I might think Clinton Anderson was just the bees knees.. if I were into men who like to yank, crank and spank on young horses.
Alas, I'm not.
It seems a lot of women are though, which explains the popularity of Clinton Anderson and Shades of Grey.
So here you go Clinton Anderson stalkers.. nearly an hour of him over-powering (multiple) young horses for you to feast your eyes on.
I'll kind of jerk on him like that, or wrestle him around a little bit and reprimand him and go back and be nice and light again. See, that's the kind of lightness I'm looking for.
Clinton Anderson
I'm going to go violently throw up now.
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I absolutely love your blog! You are dead on in all of your articles. Kudos to you for having enough guts to speak up about all these abusive training methods. I have tried and seem to just get bashed and people are too ignorant to listen!!!!
If you think you are going to get that fuzzy warm feeling from all horses or any as that matter, you are wrong. YES I am a woman to and have helped 100’s of horses. No you should never beat a horse EVER but if one is out of the blue is coming after you, you better bet your dollar I will protect myself. I was almost killed by a few that were trained by other woman. So much for gentle training. training needs to be gentle in different manners. A horse has to respect you not out of hitting the horse at all but it needs to know the word space, back up, forward, WHOA. And most of all the horse needs to be started from birth this is sooo important. Clinton is a good trainer as is many other men that have trained horses.
I would like to share my experience with Clinton Anderson’s methods. First let me give some background about myself. I have trained high end competition bird dogs for years, but prior to getting a blm mustang had never rode a horse that wasn’t on a lead.
The mustang I got was nuts. He would try to jump out of the round pen if I walked within 200 yards of it. Using Clinton Anderson’s methods, I was riding that mustang by the third day of training. Not only that, but the mustang trusted me and would run away from other humans and stand behind me. After one week of using his methods I could turn the horse loose in my yard and simply call him to get him to come.
Keep in mind, this was a horse that was wild caught.
At times I put a lot of pressure on the horse, but ultimately the horse would rather be with me than any of his pasture companions. He sees me as a leader and protector. After 30 days he was bomb-proof. There is nothing I can do that scares him. Zero spook…..
I purchased a 10 year old quarter horse mare from my niece back in November last year my niece has had her sence birth born and raised on the farm. She is so attached to my niece she is almost impossible for me to ride. She trys to run out from under me she shakes her head and then wants to buck if i let her gallop she is very hard to settled down i am just about ready to throw up my hands and quit .
I have been watching clinton andersons video and i thinking about giving it a try. Other wise I’m at a loss and don’t what to cause problems in the family. Hoping you could possibly hel.
Thanks for listening
Hey Bonnie,
I strongly recommend you find a local riding instructor / trainer to help you and your horse. Seeking help through online forums and DVD training courses is convenient, but largely ineffective for most riders when faced with serious issues to overcome. Bucking is a serious issue, having a horse try to run out on you is a serious issue.
If it’s important to you to resolve, find someone in your area to provide hands-on help and guidance. If it isn’t, then riding might not be the best recreational activity for you at this time.
Great advice Franz is that the best you can give DON”T RIDE IF YOU CAN’T!!!! So easy to teach a horse to accept a rider, and your advice is chuck the towel in, clearly you are a pony club rider the kind of rider that falls off faster than they get on.
By all means YES, follow Clinton Anderson’s method. I’ve worked with two dozen trainers over the years and none compare with his technique, or results. As for the uninformed who think it’s an abusive method… Bull!!! If you know anything about horses, both wild and domestic, then you know they treat each other far, far more harshly to establish herd leadership and pecking order. Hit he were abusing them, they wouldn’t follow him, or let him near. He’s the best there is.
Sounds like maybe you need to start over with some ground work before starting riding again. Get the respect on the ground first, then you will have it under saddle, another thing, maybe a local trainer that you can watch with your horse. There are alot of trainers that you can send them to but they come back worse at times. I would want to be able to watch at least some of the training.
Hi I’m new to this horse owning game and it seems to me that the whole thing boils down to whether or not you really think we should ride horses. I own a 17 hand Clydesdale who has had a very tough life of neglect and abuse and I’ve won him over with lots of love. I think he trusts me but does he respect me? I also have a little quarter horse who has had a tough life as a campdrafter and cutter. Now I thought I could win him over with lots of love too. No way!!! He is big time nervous and I’ve come to the conclusion that he needs me to toughen up! He needs a leader. I thought I could love him and spoil him and take him out on trails and he’d thank me for it. But I’m shit scared what would happen if we came across something on the trail he didn’t like! So I’m going to try some of CA’s methods. Not that I think reining looks very admirable. What horse voluntarily goes around with its head on the ground? It just looks dumb. Horse are noble animals so why do we want to alter the way they carry themselves. It makes them look pathetic and I think that’s a shame. But I agree that they need some tough love sometimes and CA’s ground work looks logical and fair. Whether or not we should ride horses at all is a vexed question. So every time I get on my horse I think it’s a privilege and beginner or not I’m going to think of his comfort and wellbeing first.
Quarter horses run with the head down to track and work cattle. That is the reason they were bred in the first place. Without man, they wouldn’t exist.
As for should we ride, or not? If your not going to ride and work them you will lead them to an early death through poor nutrition and exercise. In the wild they travel 10-20 miles a day in search of food and water and the young make the same journey with them. In captivity, they get everything brought to them, no need to work for it. Abuse of rescue horses isn’t caused only by starvation, many have been rescued with permanent skeletal and muscular disorders caused by over feeding and under-exersizing. As a veterinarian I’ve seen this a hundred times and is inexcusable. If you shower your horse with this kind of love, you are no better than the man who starves his horse and your equine friend is better off without you.
Yep thats what happens I educated horses the same way as Clinton does subtle differences but the same basically this Erica Franz appeals to the nut fringe that the USA is so famous for having, your comment is on point and his success kind of eclipses the 3 liners this nutter has strung together, journalistic achievement of the Franz is zero knowledge is again zero. I have watched many hours of Clinton Andersons videos and never once have I seen him abuse a horse never ever.
You…are what we call a moron that is full of shit…bullshit that is.
I hope you all are vegans and pledge your life to making sure horses are never ridden because they didn’t ask for it. you are ridiculous!! Horses are large dangerous creatures and there has to be some sort of respect established. If not, they will kill you, or hospitalize you. You have to understand that they kick bite and “Abuse” each other in a herd to establish dominance. when you are near horses you are part of the herd. Clinton teaches with the lightest possible pressure but uses the amount of pressure needed to get the job done. If they aren’t taught respect they bite or kick a human they are sent to slaughter. so how is this abuse?
Erica this is for you. Are you kidding me. When I train horses or even my 100lb German shepherd I’m ensuring the safety of myself and others by insuring they understand I’m number 1 and their number 2. No two ways about it. You make women sound stupid. We’re NOT. we get it you don’t. You have nothing better to do than jump on a successful person. You should train a wild mustage (don’t use the method) ask the horse sweetly to be nice. Like he says one good lesson is better than 1000 taps. I’ve been riding over 30 years thought I knew what was what and then I used the method on old and young horses. It works and it’s amazing. Ive watched scary frightened horses become so soft just from training and most importantly respect. By the way competition horses or people are completely different than being on a team where everyone gets a medal. You just don’t get it until you’ve been in that environment. Check your facts. If we only looked at literally a few things you’ve done put a big light on them I bet your career would be tarnished. Not going to happen with Clinton Anderson because he’s real. Sure he could hide all this stuff but he’s a “Man” something we haven’t seen in a while. He tells it like it is and doesn’t pull any punches.
What a total idiot. Apparently you’ve never ridden a properly started two year old or ever imprinted a foal…….dumb dumb dumb.
Madam, you don’t understand what a properly started horse is. As a vet I deal with “well trained, bomb proof horses” all the time and less than 1 in 10 is really well started. They may work for you, but won’t for just anybody and a properly started horse will work for anybody.
Couldn’t agree more
Clinton Anderson is well known for his cruel methods. The problem with Clinton is that he only knows how to get a horse soft through bullying. A real horseman can achieve this without having to do that. He is a loser.
Smh
You might be the loser
If he is SO bad he would not have made it this far in the horse world
Curious argument.
If Hitler was really so bad he would not have made it so far in politics. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
If Trump was really so bad he would not have become president. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
If Nixon was really so bad he would not have become president. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
If Weinstein was really so bad he would not have continued abusing his power for so many years. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Really this list could go on forever. Essentially, your argument isn’t even strong enough to be called “weak”. It’s empty.
Hardly. But then you undoubtedly like Obama and Clinton. So you speak from a lack of wisdom and knowledge.
Horses are not humans, you cannot anthropomorphize them. You cannot equate any human behavior to a horse. They will always remain as a prey animal and it is our responsibility to put ourselves in a position to understand them.
They do not domesticate although they can become habituated to the environment that humans have put them in.
Losers are Jealous people that defines Pete and Franz very Jealous people Clinton has the world following him he has the ranch and the people coming continuously to pay him to attend his clinic’s, Franz has a free blog which has a name designed to come up on a clinton anderson search she is a nobody. In another time she would be wearing a straight jacket in a special facility.
Before judging, try it yourself. In the past 10 years, I’ve found most of the people screaming abuse treat their horses far worse.
The problem is, people like you in the industry ruin it for people who actually know what they are doing.
I just hate when people talk about things they know nothing about
This is the problem with this country just because you don’t believe in what someone does doesn’t give you the right to bash them. I have lots of horses I trained clinton anderson and John Lyons their pretty much the same. And everyone of my horses have great homes that the people who some have never ridden can’t believe how great the horse is. So to the people out there who listen to this crap about clinton anderson you really have no idea and he does not abuse any of those horses. I have tried other training methods and those horses are not the same as the ones from clinton and John Lyons. And I will keep on training that way these animals are very dangerous animals to baby they can kill you.
In my honest and professional opinion, Clinton’s method DOES work my mom uses his method on all her horses and she has over 45 years worth of experience in the equestrian business, and to the fool who has written this article. Im going to go out on a limb and say that your 1 horse and probably not that much experience with horses is why you think it’s abuse. It’s clearly not abuse nor is it hurting the animal. If you want to see animal abuse call Sarah McLachlan when she does another spot for the SPCA. That’s animal abuse and neglect. I suppose your probably the person who lets their horse choose the trail for you. I’m not saying I know it all but I have ridden my fair share of horses and I myself have over 25 years in equestrian experience.
I am so NOT a fan of CA. The first time I ever saw his TV show he smacked his young horse in the face. I gave him one more chance and watched something else he was demonstrating. All he did it seemed, was to sell his products as “THE” only thing that you can train your horse with. Big turn off. The only thing I’ve ever found of value from him is the ground work video he did on Longing for Respect.
I feel that if you think about training techniques and the use of horses from brushing a back yard pet to a top level competitor. It all comes down to levels of pressure or intensity. Where to draw the line as to abuse is probably one persons opinion. I personally feel that pleasure horses are some of the most unnatural and unhappy horse I’ve ever seen. I do not appreciate the methods or results achieved. I therefore chose to stay away from that disapline and it has little to know interest to me any way. I don’t condem it because for others it is there cup of tee and they view it in a different light. Clinton Anderson has done more good for people, horses, and the industry as any other man I can think of. That is my opinion. He is also a man capable of making mistakes or allowing success to be as or more important than his horses happiness. I would challenge that most everyone that has ever competed at any level has had their own opinion of what was best for there horse based on there goals. Horses are herd animals. Is it abuse to lock them in a stall by them selves? Is it abuse to use physical force to keep a disrespectful animal from harming you? Or even to train it to no longer be disrespectful so that the horse and man can live in some harmony? I am not going to disagree that some times training can reach some level of obsertity but because its not what you believe does not make it wrong or abuse necessarily. Just because he does something to degree that is beyond what you like or would do does not mean his methods or idiology is wrong. I would not have achieved many of the things I have without people like Clinton teaching me a better understanding of training techniques. I would challenge you to spend your time finding what is good and can be learned than focusing on the parts and peaces that you do not like or appreciate. Being open minded and achieving understanding is the only way to ever become better. If you chose to atack me for my opinion feel free. I will read yours and consider it and learn from it… Best wishes…
Maybe this is an aussie thing but saying that all your horse needs for a reward is a rest and a bit of air suggests that your techniques are cranking him up and cutting off efficient breathing. One way besides soft hands and kicking a horse with spurs to get him to put his nose down is to tie him with his nose up all night so he’s too tired to carry his own nose the next day.
that’s more abusive than anything clint does.
there are many ways to get a horse to drop their head tie ups are the last thing any trainer would do. but if you don’t know what you’re doing go for it.
Now that is abuse!!!
I really hope you were joking about tying a horses head up all night
A horse will only be as soft as the hardest you have ever pulled on him.
JMB
And I have watched all of clinton Anderson’s videos and have never seen him hit a horse in the manner you say he does. If that was the case none of these horses would respect him and they would all be head shy and try to get away. Some people just have to talk crap and put someone’s name in the ground pathetic.
Not a surprise that so many fine QH are broke down by the time they are six.
Another reason they are broken down so young; it is common practice to inject the knees and hocks with nerve block the instant any lameness is showing. Then they go out and work these horse hard when they can feel no pain. This causes the lameness to get steadily worse and pretty soon they have to be injected to be worked at all. There were at least 6 horses at the stable where I boarded that had this done to them on a daily basis. A couple were finally turned out to pasture and had to be put down before the age of 10 because they couldn’t even walk. All this for an lousy 89 cent, fake satin ribbon!
I have one of his halters and I love it but I do not see the point in having the horse’s head almost touching the ground or pulled in that far.
Softness is the reason. The horse responds to the lightest touch. The average rider causes more discomfort and pain on a bit than they know. By making the horse respond to a soft touch, they avoid all that.
This is nothing short of abuse. Pure and simple. Makes me want to puke.
Well then go puke
I supposed everybody is entitled to their own opinion no matter how ill informed. I won’t pretend to be a well educated on Clinton Anderson’s methods. I’ve seen a couple videos and read a few articles but I have not studied him much. However, I have seen no evidence whatsoever of abuse. Many back yard riders do not have the knowledge of equine anatomy and physiology or herd dynamics to understand the reason behind training methods of elite performance horses.
Equine anatomy and physiology informs us that over bridling , overpowering and exhausting any horse is detrimental, let alone a two year old , which experts on the subject concur is still skeletally immature. Clinton considers himself a reining trainer, I guess,but has never competed successfully , so I hesitate to call his poor horses elite performers.
Any athletes body needs to be properly conditioned in order to compete in their sport. Stretching is particularly important to prevent injury. Olympic gymnasts are also “skeletally immature” however are still able to properly train their bodies to perform in amazing ways. Again I will state that I am not an expert on all of his methods however these pictures don’t look much different from the stretching exercises I go through with my own horses. I Do know a little more about his horses though and I don’t think I could come up with any rationale to call them “poor”. His horses have multiple national and world titles. Many have lifetime earnings over $100k. Shawn Flarida, one of the biggest names in reining right now, won 6 championships including a world championship, on a horse that was bred, raised and started by Anderson. If you know a little about reining then you will be familiar with the term “A willfully guided horse”. If a Reiner is in pain, scared or otherwise traumatized there is no possible way they will be able to perform at such a high level. The horse must be comfortable and relaxed throughout the entire pattern or they simply will not Be able to perform the manuvers.
Excellent points!
Overflexing the neck is the opposite of stretching, and this is being done with force. Look at the whole horse’s posture (not just the neck). Look at the mouth, look at the tail, look at the body position. He is using harsh hands to force the horse to flex unnaturally as punishment. It is the exact opposite of horsemanship.
I’m not sure we are looking at the same picture. When looking at the large picture at the beginning of the article I see a horse learning to back, not one being over flexed. He has his hind end up under himself, his back up and yes his neck is flexed which is not desirable in a finished Reiner but pretty common in any horse learning to back as they use their neck for balance. His tail appears to be relaxed and not wringing as if in pain or irritated. His mouth is open and he is behind the bit but if you look closely you can see there is actually slack in the reins telling me the rider is not hauling on his mouth and a more likely cause is that he is evading the bit. Many green horses chew the bit initially.
Horses are different from people and there is a difference between proper stretching/conditioning and overstretching that harms instead of helps. I’m not very into western horses, but you see the bad all the time in dressage. Horses worth crazy amounts of money, such as Totilas, are trained using abusive methods (honestly, you really have to know how the animal’s body functions, like what muscles affect movement in certain ways… it’s very complex and something I have been looking at for a long time now). That’s not a bust on Toto… he is a gorgeous and amazing animal. However, they trained and ride him in ways that aren’t even remotely humane or close to what the principles and actual regulations of FEI dressage state. For the heck of it, I went over a GP FEI dressage test and scored it according to what the regulations state (as per points) and what the movements should look like (as per how the horse’s anatomy functions; i.e. collection, relaxation, etc.). The official score was over 80%, whereas if the judges pulled their heads out of their butts and stopped scoring based on what’s popular with the crowd, they would have scored less than 10%. Goes to show what the sake of publicity does to horses who so willingly follow along with us.
it doesn’t mean he’s doing things the right way just because he’s winning and making $$$$$$. Think about the short and long term effects on the horse. He’s a terrible example and his reputation has been known for 10 years or more. Anyone who supports this guy or buys his horses will be very sorry and anyone that uses his “techniques” should be shunned from the horse community PERIOD. and Banned!
I absolutely think about the short and long term effects in every horse I ride. Whether it’s one of my own show horses or a horse I’m riding for someone else. Safety and a proper foundation is always number one. I don’t think the people buying his horses would agree with you that they’ll be sorry though or they wouldn’t continue to pay over $50k for each one. And any good horseman and competitor knows that in the business world your horse is your #1 asset. That being said what exactly is it that you disagree with about his training methods and what would you suggest differently?
Should be shunned and banned? Wow. Guess that puts a lot of sane horse owners with quiet, respectful horses out of your version of the perfect horse world. 🙂 What exactly is it about his reputation that has been known for 10 years, and by whom? The reputation for training safe horses who have a solid foundation? The reputation for effectively teaching horse owners how to be safe around their horses and teach their horses to be safe as well? The reputation for working so hard he gets up at some crazy hour like 4am just so he has time to ride his personal horses before the rest of the day is spent tending to his extremely successful business?
While I haven’t bought either a signature horse or a performance horse from him, I do indeed support his methods because they work, and I am most definitely *not* sorry. The horse I bought last year was trained using his Method, and people can hardly believe how quiet, calm, and sweet she is as a 4-year old. And before you or anyone else starts screaming about her being too young to be ridden, trust me, she’s sound and she’s fine, and I don’t ride her every day for a multitude of reasons. But even if I did, she’d still be fine. 🙂 I’m starting my colt with the Method, and he’s already far more respectful than some older horses I’ve seen, whose owners call them “high-spirited” or just “allowed to be a horse.” Yeah, a horse that might kill them someday because they wouldn’t put in the time or effort to make sure their 1,000-pound baby respects their human as the herd boss.
My horses respect me, and they most certainly are *not* abused in any way, shape, or form. I’ve been a horse lover and rider for 36 years now, and I’ve worked extensively with horses throughout my adult life. I, too, was suspicious of CA at first because I kept seeing negative stuff about him online. Since we all know how truthful and trustworthy online information is. 😉 When I finally ordered and watched one of the DVDs, I was hooked because he knows what he’s doing, he walks his talk, and he is an excellent teacher and trainer. I can say CA’s methods are effective, nowhere near abusive, and they work very well for training horses (and people too, lol).
There is no abuse, no gimmicks, no secrets to CA’s Method. He is very open about his training techniques. Extremely transparent. You can find just about anything you want about the Method, if only you take the time to look and discover it for yourself. The key is to actually train your horses well, to actually spend time with them, and to be consistent. People who use the Method to train their horses are smart, and they care about their horses as well as themselves. I challenge you to really check it out for yourself before you cast judgments in public about training techniques I bet you have had no personal experience using yourself. Cheers!
ive been training horses for 40 years using the same things he uses. I didn’t learn from him. it was my way. we still have horses in their 20s and not a problem with them.
I love the comments from people that I can tell have never been on a horse or in an arena. the ones with their horses head higher than the riders head.
just watch out for the ol head but. I see it happen all the time with the knowitalls training their own.
Again as a veterinarian let me say that riding a horse at two is not too soon, as long as the horse is trained properly. Over-riding is a danger until the horse is conditioned and condition has nothing to do with age and everything to do with training.
I have found with my clients animals, horses, dogs, etc that the people who think they have well trained pets who were taught without “cruelty” without exception have the most poorly trained and most dangerous animals I must deal with. Yet they swear they are kind and loving to everyone. One client who swore thus will never convince the man her dog attacked in the waiting room, nor any of the witnesses.
To my knowledge, Clinton Anderson was fired from a very successful reining barn, Boyle’s Performance Horses in Ione, Ca before he “became Famous”.
You can’t keep a horses shoulders up and the horse in balance when you train them to “perform” out of balance all of the time. (by hyper bending and throwing the shoulders out)
I met his (Clinton’s) promoter at the first Western States Horse Expo. In Sacramento Ca. His promoter did a good job. As well as John Lyons. (They both used Equi Management Inc.) It is no wonder he has to drink to excess though, his fraudulent training “method” and hoodwinking naive horse owners who have spoiled their horses is catching up with his conscience.
Regardless of your personal opinion of CA’s training methods, the remarks you make about his drinking are absolutely slanderous.
I watched one program about Shana Terrie and her horse Marty, A girl who obviously loves horses as much as she does would not be capable of abusing them and she is one of CA’s trained clinicians.
What’s your beef with him? If you don’t agree then don’t; no need to be so spiteful.
I have seen a man take a wild Mustang train and ride it with NO bit ever touching the horse’s mouth. The Mustang would walk, trout, and run on command using nothing more then body language. I would say that if that can be done with a wild horse, certainly training a so called elite performance horse would be a piece of cake. Unless you believe like I do…Elite performance horses don’t compare to the intelligent brain of a Mustang. There is no difference in their anatomy or Physiology so why would you even need a bit or any other tool to have a performance horse perform. I believe it is because the person training the horse needs the tools more then the horse does. The trainer lacks the intelligent and know how to teach the horse how to perform with out using the tools.
I have seen this many times as well. Have you ever seen the Colt Starting Challenge? It’s worth checking out if you haven’t. Many trainers start young horses with a hackamore or bosel. However both of those carry great risk to the horses airway when used incorrectly and therefore are never recommended for use by a novice rider. A bit is actually much safer as the bars in the mouth that the bit sits on are a hard tissue where as the area the bridge of the nose that a hackamore sits on contains cartilage that can become damaged or compressed and block off the airway. I assume you mean the man you saw was able to teach the horse to walk, trot, and canter or lope as running a young or green horse is not a very good idea as it can be dangerous to both horse and rider. Walk, trot, canter and stop and the absolute basics that every horse should be taught no matter what they go on to do. They are also the easiest. Every one of my horses can easily perform all 4 tasks with only seat and leg cues, vocal commands are unnecessary.
As for your comparison of mustangs and high level performance horses I again have to disagree with you. I believe all horses are extremely intelligent animals regardless of breed and every horse has its own individual area that it will excel at whether as a lesson horse or Olympic champion.
Nursemom You obviously know nothing about a horses anatomy. The bars of a horses lower jaw are an extremely sharp ridge of bone covered by a few mm of soft tissue with a huge nerve supply. The nose of a horse does have a point which is cartilage however this is at the level of the nostrils not at the level where a hackamore, bitless bridle or rope halter would sit.
Ok, I can admit that hard tissue was a poor choice of words. Obviously I am aware that in the technical use of the word, hard tissue is bone and tooth. I was not using it in a technical way but rather to paint the picture that gum tissue is far thicker than flesh. If you don’t believe you have obviously never had to insert a needle into the gums. As far as “an extremely sharp ridge of bone”…..what? Im sorry but that is just not even close to accurate. The cartilage in the nose is low however many novice riders are not aware of proper fit and will allow the nose band to hang loose and low. That is why I said it has the potential to be very dangerous. Many horses have had the cartilage damaged and in severe cases, fractures to the bridge of the nose from improper use. In the right hands it’s perfectly safe, just like in the right hands even a cathedral bit is perfectly safe and causes no pain whatsoever.
Did you know that a horse’s gums and palate are much more sensitive than the soft tissue in his mouth?
I highly recommend watching ” The Effects of the Bit” on YouTube. It’s quite eye-opening.
I tend to steer Clear of YouTube as I find A lot of information on there very misleading. However in regards to sensitivity of the gums, Isn’t that kind of the point? I mean a horse is considerably stronger than any human. Just look at the way they play, if my horse kicked me as hard as she kicks her pasture mates while playing I would probably have some broken bones. Horses are not anywhere near as whimpy as we are. Just watch when a new horse is Introduced to a herd and a pecking order is established. So many people spend so much time babying their horses that they forget that a horses natural instinct is to respect a strong leader. We have to stop trying to make them speak our language and expect them to respect us just because we love them and primp them. Firm but fair. Also remember, A bit is only as harsh as the person holding it.
May I ask what you ride your horse in?
I bet that mustang had a bit while it was being trained. we have lots that can be rode like that. but they have to be taught.
Do you see his horse’s mouth gaping open? That’s from pain. Nothing else causes that. If he were as smart as he thinks he is, he’d know that the hard tissue in the mouth, like gums and palate, are much more sensitive than the soft tissue like cheeks and lips. He’s gotten way too big for his britches, and will listen to no one.
Yes, and he doesn’t care because it’s all about the money.
Wow, if you have ever trained a young horse, you would know that most of them will open their mouths as a form of resistance and not from pain. They stop this behavior once they accept and flex and relax (or until some english rider fastens on a flash). CA uses natural horse behavior as a tool for training horses and communicating in a way a horse readily understands. So tired of people treating horses like children and ending up with disrespectful horses that have to manners.
Begs the question, why is the horse resisting?
Sorry but I have to disagree 🙂
I ride my pony for a very long time now and he has the habbit of opening his mouth when I back him up. (I DONT use any pressure in his mouth but back him up with my seat.
Very true. If they did, most of those scream abuse would shut up.
Disgusting.
Being a “rider” or “owner” of horses does not mean someone knows how to train them. I don’t follow Clinton Anderson at all, but I grew up with the old cowboys and saw the way they “broke” & “trained” horses. Believe me, Anderson is a light weight and comes nowhere near to actually abusing a horse.
Abuse has no degrees..its just abuse.
My wife rides English/Dressage. I don’t get many of the “Western” horse practices. Many seem cruel and unfair. Just look at how Arabs are treated (down to eye dilation at shows for that weird look), special unnatural gaits, “aids” and tack that is draconian and inhumane. Too many of these horses are treated as just “things”, like a pickup truck.
Many horse owners think to be able, training young horses, what if they need to start a young stud, which has always done whatever he loved, running free and once in a while kicking his legs towards you? most wont even give it a try,every horse is simular, you need to be correct and consistant otherways you´ll ruin the acomplishment,every horse will try you out, to see how far and how he can fool you, no doubts about that,
The main thing in training horses, developes with takes and releases, the only thing to keep in mind is to quit with something he did actually good, remember a good note, always ride your horse in shows like you ride him or her in training session, to avoid being show smart.
Actually, as a trainer, quitting a horse “on a good note” is rubbish. You need to quit them before they are too tired. Most resistance from horses comes from lack of understanding from the horse and being asked to do something he doesn’t feel he can do.
Having watched Clinton’s videos, I’ve noticed that he is incredibly impatient. He then jerks on their faces and spurs them on, punishing them if they act out. I watched him do an awful lead change on his colt, Titan, because Clinton set him up wrong. The colt then pig rooted and was punished, all because Clinton didn’t set him up properly! Not training to best practice! Yes the third change was great, but that was because the colt did all the work, not because Clinton helped him.
The honourable men he called mentors are puking and rolling in their graves …. and he knows why. We can all get into the particulars of what is happening … but this is what you see on a promotional video , imagine what happens behind the barn. Getting burnt out and selling out shows … there is no passion for horses there, only passion for human acceptance and recognition.
Shame really … total shame.
Amen!!!
Well, one of his mentors (Ian Francis) is alive and well and sometimes goes on tours with CA…doubtful he’s “puking and rolling in his grave. ” 🙂
I believe his beloved friend, trainer and mentor, Ian, passed away last year, but I may be mistaken.
Ian Francis is alive and well. Saw him in Vegas last year at a CA tour. Amazing horseman. You can find info on him online, he has a website and a facebook fan page. Gordon McKinlay, another mentor of CA, passed away a few years back.
well i just watched Clinton and Ian conduct a 2 day clinic in Australia so i’m pretty sure that Ian is still alive and kicking
Yes and don’t forget the money! Abuse is most common when a horse becomes an object or “the means to the end”-not a living, breathing, feeling creature.
The people I know who swear by CA (or Parelli or any of the big names) are insecure, ignorant and completely incapable of even trying to weed out the good from the bad. They don’t know what they are doing so they want a “formula” to follow so they don’t have to do any thinking. They no longer recognize abuse because they’ve bought into the program as if it were a religion.
The only abuse I can see is the fact that he is training a two year old.Why can people not wait til their horses are four?
dressage I have an older horse. It had a bad habit of stuffing his neck
and rearing when he didn’t get his way. I found that he didn’t like
taking a bit. No matter what kind you put in his mouth. I checked out
his mouth and found nothing wrong other than it was time his teeth need
floating. I thought maybe that was the trouble with biting him up. Vet
said everything was fine for a 15 year old, good teeth. gave him a week
after having his teeth floated and still a big problem. So I put on a
Bosal. Before you jump all over me I have taken troubled horses before.
Now I must say that it’s not the hoses fault that they are this way it
was the old owners ,trainers that didn’t know what they were doing. The
horses I take in are NOT killers but will hurt someone. I was taught how
to break a horse by my father and I must say I wish he was still
around to learn how to be soft with one. I had to learn by reading
other ways from trainers from all walks of life. (Dressage, cutting,
Western Pleasure, Roping). I made many mistakes in my 65 years of riding
horses. With your definition I have abused horses. But I learned to b a
lot easier on them. Each horse is an individual and you have to treat
them as such. What works on one may not work on an other. Age factors in
most if not all cases. Back to my present horse. He won’t bend or give
his head when asked. He got me in a bind so I didn’t to fix his problem.
Bit’s were not the answer so I use a Bosal. It has taken about 6 months
and he now give me his head and he doesn’t reach for the sky and more
,he knows that I’m not going to hurt him and we have a trust. The lady I
received him from became afraid of him because he came close to hurt
her one day. Plus he is and was barn swore. I can take him out 5 days a
week and he wants to run back home. This comes from letting him have
his way. I came up with a way of putting a bit in his mouth. I used
carol syrup on the roller ,just a few drops. I had to find a way because
I had injured my thumb on my left hand making it hard to open his mouth
wide enough so that it would hit his teeth. It took about a week of
biting him up twice a day he now open up when he feels my hand around
his mouth. The Bosal helps in keeping me from having to pull on his
mouth. He feels the pressure from the Bosal then the bit. I don’t use
two hands but 4 fingers on each hand and my wrist if I need a harsher
pull. He no longer rears or throws his nose to the sky ( that was a
spoke time when going down a riven and you needed to stop turn and your
going down a 6 degree embankment) . I do use spurs but not on every
horse. You see I have to take someones spoiled horse and make him safe
and that my friends is like taking a teenager and telling him he can’t
use a cell phone nor can he text his friends and he must maintain a 3.5
grade average. If he can maintain a 3.5 or better I will let you use
these items. But you know he’s going to sneak out an use them when ever
he can. So a Bosal a broken snaffle ( which I’m reconsidering not to use
unless it has a bar between the two lower ends of the shanks.) and even
a high port bit can be used. When I sell these horses The new owner
must take 24 to 30 lesson from me before I let them go home to a new
place. So therefor I don’t have more than 4 horses at a time. I do it
for the love of the animal. I make enough money to pay the young lady
that cleans my stalls and tells me about my appointments pays my hay
bill. I retired when I was 55 years old. I usually break even. I’m now
learning to lay a horse down for a man that is handicapped. Once the
horse is down he can mount. He can ride in areas that most people will
never see. The horse will not just lay down but also bow. You see I’m
still learning
I think I lost part of my post. I’m sorry I’m new at this computer stuff.
That old man is me I’m 70 years old and I plan on riding until I can get on a horse any more.
I bet you waited until your kids were 4 to start teaching them. we start training as soon as they are born. please how about only people that have owned trained and ride horses make the comments
Look most people have no idea how to ride a horse let alone train one. But yet if you look in the pasture horses are kicking , biting and beating the crap out of each other. A horse must be allowed to make a mistake to learn and at times they have to be held accountable as they mature coming to three years of age. I see no abuse from Clinton other than the ear abuse I get from him cause he is loud and a tad arrogant and obnoxious.
It is because of this thinking we are still living in the 19th Century. Because as you said, “I see no abuse…”
I have a big question for all you pissy little push overs! do you know what a soft and supple horse is? Clinton Anderson has never abused a horse he simply is not a tree hugger and knows how to get the job done!!!!!!! and just in case all you people have never seen him live it is amazing you should go. and also the reason why he jerked on those young horses is because they were being heavy if you let them pull you around they will always do it.
I have seen him and heard him claim to have never worked with the horse he was about to demonstrate his “method’ on..outright lies. A while back he was going to be using one of Wayne Newtons horses for a demonstration in his show, my farrier used to be a trainer for Wayne Newton, he met Clinton Anderson as he came and worked that horse for six weeks but at his show claimed to have only just met the horse. Realize he has an empire and the name of the game is money.period.
Absolutely right!! It’s about the money and there are always suckers out there willing to pay and believe, no matter what.
Believe me, much worse is going on behind locked stable doors. A riding student of mine was granted an apprenticeship with a nationally known Arab trainer whose articles appeared in many national horse magazines. It seemed like the chance of a lifetime. In reality it was nothing but a farm hand job with virtually no riding or learning involved. Not a single person who did the apprenticeship actually “graduated”, they all quit. He would lock all of the stable doors and post a lookout so that his clients couldn’t accidently see him violently taking their horses to the ground, hog tying them and beating them so badly they had hemotomas. All in the name of winning and making money.
Fortunately since that time he has lost his wealthiest clients, no longer wins the championships and does not appear in the magazines and big horse clinics. I hope it’s because word got out about his tactics.
My family is as equestrian as they come and on a visit to see them in Feb we got to see Clinton live. I had never heard of the man before but watching him perform was amazing. After reading this article my family and I wanted to speak up, we dont recognize abuse in his methods what so ever. We see a man worn down by travel and promoting but an abuser, not likely. Everyones entitled to their own opinion of course but this family votes for no abuse.
Simply starting a two-year old under saddle is abuse, especially if he’s been informed how detrimental it is by people more knowledgeable than him.
You can start a horse at the age of 3! In all events that are extremely competitive start their horses at 2 or even younger! Derby, Reining, Pleasure.
If it were not for following Clinton Anderson’s program I would not be riding today. Using his method helped me gain the confidence that several years of dressage lessons never could because it helped me first build the relationship with my horse that was missing. His methods are not abusive, otherwise my horses would not willingly come to me when I go outside. They are willing partners and riding is fun again! It’s easy to look at a picture or two and label it however you want, but until you actually try the method, don’t knock it!
Pretty sure this video hasn’t been authorized to be posted here. That is illegal! Copyright laws people!
I use to think your way until I went to watch him work and saw the results of an extremely unsafe horse to be around. While we do not use all of Clinton’s methods, we do follow much of what he teaches and have much better results where our horses are safer to be around. Looking at the way we discipline our children today, horses are much like us. If there are no consequences for wrong doing and unconditional love as well, we get a society of young people gone wild. Same goes for our equine friends. :Make the right thing easy and the wrong thing hard.” I have found Clinton’s ways to be right up there where we are concerned, maybe a bit too rough at times, but that needs to be fine tuned to each individual horse. Like children, we are all different and need to be treated differently according to our personalities, what works and what doesn’t. Any mother can attest to this if she has more than one child. We are all different and so are horses. As for us? We have had great results with Clinton’s training methods as we control how much pressure to put on each individual horse.
Your blog is quite interesting, Erica. 🙂 I was particularly amused by your “Fine Print” disclaimer. You do have a sense of humor. Anyway, as to this particular post, you clearly have an axe to grind with CA so apparently will leap to specious conclusions no matter what is actually in front of your eyes? As someone else says in the comments, CA has done more good for the horse world than you can imagine. Keeping people safe, encouraging safe and respectful horses (because, ya know, horses can kill you in a blink of the eye because they’re around 1000 pounds and we sure as heck are not), and being more than willing to share his training techniques with anyone who actually has the ears to listen are not exactly the maneuvers of someone who likes to overpower horses. He likes to encourage safety and good communication in the horse and human partnership.
No human being can physically overpower a horse or be stronger than one, Erica, except perhaps a very young foal. They simply are too big and too reactive. You have to understand how they think and then “talk” to them in their language before you get a respectful, willing partner. Why? Because your precious ponies can seriously hurt or kill you in an instant, simply because they are large, reactive animals that far too many people in our contemporary world treat like a pet. I love my horses very much, but they sure as hell better respect my space and my body, because they are far bigger than me. I don’t abuse my horses, and nothing I’ve ever seen of CA’s techniques recommends abusing horses, either. You seem to be trying hard to take something out of context, and also trying to be clever and snarky about it all at once.
And yes–horses are far more harsh with one another than a human being ever could be. Have you ever seen the dominant horse kick, bite, or otherwise go after other horses lower on the pecking order? Could a human being ever kick a horse as hard as another horse could? Nope. Literally impossible, since we humans do not weigh 1000 pounds. Your horse had better know that you are the dominant one in your “herd,” and you achieve that communicating with them in generally the same way they communicate with one another.
I challenge you to really delve into CA’s approach–really look at it, really watch some of the many TV show episodes or DVDs you can find online, and do it all with an open mind. You seem far too reactive yourself, and you’re not giving these truly valuable training techniques a fair shake. These methods can and do keep people safe, horses dafe, and they simply are NOT abusive in any way, shape, or form. Anyway, cheers! 🙂
He retired his sweet Mindy at 13 because her body was riddled with arthritis. Only 13!!
He needs to read and heed “The Ranger Piece,” by Dr Deb Bennett, but I doubt his ego will allow him to open his cramped little mind.
IMHO, all horse owners, riders, trainers, and breeders should read that article. No horse, of any breed or discipline, should be under saddle before age five. Every single bone has a growth plate at each end, and they aren’t fully closed until five or six years of age. The growth plates in the spine are the LAST to close.
Agreed. http://www.writingofriding.com/in-the-media/download-dr-deb-bennett-on-horse-maturation-rate/
How many horses have you waited to start until they were 5? Theres a lot more to consider than just bone development. If you’ve ever trained a horse you will know exactly what I meqn. A horse developing arthritis at an early age is not neccesarily related to training or work. I knew a girl that had to have her horse put down at age 9 because she developed severe arthritis and that was no longer controllable with medication and injections. The mare was not started under saddle until age 4 and never in any heavy training. She was a young girls 4 H horse. With your theory though every child that plays competitive sports will end up crippled by the age of 30.
NM i train horses give lessons and judge shows (full time). I get on three year olds to walk trot maybe trail ride but they do not start work until the beginning of their fourth year. I get many horses in for “retraining” that were started with the methods that you so admire. They are physically compromised in some cases, turned off work in others, and sometimes just scared shitless. I do not admire CA, just because he had some successful horse that could make it thru his system. Horse are not meant to be subservient to the rider and if you believe that the opposite is true< I hope you do not own a horse. Your horse is partner and should be respected as such and not trained with violence
Actually Mindy was 17 and she was STARTING to show sign of arthritis in one hip.
Since she travels all over the country for YEARS he figured it was time to let her rest.
Does not seem like abuse to me. Sems like a guy who respects the fact that his beloved mare has carried him through some lean times and successful times and now she can rest and relax. She still gets ridden by Clinton often. She just does not have to travel anymore.
Obviously there is a grudge being vocalized here. That’s cool. Everyone is entitles to their opinion. However opinion is not fact. If you watch these videos you can see how quick the release is, how loose the reins are and so on. Personally I find it FUNNY and SAD that all those folks who say “abuse” have horses that are spooky, disrespectful and downright unruly. You can keep your training methods if THAT is the result.
Sure there are bad trainers and abusive trainers out there. Clinton Anderson and his team are NOT in that category at all. The techniques are geared to help the HUMAN understand better and then help the horse to understand. Yes, at times a correction has to be done. One and done. Move on. That is not abuse. I have three horses that I have used Clinton’s approach with. All are solid horses. The last is a BLM mustang who is five. She went from being a real chore to work with to being a joy to work with. It has been about 60 days now and about 20 rides. She looks forward to the work we do and is a great horse NOW.
The proof is in the pudding as they say.
Mindy is still performing at 17. He retired her from competing only, because the stamina of a 13 year old can’t match a 6 year old.
I would never let that guy near my horses
Make sure your kids don’t sdit their pants at age two before you comment !
I am appalled at the reply to my comment. There are more idiots out there following a horse beater and abuser than I thought. I am sure that there are some really nice folks out there that don’t realize what these “methods of training” really are and for them, I can only hope that they learn to question and do their research. There is absolutely NO EXCUSE these days with the Internet and all the information available to learn POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT for crying out loud. Maybe this is why there is an epidemic in Domestic, Child and Animal Abuse! There is NO REASON EVER to use these harsh and unacceptable ways. You can achieve Championships by gentle, positive reinforcement. I know one just off the top of my head, JOHN LYONS. There are more…TOM DORRANCE, RAY HUNT, BUCK BRANNEMAN, SMOKEY BRANNEMAN, PARELLI, and GA WA NI Pony Boy to name just a few. Please don’t waste your time defending CA or the methods that I see being used here.
Say it louder for the people in the back!
As is the problem with most people he gets a way more responsive and light handle on his horses. The kind of person who would post this is one who has too ask or nag their horse too get results. If u font already have a tie down or a shanked bit. If anyone who has started more than one or two colts can say they never had too argue fight or wrestle a horse for the right answer. That means u have released or stopped pressure b4 the desired manuver. He is making performance horses not just starting horses way beyond the basics of colt starting. I gaurintee if u got on one of horses and had a basic idea of how too ride a cow or reining horse you who posted this would say whoa how light the end result is and stick your damn foot in your mouth. If I’m wrong send a vid of you riding a collected correct horse walk trot lope no head toss that u trained, I’m sure you cant Jacob Rassi is my name [email protected] I’d like too see vids of you that went nation wide or horses or meet your thousands of followers. Let me know who you are if u can b negative about some one like that u must have more too offer.
Failed English I see?
If you are okay with this? There is a lot wrong with you.
It does not take wrestling a horse around to make a good horse of any discipline, IF you are a good horseman that is.
Your post speaks for itself.
“Failed English I see?”
Ah how I love this argument. Couldn’t reveal one’s stupidity any clearer.
When you all like to talk about the gentle, natural way; I suggest that you folks go and have a look at horses in the paddock and how they act towards each other there, especially when a new horse joins in. See, that’s the natural way. Stop treating them like they’re humans, they for sure don’t understand to treat you differently just because you’re a human. They will need the manners to be taught to them in the only language that they recognise – their language.
An animal of prey wants who to play and hurt another animal of prey of their size on their own terms is totally different than when a predator and particularly humans decide to deploy the same tactics. I hate seeing a horse corner another and not back off when the chased horse is showing obvious signs of submission (and perhaps never did anything in the first place to warrant any so called discipline). Horses in captivity are usually in small areas relative to wild, and geldings have no place when it comes to natural and wild (none in real/natural herds). The behaviour we see in domesticated pastures are almost entirely unnatural.
Then you have never seen a wild herd. I have. Did rescue for two herds in New Mexico 10 years ago.
When I acquired my 7 y/o quarter horse last year, he was face shy, almost impossible to bit/bridle, would spook at the wind, and wanted nothing to do with anything unfamiliar. He difficult to ride and very reactionary. After 3 months of training with a CA clinician for 2 hours 1x/week, not only is my horse happier, more confident, and fun to ride, I have developed the skills I need to continue working with him safely and productively on my own. NONE of the methods I learned are abusive…infact, my horse trusts people more than ever and will follow me around without a lead rope. A lot of the reactionary behavior 8n “naughty” horses is feat based. By working with them in a firm but l9ving manner they learn to trust people as companions and leaders, and are able to let go of the need to have control. AGAIN, my horse is calm, happy, well behaved and loves people now. CA method WORKS and helps people And horses
After the Friesian was killed in 2013 at his “academy”…I loathe him.
He is cruel beyond belief, and is turning out students who abuse horses too.
its so sad most of you are so negative in your responses… there are positive sides to CA’s method. please try to see them
Hmm.. I would prefer Clinton Anderson first try to see the horse’s point of view but that is unlikely to happen which is really too bad. The horse can teach us so much if we’re willing to pay attention to them instead of forcing our ourselves on them.
We don’t even understand other people, let alone that we would be able to know what goes on in the mind of other species …
Why would horses have points of view? Isn’t that a little bit too anthropocentric to assume? Why not simply leave horses alone altogether? We think we know everything so well, don’t we? But what can we really know?
I can see the appeal of Clinton Anderson’s methods. Step-by-step instructions, tips for every problem and best of all, it actually works (well, most of the time anyway). Horse-friendly, however, CA’s methodology is not. Points to consider IMHO:
1. Whether you believe it or not, but horse training is simply animal learning theory at its best. Horses learn that their behaviour results in desired or undesired outcomes.You can teach horses in different ways, one of them being punishment. While punishment works, it can result in unintended consequences and is certainly not horse-friendly. See this blog entry for more detail: http://goodhorsemanship.ca/natural-horsemanship-2/#sthash.8OKHew91.dpbs
2. There is no dominant horse. Dominance theory used in horse training is actually not founded in science. By definition, dominance is a temporary relationship between two individuals (of the same species) to control resources. You are not a horse so your horse is not dominant (the horse can still have bad behaviours but it has nothing to do with trying to be dominant). Also, the linear hierarchy model is outdated, equine social structure is much more complex. For example, usually every horse in a herd can initiate movement and horses actually tend to avoid confrontation.
3. Biomechanics apply, again whether you believe in it or not. So pulling your horses head to its chest is not healthy and doesn’t help the horse carry a rider properly, whether you are into reining or dressage.
I know the CA believers can’t be convinced not matter what; again learning theory in action (you applied the method and learned that it leads to a desirable outcome). Keep in mind though, an obedient horse isn’t necessarily a willing one! Another question to ask is whether you would like to be your own horse?
Happy trails everyone!
Who are you to be “Trying ” to prove Clinton Anderson’s method wrong? Where did you learn all this crap from?… That one website? You don’t need to bash any method unless you have studied it inside and out! I have been studying Clinton Anderson’s method for years and my horses are willing and respectful companions! Clinton’s method is easy to learn for the owners to help them be all that they want to be. And it works to keep the owners and their horses safe. What qualifications do you have to be bashing anyone?
“Heart attacks are free, mate, so give your horse one!” Spank those buggers who come into your personal space without any respect or just do whatever they please. We’re not talking about parrots; horses can weigh 1000 – 1200 pounds. If we have no problem exterminating 2 million civilians in Iraq, then surely we shouldn’t have any problem either keeping our horses under control. It’s that simple and everything else is just irrelevant emotional blah-blah.
Clinton Anderson is a wannabe commercial wanker ! no skill just money driven bully,, concepts are there but commercial has taken over .. he is no trainer .. he is a Mr fix it for the ladies and make them all go wow. Its amazing how money makes people look good. Watch a real reining trainer if you want to learn anything.
I know a female trainer who says he’s quick and steady method has allowed her to train 100s of horses, including off-the-track thoroughbreds into safe and steady mounts. When I first saw CA I was turned off by his approach (and yes he over-markets), but the more I watched him and others, including Buck Buchanan – there are common threads to their approach. Buck Buchanan and Parelli all use spurs, and the emphasize the correct use of the spurs – not for punishment but for pressure purposes. The difference with CA, I see is his working to get a horse and owner safe with their horse and quickly – this is why the trainer of the rescue horses liked Clinton Anderson’s approach. Bottom line – I won’t write him off and I’m not seeing abuse here – if you think this is abuse – go watch a herd of horses and see the kicking, the bucking and the biting at each other. This is the basic idea behind natural horsemanship is to create leaders of riders by imitating the herd behavior and making you, as the rider/owner the leader of the herd. I’ve learned something from all of these guys and I learned a whole lot more from the female trainer who worked with rescues and how she earned the horses respect – but it’s not abuse – it’s functional/behavioral training with a practical result.
Hey Thomas,
Thanks for sharing your thoughts and experiences. 🙂
To the comparison of Clinton Anderson’s (or anyone’s training methods) to mimicking herd behavior or in contrast to the kicking/biting/etc between horses in a herd; I’ll say only that in a herd situation a horse typically has the option to leave or attempt a full escape from the aggression they receive from other herd members. They may be chased, but they aren’t artificially contained within a round-pen or otherwise hindered from moving away from another horse’s aggression; in situations where they are not able to adequately escape aggressive herd members you’ll typically see high-stress behavior exhibited by these horses. It’s not healthy and it’s not natural.
As a training technique, it’s not useful unless you want your horse to be responding to you out of stress and fear and not because of intelligent choice. Can you train/re-train horses to submit to human commands with Clinton Anderson’s methods? Yes, absolutely. Do these methods foster intelligent choice on the part of the horse? No, not exactly.
I feel it’s abusive to subject an animal to any forced pain or high-level stress that they’re unable to escape from; regardless of the motivation behind it. For many clinicians the motivation is to appeal to horse owners who aren’t educated/skilled enough or have become afraid of their horses and are looking for an immediate or relatively easy fix. Even if it comes at the cost of the horse’s welfare.
Thank you so much for this comment! There is nothing natural about the way he trains, no matter how many times he says it. In wild herds (which I have studied) there are more positive than negative associations within the herd. You definitely will see some aggression from one horse to another, which is usually resource guarding (aka food, territory, mates, etc.) but the horse can ALWAYS get away from that aggression. Whereas in Clinton’s methods he tries to be the “dominant horse” in the herd by chasing the horse in a confined area to gain his “respect” while the horse is actually trying to do what is natural and escape the pressure.
Clinton Anderson and his staff seem to be leaving a lot of incognito replies on this blog ;o)
I have read the above comments and can’t really believe so many people think Clinton Anderson is abusive to horses. Do many of you know the history of how horses use to be broken to ride? They would tie them to a post and throw a saddle on and ride them till they gave up!!!! I’m pretty sure the horse prefers his method over pure exhaustion and sometimes death!
The fact that training used to be *more* abusive than it is now, as standard practice, doesn’t discount the fact that abuse still occurs. That would be like arguing that racism doesn’t exist because race-based slavery isn’t a standard institution in the United States today. It’s still here, the flavor has changed. Horse abuse is still here, it’s just a different flavor.
Horses will not love or trust you without respect. Respect has to be achieved by speaking the horses language so they can understand. Horses display there way communication for all to see in the paddock by making a pecking order. I can guess horses owned by most of you CA opposers are sour show no respect and the only reason you can’t see otherwise is because you have never interacted with a respectful trusting horse. Clinton Anderson does not abuse in any way to my eyes. The horses always have the option and a way out. Take a pen for example Clinton never traps his horses in the corner and beats them senseless. If he ever has to use force they always have somewhere to go and his timing and feel is superior to nearly anyone else in world meaning his release of pressure at exactly the right time will let the horse no he is doing something right. While riding Clinton has some of the softest hands in the world. And again his unrivalled timing means he can increase and release pressure at times to create the best horse. And he is training a performance horse! Not a brumby some person wants to walk trot and canter around on his discipline involves advanced meneuvoures none of you Clinton haters would be able to do. And yes some of these exercises may be challenging but this is only so when the pressure is released the horse is even more relaxed. say you want to be a 4km runner. If you only ever run 4km you will never reach your full potential. you have to push yourself harder and run say 10km so the 4km is just like a breeze.this is why Clinton practises these exercises. And sure if these techniques were practised straight up by a novice they may lead to a scared horse because they will have the timing of a duck and the horse won’t be able to tell right from wrong and become confused. However as i have said with CA his timing is perfect so these practices allow him to train his horses to the highest level and the complete opposite to scared as shown by his amazing liberty work that he achieves by making it the best option for the horse to be with him. Therefore he will have a lifelong partner. Btw incase of any attacks i have started well over 50 horses using a range of techniques Thank you for reading this. I am not criticising your opinions but simply expressing my own.
Wow if you think Clinton is abusive don’t watch any other competitive trainer train EVER! He is by far the kindest professional trainer I have seen in a long time.
I don’t even understand this argument. Because he’s less abusive than other trainers he is a-ok?
You got that right!
I believe he is not abusive at all and by you watching these other trainers you will see what abuse really looks like. However your opinion is he is abusive and I don’t think anything you see or here will change that.
You assume I have not watched any other competitive trainer.. which is a falsehood. I see abuse in other trainers, Clinton Anderson isn’t the first or only trainer I’ve criticized for abusing horses.
You are obviously happy and find success for your level using your training methods. You may have either got lucky and have two naturally safe and respectful horses or you may have never experienced what a well trained horse is supposed to be like. But a horses
brain does not work anything like a humans they do not love you because you give them lots of pats and cuddles i obv still do this but I have to be cautious I am maintaining my alpha rank to keep myself safe. And for me my safety always comes before the horse. To create a ‘bond’
you first have to establish yourself as
a leader. Abuse is when the horse is no longer disrespectful and they are
trying there hardest but you continue
to dominate them. CA does not do
this and he gives them great release
which then leaves him with a loyal,
respectful, trusting horse.
A group of young 4h kids from the group I’m associated with went to see Clinton at the National Equestrian Center near St Louis Mo. They were disappointed in his language and even one of the dads who is a retired truck driver got tired of the f-bombs and left. I had hear from several of them as well as others that I knew that were there that it appeared that he was drinking/drunk. The further into the event the worse it got. None of these people are overly sensitive but there comes a point where it just doesn’t come across as professional.
I had seen CA in DeQuoin Illinois last year and found his event informational and interesting at least. There was the occasional 4 lettered word but nothing like this.
I hope whatever his issue is or was he is able to get a handle on it.
I have been with horses the past 45 years. Yes I do Pat Parelli, but only what suits me and my horse, I see a lot of Clinton’s stuff that will work, at least he explains better than Pat. I just have 1 question for him. Why do all the horses you ride throw their heads down. Yes I understand that the horse should not bring its head up but at least it should be in alignment with its body, Having its head down there makes for an extremely uncomfortable ride. Can you please explain this to me
What an egotistical wanker! I used to ride competitively – but have given it as no matter what discipline you look at these days – it is all fuelled by human ego.
Clinton Anderson handles these horses roughly because he simply does not know how to get a horse soft without bully tactics. A real horseman doesn’t need to resort to these methods. Quite simply Clinton isn’t really a horseman. The internet and equally clueless horse people have given him his fame. He will disapper eventually and he forgotten and leave real horse training up to the professionals.
Well, every rider has a free will and can choose the trainer to follow. The horse not. Until the people remain blind and disconnected from the basic compassion towards the living beings, they cannot differentiate between a learned helplessness and a willing friendly horse. Horses in a state of a learned helplessness are usually safe – they only have empty eyes and in a survival mode. The movement lacks expression joy and playfulness – basically ideal for the western pleasure discipline. You just break your horse, makes it understand that any attempt for discussion is heavily punished, establish a basic “steering” communication and that’s it. Slavery has been successful for ages on various kind of creatures, humans included. Everyone has a free will how to spend the given time. Having the opportunity to receive a great gift – the heart of a horse given from his/her free will is one of the greatest life experiences. Only one issue with that is, that it demands a huge work on oneself. Yes, the horse needs a leader. But a dominant aggressive human is in no way a leader. If a horse meets a leader, the horse follows – because a leader possess certain qualities which a horse can see immediately and knows that here is the home and safety. Aggression comes from fear – the horses know it. Please do not confuse an empty obeying for the trust. A beaten child will be a good obeying child – in the same way as a horse will. But no one ever would call such a child trusting. It is just so much easier to break a horse than to become a human worth to be followed by a horse as the freedom born on the Earth running with the wind. Because this is what horses soul is – and a rider with a broken horse will never fly with his companion. But every one has a free will what to do with own time….
You know, I like to watch guys like this working with their horses. They don’t take crap from their animals like others do that then wonder why their horse won’t do what they want or are acting up. The horse has thicker skin than you, Miss Franz. He takes a middle approach with horses, not too sweet-walkalloveryou-niceness and not too hard, unless he has to be. If it’s a matter of not if but when that horse will kill someone, he will take a harder approach. Two year olds can be rebellious teens; you gotta show them who’s boss and get their respect.
I read through most of every comment here. Some are utterly ridiculous. So many experts on the subject. Myself, I own a ranch in North Dakota and have been around horses all my life and I am still a beginner. If your not learning you should quit. If all you can do is criticize and not learn you should quit. Are we talking about horses or is this a political blog of democrats vs. republicans. I am republican if you need to ask.
Thank you for posting the blog. It encouraged mEVEN MORE to work with Clinton’s “Method”. He’s awesome!
I have read your article, and your comment about how you think because you were near a horse when you were 9, love I have been around Horses since I could walk that kind of eclipses your comment, have bred our own educated them and done everything they require from bringing them into the world and assisting them on their way out and everything in between, I am or was considered quite talented with regard to horsemanship and training them. However Clinton Anderson has a level beyond which I can appreciate and see and understand how his methods work, you are showing your ignorance due to the fact you have no understanding as to how his methodology brings the best out of a horse. I am thinking you need to visit spec savers or take your childish jealousy to a psychologist and have it dealt with, you are quite obviously a childish yank trying to build yourself on the ashes of a person who to be honest leaves you in the dust. There is no hope for people like you I guess you have no friends only people who you whinge at and abuse, sad people they maybe aren’t they we see them in movies you are the yard bully who ends up with egg on their face.
For those who would like to criticize, I would ask if you have achieved a similar level of notoriety and success in ANY aspect of your life. If people nationwide know your name in respect to your field of speciality then maybe you have the clout to weigh in a negative opinion.
As members of a dying artform we should all be encouraging other horseman of all levels to improve themselves. I teach very new riders, I’m taught and informed by many locally known horseman who are informed by those yet higher up. Clinton Anderson is on that same chain and surely like all of us has more to learn but I certainly am in no position to pass a hard judgment on his methods nor is anyone I have read in this blog as I have never heard of any of your names!
There is a method for every purpose, take what works for you and go with it and let the rest of the horse world do the same.
Good day and God bless!
CA said horses are naturally lazy. Why? Because out in the wild they don’t go around doing performance turns and trots all the time? Horses don’t go walking and running around with their heads down all the time but these elite performance horses keep their heads down. Why do humans always have to take something naturally beautiful and make it artificial? It seems to me that it is just all about humans having to prove how important and dominant they are. Congrats. Well done. You turned a horse into a robot with the personality of a potato and natural zest kicked out of it. Also, doesn’t all that sudden stopping like that wear out their feet and legs? That’s a lot of impact and abrasion.