Master horseman Ray Hunt held a 3-day clinic at La Cense Montana on June 11th-13th. Students came from as far away as Ottawa, Canada and Quincy, Illinois, for the opportunity to learn from this revered horseman.
Ray has a way of saying a lot with few words:
"Make the wrong thing difficult, and the right thing easy."
"If the horse is right on his feet, he'll be right on his head."
"Recognize the smallest change, the slightest try."
"Believe in your horse so your horse can believe in you."
"Let your idea become the horse's idea."
The mornings were devoted to Horsemanship with Ray helping the students learn to get in harmony with their horses. Ray explained that the horse is always right, and that horses don't have a dishonest bone in their body. He noted, "That's hard for humans to learn. They think the horse is trying to get away with something. The horse doesn't know how to get away with anything." The challenge is to effectively communicate with your horse so that he truly understands what you are asking of him.
Cow Working was the topic for the afternoon sessions with Ray tying in the lessons from the morning Horsemanship sessions to teach the students how being in harmony with your horse allows you and your horse to more effectively read and control the cow.
Three days of submersion into Ray Hunt's philosophy of horsemanship left the students with a lot to think about. "The horse will teach you if you'll listen."