Where Is The Comfort?

One of the primary motivators for horses is comfort. They are always seeking comfort. Everything we do with our horses affects their comfort level in some way. When you are riding and simply ask your horse to turn left, you have affected his comfort level by applying pressure from your rein, bit, or leg. You have created a situation of misalignment or off-balance between you and your horse. This is a signal to your horse that you desire a change. You cannot force your horse to turn left if he does not want to, however you have made it a bit uncomfortable for him to continue on a straight line. He has learned through experience that when he feels this particular movement from you, if he turns left he will find comfort once again. Once he turns left the pressure, no matter how light, is eliminated and he is back in a position of alignment and balance between your legs and reins.
Even if you were riding bridleless and bareback you would still change something about your focus, weight and body position in order to ask for a change of direction or speed. However slight this shift in your body may be, it is felt by your horse as a small degree of discomfort which is enough for him to seek the answer to his constant question, “Where is the comfort?” Once your horse finds the correct answer to your request then your request ceases and he finds his comfort again.
It is our responsibility to always offer our horse the promise of release or comfort. The only way he knows he has done the right thing is if you give him the release he deserves. If you are constantly holding him in position and mechanically managing him into every movement then where is his reward of release and comfort? How can you ever achieve partnership and self-carriage if you never let go?
Train yourself to look for every opportunity to release your horse. You may have to almost immediately pick up your aids again to correct him in the movement but, at least, you gave him a momentary release when he deserved it. This release is vital to keeping your horse interested and engaged mentally with you. Without the release your horse develops the attitude of, “What’s the use of even trying to figure out what is being asked of me? My rider will never give me a release anyway.”
Think in terms of asking your horse to move into the promise of your release rather than thinking about him moving away from your pressure. Promise your horse that you will always release him when he is doing the right thing. By release, I mean soften and lower your hands, take your legs off and let them hang like wet towels along his sides and make sure your weight is even in your seat bones and stirrups.
Trust your horse to learn and he will want to learn. You will become partners, connected and moving together seamlessly and gracefully.

Written By: Ed Dabney
January 6, 2014

ENGEA adopts Dabney Gentle Horsemanship Training Program

ENGEA is a huge national Italian agency which coordinates many equestrian activities along with offering training courses for the licensing of horseback trekking guides and riding instructors.  Their membership includes 3,000 licensed guides and instructors along with over 30,000 regular members who are involved with horseback riding and other equestrian activities.

Mauro Testarella, the president of ENGEA, recently announced that ENGEA has officially adopted the Dabney Gentle Horsemanship training program as the authorized method of handling, training and riding horses.  Sponsored by ENGEA, Ed will be conducting numerous horsemanship and riding clinics throughout Italy to introduce the Six Keys to Harmony program and immerse ENGEA members in Gentle Horsemanship training.

left to right - Mauro Testarella,
President of ENGEA,
Ed Dabney, Franco Barbagallo

"I am deeply honored that ENGEA has chosen Dabney Gentle Horsemanship to conduct their upper level training program.  I am sincerely grateful for the confidence President Testarella has shown in me and our training methods.  I am certainly looking forward to a long and productive association with ENGEA."

After the conclusion of the first two ENGEA sponsored Dabney Gentle Horsemanship clinics in Italy in June, President Testarella awarded Ed with the highest Five Star level Certification of ENGEA Superior Instructor "ad honorem". This is quite an esteemed honor as there are only a few instructors in all of Italy who hold the Five Star Certification.

Cattle Drive - Frequently Asked Questions

Average distance covered in a day? Hours in saddle?

Since this cattle drive is designed for horses and riders who have no previous cattle experience, we'll start the first morning by having a short instructional session regarding proper methods for gathering and moving cattle. Then we will ride out from camp to a remote pasture to begin gathering the cattle which will be loose and scattered over a large pasture. When the herd is gathered we will begin moving them toward our camp arriving in the late afternoon. We'll probably cover 6 - 8 miles and be in the saddle for 5 or 6 hours total. We'll take some breaks and have a long lunch break. Gathering and moving cattle is done slowly so as not to spook or scatter the cattle.

Terrain and obstacles?

The terrain is gently rolling open pasture hills and some wooded areas. Obstacles might include down logs, small ditches, brushy areas and small creeks but we will mostly be out in the open pastures.

Pickets, hobbles, or portable corrals recommended?

We will set up a high picket line in camp for everyone's use but you are welcome to contain your horse in any way that suits you whether hobbles or portable corral.

Horse food carried in on own horse or from support vehicle?

All your camping gear, duffle and horse supplies will be transported to and from camp for you in a vehicle.

Sleeping outdoors—bring own bedroll, or tent, or what?

If you choose to sleep outdoors in our authentic camp you should bring your own bedroll and tent. You may also sleep in your horse trailer in the parking area, a rental cabin on the ranch or a motel in town.

How will the outdoor items be brought ?

All your camping gear, duffle and horse supplies will be transported to and from camp for you in a vehicle.

Will there be a base camp to come back to after each day?

We will have one base camp where we will live for Friday and Saturday evening.

If I bring my own horse , where will the trailer be?

The trailers will be parked about a half mile from camp.

What will I need if I rent one of your horses?

You will want to bring all your own tack - saddle, pad, bridle, saddle bags, and camp gear.

How will suitability of horse be selected?

Advise us about your riding experience, height and weight and a suitable horse will be selected for you.

If my horse came up lame at the last minute, how would that we handled? ( rent horse, lose fee, etc)

You could rent a horse or we would refund 50% of your fee.

If I haven't ridden my horse all summer, do I need to do a lot of conditioning?

Proper cattle moving is done mostly at a walk so it is not very tiring or strenuous on the horse.

I have worked my horse with calves. Will she spook with a full grown cow?

She'll have no problem with these cows. A cow is a cow, big or small is no difference for your horse.

I have not had real ranch experience.

No problem, this event is designed for beginners to give you knowledge and skills with cattle but more importantly to help your communication with your horse and help you develop as a better rider.

How much climbing up and down would there be and would there be natural assist elements (stumps, ditches, hills, fence) that I could use if needed?

There will be very minimal mounting and dismounting. Almost all this work is done mounted. There are always plenty of natural elements to use for help in mounting or one of the cowboys will always be glad to give you a leg up.

Thank you for your interest and feel free to e-mail us any other questions you may have.

Ed Dabney

[email protected]

Authentic Cattle Drive in Georgia

Cattle Drive in Georgia                                                                          November 5 - 7, 2010 Authentic Cattle Drive   -Open to all disciplines and riding levels- We'll be conducting this cattle drive in an authentic fashion like the big cattle drives of the late 1800s complete with cowboy cooking and camping with the herd overnight. We'll spend a day gathering over 75 head of cattle on the 4,800 acre QC Ranch. The round up and cattle drive will be lots of fun and a great training experience for you and your horse, even if you never plan on working cattle in the future.  No previous cattle working experience is required. We'll do some cutting, sorting and break-away roping for fun along the way. The cattle drive will also be good preparation for those riders who are planning on participating in our Ranch Roping and Cattle Work Clinics. Open Range Once they are rounded up and bunched we will begin moving them across the ranch. We'll stop and camp at night bedding the herd down on the "rodeer" (bed ground). Since we will be bedding down the cattle on the open range without corrals or fences we will need to assign "night hawk" shifts throughout the night for riders to circle the herd so they don't scatter during the night. This is just the way it was done on the cross country cattle drives of the 1800s. We'll experience cattle work and life on the trail just as the old time drovers of over a century ago. Itinerary Riders will arrive on Friday afternoon November 5th to set up their trail camp and stay there Friday night to be ready to ride out early Saturday morning to the location where we'll need to gather cattle. We'll gather the cattle and drive them to our camp arriving there by late afternoon where we will bed them down. Saturday night will be a good time to sit around the campfire and be entertained by cowboy poetry, stories and hopefully some cowboy musicians. On Sunday we'll move the cattle out early in order to arrive at our destination by early afternoon. Horse Rental Available Visit Our Website for Lessons and Training Ed Dabney Gentle Horsemanship P.O. Box 1211 Monroe, GA 30655

Cow Clinic Testimonials

Hi Ed,

I wanted to tell you how much I enjoyed this past weekend. That's more riding than I've done in quite awhile but I couldn't have asked for a better clinic experience. You may hear this all the time but you truly do have a very unique and blessed talent for teaching horses and humans! Everything about the clinic was so well thought out... everything made sense... and Jim and Richard... well, I don't think you could have done any better in bringing them in to the mix! Mike was wonderful support as well. And it was such a pleasure to meet Colleen! 


One of the longest lasting lessons I will take away from this past weekend was that I gained so much self-assurance in tackling something new. I never once worried about what my horse was doing. I never felt disconnected with him. I felt as one with him and that is a great feeling. This speaks volumes as to how well the overall clinic was conducted.

You, Jim, and Richard gave us all some great homework assignments.
My birthday wish list includes a new Ed Dabney saddle pad and a rope!

Ann H

Ed,

I just wanted to thank you again for your help this weekend at the Cow Clinic. It was a lot of fun, greatly benefited my horse -- and may have saved me or someone else from serious injury. When we left, he saw all of the new cows in the front pasture. He was on high alert, but at least he was manageable and not dangerous!

Thanks again

Martha

Cow Working Clinic a Great Success!

With the participation of 16 riders our February Cow Working, Ranch Horsemanship and Beginner Roping Clinic was a great success. We were happy to have English and Western riders of all disciplines participating.

Most of the horses and riders had never been around cows and had no experience handling lariat ropes but all had great fun and learned many new skills.

Valuable Training

Two full days of cattle work and roping experience resulted in valuable training for the horses. Giving the horses and riders a job to do tends to take the focus off micro-managing your horse so the horse then actually develops a lighter and quicker response to the rider's cues. Some of the horses came to the clinic with a fear of cows but with gradual exposure they gained confidence and were soon eagerly enjoying herding, cutting, sorting and roping. Even for the dressage riders who may never work cattle again, the experience gave them a more solid, dependable horse that should be much calmer at shows now.

Ed Dabney Authentic Cattle Drive at QC Ranch, Gay, GA

Authentic Cattle Drive
We'll be conducting this cattle drive in an authentic fashion like the big cattle drives of the late 1800s complete with chuck wagon cooking and camping with the herd overnight. We'll spend a day gathering over 100 head of cattle on the 5,000 acre QC Ranch.

The round up and cattle drive will be lots of fun and a great training experience for your horse even if you never plan on working cattle in the future.  No previous cattle working experience is required.   We'll do some cutting, sorting and break-away roping along the way just for fun which will also be a good preparation for those riders who are planning on participating in our Ranch Roping and Cattle Work Clinic on June 25 - 27.

Open Range
Once they are rounded up and bunched we will begin moving them across the ranch. We'll stop and camp at night bedding the herd down on the "rodeer" (bed ground). Since we will be bedding down the cattle on the open range without corrals or fences we will need to assign "night hawk" shifts throughout the night for riders to circle the herd so they don't scatter during the night. This is just the way it was done on the cross country cattle drives of the 1800s. We'll experience cattle work and life on the trail just as the old time drovers of over a century ago

Itinerary
Riders will arrive on Friday afternoon June 4th to set up their trail camp and stay there Friday night to be ready to ride out early Saturday morning to the location where we'll need to gather cattle. We'll gather the cattle and drive them to our camp arriving there by late afternoon where we will bed them down. Saturday night will be a good time to sit around the campfire and be entertained by cowboy poetry, stories and hopefully some cowboy musicians. On Sunday we'll move the cattle out early in order to arrive at our destination by early afternoon.