HARRY WHITNEY CLINIC REPORT

by Amie Slate

I had the opportunity to watch Harry Whitney at work yesterday at a private clinic. I was hoping to see a good deal more riding and "finesse" work at this clinic because Harry seems known for skills in that area. And indeed I did get a chance to see him working on roundness and suppleness throughout the body which was nice.

Some of you are no doubt wishing I would go into more detail on this. I find I didn't come away with any particular insights. It was more that I saw another approach to add in and round out my picture even more. He did ride a few horses and say "there, now he's using his back more," and "that's it, he just stepped through, not perfect, but I'll take it", and I found it helpful to hear his running commentary. Harry also seemed competent in a wide range of issues from leading and pulling back to dressage moves.

Harry was very good with people, I thought. He doesn"t try to correct all problems at once. He was careful to help people feel good about their progress and give them small enough steps to work through. Although he does raise his voice at times, I never felt it was from anger or frustration, just for emphases.

The same was true of his attitude to the horses. I never saw him use force with anger or frustration. He uses it successfully I thought, to correct the horses. That said, I will add that my preference these days is more and more toward zero force. Harry uses force effectively and without rancor and used no more than a typical amount for many animal training situations. It's just that nowadays I like to see more emphasis on rewards than on corrections. Not that I have reached an ideal state in that regard myself.

It seems to me we have very, very few role models for purely positive training. I did just watch a video tape of Karen Pryor teaching and the difference really hit home. Not once was there pressure on the lead, not once a pop or a threat. And these guys were active, involved and enthusiastic partners. The impulse to "corrrect" has been so deeply ingrained in me by the present-day culture that I find it hard to train without constantly catching myself employing it again and again. What's more, I find myself setting up the training so I will be able to "correct". Yet what I have learned so far about positive training has been so encouraging, I am eagerly exploring that direction.

With these changes in myself, I found it even more interesting to watch my reactions to Harry's work: appreciation for his skill and pleasant temperment, and a personal preference for a more reward-based approach.