On Mon, Apr 14, 2008 at 9:37 AM, Janice McDonald <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > How was the dennis reis thing Laree, can you give us a report? I have > mixed feelings about him on RFDTV.
This wasn't really a clinic - just an expo tour. We found out too late to go that he does a training session the day before with his students that anyone can go to - that would have been interesting. I came away from the expo with mixed feelings, too. Good points are that none of his horses or students horses are ridden with a bit and there was lots of bridleless riding. His horses and his students horses seemed to be willing, happy workers. He is a round pen , join up kind of trainer. While I think that can be used to good effect on a few horses, I think it's way overused by these guys because it makes good theater in a short amount of time. He worked with one horse that I think definitely benefitted from the method and one that I think there was a better way for her. The horse that he first worked with was a gelding that still thought he was a stallion. You will see this on his show because they were filming episodes during the expo. This horse was 8 years old, had been passed from home to home becasue in his transitions from walk to trot and trot to canter he would put on a bucking show that only the best of cowboys could ride. I think this was learned behavior that got him what he wanted - being put up. I think this was the last resort for this horse before he was going to the glue factory. Many people gave up on this horse but his current owner really wanted to work through this and searched for a better way to get through to this horse - Kudos to him. It was a little rough for some but I think for this horse it was what he needed at the time. The other horse was a mare that would suffer greatly from separation anxiety. The people bought her and she was being used in a kids riding program - underweight, wormy, etc. They got home, got her healthy and in good weight and she became a horse they couldn't handle. Part of it was the new owners fault because she set no boundaries but mostly that this horse needed to partner with her owner rather than the other horses. I think this horse could have been better turned around with clicker training/ Parelli, etc, but that would have taken too long for it to be good theater. He worked with both these horses twice during the day and towards the end of the second session with the mare, I really wanted to go down and stop it because I think she was really stressed and overloaded. The owners of that mare will have their problem solved but at what cost to the horse. So, again, he wasn't by far the worst I have seen but he wasn't the best. -- Laree in NC Doppa & Mura Simon, Sadie and Sam (the "S" gang) "Yet when all the books have been read and reread, it boils down to the horse, his human companion, and what goes on between them." - William Farley
