By Carol Nudell

Your eyes position your head, and your head positions

Your shoulders, and your shoulders position your Weight.

 And that is the body language you teach your Horse.

Or you don't, if you're inconsistent.

       Sounds easy.

Actually, it is.  I didn't believe it totally while Attending the

 Paso Fino training clinic taught by Carlos Tobon on

May 13-15, 2000 at Del Mar Farms in Salem, New Jersey.

 Don and Marie Williams host this training clinic annually and

 I was lucky enough to be in the area during this year's event.

Having bought and read Carlos' manual, I was anxious to see

 his methods in person.

       I'm a believer now.

 After three rides doing just this with my own Paso Finos,

I don't need rein cues anymore.  I just look where I want to

 go! and they do!  It doesn't always work yet.  But I find

 when it doesn't,  it is usually something I'm not doing right.

Carlos Tobon is full of analogies; "Do you look at the

dashboard when you're driving down the freeway at

70-miles an hour?"  (He/we hope not!)  "So why would you

 look at your horses shoulders when you want him to largo?"

Until you try it, you don't believe it.  If you focus on the

 horse's shoulders and headset, that is where your body will

 tell him to collect and animate your fino or corto. 

But if you "look away", so does he.  Natuarlly extending and

 stepping farther and going faster.

And what about those turns? You do this same thing while

 riding your horse and you will find, very naturally, your

 weight in your outside sturrip and your inside calf muscle

 against the horse.

  A few repititions and you can forget your reins.

Your horse is reading your weight change and leg pressure.

The proof is when you do not move your body in

 anticipation of their movement; theirs becomes stiff and

 difficult.  If you are finding this, then you only have to

look - consistently - where you want them to go,

and they will.

In the hunter-jumper world, they call this "Throw your heart

 over the fence and your horse will follow."

Well, our Paso Finos do their own version of this.

Throw your heart in front of them, and they will largo their

 hearts out to join you.

Carlos also teaches you to use a pull and quck release of the

 reins to train turns and flexing.  By releaseing the pressure

 immediately when the horse responds, the horse is rewarded

 instantly, but he also does not learn to lean into the bosal or

 the bit.   If you haven't read Carlos Tobon's book,

"Paso Fino Owners Manual" then I strongly suggest you

 do.  And if you're lucky attend one of his clinics,

then I'm sure you'll agree that it was money well spent.