Food for thought................

I read this article by Kory Pounds in the February 2010 Western Horseman magazine. I know that it is written for horses and training/working horses. But I thought that this gentleman made some good points that could be applied to training/working sheepdogs too. Just thought I'd post it here and see if there are any reactions.

My thoughts on this article is that he makes comments on how he wants the horse to work the cow good and not wait for the rider to give him his cues. Just like we don't want a sheepdog that is too mechanical. We want a dog who will work with us, but still can think for itself.

Any thoughts out there?

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He believes that the wrong approach makes horses robotic when working cattle, tending to rely on cues from the rider rather than reading and reacting to the cow.

"Some guys don't challenge their horse to learn," Kory Pound says. "It's more like they're programming him to where they put a foot on him and he jumps to the right, and put another foot on him and he jumps to the left. They're teaching him how to be active, but not teaching him how to work the cow."

Having earned nearly $1 million in NCHA competition, Pounds' training approach apparently works. He credits much of his success and training philosophy to lessons learned while working for five-time NCHA Futurity champion Buster Welch.

"He always used to say, 'If you work a cow good, then your horse will work a cow good,'" Pounds says. "It boils down to getting a horse in time with a cow.

When the cow stops, the horse must stop, landing in a position that keeps the cow engaged. Pounds doesn't want the cow to relax when stopped, and he wants the horse to remain hooked and in position for the cow's next move.

As cattle can be quick and unpredictable, it's best for the horse to respond to the cow's moves rather than wait for direction from the rider. But teaching that takes time.

"If the cow means more to them than the training, then they'll always come back to the cow," Pounds says. "There's no substitute for experience. I don't care how smart or cowy a horse is. It takes two years to train a contest cutting horse. And, really, we're simply getting them to work a cow good."