We are proud to have a new addition to our facility! Meet “Gertrude!” She is our life-sized 300-pound bald-faced heifer! This unique target training tool consists of a life-like cow which travels across a pen 200ft on cables. With wireless remote control she is the most well behaved cow I know!
Benefits of Working with Gertrude:
She has infinitely adjustable speed changes to allow you to teach your horse to "rate" the cow as it speeds up and slows down. You can start slow, then gradually increase speeds and difficulty of runs, taking the pressure and fear out of it and encouraging the beginner horse. Also, training the horse to turn around properly is accelerated by starting the cow slow, then accelerating across the pen. This gives the horse an opportunity to read the cow and stay in position.
This is Cow is especially beneficial for working on specific problem areas (drifting, fading, left turns, right turns, etc.) or for teaching a youngster to go with the cow, stop with the cow, wait on the cow, and turn with the cow.
Many young horses respond well to learning their basics on the flag as it keeps things as slow as you need it to help the horse get “hooked” and speeds up only when the horse is in the right place. The Cow only goes back and forth, at whatever speed you dictate, at whatever distance you and your horse are comfortable at.
This mechanical cow also is very useful for someone wanting to learn to sit a cutting horse without the added hazards of live cattle. With the mechanical cow, you call the shots, not the cow, and you can progress at your own comfort level. You can instantaneously repeat any given move that needs work.
We are offering weekly clinics with Gertrude and Natalie to help further your horse’s training and play time! This clinic format comes with instruction on all the basic maneuvers and levels of training techniques for $35 per horse/rider. You do not need previous experience to come out and play with Gertrude.
Gertrude is also available for private bookings of your own groups etc. Please feel free to e-mail us for more information.