CountryJackG

Fox Trot gait in Slow motion - 2 horses - Romeo the tall pinto Tennessee Walking Horse & Hank the Missouri Fox Trotter The fox trot is a diagonal uneven four beat smooth gait in which the front hoof in the diagonal pair lands first followed soon thereafter by the opposite hind landing. Uneven four beat means that the four beats are not all evenly spaced from each other in time. Remember to read, study, and ponder upon God's word each day and also pray each day to find out what God needs you to do today and then do it. And have a blessed day!! Jack Griffes Constitution Coach Freedom is the cure - Learn, Love, Live the Principles of Liberty https://griffes.tripod.com/Learn-Founding-Principles.html Certified Farrier accepting new clients in my core area - Colt Starting Trainer with a waiting list https://griffes.tripod.com/farrier.html .

When you are training horses you use the principle of Successive Approximation. You know what the goal is. You work at getting the horse to approximate the ideal a bit closer as you work with it. So in this second session you will note that my expectation of Romeo has increased - I know that he already knows what to do - he knows the answer - so I am expecting him to do better. And I am also working towards getting him to respond more off voice command with less need for any reinforcing aid to be used. Eventually I want Romeo to simply recognize as I climb up on something that he needs to move over so that I can easily mount him - in other words - I want Romeo to accept it as his responsibility to get himself in position so I (or any rider) can easily mount him from any sort of raised mounting platform anywhere. Training horses always involves some risk of injury (or even death) to the horse, the trainer, any spectators, equipment used, etc. - this risk is totally your own as you will be making your own judgements on what to do. As with any suggestions on any subject you must weigh them out for yourself and proceed accordingly - at your own risk. Remember to read, study, and ponder upon God's word each day and also pray each day to find out what God needs you to do today and then do it. And have a blessed day!! Jack Griffes Constitution Coach Freedom is the cure - Learn, Love, Live the Principles of Liberty https://griffes.tripod.com/Learn-Founding-Principles.html Certified Farrier accepting new clients in my core area - Colt Starting Trainer with a waiting list https://griffes.tripod.com/farrier.html .

This is the first session teaching Romeo, the tall pinto Tennessee Walking Horse gelding, to pick up his rider from a raised mounting platform. It is also the first time he has had this bit in his mouth - which he is getting acclimated to via fiddling with it. The objective is to get the horse to move itself over very very near to the raised mounting platform the rider is standing upon and then stand there until told to move - no matter how many times the rider mounts and dismounts - no matter if a little kid is saddling the horse and has to get up and down repeatedly from the raised mounting platform to get it done. Training horses always involves some risk of injury (or even death) to the horse, the trainer, any spectators, equipment used, etc. - this risk is totally your own as you will be making your own judgements on what to do. As with any suggestions on any subject you must weigh them out for yourself and proceed accordingly - at your own risk. Remember to read, study, and ponder upon God's word each day and also pray each day to find out what God needs you to do today and then do it. And have a blessed day!! Jack Griffes Certified Farrier - Colt Starting Trainer https://griffes.tripod.com/farrier.html Freedom is the cure - Learn, Love, Live the Principles of Liberty https://griffes.tripod.com/Learn-Founding-Principles.html

Silently read and ponder the 20 slides regarding "Re-Establishing and Protecting Our God-Given Right to Self-Defense" Remember to read, study, and ponder upon God's word each day and also pray each day to find out what God needs you to do today and then do it. And have a blessed day!! Jack Griffes Constitution Coach Freedom is the cure - Learn, Love, Live the Principles of Liberty https://griffes.tripod.com/Learn-Founding-Principles.html Certified Farrier accepting new clients in my core area - Colt Starting Trainer with a waiting list https://griffes.tripod.com/farrier.html .

As initially presented this youngster was not trying to stand for the farrier but rather was defying - snatching away its hoof - moving to leave - etc.. So I used "control of motion" as a means to establish who the herd boss was. I backed her away - so she understood that IF I step into what had been her space THEN I (as herd boss) was claiming that space as mine. In "horse talk" that is a mini version of driving the horse out of the herd because it broke the herd rules. I then IMMEDIATELY invited it (on a loose line) to follow me back to the same spot with same orientation - to rejoin my herd acknowledging me as "herd boss" and by so doing making a unilateral promise to follow the herd rules (which at the moment are focused on stand calmly for the farrier and let him trim your hooves). Once this was repeated a few times the horse (being location conscious) picked up on the fact I wanted it to stay standing in a particular spot. And it at a horse level of reasoning reasoned out that I did not intend it any harm and thus it was safe to let me hold up a hoof and work on it - which is an act of partially giving away its primary means of defense (flight). As the owner starts the video you soon see the 10 month old (coming yearling) trying to smell me and trying to move closer to me (a gesture of respect when you also note it is NOT trying to take it's hoof away from me). You hear me calmly telling it to think harder about just standing still - not sternly rebuking it. So it is obviously moving a little - why am I encouraging it rather than rebuking it? - because it is trying - it is trying to keep the hoof I am working on still even while it turns a bit - I am rewarding the TRY. Eventually I had to straighten it back into the spot I had told it to stand on and you see the owner restart shooting video with the coming yearling back straight and this time it better understood what it was supposed to do and didn't move it's front end - though it again did turn to smell me as a gesture of respect - wanting to smell and thus remember better the herd boss. And while you personally may not have seen it (yet) please believe me when I tell you from experience that a foal can be trained so it stands perfectly for the farrier the very first time it is ever trimmed. At this link I outline 3 of the many ways you can train your horse (of any age - of any level of current training) to stand perfectly calm and perfectly cooperative for the farrier. https://griffes.tripod.com/stand.html And yes it is an owner responsibility to present the horse (of any age and any background) trained to calmly stand and cooperate with the farrier, veterinarian, equine dentist, chiropractor, massage therapist, etc. - prior to their arrival. When the farrier (or other horse professional) arrives then a little acclimation to a new person and new tools is all that is needed to complete the training. Training horses always involves some risk of injury (or even death) to the horse, the trainer, any spectators, equipment used, etc. - this risk is totally your own as you will be making your own judgements on what to do. As with any suggestions on any subject you must weigh them out for yourself and proceed accordingly - at your own risk. Remember to read, study, and ponder upon God's word each day and also pray each day to find out what God needs you to do today and then do it. And have a blessed day!! Jack Griffes Constitution Coach Freedom is the cure - Learn, Love, Live the Principles of Liberty https://griffes.tripod.com/Learn-Founding-Principles.html Certified Farrier accepting new clients - Colt Starting Trainer one year waiting list https://griffes.tripod.com/farrier.html .

After a ride around our woods - in order to get out of bitter cold wind - we did the first mounted stationary roping dummy practice of 2023. This video is two clips of about eight minutes of practice. Remember to read, study, and ponder upon God's word each day and also pray each day to find out what God needs you to do today and then do it. And have a blessed day!! Jack Griffes Constitution Coach Freedom is the cure - Learn, Love, Live the Principles of Liberty https://griffes.tripod.com/Learn-Founding-Principles.html Certified Farrier - Colt Starting Trainer https://griffes.tripod.com/farrier.html .

Praise God from whom all blessings flow for Avi, my 8yr old Pinto half TWH mare, who has become a very good trail clearing helper. Avi can pull things I cannot readily move by myself. And that makes trail clearing MUCH faster - because without her providing pulling power I would have to make a lot more cuts so I could roll or carry stuff off the trail. Remember to read, study, and ponder upon God's word each day and also pray each day to find out what God needs you to do today and then do it. And have a blessed day!! Jack Griffes Constitution Coach Freedom is the cure - Learn, Love, Live the Principles of Liberty https://griffes.tripod.com/Learn-Founding-Principles.html Certified Farrier - Colt Starting Trainer https://griffes.tripod.com/farrier.html .

These are the two team captains of the Extreme Cowboy Challenge event at the 2023 Michigan Horse Expo held Saturday 11 March 2023 at the MSU Livestock Pavilion. Neither Brandi Lyons nor Ken McNabb are on their own horse. Brandi is on a much more well broke horse than Ken. Ken is on a horse someone brought for him to use in his clinics to show how to work through issues. Brandi is on a horse normally ridden by a young girl which was trained by certified trainers she taught. Ken completed the course about twenty seconds faster than Brandi - neither of them got everything perfect. So in your opinion, just between the two team captains, who won? Remember to read, study, and ponder upon God's word each day and also pray each day to find out what God needs you to do today and then do it. And have a blessed day!! Jack Griffes Constitution Coach Freedom is the cure - Learn, Love, Live the Principles of Liberty https://griffes.tripod.com/Learn-Founding-Principles.html Certified Farrier - Colt Starting Trainer https://griffes.tripod.com/farrier.html .

This video covers the text of both federal and Michigan Constitutions regarding freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom to peaceably assemble, and freedom to petition government for redress of grievances. It also covers time period accurate definitions of terms. The four page handout which goes along with this video presentation is available as a downloadable pdf at this link https://griffes.tripod.com/Freedom_of_Speech_Assembly_Petititon.pdf Remember to read, study, and ponder upon God's word each day and also pray each day to find out what God needs you to do today and then do it. And have a blessed day!! Jack Griffes Constitution Coach Freedom is the cure - Learn, Love, Live the Principles of Liberty https://griffes.tripod.com/Learn-Founding-Principles.html Certified Farrier - Colt Starting Trainer https://griffes.tripod.com/farrier.html .

Where did the phrase "a wall of separation between church and state" come from? Is it in the federal Constitution? What does the federal Constitution as amended say? What does the Michigan Constitution say? This is explored very briefly in about a half hour - if you use settings you can increase the playback speed to hear it in a shorter timeframe if you wish. A four page handout with the text I am quoting along with additional resources is available as a downloadable pdf at this link https://griffes.tripod.com/Church_and_State_-_Religious_Liberty.pdf Remember to read, study, and ponder upon God's word each day and also pray each day to find out what God needs you to do today and then do it. And have a blessed day!! Jack Griffes Constitution Coach Freedom is the cure - Learn, Love, Live the Principles of Liberty https://griffes.tripod.com/Learn-Founding-Principles.html Certified Farrier - Colt Starting Trainer https://griffes.tripod.com/farrier.html

Teaching your horse to Stand-Stay makes them a FAR better helper when you use them to help you do work. Sometimes folks who have never seen it have a hard time believing a horse can be trained to Stand-Stay for a long spell - with them basically "growing roots" and awaiting further direction. So here you can see it for yourself. I am gathering branches into my lariat loop while Avi is patiently on Stand-Stay awaiting further direction. Nothing exciting - but yes it is possible - so now that you have seen it with your own eyes work on getting your horse to do it this well OR BETTER. https://griffes.tripod.com/standstay.html Remember to read, study, and ponder upon God's word each day and also pray each day to find out what God needs you to do today and then do it. And have a blessed day!! Jack Griffes Constitution Coach Freedom is the cure - Learn, Love, Live the Principles of Liberty https://griffes.tripod.com/Learn-Founding-Principles.html Certified Farrier - Colt Starting Trainer https://griffes.tripod.com/farrier.html .

Using REAL horse power to drag a small dead White Pine tree using the dally and drag method mounted on a saddled horse. Years ago, when common sense was FAR more common, this would not need to be said - you should NOT try this with an inadequately prepared/trained horse - a year and a half ago I would not have been able to safely do this with this horse - a LOT of training time over a year and a half has prepared her - trained her adequately to do this now. Furthermore IF you catch a thumb or a finger or several fingers in the dally you can and many have lost that thumb or finger(s) - so LEARN how to do it as safely as possible BEFORE you just go trying something like this. What you do NOT know can get you hurt and hurt badly. Anything you decide to do YOU do at your own risk - because YOU decided to do it. Remember to read, study, and ponder upon God's word each day and also pray each day to find out what God needs you to do today and then do it. And have a blessed day!! Jack Griffes Constitution Coach Freedom is the cure - Learn, Love, Live the Principles of Liberty https://griffes.tripod.com/Learn-Founding-Principles.html Certified Farrier - Colt Starting Trainer https://griffes.tripod.com/farrier.html .

The dead White Pine got hung up and failed to fall so Avi provided the REAL horse power to pull it down then drag it a quarter mile to the woods. We had to ensure we did not harm my sweetheart wife's Magnolia bush - which is why we stopped then side passed toward the camera to change angle of pull. Years ago, when common sense was FAR more common, this would not need to be said - you should NOT try this with an inadequately prepared/trained horse - a year and a half ago I would not have been able to safely do this with this horse - a LOT of training time over a year and a half has prepared her - trained her adequately to do this now. Furthermore IF you catch a thumb or a finger or several fingers in the dally you can and many have lost that thumb or finger(s) - so LEARN how to do it as safely as possible BEFORE you just go trying something like this. What you do NOT know can get you hurt and hurt badly. Anything you decide to do YOU do at your own risk - because YOU decided to do it. Remember to read, study, and ponder upon God's word each day and also pray each day to find out what God needs you to do today and then do it. And have a blessed day!! Jack Griffes Constitution Coach Freedom is the cure - Learn, Love, Live the Principles of Liberty https://griffes.tripod.com/Learn-Founding-Principles.html Certified Farrier - Colt Starting Trainer https://griffes.tripod.com/farrier.html .

Various grasses along with forbs are the foods God made which horses are best adapted to eat. Horses like their food fresh - they like to harvest it themselves if they possibly can. Given enough acreage with enough grass in it horses will do as you see Avi doing and paw through the snow so they can eat the grass buried under the snow and make a living off of it just as feral horses do - think of it as "standing hay." For Avi it is a special treat to be let out on the back yard so she can paw through the snow and eat some bluegrass. She does the same thing in her pasture but bluegrass is a special favorite grass for horses. We personally do not have enough acreage in pasture for Avi to make a living off of all Winter when the grass is not growing - so we feed her grass hay to make up for that deficit. And when the ground is firm enough so she won't punch holes in the yard I occasionally let her paw through the snow and graze on the bluegrass in the back yard. I shot this video after she had been out grazing for a half hour or so just before I bridled her then saddled her and rode her 3.6 miles. Remember to read, study, and ponder upon God's word each day and also pray each day to find out what God needs you to do today and then do it. And have a blessed day!! Jack Griffes Constitution Coach Freedom is the cure - Learn, Love, Live the Principles of Liberty https://griffes.tripod.com/Learn-Founding-Principles.html Certified Farrier - Colt Starting Trainer https://griffes.tripod.com/farrier.html .

Come along on a Winter Horseback Ride on Avi - enjoy the view and the sounds. Avi is my 8yr old brown and white Pinto half Tennessee Walking Horse mare. Willow, our chocolate Labrador Retriever, came along as well. The date of this ride was Thursday 26 Jan 2023. Lenawee County, Michigan, USA Remember to read, study, and ponder upon God's word each day and also pray each day to find out what God needs you to do today and then do it. And have a blessed day!! Jack Griffes Constitution Coach Freedom is the cure - Learn, Love, Live the Principles of Liberty https://griffes.tripod.com/Learn-Founding-Principles.html Certified Farrier - Colt Starting Trainer https://griffes.tripod.com/farrier.html .

Horses are prey animals so by Nature they are afraid that a predator is going to eat them. But, as you have likely noticed, horses misidentify many things as "potential predatory threats" which are not predatory threats at all. So one way to help them "give away their fear" of something they have misidentified as a "potential predatory threat" is to have them follow/chase that "scary thing." Obviously the following/chasing may start out quite far back but as they keep following/chasing they themselves most generally start closing the distance as they start noticing the "previously scary thing" is not trying to eat them but is moving away from them. You do NOT try to force them to get close - you follow from what they feel is a safe distance to follow from until they decide a closer distance is safe. Obviously YOU decide to not let them get too close to something that it would be dangerous to be close to - because their curiosity may lead them too close eventually. In this video I am riding Hank the Missouri Fox Trotter - who is in training to be a ride/drive horse. Hank spent his whole life where he could see NO road traffic at all - so at 9 years old he has a LOT of fear of traffic to overcome and this is one way we are working on that. Training horses always involves some risk of injury (or even death) to the horse, the trainer, any spectators, equipment used, etc. - this risk is totally your own as you will be making your own judgements on what to do. As with any suggestions on any subject you must weigh them out for yourself and proceed accordingly - at your own risk. Remember to read, study, and ponder upon God's word each day and also pray each day to find out what God needs you to do today and then do it. And have a blessed day!! Jack Griffes Certified Farrier - Colt Starting Trainer https://griffes.tripod.com/farrier.html Freedom is the cure - Learn, Love, Live the Principles of Liberty https://griffes.tripod.com/Learn-Founding-Principles.html

JJ - trailer loading and unloading 20 Oct 2022 Remember to read, study, and ponder upon God's word each day and also pray each day to find out what God needs you to do today and then do it. And have a blessed day!! Jack Griffes Certified Farrier - Colt Starting Trainer https://griffes.tripod.com/farrier.html Freedom is the cure - Learn, Love, Live the Principles of Liberty https://griffes.tripod.com/Learn-Founding-Principles.html

First time I have ever tried this with any horse. Hank line driving into and out of trailer 20 Oct 2022 Remember to read, study, and ponder upon God's word each day and also pray each day to find out what God needs you to do today and then do it. And have a blessed day!! Jack Griffes Certified Farrier - Colt Starting Trainer https://griffes.tripod.com/farrier.html Freedom is the cure - Learn, Love, Live the Principles of Liberty https://griffes.tripod.com/Learn-Founding-Principles.html

If a horse will yield each foot - such as allow itself to be lead by each foot - then that horse is more likely to yield a hoof or leg it gets caught in something such as a rope or a fence or a strong vine. This can lower the chance of injury for that horse if it gets caught on something in it's pasture or stall. It can also reduce the chance of the horse panicking if it gets tangled up in a rope or harness while doing it's job. This particular horse (Hank the Missouri Fox Trotter) is going to be a ride/drive horse. Obviously this is end of session. You quite obviously do NOT start out with no halter on the horse. Rather you start with a halter and a long enough lead so you can give the horse the suggestion to lead if it isn't thinking of that idea OR so you can stop it from trying to leave if you tugging on its foot alarms it into attempted flight. You need to use good judgment and read the horse's body language rapidly and correctly. Training horses always involves some risk of injury (or even death) to the horse, the trainer, any spectators, equipment used, etc. - this risk is totally your own as you will be making your own judgements on what to do. As with any suggestions on any subject you must weigh them out for yourself and proceed accordingly - at your own risk. Remember to read, study, and ponder upon God's word each day and also pray each day to find out what God needs you to do today and then do it. And have a blessed day!! Jack Griffes Certified Farrier - Colt Starting Trainer https://griffes.tripod.com/farrier.html Freedom is the cure - Learn, Love, Live the Principles of Liberty https://griffes.tripod.com/Learn-Founding-Principles.html

This is the first time since JJ started in training on 13 Sept 2022 that someone other than myself backed JJ out of the trailer via the tail tug method. Randy, one of JJ's owners, did a fine job and JJ did a fine job for Randy. Remember to read, study, and ponder upon God's word each day and also pray each day to find out what God needs you to do today and then do it. And have a blessed day!! Jack Griffes Certified Farrier - Colt Starting Trainer https://griffes.tripod.com/farrier.html Freedom is the cure - Learn, Love, Live the Principles of Liberty https://griffes.tripod.com/Learn-Founding-Principles.html

This is the first time since JJ started in training on 13 Sept 2022 that someone other than myself loaded JJ up in the trailer via sending him in. Randy, one of JJ's owners, did a fine job and JJ did a fine job for Randy. Remember to read, study, and ponder upon God's word each day and also pray each day to find out what God needs you to do today and then do it. And have a blessed day!! Jack Griffes Certified Farrier - Colt Starting Trainer https://griffes.tripod.com/farrier.html Freedom is the cure - Learn, Love, Live the Principles of Liberty https://griffes.tripod.com/Learn-Founding-Principles.html

This is the first session teaching Avi, my personal horse, to pick up her rider from a raised mounting platform. The objective is to get the horse to move itself over very very near to the raised mounting platform the rider is standing upon and then stand there until told to move - no matter how many times the rider mounts and dismounts - no matter if a little kid is saddling the horse and has to get up and down repeatedly from the raised mounting platform to get it done. Training horses always involves some risk of injury (or even death) to the horse, the trainer, any spectators, equipment used, etc. - this risk is totally your own as you will be making your own judgements on what to do. As with any suggestions on any subject you must weigh them out for yourself and proceed accordingly - at your own risk. Remember to read, study, and ponder upon God's word each day and also pray each day to find out what God needs you to do today and then do it. And have a blessed day!! Jack Griffes Certified Farrier - Colt Starting Trainer https://griffes.tripod.com/farrier.html Freedom is the cure - Learn, Love, Live the Principles of Liberty https://griffes.tripod.com/Learn-Founding-Principles.html

This video is showing progress in teaching JJ & Hank to be sent in to the trailer on command and to calmly back out using a combination of a tail tug and voice command. I brought them out of the pasture together to work on these skills to increase the challenge level. Remember to read, study, and ponder upon God's word each day and also pray each day to find out what God needs you to do today and then do it. And have a blessed day!! Jack Griffes Certified Farrier - Colt Starting Trainer https://griffes.tripod.com/farrier.html Freedom is the cure - Learn, Love, Live the Principles of Liberty https://griffes.tripod.com/Learn-Founding-Principles.html

Send in load into trailer 3 horses - 30 Sept 2022 Once your horse calmly loads by being led into the trailer you can then teach it a more advanced trailering skill and send it in the trailer. It should go all the way in so that all you need to do is latch the divider gate. The first two horses are in training - still learning more advanced trailering skills. The third horse is my personal horse - she has the advanced trailering skills solidly learned and she willingly does them. Remember to read, study, and ponder upon God's word each day and also pray each day to find out what God needs you to do today and then do it. And have a blessed day!! Jack Griffes Certified Farrier - Colt Starting Trainer https://griffes.tripod.com/farrier.html Freedom is the cure - Learn, Love, Live the Principles of Liberty https://griffes.tripod.com/Learn-Founding-Principles.html

Tail Tug back off trailer 3 horses - 30 Sept 2022 Yes there are other ways to unload your horse off the trailer. This is an advanced trailering skill for well trained horses. Remember to read, study, and ponder upon God's word each day and also pray each day to find out what God needs you to do today and then do it. And have a blessed day!! Jack Griffes Certified Farrier - Colt Starting Trainer https://griffes.tripod.com/farrier.html Freedom is the cure - Learn, Love, Live the Principles of Liberty https://griffes.tripod.com/Learn-Founding-Principles.html