The purpose of this site is to inspire more people learn how to preserve and develop the deep goodness in horses that is evident when they are trained with respect for their instincts and natural ways, using feel. When this is kept clearly in mind, and great care is taken during the handling of a horse's body and sensitive mental setup, a horseman's finest experience is assured.

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This video collection contains examples of groundwork and mounted exercises that demonstrate the use of feel-based training techniques that Bill Dorrance shared with his students. You will see casual work sessions, portions of clinics and shorter snippets from private coaching sessions with Leslie and her students. Before the end of the year, videos of Bill Dorrance in action on horseback at the Pebble Beach clinic in 1997 will also be shown here. 

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There is nothing quite like the experience of a feel-based connection to a horse's mind and moving parts. Bill spoke and wrote so much about the techniques that he used on the ground and from his saddle horse because he wanted people to understand it was possible to learn how to handle and ride horses this way.

 

In 1999, Bill presented his philosophy and outlined his training methods in extensive written detail, accompanied by hundreds of illustrations and photographs in his training manual, "True Horsemanship Through Feel". It went out of print in 2013, but some new and used copies can still be found online.

 

If a person wants to become good at the skills needed to train horses this way, Bill said that person must have three main things operating at the same time. 

 

First, you need to have what he called "a burning desire" to learn.

 

Second, a person needs enough time to learn how a well-timed feel and release that a horse can understand must be offered. After that, an unknown amount of time will be spent acquiring extra knowledge about how to adapt these techniques to an individual horse and situation. Many time-consuming variations and adjustments enter into this. It will depend on the horse and the circumstances you are in at the time, which are different for each person, and always changing. This is the reason that making the time available for the study and practice of this approach is so important.

 

The third piece of the puzzle you must have in place is a coach. That person is the right one for the job if the learner starts developing what Bill called, "a fella's better feel".

 

The information on these pages is meant to inspire and support you in the best ways possible on your journey with horses. With Bill's formula in place and a bit of luck, the tools and encouragement provided here can be expected to bring you a few steps closer to your goal. 

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Your questions and progress reports are always welcome.

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Best wishes,

 

Leslie Desmond