About the Author

Barbra Schulte is a personal performance coach for all riders, a cutting horse trainer, author, speaker, and clinician.  Visit her Blog and signup to receive her FREE monthly email newsletter, “News From Barbra”.  You will also receive the high performance secrets of great riders, inspiration, cutting strategies, news, and much more.  In addition, you will also receive via email Barbra’s special FREE report: “Five of the Most Important Skills of Riding”.  Go now to http://www.BarbraSchulte.com.

Greetings everyone...it's still hot and still July.  Nothing like a good warm humid day to start haltering colts.  I have to say I did start my 'friendly' game as soon as they were born.  I normally start the babies when they are a month or two old.  I was not able to do that this time as lots going on with my family and work and training, and oh yes...I have added training dogs to my horse world.  You can see the dogs for now on my Facebook page.   Anyway, let's get back to haltering big colts that are now 3 and 4 months old.  Yikes.  I had to get out all my savvy and get 'er done.  First as I said I was corraling them with my arms, rubbing and scratching.  They love their butts and tails scratched, so I worked my way into their hearts throught their butts.  Kind of funny.  In fact Pistol at first would whip his butt around at me and I thought he was coming to kick me, but he just wanted a scratch.  That happened after I touched him for the first time.  Well we had to rework that pattern as I cannot have a grown horse whipping his butt around...that's not usually read by people correctly.  So I did lots of approach and retreat.  I never stayed long enough with any of my touches so that they would move or flee.  I always stopped while they were standing still.  You don't want to teach them that moving away or resisting will get you to stop.  My timing has gotten so much better.  I can see when to ask and when to leave very well.  I am proud of that.  So I got them in my 10x12 pens, moved the water bucket to the outside and let the mares go in which allowed for the colts to join them in the pen.  Master mind at work here.  You have to start colts in a small space when they are this big as when they leave, you cannot hold them and pull them around to face you to let them know...that's not the answer.
You need walls to keep them close and not let them build up impulsion as you will go to the ground. (Lesson learned, start them when they are one month or two month old...they don't resist as much) But if your 'friendly' game is on the mark, this really goes pretty easy.  
I used my 22ft line around their neck first...some colts prefer it high, some low on the neck.  Again I had to use approach and retreat to introduce the line and allow it to be put on and off over their heads.  Once that was achieved, I moved their front end around using the steady pressure, then the same with the hindquarters.  Get them know who can move their feet.  I was polite...but persistent.  If they got worried, I would stop and rub until they got confident again.
I love starting babies...so cute, so fun and so much future in front of them.  Okay, more later on my steps...enjoy and keep me posted.  Everyone should start a baby...it rounds out your education big time!

Good day everyone,
Getting started with my new blog...mainly will be stories, poems, issues, insights, and updates on what I am doing as a student of natural horsemanship.  I am grabbing up my camera to document visually all that will happen to include the training of my filly 'Bunny' as well as starting my two new colts born this year. One is named 'Gibby' and the other is 'Pistol'...nice performance bred colts.  Come and join me as I proceed.  You will also find stories of horses being saved from all kinds of madness.  There will be updates and information on the new horse sport out there with American Competitive Trail Horse Association and more!  Let's connect...learn from our equine partners, save those that cannot help themselve and unite this great nation through the love of horses...to me horses played and play a huge role in the success of humanity at large...for now I will focus on the United States.  Be blessed and more to come.  

While you may know Julie as a horsewoman extraordinaire, you may not know that she is also a very talented photographer.

To learn more about Julie's Photography schedule and rates, visit her other website, www.julieeskoff.com.