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If you've always wanted to work cattle with your horse but didn't know how to start, this clinic is for you!  No previous cow work or roping experience is necessary.  This clinic is open to any type of horse.  English or Western riders of all ages and skill levels are welcome. 
Even if you never plan on working with cattle you will develop a much more responsive and handy horse by giving him the opportunity to work cattle, plus you'll have lots of fun!  We'll go slow and start with the basics.  Each day of the clinic will be divided into the three segments of instruction shown below then toward the end of the clinic all three segments will blend together to accomplish specific ranch type jobs.

Cow Work

This is not for rodeo or competitive sport.  We will be teaching and practicing "low stress stockmanship” for practical ranch work skills.  We may do some penning, sorting and cutting, not as a timed event but rather the way a real working cowboy handles his daily tasks. 

In the beginning some horses can be nervous and frightened near the cattle.  We will first work through this by teaching the horse that he is dominant over the cow.  By following one particular cow (tracking) the horse learns he can move the cow.  Now that he knows the cow will not attack him, the horse gains confidence and the cow work becomes fun for him. Once all the horses are comfortable with the cows, the riders will be grouped into “ranch crews” and assigned tasks that require teamwork and good horsemanship.  Tasks could include such things as dividing the herd, taking certain cows to a different location in the arena and holding them there, sorting selected cows away from the herd, putting selected cows in a corral, taking cows through gates and obstacles, and holding or driving the herd in the open without using the fence or corners.

Ranch Horsemanship

This segment of instruction develops a much better communication and partnership with your horse.  Your horse will learn how to listen to your cues and move responsively.  Cattle work gives your horse a practical reason for listening to you, really using his body to become more athletic and coordinated and moving in a variety of ways quickly, smoothly and under control with your direction. In this segment the riders will learn to properly execute specific movements which are necessary to be successful in ranch and cattle work including turn-on-the-forehand, turn-on-the-haunches, rein back, side-pass, leg yield, roll back, quick gait transitions and solid stops.  Riders will also learn how to safely and properly open and shut a gate from horseback and cross obstacles such as tarps and bridges.

Beginner Roping

Starting from the ground without horses the participants will become familiar with the parts of the lariat rope, handling the rope, building a loop, swinging and throwing to catch dummy targets.  Also from the ground, the participants will introduce the rope to the horse and teach their horse to calmly accept the feel of the rope touching them all over and the sight of the rope swinging near them. 

Then mounted, the riders will practice building a loop, swinging and throwing at dummy targets which are both stationary and moving.  Once the riders begin catching the targets then they will practice all elements of roping including pulling slack, dally (holding the target by taking a wrap of rope around their saddle horn) and dragging the target with their horse. 

After skills are developed on the dummy targets, the riders will have the opportunity to rope live cattle using special “break-away” ropes which fall off when the cow pulls slightly against the rope.  Using this type of “break-away” rope insures that the cows, horses and riders are not injured, held tight or tangled in rope.
 
Throughout the clinic, the riders are never required to do anything with which they are not comfortable or which they feel they or their horse are not ready to attempt.

This clinic is an excellent opportunity to develop a better partnership with your horse, add some variety in your horseback activities, learn new skills and have lots of fun!

Rider fee - $325 for entire weekend         Spectator fee - $10 per day
Overnight horse boarding available at $15 per night in paddock or stall. We provide water, hay and shavings.

Here are a few testimonials from participants in our past Cow Working Clinic:

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I had a great time at the Cow Working clinic this week-end. I learned a lot about riding, horses, the history of riding, life on a ranch and being a cowboy in the west, and more. I appreciate your approach to horses and teaching. After a nervous start, my horse Brisco seemed to love it, especially cutting one cow out of the herd. That just seemed to line up with his personality.

Thank you again for a great clinic.
Clare Connell
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Ed, Just wanted to thank you again for your help this weekend at the Cow Clinic. It was a lot of fun, greatly benefitted my horse -- and may have saved me or someone else from serious injury due to his fear of cows. When we left, he saw all of the new cows in the front pasture. He was on high alert, but he was manageable and not dangerous!
Thanks again
Martha
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Ed, I just wanted to tell you how much I enjoyed the clinic. Daniel and I were so proud of Spirit!…I hope you were too. Your cowboy assistants were so knowledgeable and patient with everyone, they were a wonderful asset for you. Thanks a bunch,
Ann C

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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

Six Keys to Harmony Clinic

Both you and your horse would greatly benefit from the clinic experience. Much of what you'll learn and what you'll be teaching your horse during the weekend centers around safety, communication and developing your leadership position in your relationship with your horse.

You do not need to be an experienced rider or horseperson to participate with your horse in this clinic. Beginners as well as advanced riders have found the skills taught in Ed's clinics to be very useful. His system of working with horses builds confidence in handling horses on the ground and mounted, equips owners with natural communication skills and establishes their authority as a confident, consistent leader for their horse. You will develop a better relationship with your horse- lighter responses, more respect, trust, and harmony. You will understand how your horse perceives the ideas you present to him and how to communicate with him in the way he communicates with other horses. This is all accomplished with respect for the horse by using gentle, natural horsemanship techniques.

Ed's teaching style is very clear and straight-forward, giving students a methodical and systematic approach which is easy for both horse and rider to understand and apply. His gentle methods have been proven effective by successfully working with hundreds of horses and humans. You will learn problem solving principles and teaching techniques that work with the horse's nature and instincts in order to overcome resistances and find solutions with confidence, patience and understanding.

Thirty years of working with horses in the ranching, motion picture and training industries along with Ed's formal training in 17th century classical equitation provide him with a very unique and broad basis of skills and knowledge to pass on to lesson participants. You'll learn gentle horsemanship and classical riding techniques that you've never seen before and that are not taught in any other clinics.

Rider fee - $275 for entire weekend         Spectator fee - $10 per day
Overnight horse boarding available at $15 per night in paddock or stall.  We provide water, hay and shavings.

For more information visit our Six Keys to Harmony Page.