February 09 midwest horse digest Page 11
Accelerate twirling until horse responds by Chris returned to the United States in 1986 to individualized training.
moving forward. make a career of working with horses. Years of Active in the cutting horse world as both a
Quit twirling as soon as the horse goes working horseback on the ranch near trainer and competitor, Chris has trained a
forward. Queensland gave Chris a healthy respect variety of breeds for different disciplines. He
After horse drives forward past you, disengage for the horse’s ability and intelligence, and travels the United States, Canada, South
his hindquarters so he’s facing you again. helped him develop his own methods of America and Australia appearing at expos,
Drop both hands to let conducting clinics and horse-
horse soak and relax a manship demonstrations. His
minute. “Come Ride the Journey’ tour
takes him to cities across the
To direct and drive the U.S. each year. Chris offers
horse to your right: week-long intensive horse-
Take one step towards manship clinics at his Diamond
the horse’s hip, looking Double C Ranch in Mineral
at the hip, not at the Wells, Texas.
horse’s head or eye!
Pick up your right hand
In 2008, Western Horseman
as your direction hand.
released Ride the Journey, by
Twirl your lead rope with
Chris Cox with Cynthia
your left hand.
McFarland, a 225-page, full
Accelerate twirling until
color book that details Chris’
horse responds by mov-
practical methods and training
ing forward.
techniques. Packed with step-
Quit twirling as soon as
by-step exercises and color
the horse goes forward.
photos, the book will help you
After horse drives for-
improve your horsemanship
ward past you, disen-
skills, no matter what discipline
gage his hindquarters so
or breed you ride.
he’s facing you again. Visit www.chris-cox.com or call
Drop both hands to let Chris Cox Horsemanship
horse soak and relax a Company at 1-888-81-HORSE
minute.
Be consistent
As the horse drives forward past you, lead the lead rope slide through your hand so
for information about the Ride
the Journey book, upcoming
and don’t lose your tem-
you aren’t pulling on his head with your direction hand.
course dates and appear-
per. If your horse comes photo: Chris Cox Horsemanship Company ances, equipment and training
back too close to you, DVDs.
this is a sign of disrespect
and pushiness, so drive him away from you.
Always disengage before you
change and ask horse to direct and drive in the
other direction.
As the horse catches on, narrow
the space between you and the fence so you
are driving the horse through a smaller space.
This makes it more challenging for him.
Add an Obstacle
“Once your horse is soft and
responding well to direct and drive, you can
start doing it across an object,” notes Chris.
“This will get him to start paying closer
attention and placing his feet carefully. This is
also a great introduction to trailer loading.”
Start with a single pole or rail on the
ground, with one end against the fence. Go
through all the same steps as before. If the
horse wants to stop before the log, don’t pull
on his head. Let him look at the pole and if he
wants to drop his head to see it better, that’s
fine. Then ask him to drive forward again by
picking up your direction hand, looking at his
hip and twirling your lead rope again. Give the
horse an opportunity to think and work his way
through without overreacting.
“Keep sending the horse over the
obstacle until he is soft and relaxed,” adds
Chris. “Always give the horse relief when he
responds correctly by dropping your hands
and letting him ‘soak’ for a minute. Relief is the
greatest reward to the horse.”
Up Close with Chris Cox
Born in Florida and ranch-raised in Australia,
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