Archive for Diet and Nutrition

Apr
17

What the Devil is the Wild Horse Model…

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…and why did I need to know about it?

Because domestic horses are wild horses.

Excuse me??

That was exactly my first reaction. But it’s true. Domestic horses and wild horses are genetically precisely the same. The horses in our back yard are really wild horses in captivity. Just like a baby tiger Read More→


Malachi had a playpen. We knew from the beginning that Noelle would not willingly allow us near her baby so we had no choice but to devise a way to separate them in order to imprint and train Malachi. But this time around (Here We Go Again), Miss Saffron, like Noelle an unhandled mustang from the wild, tricked us. She has been so Read More→

Apr
03

This Morning. Baby Stormy Dozes in My Lap

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Two Weeks Old Tomorrow Read More→

Mar
22

OMG Y’all… It’s a Girl!

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Yes, already! So much for BLM predictions of May :). Born yesterday morning (March 21) around 8:00am. We know because there was no baby at 7:20am when Kathleen drove off to work at her new passion, teaching American Literature to 11th graders at the renowned Webb School in Bell Buckle. And there was a baby when I went down to feed around 8:30am. A mere three and a half days after a nine hour trailer ride for mom! When Kathleen got my photo-text Read More→

Mar
19

Here We Go Again

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Watch the Video

For those who remember Noelle and Malachi, you’ll know why this is entitled Here We Go Again. Last Friday, March 16, we hitched up the trailer, called Laura to sit with the house, horses, dogs, and cat, and drove to the BLM facility on the campus of The Piney Woods School south of Jackson, Mississippi, arriving way too close to midnight. The next morning we adopted our second mustang carrying a foal conceived in the wild.

March 3rd marked three years since Malachi was born (see the blog). And June 3rd will mark the third year since his sudden and shattering death. We felt as if our hearts had been ripped right out of our bodies. It was a terrible time. So how did we know the time was right to have another go? That God was saying, “Now!” Read More→

Horses eat grass.

They are genetically programmed to eat grass. 18-20 hours a day. Their bodies must have it. Their hind gut must have it. But from the moment we landed in middle Tennessee, the warnings began to pour in from the locals.

Your horses cannot be out 24/7 on the rich sugary grasses of middle Tennessee.

You’ve just moved into Founder Valley!

It freaked us out. Could grasses be that different? Read More→

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→

Sep
14

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→


From dry rocky southern California (above) to lush
green – and wet – middle Tennessee (below)


I wrote this article for the latest edition of The Horses Hoof magazine, adapted from the book The Soul of a Horse Blogged – The Journey Continues

Our timing was perfect. The move from dry rocky southern California landed us right in the middle of record-setting rainfall in Tennessee. Seven inches the day the horses came in. And it rained for days prior to their arrival. Gail Murphy’s Personalized Equine Transportation Service has a reputation for never being late, but on this day they were. The rains slowed them to a crawl causing them to arrive after dark. Which is when we learned that the turn onto our road was too tight for their rig to make. We had to shuttle the horses off the transport trailer onto our 3-horse trailer which had to be pulled by a generous new neighbor with his 4-wheel drive tractor because my truck would’ve been mud-bound for sure.

They hadn’t been out of the trailer for ten minutes when every one of them began to wallow in the mud like little pigs. And through it all I could only think about what all this wet and mud might do to their beautiful, dry, rock-solid barefoot hooves. Read more…

One fantastic reason to jump into Kindle right now Read More→

Jul
04

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→


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→

May
25

Meet Happier, Healthier Horses

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Rarely a day passes that doesn’t bring emails or posts heralding happier, healthier horses who have left their stalls, shoes, and sugars behind and are living the Wild Horse Model as closely as circumstances allow. Horses who now trust and forge relationship by their own choice, not ours. Unsolicited stories from people we did not know before they wrote. And they are the fuel that drives us ever forward, learning and writing, to make a difference for horses everywhere. After reading just the few below, grouped together for the first time, Kathleen said to me, “When you first contemplated writing that first book, when you told me how important you felt these discoveries were and how much you believed that we should make an effort to get this word out, you said, ‘If just one horse-human relationship could be changed for the better, if just one horse could be living a happier, healthier life then the all the effort would be worthwhile.’” She paused for a long moment and wiped away the beginnings of a tear. “Congratulations my Sweetie,” she said. “Mission accomplished.”

I hope you’ll open your heart and listen to what these horses have to say.

AnneMai’s mare Taiga – out of the stall for good!

From AnneMai on the Island of Mallorca: “After reading your first book we have given our mare as much freedom as possible, no irons, outside at all times (she has an open shelter) and as natural feed as we can get :). She takes herself for walks all day eating a bit here and there. It is a joy to see her and to have her at home for the first time in my life. Thank you for giving us the courage to change all these things :))”

Carri’s mares – no longer stressed!

I love this story from Carri in New York. Like so many of us trying to find a way out of the boarding stalls and unhealthy lifestyle, she looked and looked for a place she could afford to buy. One day she realized that the hay field that abuts the back of her property was no longer a hay field. She had a “bright idea” Read More→

When we first discovered that the genetics of a horse prescribe a lifestyle of living out 24/7 with lots and lots of movement we threw up our hands in frustration. We had no access to land other than a 2.5 acre plot behind the house that was virtually straight-up-and-down steep with some of it totally unusable. Horses in the wild out in the Great Basin of the western United States – where their genetics evolved – travel 10-20 miles a day looking for grass forage, water, and staying away from predators. How could we even get close to replicating that with what we had to work with? But ultimately we discovered that it’s amazing what you can come up with when you really put you mind to it. With less than 1.5 usable acres we wound up creating a Paddock Paradise that generated approximately 8-10 miles of movement every 24-hour day for all six of our horses, and we did it quite simply and inexpensively using what we had available. It’s all explained in the new video, with specifics and on-the-scene videos (one of them quite whimsical according to Kathleen and I’m not sure how to take that :). Click this link and take a look: Our Paddock Paradise: What We Did, How We Did It and Why? Read More→

Mar
06

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→

Jan
19

We Are Blessed!

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For so many reasons!

The first, response to our new book has been overwhelming. Which means more and more horses all across the planet might soon be living happier and healthier lives. Here are a few of the early comments:

I loved The Soul of a Horse, but this book is even better! The Soul of a Horse Blogged captured me from page one! Joe Camp is a master storyteller and I am so fascinated by his amazingly short journey to the truth about the horse. He understands the nature and needs of this magnificent animal, and the book is more about the soul of a man who is not only committed to the horses he loves, but to sharing what he has learned and continues to learn for the benefit of all horses with elegance, style, truth and transparency! Kathleen Camp’s photography brings this whole equine-man journey to life as it woos you through the pages. I am so loving it!! Read it, you will not Read More→

Dec
16

Winter Breakthrough!

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This has been the coldest December in middle Tennessee since the early 1940s. Another record. Of course. At least we’re consistent. We just came through eight days of below freezing temperatures. It got so low the first night that the pond totally froze. I kept trying to break up the ice along the edges so the horses could get to water (the remnants seen on the gravel in the photo above) but it soon reached the point where it was re-freezing almost before I got back into the house. So finally Read More→

Available Everywhere

Amazon- Paperback & Kindle

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

Amazon- Paperback & Kindle

Barnes & Noble – Paperback & NOOKbook

Buy personally inscribed copies


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→

Nov
15

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→

Mariah Healed Herself

I’ll never forget standing out in the rain one cold October day, soaked from head to foot because the rain wasn’t expected. The temperature was only in the mid-fifties, but to me, sopping wet, that was freezing.

I looked at our horses, heads down, dripping with water, and I just couldn’t stand it. Read More→

Cash’s left rear – Photo taken two weeks ago

Eleven months ago we moved from dry, rocky southern California to middle Tennessee. I had done my homework and had conversed a lot with my pasture mentor Melanie Bowles (The Horses of Proud Spirit Sanctuary). Still I was very nervous. Our guys and gals had been living on hard rocky desert-like ground. All barefoot. Their hoof trims every eight weeks amounted to maintenance trims as they were wearing their hooves much like they would if they were in the wild. But they were moving to the soft (it turns out mushy) green grass pastures of middle Tennessee and we were being advised by many that our herd simply could not be out 24/7 on the “rich grasses” of this area. Read More→

Jul
09

Are You Living Your Passion?

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Every time I look at one of these photos of Kathleen’s and think about how much I lusted after the very life we’re living I have no choice but to reflect upon how very blessed we are. Have always been. I’ll never forget asking my dad when I was a junior in high school, “How am I supposed to go about choosing a career? Where do I start?” His response was profound, and not of the times, and for some reason that surprised me. Read More→

Jun
11

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→

This 6-pound stone was taken from the tummy of a horse. It was
given to
us by Dr. Matt and we keep it on a prominent
pedestal
to remind us how important it is that we get
the diet right for our horses.

By popular demand the next tele-workshop will be on diet and nutrition. A Crazy Little Thing Called Love (TW2) – OR – Why Would You Ever Let Your Horse Eat That? This topic is a slippery slope, like running a military obstacle course, but we have a super group of guests who know the subject inside and out. First Read More→

May
16

If You Regularly De-Worm Your Horses…

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…please listen to this Equine Affaire presentation by Dr. Dan Moore, the Natural Vet: http://www.thesoulofahorse.com/Video%20NH/NaturalVetOnDeworming.mp3

He also gets into vaccinations and diet and nutrition as well. Very good information. – Joe

Cloud (on the right), mustang stallion of the
Pryor Mountains winning a mare

Ginger Kathrens’ motion picture camera has followed the life of Cloud since the day he was born – the day she named him – more than nine years ago. Across those years she has filmed three incredible PBS Specials on Cloud and his wild herd, but the latest one Cloud: Challenge of the Stallions (I call it Cloud 3 :) is truly the best compilation of the the most amazing footage I’ve ever seen that tells a story story so remarkable Read More→

Apr
26

Noelle Has a Sweet Spot

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Unfortunately it was a tick bite, but at least it served a purpose. I could give her something she loved. This became the routine for more than a week, until the bite began to heal and was no longer itchy. I immediately looked around for another tick…nooo, just kidding. Anyway, around here you don’t have to look far to find ‘em.

I love it when Kathleen comes home, camera in hand. I tend to forget about these sweet moments until I start browsing through her weekend of photos. I didn’t even know she was standing behind me when this next batch was taken. Read More→

You’ll love it. A short blog: Next Saturday, May 1 at 9pm Eastern (8pm Central, etc) Kathleen and I are hosting our first TeleWorkshop: A Crazy Little Thing Called Love. If you haven’t checked it out, please do: http://www.thesoulofahorse.com/Workshop1SignUp.htm

Also wanted to report our new The Soul of a Horse Fan Page on Facebook is now above 2000 fans. Many thanks to all of you who have become fans. If you haven’t and would like to, we’d certainly love to have you: http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Soul-of-a-Horse/106606472709815 Oh, almost forgot… for reasons unknown Facebook decided to change Fan pages to Like pages. Somewhat less honest I’m thinking but if you’d like to be a fan, when you get there click “Like” :)

Joe

Apr
14

Other Things That Make My Day

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Scribs-4-14-10-400 copy
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→

6-14-09JoeNoelleSad400

Yesterday I spent the entire day uploading 77 photos of Noelle and Malachi to our new Facebook fan page for the The Soul of a Horse. I don’t think I have the patience to do this. And I know I don’t have the emotional stability to do it when it means going back through all the photos of our wonderful boy horse Malachi. But do it I did, buckets of  tears and all. The one above struck me hard. It was taken Read More→

Breakfast-3-20-10-400

It’s been too long. This is where Kathleen and I ate our first several dozen meals after the move last September. Breakfasts. Lunches. Dinners (or as they say here in middle Tennessee: Suppers). We would sit sometimes for an hour without a word. Just watching the herd. Listening to the symphony of the frogs at night. The birds. The crickets. Smelling the roses. Without alternative. Locked up in the house over a seemingly endless winter, buried in work and warmth, the roses were fewer and further between. And easy to ignore. I often looked at it as a good thing because I was getting so much work done. Not bothered by those smelly old roses. But my spirit suffered. Read More→

Mar
16

A Crazy Little Thing Called Love

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Pete'sHoof

Finally we’ve got the date set for our barefoot TeleWorkshop. Sorry it took so long. It’s called A Crazy Little Thing Called Love – or – Why Would You Ever Let Your Horses Go Barefoot? It’s not a “how-to” but rather a “why-to” workshop designed for people who are not yet convinced barefoot is the right thing to do, the loving thing to do. And for everyone who is already there but needs ammunition to ward off and convince all those friends and “not-so-friends” who think you’re nuts. This is a two-hour workshop with Joe, Kathleen, and Eddie Drabek, one of the foremost natural hoof specialists in the country, jammed full of facts, undeniable truths, and real-life experiences, with lots of Q&A after.  Send your farrier! Check it out.

BenjiReturnsHero400Meet Benji,  Kathleen, and moi at Road the the Horse, the World Championship colt starting competition March 5-7 in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Benji will make a special appearance at the event; I’ll be signing copies of The Soul of a Horse: Life Lessons from the Herd; and – by popular demand – Kathleen will be introducing Read More→

Jan
10

Learning the Hard Way

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CU-IceChunks

I was so proud of myself. I would go out several times a day and chop the edges of the pond so the horses would have no problem getting water. I would often watch them when they came to the pond and if a thin coating of ice had formed one tap with a hoof would produce water and they would drink. As the number of days below freezing began to build into the double digits Read More→

MouseCash
This is what we woke up to this morning. How awesome is that? Kathleen has been here since the 24th and she goes back to SoCal tomorrow. I wanted so much for her to experience the joy of waking up and seeing her new home covered with snow. And here it is. God is so good :) Read More→

Categories : Uncategorized
Comments (7)

MalSweet350

2009 was a tough year; full of struggles, change, and pain. And much to remember. But 2010 began with an awesome reminder of what our task on this planet is all about. Read More→

Dec
09

Words That Made My Day!

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A day doesn’t pass that we don’t receive several beautiful emails from folks who have read the book, the blog, a newsletter, or been on the website and been moved by something we’ve said or done. These words are what make it all worthwhile. The juice that keeps our wheels turning and keeps us fired up about what we do. And keeps us ever Read More→

NoellePasture1-400

Sometimes I have to haul off and slap myself.

Seriously.

Something to force the brain to stop racing around like a crazed maniac and take a deep breath. To pause and smell the roses. Or at least look at them. How many times in my life have I closed my eyes and dreamed of the above picture? And here it is. Part of our life. And I’m fretting about how far behind I am and how much I have to do. Read More→

Jul
21

No More Salt Blocks

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Noeele-Joe-7-20-09

I have never been licked by a horse before. Lots of sniffing, nudging, lip nibbling, and just hanging out close by. But never a full-blown, full-tongue lick on the arm. Especially by a mustang who’s never even had a lead rope on. That is I’ve never been licked until yesterday. Kathleen and I (and ALL of the dogs) were sitting in the play pen Read More→

Pete and Ivy Ramey are currently spending one week every month at Auburn University’s Vet School trimming hooves for Doctor Deborah Taylor, DVM, MS, DACVIM who is recording and studying the results of natural hoof care on chronic laminitis cases. The study has consistently shown rotation reversal, increased sole Read More→

Mar
11

Malachi – The Soul of a Horse Continues

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Mal-3-10-09-1-350

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→

Mar
03

Morning Surprise – It’s a Boy!

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Foal-Noelle-3-3-09-3W350

We’re giddy. Last night everything was normal. No liquids anywhere. And this morning there he was. And mommy is very much a mommy. And very protective. This morning I couldn’t touch Read More→

Jun
01

Odds and Ends

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I read somewhere during the past year that someone was having good results feeding their horses pro-biotics to help clean out the parasites, thus eliminating the need for worming. We had already gone to a program of fecal testing before worming, with a plan to test every six months and only worm if the tests are positive. So we started using Probios Dispersible Powder (http://www.probios.com/powders.htm#disperpwdr), mixing about a half teaspoon with each horse’s small tub of Triple Crown Safe Starch forage, feeding it Read More→

It took me three years to finally boil this journey of ours down to a single simple point as it relates to how horses are supposed to live. It never ceases to amaze me how I can have something right in front of my face and not be able to see it because it’s camouflaged by some predisposition or learning sequence. Like this old logic problem:  What do the words, first, hijack, and crabcake have in common? Stare at that for a bit and if you get it quickly, you’re doing better than I did. I spent several hours before finally, in desperation, I began to assign numbers to the letters, looking for some commonality of sequence, or totals, or something. Only after a number was attached to each letter did I see it. The answer literally leaped off the page. Do it yourself, assign numbers… ie: a=1… b=2…z=26, etc. You’ll see it very quickly. That’s the way it was with this concept of so-called domestic vs wild horses. How do you explain Read More→

Jan
17

On Trial and Error

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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 some larger predator (his mama had been shot by a hunter). The look in the cub’s eyes had to be right. It had to make us (the audience) choke up a little, feel the plight of this poor helpless baby. So there we were, this huge crowd of people all scrunched in a ball gawking down at this wee cub with a bevy of bright lights in his eyes, and I was supposed to be holding the “look” of the cub (as if he were gazing up at Benji) and I was also supposed to be doing something that would evoke just the right expression. Something that would make the cub’s eyes beg pleeeze don’t leave me here… Read More→