There was a lot of Californio Style riding and stock handling on the ranch when I was a boy. It was known as the Pacific Slope where I was from. I found out that when a job has to get done, it doesn’t get done right, or even at all, unless you can really count on a good connection with your horse.

I made a load of mistakes and, eventually, got the point: Serious partnering with a horse means you’ll want to develop an unmistakable, two-way feel. Whether you are working with horses, cattle, people, or all three, a certain amount of feel is needed. There is the feel you are presenting, and also the feel you are receiving back.

After working horseback over 30 years, I could finally observe the little things about a horse’s try, I could appreciate his point of view much better. Learning to see my actions more clearly from another perspective brought me to the point where I now recognize the moments when the horse, or cow or person needs a thing to be obvious. It feels better when the wrong things show up a lot less often. I work in Europe and the United States,
helping others learn to slow down, see more, think more, and get more done, by doing less.

 

I make my home in Stevensville, Montana, with my wife, Eve Deering, and my two youngest sons, William and Zane.