Horse talk

On a bright Saturday morning on Blackhall Mountain Ranch, the smell and sound of percolating coffee threads itself through the handful of conversations happening among those gathered in an arena. Nearby horses move around in their stalls and send out the occasional whinny. The people who have assembled in the large building, most of them women, are preparing for the second day of a three day horse clinic hosted by Jean Burger and put on by Chris Irwin.

The attendees range in age and experience, but all of them are here to learn from the experienced equestrian. They have a wealth of knowledge to draw from. According to Horse & Rider magazine, "nobody explains the horse human relationship better than Chris Irwin." The Canadian-born trainer begins the day, before even touching a horse, explaining the effect of body language on a horse.

Tall and slender, Irwin's stature and frame highlight different stances very well as he explains that "they don't know that we don't know" when it comes to horses and body language. Irwin models varying poses ranging from relaxed to guarded and how they could be read by a horse. He then borrows one of the women's horses and shows, in real time, how those actions are interpreted and encourages everyone to observe the horse's reactions.

Irwin gives out the schedule for the day, who will be riding for him and when and who will be working with assistant Buddy Brewer on ground work. Brewer reinforces what Irwin discussed at the beginning of the program as he works with horse and rider in the round pen. His soft, southern-inflected voice is at times overridden by Irwin's, which is sharp and carries throughout the building.

As the day progresses, it becomes apparent that Irwin's training has less to do with the horse and more with the rider. It's not how to make a horse work for you, but how to work with the horse. He reminds the riders that it is best to use their legs to guide their steeds as opposed to trying to steer them by their face. The animals prove him right as they become more open to direction and, as time passes, more comfortable with their rider.

To some, it seems like information overload and they said as much during lunch, which is above the arena. Irwin tells them it's supposed to be. He states that he laments the saying "if you've learned one thing from a clinic, it was worth it." In his opinion, if someone is paying for a class, they better get more than one thing from the experience.