April Newsletter

We had another fantastic grassroots cutting show in March.  I am proud to say it is one of the best attended cuttings series in the state averaging close to 100 works per show.  The goal of these shows is to provide a cost effective and contestant friendly environment for all, absolute beginner to seasoned professional, to enjoy the sport of cutting.  We believe strongly in the heart of cutting which is the incredible connection between a horse and a cow.  In its purest essence it is a chess match that they play as they battle each other for supremacy of the pen.  Once you experience this it is hard to imagine doing anything else on a horse.  If you’ve never seen a cutting horse live I encourage you come to the April show and check it out.

We also had a cutting clinic in March.  Having, myself, just attended a judging clinic hosted by NCHA director of judges, Russel Mccord, we decided to make the focus of our clinic herd work and how to avoid those pesky penalties while getting your cow cut.  Russel gave us a lot of insight into the mind of the man sitting in the judge’s box and we passed it along to our cutting clinic participants.  One point I particularly liked was how it is stressed too the judges to consider how they would feel if they were on the horse they were judging. He said ,”ask yourself, would that ride feel good to me?”  I think this is a great concept as it empowers you as a rider to present the picture that you desire.  We had a diverse group including youth riders, experienced showmen, and riders with greener horses needing improvement on headwork.

The March cow 101 clinic was a huge success.  We had a great turn out and two beautiful sunny days.  This one for me was particularly exciting because we had a number of new faces, including several youth riders, all experiencing working cows for the first time.  We have developed a system that recognizes each participant as an individual and starts at their level of experience and sets them on a path towards a softer more responsive horse and a deeper understanding on how to work cows.  This month we worked on tracking and rating a single cow, moved on to two man sorting, and then, finished with a 3 man sorting.  And, as an added treat, those who wanted to were given the opportunity to ride some of our retired show horses out of the herd.  These clinics are very rewarding for me as an instructor for I receive great joy watching the improvement in people and horses as they gain knowledge, confidence, and understanding.

A tip from Middle Way Horsemanship

It is very important concept in Middle Way Horsemanship to have a defined mental image of what you are trying to achieve and then keep your mind centered on “do’s” and not on “don’ts”.  Mental imagery is a very powerful tool.  What we see in our minds quickly becomes our reality.  For example, if you think “don’t lean” then you will certainly find yourself leaning at every opportunity.  I had an enlightening experience with this when my son and I were tossing a football back and forth in the living room much to my wife’s chagrin.  My son had just caught the ball and was bringing it up to throw it back when his mother announced rather pointedly “you boys had better not hit that lamp!” And bam, he threw the football right into the lamp behind me and it broke.  After a tense silence, I began to laugh.  It was in this moment I truly understood the power of mental imagery.  In this case ‘the lamp’ is something that we can perceive, it paints a mental picture.  ‘Don’t’ is purely conceptual and thus meaningless in the moment.  Of course he didn’t want to hit the lamp.  From the look on his face he couldn’t believe he did hit it.  But, as soon as his mother said “don’t hit the lamp” the image was planted and the rest is history.

How many times has this happened to us?  Don’t cut the white cow.  We cut the white cow.  Don’t blow the lead change.  We blow the lead change.  Oh my god, I bet he’ll spook at that gate!  He spooks at the gate.  These are all examples of creating a negative mental image and bringing it into reality.  Instead think “I will cut the black cow.”  “I will open my leg and ask for a correct lead change.” “My horse will ride smoothly around the gate.”  Create the image you desire with “do’s” and then bring it to reality.  Play with this concept and you will be amazed where it will lead.

I have recently created a facebook business page https://www.facebook.com/careycatheycuttinghorses Check it out for clinic and show info, sale horses, and videos.

 This month’s video tip is on collection.  CLICK HERE

The horse in above video is for sale.  Cutter, sorter, western dressage.  Email me for details at cdcatheyjr@gmail.com

I hope you enjoyed this month’s newsletter.  If you have any questions about our shows, clinics, private lessons, or training program, please email me at cdcatheyjr@gmail.com.

Until next month,

Carey Cathey