At Sentinel Oak Farm, we use a very eclectic approach to working with and training our horses. I grew up with horses, both of my parents rode, as did my grandparents. The horses I rode as a kid have a lot to do with my horsemanship today. As a kid, you have no illusions about “making” a horse do anything, so I learned how to work with them to succeed. I have also been fortunate to study with some of the best horsemen out there- Liz Graves and Bucky Sparks in particular, have had a dramatic influence. I also apply the principles of Bill and Tom Dorrance, Ray Hunt, Buck Brannaman, Lynn Miller, and Dan Aadland. I have spent a lot of time thinking about horse anatomy with Dave Genedek, Liz Graves and Dr. Deb Bennett- especially useful are Dr. Deb’s conformation books. I have had the good fortune to surround myself with some really wonderful horsemen over the years, whom even though they might not consider themselves horse trainers, they have had a positive and beneficial impact on my own approach. These good folks are too numerous to mention, but you know who you are, and I thank you for sharing your knowledge and enthusiasm for the horse. Lastly, my parents, Marshall and Sherry for keeping a horse around when I was young and instilling a deep love of horses in me. You gave me enough handle to get along with a horse and then enough independence to figure the rest out on my own.

I think that success in working with horses involves Feel, Balance, Engagement, Unity, and Lightness.

The goal of our training program is to develop trust and confidence of the horse while maintaining their lightness. If you watch young horses, they are so full of life and lightness- and this is part of what we are trying to maintain as we start them under saddle. To do this, we apply feel, the give and take of touch that helps to make our idea the horse’s idea.

We generally spend 30 days or so on groundwork. As a part of their groundwork training, we also harness and ground drive our horses. Ground driving extends our feel through the lines, allowing us to work at a distance from the horse. Working from behind with blinders, horses cannot see us, and so they start to develop their confidence of being out on their own, without the security of being near another horse or a human being. This is also safer for us, and allows us to get the horses out in the hills exposing young colts to the outdoor stimuli. The various straps, britchin and jingle of chains familiarizes our young stock to touch all over their body. These experiences develop a horses mind so they are difficult to get over exposed later in life.

We wait until we feel the horse is ready and then we start them under saddle and as soon as we can, get them out into the hills. This is where our horses are meant to be used. Otherwise, the arena and roundpen quickly can become a crutch. Fortunately, all of our time invested in groundwork and driving pays big dividends—by this time, the horses are so ready to get out and see new country. We keep the rides short and interesting, always keeping their enthusiasm and interest up.