Slideshow from Eugene!

The NWRCHA Show in Eugene...

...was a great success! Blake showed both Giselle and Kimmy and did awesome on both, becoming a money earner in his first horse show. Rachel showed Napoleon one handed in the bridle in the youth reining and youth limited getting second in the youth reining earning Napoleon half an AQHA point! Sierra won money on Franky in the youth limited, marking a 72 the last day on the cow! Alisa did awesome on Ruby both in the reinwork and cowwork marking a 70 on the cow! Emily got her feet wet in the Open Reining on Okie and Sox and I won the Open Herd work and had a great time doing it!

Eugene Here We Come!

When it comes time to perform trust your training. If you have worked hard in your preparation then you should be confident. And as silly as it may sound, just before you show, a self affirmation reminding yourself of precisely that can do yourself good. You should struggle and work hard during practice time. When show time hits you should go with the flow and let your training show through. The work is already done, stop working, be deliberate in your actions without over thinking technical aspects. If your technique has not been worked out through your training it will not miraculously come together when you show. Go forth and show with ease and confidence!
Allison

HorseWorks

In the past 4 weeks I have been reminded why I love what I do so much, and I think that most of that has been because of HorseWorks. It has been so refreshing to be able to investigate the philosophies and principles that horse training is built upon with such great students! Sometimes I get so caught up in my training and lesson schedule that you aren't able to convey the really critical concepts that will really make the difference in a person's relationship with their horse. It is so true that by teaching, you remember so many things you forgot you knew, and sometimes learn more than the students. I am very thankful to have this opportunity and appreciate so much everyone who is participating! If you haven't joined us yet, you are always welcome and the past lectures are available to website members both in video and in links and handouts.

Click Here for Schedule!

What are your goals for 2010?

I want to use this Blog as a discussion forum.... I want to be able to help you in your journey of becoming the rider you have always wanted to be! In 2010, my goal is to focus on my Cow Cuttin Colonel babies. I want to do all that I can to give them the chance that they deserve to be in the showpen! It is so important to have a goal that you can reference if you are trying to make decisions throughout the year. What is your goal for 2010?

Thought of the Week!

Thought for the Week “…ten thousand hours of practice is required to achieve the level of mastery associated with being a world-class expert – in anything,” writes neurologist Daniel Levitin. No one has yet found a case in which true world class expertise was accomplished in less time. It seems that it takes the brain this long to assimilate all that it needs to know to achieve true mastery. Ten thousand hours of practice takes roughly ten years of hard practice (Only the legendary Bobby Fisher got to an elite level in less than that amount of time: it took him nine years) - Excerpt from Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell
Remember that horse training is a process that takes experience and knowledge. The most wonderful thing about training horses is that no matter your level of accomplishment, there is always room for growth! Enjoy your horses today! ~ Allison

Fun on the Hydrabull!

Blake, Emily and I took Okie, Sox, Kimmy, Ellie, June and Giselle to Curt Storbakken's to work the hydrabull yesterday and had a BLAST! I forgot how fun it is to train on and how great it is to have Curt's vast knowledge. I always find it warming when I visit to see how much Curt truly loves horses. He always has something nice to say about every horse and I love that about Curt. What a great person..... The Battle to Get Cattle is a past On the Plus Side article I wrote that talks about Curt and the Hydrabull!