Motivation Monday

Be the cure, not the problem. Don't critize; Share, Teach, Learn.

Baby Lesson #4 Babies Make Great Business Cards

It seems that I was about to miss out on a great opportunity, until I ended up doing some paper work at Saltgrass Steakhouse, when I realized that (most) people love babies and puppies. They are always wanting to hold and pass them around about as much as their smart phones, so why not capitalize on this and recruit Jax to become a living business card! However, this idea works out much better if you have a super cute baby like I do, rather than one that looks as if they have fallen out of the ugly tree, hitting every branch on the way down. Now of course, I'm joking about the ugly baby part, because babies are great and especially our own, but I'm not on the business card idea. If you know me ,you know that sometimes, ok quite a lot, I have been called a shameless self promoter. I have even been know to like one or two of my facebook posts, just because. So it seems pretty strange that I have never really thought about advertising on my own kid until yesterday? I'm not so much thinking about advertising my business, as much as I am wanting to promote our great sport of reining. If I end up getting an extra training horse or two, I can live with the collateral damage. So my plan is that all of Jax's clothing will now sport a reining horse logo as well as the KPH name, to unofficially become the new ambassador for the sport of reining. You can thank him later. I'm guessing that with all of the photographs taken between his grandmas, his mom, and myself, added to the amount of people that want to hold him, multiplied by the number that are just looking cause he's cute, we should be able to single handedly increase our business...I mean the NRHA membership...ten fold by the end of the year. Remember, people love cute babies wearing adorable clothes, why not include sporting the Kutie Performance Horses logo. I just hope Jax understands his greater purpose being the face of an awesome sport.

Fact Friday

Fact Friday: With a real Cowboy, the bull dung's on the outside.

Theory Thursday

Theory Thursday: If you don't know about pain and trouble, you're in sad shape. They make you appreciate life. - Evil Knievel

Baby Lesson #3 Babies Should be Horse Trainers

I have come to the conclusion that babies should be horse trainers due to the simple fact they are very good at convincing people to do everything for them, no questions asked. I have been dealing with customers for the better part of my life and have always been trying to figure out a easy and simple way to get my point across, get people to pay me on time, and just be nice and fun loving in general. I have tried to bend over backwards, give praise for a job well done, or just be a good friend, and this has had varying degrees of success. I have tried to be a good husband and make Charissa glad that she married me everyday, which is harder some days than others due to the fact that I can get us into a pickle pretty easy sometimes. Then baby Jax Lee Kutie, the new sheriff, rolls into town and makes everything work as if he has been doing business for years. Now I seem to be extra popular, mostly in part to a super cute baby. Customers are paying bills on time and people are being nicer in general all due to a little baby boy. No matter how much I had to complain, fight, or make deals, all Jax has to due is let out a little cry or a tiny tear (that really has a magic touch) and he can get anything he wants, PERIOD. If he is hungry, cry. If he needs his chassie cleaned and lubed, cry. Maybe he just needs a hug to go along with his little walking tour of the house, cry. All of these services no matter how big or stinky all provided by someone else, and yet no one ever seems to bother to complain, in fact most people are willing to jump in and offer advice, change a dirty diaper or rock him to sleep, and all of this has been accomplished with no words, little eye contact and possibly just one tear. So having learned this valuable lesson if you see my crying, please change my diaper. I now have a new way of doing business, thanks to the new sheriff in town.

Wisdom Wednesday

Wisdom Wednesday: When it comes to training there are no right or wrong ways in terms of technique or style. Training has to be what works for you and what your horse understands. Training is all about consistancy and always asking the question the same everytime, and rewarding for the correct answer or for at least trying. If you teach your horse to pick up the left lead by pulling on his left ear and you are consistant with your aids and your horse responds willingly, that is training, it's just not very marketable or practical, but it is training. We are all trying to get to same goal of having a well trained, responsive, happy horse, we just have to remember that there are many different paths to get to the final destination. Don't critize; teach, share, learn. - Steve Kutie

Tech Tip Tuesday

Tech Tip Tuesday: In good training, you never see the rider doing anything. - Steve Kutie

Motivation Monday

Motivation Monday: Many of lifes failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up. - Thomas Edison

WARM-UP PEN FOCUS

Question: I feel so unprepared prior to entering the ring to show my horse. I watched the other riders and they appear to really know how to get ready. What should I do to be better prepared?
Answer: After recently attending a Championship show, I watched multiple exhibitors question their skills as well as their horse's abilities in the warm-up pen before the class. Some of their competitors' horses were spinning faster or stopping harder and farther than their horses. This sucked them into a frenzy of making their horses spin faster or stop harder.

FOCUS ON YOUR PLAN
Showing is where your preparation and hard work meet the opportunity to show off your skills and to be judged on your abilities up to that certain point in time by one of your peers. I noticed so many riders worrying about how and what others were doing in the warm-up pen that they were jeopardizing their ability to achieve success, by focusing on what everyone else was doing. The important thing to remember is each horse is an individual and only you what your horse needs for preparing to show. If all horses performed the same on all levels, there would be no reason for a competitive show.
FOCUS ON YOUR HORSE
Not always will what one person is doing with their horse work for you and your horse. For instance, if a horse is spinning faster than your horse, there is a difference in riding two handed to school in the warm-up pen and putting your hand down to show in the arena. We would all do great if we were being judged while riding two-handed during our warm-up; however, your run is neither won nor lost in the warm-up pen. Similar to this is any other athletic sport. Games are not won by how the team performs at practice; only game day matters in terms of win-loss records.
FOCUS ON YOUR TRAINING
The prep work that you have done in the days, weeks, months or even years prior to the show need to be executed as you have been trained and not influenced by others getting their horses ready to show. I have seen hundreds of horse and rider teams leave he best of themselves in the warm-up pen; seldom does the high-speed training session carry over into the show pen. Have faith in your own abilities and training and be sure to focus on your own needs rather than getting flustered and nervous because of what another horse and rider are doing while they are practicing.
FOCUS ON YOUR RUN
Your ability to focus can only be strengthened while in the warm-up pen amid the chaos of the other riders and horses. If your horse is a big stopper and a so-so spinner there is nothing that you can do in the few minutes prior to entering the show pen that will change what nature has bestowed upon your mount. Instead, think of showing off your horse's best skills and try to guide your horse through the not so great spots, by not over doing what you want. If your horse is a 0 stopper eveyday of his life there is no point in asking him to be a +1/2, because you will end up marking a -1. A losing deal every time.

Remember, " You're never as good as everyone tells you when you win and you're never as bad as they tell you when you lose." - Lou Holtz

Ride Hard, Be Safe, and Have Fun - Steve Kutie

Reining Made Easy Clinic at Stephen F. Austin University

Check out our new Training Made Easy Clinic Series for 2012. "The Anti-Gimmick Clinic" where knowledge is power and the only tools that you need are your seat, your feet, and your own two hands!

Fact Friday

Fact Friday: Insanity: The act of repeating the same thing (over and over) but expecting a different result. So remember if you keep repeating something while training and it never works, try a different approach, or horse horse will begin think that you are INSANE.

Theory Thursday

Theory Thursday: When it comes to horsemanship, knowledge and ability, everybody starts out equally, at zero. How far you go from there is entirely up to you. Winning is what you make of it. - Bob Avila

Wisdom Wednesday

Wisdom Wednesday: Work (riding horses), spare us from three evils; boredom, vice and need. - Voltaire

Reining Made Easy Clinic with Steve Kutie At Stephen F. Austin University in Nacogdoches, Texas. March 30 thru April 1 2012. Very educational, informative and probably more fun than the law will allow. We still have a few spots available call or message me for details.

Tech Tip Tuesday

Tech Tip Tuesday: The easiest way to gain an advantage over your competition is to use technology to benefit your training goals. With most cell phones having a video camera or at least a camera feature, have a friend or enemy, video your training problem. You will be amazed to see what is REALLY going on rather than what you THINK is going on, and since about everyone on the planet has access to a cell phone it's pretty much a free improvement.

Motivation Monday:

Motivation Monday: You never see the great things ahead of you if you always look at the bad things behind you.

Warm Up Pen Safety

Question: I have been to a few shows this winter and I am unsure of the proper riding procedure in the warm up pen. Actually I have been run into by a couple of people that were going the wrong way and not paying attention. What can I do?

Answer: The warm up pen is a pretty dangeous place when every rider is concentrating on his or her own program and getting ready for their classes. I will give you some general rules to follow that will make navigating the warm up arena easier and safer for you and your horse.

* Always go with the flow of traffic. If the warm up arena is large enough to allow for two sets of circles, one circle should be loping to the left and one circle loping to the right, they should pass left hand to right hand in the center of the arena. If the warm up pen has only enough space to lope one circle, ask when you want to change direction, as most people will want to go both directions before they show.

* Stay to the inside of the circle if you want to go slow, and to the outside of the circle if you want to go fast.

* NEVER, NEVER, NEVER stop your horse in the flow of traffic. If you are at a reining event, there will be time to work on fencing and stopping your horse so that you will not have to avoid other riders that are circling.

* If you need to school your horse on spins, or adjust equipment, move to the middle of a circle so that you're not in the flow of traffic.

* Do not pony your horse in the warm up pen.

* Always looks where you are going, and watch out for other riders. You don't drive your car while looking at the hood ornament and you shouldn't ride your horse looking at his head, eyes up.

* Don't exercise young or green horses in the warm up pen while it's crowded; wait until later in the evening or early in the morning. Safety first.

* Yield to the tractor, and always listen to the arena announcer and ring steward. They are there for your safety and to keep the show moving smoothly. Remember, every minute you waste when asked to leave the arena is just another minute longer the show will last.

* Don't tie your horse in the warm up arena. No one wants to dodge a kicking or loose horse while they are trying to get ready to show.

* If you have a question ask. The only dumb questions are the ones that are never asked.

* Always try to maintain a good sense of humor. People may be tired and nervous. Be patient with newcomers and try to help them learn by reffering them to these guidelines.

It is our job as riders to ensure the safety of ourselves, horses and others. Remember that some people don't know that they don't know, so take the time to explain to them the proper rules, I would rather them be mad at me for trying to keep them safe than to have them hurt one of my customers of family or worse visit them at the hospital.
As always remember: Ride Hard, Be Safe and Have Fun - Steve Kutie

Baby Lesson #2 Be sure the diaper is tight!

At 2:00 am this morning I found out where the phrase, sh#& happens came from, and I don't believe it was from Forrest Gump either, judging from the sound and smell that attacked my senses early this morning. I was having sweet dreams about eating suhi, relaxing in the sun and winning the Futurity, which might seem like a strange combination unless you know me, when I was snapped back into reality by a smell that I can only describe as a cross between my wifes five finger shoes on a hot summer day and a week old dead cow that has been baking in the Texas summer sun, combined with the sound of someone throwing runny oatmeal on my pillow with two hands.
Now believe me when I say I was wide awake, licky spit, sitting up to see what was happening in my perfect little world. Now Charissa being the person she is handles diaper duties as well as feeding during the night, I think in part so that I can keep up with my beauty sleep and because Jax thinks my chest is pretty useless when it comes to dispencing his meals. Jax, was having his midnight snack while resting his tiny hiny on the corner of my pillow when the explosion occured about a quarter of an inch from my ear and plenty close to my nose, I happened to catch a glimps of his tiny smerk by cell light, saying sorry sh*@ happens (We use the flashlight app. to save actually getting out of bed and having to stretch to turn on the nightstand light. Don't judge me, you just wish you thought of it first).
So thanks to Charissa and the engineers at Pampers, the diaper was tight, form fitting and leak proof. Lesson learned!

Fact Friday

Fact Friday: The mightiest oak tree was once a little nut that held its ground.

Theory Thursday

Theory Thursday: If Plan "A" didn't work, remember the alphabet has 25 more letters. STAY COOL!

Baby Lesson #1 Cover the Pee Bug

I am pretty amazed at the similarities between horses and babies. After two days of watching and observing Jax, it has become pretty easy to understand what he likes and what he doesn't like.

Likes:
-Eating
-Sleeping spread eagle
-Long walks on the beach
-Moms boobie
-Sleeping on dad

Dislikes:
-Dirty diaper
-Not being able to move his arms
-Michael Bolton

Baby Lesson I learned today: I learned why everyone warned me about covering a baby boys pee bug while changing a diaper. It's a good thing Charissa likes babies and understands that I have no clue when it comes to baby related maintiance like proper water temp, wrapping them in blankets and keeping the tiny high pressure urine squirter covered during diaper changes. I managed to get the diaper off, chassy cleaned and lubed and new diaper in the proper position when all of a sudden Charissa, still half asleep, takes friendly fire to the face and shoulder. Now if I were in her position I'm not sure that I could have stayed focused and finished helping the nimrod that was the cause of ramdom streams of baby urine to hit me in the face but, she hung tough God love her.
I thought the diaper changing kit that we recieved durning one of the baby showers was more of a joke, since it contained some plastic tongs, clothes pin for your nose, goggles and a few other funny items. But after this morning I now see the practical purpose for most of the items in the kit. So all I can say now is THANK YOU to the genius that designed the Dirty Diaper Duty Survival Kit, I will be eternally grateful to you.

Motivation Monday

Motivation Monday: My new motivation, Jax Lee Kutie. Life is great.

Baby Kutie

Well baby Kutie decided he would rather come today than wait until next friday, guess he will be an over achieved. So my first post since redesigning the site comes from a hospital room waiting for the little bundle of joy to poke his head out. I now see how all of the waiting around at horse shows has honed my skills of just sitting around and doing absolutely nothing. I will post some pics as soon as I can. Thanks for all of the support.

Theory Thursday

Theory Thursday: Riding a horse is like using a tube of toothpaste, you squeeze from behind. - Steve Kutie