# ever heard of Carson James?



## CowboyBob

So I just found a trainer on-line Carson James. Never heard of him, I was looking through facebook he had a add for a video on dealing with a buddy sour horse. It was really good! seeing as I have never heard of him just seeing if any of you have. I really liked his approach. You can try this link I have no idea if it will work. 001 Email | Buddy Sour â€” Carson James Horses 
I have seen a lot of questions about buddy/barn sour horses here on the form. I think this is a great way to workout this issue.


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## Fort fireman

I just found him on youtube the other day. I watched this video. He has a nice responsive horse but there are some thing I see that I don't like. 

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-8OqVGUM5Fk

I'll let others watch and decide if they like what they see.


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## Chevaux

Fort fireman said:


> ...
> I'll let others watch and decide if they like what they see.


OK - I'll bite on this. The two things that bother me the most are the tail swishing and the long spins on what appears to be grass. Tail swishing suggests to me over usage of the spur aid - I've never tried that particular discipline so I don't know the intricacies of it and whether it is common to go to a spur aid first over a leg aid as well as using it repeatedly. As far as the spins are concerned (there again I'm not that type of rider), based on my limited knowledge of the discipline, I question whether the footing/surface prevented the horse from planting a foot to pivot around and also kept it from balancing/collecting itself to do a proper spin (plus how good are repeated tight turns like that for a horse's physical well being?). I might also add that the question - was it carrying the bit properly as I thought that was off as well?


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## CowboyBob

I have to say, I found his buddy sour video this morning at work and didn't have time to look him up on youtube. I liked what I saw in the one video I saw and thought I would ask here. 
After seeing his promo youtube video you posted. I was...less than impressed? His horse was responsive, it was a promo video, but not a fan of the push push push push push when it comes to spins. I am way more impressed to see a horse pick its self up and move like that once. To do it over and over and over I don't see as what I would call "good horsemanship". I saw a little to much "look what I can do" and not enough thought of the horse. I still liked his buddy sour video and will remember his method. I don't think I will become a "groupie". I like Buck better.


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## sorral3

chavaux..

keep in mind that he is in Florida. I have yet to see a horse in Florida not swish it's tail, lots of insects.


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## tinyliny

he is young. give him 20 years, he'll be very good!

reading that comment, from a rider at my level, it sounds odd. but what I mean is that maybe , being as young as he is, he is a bit more into the flash and push. the finesse and the ease and "withness" comes with time, and maybe a bit more of age-inspired humility?


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## Patty Stiller

I watched the buddy sour video. haven't watched the promo one yet. He follows a good philosophy. I have used that exact same method on a couple of mine who came with the same issues. His seems soft enough, and was thinking about the horse. Seems like a nice enough young man with good skills and a lot better than a lot I've seen.


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## Fort fireman

Don't get me wrong here, I'm not bashing this guy at all. There is no doubt he has some skill. I just saw a couple things that I didn't really like in his promo video. As some have said , he is young and that stuff may hash itself out as he gets further along. I do think he has a lot of potential.


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## Sunshine42

I have gone thru so many different trainer videos online and was only mildly impressed by one or two trainers. Until I came across Carson James. No he isn't perfect but no one is. However he is an excellent trainer. He cares about horses and people.The horse gets the idea of what is expected of them in only a few minutes. He uses Horse Language as I like to call it. I am now a follower of his. What I like about him is that he is kind and also humble. This I can say since I am his follower and enjoy having contact with him personally any time I need. He has many followers now but whenever we send him an email or Facebook message for instructions on a specific problem He answers within a day or two. Also He makes it a point to have the horse checked for any health issues before training and during to make sure the horses are not in any kind of pain or uncomfortable during training. I like also that he prefers a bosal instead of a bit so the horse is more comfortable. All around he is a good guy and I trust his methods.


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## Palomine

Bridling video I don't like. Holding the bit while bringing bridle up is correct, you don't bring it up under jaw and then have to lower it.

Wasn't overly impressed with any of them I flipped through.

And the first one? No wonder horse is wringing tail, he is sitting off center to the right, and would imagine horse's back is hurting.


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## boots

The kid has some skills, and has darn sure worked toward what he wants to see in his horses.

Just needs miles and wet saddle blankets for himself and he'll stop all the jumping around. Hope he gets the chance.


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## LoriF

sorral3 said:


> chavaux..
> 
> keep in mind that he is in Florida. I have yet to see a horse in Florida not swish it's tail, lots of insects.


I live in Florida as well. That video is not taken in the summer when the bugs are out. Very few bugs from fall to spring.


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## luv2ride

I have a couple of his videos. I ordered them recently. So far I like them. I'm not a trainer and he breaks stuff down and seems easy to follow.


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## Lawman561

Yes, he's up by Tallahassee which is a bit more mild and less tropical than South Florida where we are from, but I can tell you that in S FL the tail swishing almost never stops. We got a horse from NC, a great filly last year and she was almost frantic when she first got here with the jump in amount of flies everywhere. She has gotten used to it, less twitching, but the tail does not stop unless the temp drops under 70 and/or it's a breezy day. We are also looking for a barn sour video as we have a good trainer, but she isn't a fundamentals or doesn't focus on it as she primarily is used for my daughter's barrel horse, not the trail horse, former roping horse that we have. She went riderless for several months due to a variety of reasons, and now we're trying to get the lazy out of her. 
My daughter is an intermediate rider, my wife and I, along with my two other daughters are novice and we're looking for a natural horsemanship video series. 
Overall you all think Carson is worth the investment?
Thanks for your time, and happy trails.


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## KAB

He's giving a clinic in Fl. where he lives very soon.I have watched his stuff and I liked most of what I saw.He gives away alot of his videos so it seems like he's really in it for the horse and to move ahead in his field.I would certainly give him a chance.


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## JADIP

Oh good! Some of y'all have seen this fella. While the promo does appear like he's more showing off to impress folks .. I do like the way he explains things in the vids I have watched. I ordered his stopping DVD when it came across for just shipping. Of course, I bit on the subsequent offer for $1 for 1 month access to all his videos. Site is setup very nicely ... We shall see how it goes.


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## flaglermom

I think he is the one on FB that I liked and started getting flooded with emails and ads. They did stop when I asked him to stop it, but I was really not that impressed when I watched him. The one I saw was pretty basic stuff any halfway horseman would show you. JMHO


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## SusanH

*Carson James - Black Friday Training*

I had seen enough of his stuff to "buy" the "Black Friday" training. He worked with several horses; trailer problems, respect problems, rider problems. 

What I like about him, is that I don't see him "spanking" the horses the way Clinton Anderson does, and yet he gets similar results. He's young, that's true, he seems a bit "cowboy" (ahem, "*******"), but he gets results. I got a real kick out of him imitating an Aussie accent at one point during the Black Friday training... and I have to think he's mocking Clinton Anderson... but it was pretty funny.

It's less expensive to subscribe to Carson James' stuff than Clinton Anderson's. 

I think, in the end, as someone already said, there's a common theme. Make the good behavior easy, and the bad behavior hard. If your sensibilities are offended by Clinton "spanking" horses, then look for someone else (Carson James maybe). Carson James makes use of a "flag", and that seems to work with my horse more than flinging a longe whip around.

I am NEW and green to horse training, and, unfortunately for me, my "new" horse (he's 14 and was, supposedly a beginner safe lesson horse when I got him), he has a number of problems on the ground (i.e. rearing up in the cross ties, herd bound, yada yada....) and I need to deal with "all that". There's no "round pen" at my boarding barn, so....I'm having to look at the world of training, and assorted methods. Yes, I have bought him some sessions with our barn manager, and she says he's "doing better", but at some point, he needs to realize the *I* am the alpha. 

It's also winter in New England, so between snow and bitter cold (too early this season to be this cold), and short days, consistency just now, is problematic.

Ok, I've said my piece.


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## Kay Armstrong

I like Carson for the basics....I agree with much of his ground work ideas. He has a great video of desensitizing your horse to clippers. I'd say it's worth a shot. Watch his YouTube videos and decide what you think about his online value before you spend any money. You might decide there is enough free stuff available...no need to shell out big bucks.


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## Joel Reiter

From what I've seen of Carson James I think he might be a pretty good cheap alternative to Clinton Anderson for people who need to learn or review the basics. I agree with Kay Armstrong that his desensitizing instructions are outstanding. For now his aggressive marketing seems more aimed at building a brand than making a profit. I'll be interested to see how things work out for him going forward.


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## beau159

I watched this one.





He's clearly spent a lot of time on the horse to train him that way. Some of the things I am not a fan of. The FAST spin? Not a fan because the horse isn't doing his footwork properly and is quite literally trying to jump around as fast as he can. At least, in my opinion on how a spin should be done; it should be smooth and fluid.

When he's doing all those little rollbacks early in the video, I can't say I'm particularly impressed with how the horse is using his body ... or rather, _not _using his body. His head is throwing around a lot, rather than making the movements from the hind end. Just doesn't look right. 

I'm not too bothered by the tail swishing because a lot of horses do that (look at most high level dressage horses) when you are doing a lot of leg aides.


Watched this one:





Eh. He seems to explain things good but I personally am not fond of his method. He's not jerking on the reins, but he's still making the horse stick his nose out in the air. I realize his goal is not softness in this video .... but why allow your horse to keep doing it over and over again? Sure, you'll teach him to walk. But he's going to stick his nose out in the air every time you pick up that rein contact. 

He didn't use the reins much in Part 2




but later in the video when he went to pick up the reins, that head shot up. 

Again, looks like he spent a lot of time with the horse and is really getting him spur trained. Not a fan of how he teaches the horse_ not_ to use it's body correctly. IMO

But he does seem to talk things through well, for the listener. 


Just like any trainer, there will be things you agree with and things you disagree with. But most of the time, you can still usually draw useful information.


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## COWCHICK77

Supposedly the horse in the first video Beau posted of him above was an ill mannered/troubled horse.
He has the symptoms of a horse that had been yanked on or rode hand first, heavy handed. 

So take it for what it's worth.
Honestly, seems like a young kid riding the vaquero clinician trend.
If you like him great, if you don't - don't buy his stuff would be my advice. There's much worse out there


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## Smilie

Just watched the first video, and he is teaching the spin of years ago, when correctness was not a factor, and horses hopped around, versus using that instilled idea of 'forward, thus reaching and crossing over correctly in front.
Since reining used to be one of my favorite disciplines, watching that alone, would make me go no further., far as any interest in this trainer


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## jgnmoose

Carons James needs to spend a little while learning how to put his techniques into words that novice horseman will understand and can do something with.

I like him and think he could be good. The biggest thing holding him back is that he parrots the Dorrance Brothers and Ray Hunt a lot, while not really being able to explain much beyond getting any change and proclaiming "there!". 

He is going up against people who have articulated exactly what they want to see and can do it and explain it in real time during a demonstration with an unknown horse. Holding clippers over a horse's poll for 20 minutes waiting for them to drop their head any amount eventually teaches a lesson but he could be so much more effective if he stated what he is looking for. 

I watched a stopping demonstration that was completely ineffective. If someone has a horse they have a hard time stopping they wasted 38 minutes watching that and are no closer to a good stop.

The most honest thing I can say is I hope he does well but he is going to have to come up with his own material. That esoteric Buckaroo stuff wears off quickly.


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## SusanH

jgnmoose said:


> Carons James needs to spend a little while learning how to put his techniques into words that novice horseman will understand and can do something with.
> 
> I like him and think he could be good. The biggest thing holding him back is that he parrots the Dorrance Brothers and Ray Hunt a lot, while not really being able to explain much beyond getting any change and proclaiming "there!".
> 
> He is going up against people who have articulated exactly what they want to see and can do it and explain it in real time during a demonstration with an unknown horse. Holding clippers over a horse's poll for 20 minutes waiting for them to drop their head any amount eventually teaches a lesson but he could be so much more effective if he stated what he is looking for.
> 
> I watched a stopping demonstration that was completely ineffective. If someone has a horse they have a hard time stopping they wasted 38 minutes watching that and are no closer to a good stop.
> 
> The most honest thing I can say is I hope he does well but he is going to have to come up with his own material. That esoteric Buckaroo stuff wears off quickly.


I agree. I have joined his "members" group, and have watched all the videos on his site (and passed all the quizzes.)
I do like his ground work stuff, but I agree he is regurgitating Ray Hunt and Dorrance Bro. stuff. Which is fine, but he needs to learn to articulate it better. I prefer his approach on the ground to Clinton Anderson's theory of "give your horse a heart attack every day." (My horse, my first horse by the way, is one big raw nerve. He does NOT need extra heart attacks from me... but he DOES need to respect me as a leader...we're working on it.)


As for the Buckaroo stuff, I turn my brain off. A lot of his buckaroo techniques are counter to what I've learned in my lessons, riding English. I hope to never have to deal with a "sliding stop". That said, things like getting control of the hindquarters and shoulders ARE useful for lateral work in any discipline.


I do like his use of a Bosal hackamore rather than a mechanical hackamore.


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## kewpalace

COWCHICK77 said:


> Honestly, seems like a young kid riding the vaquero clinician trend.


That was my impression as well. He does not impress me now. Maybe later, after he has gotten a few years under his belt and shows me a horse that is working relaxed & correctly, I'll change my mind (not that my opinion means squat, LOL). But right now, he's not my cup of tea.



COWCHICK77 said:


> If you like him great, if you don't - don't buy his stuff would be my advice. There's much worse out there


Agree with this as well. That I don't care for him doesn't mean others won't like him & find him useful. Different strokes and all that. That goes for all the guru/BN trainers out there.


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## jgnmoose

SusanH said:


> I agree. I have joined his "members" group, and have watched all the videos on his site (and passed all the quizzes.)
> I do like his ground work stuff, but I agree he is regurgitating Ray Hunt and Dorrance Bro. stuff. Which is fine, but he needs to learn to articulate it better. I prefer his approach on the ground to Clinton Anderson's theory of "give your horse a heart attack every day." (My horse, my first horse by the way, is one big raw nerve. He does NOT need extra heart attacks from me... but he DOES need to respect me as a leader...we're working on it.)
> 
> 
> As for the Buckaroo stuff, I turn my brain off. A lot of his buckaroo techniques are counter to what I've learned in my lessons, riding English. I hope to never have to deal with a "sliding stop". That said, things like getting control of the hindquarters and shoulders ARE useful for lateral work in any discipline.
> 
> 
> I do like his use of a Bosal hackamore rather than a mechanical hackamore.


I have done the same, joined the members group watched all the videos and took the quizzes. 

I think he has the right personality to be a good and popular clinician. It is most noticable when you see him work with one of his clients and a problem horse. 

To be fair to him, plenty of clinicians quote their mentors. Clinton Anderson credits his two mentors for the bulk of his program. He is matter of fact about not having come up with most of it. His talent is taking what they taught him and communicating it as specifics.

I'm also a bit of a nerd, and tend to want to know why and how something works. For example I've heard a lot of people try to explain what is happening with saddle fit, rowels, bits, girths. Pressure = Force / Area, now that I can understand. There are endless topics in horsemanship that are poorly named and poorly explained and repeated by those that have been around long enough to get it, it is our "technical speak" lol.


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