But things should not be made too difficult. Whitney said that since horses respond in the same manner, whether the person is riding them or on the ground, the ground work is an important part of the process in getting the horse to cooperate. Katrina Britner-Osborne, a former equine science student at Pierce, attended the clinic to keep abreast with her skills. I absolutely love the clinicians Wechsler brings to Pierce, she said. He is very conscientious about who comes to teach on the Pierce property.
Horses are prey and humans are predators.
Whitney said the handler needs to learn to stay put and teach the horse to get out of the way. When the handler is not assertive, the horse knows and does not respond. Drummond has been riding since he was eight. He owns two mules because they are better in steep terrain and for carrying things, he said. He added that he likes to go packing and mules are ideal for that endeavor.