Newsletter
Samantha Stevens
Delta, Utah
Elementary Education
Leadership
Teaching to Train
For my project, I taught my dad and brother how to finish a horse. Finishing a horse is like the fine tooth comb of training. It allows any person, young or old, with any amount of experienced, the ability to ride that horse and succeed in doing so. Finishing a horse is very fun and my favorite part of training a horse. It was even more fun to show my dad and brother what I know about finishing a horse through this project.
I taught my dad and brother how to finish a horse in July of 2016. We used my brother’s colt Doc. For the most part I rode the horse as my dad and brother watched. I showed them different aspects of training and they asked questions along the way. By the end of the summer, they had a decent idea of how to finish a horse and Doc was at a place I felt confident in his ability to start training for barrel racing.
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I chose to do this project not only because I love training horses, but also because I like to teach and help others train horses as well. Riding horses has always been a passion of mine, though it wasn’t until I started to learn the art of training horses that I truly became ‘horse crazy’. Every person who has ever rode a horse knows something I do not know. I do not know every horse or every reaction a horse can have. As such, a trainer never truly knows everything there is to know about training. I learn from others just as they learn from me.
I had a couple challenges that really stood out to me through this project. One of the greatest challenges I had in this project was correlating time to ride when my dad and brother were available. We all had work and as a result, our schedules seldom seemed to connect. I had to ride Doc when I could and then go back and teach my dad and brother what I had been working on later. It made it very hard to teach them all I had hoped to through this project.
The second great challenge was figuring out what was going on with Doc mentally and physically. He had to get his teeth taken care of during this project and that put our training back quite a bit. He also got very sore towards the end and I had to lighten his training substantially. He wasn’t used to the hard work load and it took a toll on him physically, as it would you and I. Eventually everything worked out, but it was frustrating for a time.
This project benefited my dad and brother by allowing them to learn what I do when finishing a horse. This means they will not always have to rely on me for training. My dad and brother start our horse, they work them in the round pen and ride them for the first month or so. After the month or so, they usually pass the horse on to me to finish. I learned how to finish a horse in high school while working for a horse trainer. Now, my dad and brother have much of that knowledge I have and they won’t always have to have me finish their horses.
This project benefited me as it taught me to be a better horsewoman. I learned many new things about horses through this project. For example, I learned more things I can do to help prevent a horse from getting sore. I learned how to lunge a horse on a lead line and not just in a round pen. And I learned how to dumb my knowledge down and speak in a way others can understand what I am meaning. This knowledge will make a difference in my future trainings and can only help produce better horses in the future.
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July 5, 2016
Today was my first day with Doc. I started off by lunging Doc off the lunge line to warm him up and make sure he had all the spook out of him before I rode him. Dad came out about half way through lunging. I was having a hard time getting Doc to keep loping. Dad said I was getting ahead of him too much and Doc just didn’t know what I was asking of him. Lunging is hard for me and it’s not usually a part of the training process once I get the horses. Eventually I got it right and Doc lunged just fine. After lunging I was able to ride doc. He did much better than I thought he would. Today I just trotted and loped circles to get a feel for Doc and allow him to get a feel for me.
August 1, 2016
Well today was the day. Our last consecutive day together. I took it pretty light today. We went through the barrel pattern a couple times and then went on a little trail ride by the house. Doc won’t be rode as much now that I will be going to school. He will only get rode when my brother or I go home on weekends. I really am so happy with him and where he is at right now. Perfect end to a perfect summer
