The Trick Horse Companion - Hardcover

Allen Pogue; Suzanne De Laurentis

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1497592143 ISBN 13: 9781497592148

Publisher: Imagine A Horse, 2014

Synopsis

Enlightened Trick Horse Training is, to my knowledge, the first trick-training method that honors the horse s intelligence and individuality.

Susana Gibson, Founder and Publisher,

trailBLAZER magazine

Today s equine enthusiasts want to forge relationships with their horses that include their emotional soundness as well as their physical wellbeing. Acknowledging the human desire to be one with the horse, The Trick Horse Companion will show you how and why horses think, learn and act as they do, the first step in creating a mutually satisfying, sustainable horse/human bond. Lavishly illustrated with over 300 color photos and with a rich level of detail, the Trick Horse Companion brings trick horse training into the modern era of animal behavioral science.

Any specialized move a horse learns, such as a spin, sliding stop, crossing a bridge, retrieving a Frisbee or taking a bow, can be considered a type of trick. Enlightened Trick Training encourages communication and desire for interaction from the horse, which promotes willing obedience as he learns to engage and respond on a higher level.

Once you begin the journey of Enlightened Trick Horse Training, the scope of your progress may surprise you. This will be a result of both your enthusiasm and your horse learning to learn in a new and revolutionary way that invites improvisation and honors his individuality. Horses love this type of positive education because it is easy for them to understand and it s fun. In all respects, the trick quickly becomes the reward.

All categories of tricks build seamlessly upon each other to result in a highly educated, willing and responsive horse. The Trick Horse Companion includes:

Pedestal Training the centerpiece of modern Trick Horse Training. Big cats, birds, reptiles, elephants and agility dogs are all trained using a pedestal or mark. Horses may benefit from Pedestal Training even more than other species because they are flight animals. The Pedestal gives the horse a safe place to stand and an avenue of expression that doesn t trigger the flight response.

Tricks of Trust include the Obeisance or Circus Bow, the Bow, Kneel and Lie Down. These are moves in which a horse learns to lower his eye and his body in relation to the handler s, putting him in a position that requires great trust in his handler.

Tricks of Engagement include retrieving an object such as a Frisbee, flag or cap. A horse must willingly choose to engage in the activity. Tricks of Engagement create a can-do attitude that develops into a want-to-do work ethic.

Tricks of Agility include the Salute (Jambette), the Rear and Hind Leg Walk, the Sit Up and Sit Down.

Tricks of Gait include amplifications of natural movement as simple as an extended trot or as advanced as the March, culminating in the Spanish Walk.

Liberty Training is the ultimate expression of Enlightened Trick Horse Training. Whether it s one horse working solo, a pair or a troupe of three or more, the horses respond to the handler s cues without any attachments, such as a lead line or bridle. One horse may be sitting on a beanbag on top of a pedestal while another is rearing on command and yet another is going around the perimeter of the pen.

About this title

About the Author

Sue and Allen live in Dripping Springs, Texas and have owned and operated Red Horse Ranch, a boarding and training facility since 1998. They teach folks from around the globe how to incorporate Imagine A Horse methods with saddle training and regular horse handling to create the Ultimate Companion Horse .

Imagine A Horse was developed by Sue and Allen by blending modern and classical horsemanship into a fun and comprehensive training philosophy designed to increase the intelligence, adaptability and predictability of today s companion horse. Their work focuses on teaching horse lovers how to build an interactive relationship with their horses and a bond that most have only dreamed of enjoying.

They each bring a lifetime of experience with horses and over 36 years of trick horse training experience. The Trick Horse Companion goes light years beyond the mechanics of how-to train tricks and concentrates on why trick training benefits and enhances the horse s entire being.

Their horses, methods and philosophy have been featured worldwide in the finest equine publications for over a decade.

Visit them at their ranch or online!

Review

Highly Recommend!

I have worked with Sue and Allen for many years and have filmed segments for my Speaking of Horses TV Show with them, too. They are very professional trainers. I highly recommend their work!. --Wayne Williams, Speaking of Horses

I applaud the way Allen and Sue keep exploring the limits of what is possible in the horse-human relationship.

Allen Pogue and Suzanne De Laurentis caught my attention several years ago in the unique ways they combine the spirit of natural horsemanship with the best of traditional trick horse training. The result is an equine that willingly performs complex maneuvers at liberty with no signs of worry or uncertainty. --Rick Lamb, TheHorseShow

Discover how good your relationships with and how happy your horses can be. It simply never occurred to me that a horse could reason, much like a dog can reason. Nor that the horse could develop a verbal vocabulary, like our movie superstar Benji. I don t believe I have ever heard a trainer or clinician use the word reasoning in reference to a horse, nor encourage the use of verbal cues until I discovered Allen Pogue and his Imagine A Horse methods. Now I know: horses can have fun! They can grow to understand words. Even sentences! And they are fully capable of reasoning. All of which strengthens relationship, intelligence, and willingness. Thank you, Allen, for continuing my amazing journey of discovery. My horses owe you and so so I. --Joe Camp, The Soul of a Horse

Edition details

• Publisher: Imagine A Horse
• Publication date: 2014
• ISBN 10: 1497592143
• ISBN 13: 9781497592148
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 242