Kevin Hosea will help horse owners to understand the behavior, personality, & learning patterns of their horses; to identify basic elements for a well-trained horse; to establish a position of leadership and respect; to use clear, consistent, & effective communication; to understand the importance of groundwork for every horse; to time and use pressure effectively; and to know when better training (not more severe equipment) is the solution.  Pre-selected horse-rider pairs will be used.   for info: (901) 299-1483 or (731) 607-7329

Info about the Clinic held Nov. 3rd
On Nov. 3 Kevin Hosea led a colt starting demonstration with a two-year-old filly.  He demonstrated the approach he has developed over 10 years of experience starting colts.  Lizzie, owned by Elvis Byrd of Covington, was a slightly pushy horse initially who became more attentive, willing, and confident during the demonstration.  Hosea describes his approach as patient and one that emphasizes identifying the horse’s own learning process.  He also believes the horse’s first ride is their most important and wants to prepare them well for this.  As expected she bucked a little with the saddle.  With her first rider aboard, she moved off nice and was confident. 

Hosea also demonstrated how he works with problem horses.  A 7-yr-old, named Hawkeye, has been rearing with his 11-yr-old rider and several others who have tried to address this problem behavior.  Hosea started with ground work, believing this is the foundation for all work with horses.  He put in about 90 minutes with the horse and rode him in a halter and then a smooth snaffle bit.  To the owner’s amazement, Hawkeye did not rear once.  While his problem is not over, it is better identified. 

Mayatex wool blanket manufacturer, Nutrena Feed, and AG&N Ag Supplies of Adamsville, TN, were sponsors who contributed door prizes for attendees. 

 Hosea has been starting colts and working with problem horses for about 10 years.  He spends the majority of each day riding and developing horses at his barn in Morris Chapel, TN.  He has a long history with horses, having had his first experience starting ponies at the age of 8 or 9.  He is active in the equine community, is currently president of the Saddle Club of Hardin County, and competes in sorting and team penning events in the area.  Hosea said each horse he has worked with has had something to teach him over the years.  He also admires and studies under master horseman Dennis Reis.  Hosea describes his approach as patient and one that emphasizes identifying the horse’s own learning process.  He also believes the horse’s first ride is their most important and wants to put in the time to prepare them well for this. 

 Horse owner Bob Buford brought in a 22 month old stud colt he calls “Badger”.  He was halter broke but had never been saddled or ridden.  When he was brought in, he was pushy and disrespectful of people and even aggressive.  Hosea said this horse was very emotional, even sweating before he started to work with him.  He charged, reared, stuck out, and kicked at Hosea in the round pen.  He said the colt was a challenging horse to get to a learning frame of mind, as he was so worked up in the environment and was so set on being dominant.  His instinct to fight was very high, so Hosea noted it was especially important to be able to direct, not restrict, his movement.  Taking away the ability to move or even flee would have been counterproductive and increased his tendency to fight. 

 Hosea spent much time working with him from the ground to prepare him to accept leadership from another.  After patiently and consistently establishing a foundation of good ground work, Hosea explained and demonstrated the Jeffries method he routinely employs in starting colts, especially the more high strung ones.  By putting weight on and lying across the horse before saddling and using approach and retreat methods, he finds this aspect of the Jeffries Method helps to calm a horse and help prepare him to be ridden. 

 Despite the aggression and resistance the horse showed, Hosea said nothing the horse did bothered him as he was just being a horse and fighting for the position of dominance the young stud wanted.  While he gave quite a display once saddled, “Badger” accepted his first ride without bucking and was calmer and more confident than many in the crowd predicted. 

 Later Hosea said the first horse insisted he was the leader, while the second horse said I need a leader.  The Bomar’s 2 ½ year-old walking horse “Smokey” had recently had 120 days of training but came home with a problem spooking at movement on his right side. 

He said he could quickly tell during his work off saddle that the horse was eager to comply with clear direction.  He just needed someone to present fear of movement on his right in a way he could understand and overcome.  The Bomar’s said they were surprised to see Hosea spend so much time working with their horse off saddle before getting on board and realized how important the groundwork basics are to developing a good horse. 

 In working with the horse, Hosea obtained with patience and consistency the horse’s respect.  He presented new situations to the horse using approach and retreat methods.  With a rider aboard, “Smokey” calmly accepted a lariat rope thrown from his back, cracking a whip from the saddle, and repeatedly opening and closing an umbrella all with the rider aboard.  Hosea said it is a horse’s nature to spook at novel things and the horse owner’s job to teach them, not force them, to get past this.  While the potential to flee is always there, good leadership and preparation can greatly reduce this. 

 Nutrena Feed sponsored the clinic and provided 10 free bags of feed to attendees.  Stockdale’s of Covington donated door prizes as well.