Mike Rogers' equine science students at Siloam Springs High School don't believe him when he says that a completely untamed horse can be taught to trustingly carry a rider in a short half hour.
They remain skeptics right up to the very day of the demonstration he gives at the end of each semester. Traditional methods for breaking a horse include physically subduing the animal with ropes and bucking bronco rides. Rogers uses natural horsemanship techniques to communicate with the horse and produce results without the elements of physical force that are so dangerous for both horse and rider.
The equine science class is one of 18 hands-on classes taught in Siloam Springs High School's agricultural department that cover topics ranging from wood and metal working to horticulture and animal science. The district also has a strong ag program in the Middle School that feeds into the High School, Rogers said. A total of 395 students in grades seven through 12 participate in the ag program, and many take multiple classes.
Throughout the semester Rogers' equine science students learn topics such as history, economic importance, breeds, horse anatomy and physiology, breeding and reproduction, diseases and health care, feeding and nutrition, and tack and equipment.
The class is designed to show students the satisfaction and pleasure that comes from being around horses as well as the accompanied financial sacrifice and responsibilities. Rogers hopes the class will bring the skills of students who have been around horses up a few notches and help those who haven't feel more comfortable around the animals.
He includes the horse training demonstration because it engages students. The bottom line of horsemanship is to teach students to safely handle a horse and work through any problems the horse may have, Rogers said.
Class activities include riding, training, exercising, shoeing and hoof care, and lab work. Rogers brings his own horses to the school's facility and lets students practice trimming horses hooves and riding.
A hands-on teaching style has a multitude of benefits, Rogers said.
"It's effective, engaging and they're doing it themselves," he said.
Many students don't do well with written or spoken instruction -- but when they try doing a task themselves it just clicks, Rogers explained.
"There are a certain group of learners that can't learn any other way," he said.
Rogers' hands-on philosophy is spreading to the Career Academy of Siloam Springs. The charter school within the Siloam Springs High School, which Rogers has helped develop, will teach manufacturing trade skills such as industrial maintenance, welding, hydraulics and electronics. It will equip students for entry-level industrial technology positions, trade school or a four-year college. Classes begin in the fall.
"Hands on is better than the book," said Melissa Rogers, a 10th-grade student in equine science class and daughter of Mike Rogers.
Melissa helped with the demonstration this year and rode the young horse after her dad tested it out. It's not the first time she has helped him start a young horse. She plans to follow her father's footsteps into a career of teaching but also wants to be able to raise and train her own horses as a hobby.
During the class Melissa said she learned about the different types of riding that are available such as rodeo, barrel racing, jumping, dressage and even Australian riding.
The students also watched a horse being shod and even got to try rasping -- or filing -- a horse's hooves.
So how does one train a horse to carry a rider in half an hour? Rogers simulates the natural dynamics and body language that go on within a herd of horses inside a 60-foot round pen.
Rogers uses body language and positioning to control the movements of the horse around the round pen. Aggressive body language, such as directly facing the horse with eye contact and arms outspread, will send the horse running around the outside of the pen. Passive body language, such as turning at a 45-degree angle from the horse with eyes averted and hands to the side, slows or stops the horse. Eventually the horse will lower it's head and lick its lips, showing they recognize the trainer as the "dominant horse."
Once the horse submits, the trainer uses body language to cue the horse to approach, allowing the horse to make the first contact.
"It's 100 percent communication through body language," Rogers said. "My orientation, my approach, my para-language -- being able to read the horses' body language back. It's not just me communicating with him or her, it's also responding to what they're telling me."
After earning the horse's trust and respect, Rogers desensitizes the animal, first to being touched with a rope or human hand and eventually to a saddle, bridle and rider.
Consistency is key to training horses, he said.
"As soon as they get the right answer congratulate the horse," he said.
Rogers is amazed at how quickly a horse can overcome their fear, especially because they are naturally prey animals. Every horse is different and has its individual personality, but they all seem to go through a predictable process, he said.
"A horse can overcome his problems in 30 minutes," he said. "It takes me and you a lifetime to overcome our shortcomings."
Whether starting a horse under saddle takes 30 minutes or 30 days, the end product is more important than the time required, Rogers said. He started shortening his training sessions to fit within a class period so he can easily demonstrate the process to students in one day.
Rogers is largely self-taught. He was inspired by reading Monty Roberts "Shy Boy," but learned more specifics by reading a copy of Jesse Beery's Horsemanship course, published in the early part of the 20th century. Rogers took the knowledge he read in books and experimented to develop a method that consistently works.
He estimated that he has started 70 to 80 horses since he began using the methods 12 years ago.
Ninth-grade student Will Nokes said he had been looking forward to watching Rogers train the horse all semester.
He took the class because he likes riding and his family doesn't have a horse. He said he has learned about tack, taking care of horses and riding. He plans to study animal science in college and hopes to train his own horse someday.
"I thought it was really interesting," he said. "I've never seen anyone break a horse before."
General News on 06/24/2015