Jeremy Taylor
Considerate Horsemanship
Considerate Horsemanship
Western Discipline Horse Training
Built on Loyalty, Love & Respect
Horses have carried us since the beginning of time. They have taken us hunting, pulled our plows, provided fun in sport, helped us gather our livestock, helped to open up the West, and have fiercely loped into battle and died alongside us. Few people could argue against the point that the horse is "God's gift" to mankind. Horse and rider have a physical closeness that can only be equaled to our spiritual connection to the earth. Our magnetic attraction to the horse comes from its virtues of strength and speed, their incredible beauty and grace, and their patient, enduring natures. Is it surprising, given our immense history with the horse, that communication is possible at a more profound level than is sometimes believed? To achieve a greater degree of understanding with your horse, you don't have to be a special age, sex, or color. You don't need expensive equipment, elaborate rituals, or even years of training. All you need is LOVE as your starting point. Love is that special and essential ingredient. To love, you need to add patience and an open mind, with the courage and willingness to follow your own intuition. With these virtues, you will be astonished at what can be achieved.
A Paint Left Behind
Two years ago I rescued a gorgeous APHA. She was coming off of an injury and could barely put any weight on her front right quarter. There were no specifics as to the cause of her injury or the exact location. The information given was that she needed four months of daily walking, cold hose treatment, and liniment rubs. The injury turned out to be a suspensory tear. A year and a half later, after tons of research, trial, and error I found a natural way to help her with the pain. Every other day for two weeks I began to wash her suspensory with very warm water and Dawn dish soap. I then wrapped it tightly in plastic wrap and strapped on a set of SMB boots - 24 hours on and 12 hours off. After the first day she was able to put weight on her leg. It was amazing. She now has her good days and bad days, but she is on the mend and her future as a Western pleasure horse is closer than ever. Throughout her recovery, we have spent a ton of time on ground training. She is now trained to cue off of voice commands. Forward, back, left, right, walk on. A click of the cheek to change gears, "go slow" for slow motion walk, and a simple "whoa" and "stand" for stop. She can't carry a full grown adult, but she is a phenomenal kids' horse. We found out about two months after she arrived that the injury was caused by her inexperienced owner doing her own farrier work. Her hooves were trimmed at all different angles and depths, causing her to walk unbalanced. The angle is correct now after a year and a half of growth. You can only imagine the lack of hoof she arrived on. She had been left in a stall and the owners of the boarding wouldn't release her until all of the boarding fees were paid up. That was the first time I had been charged for a rescue, but she was well worth the money. Some horses really have terrible luck with who they get for owners. We, as the stewards of this beautiful planet, must accept our responsibility to care for its creatures - especially those who cannot care for themselves.
Amazing Grace, Now Sweet and Sound
Amazing Grace was our first rescue here at Copper Creek Ranch. She was four when she was dropped off. She was rescued on site by one of our friends here in town and then transferred over to us. We are now her forever home. Her previous owners bred her very young. The owners ran out of money and left her sitting in deep mud for months with minimal food and water. It always blows my mind that the human would rather let an animal starve and thirst rather than ask for help. I imagine they kept her only to get a foal out of her to sell. She is doing very well now and has recently been started under saddle. Gracie was a different kind of horse. Very shy and standoffish, she was the most stubborn horse I have ever had the privilege of working with. A horse that has been so horribly abused both physically and mentally will in no way shape or form respond well to normal pressures. Everything you ask them to do has to be their idea to begin with, so you have to work off of the talents they present to you. Patience, patience, patience. You must build their confidence for every single attempt at a try on their end. Respond to every step, turn, and bend with a "good girl" and a pet and let her know that what she did was the greatest thing you've ever seen. As I was saying earlier, some abused, neglected and starved horses do not respond well, if at all, to pressure. The little things that most every other horse is skeptical of does not affect the abused in the same way. Gracie is not scared, startled, or spooked by anything, so it makes it difficult when trying to engage their quarters. To even give a slight little whap on the hind end puts them right back into that depressed state. They shut down immediately if they view your training techniques as punishment. Only the virtues work. It took over two years to get her to the point where she respects the human again, and I wouldn't have blamed her if she never came around. This little girl is tough and is doing very well. She has become one of the softest horses around and is extremely intuitive on the ground. I am looking forward to continuing her saddle training.
The Holy Trinity
People find spirituality in all aspects of life. For me it's on the back of a horse. I consider there to be three life forms on this beautiful Mother Earth of ours to be Holier than all the others. The Horse, because of the way it was designed to point in every direction. The front legs point to the North and the East. The rear legs point to the South and the West. The head of the horse points to the heavens, and the tail to sacred Mother Earth. The Eagle is said to be the only creature to have ever soared high enough to have touched the face of the Great Creator. Lastly is the human, which was put here on Mother Earth to have stewardship over all creatures both great and small.So when you see the mighty Eagle soaring high above while out on the trail with your beloved horse, take a deep breath and remember the great creator is with you. Remember, we should always give thanks to our Horses. Without them, we as humans would never have been able to adapt as well as we have to living on this planet, and always give thanks to the Creator for allowing us the opportunity to love and care for all of his creations. Including one another.
If you are interested in training your horse at Copper Creek, we are currently taking in clients for the 2017 spring and summer seasons. We are located in the beautiful Bald Hills of Yelm, WA. Please give us a call at 360-894-0668 to schedule an appointment.
Pricing
Offsite training sessions at your home or barn: $40/hour
Onsite haul-in sessions: $30/hour
30 and 60 Day starts or finishes: priced on an individual basis
Military and Veteran Discounts
Pricing
Offsite training sessions at your home or barn: $40/hour
Onsite haul-in sessions: $30/hour
30 and 60 Day starts or finishes: priced on an individual basis
Military and Veteran Discounts