CC Heart Ranch "The Difference that Makes the Difference"

The Genuine Replacement for the Metal Shoe - Affliate Link for Old Mac's All Purpose Horse Boots www.CCHeartRanch.com/Hoofboots

Capturing the Hearts & Minds of Horses
Performance RESULTS with the Horse in Mind!

Cindy M. Brown (previously known as Cindy M. Clouse)
& Corky Brown

Husband & Wife team with varying horsemanship backgrounds to best serve your training needs. Both specializing in ‘problem’ horses. Cindy has an extensive background in ‘natural horsemanship’. She prefers to refer to it as just plain old good horsemanship. She has studied with many of the top horseman such as Lee Smith, Mike Bridges, Tom Dorrance, Ray Hunt, Bryan Nuebert, Mark Rashid, Pat Parelli, Craig Cameron and more. See below for more information on Cindy’s thoughts and background. Corky learned his trade working with old ranch hands and riding lots of ranch and problem horses. He knows some old time techniques that he uses sparingly when needed with a tough horse. Both Cindy & Corky believe in getting results without sacrificing the horse in the process. They treat every horse as an individual and use the tools, techniques and knowledge they know to date to help each horse and teach each horse. They live on a ranch and have the ideal country for riding and developing horses. We love what we do and it shows!! Contact us to find out more and decide if your horse would like to make a visit to our place.     

Cindy's Thoughts & Background

I have studied with many of the top horseman such as Lee Smith, Mike Bridges, Tom Dorrance, Ray Hunt, Bryan Nuebert, Mark Rashid, Pat Parelli, Craig Cameron and more. I have spent extensive study time with Lee Smith (www.LeeSmithDiamondS.com) over the last 8 years starting colts, working horses, riding in horsemanship courses and traveling along to clinics across the country. I believe in getting results without sacrificing the horse in the process. I treat every horse as an individual and use the tools, techniques and knowledge I know to date to help each horse and teach each horse. I specialize in trouble horses, trailer loadings, young horses and starting horses. I work to develop a foundation that is highly supportive of competive events such as dressage, reined cow horse, trail or whatever purpose a horse may be capable of doing. It is a true foundation preparing the horse to go out in the world. I am currently 3 years into a 5 year private training program with Mike Bridges (www.mbaz.net) called "The Project - The Making of a California Vaquero Bridle Horse" for developing a reined cow horse in the full bridle.     

Many are using the buzz word "natural horsemanship". Riding a horse is "not natural", so there are many things we do with horses that may not be "natural" yet can be done with harmony and consideration. I look at the whole horse and ask the horse to live and operate in my world while at the same time I appreciate and accomodate where possible what is "natural" to the horse's world. As in all things, not everything is for everyone and we are all on our own path. Even if it may look unfortunate, there is a purpose for everything we experience on that path including our animals. I think our animals come to us as teachers and they know they have a job as such. I have seen forward ears, bright eyed horses in all the "normal" barrage of gear, methods and enduring what appears to be rude behavior from their riders and handlers. So I have tried to steer away from judging others choices and realize that my approach is the way I choose and what serves me and the horses I serve best at this time. I am always adjusting from day to day as I discover other possibilities.     

I personally think it is "natural" for all things to operate together in harmony. Obviously this is not what is "normal" in our everyday environment.

I have always believed this is a two way communication of understanding. I am the one who wants to be with and ride the horse, so I take the higher level of responsibility to create clear communication. Remember, I'm the one who wants this, so my responsibility to inspire my horse to want to learn "my language". To help the horse, I must listen to the horse and understand the horse's needs and current communication system to better help the horse understand my language and communication needs.     

In the past, I realized that I was the one putting in the brace and "drama". You've seen it ... dust flying and horses dripping sweat (and it isn't because of heat or overwork most of the time). It is exciting "watching" not necessarily good horsemanship. As I watched other horsemen (even the great ones) demonstrate, I realized the drama created part of the "show". I have continued my "natural horsemanship" or just plain old good horsemanship studies under Lee Smith and Mike Bridges. Lee has continued to advance over the years on how she sees the horse and how she can help people see the horse as she does. I continue to be amazed. Lee has the talent to have you on the edge watching without the drama. There are rarely horses jumping and running around, the work is quiet and she offers an amazing display of what the horse can offer you if you just see it and allow it. Lee has also done a great job at teaching cadence (feel and timing of the horse's foot movements) which increases your ability to control the bio-dynamics of the horse with proper timing. These qualities are also what I have successfully been repeating in my own training and teaching programs. With Mike Bridges, I have learned detailed bio-dynamics of the horse and how to use various riding signals as we develop our horses for strength and flexibility towards a reined cow horse in the full bridle.     

I have closely watched many other great horseman and even understand and integrate many techniques, methods and ideas as it inspires me. I am a well rounded horsewomen able to help understand how to help the horse. I have found that a horse seems to always have a reason for what they do and I currently do not believe in "behavior" problems as I once did. I have seen head-shyness and ticklishness come from physical discomfort and nutritional deficiencies. As SOON as many of these issues were resolved, the "bad behavior"quit. Horses have been my teacher. They have pushed me to become very well educated in all the areas required to be a good horseman such as horsemanship, nutrition, various healing modalities, hoof care, saddle fitting, riding and even my spiritual growth.     

I have had total non-horse people make the observation that they felt a sadness after they saw the wild horse breaking in the open range shown on public. Those of us who knew more didn't feel sad, we felt angry. In the summer of 1999, I worked with a 4 year old Arab mare that appeared to have gone feral. She didn't have good handling to begin with and had been turned out in pasture for a year with 30+ other horses. I did NOT have a round pen only a bailing twined tied up 20' x 30' space (at least once we finally got her there by feeding in the pen). I had to be very careful. She was willing to find any "hole"possible and crash the fence or even try to go under. The horse NEVER put on a sweat (I'm in hot Arizona) even though I know she was emotional. I got to work with her for 3 days and then I was gone for 3. On my second trip,she was turned out with the other horses again and not "catchable" the first day in the pasture. My thought was, I can't do anything with her until she is with me. I may get a saddle on her, but this could be precarious and unpredictable if she doesn't even feel confident enough to let me catch her. I did get her in the 20'x30' pen where she was catchable. We practiced being "caught" in the pen. Then I let her go again in the pasture. I repeated the same. This ended with her coming to me when she SAW I WAS TRYING TO CATCH HER even from a long way across the pasture. Before she was galloping away across the pasture AWAY from me even when I was a long way away. This experience let me know that I do not have to get them in a sweat or run them around in circles. If I do, then I going to look at me and search within for what else I could have done to help the horse. I sure don't like someone "pushing" me into my emotions just to get what they want or to get a point across. I understand that sometimes the emotions just can't be helped. I do my darndest not to CAUSE the emotions and the help the horse through the emotions when they do come up. If I see areas (as little as they may look) I address them as they come up in the moment. Every area I see that the horse will not "turn loose" to me, I know may hinder our training progress in other areas. It looks slow sometimes, but I have found it to be way faster in the end.     

Just because a "natural horsemanship" (NH) trainer says something, does not mean it is natural or effective communication tools for communicating with horses as your dance partner with you leading the dance. Running horses around & around & around to exhaustion is not necessary to me for ANY horse, much less wild. It can be very effective for what the horse handler thinks they want, but not necessary. The risk is "breaking" the horse's spirit and making the horse do what we want. Running the horse is not necessarily geared towards teaching the horse confidence in you as a leader, only submission in my humble opinion. Horses are very forgiving though and I've seen many great performance horses come out of all kinds of programs, even ones that look pretty harsh to me. They usually have a "hole" somewhere else, but they are great performance horses. Most programs will work for 80% of the horses (just like our school systems ... hmmmmm). It may not develop the horse to its true potential, but great horses have been made from many "programs". The round pen is very helpful. I don't support using it to tire the horse to submission. Even among the NH trainers, I find a wide gap in beliefs. I'm just trying to look at the horse and listen to what the horse has to tell me at every moment. I learn from all the "gurus" and even non-gurus out there because at any moment I may have to try something different than I have in the past because EVERY horse is different. Running them around & around & around is some trainer's/people's version of NH. I have not found this necessary as I've learned to read the horse more accurately. You don't have to run them around in circles for them to "join up". My long time personal horse was "joined up" long before I got into "nh"and I got this connection without specifically doing something to "make" this connection happen. I have seen alot of horses that will stay by their humans side, but only because they know if they leave they'll get into "trouble". I've seen those same horses LEAVE when they had the opportunity to make their own choice.     

I'm not personally into "dominating" per se, but being the leader. I currently do not believe that I need to dominate (I'm willing to adjust at any time if my beliefs do not serve me and the horse's I help). My goal is to build confidence and trust through the decisions with the horse I make and prove to the horse I am trust worthy to follow and would never ask them to do something they could not perform. I want harmony and that awesome feeling I get when the horse is working with me and for me. Someone needs to lead the dance and obviously as the person requesting to ride the horse, I am asking that leader be me.

No pat answers when it comes to horses. All horses and people are individuals, so look at the horse, feel for the horse, and be willing to effectively adjust to fit the situation. I know that the tricky part is being able to interpret what the horse is saying and determining what would be an effective adjustment. Experimenting and experience is the only way I know sometimes of discovering that answer, so be willing to make mistakes and get help when needed. At all times listen and feel for your horse and make adjustments based on what you see. Don't do something just cause you see it written if it looks like it is dangerous to you or the horse in that moment.You are the one ultimately responsible for the safety of you and your horse and the relationship you create.     

All just my thoughts!

For more information, please contact Cindy M. Brown at
(520) 364-4767; (888) 240-6059 tollfree or email: Cindy@ccheartranch.com.