Tying Trials & Confidence Building with Daniel Dauphin

Welcome to Season Four!! of Best Horse Practices with Jec Ballou. 

Our show is a space for riders and horse owners of all disciplines to learn best practices and to discover ways, skills, strategies, tools, ideas for better connecting with their horses, with all horses and for getting work done.

Our shows are short and concise, or, at least, shorter and more concise than many shows out here in the digital universe.

We love to hear from listeners and often incorporate listener questions or listener suggestions for topics and guest into our podcast. So, let us hear from you. Contacting us is easy through the contact button here. 

We offer these shows for free. If you think it’s worthy of a small contribution, we sure would appreciate it.

In this Episode, I chat with Daniel Dauphin, a trainer in Louisianna, a Best Horse Practices Summit presenter, an expert in horse mouth anatomy and bits. We talked about setting back, pulling back, and trials with tying. It’s a quick topic that I think you will really enjoy.

Also, we have a new sponsor in Sampson Moss and his business, Prairie Wind Hat Works. Sampson makes custom hats from his place in Pincher Creek, Alberta. In upcoming shows, we’re going to talk with Sampson about the details and finer points of ordering and, for him, making a custom felt hat. We’ll talk about regional preferences for hat wearers, brim size and shape, crowns and creases. Check out his beautiful hats on Instagram or at Prairie Wind Hat Works .

Our title sponsor is Lucerne Farms, producers of quality forage feeds.  It’s hay season, the rain has let up for a while, and the James family is busy in the fields of northern Maine. That’s where they cut alfalfa and timothy for their products. The bales, wrapped tightly in plastic, are perfect for traveling to competitions or horse camping vacations. 

So, listeners, thank YOU for all the summer news on plans and projects and progress. Some great goings-on and we were excited to hear about them all, notes from horsewomen in Canada, Michigan, Washington, and elsewhere. Check them out here. 

As mentioned during the segment, I have been working with my young gelding, Lorenzo, but probably not as diligently as I should. We have been ponying, packing, day grazing on National Forest. I trim his feet. We work on little things and big things. He’s making progress and is being handled in one way or another every day. I try to be cognizant of how I’m being when I’m with him – what am I bringing into the dry lot when I halter him? What kind of behaviors and energies and I sending his way? What am I conveying? How can I help him trust me and gain confidence? I think he’s coming to understand that I am not going to throw anything at him that he can’t handle and that he can know me as a level-headed partner.

But. My subconscious and my partner, Shane, gave me a pretty hilarious perspective the other day:

First, the dream. I am a trainer and walk into my astroturfed arena that’s full of riders and horses, ready for my tutelage. Apparently, I have instructed them to all recline with their steeds and there they are – horses and riders all lounging on the astroturf. One guy is wearing flipflops. One brought his St. Bernard. Because he didn’t have a horse? I remember thinking, in my dream, what the heck am I going to teach these folks? I woke up.

Shane said: You? Teaching people how to relax?

Yeah, I have my own personal challenges with being present and calm and I don’t exactly see myself as a zen-ish instructor. We are all works in progress.  

Thanks to Redmond Equine and Pharm Aloe – for generously sponsoring our podcast. Check out Pharm Aloe’s aloe pellets which you can simply sprinkle on your horse’s feed and Redmond’s Rock on a Rope which you can simply hang on a fence. We think you’ll love ‘em.

Also thanks to Patagonia WorkWear for their continued support. Give us feedback, suggest a topic or guest, or make a donation and you’ll be automatically entered to win one of two free Patagonia WorkWear items that we give away every month. Don’t forget that Redmond Equine is sending a complimentary syringe of Daily Gold Stress Relief to everyone who drops a tip in our donation jar. Pretty cool and a $15 value. If you get something of value from our podcast, please consider making a donation. We sure would appreciate it. 

That’s it. Another episode and another season in the can and out of the barn. Thanks for listening, y’all!