Drug Usage in Horses

The use of drugs in the horse industry has always been a real concern of mine. Recently a good friend of mine Al Dunning went out on a limb and voiced his objections to drug use. I know lots of respected trainers that condone and use drugs to show their horses. NRHA has never taken a stand against drug use citing the problem with enforcement. The very least the NRHA could do is to come out and say they do not condone the practice. AQHA has drug rules in effect but has found them very hard to enforce except at certain shows like the World Show. Drug usage in human athletes has been shown to not only be unfair to the other competitors but to be detrimental to the athlete’s health as well. It is no different in the horse industry. Humanely and morally it is just unethical! One other thing to consider is that horses that win are horses that are promoted at some point as being superior for breeding. If a horse is promoted that had to rely on drugs to win then it’s offspring would not be the superior individuals that they were hoped to be. I have no problem with the use of drugs that help heal. But the use of drugs to give an unfair advantage to a lesser talented horse is just plain wrong. It is not something the breed organizations can handle all alone. All of us should voice our objections to there use and encourage the NRHA and others to establish drug rules and enforce them.

Western Dressage

Over ten years ago I was riding with Al Dunning when I expressed an idea that I had been working on. I called it Western Dressage and it referred to the discipline of leg cues used in Dressage being coupled with reining maneuvers. I wanted to control all the parts of the horse through cues to fix dropped shoulders, flex problems, guiding, weight shifts, and so on. He said it was a good idea and that I should peruse it. Subsequently I developed what I dubbed “The Program by Carl Wood”. It takes a movement such as rollbacks or lead changes and breaks them down into there simplest parts then teaches the horse those parts individually and then gradually putting them together to make learning easier for the horse. I have successfully taught “The Program” to students and apprentices from not only all over this country but also from as far away as Holland, Switzerland, Norway, Sweden, and Israel. Movie and Television personalities have learned to ride using “The Program”. Not long ago Al Dunning and Lynn Palm got together in Florida and worked on the same concept and they publicly referred to it as Western Dressage. It is truly an honor to have influenced two great trainers that I have always truly admired. But most of all the idea I had years ago seems to be taking route in the western disciplines. I believe that the level of competition has risen to the point that such a program is necessary to be able to achieve the highly advanced technical moves in today’s shows. Someday maybe I will write a book but in the mean time I will keep on teaching “The Program” to all that wish to achieve more and to be more a partner with their horse. Carl Wood

Take the time it takes!

We live in an instantaneous society. Get it now seems to be our daily living motto. One thing very special about my horses is that they are not on that time schedule. They don’t get it overnight and if I get in a hurry it shows in their level of achievement and my level of frustration. Tom Dorrance once said “It takes the time it takes”. Ever notice that your horses seem to soak up all the frustration in your life when you spend time with them. They are cheaper than a shrink and much more successful in calming us down. When you are with them shut off the rest of the world and you will be a much happier person. Carl Wood