Which Trainer?

[PaulaqhMax]

Who's methods do you find works?
Which do you get on with best?
Is it Monty Roberts, Clinton Anderson, Pat Parelli, John/Josh Lyons?
Or someone else.
I have a 5 month old colt so I would like to know if you find the trainers methods work well from the ground and if they are easy to understand/follow.

Thanks
P

[nutkin]

I am using a combination of methods.Monty Roberts and Jon Lyons are my favourites though. It helps to be familiar with lots of different methods and to use them depending on the horse.

[Bay Mare]

I use a mix of Intelligent Horsemanship (Kelly Marks/Monty Roberts), Mark Rashid, Michael Peace and my own interpretations depending on madams' mood :) I don't really know much about Clinton Anderson and don't like PNH.

As to what you choose depends on you really. I don't think that I would try any one particular method with a youngster, though, unless I was experienced in it or had someone with experience to help me. There are too many subtleties to just go and do it from a book or DVD in my opinion.

I've had an RA (Intelligent Horsemanship) out to see Saff a couple of times and it was really helpful. I'm hoping to get her again soon to do some more groundwork.

[smaggi]

My favorite is Clinton Anderson, but we also have a Chris Irwin video that is really good, and we also learned a lot when we saw John Lyons. I also get John Lyons Perfect Horse magazine and it has a lot of good articles. I have gone to see Parelli, but it was more of a show because they don't give you much information for free. If anyone asked a question, they only tell you what Level it is answered in. Their Levels are too expensive for me.

[KateWooten]

As a first trainer, I strongly recommend Clinton Anderson. Last year I really got into studying the different trainers available. I invested around $25 in every one I could find, and read and learned as much as I can. At the risk of being flamed, here's some of the differences I could see....

PatParelli - the method is great, the guy is awesome to watch if you have access to RFD-TV which I know you don't cos you're way down there in the most beautiful county on the planet, alas without access to dishnetwork. . The intro book 'Natural Horse-Man-Ship' isn't great, it's not well written, and it's not very clear. The photographs are ok, not great. It's very geared to the western rider. There's a lot of jargon, and there's a lot of encouragement for the reader to go on and take the next step - the level one package etc. I also did the level one package, a while later, (costs about $100 - I just borrowed it) and there was nothing really new in it from what I'd already understood from other trainers intro books. People over here can spend thousands and thousands on Parelli, they really get into it. It can take over their lives. Of course, if you keep a healthy degree of common-sense, that doesn't happen.

JohnLyons - now he's interesting. He's not the same as all the others. His method is 'Conditioned Response'. The method demands hundreds of repetitions - and a lot of counting ! For me, he takes too much horse out of the horse. If I ask the horse and he gets it, then I don't keep on asking over and over. I think for a beginner it is too easy to apply the methods without enough feel, and that's where the hundreds of reps can be harmful. John Lyons enthusiasts get great results - they tell a story about JL's horse so focussed on its rider that it ran into a tree. For me, that takes too much horse out of the horse. It's also the least easy to use as an english rider because every part of the horse is controlled by the reins - no leg cues. He 'updates' what he does too frequently leading to confusion. He has a very active forum where youcan get great help, but it sometimes gets to a lot of infighting. His TV shows are also interesting. He's not real clear about when he's using a trained horse, and when he's actually training the horse. He has a couple of accessible low-cost books 'Lyons on Horses' which is ok as an intro - you can't train from it, and 'Bringing up Baby' which, I understand is well worth getting if you have a youngster.

Monty Roberts - Oddly, Monty Roberts is not one of the big trainers over here. He was widely discredited a few years back. His books - The man who listens to horses, and the one about Shy Boy are fun to read - they are by no means step-by-step training manuals. I've been to one of his demos. I have to admit I couldn't bear it, it was awful. All show, flashing lights, hype. He talked at great length of the magical halter and roundpen he had for sale that he 'wasn't making anything on' ... and practically ignored the poor little horse who stood there bewildered until 3 burly guys muscled him into the corner. This proved that Monty had just trained him to be caught. I would give him a miss.

Clinton Anderson - by far the most accessible. He has a book 'Establishing Resect and Control for the English and Western Rider' which covers his theory, groundwork and ridden work. It is step-by-step with great pictures, easy to follow and everything works. It leaves no holes or gaps - you're never left thinking you need to buy something else in order to make progress. He has significantly less jargon than any of the others and he doesn't have a handlebar mustache. I started my first youngster entirely off his $16.47 book (although it's not designed to be as full a book as that) and it worked out great.

I have stuff by 3 or 4 others - but I don't think you get any of them over the pond - Chris Cox, Charles Wilhelm, Ken McNabb ?

Kate (from naked hoof - hi there !!)

[PaulaqhMax]

Thanks Kate
That was just what I needed to hear.
See you on the other side
Paula