start by teaching the horse to lift the front leg just a little off the ground, not a strike, because (if you get the strike) that is all you’re going to get. (The horse has to rock back to strike.) Okay, he picks the leg up a little bit more than in the walk,” she continues. “There is just this slightly elevated step in the beginning of the training.” And it’s interesting to note, “Rhythm is where we spend the most time in the Spanish walk, so it is broken down into not concentrating on the actual strike. From the saddle, you push the horse forward. It is not hard to achieve if broken down that way…then you can ask for the height. Time goes slowly, no sense of urgency,” she adds. “A horse’s mind in my opinion is a lot like a human teenager’s. You can’t start off in intense careers. They have to go to grammar school, then high school, then they enter college and become a doctor or lawyer. (Horse training) requires a character that can be built.” Laura originally is from Florida. While most of us as
children dreamt of running away and joining the circus, she was born into it, and became a rosinback rider at the age of four. “Every night at my dinner table there were great animal trainers,” she says, an opportunity she took to learn. Later she worked at Arabian Nights in Florida, where the head trainer was Kim Barteau. She also worked with the late great Glenn Randall and his son Corky, famous for their movie work. She says the greatest compliment that anyone can pay her, is when they see a horse perform and ask: “Was that horse trained by Laura Amandis?” Still, she never stops learning. “I always seek
advice from other professionals when I run into trouble,” she admits. “These horses of ours are like top human athletes. Nothing should be left to chance when it comes to solving a problem. I interact with equine massage therapists, equine chiropractors, natural foot care providers, fellow trainers and riders, veterinarians…the list is long, believe me. Some extra care, on top of routine maintenance care, will keep the horse performing well mentally and physically. There are times when a horse is somewhat in a funk or exhibits a minor form of lameness or stiffness. Well, guess what? Time to call in some help, get some ideas, a fresh or different opinion on the matter. All that will make for a happy
66 September/October 2010
“It really is more of an art than a science, but one can get to the point of
communicating with a horse on a cerebral level. Then and only then does it become almost effortless, no battle of wills, no tests of strength, just being in the moment with the horse.”
horse that performs willingly and is glad to interact with you and learn from you. Working with horses evolves constantly. There never really is a finished product, so to speak,” she says. “This is due to the fact that these are living creatures with their own mindset and emotions.” She recalls an incident where
she had tied Acierto to a hitching post that appeared structurally sound. “I was 60 yards from him when something scared him, and he pulled the hitching post down. I screamed, ‘Whoa Acierto! Whoa!’ He backed up! The look he gave me was, ’I’m really in trouble!’ I don’t know if he sensed that in my voice, but he froze. Otherwise I might have
lost him. This is why I trust him in things like that Chicago play. We have a relationship much like a marriage, sometimes it is good and sometimes it is not so good. We continue to work on it; it evolves, and it is great.” “No matter how well-trained the horse is, there can
never be an expectation of perfection,” she continues in that line of thought. “My time spent with Arabian Nights in Orlando, Florida is a perfect example of this. Every show or exhibition will present some unique challenges. It is up to us to bring about the best performance out of the horse. It is a constantly evolving journey and there are times when one does not or cannot anticipate what might or could happen. That is when the bond and trust one has with the horse shines through.” WT
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