THE HORSE GAZETTE Entertainers


bright lights - big city In September I caught


up with Austin Anderson of The White Horse Ranch (TWHR) who was in the midst of staging almost a month’s long set of shows in Branson, Missouri complete with big spot lights and massive sound systems. I originally spoke with


him about five years ago and he and his crew are still hard at it, trick training and trick riding horses to the delight of audiences and film makers. In Branson the group puts on three performanc- es a day and uses nine horses and many riders to make this happen. “Actually we could


use two more horses up here in Branson,” he admitted. It’s been a busy year


for him. In March of this year he and his horses were used in the filming of Sleepy Hollow (which aired Sept. 16th). Then he did clinics in April in and around his home base of Troup, Texas (near Tyler). June meant he did stunt film work in Louisiana near Shreveport, working with five doubles. Then his outfit had to prepare for Branson at Silver Dollar City.


at home to duplicate the audi- ence noise,” Austin explained. “Most horses will accept it.” He brought one greener mare along to a film set with a more seasoned horse that she was not normally paired up with at home. The reason he did this, he explained, is that it makes it easier for a handler to work with the actual


“There is no way


oriented. He explains to his interns and younger riders the importance of looking the part when on stage. For example, it is not good enough for a performer to simply drop his hand when the act is over. Austin shows them that it is far better to gracefully extend one’s hand and “present”


Several Firsts at Caddo LBJ National Grasslands where the trails are By Kelly Hurd © 2013


lots of miles under your horse, then visit Caddo Lyndon B. Johnson National Grasslands, a popular equestrian destination, just north of the Dallas / Fort Worth Metroplex. Managed by the US Forest Service, Caddo LBJ has approximately 75 miles of well-marked trails and contains just over 20,300 acres . The LBJ multi-use trail system is shared by equestrians, cyclists, and hikers. Motorized vehicles are not allowed on trail. However, several roads traveled by vehicles and ATVs run within park boundaries and intersect with the trail system. You and your horse will become pros at maneuvering through the many gates in the park. You will often come to a gate before a road crossing. The gates are fairly simple to open and close from horseback due to the higher placement of simple chain hook latches. Although the trail system is expansive and scenic, you don’t get that feeling of being in the middle of nowhere.


trailhead and camp ground known as TADRA Point accesses all five loops of the trail system. Camping is primitive with no water faucets or electrical hookups. Water is available for horses either


By Anne Van Dyke © 2013 the search for softness The Brave Horse


ticed that the title of this series has changed a bit each month. That’s part of the evolution of this journey; this journey of searching for a lighter, softer way of being with the horses. As my search continues, so does my need for understanding and clarity.


ing that it took pressure and often extreme firmness to train a horse, I was watching RFD-TV one afternoon and I stumbled on a program with a horse trainer in a wheel chair that was doing round pen training… from his wheel chair! In a wheel chair!? What!? It was really hard for me to get around this concept. I cannot tell you how deeply


After years of think- You might have no-


that impacted me. Watching him challenged the very paradigm on training horses that I had devel- oped over so many years of study and working with horses. I watched literally


speechless as with only minimal changes of positioning with his wheel chair he would apply subtle pressure or retreat at key times and was able to communicate his intentions and direction to the horse. How could this be? There was no chasing the horse around and around in circles. There was nothing of the extreme escalation of pressure that so many teach today. And yet, the horse still made obvious behavioral changes and the relationship between the horse and trainer evolved as well. Most of the well-


Visit us at: www.HorseGazette.com The main equestrian If you want to get


from the windmill powered water tank or the stock pond. I decided to fill up my trailer’s water tanks and bring all the water I could from home to avoid hauling water from the camp ground tank to my campsite. I also took many opportunities to ride or lead Angel over to the windmill and hung out with her there while encouraging her to drink directly from the tank. The windmill and its eerie sounds did not seem to concern her. TADRA Point also has a nice covered and lighted pavilion and two vault toilet facilities. Most of the campsites have two tie posts for your horses and a gravel pad to park your trailer. By far the best quality of TADRA Point is the numerous oak trees providing cool shade and natural beauty. The park comes to life with deer, armadillos, and other wildlife at dawn and dusk. Don’t be surprised if you are fortunate enough to spot a critter in the middle of the day as well, such as hogs, skunks, hawks, snakes, etc... I had to ride around a very annoyed skunk who was aiming and ready to fire! Cattle roam the grasslands and the park is popular with bird dog enthusiasts. Hunting is allowed at LBJ but hunters are to remain 150 yards away from


designated trails, roads, lake shoreline, and park boundaries. My trip to LBJ this


past September consisted of many firsts; my first trip to the park, my first time to drive solo in our new truck pulling our trailer over 600 miles round trip, my first time to use four wheel drive, and the first time Angel and I won sweepstakes for placing first in horsemanship and first in horse categories at the NATRC competitive trail ride in our division. Needless to say we had a good time and really enjoyed the park! I don’t recommend driving into the park for the first time in the dark and rain. Although there are signs pointing you to the TADRA trailhead, they are hard to see in the dark. The roads are mostly sandy caliche material which gets very sticky in spots during a heavy rain. I was driving very slow due to being unsure of my route, and I got stuck. Using four wheel drive for the first time to free myself out of a mucky situation was quite empowering, boy I am glad we now have 4x4 capabilities. Luckily a friend met me at the crossroads and I followed her the rest of the way to the TADRA Point campgrounds.


known clinicians and trainers advocate moving a horse’s feet to establish leadership. Put the pressure on them, make them move, and they will recognize you as the leader.


isn’t that how it relates in the herd? And if the horse doesn’t respond in the way you want, add more pressure; whack ‘em harder, chase ‘em faster, turn ‘em quicker, make ‘em hustle. The logic was that horses do the same thing to each other in the herd to establish themselves as the leader.


but to what degree? Where do you draw the line? In a natural herd, not a manmade herd, is the dominant bully horse really the lead horse? Since harmony is essential to the well-being of the herd, will a bully really be accepted as the leader? Would a bully horse really instill confi-


This is true, of course, After all,


five color coordinated loops; the 25.5 mile Orange trail, the 14.5 mile White trail, the 14.4 mile Blue trail, the 10.7 mile Red trail, and the 10.4 mile Yellow trail, all originating from TADRA Point. Wow, that’s a lot of miles in one park! The terrain is mostly sandy flat ground with a few rocky sections on the Red and White trails. I rode Angel barefoot with no issues. The park is a mixture of open prairie and forest land. Some areas have gentle rolling hills with only a very few spots of mildly challenging inclines and descents. The Red trail offers a bit more diversity in terrain type, takes you to the shoreline of Cottonwood Lake, and provides an overlook. The White trail also has a great overlook area. I enjoyed the Yellow and White trails best, as I prefer forest trails with lots of shade. The Yellow trail also has a cool wooden bridge to cross and a piney forest area distinctly different from the rest of the park. Ponds and windmill powered water tanks are scattered throughout the park. I look forward to visiting LBJ again.


about Caddo LBJ National training


dence in the wild herd to follow them in a crisis? Or, in a wild herd, is the leader actually the smarter horse that doesn’t have to constantly fight for the herd’s leadership; but, a smart horse that will move the other horse’s feet judiciously?


ing technique and expanding my understanding of the herd as pre- sented by today’s teachers. The desire to increase my experience and knowledge with horses was never ending. There were some things that didn’t resonate true for me, but they were the experts and their systems seemed to work. In fact, I myself had great success with those methods; but I just felt there was something that was missing; something just not quite right. As I’ve mentioned over the past couple months, I didn’t want a horse that was a robot. I didn’t want a machine.


I spent years perfect-


I wanted a horse that still em- bodied the things that I so loved in the horse, their spirit, their energy, their brilliance, their expression; but I also wanted a safe horse. Could I have a safe horse that was not just a robot? I have spent count-


horses. There is a way to engage them mentally without defeating the very nature of the horse that we all love so well. My search continues….


less, passionate hours searching for an answer: Scouring the internet, reading books, website articles, watching videos and talking with lots and lots of people. There are many knowl- edgeable people out there; some known, some not so well known, that have pearls of wisdom that I found I was following like bread crumbs. One led to another to another and the picture is be- ginning to come together. I am beginning to see that there really is a better way; a softer way.


is not always necessary to bully a horse, to pound and jerk on our


It


are have back to back AOC on November 9 and 10. Or more information and to register on- line go to www.actha.us. Brave Horse Center’s


ACTHA fans: We To learn more LBJ trails consists of


of their own. Take the intern who was the state high school state reining champion with an overlay of hunter/jumper in her background. She exercises the horses behind the scenes because she has an interest in trick riding and figures it will eventually give her an even better seat. And


film set horse as the “actor horse” is not looking for his buddy. “Of course, by the time we were done filming, the two horses had pretty much paired up anyway, but the greener mare got calmer due to the exposure to the commotion of being on a film set,” he said. “There are so many distractions. You have lights, special effects. She acclimated, though.”


is pretty much performance Austin admits he


the horse while closing down an act as the audience is clapping. The audience is wanting to see this. “How a performer handles the whips, the horse and the way he or she walks on the stage are all important parts of the styling of the show,” Austin said. After years of trial


and error he has figured out the type of intern or employee he needs to work with. Some of them come with huge resumes


there is a wonderful interplay as Austin and she are able to trade exercises for the horses to do to help them with collection. By sharing such knowledge with each other he figures this is an additional beneficial enrichment for the overall act. “When I ask someone


is what I consider exercising a horse,” he said. And folks work- ing for him already should know that or how to make it happen. The trick horses are a specialized lot to begin with and need to be kept tuned up, especially while they are on the road.


can read a horse and know when a horse is up to a certain trick. Sometimes Austin downplays the horse’s repertoire in public until he is assured the horse can handle doing the trick comfort- ably in actual performance. Re- cently with a well-trained horse but one that was a bit new to the act, Austin mentally decided not to ask the horse to do the lay down in the act that particular night. “I could tell it would have taken a bit longer than the audience might have wanted and decided on the spot to save it for perhaps two nights later after we had worked with this horse a bit more,” he explained. The audience did not suffer for this. The horse still thrilled them with


trail riding Seasoned performers


to exercise a horse for twenty minutes,” he stated, “I do not mean walk the horse around on a loose rein. I want the horse to be used walk, trot canter, extended gaits, collected, all of it.


This By Ingrid Edisen


good ole fashioned media pack- age coupled with phone calls and emails to reach out to promoters leads to jobs for his contingency. To find out more about


trick training, the horse actors and Austin’s schedule, go to


the tricks he easily popped out in that particular set. He has found that a


TWHR.com or call (903)520- 0058.


Trick Rider Greg Whitaker on Ringo performing the full shoulder stand. Above: Aus- tin trained this horse for the TV Pilot of “Sleepy Hollow”.


Heinle. Photographer - Callie


Photos: Top Left:


Kelly and her American Indian Horse / Spanish Mustang, Angel at LBJ Grasslands. Photo provided by Jim Edmondson - www.opticalharmonics.com.


Grasslands and other places to ride pay a visit to www. wherethetrailsare.com or if you want to share information about your favorite trails contact


Kelly Hurd at hurdkn@gmail. com. To get notifications of trail post updates, just “like” Where The Trails Are on Facebook.


next clinics: November 16 and November 24. Brave Horse Center has clinics, private les- sons or private mini clinics, trains horses in all levels to become more confident and we now have boarding where you can bring your horse for a week, month or forever to enjoy the obstacles, respect work and con- fidence building. Don’t have a horse? You can lease one of ours to build your skills. Call Noah Tillman-Young at 830 491-8894. www.bravehorsetx.com


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