# Clinton Anderson



## Lexiie (Nov 14, 2011)

So I've been doing lots of Clinton Anderson and Parelli exercises with my mare lately.
It makes such a huge difference, she's so much more respectful. She doesn't move when I groom or saddle her. It's so cool!
I would seriously recommend doing this with your horses! It's just so awesome for you and your horse to know these things!!!!!!!!!!


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## EquestrianCowgirl4 (Jan 9, 2012)

I LOVE Parelli! Notreally a big fan of Clinton Anderson though.....


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## Lexiie (Nov 14, 2011)

Just curious
Why to both your opinions?
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## EquestrianCowgirl4 (Jan 9, 2012)

Well I was at one of Clinton's clinic and he was like beating on the horse cuz it wouldn't do what he wanted.. I am sure he was just embarressed and didn't mean for it to be like that but still it's still not right... Plus just not very found of his methods...
I have been to Parelli's clinics they were amazing, this girl at my barn is a level 3 or 4 and just seeing what real everyday people can do and the bond with the horses is amazing!!! I started it last year and I can just tell the diffrence, I act more like a partner as so does my horse. I act like a natural rider/horsewoman and a result, my horse and I have a WAYYYY better bond...


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## Saddlebag (Jan 17, 2011)

All the trainers have something to offer. Often it is about personality and what you as an individual are attracted to. Was Clinton beating or tapping on the horse. If he beat on the horse it would have been trying desperately to escape.


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## Lexiie (Nov 14, 2011)

I tap on my horse with my carrot stick.
Well i used to, but now she knows that when i move it, she's supposed to move away from it.
She's not afraid of it either.
I've seen some people use sticks incorrectly and their horses are terrified of them
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## FaydesMom (Mar 25, 2012)

I've seen more videos of Parelli "beating" horses than Anderson, but then again, most of the "beatings" are just some horses are more set than others and sometimes you just HAVE to get through to them to keep them from going to the slaughter house.

Just because a trainer has to resort to sever methods for a particular horse says nothing about how they are with the normal everyday backyard horse. 

And in this day and age, people are quick to scream "horse beater" when they don't understand what is truely going on.

I use a combination of methods from multiple trainers and if you use your brain, you can learn something from most of them.


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## equiniphile (Aug 16, 2009)

I'm not a fan of either. CA has quite the temper, from what I've seen, and Parelli....well, we won't go there ;-). I like John Lyons and Chris Cox, though.


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## EquestrianCowgirl4 (Jan 9, 2012)

Lexiie said:


> I tap on my horse with my carrot stick.
> Well i used to, but now she knows that when i move it, she's supposed to move away from it.
> She's not afraid of it either.
> I've seen some people use sticks incorrectly and their horses are terrified of them
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


Yep before I bougth my horse people would whip her with it she was terrified of them untill she learned from the carrot stick that it was a good fun thing


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## Fargosgirl (Jan 12, 2012)

I have to agree with Equestriancowgirl4 I prefer Parelli, partly for the reasons she mentioned, I've seen both work with horses in person and when I went to CA's clinic he got (my opinion) very hard on the filly he was working, I've been to 4 Parelli clinics and have never seen Pat or any of his students treat a horse too harshly(again my opinion). 

But I don't really want to get on the subject of what constitutes a beating and what amount of physical pressure is necessary to teach the horse. Probably every clinician has videos circulating of them "roughing up" a horse, and they also have given responses as to why it was needed for that horse. My reason for choosing PP is the results I have gotten from each program.

CA worked great on some of my horses, but three of my horses couldn't handle the amount of pressure and the speed at which CA recommends you apply it, they became very spooky around me and learned very slowly in that program.

PP explains how to tailor your training style to meet each horse's needs as an individual. I know many people find the whole "Horsenality" thing confusing, but found it to be very enlightening. It finally made sense why certain techniques worked on some of my horses but not others and how to decide which techniques will be effective for what horse. So now I watch a wide variety of trainers and I can pick out what tasks will work most effectively on each of my 5 horses individually.

What drew me to Parelli in the first place was his high level students. I feel that almost all of the clinicians are great at teaching horses, but PP was the first clinician that I seen show what he could teach to a human. Another clinician that has turned out some very skilled students from his program is Denis Reis. I have yet to see a CA student that really REALLY impresses me.


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## EquestrianCowgirl4 (Jan 9, 2012)

FaydesMom said:


> I've seen more videos of Parelli "beating" horses than Anderson, but then again, most of the "beatings" are just some horses are more set than others and sometimes you just HAVE to get through to them to keep them from going to the slaughter house.
> 
> Just because a trainer has to resort to sever methods for a particular horse says nothing about how they are with the normal everyday backyard horse.
> 
> ...


What do u consider beating... I have to tap my horse with a whip that's not beating it's "getting through to them" and I know the diffrence trust me I have been with those people acually they used to train me SO I DO USE MY HEAD AND THE ONLY I LEARNED FROM THEM IS HOW TO GET BUCKED OFF A HORSE AND HOW TO AVOID GETTING BIT OR KICKED. now my horses acaully like me!!!!


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## EquestrianCowgirl4 (Jan 9, 2012)

Saddlebag said:


> All the trainers have something to offer. Often it is about personality and what you as an individual are attracted to. Was Clinton beating or tapping on the horse. If he beat on the horse it would have been trying desperately to escape.


oh yes i know the diffrence, and he was being way over a agressive completely not what "a natual horseman" would do.... 
But I guesss I have seen worse..
There is this person is name is Denis something and once he tied a horse up and whipped him so the horse kicked him so Denis tripped him with a rope by tieing his legs and then he started kicking the horse in the head.... 
so yeah he wasn't that bad, and I have only seen him do anything bad like that once, but still not a fan of Clinton


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## Rascaholic (Oct 4, 2010)

EquestrianCowgirl4 said:


> There is this person is name is Denis something and once he tied a horse up and whipped him so the horse kicked him so Denis tripped him with a rope by tieing his legs and then he started kicking the horse in the head....
> so yeah he wasn't that bad, and I have only seen him do anything bad like that once, but still not a fan of Clinton


I wonder if that made Youtube video?


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## ChrisDocter (Apr 20, 2012)

I agree with the post about CA pushing a horse too hard too fast. When I went to his clinic he never did complete the goals he had set for a high strung appendix mare...In fact, she got away from him and he spent most of the next hour trying to catch her....And then decided it would be best to have his apprentice work with her back at the barn. 
We've had really good immediate results from some of his stuff, but I've found that with a couple of our horses I needed to go back and show them that it was okay to do some of the same exercises WALKING, paying attention to toning down the energy put in to the requests. 
Whereas my warmblood colt I started doing a lot of the same things concentrating on moving one foot at a time, and now he can do all of it FAST. But there was never any need to push very hard at all. 
All of that being said, if it works for you and your horse DO IT no matter what name brand it is.


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## CarmenL (Apr 20, 2012)

I started off with Parelli many years ago but never really understood his training. Have been to various natural horse trainers since then but I was inclined to forget what I'd learned after awhile. Well anyway about eighteen months ago I went to a clinic with my unbroken Arab gelding. The clinician asked me what I wanted to do with my horse I replied that I wanted to break him in myself. Well!! I was told in no uncertain terms that I was not capable of breaking in my own horse! That really challenged me! So I bought Clinton Andersons Colt Starting DVD set (I live in New Zealand) and started my horse myself. It was absolutely brilliant, a step by step instruction that was easy to follow. His first outing under saddle was a noisy parade. I was only going to pony him but he was going so well I rode him and he went perfectly. 

So, I am very grateful to find something that worked so well. It was the first horse I'd ever started and I am over sixty!


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## gypsygirl (Oct 15, 2009)

i really really like clinton anderson. 

i wont go to far into parelli, i really like the 7 games and not much else, its just not a program that makes sense to me.

ive never worked with john lyons himself, but a horse i used to own was 'trained' for a few days under one of his students. the guy freaked the horse out so bad that it was rearing in a couple minutes...hes not a rearer and the calmest horse ever so im not sure what the guy did to him.


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## Lexiie (Nov 14, 2011)

gypsygirl said:


> i really really like clinton anderson.
> 
> i wont go to far into parelli, i really like the 7 games and not much else, its just not a program that makes sense to me.
> 
> ive never worked with john lyons himself, but a horse i used to own was 'trained' for a few days under one of his students. the guy freaked the horse out so bad that it was rearing in a couple minutes...hes not a rearer and the calmest horse ever so im not sure what the guy did to him.


I agree on Parelli being confusing, but the exercises are so fun
and actually, this Friday a John Lyons certified trainer is having a free clinic at my barn
SO super excited!


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## fran2 (Apr 3, 2012)

I like both Parelli and Anderson - CA suffers a little from young mans disease (which PP used too) - he has softened /slowed his approach to humans since he met Linda. Both however stress to be as light as possible but as firm as necessary. I have seen PP on numerous occassions live and have seen him get extremely firm (if taken out of contex it would look cruel, but in both cases he was a last resoort to a potentially very danngerous horse) but the moment the horse responds he is as light as can be. CA gets firm (perhaps a little too quickly) but his timing is excellent.

I teach Natural Horsemanship and find that most of my students find learning driving before porcupine (as per CA) easier. I am not a PP or a CA Instructor but recommend both to my students.


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## Lexiie (Nov 14, 2011)

How about Buck Brannaman?
I saw his documentary or whatever, and some of the things I saw were very strange. Especially with the one horse. Unbroke stallion I'm pretty sure. Scary stuff.
It really did encourage me to work with my horse though(/
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## gypsygirl (Oct 15, 2009)

buck brannaman is great ! what do you mean by strange, what was strange about him ?


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## Lexiie (Nov 14, 2011)

He had a rope around the stallions back foot, so he couldn't buck or freak out or whatever.
I just thought that was weird and maybe dangerous in a way? but aside from that everything he did was amazing
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## gypsygirl (Oct 15, 2009)

that was just a way for him to have more control of the horse than he would have with just a rope around his neck or a halter. i dont think just anyone should do it, but he has a lot of experience.


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## Lexiie (Nov 14, 2011)

I figured that much.
when he was getting that same horse onto a trailer, his attitude never changed. That's so amazing. I'm so impatient
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## EquestrianCowgirl4 (Jan 9, 2012)

CarmenL said:


> I started off with Parelli many years ago but never really understood his training. Have been to various natural horse trainers since then but I was inclined to forget what I'd learned after awhile. Well anyway about eighteen months ago I went to a clinic with my unbroken Arab gelding. The clinician asked me what I wanted to do with my horse I replied that I wanted to break him in myself. Well!! I was told in no uncertain terms that I was not capable of breaking in my own horse! That really challenged me! So I bought Clinton Andersons Colt Starting DVD set (I live in New Zealand) and started my horse myself. It was absolutely brilliant, a step by step instruction that was easy to follow. His first outing under saddle was a noisy parade. I was only going to pony him but he was going so well I rode him and he went perfectly.
> 
> So, I am very grateful to find something that worked so well. It was the first horse I'd ever started and I am over sixty!


Yes i agree it's alittle confusing but u get it eventually and now I love it!!


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## sporthorsegirl (Jun 3, 2011)

I use Clinton Anderson's groundwork methods, haven't spent much time looking at his riding methods. All have worked very well for me. I'm going to his clinic this summer, I'm pretty excited. He is also the most honest of the bunch, in my opinion. It's just a matter of using your head. Don't push your horse too hard. Realize every horse is different and will respond differently to the methods. I really dislike parelli. He's not a good teacher, and I've seen him get really heavy handed. I'm definitely not saying Clinton is perfect, but I really prefer his methods over parelli.


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## Librahorsegal (Nov 20, 2011)

For you CA fans out there...do you belong to his No Worries Club? Do you pay that price every month or year for joining? Do you guys buy his dvds? 

I want to join his club and buy his dvds...but they cost so much money. i cant afford them. 

so i look online for the dvds for a cheaper price. 

I really like clinton. I saw him on tour in 2005. He signed a poster for me and had a pic taken with him. i was so nervous then. but it was a great tour to watch.

i wish he would come back to ny for a tour stop. that would be great!


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## DressageDreamer (Feb 29, 2012)

Librahorsegal said:


> For you CA fans out there...do you belong to his No Worries Club? Do you pay that price every month or year for joining? Do you guys buy his dvds?
> 
> I want to join his club and buy his dvds...but they cost so much money. i cant afford them.
> 
> ...


I found my DVD's on Amazon and Ebay used. Way cheaper than joining that club. I am not paying him to be in a club and then have to pay for all the DVD's, etc. You can get the equipment he uses other places as well. It just won't have his name on it.


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## sporthorsegirl (Jun 3, 2011)

I'm not a member of the no worries club, nor do I own his dvds. WAY out of my price range. I'm trying to find them used for a reasonable price. I just watch youtube videos and read articles, mostly. I also watch his show when I can.


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## gypsygirl (Oct 15, 2009)

if you are a member of the NWC you dont really need to buy the dvds because he has so many videos for you to watch on there. you also get mailed journals that have some really usefull tips. i would join the NWC over buying to dvds new or on ebay.


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## CarmenL (Apr 20, 2012)

Yes, I am a member of the NSC. Don't need to buy anything. It's such a great resource of knowledge. I get all the tv programs on line, a monthly DVD sent and the quarterly journal. Also there are some great trainers who are members and they share their knowledge willingly, just like this forum. They are all very kind and generous.


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## DressageDreamer (Feb 29, 2012)

gypsygirl said:


> if you are a member of the NWC you dont really need to buy the dvds because he has so many videos for you to watch on there. you also get mailed journals that have some really usefull tips. i would join the NWC over buying to dvds new or on ebay.


 The club membership has to be renewed every year where the DVDs are yours to keep and reuse (and lend out). If you find them reasonable enough, as I have, it is cheaper to buy than join. 
I also DVR the RFD-TV shows of his and watch You Tube videos sometimes. 
Basically, it is just a personal preference on which you would rather do  I can see the value in joining, but for me it hasn't been necessary.


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## Librahorsegal (Nov 20, 2011)

I watch CA's shows on rfd-tv and on fsn every week. But i want the no worries journal just to have as a reference. When theres a topic that im going to find important...i just take notes on it. but its not the same thing for having the journal. i wish you could buy them at a tack store or tractor supply.


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## Lexiie (Nov 14, 2011)

That would be awesome
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## gypsygirl (Oct 15, 2009)

DressageDreamer said:


> The club membership has to be renewed every year where the DVDs are yours to keep and reuse (and lend out). If you find them reasonable enough, as I have, it is cheaper to buy than join.
> I also DVR the RFD-TV shows of his and watch You Tube videos sometimes.
> Basically, it is just a personal preference on which you would rather do  I can see the value in joining, but for me it hasn't been necessary.


the club also updates and shows new ideas, dvds cant do that =]


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## Saddlebag (Jan 17, 2011)

Are training DVD available from NetFlix?


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## Lockwood (Nov 8, 2011)

Librahorsegal said:


> For you CA fans out there...do you belong to his No Worries Club? Do you pay that price every month or year for joining? Do you guys buy his dvds?
> 
> I want to join his club and buy his dvds...but they cost so much money. i cant afford them.
> 
> ...


After watching on RFDTV for a while and checking with other NWC members about what was available, I joined for a whole year at a discounted rate that comes to about $12 a month.
Because I live in PA and the Giddyupflix place is in CA, it seemed a better use of my money to be able to watch the video library through the NWC whenever I wanted instead of renting with the long mail times.

There are hundreds of dvd or episodes to choose from, other memeber videos, plus the monthly dvds you get in the mail.
I was lucky in that I had the discount code, an extra 15% off code and I waited until the stick went on sale with a free string promo. 
I came out much cheaper that finding the same items in a generic form from a discounted website. 
As a member, if I chose to actually buy videos I can get them for cheaper than many go for on ebay.
Having said all of that, CA is just one of many tools I use and I'm not a kool-aid drinker.


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## Blaze (Apr 21, 2012)

I really like CA. I've been using his groundwork methods from his book right now because his DVDs are way out of my budget. I've been getting really good results and my horse is becoming more respectful.

I can't really say anything about Parelli... I've never used his methods. But I did go to a Clinton Anderson clinic at a barn and there was a Friesian stallion that does tricks and taught PP methods. I was horrified when the horse pretty much mobbed the lady working with him for food. I also watched him getting fed and he was super pushy and I could tell the girl feeding him was a little intimidated.


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## HorseCrazyGirlForever (Apr 27, 2012)

I LOVE CLINTON ANDERSON! And the Parelli's! I watch a lot of their vids on you tube.


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## Army wife (Apr 29, 2012)

I don't know a whole lot about Parelli, so I can't say much. But someone every close to me whom I trust A LOT used to be into CA and is no longer, and for a good reason. Something to the affect of him being caught whipping the crap out of a horse right before a clinic on trailer loading. The horse knew how to load, he just scared it so it would look to the audience like it didn't. Thus, when he got it in the trailer, it made him look awesome. Like I said, I trust the source so much that I refuse to watch any of his work. But I'm not saying some of it wouldn't work, and that everyone else should write him off also. I have recently started watching Chris Cox's videos and I have to say that I am very impressed. I have not found one thing that I personally do not agree with. I think he is pretty wise and very humble. He said in one video that he had changed a certain technique from the years before. Apparently ppl were questioning it and his horsemanship. He simply replied "I am always learning and trying to find the most effective techniques for horses. If I ever stop learning and trying to better myself, you should find someone else who will. My best teacher at this point is the horse." Awesome in my opinion!!


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## Back2Horseback (Mar 21, 2012)

I'm VERY new to watching ALL of these NH folks...like, only in the past month or so did I realize we _have RFD-TV(!),_ so I try to catch each of the various trainers whenever possible, just see what they/their methods are all about. You can never be too informed, even if it's bad information, it teaches you what not to do, if you disagree with what you are learning!

Regarding CA, overall I have leaned toward liking him more than not liking him. That said, it certainly gives me pause reading the story above (I think by Army Wife?) where she discussed her friend seeing him whip a horse to make it appear fearful, only so he could later "cure" it in front of an audience. I understand precisely why she believed this piece of info, in that oneknows when their source is a constant exaggerating "gossip" vs. someone who always speaks the truth w/o exaggerating. 

Further, I tend to think it could be true because while watching his show, I have had this weird "sense" I suppose, that he gets really _uptight, specifically_ when it appears the horse may not be "getting his message" quickly enough for the audience? He appears to get uptight to the point that at times when he is having the owner lunging the horse while he instructs the owner on what to do, it seems like he suddenly does a bunch of very loud, fast talking, shouting out quick commands, (thrown out much too fast for anyone new to the technique to follow), _*on purpose*_, in attempt to agitate the owner a bit, to possibly make them feel insecure...maybe in attempt to make the owner "look bad" compared to him, thus taking the focus off of the fact that the horse isn't responding either quickly enough, or exactly in the manner he said it would, or whatever.

Anyone else notice this? Get this "feeling" maybe? I ask because I could be way off, (as I tend to be watching these shows just as I am waking up for work). I'm a night shift nurse, so I wake up to start my "day" around 7pm, and at that time I might just still be half-asleep.


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## FaydesMom (Mar 25, 2012)

Back2Horseback said:


> I'm VERY new to watching ALL of these NH folks...like, only in the past month or so did I realize we _have RFD-TV(!),_ so I try to catch each of the various trainers whenever possible, just see what they/their methods are all about. You can never be too informed, even if it's bad information, it teaches you what not to do, if you disagree with what you are learning!
> 
> Regarding CA, overall I have leaned toward liking him more than not liking him. That said, it certainly gives me pause reading the story above (I think by Army Wife?) where she discussed her friend seeing him whip a horse to make it appear fearful, only so he could later "cure" it in front of an audience. I understand precisely why she believed this piece of info, in that oneknows when their source is a constant exaggerating "gossip" vs. someone who always speaks the truth w/o exaggerating.
> 
> ...


When the owners are not listening and just puttzing around when CA is trying to teach them how to work with the horse, he is trying to push them to respond. I LOVE how he starts with the "get in there, point, swing your arms, MAKE HIM MOVE..." 

He's trying to get the point across how important it is to match the horses response with either a correction or reward* immediately *so the horse gets the point easier.


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## Army wife (Apr 29, 2012)

Like I said, I wont watch his stuff. Possibly out of a little stubborn streak I have  Mostly because I know and trust very much the source so why waste my time watching something that is not right in my book. To each his own!


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## Back2Horseback (Mar 21, 2012)

Regarding Faydes'comment, I get the need for the immediate correction, but with things moving so fast, and him many times dealing with people somewhat new to horses, or at least new to how to correct their horse's actions (or they wouldn't need him!), & I feel badly for these folks @ times, because they desperately WANT TO do what he is asking, but learning for horses AND HUMANS happens on a curve, and SOME FOLKS simply cannot keep up when a thousand things are shouted at them @ once. This does the horse no good and upsets some owners on the show to the point of tears. At that point, it is MY opinion only that both horse and owner would be better served if he stepped in and did the immediate corrections, just until the owner grasps EXACTLY what its expected of them...


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## fastfillynz1 (May 5, 2012)

I know of an instance where PP beat on a horse out the back of the barn at lunchtime then handed it back to the owner so called (fixed).
I also know of an instance where PP thought no one was watching and whacked a horse, lucky the rider was a bronc rider!!
a friend of mine who is a very good trainer and has represented her country in endurance, was not allowed to progress with the PP method. (maybe fear she would show them up). Different strokes for different folks, and its not about this one or that one. what works for you. as an aside, I have had a trainer at my place and watched him get stuck into a horse, but the situation was him or the horse, and I would think that most trainer would say, "do what it takes to get the job done"


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## fastfillynz1 (May 5, 2012)

I am a teacher, and sometimes when it has to be NOW!!! it has to be NOW! for the safety of rider/handler and horse. if as a trainer I see qa situation where someone (horse or handler) is about to get hurt, I will shout too.


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

I only know very little of CA and so I am making an opinion based on an impression, really. I watched last year's Road to the Horse. His approach was very intense and aggressive. He tends to make the "wrong" thing SO awful for the horse that the horse is not allowed much time to think aobut making the "right" choice. Clinton leaves very little openning for the horse. It must go through a very narrow openning, I mean in a mental sense. Some horse do well with that, but others get over faced. They loose all enjoyment in working because they are never "asked" to make a choice. they are chased into the turns before the handler can see if the horse will agree to making a turn on his own.

This is just an impression based on not a ton of watching, so I could change my opinion upon viewing more, maybe.


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## fastfillynz1 (May 5, 2012)

Monty Roberts, Buck brannigan, Clinton Anderson, Pat Parelli, John Lyons, Neill Davies, Ray Hunt, etc etc, who cares, as long as you get what you need out of a clinician, and can csrry it on at home thats the true test.
I have seen many a person go to a clinic have a great clinic and get lots fixed then go to put thier horse on the float and forget everything they have just been taught and go back to thier old habits. The one thing I will say about CA at least there is something you can refer back to. I still use a bit from everyone.


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## Lexiie (Nov 14, 2011)

I actually just had a clinic at my barn with a John Lyons trainer, it was pretty simple!


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## fastfillynz1 (May 5, 2012)

yes I have used a bit of John Lyons stuff and like all of them if you are cosistent with your training, they all work.
glad you got something out of it.


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