A bond based on trust

“Great cowboys are made, not born,” Craig Cameron told an audience of 30 people Saturday at the Craig Cameron Horsemanship Clinic.

Cameron demonstrated his techniques with horses to the audience working with two horses of people from the Platte Valley.

Casi Rummell’s horse has been bucking her off and Cameron demonstrated how he works with the horse.

Cameron pointed out one of the problems was the bit. Rummell said she was using the same bit the horse came with, a Tom Thumb bit. Cameron recommended an eggbutt snaffle bit.

After the clinic, Rummell replaced the bit and rode the horse in the round corral at her place. The horse did not buck her off.

“I am so thankful that Tom Arthur and Sarah and Jeff Keller bring Craig out for these clinics,” Rummell said.

Arthur and the Kellers host the clinic at no charge to the public. Cameron, who has been dubbed “public defender of the horse”, is well known for his clinics and spends 44 weeks per year on the road working with horses.

Rummell said she didn’t think that someone of Cameron’s quality would not come to Saratoga without the help of Arthur and Kellers.

Cameron told the audience to take time to pet their horse and to learn to appreciate their horse.

Cameron said it is important to build trust with the animal.

Later in the day, Cameron worked with Sarah Keller’s horse. Her horse had a hard time relaxing, Cameron explained, and worked with the horse until it finally relaxed, lied down and Cameron was able to sit on the horse’s hindquarter. Cameron patted the horse, walked around it and laid down next to it.

Cameron said if the horse ever felt threatened, it was rarely up. It did not and stayed down until Cameron coaxed it to stand up.

Cameron alternated between working with the horse and talking with the audience explaining what he was doing and why.