DesmondVANRIPER

A DAY WITH LESLIE DESMOND

by Lael Van Riper

There's a hint of gold upon the hills, but the aspen at Moon Run Ranch, Aspen, CO are silver with dew as we gather for the first day of Leslie Desmond's Clinic.

Jack, the gray tabby, is greeter for this clinic. He's willing to stay near me as long as I will pet him. Then he hitches a ride on my shoulder to the auditor's standa flatbed trailer with bales of hay for seats and an umbrella spread against the high mountain suna blessing as the day progresses.

Leslie grew up in New England and learned first learned about horsemanship from a neighbor who was trained in the "old school." She rode in regional jumping competitions and gymkhana events. She went on to coach children and work with new horse owners. As her skills became known she was called to help troubled horses.

In 1990 Leslie moved her riding school to California and founded Diamond Lu Productions. Her three-volume video series American Horsemanship for Young and Old was inspired by her mentor Ivan Taylor, a retired cavalry man from World War I. His guidance prepared Leslie to fully enjoy working with people and horses. She was also able to recognize the treasure that Bill Dorrance had for all.

Leslie worked for several years with the late Bill Dorrance of Salinas, CA to produce True Horsemanship Through Feel.

Leslie now conducts horse seminars and clinics for those who want to advance their skills. She is a regular contributor to several horse magazines. You can read articles by Leslie and check her clinic schedule at her website www.lesliedesmond.com.

The Participants

Twelve participantssix riders and six horsesgather in the arena at Moon Run Ranch for the first day of the clinic. I will be able to stay only one day, and I am anxious to see in action what I have only read about in True Horsemanship Through Feel.

Mindy has brought Bristol. Bristol is not her horse, but Bristol's owner, Nancy, cannot be at the clinic. She has sent a friend with her horse. Deborah has brought her pinto Tonto who has filled out since I saw him at a Mark Rashid Clinic in 1999. Both seem more confident and in tune with each other. Leslie has come with Kola, a sorrel Quarter Horse retired from the track, now used in Hunter-Jumper classes. Sheryl has brought Nightmare, a four-year-old who has had two owners, and two trainers in the last year. Tracey is with Buddy. They are a remarkable pair because Tracey has only been riding since June 15 and riding Buddy since July 15. Holly Fuller McLain has brought her four-year-old, Spencer.

Holly owns and operates Moon Run Ranch and is an avid student as well as teacher. Spencer is a quiet four-year-old she discovered stashed away in a back pen somewhat forgotten. Holly has been training Spencer and has brought him for further work here.

Lessons begin even before formal start of the clinic. One of the horses has been tied to the arena fence and is gnawing steadily. Leslie talks about setting a horse up for success. This horse is known to crib. Setting him up for success means not tying him to anything he can crib. It means taking him in hand and setting him up in a space where he will not be tempted to crib.

Controlling a horse's feet is essential to controlling the horse. If you control all four feet, you have mental to feet control.

Demonstration

The night before each of her clinics Leslie does a demonstration with a local participant to show what will be covered in the clinic. At the demonstration Leslie had asked the participant how well her horse led. The woman responded that she had no problems leading the horse, but as Leslie watched them she found that the horse was too close to the woman all the time. There were other space issues with the horse.

A rider/trainer needs to increase space so that she does not encroach on the horse's space. Boundaries must be set and maintained. Leslie stood three feet from the horse and focused on the foot she wanted the horse to move. She was looking where she did not want the foot to be. This negative attention caused the horse to move back from that spot.

There was nothing personal about what Leslie did. "It is personal when you're looking the horse in the eye. They take it personal if you're looking in the eye."

Leslie had then worked with learning cadence. As the woman led her horse Leslie called the footfalls. Gradually the woman began to feel the footfalls through the rope and could stop the horse on a particular footfall.

When a horse rears or bucks it is often because his feet are stuck. The horse does not know how to move his feet out of the way to make room for what needs to be done. A young horse may have insecurity with footfalls and be worried and tense. He may have an inability to place his feet.

Horses in the wild know where their feet are, but those raised on the flat in pens may not know how to place their feet.

Holly relates that Pennylane, her 12-year-old Swedish Warmblood, didn't know how to place her feet when Holly got her. Holly worked her all winter over cavalettis and around obstacles.

The first lessons will be about foot placement and space. You don't teach a horse how to put the bridle on until the horse can spit the bit out. You don't load a horse until the horse can unload.

Connections

Many people do not see the connection between groundwork and saddle work. Leslie has a 22-year-old mare she reclaimed from competition. By the time the horse was eleven she couldn't stand Leslie. It was very painful because Leslie loved the mare. Leslie gave care of her horses to a trusted friend and went to the West Coast to search out alternatives. Leslie has been rehabilitated. The mare now travels with Leslie and aids in her clinics. She was injured recently and is not helping Leslie at this clinic.

Leslie plans to teach us how to teach our horses seven things:

1. bring the life up,

2. bring the life down,

3. forward with life up,

4. right with life up,

5. left with life up,

6. back with life up,

7. bring the life back down.

The connection to the ground is conveyed through the brain. Reach the brain, and you can reach the feet.

Never let the horse find the end of your patience.

Deborah has trouble with Tonto when trail riding. He has no boundaries and runs up the tail of the horse ahead of him. Leslie notes that space is an issue with Tonto and Deborah also. She explains that what we do on the ground translates to work in the saddle. What we do on the left on the ground translates to the left rein, the right to the right rein.

The wild geese wheel over head honking and come in for a landing on the pond. Tonto lifts his head and watches. Leslie notes that a relaxed horse will have his head lower than his shoulder. She stands next to Tonto at his shoulders and asks him to bring his head around to the side with float in the rope. Standing in this position she can work from the tip of his nose to his withers. Leslie leaves Deborah working with Tonto on relaxation.

Leading Freely

Nightmare has had two owners and two trainers in the last year. She spent thirty days with each trainer. She was light at one point, but she has dialed down to get along with the different people she's gone through.

Leslie and Sheryl begin work on leading. Being able to lead a horse with a light feel on the rope is the beginning of being able to ride a horse with a light feel on the reins. As you control the placement of a horse's feet on the ground you are beginning to establish communication that will allow you to place her feet from the saddle.

If you look the horse in the eye while trying to lead, the horse will understand that you do not know where you are going. What Leslie is teaching Sheryl and Nightmare and the rest of the participants is to lead a horse freely with "float" or slack in the rope. Leading freely means that the horse will follow the suggestion of the rope without taking the slack out of the rope and without confusion. This allows you to control where the horse is placing her feet and will translate to responsiveness to reins when mounted.

When first teaching a horse to respond to the float, there may be some times when the slack comes out of the rope as the horse and human are learning. Begin by walking toward your destination without looking back at the horse. If the horse has difficulty beginning, slip to the side about 45 degrees. When the slack comes out of the rope, exert firm, continuous pressure as you move forward. As soon as the horse begins to respond release pressure and continue walking so that you are not in the horse's path.

If the horse has been stuck for some time or has been dragged forward, you may have to begin at angles on each side until the horse follows your lead. At no time do you jerk. Jerking just confuses the horse with pressure, release, pressure, release. The horse is trying to make sense of the releases and becomes confused. Jerking is often our way of releasing emotion not teaching the horse.

Sheryl is instructed to walk across the arena to the gate. She is to walk with life in her back and slip the rope to keep slack in the rope. Sheryl is learning to put life in her back and stride as Nightmare learns to follow lightly. When Sheryl is ready to stop she is instructed to slow, giving Nightmare a "heads up" that we're going to stop. She then raises her hand slightly as she stops. If Nightmare misses this signal, she can turn partially toward the horse, but she is to give Nightmare the signal to stop and to stop outside of Sheryl's personal space.

They return practicing life and float and space and stop as they go.

Backing

The quality of the back on the ground is the foundation for the stop and back in the saddle. There are several steps to ready for the back: attention, intent, life, weight off shoulders, weight back. When teaching the horse to back one step at a time grasp the halter at the knot or the snap with thumbs and fingers down. This allows you control over the horse's head.

Begin by bringing the nose over the front foot which is in the lead. This would be the normal position for the horse as she begins to back. Then pull. As the horse rocks her weight back give a slight release then resume a steady pull, releasing as the hoof lifts and moves back. Pause, shift the head over the other hoof (now the leading hoof) and begin again. After a few successful steps back, lead forward before beginning again.

Nightmare is nosing Sheryl. She is in Sheryl's space. Leslie helps Sheryl position herself facing Nightmare's rear and bring up her life. Nightmare is now paying attention. Sheryl then lifts her hand up. Nightmare's head comes up. She is reading Sheryl's intent. Sheryl shifts Nightmare's head over her leading hoof at Leslie's direction. Nightmare scuffles back. She had not rocked her weight back before moving and leaves sea turtle tracks.

They try again. Position body straight, lift Sheryl's life, move head over leading hoof, pressure. Nightmare's weight shifts back, slight release, pressure, back with toes lifted. After a few steps Sheryl turns and moves forward with intent and energy. Nightmare resists a moment then moves. Sheryl keeps a float in the rope. "This is a new experience for her. Don't drill. Practice for a bit then come back to it another day."

Moving Forward

Leslie now turns her attention to Tracey. Buddy is nosing her, begging. Tracey is hesitant with her responses. Leslie feels that Tracey needs more confidence and with that will come finesse. Leslie takes the rope and asks Tracey to show her how she asks the horse to move. When Tracey has pulled on the rope, Leslie asks her to become the horse. Leslie pulls softly on the rope. "That little?"

"There's no invitation to keep coming if you're applying too much pressure."

They begin work on asking Buddy to back. He is hesitant and slips to the side, hesitant, back, hesitant, back. Leslie is training Tracey as they work with Buddy. "It takes more energy to back." Leslie works with Tracey on her energy, presentation, feel for Buddy.

They are working on decreasing the amount of pressure needed to get Buddy's feet to move. "We're changing his expectations of humans. He expects to be shoved and put where someone wants him. It takes as much weight or pressure as it took to shove him the last time. If we can leave him light, we can pick up light the next time.

"We want to ask our horses. Everyone likes to be asked."

Switching Handlers

Leslie takes this time to demonstrate how to hand a horse over to another person. Park the horse first. Make sure the horse is standing quietly. Then let out about ten feet of rope and hand it to the other person. Set it up for the handover. Good manners make good horsemanship.

Slow and Accurate

Leslie's attention is now on Holly and Spencer. Holly describes 4-year-old Spencer as economical, conservative, gets along. She would like to work on straightness.

"A fast horse goes straight. The ability to go slow goes with the ability to turn. Fast accurate work comes from slow accurate work. If a horse is wandering, he doesn't understand and/or care what you want. Straightness is the absence of left and right. When you're driving the freeway on the straightaway you can relax. You aren't concerned about left or right."

Overcoming Fear

Mindy has a leased horse but has brought Bristol for a friend. Mindy rides trails, but her horse is barn sour. She has not wanted to deal with this and has not been riding him. She wants to overcome her fear.

They talk about asking. "I will do anything for a person who asks," says Leslie. "People have been generous with me all my life." Leslie has learned horsemanship from a number of people. She met Bill Dorrance late in his life and asked for him to share his wisdom with her. Out of this came the book True Horsemanship Through Feel by Bill Dorrance with Leslie.

Now she is teaching Mindy how to ask from Bristol and later her leased horse. Mindy asks Bristol to back. "You're begging. Ask." She is instructed to direct energy to where she would sit and ask again by tipping his nose over his left front hoof, the leading hoof, then applying pressure to the halter rope. He backs.

"We're presenting a feel to the horse. I was on a cattle drive in Denton, Texas in 1978. We were moving 700 pairscows and calfs. I would be on a horse an eighth of a mile away from the cattle and just a shift of the horse's head, neck and shoulders was enough to make the cattle move in the right direction. That's what we're doing with our horses. We present a feel of what we expect from them.

"We build the bridle horse in the halter."

She asks Mindy to have Bristol walk around her. He is hesitant. "Bring your life up." Mindy has stepped close to his shoulder. "Don't block his way." Leslie helps Mindy reposition toward his hip and out of his line of travel. "Teach him to go away from you on the ground so that his feet can move away from pressure in the saddle."

Deborah is working with Tonto as Mindy works with Bristol. Tonto is moving nicely around her. The Moon Run truck rumbles by with bales of shavings. Spencer is moving nicely around Holly.

"This is like a bicycle tire. You are the hub, the rope is the spoke, and the horse is the rubber on the tire."

Leslie hands Bristol over to an auditor and becomes Bristol. She places Mindy behind her and asks her to drive her forward. Leslie, the participant, and Kola demonstrate what Leslie, the clinician, is asking for. Now Mindy asks Leslie to move forward as Leslie coaches. This is a lesson in directing human and horse energy. Mindy puts on a lot of pressure and is asked to moderate it, to give release when there is a try. She asks again for a try from Leslie. When she gets a little, she calls it enough. All energy is backed off. Leslie stops.

They try again. Mindy is directing energy from her centerbelly buttonto Leslie's elbow (representing the horses shoulder and girth). At Leslie's direction she takes the slack out of the rope with her right hand, brings up her energy, opens her left hand, and moves toward what would be the horse's flank. Leslie moves, but Mindy moves faster and drifts in front of Leslie. Leslie stops. "Don't drive or pressure faster than the horse is going."

They try this with Buddy. Mindy stands just behind the shoulder facing the girth area at the center of the horse. She then energizes herself. This is difficult for some people to do, but it is not a nebulous touchy-feeling thing. It is visible to us as auditors. She then takes the slack out with her right hand, opens her left and walks toward his flank. Buddy follow the rope with his head and moves his hindquarters away from Mindy.

Changing Directions

After practicing disengaging the hindquarters from each direction, they are ready to begin changing directions. Buddy is now encouraged to lunge at a walk on a short rope. When Mindy is ready for him to change from moving right, she takes up slack with her right hand, opens her left, walks toward the hindquarters. He disengages to the left, brings his head toward her to the right. She completes asking for the turn by switching the rope over to her left hand and leading him out in the new direction.

It takes a bit of slow practice, separating each piece to help Mindy and Buddy learn. While they are practicing in each direction Leslie remarks that the horse is never wrong. "How can they be? They are willing captives. It is up to us to present what we want in a way they can understand. It is the horse's basic nature to get along. It is the horse's basic nature to move out. We combine those to get what we want."

Leslie continues to work with Mindy to have lifeenergydirected at Buddy. Mindy's weight is on her toes. She is unable to move forward. As she rocks back and distributes the weight on the balls of her feet she is able to move. When she has weight on her heels she again cannot move forward. Leslie demonstrates by taking the lead rope as Mindy is balanced forward. Leslie is easily able to pull her right over. Buddy could have done the same.

Again they try with Mindy balanced and directing energy to one then another of Buddy's feet. When he moves a foot away from the pressure of that energy he gets more slack in the line. Mindy learns to release as he reaches for space.

Picking Rider off the Rail

Holly would like to have Spencer pick her off the rail when she wants to mount that way. They talk through the steps needed. Spencer would have to come forward and swing his hindquarters toward Holly. Practicing on the ground backing with you on the horse's left shoulder, head tipped right brings the left hindquarters to you.

Before practicing backing in circles on the ground, backing straight without dragging the front end must be mastered. Spencer quickly understands backing straight, and Holly works on backing in a circle.

Round Pen

We move to the round pen for the afternoon's work. The apple tree next to the pen has branches broken by a marauding bear since the last time I visited Moon Run. Holly ruefully laments, "I'd have picked them and put them out for the bear if I had been here so that he wouldn't break the tree." It's been a hard year for bears and the people who live in close proximity with them in Colorado.

Leslie has a two-year-old filly with her. The filly is recuperating from an injury but may be ready to ride by the next day. Leslie is going to demonstrate how ground work can prepare for correct leads in the saddle. Our effectiveness in the saddle can reveal inadequacies in ground work.

Leslie coils her rope ready to halter the filly. The filly has her head out of the pen watching for other horses. Leslie asks for the filly's attention. The filly, not wanting to break her visual connection, backs straight up to Leslie.

Leslie sends the filly out in a straight line by opening one arm and sending energy toward the filly's feet. The second time around the pen with a slight shift of her stance Leslie closes off one direction and opens the opposite. The filly turns toward the outside. Leslie shifts and blocks that move. The filly comes around. Leslie drifts back. The filly follows. Leslie stops. The filly stops. Leslie is careful not to crowd her and to bring the pace up or down slowly.

The filly heads for the side of the pen. Leslie catches her tail and holds it as she moves out. The filly slows. Leslie releases and lets some of the tail slide through her fingers then applies light pressure. The filly stops. Leslie relaxes then takes up contact on the tail. The filly backs to Leslie.

As we work with horses the first step in the direction we want gets a release. As the horse becomes more confident in what we are asking we can ask for more but always give the release as the horse is giving to us.

Leslie talks again about our energy. When we pour out or exhibit energy we get a lot of energy in return. "You've got to get still to stop your horse.It helps anyway."

Paranthetical Note from the Author

I still have occasional difficulties catching one of my mustangs when she is in pasture. We may go ten or twenty times catching with no difficulty, but then she will choose not to be caught. Usually within five minutes using the one acre pasture as a large round pen, she will come around.

One crisp night last week she did not want to come around, and I needed to get in to make supper. Then I remembered Leslie's observation. As I walked with Lucita around the pasture I notched down my energy and slackened my pace. She slackened her pace. I got quieter and slower. She slowed. I made another downward adjustment. She stopped and waited for me to come and halter her. This stuff works.

Heavy Metal

Deborah has brought Tonto into the round pen. She is standing at his shoulder asking his head and neck around, asking for a flex at the poll. Leslie points out that she has a lead rope with a heavy bull snap that keeps information going long after Deborah has stopped the message. The first lesson with Tonto and Deborah is backing. Tonto does not move. Deborah ups the pressure. When he does move she does not release. With Leslie coaching they practice backing with release from Deborah.

Tonto is turned loose in the round pen and asked to trot. He walks off. Briefly Deborah stops pressure then begins pounding the rope on the ground. Tonto trots. Deborah keeps pounding. Tonto gets no release for the right response and is confused. Leslie is teaching space and boundaries, tries and rewards. Leslie is not a believer in "mauling noses, food, gitchy goonot helpful." Tonto is quick to learn the new demands. Deborah is working hard at understanding her space, Tonto's tries, behavior modification for both of them.

Crisis

Mindy's horse has been tied outside the pen and now has his foot over the rope. Mindy starts to race over which causes Bristol to back with foot still over the rope. "Slow down." Mindy is able to ease Bristol's foot back over the rope and onto the ground. It becomes another lesson in success. If we want a horse to succeed, we set it up for the horse to succeed. In this case that would mean not tying Bristol too long.

We turn out attention back to Deborah who is now working with Tonto in the halter. She is asking him to back from a distance. She swings her rope, but again when he backs, she continues to swing. She practices rewarding him for his tries. Then Leslie asks her to back him from a distance without swinging the rope or jiggling the lead rope just use the energy out of her center.

There is no response. Deborah, a petite woman, draws herself up to her full height, thrusts out her chest. Tonto watches with interest. She takes a stomp forward. He shifts back. "Try to get a back from your back." Deborah focuses on his front feet, and Tonto steps back.

Flexibility

Leslie now shows Deborah that Tonto's muscles on the left from poll to tail are shorter than on the right. Suppling exercises can help balance Tonto.

Now Leslie works with Deborah and Tonto to establish some boundaries. Deborah has not asked for any boundaries with Tonto and is having difficulty asking for space. Leslie wants her to do this with just her energy field. She suggests that Deborah think aggressively. "Imagine that you are in Manhattan in a tank top with $100 bills sticking out of your cleavage. You are surrounded by people. Now keep them from getting any of your money." Deborah looks straight forward at Tonto's feet as if he were about to attack her cleavage and deprive her of her wealth and virtue. He backs.

The next task for Deborah is to ask Tonto to trot around a circle without her leaving the circle. She starts by looking at his head. Leslie asks her to redirect her energy to Tonto's feet. He moves. Next Deborah is to halter Tonto. She sets out briskly. Tonto leaves. Here is the time to dial down the energy, to slow down the request. He responds immediately.

After being haltered Deborah and Leslie talk about the next step. Tonto picks up the rope and begins nibbling on it. Deborah does not respond. Leslie stops and points out that this is setting Tonto up for failure. Tonto has only known hand feeding, being given the bit, putting his nose in the halter. He is now acting on what he was taughtand not taught. Leslie asks her to prevent not react. Be aware of Tonto and set him up for success.

Nightmare in Black

It is Sheryl's turn with Nightmare, and as she brings her in, Nightmare steps on Sheryl's foot and then moves past Sheryl. The first lesson begins with establishing space and stopping Nightmare. Leslie asks Sheryl to touch Nightmare on the tailhead as a signal for Nightmare to move off. Sheryl is to keep on walking in the opposite direction briskly so that Nightmare gets a clear signal. If Nightmare doubles back to crowd Sheryl, Sheryl is to get very busy without looking back. She is to give Nightmare a clear signal that she is not welcome in Sheryl's space. This will help in pasture situations also.

Haltering

To halter Nightmare Sheryl stands at Nightmare's shoulder and asks for her head to come around. She holds the halter low, about belt buckle level and waits and waits, and waits. Nightmare does not choose to bring her head around. She moves out. Sheryl asks for Nightmare's attention. If you are facing a horse, rocking back on your heels is a draw. Rocking forward on your toes is a send. Sheryl puts her weight on her heels. Nightmare reels in like a sea tuna on a heavy line, but when she returns she crowds into Sheryl's space.

What's in a Name?

Sheryl decides to rename Nightmare as encouragement to be a different horse. She names her Amber because one of her eyes is amber. Amber is now in front of Sheryl. Jack the cat has gone to sleep directly behind her. Sheryl maneuvers away from Jack so that lessons may continue.

Sheryl now raises her hand with the rope in it to ask Amber for a back. She needs more life to convince Amber that is what she wants. Amber is having trouble moving her front feet. It has been a hard day for Sheryl, and the tension in her is being mirrored by Amber. When Sheryl makes an effort to relax, the lesson goes quickly and smoothly.

Run for It

Tracey brings in Buddy, but before they can begin the skies open up and pour rain. We run for the barn. There we have room, but the floor is cement so all work must be done carefully. Leslie asks Tracey to be a horse. Leslie brings up her energy, brings up her rope. Tracey backs. She is impressed by the message Leslie has sent.

Tracey now leads Buddy down the alleyway. She is asked to think of her stopping place about ten feet in advance, slow, lift the rope without looking back, and then stop. When she lifts the rope, Leslie points out that her weight goes up into her shoulders. The move is a visible signal that a stop is coming. Tracey's attention is on Leslie. Buddy turns to get acquainted with a horse in a nearby stall. "Don't let your horse go up and make friends, unless he is loose without you." It is another lesson in safety and prevention. They practice backing up in the alleyway. This also allows Tracey to direct Buddy out of her space if he moves in too close.

Driving the Horse

Buddy does not drive. Loading him in a trailer is accomplished only when Tracey enters first. He does not want to go into a stall either. "A horse that doesn't drive will come over you. He's in charge all the time."

He doesn't follow the feel of a float but makes the owner precede him at all times.

Leslie takes Buddy's rope and works him back and forth in front of a stall working with him so that he will follow the float in the rope. She works him left then right in front of the stall. When he is good at this she will ask for a straight line into the stall. Buddy begins to understand following the float, and then, many minutes later, he enters the stall, turns when asked, and stands bobbing his head. He is pleased with himself. They practice several times more, but now Buddy is confident with his new skills. He will load better into the trailer. She tries a few other stalls with Buddy, but this is old hat now. She points. He goes. It took twenty minutes and no emotion.

Fear

There is a short conversation on fear. "Fear is not of benefit to the horse. Fear often makes us up the pressure. We aren't thinking clearly." Mindy and Bristol now have a short time before most of the participants head for the house and a warm fire. They use their time to help Mindy become more aware of Bristol's feet. She leads and calls out his footfalls as they hit the groundleft, right, left, stop. Stop, set there. Well done.

Tomorrow they will be in the saddle, but I must hit the road for home. I have new skills to practice with my own horses thanks to Moon Run Ranch and Leslie Desmond.