THE HORSE GAZETTE
Training
25 miles East of San Antonio off IH-10 • Seguin, Texas
showmanship basics
By Mary Nelson © 2009
BOARDING:
Last month we talked about
not be clamped in nor should
front of you with your right hand.
through the same process to
• Stalls with 40-foot runs • 2-acre turn-outs with sheds
beginning to get your horse to
there be light visible between
When your horse moves forward
get your horse to trot with you
• 800 acres of land available for range riding stand square for halter or show-
your elbow and your body.
then you move forward. Keep
in the same manner.
manship. By now you should be
Your forearms should be held
your horse in the correct position
Always incorporate the
straight out from your elbows,
(throatlatch at your shoulder)
skills you have already learned
Lessons: Training:
able to keep your horse stand-
ing square for at least 30 – 45
just like you were carrying a
as you walk around. Push him
into your lessons. When you
• Riding • Roping • Horses Started
seconds. During this time you
box of pizza. Your right hand
forward or pull him back to
wish to stop say WHOA and
should hold the lead shank a
• Horses Available • Tune-Ups
should be able to move from
maintain that position. When
make your horse stop. Pull on
one side of your horse to the
few inches from your horses
you are ready to stop say whoa,
the lead and even push him
face and your left hand should
Sales:
other, stepping into the proper
stop, turn your body into square
backwards a step or two if he
position on each side.
hold a loose coil of the re-
up position and return your horse
does not stop right when you
• Buyer’s Agent • Seller’s Agent Remember that proper posi-
mainder of the lead.
to standing square.
say whoa. Do not turn to face
tion means your toes should be
This position is important
Repeat this exercise keeping
him for this back up as it is dif-
facing your horse’s front feet.
for several reasons that we
these things in mind: First, make
ferent from asking him to back
Your belly button or belt buckle
will talk about later. Start
sure you cluck before you pull.
in a pattern setting. You want
to the point of your horses
practicing it now. Get in the
Eventually you want your horse
him to stop with you when
shoulder. Your heels should
habit of using it. When you
to move off without you having
your body is in the go forward
be together and you should be
change sides do so in a natu-
to pull. Do not pull unless your
stance so do not change posi-
standing straight. Your arms
ral manner using 3-4 steps
horse ignores the voice com-
tions if he makes the mistake
Call Kyle Kelso at 830-481-7519
should be in a position so that
and returning to the correct
mand. Horses do not want to be
of moving on past you when
your elbows are at your sides, in
position on the new side. Your
pulled on so he will soon learn
you ask him to stop. Once he is
Credentials & Additional Information Available on Request. a natural position. They should
horse will learn that this body
to avoid the pull by responding
stopped turn immediately and
language from you means
to the cluck. Second, do not
square him up. Move around
stay standing square.
look down or look at your horse.
him just like you would if a
The next thing we want to
Focus on a spot well in front of
judge was inspecting you.
do is get your horse leading
you and try to guide your horse,
Move form one side to the
correctly. I am assuming that
not yourself, to that point. Three,
other several times. Then turn
your horse leads at least fairly
remember position is everything.
confidently and precisely and
well but may just need some
Your horse must learn that the
ask your horse to move for-
polish. In showmanship your
forward position taken by you
ward. By repeating this pro-
horse should step out exactly
means “we are going some-
cess your horse will learn to
with you or even a step ahead
where.” This means you must be
change his position according
of you. Never should you
careful not to assume a position
to your position. This makes
have to drag your horse or
somewhere between the square
for a much more effective and
have your horse drag you.
up position and the go forward
winning pattern than pulling,
When walking or trotting
position. Be clear with your com-
pushing, not standing still and
your body should be at your
mands. We call Showmanship
all those other things we are
World Champion with Jim Young in Amateur Aged Stallions
horse’s throatlatch. Further
“prissy – military.” Everything
trying to avoid.
behind or in front of this point
should be precise and clean.
Next month we will talk
is unacceptable. From a safety more about the trot, refining
Ryan Henderson, Reserve World Champion, Open Aged Stallions
There should be no gray areas
standpoint and to show your
as to your or your horse’s body
the stop and backing up within
horse off to his or her best
position.
a pattern.
JMK Mega Fella, Owned by Jim Young & Cindy Garrett of Cuero, Tx
ability this is the position your
Once your horse will walk
M a r y N e l s o n
horse must lead from.
correctly with you start trying
owns and operates Nelson
To get your horse to do
curves and circles. When turn-
Training Center in San
Terry or Ryan Henderson • P. O. Box 115 • Stockdale, Texas 78160
this start from the squared up
ing right you will have to walk
Marcos. She has Trained
position. Turn your body to
faster to keep up with your horse
and coached several World
830-996-3185 (Ranch) • 210-387-7115 (Cell)
face forward. DO NOT look
and maintain the proper position.
and Reserve World Cham-
at your horse. Keep your arms
When turning left you will have
pions in Showmanship
in that “pizza box” position And Horsemanship. FMI call
E-mail: thts@the-cia.net
to push your horse out in front of
and look ahead where you
you slightly to keep him in the
512-567-5526 or 512-557-
are going. Cluck a few times
proper position. Once you have
3308 or visit www.Nelson-
then push your horse out in
mastered this you may begin
TrainingCenter.com.
Paddocks
color genetics
color wheel with prism
Horse Barns
breeding grey paint to a black
Covered Arenas
quarter horse
Dear Prism,
is red-based (no black gene) possibilities – you could get
I have a palomino
and we know his sire had to be Sorrel/Chestnut, Black or
paint gelding, and I’m curious
sorrel (Sorrel sire and sorrel Brown with a 50% chance
about what color his parents
dam) and his dam would have the foal will turn gray. Now,
might have been. I know
to be either a Buckskin (with if your mare is homozygous
they were both paints and
the bay parent this is very for gray (as in had two gray
I know from searching for
possible) or Palomino. One of parents and received a gray
him on the AllBreedPedigree
his parents had to be a single- gene from both) the foal has
database that his grandparents
dilute (Buckskin, Palomino or a 100% chance of turning
on his sire’s side were a sorrel
Smokey Black) for him to be gray. - Prism
tobiano stallion and a sorrel
palomino. While I don’t have
mare (which I read can only
the pedigree in front of me, I’m Dear Prism,
produce sorrel or sorrel tobia-
going to go out on a limb and Looking at my QH
no), and that his grandparents
say that Bay was “probably” papers, my gelding was regis-
on his dam’s side were a bay
a dark buckskin (carried the tered Gray. He is now a sorrel
stallion and a sorrel tobiano
dilute gene) and passed that with roaning throughout his
mare. Now according to the
along to his offspring and then flanks. His markings match
color genetics calculator I
to your horse. There has been the papers, but is this color
found on the internet there’s
a great deal of confusion over change possible? Am I being
no way those combinations
the years on the genetics of paranoid? Sandy, submitted
could produce a palomino,
buckskins vs. duns vs. bays. via HorseGazette.com
so I’m stumped as to how he
Many Buckskins have been
came into the picture with
misregistered based solely on Dear Sandy,
those genetics. He does have
Build Trust & Have Fun!
the phenotype (looks) alone. You may want to
a lot of palomino on his dams
If you are really concerned, submit a color change with
side, but that’s back four
you might want to verify the AQHA to change his color
generations. One of the mares
pedigree with the appropriate from gray to Sorrel with
listed in his pedigree (a great-
breed registry. - Prism heavy Rabicano markings.
grandmother) does not have a
Allen’s training is
Rabiciano markings will
color listed, so I suppose it’s
Dear Prism, often mimic graying in some
possible she could have been
I am breeding my grey horses, heavy white hair in
fun for both you
a palomino, but otherwise
paint mare to a black QH stallion, the flanks, between the hind
his recent pedigree is mainly
what are the colours and odds of legs along with a “skunk” tail
sorrels and bays, some paints
getting the colours out of this
and your horse...
( white bars at the tail head
some not.
combination. My mare was born which form stripes). I’d ven-
Is it possible the
dark brown (not bay) and greyed ture a guess that the breeders
and a terrific way to
records are just incorrect?
out. thanks! Amber, submitted knew he had a gray parent,
I’ve heard that some palo-
via HorseGazette.com saw the white hairs and just
minos are dark enough to be
registered him as gray figur-
build trust with your
mistaken for sorrels. Thanks,
Dear Amber, ing he’d gray out with age. If
Becki Robins, submitted via
First, if the mare you do submit a color change
equine partner!
HorseGazette.com
was born a dark brown and the AQHA may request DNA
you’re breeding her to a Black verification on your horse to
Dear Becki,
we could rule out a bay as the make sure he’s the horse on
You bring up a
foal color. Also, it would help to your papers. - Prism
good point, but remember
know the colors of her parents
20 pages of NEW articles!
just because a horse is black
especially the gray parent – all
or bay doesn’t mean they
You can view more
gray horses are born another
do not carry the red gene.
questions/answers online at
color and gray with age. If the
Most black or bay horses
gray parent was born chest-
http://www.horsegazette.com/
$29 plus $5 shipping
out there are Heterozygous
nut/sorrel – then your mare
Color%20Wheel/Wheel.html
for black. Since your boy
carries a red gene as well. So
or email questions to editor@
www.imagineahorse.com
is Palomino we know he
considering the entire range of
horsegazette.com.
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