December 11,2003After reluctantly agreeing to my seventeen year old geldings requests that
I find another horse to share the work load with, I went to Dale
Cossman. I told him I wanted a younger horse that would do everything from
difficult trails to working cattle. Dale explained that it might be
difficult to find exactly what I wanted and that I'd be better off buying a
colt and training him myself the way I wanted. Dale helped me pick a horse
that would be a good match for me and then the next sixty days he spent on
his "foundation training".
I was present during some of the training and was impressed with how
quickly Dale and the colt progressed. Dale's "no-nonsense" training
methods were effective and the horse remained calm throughout.
Before I took "Twister" home I went for a short ride and then waited for a
few minutes while Dale trimmed his feet. The horse stood quiet the whole
time and jumped right in the trailer when I asked.
I expected that with a two year old colt I would be responsible for most of
the real training but with Dale "foundation training" means everything from
shoeing to side-passing.
This colt has had a great start and is more responsive than some horses
that have been ridden for years. I'm having a great time now teaching him
what I want him to be.
Dale, thanks for a great colt. --- Steve
