A Screenplay Inspired By Horsemanship...

In the middle of a warm June night, a little bay roan colt who was uniquely himself came into this world.  He wasn’t a high money horse, a fancy bred horse, or the most athletic colt to hit the ground.  But he was a horse who would impact 3 generations of my family and become the backbone of a horsemanship program which now teaches in multiple states across the country.  The first morning we saw him, a perfect crescent moon was emblazoned on his forehead, and we immediately named him “Moonshine”.

One of my favorite memories before we had him halter trained was when I would work on him accepting my presence in the corral.  I didn’t know much other than some basic approach and retreat stuff, as I was only about 10 years old.  I dreamed of being a football player then, so I thought it was great practice when I would sort of single him off from his mother and try to get him to wait on me in a corner of the corral.  He would try to wheel out of the corner one way or the other, and I would try to cut him off, like a cutting horse holding a cow in the corner.  Moonshine had some cow horse blood in him, which made him particularly athletic about cutting back and forth, which gave me a good challenge, and allowed me to pretend like I was getting a football work out while getting ready to try out for the Denver broncos.  Oh, how horses and childhood can fuel the imagination.

In the early nineties, when word caught wind my father was riding with professional horseman, he started to get asked for advice on training horses. In the early nineties, when word caught wind my father was riding with professional horseman, he started to get asked for advice on training horses.  Back then, it was pretty cool to see a horse allow someone to ask him to lay down, do a bunch of fun stuff on the ground, and ride around bridle-less.  This was back when the horsemanship and natural horsemanship movement were just starting to catch some traction.

When I decided to teach horsemanship fulltime, it wouldn't have been possible without the help of Moonshine.  Because I was able to pick up where my father left off with his training, I was able to demonstrate advanced horsemanship concepts and techniques that showed a level of credibility far beyond words alone.  Even though I was young and still had a lot to learn about horsemanship, Moonshine gave me an advanced platform to build from and set me on the path to becoming a horseman.