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Colt Starting Clinic The Colt Starting Clinic held at CHHR on March 8 and 9 was a raging success as Oklahoma clinician Don Knapp helped  five participants to start their young horses under saddle. Rather than simply auditing the clinic, two other participants handled yearling colts, readying them for saddling later this year. Everyone agreed it was the easiest, most unstressful and most rewarding "colt breaking" episode they had ever participated in. Click the little camera below to see riders, their horses, and their stories. We're planning a follow-up clinic in a couple of months.
Jennifer Barnett's ranch manager Danny prepares to mount a very young two-year-old who is fresh off the range. Ginger handled it like an old pro. Although she didn't get to ride, Peggy Fry spent some quality ground time with Paddy Rey at the clinic. Here Peggy teaches the filly about respecting "my space." Paddy Rey has had minimal handling, having just recently come off a big ranch in Oklahoma where she was range raised. There were some short lived explosions . . . this one when Hansum took exception to being ponied by Don. Here we are, after lunch cooked by CHHR owner Tad Corgill, basking in the glow of our successes. Front row, l to r, Don Knapp, Beth Bennett, TJ Corgill. Back row, l to r, Peggy Fry, Sharon Brewster, Jennifer Barnett, Kay Prince and MaryJo Flaherty. Sharon and MaryJo were our participants who handled the yearlings on the first day of the clinic. To begin with Chilly didn't much like the back girth on Don's saddle! Kay and TJ are all smiles after their very successful first rides on Hansum and Chilly. Only the day before this photo was taken, Hansum had been hauled into CHHR as an un-halter-broken three-year-old stud colt! And although Chilly was raised at CHHR, he has always been quite a character to handle. Both were perfect gentlemen and seemed to enjoy being ridden as Don Knapp guided us through the Colt Starting Clinic. Don also worked with Beth Bennett and her older gelding Sherman who didn't like getting close to other horses without showing aggression. In a very short time Sherman was interacting with the other horses in a very relaxed manner. Here he "hangs out" with Jennifer Barnett who is riding her two-year-old for only the second time. After initial ground work with the youngsters, Don used his steady mount to pony us for awhile. Next he rode side-by-side with us, then we were on our own! Here TJ has just mounted Chilly for the first time. Don does ground work with Peggy Fry's new three-year-old filly Paddy Rey. She only participated in the first day of the clinic, but could have probably ridden her on the second day! This was the very first ride for TJ Corgill on her used-to-be-jumpy two-year-old Face It Im Chilly, and for Kay Prince on her newly purchased diamond-in-the-rough three-year-old Paddy O Pep, "Hansum". Look how relaxed everyone is!