatsoever. Yes, he hobbles horses, but not the horses that come to him for training. He only trains horses that have advanced groundwork and are already very easy to ride / work with.
> 
> Clinton does not train academy horses (problem horses or unstarted horses that people send to him). He does not even train his Signature horses. He trains his own performance horses, that's it. His academy students, who he selects for their work ethic, passion for horses and people, and friendliness, are the ones who train academy and signature horses. Clinton is very involved in this process and uses it to teach his potential clinicians (academy students), but he is not the one overseeing their training.
> 
> I don't see why some people insist on seeing purely the negatives. Time is much better spent focusing on positives, and being honest in your critique/review, if you even have the right to review Clinton at all. How many of you actually are really familiar with his Method? How many of you have watched his DVDs, shows, and studied them honestly? Making stuff up about someone is not only bad etiquette and disrespectful towards them, it's plain old dishonoring to yourself. Of course, if it's TRUE, then you have the right to bring it to our attention, but it shouldn't be done because we like saying bad things about other people and throwing our own "****y fits", it should be done because we genuinely care about our horses' welfare.
> 
> How about I stop wasting my time defending him and just let people think what they want to think? Seeing as how they're going to come up with their own conclusions anyway.


I had vaguely heard "something" very little about some horse incident and that is why someone hated him. I knew nothing but was curious about it.
Now I start reading this thread and boom! here it is again, something vague about some Friesian getting "killed" by Clinton. Of course now I am really curious and kinda thinking I was a little disappointed in him as to why would you have to tie somethings face to their foot when consistent basics will do the job. That is "The Method" in a nut shell.

I really did not have time to go research this. I know in the back of my mind that little seed of doubt was planted and even thought I know better....well you know.

Now I feel like I have a better idea about the whole story. So when someone starts in about how terrible CA is because of the "Friesian incident" I can either put my little 2 cents in or not but at least I will have a better idea of what they are talking about.

So for me I really appreciate you taking the time to research for the truth.

That is why I love these type forums, you can really take what you want from them, and even though I have been around horses for over 20 years and have broke and trained a lot of horses, I ALWAYS learn something from places like this. Even if it is what not to do.

Thank you:lol:

By the way, I am an avid Clinton Anderson fan. His method works for me. But out of everything I have followed(all of his training DVDs) I hate his method on hobble breaking. This is where everyone is getting how he runs them in the ground. We hobble break our horses in a whole different manner and it works out quite well for us. Just wanted you to know that I am not a robot that believes that Clinton is perfect in all that he does. Nor is anyone here perfect and nor am I. Just thank God our horses forgive us for most of what we do wrong.


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## tinyliny

I find it interesting that Parelli is panned mostly due to the very poor manner in which his students replicate the methods. When I look at videos, on CA's own TV show, of his students, doing his methods, the way they are doing it is so bad that to me, it's as equally as bad a testamount to CA as the often bufooned actions of PP's students.

it just looks more impressive becuase there's a lot of whip swinging and running and dashing about.


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## Joel Reiter

tinyliny said:


> When I look at CA's own students, doing his methods, the way they are doing it is so bad that to me, it's as equally as bad a testament to CA as the often bufooned actions of PP's students.


Someone should do a psychology study on Parelli hatred. It seems to be particularly intense in Great Britain.

I'm certain I look like a fool trying to emulate either Pat Parelli or Clinton Anderson. However, my horses seem to improve faster while I'm doing ridiculous CA imitations compared to ridiculous PP imitations. I think both men are amazing examples of passion, ambition, and incredibly hard work coming together to make money in a most unlikely industry. As an Australian friend of mine used to say, I think good on them.


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## Corporal

I like his "Method". He knows how to fix problems that I never bothered to fix with my otherwise stone cold broke old herd, now passed on, that could be taken and trailered and handled and ridden everywhere and by anybody.
Still, they never learned to lunge, would sometimes pull back suddenly and didn't back well. I took lessons but never apprenticed under a trainer, thought I would have loved to have done so.
Now that I have a whole new herd and problems to solve I have been using CA's method. It takes less time and effort to achieve the same results. I have trained/owned horses for 30 years (this June.) I am NOT new to horses and I have my own "tricks of the trade" that continue to serve me well, too.
I have heard him "slip" and say that the problems with the horses are the owners. (This is not a literal quote.) This is very true. People today don't want to spend time learning how to master anything, and if you have grown up expecting instant results and you don't want to pay for a horse raised right and trained correctly, so you buy the first cheap and pretty one to come along, you will have a problem horse and will have problems applying his "method" to fix the variety of problems.
Last time I bought broke horses and made them better. THIS time, I wanted to buy young horses. I didn't want the baggage that can create an explosive horse who either gets out of work that way or is defensive out of fear from bad experiences, which would be "uneccessary roughness" from a previous owner. I am not well experienced with starting young horses and CA's foals are obedient and not fearful.
I try any remedy that has worked for somebody else. If it doesn't work, I rethink and try something else.
I believe that when people read his books or watch him get a fearful horse to willingly load in a trailer, they don't listen when he repeats,* "ask FIRST with ounces of pressure,"* so you give your horse a chance to be obedient and please you. I have made much progress with my 16'3hh gelding in this way, like this morning, when he willingly dropped his head as I put a rope around his neck to lead out for turnout. THAT is worth a lot of praise. He wasn't as willing the other day and changed his mind and decided to be willing today. We made a breakthrough, so that was all the training I did with him today. CA suggests quitting when the horse understands the concept...continued...


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## Corporal

...I also agree with "wet saddle pads". I don't need his method to know that calm persistance, along with with stopping and letting the horse think, then, ask again and expecting my horse to make his own choices will create obedience and cultivate an attitude to please me, his owner.
Sometimes, as we are exposed to CA's method in his tv series, and online videos, we miss out on ways to spend quality time without horses without letting the horse lead YOU. I used to absentmindedly lead a horse out for a lesson and stop at the building where I stored hay and would drop extra tack, etc., and lead my horse inside to grab this or that. I Expected my horse to follow me around, I would often have to do some dragging here or there, if it was a new horse, but in short time my horses learned that they could grab a bite of hay, and the hand walking was pleasant, and they'd lead like a pro. This building, like my barn where I have had horses in the backyard since 1999, has a 34" wide, 6 ft tall door. Most stables have a much larger entrance and most owners never ask their horse to walk through a small door into a dark building. Trust, inDEED.
You don't fail at CA's method, if you sometimes drag your horse here or there. In fact, if you are feeling like you are micromanaging your horse, some hand grazing and just walking the property might be in order.
I believe that you must have short term and long term goals for every horse that you own. You also must realize your horses limitations. My KMHSA mare and KMH gelding are not good candidates for H/J. There are, and have proven to be excellent trail horses. My QH has untapped potential, but this year I will be happy to ride him off of my property on some closeby trails. 
As I look back on it, my most trusted horses were all flexible and I could have "Flexed Them" as CA suggests at any time. I didn't know you would want to do such a thing, so they all passed on before I could try it.
You really have to appreciate that the tv trainers want to make a living and help the general horse public bc they are horse lovers and wish to help remake unruly and frightened horses to be usable. I always told my riding students that their goal was to be able to train a horse to ride and that the best insurance for a horse to prevent ending up neglected or meat, was good training. Good training takes time and effort. You cannot sit in front of a computer when you have set aside the time to train your horse and expect the horse to train himself. Something must be sacrified for progress.
I think of Barbara Woodhouse, famous British dog trainer who said, "There are no bad dogs,...only inexperienced owners." Experience has taught me to deal with each horse as an individual. I am emotional and some days one of my horses is more favored than the other two, and I have to make and effort to NOT let the others know this! lol
I think, also, that every year that goes by another horse owner accepts his horse's dangerous habits as normal. Also, if you have been hurt, you have to remember that if you horse listens on the ground, and you have established a good relationship, AND you can read the horse, so you don't stupidly mount a horse that has his head up and is stiff as a board, but one that is relaxed, even if green as the grass, you CAN train that horse to be a good riding animal by applying the same principles under saddle that you did on the ground. Why should I fear my horse under saddle if I can grab his neck and haul him around by his mane? He has learned to trust my judgment and that carries over.
I believe that most horses owners would benefit from reading his books and applying his methods as a test for holes in your horse's training.


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## BreezylBeezyl

For the most part I agree with Corporal. I think everyone can learn something from Clinton Anderson - but that being said I also think everyone can learn *something* from a horseman more experienced than themselves.

I truly enjoy Clinton because I am one of those individuals who highly values structure. I like things to be done in a step-by-step manner, I like for my work to be a fluid process, I like for things to be written out and set in stone. Please, ask my boss how much this drives him nuts every day - but he'd also tell you that this trait of mine has also brought a lot of benefits to the table in the environment I work in. I am a very organized person and can't function in chaos. I need structure to feel secure and to understand what is expected of me - just like my horse needs these very same things from me!

Clinton clicks with me immediately because his "Method" is just a bunch of easy to understand steps put together to form something of use. He is very good at teaching _people_ because he has mastered this. All of his tips and tricks he breaks down into steps so the handler can understand. Everything has a formula that makes sense, and those formulas can be combined into a bigger picture. 1+1=2 and 2+1=3

I find all of this is effective because he really gives you that "Aha!" moment you need for success with horses and he does this quickly.


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