It starts with respect.
That was the gist of the message Edmonton-based horsemanship instructor Kyle Fischer delivered to participants of his beginners reining clinic, which was hosted by the Barrhead Light Horse Club and held at the Barrhead Ag Barn April 28 - 29. The club was formed in the early 1960s and has traditionally held multiple annual horsemanship clinics in the area. In addition, the club also hosts gymkhana and performance riding events.
Originally from Manitoba, Fischer said he started training horses in the Canadian military and moved on to operating his own horse-training business in 2012.
“Some people want to get their horses a bit more broke or to expose them to either flag or cow-work and that’s basically what this clinic was all about,” Fischer said, noting flag and cow work is related to training cutting horses and added he teaches the animals both patterns and positioning, how to move and where rest spots are.
“The horses take this experience and adapt it to cow-control later because this teaches them how to keep one cow out of a herd.”
Fischer said anyone who can ride and has their own horse can participate.
“These clinics are all about teaching you how to make sure that the horse understands what its job is and you having control over it,” Fischer said, adding if you are interested in participating, make sure the clinic is at your skill level.
“If I’m running a reining clinic and there’s five people that have show-ready reiners and we’re working on fine-tuning, a person who has never done circling or fencing before is not going to get much out of it. I run beginner clinics and more advanced ones as well, but I apply my training to the level of the participants. This clinic had a handful of kids involved and the majority were new to the flag,” Fischer added.
For more information, contact Fischer through his website at www.kfperformancehorses.com.
