Mark Rashid Clinic ~ Jake the Paint and the Gate

 

Jake’s owner Mary thought that Jake was fearful of being near fences and gates, maybe because he was afraid of them being electric. She had been having problems with getting him to side pass over to a gate so she could open and close the gate from the saddle.  

 

Horse Trainer and Rider Educator, Mark Rashid didn’t see fear coming from Jake, but rather confusion. Jake didn’t know what was expected of him and what his owner wanted him to perform. So it was time to show him.

 

Before attempting the gate, Mark Rashid had Mary and Jake practice side-passing and backing up slowly and straight, using the fence to line him up.  

 

After a handful of practicing, Mark encouraged Mary and Jake to begin working on opening, entering, and closing the gate. Like an intricate dance, Mark Rashid showed us all how smoothly the communication between rider and horse must be to work together completing the task. He made it look effortless!

In the beginning Mary and Jake really struggled trying to figure out how to communicate and understand one another. Amazingly, Mark Rashid treated each try as if it was their first, and was always calm and patient.

 

Mary and Jake still struggled with keeping Jake straight and in line with the fence when trying to back up and close the gate. They practiced doing side passing and that seemed to help. But what really made a huge difference was the way that Mark Rashid instructed them to break down the task into individual steps and to continue doing those steps slowly and one after the other, in order.

And Jake gave their efforts everything he had. Everyone could see him thinking and figuring out what Mary wanted from him. He was willing and wanting to do whatever Mary asked. Several times, when Mary was struggling trying to keep the gate open, Jake would use his head and shoulders to help her push open the gate or hold it open for her. He was patient and such a gentleman.  

 

After at least 10-15 attempts, Mark recognized something different in Jake’s behavior. I think we could all see it, too. Jake seemed to be more confident and more aware…and very eager. Mark Rashid told Mary not to instruct or show Jake what to do on their next try through the gate, basically let him do what he'd learned while Mary became only a passenger. And she did. And we all gasped as we watched Jake perform the entire gate task sequence from start to finish, on his own....perfectly! Mary had a huge grin on her face and was quick to praise and rub on her handsome Jake, while the rest of us cheered!     

 

Mark was proud of his students, both equine and human, but he reminded Mary not to stop practicing and gave her some more tips and ideas on what to work on at home. I think some of the things that most impressed me with Mark is how he is always calm, patient, and encouraging, and how he spends a lot of time with each rider and horse individually, never rushing anyone. I also appreciate his lack of showmanship and flash. I find that sort of thing can be so distracting when trying to learn techniques during a clinic. I’m looking forward to attending some more of his clinics in the future and hopefully participating with my mare Apache, too.    

I encourage anyone who wants to communicate better with their horse and improve their riding skills to read Mark Rashid’s books and try to attend one of his clinics if you’re able to. You’ll be glad you did.