At the end of April, Downunder Horsemanship donated $1,000 to sponsor the annual Bowl for Kids' Sake that benefits Big Brothers Big Sisters of Erath County. Big Brothers Big Sisters is a nationwide nonprofit organization that matches at-risk youths with caring, adult role models. When Downunder Horsemanship team member Jim Burkhead, who is an active Big Brother, approached Clinton about the company getting involved with the event, Clinton gave his full support. Not only did Downunder Horsemanship sponsor the event, but Jim rounded up five other employees to form a bowling team. Jim, along with Trisha Cantrell (Production Coordinator), Mark Tarver (Events Manager and Certified Clinician), Brittney Chamberlain (Events Coordinator), Chad Rasberry (Shipping Coordinator) and Michelle Stone (Accountant), represented Downunder at Lone Star Lanes in Stephenville for two games of bowling. Along with the team bowling competition, the event also featured a silent auction and awards were given out to participants in a variety of categories that included the most spirited bowler and the best bowler. At the end of the day, the Downunder crew was recognized for having raised the most money for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Erath County, and they had a lot of fun doing it!

We have great news for our Texas fans - RFD-TV will now be distributed by Charter Communications in the Fort Worth area. That means if your cable provider is Charter, you'll be able to watch our award-winning episodes of Downunder Horsemanship. All of the RFD-TV programmers in the Texas/Oklahoma area, including Downunder Horsemanship, worked together over the past two years to write letters, make calls and show support to convince Charter to carry RFD-TV. Our efforts paid off, and now it's time to celebrate!

RFD-TV and many of its programmers will gather in the Fort Worth Stockyards May 16th to commemorate the accomplishment, and we're inviting you to join the fun. The festivities will start at 11 AM and include the opportunity to meet the stars of RFD-TV, witness a cattle drive down the historic streets of the stockyards, watch demonstrations and partake in live entertainment. At noon, RFD-TV will hold an hour-long press conference on the steps of the Livestock Exchange Building and will conclude the day with a BBQ lunch that will run until 3 PM.

Join us and our fellow programmers for a day of entertainment and education. Be sure to wear your No Worries Club gear to show your support for Clinton and stop by the Downunder Horsemanship booth to receive a free t-shirt!

For more information about the Stockyards and directions to the Livestock Exchange Building, visit Fortworthstockyards.org.

Each year, a group of colts bred for their outstanding bloodlines, conformation, athletic ability and willing dispositions start their training as Clinton Anderson Performance Horses. While each of the colts has been bred for a successful future in the show pen, the reality is that not all of them live up to their potential. By the time the horses reach their 3-year-old year, Clinton has three or four talented individuals selected from the group to campaign as futurity horses. (The others that don't make the Performance Horse program begin careers as Signature Horses.) 

Clinton just made his first round of cuts to the 2-year-olds. "I'm looking for the colt that says, ‘Pick me! Pick me!' I want the teacher's pet - the little boy or girl sitting at the front of the classroom, eyes on the teacher, hands folded, just begging to learn," Clinton shares.

As he makes cuts, one of the things he keeps in mind is that there are horses for courses. Just like people, horses' attitudes and abilities vary from one to the other. Some horses are more naturally talented at a certain task than others. Not every horse suits every course. "For example, I breed reining and cow horses, but not every horse I breed wants to be a reining or cow horse. Some of them want to be barrel racers and others want to do team penning," Clinton explains. "Just because a horse is bred to do a certain job, it doesn't mean that individual wants to do that job. Your task is to find a course that fits the horse."

Horses are a million times happier in their partnership with you and performing their job if they like what they're doing. "A horse that loves the challenge of working cattle on a ranch probably wouldn't be well-suited at performing a dressage test. A horse that dreams of jumping fences isn't going to be happy doing a reining pattern," Clinton says. "People are the same way. If you like crunching numbers and analyzing problems, you wouldn't be happy working on an assembly line in a factory."

Read about Clinton Anderson Performance Horses and how Clinton determines which horses make the program on our website by clicking on the articles listed.

A horse that constantly moves around when you go to slip your foot in the stirrup is not only frustrating, but potentially dangerous. A respectful horse stands quietly while you mount and waits for your cue to move off once you're situated in the saddle. When most people come to me with mounting troubles, they all share a similar habit - they get on their horses and instantly go somewhere. Pretty soon, the horse figures why wait for the rider to tell me to move? I'll just move when she gets on me. Then he says to himself, why wait for her to get on me? I'll just start going when she brings me next to the mounting block. Before long you have a horse that won't stand still next to the mounting block because horses know what we're going to do before we actually do it.

Whenever I get on my horses, I do nothing but lateral flexing for the first three to four minutes. I bend their heads from side to side before I ask them to move off. Not only does this get them really soft, but they start to anticipate it every ride. If you have a horse that constantly walks off when you mount, you'll be amazed at the end of one week how quietly he'll stand if you do lateral flexing every time you get on. Teach your horse that when you get on, he needs to stand there and wait. That way, the last thing he will expect you to do is to walk off straightaway.

Yoshihiro Sugita, an editor of Equus, a Japanese horse riding publication, recently visited the Downunder Horsemanship Ranch to interview Professional Clinician Shana Terry. The publication traveled to the United States to cover this year's Road to the Horse, and one of its points of interests was that two women trainers were competing for the title of "world champion of colt starting." Following its coverage of Road to the Horse, Equus wanted to feature top female clinicians in upcoming issues, which is when Shana's name came up. The Professional Clinician started studying the Method when she was 13 and began an apprenticeship with Clinton in 2006 after she graduated college. As a Professional Clinician, Shana teaches horsemanship clinics at the ranch and puts on a trick training demonstration at Walkabout Tours. Read Shana's full bio on her website.

If you ever need assistance with your No Worries Club membership, we're here to help. Our NWC rep Ash Rowen studies the Method just like you and uses it daily on her personal horse. (Learn more about Ash in the Spring 2012 NWC Journal) Ash logs on to the NWC website during the week, peruses the forums, and can be found assisting members in the club booth at Walkabout Tours. For club support, contact Ash directly at ash@downunderhorsemanship.com or 888-287-7432 X 8109. You can reach Ash in the office Monday thru Friday, 8 AM to 5 PM.

With the Fundamentals, Intermediate and Advanced Series, Clinton has laid out a step-by-step guide to putting a solid foundation on a horse in order to succeed in any discipline. However, Clinton's instruction doesn't stop there. Did you know that the world-renowned clinician has specific training series geared toward select disciplines?

In Gaited Horsemanship Clinton works exclusively with two gaited horses on opposite ends of the training spectrum - one is hot and reactive and the other is lazy and dull. Filmed as a training diary, Clinton takes you step-by-step through the retraining process of the two horses while dispelling common myths surrounding gaited breeds. You'll see firsthand that there are no tricks or gimmicks to getting a horse to gait - it all boils down to establishing a solid foundation that starts with groundwork and gaining the horse's respect. Learn more.

One of our largest crowds of the year gathered in Redmond, Oregon to spend the weekend learning from Clinton and witnessing the results of the Method. The crowd was not only quick to interact with Clinton, but helped support Healing Reins Therapeutic Riding Center through the Ritchie Ball Charity Toss, raising $6,000 for the nonprofit organization that is a PATH International Premier Accredited Center.

Relive the weekend of innovation, inspiration and instruction!

Teaching your horse how to cross over a tarp gets him used to stepping onto an object that moves and makes a noise. Anytime your horse will respect and trust you to move over something that moves and makes a noise, it's a great sign that he's using the thinking side of his brain.

Initially, it's important to fold the tarp up into a narrow strip so that you can establish a starting point your horse can handle. The narrower the tarp is, the less scary it is to your horse. Remember, the secret to training horses is to establish a starting point the horse can handle and then build from there. Always start with the obstacle close to the fence so that the horse can't run out to the side. As the horse's confidence grows, you can progress to having him cross the entire tarp out in the open.

Clinton's first clinic of the year starts next Tuesday. Thirty participants, 12 of whom are applying for the Academy, will spend 10 days under Clinton's tutelage, soaking up the Fundamentals level of the Method. While Clinton's Aussie-wit and personality ensure clinics are fun, instruction and improvement of horse and rider are the main focus of the clinic. In fact, past participants call clinics with Clinton the hardest fun you'll ever have with your horse. Throughout the course of the clinic, participants will learn 30 exercises, working in the arena and then testing their skills on the trail. By the second week of instruction, Clinton will have participants doing groundwork with their horses over the obstacle course on the ranch. Discover more about Downunder Horsemanship clinics on our website.