The following columns were written by Frank Bennett and have appeared in Frank's monthly column in Trail Blazer Magazine. Each emphasizes an area of leadership as illustrated by the horse.

To Tell the Truth, January 2005
Do you have trouble catching your horse in an open pasture or a large pen? Have you thought up some clever "tricks" like offering feed while saying, "I'm only here to feed you" and then slip the halter on while she's eating. Maybe you hide the halter behind your back and make believe you're not interested in your horse at all. "Oh... don't worry little mare... I'm just out here taking my morning stroll. I'm not the least bit interested in you." She's naturally curious so she eventually comes to take a look. Gotcha! Tricks like these work only for a time. A prey animal quickly learns to distrust a predator. This is why horses will let us catch them for a while then suddenly begin to move off when we get close and make us chase them around the pasture. Usually we get angry and stomp after them until they get bored and quit. The next day our anger subsides but we're resigned to chasing the horse so we don't resort to tricks. That's when they let us catch them.
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Horse Love, February 2005
On a recent trail ride to Mt. Humphrey near the San Francisco Peaks in Flagstaff, Arizona I was accompanied by nine women who all loved their horses. There was a lot to love. Every color and breed was represented from paints and palomino quarter horses to a bay Thoroughbred, a black Morgan, and a little gray Icelandic that took two smooth steps to every pace my old mare could muster.

After breakfast the first morning I watched one lady hop after her horse with one foot in the stirrup as he moved away while she was attempting to mount. After about ten hops she'd stop and rub his neck to calm him and then start hopping again. This went on for some time causing the other horses to fidget and swish their tales, bob their heads, and prance around impatiently. Eventually she cornered him at a tree and jumped on before he could figure out how to avoid her.
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Download Past Articles Below:
March 2005 - "Gus"
April 2005 - "Encourage Mistakes"
May 2005 - "Leadership"