For years I’ve called the process of making Benji movies trial-and-error film making. I always – well, usually – know what I want to see up there on the screen, but almost never know how to get it on film. I remember late one night in Oregon on Benji the Hunted there were about twelve of us crammed and bundled around the camera which was sitting on the dirt pointed down at a tiny little cougar cub who was supposed to be looking up at Benji, pleading with his eyes to not be left alone to be eaten by some larger predator (his mama had been shot by a hunter). The look in the cub’s eyes had to be right. It had to make us (the audience) choke up a little, feel the plight of this poor helpless baby. So there we were, this huge crowd of people all scrunched in a ball gawking down at this wee cub with a bevy of bright lights in his eyes, and I was supposed to be holding the “look” of the cub (as if he were gazing up at Benji) and I was also supposed to be doing something that would evoke just the right expression. Something that would make the cub’s eyes beg pleeeze don’t leave me here…

I squawked annoying sounds, tried to whistle (which I never had learned to do properly), gurgled, cracked sticks, rustled leaves, squeaked… none of which was having any effect. After a moment, the cub began to rock back and forth and I said, “I think he’s falling asleep!” I got louder, but the little guy’s eyes rolled back in his head and his eyelids dropped shut. He was out like a light. After a moment, he plopped over on his side, which woke him up with a start, and we began again. It had to be a funny sight to an innocent bystander. But it took a while for me to see the humor in it as rolls upon rolls of film raced through the camera. We shot up at least twenty minutes worth before finally getting the expression I wanted. I don’t even remember what sound or movement extracted the perfect look… but that particular moment in the finished film is magical. Truly magical.

The point here is we don’t have to know all there is to know every time we enter a new situation. We don’t have to wait and wait until we’re living experts of the moment to give something a try. I’m a huge advocate of book and DVD learning, of ingesting years of experience in a short time from people more knowledgeable than I. But there comes a time when there is no better learning than first-hand experience, of getting out there and trying something. Giving it a shot. Knowing full well that it probably won’t work. But mentally set to keep going. To try something else. And something else again. Until that magical moment happens. Because every mistake is another learning experience and one builds upon another.

I’ve never forgotten the following moment, as described in my book The Soul of a Horse:
Our growing library of books and DVDs all said “begin at the beginning.” which meant standing in the arena teaching my horse to back up, or move sideways. Or come to me. These exercises would give me control, said the DVDs. And once I had complete control over how, where, and when the horse moves, I would then have a safe horse. And only then should I climb aboard.
But I wanted to know why.
I was also anxious to take the next step with Cash. After Join-Up, he was now looking to me for leadership, so off we went to the arena.
I hear we learn by our mistakes.
One of the training DVDs had spelled out three different ways to teach backup.
See Cash back up, Method One.
See Cash back up, Method Two.
See Cash back up, Method Three.
Why, I wondered, did I need three? Especially here, beginning at the beginning. One method would’ve been quite enough to confuse both of us this first time out.
See Joe look like a circus clown.
Clumsy and awkward do not adequately describe the moment. I had Cash’s lead rope in one hand and a three-foot-long Handy Stick in the other. A Handy Stick is a plastic rod used to extend the length of one’s arm so that, hopefully, one can stand back far enough to avoid the kind of knockdown Kathleen got to experience. The stick, sold of course by one of the DVD trainers, is not to be used for discipline, only for guidance. According to this particular DVD, I was supposed to be doing one thing with the lead rope and another with the stick.
It was like trying to rub circles on your belly with one hand while patting your head with the other.
I felt like an idiot.
Those droll cocks of the head and quizzical looks from Cash were coming at me like machine-gun fire. I expected him to burst out laughing any minute. I was clearly not getting through.
But I didn’t give up. What I ultimately did was push aside most of what the DVD was telling me to do and started making it up as I went. Trying different things. If this didn’t work, I’d try that. Or something else. And slowly, over time, I began to see that it really doesn’t matter what you do, but rather how well you communicate what you’d like for your horse to do. If touching his ear will communicate that you want him to roll over, so be it. Ultimately I reached a point where I can now ask Cash to back up with nothing more than a word, or a toss of the head, or a flick of a finger

And it all came about stumbling around through the process of trial and error. Which lead me to look at communication from his end of the lead rope, not from mine. What could I possibly do to get him to understand what I’m saying, what I’m asking?

The time came pretty quickly to get off the DVDs altogether, to get out of the books, away from the clinics, and spend that time with the horses. To let the horses be our teachers. To watch them interact with each other and begin to internalize what they were doing so that it became a part of our vocabulary, part of our being. To understand their individual personalities because I knew them, not because I consulted a book or a DVD or a spin chart. It was No Agenda Time and lots of it. Time spent with without a goal of accomplishing a thing other than being with the horses, getting to seriously know them. And then trying different things based upon what we learned.

The longer I’m with horses the more I realize that every good decision comes from gathering knowledge, spending lots of time with the horses – which not only develops bond but wisdom – and then exercising my best judgement… knowing that it might change tomorrow when I see how it works or learn something new. So… please… don’t look for answers (except from your horses). Look for knowledge. Enough of it so that you can see through the things that make no sense and therefore make good judgements… knowing that it’s all trial and error. Also know that if something doesn’t seem logical, it probably isn’t. If it doesn’t make sense, it’s probably not right. And if it’s only for convenience the odds are good it’s the wrong answer for the horse.

And please don’t ever be the person who actually said to me, “Just tell me what to do… not how to learn.”

I’m often asked to describe our “method”… but we don’t have a method. Because every horse and every situation and every relationship is different. When I go down to feed, twice a day, each time I’m faced with different issues depending upon who is where. Each horse is fed in a specific place that has been determined by their dominance position in the herd and how fast they eat… but sorting them into those places is always different. I sometimes catch myself wishing that they would all just disperse and go automatically to where they know their feed tubs are because sometimes it’s like fruit-basket turnover. But I always get something out of the sorting process because the challenge is always different depending on who is where, their moods, the weather, and whatever else is going on at the time. In the beginning it was always trial and error, but not anymore… usually… because the time I’ve spent with them has taught me that I can make pretty good decisions, most of the time, about how I’m going to approach the process, and why.

Our passion at the moment is trying to convince you that once the basics are in place, you don’t need “methods”, clinicians, and other people’s directives. There is no such thing as a switch you can throw and each horse will do or be whatever you’d like. It’s continuous evaluation and response.

And always know this: The answer to every question is buried somewhere in the answer to this question: What would my horse be doing for himself if he were living in the wild of the American west where he evolved for millions and millions of years. That covers lifestyle, diet, feet, health, stress, training and to some degree relationships and bonding. And once you have gathered knowledge from the horse (and know how to Google) you will have the ability to deal with it all, to trust yourself to trust the judgments you will make, knowing that some will work better than others but they will all be learning experiences.

There’s always concern, and fear… but please, please, please don’t be afraid to make mistakes. Trial and error is what it’s all about. Nobody, even Pat Parelli, is perfect. Mistakes are learning tools. I made a big mistake the day I put a lead rope on Saffy (see on the website: What a Special Lady – This Wild Mustang). But I learned quickly.

And so can you. – Joe

by Joe Camp

Dr. Matt was vet to a 140-horse breeding farm across town and saw foals virtually every day of his life, yet he would stand propped on our fence and watch this newborn race up and down the steep rocky paddock and he’d shake his head, saying, “I’ve just never seen a baby like this one.” He was fascinated by Malachi and I think he loved him as much as we did. This baby horse who was conceived in the wild and who broke all the domestic rules. He was born under the stars with nobody watching but God and his mama. The foaling book told us that after a couple of weeks he could come outside for a maximum of two hours a day. We laughed, because Malachi had never been inside. He was running up and down the hill and around rocks and boulders on his third or fourth day of life and I remember Kathleen saying, “Just think of all the babies who never get a chance to do this.”

Continue reading Our Vet: “I’ve Never Seen a Baby Like This One.”

By Joe Camp

I care for our horses with a passion. And the passion came from a horse. Because I allowed it to come from a horse. I allowed my very first horse to choose me. To tell me that he trusted me to be his leader. Of his own free will. Not the other way around. It was his choice. And when it happened everything changed. For me, and my horse. He was no longer my horse. I wasn’t his owner. The first line of the movie Hidalgo said it right. Cash was now my little brother. And I promised him that day that I would love him and he would have the best life I could possibly give him. And I meant it.

No stone would be left unturned because I now cared deeply about this horse and I would be searching everywhere to discover how I could make his life better. Not how I could make my life better. My life would get better when his did.

That was 17 years and eleven horses ago. And everything Kathleen and I have learned is covered in this new book, Love Your Horse First. Because it’s important that we all get it right. That we all care. That we all take the time to have little brothers.

Continue reading Where did the Passion Come From?

By: Joe Camp

Continue reading For Beginners Only

By: Joe Camp

Have you ever wondered what kind of person could begin writing a book like The Soul of a Horse less than a year-and-a-half after acquiring his very first one? I have. There were times when I thought I was crazy. How could all of the discoveries we were making be true? Surely someone would have been talking about them before now. “Keep writing,” Kathleen said. And I, the dutiful husband, did. And I’m so glad I did.
Now I’m asking everyday: what’s in it for the horse? With lifestyle? With training? With diet? With feet? With relationship? What’s in it for the horse? Not what’s in it for me? Until these questions are answered there’s no way to even imagine how good things can be.
Clinician Ray Hunt always opened every clinic or symposium the same way. “I’m here for the horse,” he would say. “To help him get a better deal.” He and his mentor, Tom Dorrance, were the first to promote looking at a relationship with the horse from the horse’s perspective. Their question was never What’s in it for me? But rather, What’s in it for the horse?
During our relatively short journey with horses we began to understand early on that What’s in it for the horse? should be the only question. And not just related to training, but to Lifestyle, Diet, Feet, the concept of Liberty, as well as Relationship. And that only by understanding all of these from the horse’s perspective could we begin to approach that illusory state of mind referred to as Horsemanship. We were discovering that our way to horsemanship could never be about how well we ride, or how many trophies we win, or how fast our horse runs, or how high he or she jumps.
For almost fifteen years now we have spent our days and nights attempting to discover the mysteries of the horse and have found it to be a never-ending journey. But the rewards are an elixir. The soul prospers from sharing, caring, relating, and fulfilling. Nothing can make you feel better than doing something good for another being. Not cars. Not houses. Not facelifts. Not blue ribbons or trophies. And there is nothing more important in life than love. Not money. Not status. Not winning.
Try it and you will understand what I mean. Apply it to your horses, and your life. It is the synthesis of The Soul of a Horse – Life Lessons from the Herd and why it came into being.
See the world from the horses’ side of the fence. Give them the choice of choice. Care enough to want them to be healthy and happy. It will come back a hundredfold.
There are many who teach relationship, riding, and training with principles of natural horsemanship. Others support the benefits of going barefoot with the wild horse trim. Still others write that your horse should eat from the ground, and live without clothes and coverings. Some promote day and night turnout, where your horses can move around continuously. But few have explored how dramatically one without the other can affect the horse and his well being. Few have put it all together into a single philosophy, a unified voice, a complete lifestyle for the domesticated horse. When I gave my Cash the choice of choice and he chose me, he left me with no alternative. No longer could it be what I wanted, but rather what he needed. What fifty-two million years of genetics demanded for his long, healthy, and happy life.
I’m still astonished when I think where Kathleen and I began such a short time ago, and the impact our discoveries have had on so many. But there are still too many training with dominance and cruelty, cooping up their horses in small spaces, weakening their natural immune systems, feeding them unnaturally, creating unhealthy hooves and bodies. All because most folks actually believe it’s the right thing to do.
Yes, I suppose there are some who still only want a beast of burden. Do as I say. Make me a winner. Jump higher. Run faster. Slide farther. And do it wearing metal shoes nailed to your feet and a steel bit in your mouth. People who care not about having a relationship with their horse, and who will, when confronted, continue to care not about the health and happiness of their horse. But I believe that most horse owners today care about their horses and are operating, as we once were, with little more than emotional logic, old wives’ tales, and very little real knowledge.
I allowed my very first horse to choose me. To tell me that he trusted me to be his leader. Not the other way around. It was his choice. And when it happened everything changed. I promised him that day that he would have the best life I could possibly give him. No stone would be left unturned because I now cared deeply about this horse and I would be asking everywhere how do I make his life better. Not how do I make my life better. My life would get better when his did.
And I thank God for Omega Fields because they became a huge factor in Cash’s life getting better, along with all seven of our other horses. We train with treats so we use a lot of them. And with Omega Fields’ Low-Starch-Low-Sugar treats we never feel guilty because these treats are actually good for our horses. And Omega Fields’ Horseshine makes our horses shine not just on the outside but on the inside as well. And on and on because these people really care about our horses.
I hope our books and efforts will be a crack in the armor, a small breeze if not the strong winds of change, a resource for what needs to be done.
And a longer, happier, healthier life for all horses.

By Joe Camp

Dr. Matt was vet to a 140-horse breeding farm across town and saw foals virtually every day of his life, yet he would stand propped on our fence and watch this newborn race up and down the steep rocky paddock and he’d shake his head, saying, “I’ve just never seen a baby like this one.” He was fascinated by Malachi and I think he loved him as much as we did. This baby horse who was conceived in the wild and who broke all the domestic rules. He was born under the stars with nobody watching but God and his mama. The foaling book told us that after a couple of weeks he could come outside for a maximum of two hours a day. We laughed, because Malachi had never been inside. He was running up and down the hill and around rocks and boulders on his third or fourth day of life and I remember Kathleen saying, “Just think of all the babies who never get a chance to do this.”

Why is any of this important? Because Malachi, from his first moment on the planet, was living the life every horse on the planet should be living. He was big, and strong, and healthy, and almost single-handedly changed Dr. Matt’s mind about all the crazy non-traditional things we were doing. Like no stalls, no shoes, no sugar.

When a horse is forced to live in a manner that directly opposes the way he was genetically designed to live, the stress alone can wreak all sorts of havoc with his physical and emotional being.

So how is he genetically designed to live?

Every horse on the planet is designed to live like a wild horse.

Excuse me??

That was exactly my first reaction. But it’s true. Science tells us that domestic horses and wild horses are genetically precisely the same. The horses in our back yard are really wild horses in captivity. Just like a baby tiger would be, even though his mom, grand mom, and triple-great grand mom were all born in captivity. That baby’s genetics are still the same as those beasts roaming the African jungles. The scientific fact, we discovered, is that it takes between 5000 and 10,000 years to even begin to change the base genetics of any species.

Which means the horses in our back yard have been programmed for millions and millions of years to live in wide open spaces where they can see predators coming, eat small bits of grass forage around the clock up to 18 to 20 hours a day, move 8-20 miles a day, on bare feet that can flex with each step to circulate blood within the hoof capsules, live with multiple horses for safety and security, and even balance their own diets if provided with enough choices to do so.

Who knew?

Watch Malachi’s Video

Obviously neither Kathleen nor I knew when we acquired our first horses, nor the experienced experts who were advising us with phrases like: This is the way it’s always been done! Back then our guys and girls all lived in a manner diametrically opposed to what their genetics were calling for. They were in tiny little stalls where they could move at best 800 steps in a 24-hour day as opposed to the 8-20 miles a day their genetics called for. And we ultimately discovered that such a huge differential was not just affecting physical structure, it was affecting their digestion, their breathing, the health of their feet, their immune systems, and thereby immensely affecting their stress levels which, as medical science has finally come to realize, substantially affects all aspects of their health. Their diet was mostly sugar in a bag, which we discovered is the absolute worst thing one can feed a horse, especially a confined one. Molasses is part of virtually every packaged feed in existence. Every grain in the same bag turns to sugar the instant it gets inside the horse. And, as mentioned above, horses are genetically programmed to eat grass forage (real grass or grass hay), little bits at a time, up to 18-20 hours a day. The horse’s hind gut is programmed to release digestive acid around the clock. Acid that digests grass (not sugar, not alfalfa, not pellets, not carrots, just grass or grass hay). When that grass forage is not dribbling into the hind gut on a regular basis the acid has nothing to work on but the insides of the horse itself! Unlike humans whose digestive acid turns on and off depending upon whether food is present, the horse’s digestive acid never stops. So the grass forage needs to be there. Free-choice. Around the clock.

And then there’s the herd. We discovered that a horse in a stall who cannot commune with other horses gains yet another level of stress to endure. The purpose of the herd for a prey animal is safety and security. Being with other like animals is quite literally a safety net. There are more eyes to see trouble coming. And usually the dominant member of the group is also the number one watchdog. Being deprived of that comfort, at some level, breeds huge amounts of stress.

Remove all of that stress, whether human or equine, and you remove the cause of many if not most medical and emotional issues.

For horses, just the stress of being cooped up in a stall can cause or lead to ulcers, colic, laminitis, reduced blood circulation, digestive issues, lowered immune system, and, of course, each and every stall vice in existence.

Add packaged feed filled with grain and/or sugar served up two or three times a day instead of grass or grass hay around the clock and you increase the incidence of all of the above and all sorts of other issues.

Toss in the lack of movement the horse is designed to have and add metal shoes nailed to his feet that eliminate the ability for the feet to flex which circulates the blood in the hoof capsules and up and down the legs, and all the bad stuff quickly compounds.

On and on it goes. Building the horse’s immune system is the singular very best thing you can do for a horse’s health and happiness.

And building the immune system begins with Omega Fields, the people who actually care for our horses. Like their need for Omega 3s. Every Omega 3 supplement in the Omega Fields line (whether for horses, dogs, chickens or people) begins with 99.9% pure Non-GMO stabilized fortified flax. That is .9% higher than required for human food grade. Nobody else does this.

Omega 3s are absolutely essential to your horse in so many ways. They fight inflammation, they support and build the immune system, improve bone and joint health, restore cracked and brittle hooves and support strong solid hoof growth, they can eliminate sweet itch and bug-bite sores, are recommended for horses with insulin resistance and Cushings, and can reduce symptoms of metabolic syndrome, all while promoting shiny, healthy coats and smoother skin texture. Compare labels.

No one, not horse or dog or human, can manufacture their own Omega 3s. A horse in the wild will get his Omega 3 needs from the many varied kinds of fresh native grasses that have never been exposed to chemical fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, and never been GMO’d. Domestic pastures virtually always come up short because they have been heavily exposed to some or all of the above. Grass hay loses its Omega 3s when it’s cut and dried. So every domestic horse needs supplementation.

I am seriously excited to have found Omega Fields who actually cares about my horses’ health and happiness. And I recommend them to you without reservation.

By: Joe Camp

The single most important thing you can do for your horse and your relationship with your horse is for him to say I trust you. Completely. Implicitly.

Of his own free choice. His own free will.

And the way we’ve found to accomplish this for our horses is for them to be at liberty. To not be trapped by halters and lead ropes. To be able to leave or stay according to their choice, not ours.

I liken it to my relationship with God. He gave me free will, to go and do, or stay and trust him. If he had a halter and lead rope on me I’d be a prisoner wouldn’t I?

We are big time advocates of positive reinforcement. As opposed to negative reinforcement. Negative reinforcement is doing something uncomfortable for the horse until he does whatever we’d like for him to do. Then the pressure is released and we’re supposed to call it a reward. Frankly, I don’t believe any horse on the planet spends his time hoping that someone will apply pressure to him so that he can get a “reward” from the release of that pressure.

Positive reinforcement would be something that the horse considers… well, positive. Good. Desired. Even fun.

Whoa! Hold on there. Have we stumbled onto something that actually teaches the horse, and the horse enjoys it, thinks it’s fun?

Yes, we did.

I tell them all: You do something I like and I’ll do something you like.

Seems fair.

Enter the use of treats. Only for training, mind you. Never without purpose. Never just because I love my horse. Always quid pro quo.

We train with treats and use a lot of them. So I’ve been reading a lot of labels. Most of them are scary. I’ve been searching a long time for a treat that is actually good for my horses. A treat that isn’t loaded with sugar or molasses, or grains that turn to sugar when metabolized, or soy, or hydrogenated vegetable fats or oils.

Which is why I’m so excited that we’ve finally found this treat from Omega Fields. Their Low-Sugar-Low-Starch Nibbler is the singular best treat on the market as far as I’m concerned. It is the only treat I have found that uses 99.9% pure Non-GMO stabilized ground fortified flax. That’s .9% higher than required for human food grade. Nobody else does this.

But how do they decide, on their own, to trust you.

I never give them a reason to not trust me.

Kathleen and I are with our horses at least twice a day and each of those visits and all of our training are completely at liberty. Our eight never feel trapped by a halter and a lead rope. They are free to go and do, or stay, as they please. Therefore when they choose to stay, when they choose to trust, it is their choice, not ours. And that’s when everything changes for the better.

When we are joined by a new horse, one of the first exercises we always teach is to smile. Why? Because it’s quick, and simple, and establishes comprehension of concept: If I do this silly smile thing I’m gonna get something I like! Which can be quickly translated into: Hmmm… this works with more things than just smiling. Which creates spectacular levels of attention, and focus, especially helpful when we teach something new. Even better, it teaches that they can ask for a treat politely without getting pushy or trying to steal from my pocket.

Horses can learn the meanings of words, like children. And as their vocabulary grows they can put those words together into differing phrases and sentences. That’s not supposed to be true according to most, but Kathleen and I have found it to be absolutely true. And now there is even a scientific study proving it. Zeke understands the word “BIG”, emphatically delivered, I use that verbal cue to get his head or lip higher if he gets lazy. Or his foot, for waving hello, or whatever I might ask him to do.

We quickly discovered that training with treats – and words – not only enhanced communication, for the first time it gave our horses a way for them to speak to us, to initiate conversation. With traditional training, we were always the ones doing the talking. Telling the horse, one way or another, to do this or do that. Never did we ask or listen to what the horse might want. Or realize that once the horse grasped the concept that when we began teaching something new there would probably be something in it for him, and that would cause him to pay stricter attention and really try to connect the dots. It took a matter of only minutes, not hours or days, to teach Cash and Zeke to flex and touch both rib cages, or wave hello with each front foot. And Zeke learned to spin on cue, with no rider, just a hand signal and a word. It took three ten-minute sessions.

Every communication I’ve tried with any of our horses has shown better results faster using treats and words.

When trust is given, then relationship thrives. Your horse enjoys being around you, actually has fun with you, and halters and lead lines are a thing of the past. We almost never fall back on them. All of our typical ground work we now do totally at liberty. And the leading byproduct of all this is more trust.

Mustang Maddy (Madison Shambaugh) gains the trust of unhandled mustangs fresh from the wild, and teaches them everything they need to know up to and including riding the horse, all without a halter, lead rope, bridle or saddle. Usually in a week or less. Completely at liberty. And she has videos. Check them out.

I am a student of what works. Logic and common sense, to a fault, I suppose. And the purpose of these concepts, and this blog, is to provide some simple discoveries to folks who love their horses and want to give them an environment in which there can be real communication, understanding, structure, compassion, growth, and trust.

Be at liberty… and never ever do anything that could even possibly evoke a fear response from your horse. Horses remember everything, the good, the bad and the ugly. The last thing I’d ever want embedded in my horse’s memory banks is something that caused him to fear me. I can be his leader and rise to whatever task is needed without ever evoking a fear response. He has granted me that privilege by choosing to trust me to be his leader.

There’s simply no better feeling in the world than strolling along with your horse at your side… with no strings attached.