Cari Swanson

Stop the Horse from Wringing his Tail

At a recent clinic, Rex Peterson introduced this Ancora to a Grand Prix dressage horse who wrings his tail in piaffe and passage.

This simple device known as the Ancora, will help your horse stop wringing his tail, thus putting all his energy into his work.  The bells on the bottom also teach him to not be afraid of anything behind him.  You must ride your horse with this for a minimum of 10 days so that he learns that every time he lifts his tail it cannot go anywhere, eventually he will not even try to swing it.  Trick ropers ride their trick horses in this for the first 2 years of training so that the ropes never get caught under the tails.  Horses trained for the movies all learn to ride with this as part of their desensitizing routine.

Breaking Young Horses to Saddle

Last weekend we broke 2 young horses to accept the saddle and rider.  Here you can see Rex controlling this young gelding for his first ride.  Steele stays close to Cache as he learns to accept the aids from the rider.  Rex is able to stop the horse from bucking or rearing with the neck rope so that he never learns these bad habits.

Tuff Performs at Quarterfest

We just returned from a successful weekend in Nashville, TN where the AQHA hosted the first of many Quarterfest Events honoring the Quarter Horse from many aspects of the horse world.  Reining, roping, mounted shooters, trail classes and amazing performances each evening kept us all busy each day.  Tuff  (from the films Flicka, Van Helsing, Appaloosa) and Cache (Viggo’s mount in Appaloosa) performed each evening in a liberty act , amazing the audience with a display of control of each horse with Rex using only body movements and the whips to guide his horses.

Elegant Athlete

17 hand gelding, very elegant, easy to ride, this horse is a very special guy.  If you are looking for an Equitation horse, jumper, dressage or event horse, he is talented, a bold jumper, light to the aids and a true gentleman on the ground.  At 6 years old, he shows tremendous promise to excel in any job.  contact Cari to schedule an appointment to try this exceptional athlete.

How to Treat a Horses Ear Plaque

This horse has had ear plaque his entire life.  After several vets have tried to treat it by burning it off, the owner gave up until Rex came along and had a simple solution.  Rub baby oil on the fungus and it will kill it.  Easier said than done because this horse would not let you touch his ears, let alone put cotton balls inside to rub the baby oil on.  In fact he always has to have the bridle or halter taken apart to put on because of his panic around his ears from the painful fungus.

After an hour of patience and using the Sugar String, Rex was able to rub the cotton balls soaked in baby oil inside his ears.  Treated every day for 5 days resulted in perfectly clean ears with new pink skin emerging.  The hair is even starting to grow back after 10 days and still no sign of the fungus returning.

Sometimes the old methods are far less expensive and more effective than the newer solutions of drugs.  You can see this horse is actually enjoying the treatment now, learning to allow his ears to be touched and rubbed without the panic.

Send any problem you have to us to solve, Rex Peterson loves a challenge and has not met a horse he could not improve or fix yet….we look forward to your challenge!

Patience and Persistence

This photo demonstrates hours of training.  Justin is one of the most successful movie horses, starring in Black Beauty among many other films.  Now in his mid twenties, he is enjoying retirement, however, his ears still prick up for his trainer Rex  when he comes out to feed him each day.  You must always remember to be patient and take one step at a time when training your horse.  Remember to be very clear about what you are asking and reward your horse when he gives it to you.  After working your horse every day consistently you will see a remarkable change and improvement.  Generally horses have a good work ethic, enjoying their daily routine.  Spring is finally here and it is time to get back into your training routine.

Cowboys and Indians-Happy Trails April 2009

DIED: Hightower,26. One of the most famous and talented trick horses ever to grace the silver screen, Hightower appeared in dozens of films during his long career, most notably as Pilgrim in Robert Redford’s The Horse Whisperer (1998). He was the steed of choice for actress Julia Roberts, who bonded with him during the filming of The Runaway Bride (1999) and famously insisted that the charismatic quarter horse be shipped back from his California corral to an East Coast location for post-production re-shoots. Owned and trained by Hollywood Horse Trainer, Rex Peterson, Hightower also appeared in Winter People (1989) opposite Kurt Russell and Kelly McGillis, in Simpatico (1999) with Jeff Bridges and Nick Nolte, and in writer-director Caroline Thompson’s 1994 adaptation of Black Beauty. “Hightower had a heart as big as the great outdoors”, said veteran trainer and USDF Silver Medalist Cari Swanson, “and he will be remembered as one of the most intelligent and noble equine actors of our day.” In Tehachapi, California, October 30.

Conditioning Your Horse

As Spring approaches, the show season is just around the corner.  Now is the time to consider a program to bring your horse to optimum condition considering your discipline of dressage, jumping or eventing.  It is critical to consider the age and amount of activity your horse has had in order to create an effective plan of conditioning.  Horses who are turned out need a shorter warm up than those standing in their stall or small paddock.  A progressive warm up allows time for the muscles to reach their optimal working temperature (during warm up the muscles rise by about 1 degree C) before increasing the excercise intensity.

After a warm up phase, move into the workout which pushes to horse just beyond his ability to build muscles and stamina.  It is important to work the trot and canter in an active rhythm, thus working the skeletal muscles hard enough to stimulate an increase in blood circulation.  The main objective is to achieve relaxation in all gaits.  Next should come the suppling excercises of lateral and bending movements.  Remember wet saddle blankets make good horses.

Finally, an important element of your conditioning is the warm down period.  This is a time to allow the horse to recover from the workout and helps him release muscular tension and possible soreness.  A walk on the long rein is a great finish to this workout.  Slowly build your horse back up to his optimal fitness, allowing several weeks to reach your goal.  Careful systematic training will help build solid muscles and a happy fit horse.

American Quarter Horse Tuff, from the film “Appaloosa”

This is Tuff, owned and trained by Rex Peterson.  Tuff is one of Justin’s sons (Justin played Black Beauty), who was featured as Jeremy Irons horse in Ed Harris’ film Appaloosa.   Come meet Tuff at the AQHA Quarterfest in May, where you can help celebrate the American Quarter Horse.

May 1-3, 2009
Tennessee Miller Coliseum
Murfreesboro, Tennessee

Westfield Whips

Westfield Whips have been designed with impeccable craftsmanship for over a century.  With perfect balance, action and flexibility, these whips never feel heavy in your hand.  All Westfield, whips are built on cores made to precise specifications to guarantee that they replicate the feel and performance standards of the original whalebone and rawhide whips which have never been surpassed in quality and feel.

“For me, the Westfield whips are the finest available in the world today.”-Bruce Davidson

Bruce is one of the finest and most accomplished equestrians of our time.  He is a two time Three-Day Event World Champion and a five-time Olympic veteran, holding two team gold and two team silver medals.  He is a two time World Champion, has won the Rolex Kentucky Three Day a record six times and is one of only two Americans to have won the Badminton Horse Trials.  He has been the US Combined Training Assoc.  “Rider of the Year” a record fourteen times.

“In my industry where every detail matters, I count on the handling precision of a Westfield whip to deliver a perfect performance.”-Rex Peterson

Rex has trained horses for film for over four decades, creating some of the most complex and exciting horse action sequences every filmed.  His credits include dozens of films including Black Beauty, Dreamer, Hidalgo, Runaway Bride, The Horse Whisperer and The Patriot.  His concern for the well being of horses has earned him the praise of humane organizations and animal advocates.

Westfield whips are well balanced, light in weight and of the highest quality.  I love these whips and so do my customers.”  –Olaf Nyby

Olaf Nyby of Norway is one of Europe’s top driving instructor and horse trainers.  His expertise includes pleasure and commercial driving and international competition in pairs; four-in-hand combined training and driving dressage disciplines.

The Westfield whip-dressage, straight lash (6 foot), Lunge line, and jumper bat are available at swansonpetersonproductions.com

Here Ryan uses his Tufflex Stock Whip (6 foot), and Diamond Weave Pro Lunge Whip from  Westfield  to cue Doc to perform many tricks and movements.The whips are an extention of his hands to guide his horse, who must never be afraid of the whips.