Do you know what a stirrup is? How about a bridle? What does the phrase tacking up mean? These are all questions I probably would have never thought to ask had I not attended the equestrian clinic that was held this semester. On October 4, 2017, I was invited by hunt seat team member Micaylee Clayton to join the Equine Science program as they welcomed guest Taylor McIntosh. Taylor is an American Quarter Horse Association Profession Horseman. His specialties are colt starting, competitive trail horses, and rope horses. Taylor first partnered with the Equine Science program during the spring of 2017, and has become an asset to the program ever since.
After entering the Equine Science building, I immediately felt as if I had stepped into another world. I was sitting in a room full of women who have a passion for horses, and I knew absolutely nothing about them. However, I was eager to learn, and Taylor’s humorous teaching style made this experience both exciting and fun.
Taylor began by asking senior hunt seat team member Chloe Crowder to join him at the front of the class. His instructions to her were Chloe, write your name please. Chloe proceeded by writing her name on the board, but became frustrated when she was asked to do it again not just once, but several times. With each repetition of the same task, her eyes began to narrow, and her face turned red. With help from her teammates, Chloe realized that what Taylor wanted was for her to write the words “your name please” instead of her own name. Once Chloe completed the task correctly, she let out a sigh of relief, and friendly laughter flooded the room.
The lesson to be learned here, Taylor explained, is linked to the way in which we communicate with our horses. He then went on to explain that the tension (which is what Chloe felt as she repeated this task) communicates to the horses that what they are doing is wrong. The release of tension (when Chloe finally understood what she was supposed to do) represents that a task is being done the right way. Following this demonstration, Taylor and the team members proceeded to the arena to apply this pressure-release concept to their horses.