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Rocking T bar C Horse Training Philosophy
The Rocking T Bar C Ranch is dedicated to the production of quality Missouri Fox Trotting Horses. We work to ensure that, first and foremost, every horse has a gentle, sweet, and mellow disposition. Next, we concentrate on smooth gaits. Conformation and color are also important considerations for our Fox Trotters. Finally, we emphasize good bloodlines. All of these desirable traits start with the proper match of mare and stallion. We have been fortunate to have had access to three quality stallions in our Northern New Mexico area. Unfortunately, two of these fine performers, Paintbrush’s Eclipse and Prince Diamond Jubilee, have recently died. Our primary stallion is now Bar D’s Top Gun from the Check Six Ranch in Springer, New Mexico. This beautiful Palomino and White Tobianio manifests all of the above listed traits and provides a perfect match with our two primary brood mares. Training at the Rocking T Bar C Ranch starts the moment a newborn foal hits the ground. We are firm believers in "imprinting". In our opinion, this is where our mutual trust and friendship start. Our foals get daily loving hands laid on them especially in the first months of their lives. We can’t take all of the credit however, a well-mannered, gentle, mother goes a long way in teaching her foal how to get along with others in the world and on the ranch! Our foals are weaned at four to five months of age. The mares are close by observing their fledglings undergoing simple halter and trailer loading training around six months of age. "BREAKING" is a term that is not used on the T Bar C. Serious TRAINING for our colts and fillies commences at the age of about two years. Techniques used are a combination of gentling ideas borrowed from famous trainers such as John Lyons, Pat Parelli, Richard Sharke, Monte Roberts, and Craig Cameron. Approximately a month of round pen work includes, sacking, saddle training and long reining from the ground. They are taught to pony with other horses. The trainees learn to respond to verbal and hand signals. They are then exposed to new environments outside the round pen while long reining, such as roads, vehicles, woods, water, logs, dogs etc. They are started with a caisson halter and then introduced to a snaffle gag bit for their initial training. Later we use a side-pull bridle with a snaffle bit before switching to a standard D-ring snaffle bit. Most of our horses have had at least two months of groundwork before we try to ride them. We know they are ready to ride before we ever mount. As an extra precaution, however, we pony them on the first ride. We are fortunate to have never had a horse buck on its first ride. We intend to keep it that way. Once we have gotten in the saddle we ride the trainee every day for 30 days. Training alternates between the round pen, the riding arena and in the mountains. Over half of the first 30 days training is spent on mountain trails in the Carson National Forest bordering our property. We try to expose them to every possible scary element possible. (Of course, there’s always going to be that ‘killer rock’ that jumps out at them after they have ridden past it a hundred times!) After the initial 30 days of riding we start working on the gaits. Most of this training takes place in our 100 X 200 ft arena. Each horse is different. Some go right into a natural fox trot; others require more work. We work to perfect the flat foot walk before moving on to the fox trot. This may take a month or more. A smooth fox trot is the goal for all of our horses. One technique that we have successfully used to break up a pace tendency is to spread wooden fence posts about five feet apart and trot them over the row of posts. We have found that some horses will fox trot more readily while going down a slight incline. We have the perfect road for this. Occasionally, training weights are needed on the front legs. We do not use weighted shoes or caustic chains. Once a horse finds the fox trot we strive to keep them in it until it becomes natural to them and their preferred gait. We have had nice horses that prefer the running walk to the fox trot. This is generally a smoother gait than the fox trot. If the horse is to be used for pleasure or trail riding and not intended for show we settle for the comfortable running walk. The pace or hard trot are never acceptable. With proper breeding selection, problems are rarely encountered. As previously stated a gentle disposition goes a long way on the Rocking T Bar C Ranch and add to the true “pleasure” of these beautiful pleasure horses!
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