JC Soft Hands Horsemanship

Alaska is getting real heavy and starting to bag up! Counting down the weeks now I don't think I have ever told Alaska's story so here it goes... I bought Alaska in the fall of 2011... when I was in college. Probably foolish of me but oh well lol. I found her on kijiji, an older gentlemen out of Maidstone Sask had her listed. I drove out to see her and it was a cool fall day, he had her penned with a few other mares. He said she was started when she was 3 (now 6) and wasnt ...touched since. So I worked her a bit, threw the saddle on, got on and rode her for a bit. The guy couldnt believe it. Said "this horse is meant to be with you, wow"... we visited and I brought her back with me. I swapped out some horses and had her with me at the college. I was able to put a few more rides on her. She was a bag to catch but so easy going when it came to the training. The following fall I found myself working at Czar Feedyards. She was one of the horses I brought with me. She became my favorite mount at the feedlot. Was so dependable, cowy and patient at the gates. I loved checking pens on her. Nothing phased her. Then I moved to saskatchewan and did some pasture miles on her. Then ever since then she has just been my go to for trails, round up at dads (the sister chose her many times to work cows in the corral). She is so great with green riders, so easy going and just willing. This year she will have her third foal for me (4th if you include my orphan mini that she adopted). Her first two foals will be getting started this year and they are showing lots of promise. I love Alaska's mind, her cow sense and just how I can jump on and go do anything. Alaska is 16 this year. I hope to have a few more foals off of her in the future with sires I feel will compliment her. She is one of my forevers, and grateful I came across her on kijiji 10 years ago. See more

Expecting a full sibling to this guy in about a month hoping for a match. He is maturing so nice. Will be sending him out to get started end of the month.

Nuna Going to send this girl out to get started in about a month! Excited to see where she goes. She is CBHI SS Sad I am unable to start her myself, think it will work out really well though.

Fergie, I am itching to ride so bad lol

Ground driving Lluvia with her harness

Looking forward to riding this beauty again.

*Available* 4yr old she is a 13 hh welsh/quarter horse. Has a very light start with most of the basics, she has had 4 rides and groundwork. She needs work with her back feet but coming along with patience. Easy to catch, up to date on shots, quiet personality and very willing. Needs trailer work also but is starting to come along with that. Owner will continue to play with her, price may increase with training, asking 1k. Located north of Westlock (This mare I have personally not seen or handled. Just listing for a client)

We have been pulling tires around like no tomorrow! After these pics I made a few more adjustments to the harness. Would love to upgrade one day lol

Everyone has to start somewhere. Everyone is able to learn something new. No one knows everything. No one should say "I can't".... You have to try. You have to want to. Always learning. Always improving. Let us start somewhere. Let us learn something new. Everyone knows something. Everyone should say "I can". You have to try. You have to want to. Always learning. Always improving. -Josee Cloutier

Lluvia is getting a hang of ground driving and having a little weight to pull. I am especially excited as the world of driving horses is new to me and I love what I am learning! Would eventually love for all my horses to be able to be hooked up and drove and rode.

I dont get to see my horses often since recovering from heart surgery, when I do though this girls always happy to see me. Once I have my strength back up I hope to start training Lluvia to drive and pull my cutter. If anyone has leads on a nice harness that would be awesome! The one I have is a little old lol.

I have a couple client horses available The first is a 4yr old, very lightly started, 13hh welsh/qh mare. Will need more work yet she is a nice little project. 1k The second is an 8yr old buckskin mare. Well broke, great all around horse. Suitable for confident beginners. 5k... Will upload photos and albums once I get some good conformation shots with a more detailed write up

This horse is where my passion for training started. This is Apache, she is blind, 20yrs old, and we have been together for 17yrs. Most have read about her "how she went blind story" but I dont think many know of how I got her.... I was 9yrs old when my parents surprised my sister and I with these 2 paint ponies. I still remember the day and walking into the barn and seeing these 2 scared, skinny, blue eyed ponies standing there. They looked awful.... but those blue eyes they were so bright and full of life. My sister got the younger one, a 2yr old filly she named Flutterby. I got the more rowdy and nasty 3yr old... it took me a while to settle on a name. I wanted a tough name, something native. I researched tribes and words and had a whole list wrote out. I finally settled on Apache. They were a tribe known for being powerful, brave, and aggressive. Seemed fitting. Apache was such a hard horse to train. She was so stubborn, scared, and to put it lightly a real bitch. My mom helped me with the ground work and gaining trust. It took a lot of patience. Once we got to riding, Apache was well known for bucking and crow hopping at any given moment. Like a ticking time bomb. On trail rides no one could ride near us or else she would kick every horse that attempted. She was so nasty. She was awful for the farrier. They fought a lot. She had a terrible habbit of pulling back when tied. Would stand there and just vibrate then pull straight back then jump forward and stand. She was so embaressing to take anywhere lol. As she got more broke and my horsemanship was improving we competed in local gymkhanas... we actually cleaned house and would get high point prizes all the time. She had a terrible habbit of refusing the gate. She would just freeze. I knew though if I just let her have her moment she would be fine and just walk right in. My sister and I had so many great rides and adventures on our painted ponies. From midnight rides bareback in -30. Fooling around doing stunts on their backs. Racing across the fields. Playing "tag" in the arena. Many people told me growing up "No one could love that horse as much as you Josee." Man were they ever right. Apache taught me patience and to give the under dogs a chance.

Fergie up north gets to enjoy some of the winter off until I am back in riding shape. Having your sternum cut apart you realize how much muscle and strength from your arms are actually used. Dont need a horse pulling my arms and snapping that apart lol. I really enjoyed Fergie last winter and this spring. We really grew together and started to have an understanding. Plus a big thing was she was starting to enjoy the attention (she is a very much a you can look but dont touch type haha). She will be one of my main riding mares when I get back to it. Plans are to continue barrel racing and gymkhana, enjoy lots of trails and do more bonding, like cowboy challenges.

Snaffles! Few different styles I like to use. "Snaffle bits are lateral mechanisms and are made to be used laterally - side to side. Pulling back hard on both reins in a snaffle becomes increasingly less effective in controlling a horse’s movement. However, the snaffle is very effective in teaching a horse to give and yield his head (and thus his feet) laterally to the left and right. Most horses are started in snaffle bits and can learn to bend and turn as the rider uses eac...h rein independent of the other" I personally dont like to use a snaffle with 1 break in the middle. If you lay a 1 break snaffle across your wrist and pull the rings down (similar action to pulling on the rein, and your wrist being the horses tongue and bars) you will feel its not comfortable. The break will also poke into the roof of the horses mouth. If your horse gapes its mouth when you pull or tosses their head, good chance that theyre uncomfortable with the one break. The dog bone style (smooth or twisted) is usually what i would recommend. The chain style mouth piece is nice. Try it on your wrist and tell me that doesnt feel better than the one break. If you are a heavy handed rider and always pulling on your horses face (possibly for your own balance...try and stop lol) but i dont recommend a chain. Any bit can be "harsh" or "severe" in the wrong hands. When you purchase any twisted bit with copper twisted within it please rub your hands along it and make sure there is no copper poking out. Copper is great to help a horse salivate and relax. I would recommend a smooth mouth piece with the copper inlay rather than wrapped in copper wire. The last pic is a "Life Saver" mouth piece. These mouth pieces apply pressure to the tongue and distributes pressure across the bars and lips aswell. Snaffles are nice when introducing a young horse to the bit and what lateral pressure is, with the aid of leg and seat of course. With the aids it makes an easy transition to the next bit. I dont like to keep a colt in a snaffle for too long, once they are responding to my seat for whoa and not my hands (also keep in mind when whoa is asked with a snaffle pulling with both hands isnt how the bits intended. One rein stops to stop the rear end and voice and seat. Eventually the horse connects the dots and responds when using seat and voice) when a horse is doing this nice i may switch their bit to something with a bit of shank. Simplicity bit. Jr cow. Sweet 6 (will post of these in days to come). One my broke horses i do like to ride them in a snaffle from time to time to soften up their lateral movement. Bending, flexing, etc.

Sprite and her baby belly! Will be a paternal sibling to my gelding Texas, sire Whizn Amigo. Excited for this foal. Will be a keeper. Sprites dam is a black arab. Her sire is a blanket appy. ... Whizn Amigo is palomino. Thoughts on foal color? Ive got my fingers crossed for a blanket buckskin filly lol might be wishful thinking.

Connie Combs Stabilizer "This is good for hard ground, if you need more control or to keep the pull out of your horse. Practice with this bit until you feel any stiffness or pull then use the draw bit to soften the horse in the poll. Horse’s that are not hard to set or control will get a lot of control out of this bit." Although this is a barrel racing bit I do like using it on the trails and when moving cattle. Couple horses I have like to push their tongues against the bit ...or grit it with their teeth. I dont get frustrated with them instead I use this bit and it just seems to comfort them. The mullen mouth piece (flat bar) applies even pressure across the tongue. It doesnt pinch the tongue or poke up into the roof of the mouth. This bit isnt too bad to work each side of the horse but I do find they dont get their nose down into collection as nice, if I do need to work on a horse being supple I will but the Simplicity Bit in. I think they compliment eachother well. The stabilizer bit is nice on broke horses, on just started horses it is a bit much in the sense of not able to get body control. This bit comes in short shank and long shank, I have personally only used the short shank. The long shank would be nice when needing a quicker response. See more