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Advice on barrel racing, reining, cutting, trail riding, polo and more!

Patrick Wyse is a trainer who can teach and a teacher who can train. He is a full-time professional instructor who began doing clinics in Canada, in 1969. He has honed his skills and continued to build on the principles of Monte Foreman, his early mentor. Monte Foreman was a true pioneer of the modern horse world by initiating the use of slow-motion film to analyze how HORSE action and HUMAN reaction effect each other. He then took this information to communities throughout the United States, becoming the first horseman who dared to make a living conducting traveling clinics.

Patrick has carried on this tradition and continues to advance the BASIC HANDLE system through the use of video analysis. Each year, over 600 students are videotaped for their progressive enlightenment and for strengthening the teaching method.

Prior to Patrick's current full-time clinic schedules, he trained horses as a teenager on the high plains of Montana.He then competitively calf-roped, team-roped and showed reining horses - winning at major events such as the Denver National Stock Show. Later in life, the cutting-horse bug" took over and he began showing and winning major events in Canada and the United States.

During the past two years, Patrick and his son, Kevin, built a new horse-facility in the foothills of the Big Belt Mountains near Townsend, Montana. Horse Wyse Ranch has a new heated indoor arena, reining, cutting and starting pens, campgrounds and 800 acres of scenic trail riding.

Wyse Advice - Questions & Answers
by Patrick Wyse
~ September  2000 ~

When is a curb bit appropriate?

Question: I am a student of the Monte Foreman basic handle. After trying other training methods, I have realized that the basic handle is the best method for putting a handle on your horse. I read an article where you mentioned that there are certain times when you should use a bit other than a snaffle. It was my understanding that a snaffle bit was the only bit you really needed unless you show your horse in classes that don't allow one. Could you explain what bits you may use and why? Thank you.Allen

Patrick: The effect of a leverage bit is to intensify your ability to stop a horse because the shank of the bit increases the force of the pull, which causes the horse a higher level of discomfort. A well designed leverage bit (AKA curb bit) should create a blunt pressure, while a poorly designed bit will cause a sharp pinching effect. The best designed bit available today is the Monte Foreman curb bit. If your horse stops poorly in a non-leverage bit, adding leverage will make the bad stop worse.

A leverage bit can have a positive effect on your horse if the basics are sound, where the use of the horse demands speed or the rider has only one hand to cause the horse to rate or stop. Events such as roping, barrel racing, cutting, some types of ranch work and, of course, certain show ring events often require a curb bit. If the basics are not thorough, then adding more force usually makes matters worse, sometimes dangerous.

I often use the Foreman Bit with a double set of reins to introduce the effects of the leverage factor of the bit to the horse. The few bits that I have used with much success for more than 30 years are shown and demonstrated in the video that I made titled A Practical Guide to Bits and Their Use. Other subjects covered in this video are flexing exercises and backing.

Can this cutter be retrained?

Question: I have a 4 year old cutting mare, which my trainer futuritied as a 3 year old. She started as a 3 year old very well, showing a lot of promise in the practice pen, very cowy, and everyone was very excited about her. Her first few shows went well, placing 3rd and 4th in large classes, but it went downhill from there. When showing she would start out great on her first cow, and then she would just pop her head up, resist the trainer, lose all of her concentration and lose the cow. We gave her a long winter break, had her checked out by a vet to see if she was experiencing any pain. She checked out clean. We started her last winter to show her as 4 year old. She once again showed a lot of promise. In her first show in February she won her first class, but in the next class she started doing the same thing. We showed her several more times and then put her in one big aged event, all to no avail. My trainer has given up on her and says she just doesn't want to help, she doesn't want to do it. I really like the mare, she is broke and is very nice to ride even on cows. My trainers say that I should ride her and show her. I have showed as a non-pro for 10 years but have never trained a cutting horse-big difference. My first plan of attack has been to ride her a lot in the mountains and on cattle drives and do things with her that she enjoys. What do you think about round pen groundwork? I also have been putting her on a cow as long as she is good, then stopping her before she starts to resist. She seems to enjoy her first work but when the trainer or I start to school her or push her she gets resistant. I would appreciate any advice you might have for me. I don't want to give up on her until everything that can be done has been.

Patrick: There can be life after a futurity for a cutting horse, but in your case perhaps not as a cutting horse. Without actually seeing the horse work or having insight into the way the horse was trained all I can do is share my observations of other similar situations with you.

In the process of training a cutting horse for a 3 year old event, time is short and the demands on the trainer are great. Typically many trainers feel that if the horse does not win, next year there will be fewer customers. This type of situation often times creates an environment where essential basics are compromised. It is not uncommon for the horse to show fairly well a few times and then begin to unravel with each additional show. The basic patterns necessary to make a good cutting horse must be thoroughly ingrained before the horse is allowed to discover the excitement of competition. If the fundamentals in early training were inadequate, and if bad habits have developed in the show ring, many horses wont tolerate retraining to the point were they will be dependable competitors. This is true with other competitive venues as well. When the stress and speed are demanding, its the basics that horses learn that give you long-term success. Releasing the bridle pressure on a cutting horse, and the excitement generated by the cow in both horse and rider, creates special problems that makes this fact especially true in cutting.

Is it worth it to put the horse back in training with a cutter to see if the horse can be retrained? Or would you enjoy the horse more in another discipline such as team penning or sorting were you can keep bridle contact and control the horse. As far as round penning the horse or trail riding, that's all great but it won't affect the work in the cutting pen.