Archive for Natural Training
When we were first starting with horses less than five years ago we dove deeply into the training books and DVDs of several of the top clinicians in the United States. We owned virtually everything ever written or videoed by Monty Roberts, Clinton Anderson, and the Parellis and we were bouncing back and forth from one to the other testing what worked best with our horses. But I was secretly longing for a compressed, congealed, shuffled together guide to the basics. Read More→
Why Relationship First Works
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We were lucky enough to stumble onto Monty Roberts’ Join-Up before our first horse ever arrived, so that’s where we began with each and every one of our herd. And it made such an absolute difference to establish relationship first and true leadership right from the get-go. Our herd members are now all willing partners who never stop trying. Never stop giving. Stacy Westfall says Read More→
Training with Treats – Stepping Out of the Box
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I’m not a professional trainer. I do not do it for a living. But I am a student of what works. Logic and common sense to a fault, I suppose. Which lead us quite unexpectedly to the discovery that horses can develop a vocabulary.
Yes vocabulary!
Horses can learn the meanings of words and, like children, as their vocabulary grows they can put those words together into different phrases and sentences. Even actual conversations. That’s not supposed to be true according to most, but Kathleen and I have found it to be absolutely true. And now there is even a scientific study proving it. Read More→
Six Popular Questions… and the Answers
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A few short years ago I could never imagine a time when we would be receiving so many questions about our experiences with horses. How they should be living. And eating. How the barefoot thing was working out. How we achieved such terrific relationships. How our horses transitioned from dry rocky California to wet green middle Tennessee. Questions about pastures, Join-Up, ground work, lifestyle, leadership. Read More→
Okay I Give Up. Kindle Has Won Me Over.
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Amazon announced last week that Kindle Books are now outselling all of their print books – paperback and hard back – combined!
Wow. It happened so fast.
I finally broke down and ordered my first non-fiction book on Kindle… and it took me almost a full hour to throw off the shackles of the printed page and become a huge fan. Why? Because I can Read More→
The most amazing thing happened today!
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We’ve posted a new video because the most amazing thing just happened! It reminded me why we have been so obsessive about getting the relationship right with each of our horses before anything else. Even before training. Relationship that gives the horse the choice, the free will to make it so. And what a difference it has made to this newcomer as he has stumbled his way through the learning process. Our horses have never stopped trying, never stopped listening, never stopped giving. And they are with us because they want to be. As you will see in the video. Please take a look: Video: Relationship First! Read More→
Trust Yourself to Try and Err
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For years I’ve called the process of making Benji movies trial-and-error film making. I always – well, usually – know what I want to see up there on the screen, but almost never know how to get it on film. I remember late one night in Oregon on Benji the Hunted there were about twelve of us crammed and bundled around the camera which was sitting on the dirt pointed down at a tiny little cougar cub who was supposed to be looking up at Benji, pleading with his eyes to not be left alone to be eaten by Read More→
Free Box of 10 Note Cards with Kathleen’s beautiful horse photography when you purchase The Soul of a Horse Blogged – The Journey Continues. An $18 Value Free with Purchase of the book. Each card is blank inside for your individual note or greeting. Ten cards with envelopes. This offer is exclusive to Newsletter and Blog subscribers and Facebook fans. Go to the Summer Sale page and order from your favorite bookseller. Send us a copy of your receipt and we’ll take care of the rest. Event ends July 15, 2011.
Read what renowned education writer Jack L. Kennedy wrote about The Soul of a Horse Blogged – The Journey Continues for the Joplin Independent:
by Jack L. Kennedy
Joe Camp knows dogs and did well as the creator and producer of Benji movies a few years ago. Joe Camp knows and loves horses, too. He went into seven printings with The Soul of a Horse–Life Lessons from the Herd, a mixture of autobiography, prayer, insight and horse and dog raising skills. Now Camp has produced The Soul of a Horse BLOGGED–The Journey Continues.
Camp has a feel, a heart, a sense of perception that compels the reader to see the relationship between Read More→
Thinking Outside the Box!
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This is simply the Coolest Thing Ever! Your horse is fifteen to twenty feet away from you when you step up onto the mounting block. You cluck a couple of times and lo and behold he sidesteps all the way over to the mounting block and stands there patiently waiting for you to climb on.
No way, I said. How in the world would you teach your horse to sidestep to you? From fifteen feet away! It’s just not in the logic pattern of everything we’re told to teach the horse… “give to pressure”… not step into it!
But I saw it with my own eyes and was blown away. Read More→
Reading the Eyes of a Horse
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I can remember the vet checks on our very first three horses. I was walking Cash down to the arena with Dr. Matt and he casually mentioned, “He has a good eye. A soft eye. That says a lot.” I could only wonder what he meant. What could he see that I couldn’t? And what did it tell him? But I chose not to embarrass myself and I kept quiet.
Much later – after learning that either I lose the fear of being embarrassed or I would never learn anything :) – I asked him about it and he told me what he had seen. Read More→
EBooks with Video – Who’d've Thought?
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I cannot believe that a few short weeks ago I had no clue about any of this. Kathleen had been into it for some time, but for pleasure, not for horses. Then a conversation with Casey Pugh, a vet tech friend, clicked on the light bulb. Quite by accident because she, like Kathleen, was using it only for pleasure.
What the devil am I talking about?? Read More→
Another Amazing Experience at Road to the Horse!
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Just imagine! Pat Parelli, Clinton Anderson, and Chris Cox all under one roof for three incredible days! That was Road to the Horse 2011 which wrapped up last night. It was such a close, tight competition that I would’ve hated to have been one of the judges trying to make a decision. You always hear folks saying “everyone who competed here was a winner” but Kathleen and I can vouch for that statement in this case because everyone was a winner, especially the sold-out coliseum audience because Read More→
The Soul of a Horse Blogged – The Journey Continues Now Available Everywhere
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Available Everywhere
Barnes & Noble – Paperback & NOOKbook
Buy personally inscribed copies
This book has had more pre-sales than any book I’ve ever written and I can’t thank y’all enough for that. If you plan to buy it, for yourself or as a gift, please, please, please, go to Amazon and help kick it off with a good ranking. Personally inscribed copies are still available on the website.
Thank you so much for all the support you have given to us and our efforts through the years to make life better for horses (and people) everywhere. Kathleen and I feel very blessed at a very blessed time of year.
We wish you all a warm and wonderful Christmas filled with love. – Joe
Happy Thanksgiving! Hope Yours is as Wonderful as Ours!
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Kathleen and the twins have been here for a week of unbelievably beautiful Indian Summer weather. Unreal for late November (more records?). We’ve ridden as a family four times… all with the three B’s…barefoot, bareback, and bitless. We figure it’s the first time Mariah and Pocket have been ridden in at least two years… and the first time ever that these two have been ridden bitless. But all concerned were delighted with each ride. Above Allegra, Kathleen, and Dylan on Pocket, Mariah, and Skeeter pause for a picture, a rare occurrence that I’m allowed behind the lens.
Allegra was convinced that should could do the Kevin Costner/Silverado running/leaping mount onto Mariah so I told her to give it a shot. Read More→
Look into the Heart and Soul of a Horse
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Due out December 1st.
I want to thank each of you who caused our publication year to be so incredibly special by helping to push The Soul of a Horse into seven printings and make it an official best seller. We are indebted to you all and appreciate you very much. This new book, this continuation of that journey which began with The Soul of a Horse, is for you. And for every horse on the planet. – Joe
Now the commercial :)
The Soul of a Horse BLOGGED – The Journey Continues can be pre-ordered and personally inscribed in time for Christmas. Click here.
This is Joe and Kathleen’s continuing journey from the end of the best selling The Soul of a Horse: Life Lessons from the Herd through their adoption of a wild pregnant mustang and on through their move from the dry rocky hillsides of southern California to the wet grassy hillsides of Read More→
Yippee! At Last! No More Excuses!
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Finally. Enough days of dry weather sandwiched together to get the grading done and get the pea gravel delivered and voila! We have a round pen. Kathleen returns for the summer (another yippee) in a couple of weeks – with her cameras – and then work with Noelle will begin in earnest. No more excuses. A Join-Up and a lead rope are in her future :). Meanwhile she will spend time Read More→
Other Things That Make My Day
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Kent Maddock was after us for months and months to allow them to acquire Scribbles. If you’ve read the book you cannot help but remember Scribbles. One December Kent called and begged, saying he wanted Scribbles to be a surprise Christmas gift for his wife Laurra.
“Ohhh that’s so sweet,” Kathleen cooed, and my resistance shield Read More→
Benji and The Soul of a Horse Are Big Hits at Road to the Horse
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Being called an entertainer had little effect on Benji. She’s been there, done that. Me? I think I’ll have my badge framed as it’s the first (and probably the only) time it’ll ever happen to me. But what a fun, fun weekend it was. Kathleen and I feel very honored to be invited into inner circle with Read More→
Never Pray for Patience. God will Give you a Horse.
Posted by: | CommentsPatience is not a concept I’ve had much contact with in the past. Like so many homo sapiens, I’ve always wanted everything to happen right now. I think it’s genetic. The shortest distance has always been a straight line. We humans tend to be that way. Especially in this millennium of instant gratification. But since my introduction to horses, I’ve come to learn Read More→
Noelle Helps Us Rise from the Ashes
Posted by: | CommentsFor those who wonder whether horses grieve let me assure you that they do. Noelle’s demeanor has changed completely since the loss of Malachi. She wanted – needed – companionship and I was the only one around. We helped each other. Consoled each other. Reassured each other. And the net result for both of us has been Read More→
A Brilliant Star Extinguished – Malachi Killed in Violent Storm Aftermath
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Our Hearts Are Breaking
On the evening of June 3rd, exactly three months from the day of his birth, we lost Malachi in the aftermath of a violent thunder and lightning storm that knocked out a power pole on our property. As we piece together what happened, a fleet of huge power company trucks climbed our driveway that night which passes right by Noelle and Malachi’s paddocks and stalls. These gigantic loud monsters Read More→
The Buckskin Emerges
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Journal entry of May 25, 2009 – Not only does Malachi continue to grow (I had to raise the plank that keeps Noelle out of his playpen this week) his whiteness is now giving way to the buckskin underneath. Especially on his neck. See the photos above and below. Kathleen doesn’t usually get to show up in these posts because Read More→
Quite a Morning Adventure for Malachi!
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What a spectacular morning! Malachi really stretched his boundaries on his at-liberty walkabout. Although today it was a race-about. He had never ventured farther than Read More→
Hard to Believe Malachi is 7 Weeks Old! Lots of New Photos Below
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This photo was taken at 3 weeks old, but our boy horse is almost two months now (see below) and is definitely proving every day that deep down every horse on the planet would prefer to be in relationship than not. Born of two wild unhandled parents he is completely unafraid of people or other horses. Perhaps too much so. I’ve brought everyone from the herd Read More→
Spending Quality Time with Malachi
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I’m writing this on the 17th day of Malachi’s life, but this photo and all the ones below were actually taken on his 12th day. I’m spending so much time with him and Noelle that I’m sorry to say I’m having trouble keeping up with everything else, like photos, newsletters, even email. By the way, all the fantastic photos you’ll see in this journal entry Read More→
Malachi – The Soul of a Horse Continues
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Malachi’s 8th day on the planet.
Malachi is the last book in the Old Testament of the Bible. In Hebrew the word means messenger, and in the Book of Malachi the message is that change is coming.
Malachi intended to write a book about change.
I didn’t.
In fact I didn’t set out to write a book at all. Kathleen and I were just trying to figure out how to keep and care for a small group of horses that had somehow landed quite unexpectedly in our front yard. We were asking Read More→
