95 Gentle Horse training



Sweet Girl, following with no lead line!

     Some have asked about how I train a horse, This post will be all about horses and training so if you don't have an interest, just skip over it. 

     Remember, some of my writing may be in the hopes that a descendent may someday read it. (Just a warning as it could be boring to you.  I found it is much easier to show somebody a technique then try and write it down.)
     I found this to be very difficult to describe an action with enough detail to be accurate.  When I return home this summer I will try and do a short video to attach to clear things up.  In the meantime if you have any questions simply post them in comments or send me an email.

     The pictures and examples will be during our winter trip February 2014 to Naples Florida.  The horses were rescued and adopted by Val and Starlene.  A friend on Facebook surprised that I trained horses asked how long I had been training, I joked and said three weeks.   I was new at it however the horses had never been ridden so they wouldn't know the difference.    The truth is I grew up on a farm where horses did the work and from as long as I can remember I have been riding and working with horses.  At first my father would put me on the work horses and I would hang onto the harness's as they worked.  The first saddle I used my legs were so short my feet went in the leathers above the stirrups.  I just started training the horses I was around as I grew. 

    

Sweet Girl,

 

  At some point I read and used training methods found in western magazines and books.  Training one of my horses to rear, lay down, bow and kneel.  I copied my TV hero's doing trick riding, pony express mount, hippodrome stand, single and double vaults on a galloping horse.  I preformed these in and around my boyhood farm often on a gravel road with a standard single cinch saddle.  It was very fortunate that I survived this with out proper equipment or backup.

Sweet Girl, Good for You!

  I trained horses with kindness and persuasive methods, modifying my methods as I found out what horses were capable of understanding.  I was never consciously abusive to animals as some are.  However I know at times thru ignorance and improper equipment I caused them pain.

My Method:  I try and think of the end result we want to achieve and think backwards,  what little steps to reach that goal.   I ask the horse for a response, Apply enough pressure (pressure can be as little as turning to face the horse to throwing a rope in its direction) to the horse to cause a reaction,  remove the pressure (immediately) when he responds. And praise, praise, praise.   

Sweet Girl

Sweet Girl, When she stopped I told Val
she was already for her!

     Val's horses.  An older rescue mare "Sweet Girl" and her two colts 3 year old Phoenix and Kanda 4.  When Val adopted her she was 600 pounds in foal with a colt by her side.  She is now a beautiful 1100 pound well conditioned mare.  From the Adele song, "Rumor has it" she had been ridden at some point in her life however during her training she never gave any indication of  being ridden.     Within the first session I chose Kandi as my primary riding horse for Val.  Sweet Girl is the unknown since she was an older horse when rescued.  She also showed a dangerous side after foaling Phoenix. 
     Phoenix had already shown a bad side, in an instant she can pin her hers along her head and show her rear to you.  A mean look, she is showing you what she is thinking.  On one particular day Val was standing up ahead of her shoulder, normally a safe place from the rear legs. Not with this little gymnast.  She "cow kicked"  bringing her hind leg forward she caught Val's arm just below the elbow cutting it to the bone with so much skin damage it could not be sutured, Repaired with glue and surgical tape she still has some nerve damage.  Yup, I think Kandi's the one.


Phoenix the baby, looks innocent enough now.

   Now lets put it to practical application. The first thing we want is a horse that will allow us to approach and halter them for training.  We want them to look and turn to face us if requested.  This will be a lot of detail however it will set up the training method for all future lessons.  When you step in the corral be aware of the presence you are presenting.   The horse has survived by being aware of everything that can effect it.  Right now he is sizing you up, I often tell owners their horse is like a two year old little boy.  He will get away with just as much as he can.  Some one in the corral is going to lead and some one will follow.  You better decide which is which before you open the gate.  Okay if your not sure, lets fake it, maybe we can fool him.  Square your shoulders, look him in the eye and walk in there.  Good job, I think he is buying it.  Step towards him beckon him with a come here wave of your hand reinforce with a verbal command. "Come" and away he runs, now the training begins.  A stern "No" and perhaps a toss of a rope in his direction to keep him moving around the corral, 3-4 trips around the corral, step in front of him, point in the opposite direction and say "switch"  throw the rope and get him traveling the other way around the corral.  In the beginning I will allow any turn, later on I will insist on a turn toward me.

Sweet Girl

(we are discouraging a turn of his rear toward us.). Keep repeating until you see a softening of his attitude, perhaps a licking of his lips or a chewing.  Then when you do a change of direction back up and relax your stance and eventually he will pause,  At that point tuck your shoulder away from him slightly and give him a verbal soothing tone, I use "good for you, or way to go" so much my children mock me with it now.  You have to be very aware of his movements and watch for the slightest signal that he is trying to respond correctly and you have to praise him immediately with voice and body language. 

Sweet Girl-Val, up down,  up down, now other side!

  When he pauses we will stay in front of him and move to the side reassuring him verbally , almost with our back toward him and looking over our shoulder we will move parallel to him.  If he turns his head away or doesn't look toward us we will square our body to him and say "no". When he looks toward me you turn away and "good for you" repeat, repeat, repeat, soon you will be able to move further and further until he will turn his head completely to the side to watch you.  Keep his head turned and eventually he will find it easier to move his feet to face you, now we are talking.  Now we can walk by his head and circle and he will turn with you, then start walking in a straight line if he stops repeat the circle soon he will be following you on command.  If you can operate a lariat you can use that to reinforce the commands and cut the time in half.  With the lariat on give him the verbal cue, then tightened the pull on the lariat very softly, wait for one count and then jerk it, repeat, soon he will respond to the soft touch and then the verbal cue.  Always hesitate between the cue and reinforcement to allow time to respond.

Phoenix, Just curious?

Now we can approach and pet him, smother him with kindness, rub and soothing tones.  To some one watching it has to be very boring.   We want him to feel when he stands beside us to be a safe comfortable haven.  And out of our circle to be work.   Start adding things rub him with the halter, a rag, a blanket. Baby steps keep rubbing over larger parts of the body and different items, he moves away, it is back to circles, switching directions until he wants to return, no such luck, horses don't make decisions regarding training,  a couple of more direction changes and then ask him to return to you.  Keep repeating, he will figure it out stand quiet beside you = no work and comfort.  move away or behave badly = circles, change of directions, and work.  He will figure it out, training is going well.  Now he will stand and we can put a blanket on him, put the saddle blanket on from both sides many times.  Now introduce the saddle let them smell it, tie the stirrups and cinch up so they don't hang and scare him, sit it on his back,  from both sides, repeat, repeat, if they run,  well then it's back to circles

Val at the reins.

and the dreaded round pen exercise, better come back beside me where it is safe and comfortable.   When you can sit it on his back, he stands still with no concern for the saddle.  Rub him from both sides in the girth area, stand by his shoulder with the lead rope over your arm for control.  Slowly reach underneath and pull the cinch up and fasten it, make sure it is tight enough that it will not dislodge when he bucks.  Try and back away and let him ponder the situation.  The longer he

Phoenix and the plowing game.

stands the better.   Then move him away from you with the smallest pressure that will get movement.  We would like him to just walk off.  Most likely there will be some sort of moderate bucking, the first time saddled I let them buck until they are satisfied.  I will say one half hearted "no" and just let them go.  When he settles down I will verbally try and calm him down.  Then switch and more circle training until it doesn't bother them at all.  That is the last time I will ignore aggressive behavior, if he bucks next time there will be a sharp pull on the rope, a change in direction, turn and face him, point directly at him and



Phoenix the baby, looks innocent enough now.

a "NO".  Bridle:  Most of the time this is harder than saddling, you are messing with their head and as I like to say "you control the head and you control the horse".  You can cure or promote some bad habits during this step.  At any point the head is raised continue exactly what you were doing and increase the intensity, his head will raise higher, increase the intensity, up it goes,

Val's granddaughter on Kandi 

increase, now he starts to back, go with him, that didn't work so well, at some point his head will drop slightly, stop soften your tone and praise.  It was still two feet above where you need him to be however you taught him that raising his head increase the aggravation and lowering brings pause and release of pressure.  Try pressing on the top of his head between the ears, increase to a squeeze, a slight drop, release immediately rub and praise, soon you will have his head in your lap.  Rub the face and nose put your finger in the corner of his mouth. At hate corner of his lips, there are no teeth, rub his gums now press just a little and his jaw will relax praise and pet, repeat.  This is tricky, practice before you are in front of your horse so you don't look foolish. ( sorry to late.) Holding the bridle in one hand just above the bit (a snaffle not one with leverage) hold it in front of his face, rub his nose with the bit and bridle, your other hand is holding the halter or lead rope, your are beside him.  Rubbing the nose position the bridle so the bit will be in a position to clear his mouthed slide it back until the bit is directly beneath his mouth, with your other hand open his mouth by touching his gums and at the same time raise the bit, do not jam it against his teeth.  This will take some practice, the important thing is to reinforce head position, you raise it and pressure increases,  lower= praise and 

Phoenix, doesn't seem pleased.

petting.  Once you get it on release him and let him get used to the feel, some take longer than others to settle down and relax, you've got lots of time.  Rein response:  Standing on his side lift that rein increase the tension softly, he will probably move his head away, go with him with the same tension, this is not a tug of war.  At some point he will stop pulling or perhaps move his head to ward the tension. Drop the rein or release the tension IMMEDIATLY or sooner!  Pet and praise and rub, good for you , way to go, I knew you would get it. ( I think they love the sound of my voice. Did I mention they appreciate my jokes.) Continue on both sides, they will now move their head further and further eventually all the way to both sides. Your job is to release the pressure so fast that they learn to move to the slightest pressure.  To show one owner how sensitive they are I used a piece of dental floss on the bit to turn their head, now think how cruel a heavy hand on a bit with levers can be. 

Sweet Girl

      Back to baby steps, He is dressed to ride.  Move the stirrups in every direction, start with taps on the seat increase to slapping, apply weight to the stirrups increase to leaning, use the same motions you would as if you were mounting, raise your leg, swing it, march in place, run in place, jump up and down. If he moves pull on a rein bringing his head to the side further and further until his feet stop moving, we are teaching "the one rein stop"  continue until you are satisfied with the stop.  

Driving:  We are trying to cover all the bases and do everything we would be doing if we were in the saddle.  Now after teaching him to stand for hours on end we are going to ask him to move with us at his side.  Stand by 

Lucky Lady

his side, lift the reins like you would if you were in the saddle.  Use the verbal cue you use when you are in the center of the round pen for movement,  Next increase pressure, step back just a little grab a stirrup and wiggle it , increasing pressure until you actually slap him with the leather. If he doesn't move. Step back and throw a rope at his rear, when he moves praise and try to step closer and closer until you are walking beside, not in front.   Now put on long lines or ropes to the bit and thru the stirrups or even better a ring or loop higher up on both sides of the saddle.   Give the command to move step back and use the reins on his rear to get him moving, he will be confused as you move behind him, remember the one rein stop and the length he can reach if he kicks.  When you do a turn he will probably get nervous when the outside rein slides over his rump,  Soon he will be driving like a plow horse take them out in a larger area, plow, plant cultivate. ( just teasing.). think he wants more circle training so away we go, this may be boring for you but I think the horse loves it. (just teasing). I try and keep up a running conversation in soothing tones and I really think the horses love my sense of humor. 

Stellar, And the ground shook!

  A couple of weeks later when we were at Daytona bike week I mentioned to Ruthie that I couldn't get this smudge off my forearm (I think it was my right, you know it's backwards in a mirror) and she informed me it was a  large scrape and bruise and she wondered how it got there.  I told her and Michelle what I think happened.  Kandi and I were out in the large area playing this fun plowing game.  It was going well when I tripped.  (probably on one of the cedar knees sticking out of the ground. (Val had showed me a pile of these she had collected.  When the water rises the tree roots breath thru this projectile sticking out of the ground.  They may be as far away from the trunk as the branches are wide.  Val said wood carvers use them for art.). You can see why I didn't have time to explain this to Kandi. She started increasing her speed, Being off balance and in a forward lean I couldn't get the reins separated to do a one rein pull..  My speed and forward lean both increased.  Kandi must have thought we were now playing a who can run faster game.  She increased her speed.  It was not a fair game.  Obviously she knew where all the tree stumps, cedar knees, palmetto trees, brush and ruts were.  I increased my speed and perhaps a little more forward lean.  I probably shouldn't tell you this, remember I'm a trained professional.  However to get a good feeling for this you need to go outside, do not attempt this in your home.  Find a length of rope, twenty feet should do it. Tie it to something at least twice as fast as you can run.  Now grab the rope (warning, do not attach it to your body permanently,) Next get the object you chose, greyhound (the dog, not the transportation group) neighbor kid on a motorcycle, wife driving your SUV to increase the speed, you will be amazed how fast you can run with a little assistance.  Do not try this when you have 

Stellar, My fault!  I should have told her it was
just a blanket on a rope.

upset your spouse in any way or you will achieve the speed I am about to reach.  We were flying, I really didn't think I could run this fast, my little legs were churning, Kandi didn't seem to be even trying.  Okay the fence, I forgot about the fence, we were going to have to change the rules, She knew about the fence and turned to the right between to palmetto bushes, I let go and without the tension on the reins I was only able to maintain this speed for a few more paces.  I tried to stop my forward lean but my head and shoulders were getting further ahead of my flying legs.  Stick a fork in me I'm done.  Down I went.  Sand, dirt, bushes I don't know what I landed in, I just had to lay there for a minute or three to see if I could fill my lungs back up without artificial assistance.  I don't think I like this game the way Kandi plays it.
       Back in the round pen where I'm safe we start increasing weight in each stirrup until we can stand on each side.  Do this until the horse stands quiet during the procedure.  I pushed this with these horses because I wanted to be up on there back before I left Naples.  Then swing your leg over ( careful not to bump there butt) and sit in the saddle, on again off again now sit and come down the other side.  When you have reached a level of confidence, he turns, does a one rein stop and relaxes.  

Stellar!

The Ride:  Pick up on the reins give a firm verbal cue "Walk" Do a little forward lean with your upper body like you are going somewhere.  He just stands there.  Now lift your legs and stirrups away from his side, sometimes this is enough if you have practiced it enough from the ground, if not wiggle your legs and as a last resort bring them in to touch him lightly, we want a walk not a jump.  He is not used to walking with you in the saddle keep one rein at the ready and if there is any increase in speed or change in attitude bring him in a circle with a one rein stop until totally relaxed, repeat, repeat, repeat.  Ride often, ride safe!  

Starlene's Horses: she had a beautiful herd of what she called "Cracker horses.  A smaller horse bred to herd cattle in the pioneer days in the dense palmetto brush.  One of these "lucky Lady" was her main goal  Star had done a great job of ground work and training. The 
only sticker was for one reason or other every time she got on her back she threw her off.  Certainly not the attitude of a grateful horse.  The first day I was there we had a session and by the end we had a nice ride in the pasture.  A note on riding position on unbroken horses:  Even if your stomach is churning inside you cannot transfer it to the horse with your legs, they will telegraph nervousness to your horse, if your not confident in this ride neither will he.  If he bucks his goal is to get this frightening thing off his back the same way he would a cougar.  He wants it to come off to the front so he can then stomp it with his front feet.  We have desensitized him enough with ropes and blankets that the stomping instinct better be gone.   After the slight upper body lean and cue to get forward movement bring your upper body back to a balanced position, gently move your legs and feet forward of the balanced position, this way if he goes up you can keep your self in the saddle by holding onto the grab handle (I would rather have the horn removed and a leather handle instead) and when he comes down you are braced with the stirrups.  At the same time you bring his head around with the one rein stop until calm.  Repeat. (the ride, not the buck) So why no saddle horn you ask?  A grab handle will give you a better hold and unless you are a roper you have no use for it.  Many have been injured by the horn.  Also I have a bad memory from a saddle horn.  When I was very young I was riding my little horse in the eighty acre 

Stellar,  A soft golf club cover on a stick makes a great gentling
extension.  Out of harms way.

woods on our farm.  I must have been playing cowboy, practicing with my lariat and herding the milk cow herd.  I threw my lariat and caught one of the milk cows.  Probably was a good feeling for a minute until the once calm cow took off running.  The rope was tied to the saddle horn.  A trained roping horse will stay in line with the roped object brace its feet and bring the animal to a stop.  An untrained horse weighing less than the object will just be pulled along with its rider where ever the object decides to go.   At some point my horse fell as we went thru the underbrush the cow then dragged both of us until she went between two trees and horse and saddle were wedged and able to stop said cow.  The cow eventually stopped pulling and relaxed I was able to get the rope off the saddle horn.  I spent some time chasing the cow to remove the evidence from her neck so my parents wouldn't find out what happened, and they never did!  See the trouble a saddle horn can cause.      And now Starlene introduced me to her second horse.  Stellar:  I almost feel like every word I write on her should be in bold and capitalized.  I hope you never have the opportunity to see a horse like this. (because of the cruelty she had to endure)  however at the same time it was such a privilege to be able to work with this creature.  The facts, she was a wild mustang living on the range until she was approximately 8 years old.  She has a land management identification number on her rump and a freeze brand on her neck.  She was adopted by a hoarder who couldn't care for her properly and now at twenty years of age she has been rescued and adopted by Starlene and her children Aaron and Ginger.  Rumor: She may have been in a rodeo wild horse race and she may have been transported by herding her into a trailer and then the trailer filled with grain so she couldn't move.  Because of her distrust and fear every transaction with humans had been accomplished with extreme force in most cases.



Stellar, Talk to the hand, Aaron probably got tired of me
telling him it was his ugly gloves she was
afraid off.  He did a great job with her. 

 I was told later that Aaron sent this text out.  This guy either knows what he's doing or is crazy, he just went in the pen with Stellar!  Aware that our transportation was a trike  when Starlene was at Church or work she made sure Aaron or Ginger were always there with a car to take me to the hospital.  Comforting thought.  On one of her returns from Church I asked her the question everyone always wonders, "Did the Corinthians ever write back?" She never did find out.  Now on with her training.  She was not a mean or vicious horse, she was just so frightened that she was dangerous.  Her wild mustang instincts had been heightened to a level that most of us cannot imagine.   I was cautious yet I had to show no visible fear and be a calming influence.  I kept talking to her, she didn't seem to care.  Ruthie keeps saying she has never seen a horse that snorted the way she did, the first session was four hours and I don't think she ever stopped snorting.  I soon knew that the circle training to touch her would take to long without a rope on her to reinforce my cues.  Not wanting to lasso her as then I would be committed to reaching a point where I could remove the lasso on the first session.  Instead I used a long cotton rope and by throwing it over her and then going to her other side I was able to twirl the rope around her neck for 

Starlene with Stellar

control, now when I finished this session I could just un-twirl it to release her.  I have included a poor quality photo because it shows something you don't often see.  If the rope fell in front of her she would attack it by stomping it with her front hooves. The picture shows the extreme height she could reach, and you thought you were safe in front of your horse.  Lots of weapons this one!  The picture is probably blurry because I felt the ground shake every time she showed me a new move.     At some point when I was positioning my self to her side I passed her comfort zone and she spun away from me sending both rear feet at me in a parting gift.  I was one inch to close and she caught me in the leg and hand.  Lesson learned, she is scary fast.  If I haven't mentioned it already both Val's and Starlene's mares have scars from fighting off panthers to protect new born foals.  The picture with her pouncing on the blanket will give you some idea of her level of fear aggression.  In that picture she was so fast she reared to pounce and kill the object and just before she hit the earth she realized it wasn't an animal relaxed and ran away.  One time when I threw the rope she used her front feet to stomp in so fast it sounded like a machine gun.  I was impressed.  And so it continued, I would inch closer talking softly and perhaps sharing a numerous story with her. Then she would spin, I would pull hard on the rope with a stern "NO". Then she would stop and I would continue, "Yes, Yes, Yes, good for you  I would apply a little pressure to the rope and hold it until her head moved to ward me, and then verbal affirmations.  And on and on and on.  Seemed like hours, actually it was.  I was finally able to touch her without tension on the rope.  And the text went out. "He is the first one ever to pet Stellar!"  I could now get her to lead, sort of.  Time for both of us to rest and recuperate. 

Stellar, seems calm enough, we will discuss
her later. Note the Id# on her.

     Before the second session I got Star's permission to use some 6X6 beams I had seen in a goat pen to make a safety barrier, I didn't want Stellar to get hurt ( who am I kidding) and also put some more panels in place to increase the size of the corral, we both needed a larger safety bubble.  Turned out kind of funny, I think in the end Stellar liked having the barrier between us, maybe she felt safe behind it.   Her training continued as with Val's only that every step took 5 times as long trying to overcome the fear that horses raised around humans don't have.  This time I lassoed her making the commitment that I would be able to touch her and take it off.  She reminded me of a warning I should give you on loops.  You should make every effort to avoid having an object, be it a rein, rope, or lasso that can form a loop

that could cause and injury.  A couple of times I stepped on the rope I was doing and it wrapped around my leg and one time I flipped the rope over the rail as an aid, I then grabbed it below the rail (I think I was getting tired) Stellar jumped back and tried to run, I 

Stellar, this is far enough for today.

 couldn't hold her or remove my hand fast enough and she pulled it up against the fence.  My hand was acting as a wedge and I was very fortunate she was far enough along in her training to yield to the pressure and relax.   As of the writing of this:  I can now clench my fist without much pain, thank you very much stellar. The one step I did different for Stellar was train her with a target.  I knew this would be necessary for Starlene and Aaron to be able to halter her.  You can train a horse to touch an object and then use that object as part of their training,  I used my hand held ridged like a policeman's stop sign.   Now instead of me reaching to pet her I changed it and used the come cue and rope pressure until she touched my hand with her head.  I then released the pressure and verbally praised her.  It became 

Now why would you be afraid of Ruthie?

 interesting to see her try to work with this new concept, Okay that's what you want, here you go, I will leave my back legs in place and slowly move my front legs forward stretching my nose out to touch it.  There now are you happy and I was.  More praise.  Remember baby steps. Now I move my hand further away, it looks like she is going to break in the middle if she doesn't move her rear legs and finally she does.  Fun game, I think she is enjoying this.  This continued until we left Naples.  By that time she could be caught, haltered, led, a blanket thrown on her back, a saddle sat on her, her face handled and petted.  She could be rubbed and brushed on the neck and shoulders, as far as the top of her legs and her back as far as a saddle would touch and half way down her side.  It is hard to imagine how big a deal this was before I met her.  With her it was desensitizing a half an inch at a time.  It was very gratifying to finally have the snorting stop and seem at ease with the caressing.   The highlight was when both Aaron and Starlene were able to pet and halter her for the first time.  They love this horse.   Thank you for introducing me to Stellar and the wonderful letter you wrote.  

Update,  It is gratifying to see owners continue on with their horses training.  I have received several updates from Val regarding her riding and training. 
This an email from 3/28/2014  

     Back with daily training. Kandi is doing good. As far as I can tell. We are teaching each other. Tomorrow we will try to venture down the road.  Sweet Girl is doing better. We walked around the pen one time yesterday. Today 3 times.

As for Phoenix. She is having her temper tantrums. Three times she tried to throw me. I won the three times trying. She had one time of mission accomplished. No injuries. Except for pride. she was proud. My pride was hurt. So the score is Val 3, Phoenix 1. Do you think the banjos are a distraction?  
My reply:  

     You are doing great, just spend more time with phoenix , up and down on the side over the top, do not even worry about forward movement until you can mount, dismount and go over the top, lets say 30 times, continue driving her until calm.  
And yes it is probably the banjos , I know I heard them very plain when I fell when trying to run as fast as Kandi.
Be safe.

Vern and Ruthie

 

Val and Kandi
 

 

94 Naples

     It was the third of February and we were on the way to Naples, everyone had told us we were going to love it here. The ride was pleasant, sunny and getting warmer as we traveled South.  Sunday not seeing a place to eat when we were ready we stopped in a bar in Arcadia they were having a chili cook off.  Nothing special here but for a donation we got to taste some chili.  Someone had told us if you drew a line from Fort Myers across the state the area south of there is more tropical and will be 10-15 degrees warmer than 100 miles North.  We were counting on it.  We had our GPS set on Val's address for our horse training rendezvous.   City traffic was slowing our travels, we had no idea Florida was this populated.  Highway 41 took us thru Naples and suburbs and turned South East toward the Everglades.  A few more miles and we exited left onto a blacktop road, in less than a mile we turned on a gravel-shell pot filled road.  Ruthie is having some misgivings about the area we are in.  There are three nice houses along this road must be one of these, nope!   I'm starting to pick up on a faint sound, I turn off the radio to listen more closely as we ride on.  A left turn on to Val's road, there was a garbage can ahead however it looked like the road ended after that.  The GPS was telling us our destination was beyond that sign of civilization. I'm trying to stay positive to reassure my passenger, however I now can hear faint sounds of banjo tuning.   Passing the garbage can we could see two tracks beneath the overhanging growth.   Pushing the branch out of our way we headed down the trail, it would be difficult to turn back now.  Now I could definitely hear the sounds of dueling banjos and my thoughts went to the "panther warning" signs we passed on the way here.   Soon we arrived, a clearing on the right with 3 beautiful horses a round pen and campers, had to be Val's.   Unfortunately Val had been cheated by a crook that supposedly had laid her electrical cable in a trench.  What a thief, he stuck to short pieces of wire out the end of both ends of the trench collected his money and left.  She found out later the trench was empty.  He is in jail now.  With no electricity Val agreed to let us train for cash (if satisfied with results) and we would lodge in nearby Naples. Got to admire Val keeping the place running with a generator and doing the maintenance herself. (and sleeping with the sound of those annoying banjos, Just teasing.)

Sweet Girl, Kandi and Phoenix

     Due to the numerous questions I have had on horse training I will devote one complete post to describe it in detail.  It will be titled Gentle Horse training.

   We headed back toward Naples  found a nice room at a motel Trails End East right on Hwy 41.  An older motel it had been updated.  We met our neighbors almost immediately Bob and Faith, vendors traveling on the road from Minnesota selling spices at local festivals.  So the pattern was set, in between horse training sessions we would ride and explore the area as long as the weather cooperated.  And it did, on most days warming up to the mid eighties I became an irritation to our relatives up north questioning them often if it was still winter up there. 

A fun spot on Sanibel Island, the interior walls are
covered with dollar bills.

     After a week of this routine Val's friend Star asked if we could work with two of her horses.  With the expected revenue and the reassurance that they approved my gentle horse training method, we moved into the motels efficiency apartment on a weekly basis.  

     Some of the evenings I trained until darkness forced us to stop not wanting to travel to far in the dark we stopped at Perkins one night,  Ruthie was driving one night and she spent nearly 45 minutes visiting with Marsha from Vermont.  She was 76 and had rode Harley until just a few years ago.  Her and her friends were intrigued with the trike and I wasn't sure we were going to be able to eat that night.  Of course Ruthie soon had the accent lights on and gathered a small crowd. 

Our motel neighbor Faith at a festival on
Marco Island.

     Evenings when we returned to the motel we often sat and visited with motel guests or managers Cheryl and Butch.   We have decided they are this years trip Motel managers of the year.   Since the weather was mild morning's we found a table outside the front office with fresh coffee, oatmeal packets and some sort of a sweet treat.  Often it was biscotti made by Cheryl, what a treat.  One of the guests mentioned Rube Goldberg and his simple machines, actually complex machines to do simple tasks.  I was fascinated, worth checking out if you aren't familiar with them.  They have a competition each year for the best machine. 

Stan's, have one, you will come back for more.

Digital point and shoot, sorry John!

    We visited Marco Island and heard about a Cycle destination called Stan's idle hour.  The visitor center didn't seem anxious to provide any information about it.   My impression was they were pretty high class and very rich on this end of the island and Goodland (where Stan's was more working class). Of course we liked Stan's and that end of the island better.  The first time we split one of the delicious burgers, the next visit we had our own and the third trip they introduced us to Grouper, now our favorite fish now.  Goodland itself has a unique history.  A small fishing village it was literally changed into a town overnight.  The Barron Collier Company agreed to move the homes of the inhabitants of Caxambas to Goodland at no cost on land that would be paid back over three years.  The homes were moved with everything in them to the new location,  And presto in 1949 overnight Goodland was created.   A more impressive result of Barron Collier's fortune was the Highway we traveled on every day.  In return for having a county created and named for him he constructed a route from the East to West coast of Florida it was named the



Tamiami trail due to the fact that it connected Tampa with Miami.   An aggressive project it almost bankrupt him.

     We stopped at Stan's several times over the next few weeks.  On one trip we came for lunch between horse training sessions.  Knowing I had another session I was resting on a bench close to the trike, and Ruthie was, I don't know she may have been visiting.  I have been trying to get her out of her shell more and meet people.  (just teasing, for those that know Ruthie I wouldn't have had to add that.). A nice black SUV drove up and said something to me, I was used to answering questions about our trike so I got up and walked to the passenger window.  The lady showed me a ten dollar bill and asked if I had room for one more. Pardon I said.  "Do you have room for one more car pointing to the Parking sign $10 not to far from where I was sitting.  I explained the mistake and then later kicked myself for being so slow.  I could have had a ten dollar bill and a very nice vehicle to greet Ruthie with.  So far this trip a Walmart greeter and parking attendant, the jobs are out there!

     We checked out another of the more traditional attractions.  Everglades Wonder garden in Bonita Springs, opened in 1936 by two bootlegging brothers during Florida tourist heyday it lost its battle with Mickey and his cronies. 

Everglade Wonder Gardens,
the traditional flamingo picture.

  Fortunately a local photographer and his family are dedicated to keeping it open.  John Brady, loves the Everglades area and displays beautiful photographs at the attraction.   His photographs are created with large format film camera's.  That's right "film" he uses a 8 x 10 inch wooden view camera with lenses as old as 30 years.  Check out some of his photography on line or at the Gardens, they are awesome.  John was feeding a 9 year old cockatoo named Casey when we met him.   He told us sometimes people don't anticipate the life span of a pet when they take on the responsibility.  Cockatoos live from 50-70 years, when Casey owners died he was left to the family,   Casey put three people in the hospital biting the end of a nose of his last caregiver.  I think he is well suited for John and his sanctuary. 

      We keep our ears open and ask tourists what to see.  Saturday, seafood festival at Everglades city.  Sounds like a plan.  Wow did we pick a good one, the highway was jammed with cars.  It was like a fair back home with tents of vendors with cooking fresh seafood and sides.  We tried everything, delicious.   We sat with a nice couple from D.C. they raved about the stone crab, tried it decided we like snow crab better.  Glad we tried it rather than at an expensive restaurant.  Note to self "if I ever become a vendor make it ice cream.  D&J tasty treats form Wisconsin couldn't keep up with the demand. 

      We rode up to Cape Coral one night for their bike rally.       

    To smooth things over back home I will share what's going on up North.    It is the worst winter since 1980, It is hard to imagine winter when you are riding in 85 degree weather.  Everyone seems to be affected.  The Mayor of Atlanta is trying to blame the weather man, I'm surprised he didn't say "you know a gold wing trike went thru here a few weeks ago , last year when they rode in Hot springs Arkansas they got 8 inches of snow and it seems everywhere they go it turns cold and icy.  The drivers in Atlanta have found a way to cope that people in Minnesota had not thought of.  If the roads get bad they just abandoned their car and walk away.  I heard a policeman on the news saying that our job today is to match up all these cars with their owners.   It was the first  time in 20 years the entire great lakes have been ice covered. 

     Everyday another chance to explore, back down the Tamiami trail and Joanie's Blue crab cafe by Ochopee Florida, a favorite cycle destination with a guitar playing bluesman, fun place right in the Everglades.

     For Valentines day we took a trip to Labelle and Immokalee, our friend Wes messaged Ruthie that he hoped I took her somewhere nice with the money he sent me.  Still haven't seen the funds, nice guy.  One of my standard comebacks when I'm asked how its going is "Haven't been dog bit or horse stomped today, must be going Okay."  Can't say that today, I was an inch to close to a mustang and got kicked in the leg and hand.  Lesson learned!

The old problem, now where did I park my
Red Ferrari?

     We knew this was a wealthy area by the mansions and gated communities we drove by everyday and I had some hope that maybe some would rub off on us.  Today's event was a clincher to the money here.  Ferrari's on Fifth sponsored by the Ferrari club of Naples along with the Porsche, Corvette, West Coast muscle car and Cool Cruisers club closed off fifth Avenue in Naples and displayed their exotic cars. Lamborghinis, Maserati's and other high dollar cars kept us in awe for hours.  We found there is also a way you can own one on a time share bases like a condo. 

Lamborghinis V-12 who knew?

   We seen a 2014 Ferrari for sale $499,995, Ruthie said that's just stupid.  I was relieved I don't think I could calculate how many horses I would have to train to buy one for her.   

     A Morgan car caught our eye, not familiar with the name it made us curious, sometimes its funny how things come together.  While at Goodland and Stan's to view the boat parade, Ruthie met a fun group from the UK.  They have been coming to Marco Island for years extending their stay more every time they came.  They knew all about the Morgan,  the company in Britain customers may have to wait a year or two for their hand built car.  The amazing part is the shell is out of metal while much of the vehicle is made of wood.  Our traveling knowledge base claimed that they were guaranteed for life however I haven't found any thing backing their claim up. Remember they were at Stan's Idle hour and they may have had a beverage or two.  I'm just saying.  Still a unique sport car.

     Since our friend Wes didn't come thru with the money for a date night Ruthie and I went to see the movie Monument Men, nice evening. 



Along the roadside channel on the way to Val's.

     On one of the motorcycle forums I check on occasionally I noticed Harveyletsride posted that he was riding to Flatheads Roadhouse in Bokeelia Florida.  One of my goals on the trip was to meet some of the forum members if there was a chance.  I noticed this was a small village on Pine Island just off the coast of Cape Coral.  We rode up from the South and met Harvey and his riding buddies, nice lunch a little story telling, some pictures to prove it happen and away they rode.  Good times

Matlacha on Pine Island, lots of Pastel.



Cheryl, Ruthie and Butch!

  As we left we rode to the other end of the island to check out the Ragged Ass Saloon.  Fun little biker bar on a canal.  Their signature is men's underwear hanging on the walls, boxers not briefs.  They have a drawing of a donkey's rear to make their name PG rating.  Slogan; Come by boat - Come by Bike- Come buy beer.

Huge sandwich, not ours. @ The Ragged
Ass bar.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nice touch to one of the muscle cars, brought
back memories!

 

     Our friend Tom from back home had suggested we look up a friend of his, form Wisconsin.  He said they lived on a Golf Course so they shouldn't be hard to find. ( Their are 124 golf courses listed in the Naples area).  A place to ride and people to meet.  We were excited, not having the phone number we put the address  in the GPS and took off.  It led us to Glen Eagle Golf and Country club, looked like a nice place.  A Vendor

Scary fun group from the UK except for Ruthie
on the right, gave us the low down on the Morgan!

seen me go up to the empty gate building and gave me the gate code.  Beautiful area carts, walkers and cars seemed interested in our mode of transportation.  We found Ralph, he was in his garage holding court with some neighbors, we were welcomed and joined in on the conversation. While we were there Ralph called back home to Tom letting him know that we had found him Okay, he handed the phone to me and I mentioned how nice Ralph was, Tom said yes he was a good

Check the motor out thru the rear window!

neighbor and "We " would have to do something pretty bad for him to kick us out. ( a negative premonition? ). We continued to visit as neighbors dropped into the garage to ask why Ralph had started cocktail hour early? ( evidently it is at 5 o'clock in Ralph garage).  Then a fella rode up on a bike and asked if

Fun couple from Virginia making the best of  life
while going thru some ups and downs at Stan's.

anyone there owned that motorcycle parked in the guest spot.  First I was worried that someone had hit our trike. But then he said "Motorcycles are not allowed on the grounds, you will have to leave immediately!".  Ralph said we will put it in the garage, evidently that wasn't acceptable to the code police.  He didn't give me a chance to say that motorcycles only have two wheels, he went a safe distance away to see if we complied.  I didn't want to get Ralph in trouble but he didn't seem to worried. He showed us his home and visited for a while, All the while Barney Fife
on the bicycle was stationed near by.  When we left The Covenant policeman waved and seemed that he had done his duty.  Probably will brag about it at the Covenant station tonight.  We got a few miles down the road and Ralph called and said Ruthie had left something there, We suggested we meet him at the gate but Ralph said come on in your machine is faster than his bicycle.  (I thing Ralph is a rebel.). 
I found out later just how restrictive some of the covenants are, Example: No pickups Van's are Okay as long as they have no more than one side windows.  You can't have lettering of any kind on your vehicle.   Some even restrict the number of tropical fish you can own.   A couple of tidbits from Ralph before we exited. 
    Do to the abundance of revenue in this area thrift shops are stocked with some very nice things.  It is the first time I have seen clothing racks with clothing manufacturers listed.   Names lie Cache'  J. Jill Chico and Armani.

Harvey lets ride (left) Ruthie and buddies!

  Many times at our little residence we met new travelers and sat relaxed and visited with Butch and Cheryl.  Did I mention they were our favorites

    On one occasion we met a man from Montana, he was ready to get out of Florida, he didn't like the traffic, buildings or crowds.  His closest neighbor is 8 miles away back home.  This little bid of information we gleaned from Ralph before we kicked out may shed some light on the problem.  He said the population normally is around 30,000 swelling to over 300,000 during the tourist season.  One bumper sticker expressed the dislike.  "When I get old I'm going to move up North and drive slow!"     

Before I take a picture that I might post,
I always ask if anyone has any
Outstanding warrants?

     Beach access is limited due to the large private homes lining the gulf.  It had been suggested to us that we travel to Naples and go out on the pier I believe on 12th Ave. they said we would have a spectacular view of the sunset.  A clear day, sunset scheduled at 6:28 we parked and walked to the beach.  On the pier we purchased some hot chocolate to ward of the strong cool wind and with cameras at the ready we settled in to wait.  At the concession stand we noticed someone had brought a "flat Stanley" along  to get travel pictures for a Childs classroom project and we  remembered taking our grandsons flat Spencer on similar outings.  The fisherman at the end of the pier were used to this ritual and had left their fishing poles and were waiting for 

"knock-knock" Motel manager's of the year!

the tourists to get there picture and depart.  The sun was slowly descending and we noticed a boat of some kind off to the South some distance.  With patience we had been able to work our way up to the rail, we were going to have no obstructions.  The sun was very close to the horizon and now we seen the ship was closer our target and it seemed larger, at one time it was just a speck.  The Sun touched the water, cameras clicked away. Some took videos, the ship got bigger and closer to the Sun, This isn't going to happen is it? 

It did! That glow behind the ship is our hour wait, about to set!