Early learning                                                                               Please click the thumbnails to view a larger image.

Brent and I have been breeding Morgan horses for several years now. Although this endeavor started from what could almost be called an accident (after all, we began our love affair with Morgans with just two geldings!), once we made the decision to breed, a great deal of thought went in to how we wanted to proceed once the foals were on the ground. Because of my 10 years of experience of starting colts for the public, we knew we wanted to start building a foundation in our colts from the earliest possible moment. I wanted to do what I could to build trust, confidence, and respect before they got to 1,000 lbs.  

I have been an avid follower of what is frequently called “natural horsemanship” since about 1986.  I met a man named Buck Brannaman at a clinic he was instructing in my hometown of Ojai, CA - and I have never looked back. I worked very hard at learning this style of training and I will be forever grateful that I had the opportunity to do so. From Buck, I learned the value of being particular about how my horse responded.  Buck’s  teachings are what got us to where we are now, in terms of our skills and abilities, and probably saved my life a time or two or three, since I didn’t always get the “cream of the crop” when people brought me their colts to start. 

So, we knew we wanted our colts to be raised in an atmosphere of instruction that followed the parameters set down by Buck, and the other clinicians I respect such as Ray Hunt, and Bryan Neubert. But, none of these gentlemen favor imprinting baby foals, and after discussing it at clinics with both Buck and Bryan, we understood why.  It seemed to us that these imprinted colts that the clinicians had seen had received perhaps the first stage, and all the touchy-feely stuff - but not the following discipline and early learning that is part of Dr. Robert Miller’s Imprint Training. Brent and I struggled with this for several months - we deeply respect the information provided to us by the clinicians, but couldn’t help wondering if we could get it done right. We decided we had to try, so we implemented a combination of Dr. Miller’s Imprint Training and Early Leaning, and the techniques and exercises that Buck does with his horses and teaches at clinics all over the world. 

Well, our first foal crop was saddled and ridden for the first time last October. On the 2nd ride, which was their 1st ride in a snaffle bit because I always ride once or twice in a rope halter first, they went out on a trail ride. They were also ridden in, around, and over many different obstacles, and into and back up out of deep barrancas.  Not a single buck or spook. They are the easiest, safest, softest colts I have ever started. They have a very strong work ethic, and they have a huge amount of trust in the human as their leader. So this stuff can work, if it’s done right. 

However, it is true that it was a fair amount of work for the 3+ years before these colts were first ridden - compared to leaving them out in a pasture and never touching them for that time period. The imprinting itself is physically demanding for a person of my small size.  It is subsequently repeated several times over the next few days. Then the halter training begins. While this takes only a couple of days, and only a few minutes each day, it is a step that in my opinion is absolutely imperative. The halter training is what begins the foal’s educational process of understanding the human as the leader. 

Once I have the foals halter trained, respectful, and leading well, I will spend a few minutes “driving” them around and over obstacles.  This exercise, as well as others like it such as trailer loading, helps the foals start to develop the trust and confidence that the human will not let them be hurt.  

Our colts basically never learn how to say “no”.  I am very careful to set things up so that they are always successful.  I start small, and build. But once I have the foals going well, I pretty much leave them alone for the next several months.

All the foals and their dams go out into a pasture together to learn their “equine social skills”. Here they develop respectful manners with other horses, and an understanding of their proper place in the herd. In this sense, I kind of think the other horses are doing some of my work for me.  The only time the foals are messed with for the next few months is when they have their hooves trimmed, get dewormed and receive their vaccinations, and when they are weaned. At each of these times I will take the opportunity to brush up on their groundwork, then they go back out into a pasture again. I believe in frequently changing “sleeping arrangements” which causes the foals to leave their “group”, and allows them to meet new and different bands of horses. Before too long, the colts are happy with any group of horses they are put with, and it shows later when I ride them out on the trail with strange horses.  They just know how to get along.   

Brent and I have asked each other one question.....is it breeding, is it the imprinting and/or the early learning, or is it the occasional followup training? Could we have obtained the same results by changing any part of this equation? 

Well, I certainly do believe that we could have obtained at least similar results without some or all of this - because I know other breeders who have nicely mannered foals that are a credit to their owners, and they do not imprint.  If a person has the “feel, timing, and balance”, or the skills, ability, sensitivity, empathy and understanding for the horse, leadership, and most of all the patience...you bet they can have a wonderful colt.

However, over the last 10 years I have started many, many colts for the public.  Some of these horses had been imprinted by their owners,  but just not with the attention to detail that I believe in so strongly. I can testify that being particular pays off.  

You’ll just have to come see our colts - there IS a difference!