Serving the Boulder Valley of Montana.
We treat ALL horses in training like they are our own. We offer free choice, high quality hay and feed grain at owners discretion. We schedule training sessions around the individual horse in question and adjust as needed.
Colt Starting
We pride ourselves in our colt starting. Dan especially loves the colts that come in a little wild and need some refinement in leading/tying. We start all colts in a knot-free rope halter and teach them to lunge, take a saddle, and follow their nose around all on a loose rope. When they have mastered these skills and are comfortable with ropes around all places, they are ready for their first ride. We work as a team to start all first rides; whichever one of us has done the most groundwork with a colt will simply continue to do the groundwork they already know with a “dummy rider” that stays calm and centered. As the colt becomes comfortable moving with a rider, we will tie the lead and reins and begin riding independently. From there, when the colt is ready we can transition into any headgear the client desires, usually a Bosal or a snaffle bit.
As soon as a colt is calm and confident with a rider, we try to get them out of the arena and work on fundamentals as we work. We find that by getting them out and covering country they stay more sound in mind than if they were confined to a round pen or arena.
This colt is ready to be ridden independently. She is following her nose around with a soft feel on the rein and is yielding her hindquarters.
Tune ups/Finish Work
Given the wide span of horses that come in for training, tune ups can or refinement can be modeled to meet the concerns of individual clients/horses and their needs. We have worked on everything from bucking horses to show horses needing more reliable lead changes.
All tune up horses will be ridden with an emphasis in softening. Our goal is always to work towards a horse that is ridden primarily with seat/legs. Some of the main skills we focus developing and softening on include: front/hind quarter yields, neck reining, turnaround (sometimes called a spin but we use a cow turn versus a reiner spin), sidepassing, ribcage softness, walk/trot/lope on a loose rein, and correct stops. To develop an outline of training expectations, please visit our Contact Us page to speak with us directly, and scroll down to explore some of the training tools that we utilize.
Dan asks a 60 day colt to stop with his seat and a neck rope. Notice that her expression is soft and her ears are back on him.
RES utilizes a variety of training tools
Mechanical cow
We are proud to announce the addition of a CowTrac II to the list of tools we have at our disposal. Per the clients interest, we are happy to work with any training horse on the flag. Flag work can be beneficial for all types of horses, offering a way for horses’ to learn correct body mechanics while focusing their energy on a fun task
Roping Dummy
All horses that come to train at RES learn to handle a rope and to track cattle. Green colts benefit from a roping dummy as they can learn to track and lean into dallies before being faced up to a live animal. Experienced horses can be corrected and encouraged to stay correct in a controlled environment.
Ranch work
The demands of the ranch vary day in and day out, exposing horses to new challenges everyday such as gates, sorting, roping, and long trotting fence lines. Additionally, with access to thousands of miles of big sky country, horses in training will be exposed to: water, underbrush, woods, cattle, and all types of elevation from the river bottom to the bluffs and parks of the Elkhorn and Bull Mountains.