Great Horsemen~

Jack Brainard, Connie & Farah

Cowboys - the men who lived by a code, said what they meant & treated people with respect.  You never had to worry where you stood with them - they never minced words, but spoke true &  from the heart.  These men are disappearing -  the last of what many call;  the greatest generation.

As a kid in the late 50's & early 60's, Cowboys were King!  Roy Rogers, Gene Autry, The Lone Ranger...  On Sat. mornings the Watts Hardy Dairy hosted movies a the Boulder Theater.  You brought your empty milk cartons to for a free admission.  The Westerns were my favorite!  Horses, lots of horses, shoot-em up plots, fast riding - plenty to keep a horse crazed kid entertained :-)

In my early teens, I worked a few weekends at the local drive-in restaurant;  Twin Burger - to pay for riding lessons at Green Meadows Riding Stable.  Then - lived for the summers on my Grandparents farm in IA - where my mare Topsy waited.  The minute we arrived, I was out of the car, begging for a pickup ride out to the pasture.  Once we spotted her, I'd jump out & call her name.  Even Grandpa had to admit that she remembered me - she would lift her head at the sound of my voice & trot right up to me!

Connie is Concentrating!

To learn from Jack Brainard - who would be just an hours drive from home, at the Northwest Natural Horsemanship Center in Fall City; was an opportunity more like a dream come true.  Saturday, I spent the day auditing to absorb all I could.  Jack's style was soft spoken, direct & to the point.  What I appreciated the most was the way he made every rider feel special.  When a horse made a correct move - he would say;  "Look!  That's it!"   His words timed so perfectly that as a rider, you felt your horses response.  

If you have an interest in riding a better horse - this book is for you!   If I Were To Train A Horse.  It's hard to put down & will have that well-worn look in no time.  

My private lesson today, was a personal revelation - trusting Jack enough to give myself up to the ride - I felt that by the end of our too short time with him - I'd gained a huge amount of trust in my mount & she in me.  Our communication had taken a huge stride forward in mutual understanding.  After all - that's the beauty of the true relationship we strive for with our equine partners~
(Thanks for coming with me Dave, photos & support!)