A barefoot, naturally cared for, and naturally trained cutting horse champion.

My daughter, Timman, and her Quarter Horse gelding, Rocket (KW Dualin at the Bar), qualified for the AQHA World show—she showed him in 2010 in Oklahoma City, in Sr. Youth cutting. He was a finalist in 2007 at the NCHA Cutting Horse Finals, taking home checks in every class he was shown in.

He is naturally trained by Aaron England, who was a trainer with Pat Parelli for 5 years. He left Pat’s program and apprenticed with 3-time World Champion cutting horse trainer, Leon Harrell. We found Aaron, who is on “our page” with natural horsemanship, and began a professional and friend relationship. It took me 2 years to convince him of the merits of natural hoof care, and now he is a full-fledged convert. His wife learned to trim under the guidance of Rachael Coggins, a formerly certified Strasser trimmer. Rachael’s trimming style evolved under the influence of Pete Ramey’s book and DVD and field experiences. That is an interesting story in itself, but for another day.

All photos courtesy Lynn Swearingen

Now, about Rocket! He is bred out the wazoo with cutting bloodlines. He was a spirited and opinionated colt with tons of athleticism. His owner/breeder took him at age 2 years to a local trainer in Kerrville, TX. That trainer, like so many, had not a natural bone in his body. He used force, pain and intimidation as his training style. Unfortunately, it works on some horses, although the full potential of the horse is not developed, and with those techniques, the horse never has a trusting relationship with the human. Rocket was not one of those horses who submitted to that style of training, so he and the trainer were in a fight from the beginning.

Ultimately, the owner showed up one day unannounced, to find Rocket tied to his stirrup, lying on the ground in the hot Texas sun, having collapsed after fighting the “bitting up” for 4 hours. The colt had swollen hocks the size of grapefruit, and he was shin bucked. Rocket’s owner/breeder loaded the poor colt up and took him home to heal. He met Aaron during a real estate transaction, and sensed that this man had some sensitivity and knowledge lacking in many trainers. He asked him to take Rocket, and see if he could heal his mind and bring out that athletic ability.

Aaron found Rocket to be a seriously mentally damaged horse. He would charge anyone who approached his stall. He would strike and bite. He hated people. The first time Aaron saddled Rocket, he walked the entire length of the arena on his hind legs. To call him bracey would be a gross understatement. He attempted to bite the foot in the stirrup many times. Aaron worked on building trust and freeing up this horse’s play drive, which had been beaten out of him.

It took 6 months of no pressure riding on the ranch and lots of PNH (Parelli Natural Horsemanship) games to get Rocket to the point where they could begin training again on cows.

Rocket prefers women over men (who can blame him?), so Aaron assigned Rocket to his wife Riva to ride in cutting. They clicked and went on to win many championships, and then the day came that Rocket’s owner wanted to sell him—after all, breeding is about business. Aaron and Riva could not bear to see Rocket sold to someone who wasn’t natural, so they called me, and now my daughter Timman and I are the happy partners of KW Dualin at the Bar. Timman learned to cut under Aaron’s guidance on Rocket, and this, her last year in Youth, has won Circuit Champion and now on to WORLD!

Aaron England cutting on Rocket (above & below). Aaron says that after feeling a barefoot horse work, he could never put shoes on a horse again. He says he can tell that the horse feels its feet and has more sure footedness and lightness. As you can see from the picture, Rocket really uses his whole body, and his hooves have never been better. He improved his scores after his shoes were pulled.

Rocket is kept in a herd of 4 two-year-olds, while at the trainer’s ranch. He gets maximum turnout, is barefoot, and he is fed Patriot feed with iodized salt added. He also is fed free choice hay, and a custom supplement made by Horse Tech for my herd (Hyaluronic Acid, MSM, Biotin, Vitamin E, Magnesium, Chlorella, and stabilized flax seed). He also receives a flake of alfalfa once a day.

Rocket has demonstrated bridleless riding at expos and clinics. He has also demonstrated that the barefoot horse can and does perform at the highest level. On his off days, he has even given children riding lessons. He is light and refined and responds to the lightest cues. Many thanks go to Aaron England and Rachael Coggins for helping Rocket achieve so much and bring us so much joy.

Happy to say, we have a trusting, fun relationship with this lovely horse.

About the author: Lynn Swearingen is a natural hoof care and natural horsemanship advocate who now lives on her cutting horse facility, One Oak Ranch, in Rockwall, Texas.

by Lynn Swearingen, published in The Horse’s Hoof Magazine, Issue 40, Fall 2010

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