Jim was born and raised in southern California and, except for the occasional trip to the rental stable, had few chances to be around horses during his childhood. One fond memory he has is of his grandmother taking him for a ride at a rental facility. She rode one horse and ponied Jim on the other. "I was very young at the time, but I do remember my grandmother, who had been raised in a rural setting in Idaho, loving horses and being completely at ease around them." This, and similar experiences, left Jim with a latent desire to ride and be around horses.
In the mid 70's Jim had an opportunity to work a temporary job out of state. Some friends offered to put him up. Knowing that these friends owned horses added to his incentive to take the job. Weekends, during this brief period of his life, found him riding a very pregnant mare bareback through the surrounding apple orchards. Part of the family raced quarter horses, so it was a real treat to be among the action at the race track, and especially to have his picture taken in the winner's circle with his friends next to their horse Charger. Jim now knew he really liked horses, but opportunities to buy one or be around them back in California were few and far between, especially on an 18 year old's budget. In addition to that, he still knew next to nothing about horses.
When it appeared as though other interests would outweigh Jim's interest in horses (girls, for example),... "I became aware that Cindy, a girl I went to high school with, had a horse. The choice between girls or horses just got simplified." He called her up and asked for her hand in marriage (well, that part came later), to which she replied yes. Not only did she have a horse, but it was going to have a "baby".
Cindy and her horse Tilly
The colt was born on October 17, 1977 and Jim's future bride named him Twister.
Twister at just a few days old, 1977
Cindy and Jim were both absolutely green about training a foal, but Jim took up the task with Cindy's assistance and suggestions. At two years old it was up to Jim to climb on Twister's back for the first time (Cindy was, ahem, 'in foal" at that time). All horses should be as easy to train as Twister. The only word to describe him is "awesome". He would take you anywhere you asked him to, and he never spooked at anything. Part of the reason may be because the stable was right next to a train track. Whenever Jim heard the train coming he took Twister out to stand next to it as it passed. "I can't say I should take any real credit for Twister. He was just an exceptional horse" ... as was proved out by his next horse, Bits."
Twister in about 1986
Jim bought Bits in the mid 80s. She was a two year old Thoroughbred off of the track. She was big, beautiful, spirited and only $700.00 dollars. She had papers, too! Jim's lack of depth in real horsemanship skills soon became apparent. Bits was not mean or disobedient, she was just afraid. He did often ride her in the local mountains while using Twister as a pack animal, as well as on local trails. But the longer he had her the worse she became. She began standing in one spot in her paddock and would weave her head back and forth for hours at a time. It got to the point that she was not safe to ride, so he sold her at auction. "I felt bad about it, but I could not justify, on my limited income, feeding a horse I could not use." The thought of developing a relationship with this horse was the furthest thing from his mind.
To save money so that Cindy and Jim could make the move to Idaho, they gave Twister to a good friend who loved him and spoiled him like no horse has ever been spoiled. And Twister returned the favor.
After the move to Idaho, as luck would have it, Cindy was given Cinder, a six year old Appendix/Quarter Horse that looked and acted very much like Twister. Soon after, Jim bought Sally, a big Quarter/Appy (no spots), and later Walter, a one year old mule, as a gift for Cindy. Barney, a now 30 something year old mule, made a brief appearance in their herd, but was soon given to a friend who wanted a calm animal for short trail rides.
Now, with several acres they called home on which they could have their horses right outside their front door, the circumstances were such that Jim and Cindy could actually devote some time to learning about horsemanship. Cindy joined a local drill team and had a blast while riding under some pretty distracting circumstances. But, even with this, there was no real horsemanship instruction.
Jim decided to take some reining lessons, only to be told that his Sally did not have the impulsion for such a discipline. The trainer suggested he try dressage. "Having never even sat in an English saddle, the thought of doing dressage had never occurred to me." But this is what was suggested by the trainer, so Jim jumped in whole hog. He took the lessons, watched videos, read books, and rode and rode and rode after work, as well as before. But after all this effort, he only got mediocre results. At one dressage show the judge wrote on his test sheet that Jim and Sally showed great potential. "That was not the ringing endorsement I was looking for. I had been trying to force the creation of something beautiful and instead was told to keep trying."
Jim redoubled his efforts, not keeping Sally in mind at all. It got so she would head the other direction whenever he came out with the halter and lead rope. He had conditioned himself to think that this was normal behavior for a horse that had three acres over which to roam. He was partly right. It was normal behavior for a horse that had no desire to be drilled and drilled and drilled. Something was missing, and that was a positive relationship. But Jim failed to see that because he did not even consider that a horse had emotions, wants and needs. Instead, he looked at his horse as a push button machine. "I just thought that if I pushed the right physical buttons, I should get a desired physical response." But a horse is not a machine and it would be a little while longer before this attitude in Jim would change.
Jim on Sally in one of their many dressage shows
At one point in Jim's dressage efforts, a friend asked him to ride her Andalusian mare, Dulce, in a dressage show. Jim worked with the mare for about a month and then entered a "B" show with Dulce, as well as Sally. Jim and Dulce took first place for that test level, but Jim and Sally were way down at about 5th place. "This is when I realized that Sally really hated what we were doing. I needed another horse if I was to be successful in dressage."
Jim started shopping for another horse, but found that any prospects were well out of his price range. Finally, at the encouragement of several people, Jim and Cindy decided to breed Cinder and make their own horse. In looking for a suitable stallion, they met Cindy Frantz of Sails & Saddles, who owns a beautiful Trakehner stallion named Kougar Von C. They watched Cindy's teenage daughter, Sarah, ride Kougar and fell in love with him. So they commenced with the breeding a few days later.
In the interim, Jim still needed a horse with which he could work at being successful in dressage. Cindy saw an ad in the paper for a six year old horse for sale for $350.00 that had never been ridden. They went down to Worley, Idaho to look at the horse and bought it. Jim's idea was that he would train this horse and then sell it when the colt was old enough to ride. The horse's name was Caliph. He had a terrible gash on his left rear leg and he was a rack of bones, but he seemed to have a kind disposition. The person selling him had taken him for money owed from someone else and was just trying to move him out.
Jim and Cindy took Caliph home and began the task of doctoring his leg and getting some weight on him. When it came time to start working with him, Jim enlisted the help of his dressage coach. Before long Jim was riding Caliph, but was doing the same old thing of trying to push the right physical buttons to get a desired response without any regard for the horse's state of mind. "I really tried to move Caliph along too quickly. Each time before going out on a trail ride I would ask Caliph if this was the day he was going to get me killed."
Jim was as dedicated and disciplined as ever in pursuing excellence in dressage, if only in the lower levels. There was still something missing that he couldn't quite put his finger on. "I was not really having any fun and neither was my horse. It was a labor of love for me, but just work for Caliph. There was little satisfaction and much frustration."
Cinder foaled just before 5 am on 5/5/05. The foal was a colt whom Jim named Morgan, after Morgan Gardner, a gentlemen he and Cindy knew in California. Mr. Gardner was what every horse would want in an owner and someone that Cindy and Jim have nothing but kind thoughts about. Unfortunately, he passed away before the colt was born, so he never got to know about his namesake. But Jim did let Mrs Gardner know that he named the colt after her husband and she said that he would have been honored.
Leafy and Morgan Gardner
In addition to riding Caliph, Jim began playing with his colt. He had read the book by Dr. Robert M. Miller, DVM, called Imprint Training of the newborn foal and applied his imprint methods on Morgan from the first moments after he was born. Over the next few months, Jim began to halter break Morgan and proceeded to work with him as he did with Twister some many years earlier.
Morgan on the day he was born
The training with Caliph was going at a mediocre level and Jim began to fear that this mediocrity would carry over to Morgan, as well.
Then, three things happened almost simultaneously that changed Jim's outlook on horses forever.
First, Jim watched a program on RFD TV called Parelli Natural Horsemanship. "I had seen this program before, but it mainly consisted of people playing in an arena with their horses doing all kinds of strange things with talk about something called the seven games. It was interesting to watch, but did not offer any special info that I could use." But this one particular program had Pat Parelli helping an individual with a problem she was having. Jim watched this program with great interest and gained some good insight as to how a horse thinks.
The second thing that happened was a friend had started doing Parelli Natural Horsemanship with her fractious mare. She invited Cindy and Jim over to show them what she had accomplished using natural horsemanship methods. She had her horse doing basic ground work, but also had her horse touch its nose on various objects in the corral with seemingly little direction. Flying lead changes this wasn't, but knowing this horse, it was nothing short of amazing.
Then, a short time later, when visiting with Cindy Frantz, she told Jim that her daughter Sarah had been doing Parelli Natural Horsemanship. Jim was surprised because Sarah was an accomplished dressage rider and he did not think that dressage and natural horsemanship could have anything in common. Jim and Cindy were invited to the Frantz home to watch Sarah give a demonstration on her horse Chessie. What they saw was absolutely the most splendid exhibition of horsemanship they had ever personally witnessed. Sarah entered the arena with Chessie and did some ground work. She then took the halter and lead off and put her hand on top of Chessie's head. Chessie lowered her head at which time Sarah bent over her neck. As Chessie lifted her head, Sarah was gently vaulted onto Chessie's back. She then began to ride around the arena on Chessie just using her body to direct her. They walked, trotted, cantered, did circles, stopped and backed up. "It was breathtaking to watch when you consider what I had been trying to do with the aid of a saddle, reins, bit and bridle."
Morgan's sire, Kougar Von C, with Cindy and Sarah Frantz
Here was a method of working with horses that Jim felt was worth pursuing. And he did so. He has since graduated the second of three levels of home study of Parelli Natural Horsemanship and is well on his way in Level 3. He will never look back. All of his horses are happier and more willing partners. "All of my horses are different from each other and you must treat them as such. This is about building a relationship first using affection, connection and direction. Once that basis is established, then the sky is the limit for having truly fun and satisfying moments with your horse, because it is satisfying and fun for them, too."
Jim is still as dedicated as ever, spending every spare moment with his horses before and after work and on weekends. He has given demonstrations to friends and family and has helped others in his neighborhood learn how to play with their horses. "That has been the key attitude adjustment for me. Go out to play with your horses, not to work with them."
Jim now often rides Caliph in his arena bridle less, and usually goes on a trail ride with just a rope halter and is completely safe doing so. As of this writing Morgan is almost three years old and, while under saddle, easily side passes over objects tall enough to rub his belly. He has become a confident, dominant and playful horse who is prone to mischief that requires your full attention. He is also a fun and willing partner who often comes running to you when you call him in from the pasture. "When Morgan is mischievous I redirect his energy rather than get mad and punish him. In fact, I can't remember getting mad at a horse since starting down the path of natural horsemanship."
Morgan on his 2nd birthday and the day of his first ride
Jim on Caliph riding bridleless
Jim on Morgan riding bridleless, Summer 2008
Over the last several years of studying and applying natural horsemanship by attending clinics, workshops and a private lesson here and there with a natural horsemanship professional, Jim has been able to learn strategies and techniques to be more effective in getting a desired response from a horse. "It is all attitude expressed through body language. The change in attitude can happen overnight. But it is the effective use of body language that takes time and practice to learn."
At the encouragement of horse owners he has helped, Jim started a small business helping people with their horses using a natural horsemanship method he calls "Relation Foundation Horsemanship". It is a combination of all the good things he has learned over the past 30 years, with an emphasis on what he has learned in the last three. That is establishing a foundation based on a positive relationship with your horse that begins with some basic ground skills, proceeds to some more complex ground skills, and is completed with riding your horse while fostering a proper attitude throughout. "I enjoy watching a willing horse put his head down to be haltered. It is this simple act that shows true potential for a good relationship between the horse and human. To me it is a thing of beauty everytime it happens."
And to quote the poet John Keats, "A thing of beauty is a joy forever."
Arena: (208) 683-3241 Mobile: (208) 661-3528 E-mail: jrbrannon@rfhorsemanship.com
