AN INTERVIEW WITH JONATHAN FIELD
Interviewed by Jennifer LeBlanc
Top horsemanship trainer and clinician Jonathan Field spends much of his time traveling around Canada and the USA teaching riders and horses his horsemanship techniques. At his recent Level 1 clinic in Victoria, BC, he sat down and shared a little about his life, his horses, his projects, and, of course, his horsemanship.
Jennifer: What is a typical day on the ranch like for you?
Jonathan: I have three to four horses that I ride daily. One thing I try to do is give five days a week to be with those horses. That could be anywhere from ten minutes to a half hour per horse, to sometimes an hour and a half with one horse one day and ten minutes with another one. I try to touch those guys every day. Those guys include my Andalusian stallion Cam, Hal, the red Quarter Horse, Quincy, the grey horse, and Tessa, my new four-year-old. Tessa’s the one I use in my DVD’s a lot. She’s the one I’m really trying to use to show my full program from the beginning to the end.
Jennifer: I was surprised to see that you have an Andalusian actually.
Jonathan: He’s a total dream horse for me. I have been dreaming of Andalusians my whole life. I’m always playing with that horse!
Jennifer: Are you planning to use him in demonstrations like you do with Quincy? Like, for example, a routine with the Gaucho Pole or dressage patterns?
Jonathan: I don’t know. That would make sense because he’s got those moves but I really don’t have a plan for him. That’s the mistake I made with Quincy. The challenge with having a kind of a mode that you go in with horses — like a program or method that you use — is that the method then governs you. The method of the program should never govern you. There are thoughts and outlines about a horse that are principles, but the method should never govern more than what the horse does.
The problem that I had with Quincy was that I was trying to bring him through a program. "Quincy, you will fit this program!" Quincy was like "I’m not fitting any program but my own!" We were at loggerheads and he was getting to hate the whole thing. I didn’t want him to hate it so I eventually said "I need to stop with this horse." This was several years ago now, when I first got him. The first two years were torture for both of us because I was really thinking more along the line of a program than I was thinking along the line of what the horse needs. I teach a program. I’ve developed one myself. I’ve outlined something that you follow through but I try to emphasize, because of Quincy and the lessons learned there, that it’s not more important than what your horse says.
Jennifer: That’s really interesting because one of my questions I was going to ask later was “have you ever met a horse that didn’t fit your program?”
Jonathan: You know, I’ve never met a horse that I couldn’t help make a change if I listened to them.
I was really sad to find out recently that we lost Ray Hunt [August 31, 1929 - March 12, 2009]. One thing he said all the time was that you adjust to fit the situation and the situation is the horse. You have to continually adjust to fit them. The hard part for people is that we lock in on an idea that it has to be one way. There’s the dichotomy. There are some principles that are given: you have to have control; you have to have leadership. You have to have these things, but at the same time you have to give them up sometimes to help build confidence, to help build communication.
I believe you can have success with any horse. I haven’t found a horse I haven’t been able to have a level of success with. "What do I need to do? Where is it for this horse?" are the first questions I ask when I meet a horse. I never look at the lead rope and go "You are going to do what I want you to do!" I look at the lead rope and think "What do we need to do? Where are you at?" Then, I look at the four ingredients [neutral, friendly, touch, driving].
The very first issue is taming [friendly]. I could ask this horse to back up faster, to slide stop, to spin, but that fear still resides if it’s a tameness issue. It will always harbour underneath the surface. Then all of a sudden it pops up for whatever reason and you wonder "Where did that reaction come from?" That’s because [the rider] never thought about going back to address the root of the issue, which is that the horse really doesn’t see them as a friend first, then a leader, before they went through the riding techniques. Those are overriding principles. Then the training program adjusts to fit that and the horse governs the whole thing. It has to. Really, the reason I teach such a step-by-step process is because we need that. We need to know how to go forward and how to go back. But the BIG thing I emphasize is that it has to be flexible. And who’s it governed by? It’s governed by the horse.
Jennifer: Have you ever met a horse who discouraged you or made you step back and reassess what you needed to do?
Jonathan: I’ve absolutely met horses that have discouraged me, but never to the point of giving up on them. There have been horses that have definitely made me step back and really reflect on that I had to do.
Quincy’s been by far my biggest challenge. Without question he has taken the wind out of my sails big time on many occasions — to the degree where I’m thinking "Do I know anything anymore?"
When I first got him he was one of those super challenging horses. I always call Quincy a super horse. He’s super athletic, he’s super fun, he’s super dangerous, he’s super excitable, he’s super reactive, he’s super everything! He’s kind of an extreme horse. But I was always invigorated to continue forward. I was always interested to know how to help him, how to fix the problem, how to become better for him. At one point I was like "I have no idea what to do with this horse. I’m absolutely at a total loss. I’m doing ten times the effort for half the results. This isn’t worth it. Should I just quit with this horse? Should I give up and move on to another horse?" The driving force for me to continue with Quincy was imagining what I would have learned as a horseman if I could be successful with him. I kept saying that if I could get through to him then every other horse would be easier. Ultimately, he’s been one of my biggest teachers because of that. It was very challenging. It was not easy, not all buttercups and sunshine. It was tough! Some moments were discouraging for sure, but not to where I wanted to stop or give up on him.
Jennifer: Who have been your major influences throughout your career?
Jonathan: I’ve been helped a lot over the years by many different people starting mostly with my wife and family. Then Pat Parelli came into my life in 1995. If it wasn’t for him and his thoughts on horsemanship I would never be where I am today. He taught me to think about the relationship with a horse and how to take this seemingly difficult subject and break it down into approachable steps. This gave me ground to stand on and pursue my passion. I was with Pat closely for over ten years and am still friends with him today.
Mike Rose at the Quilchena Ranch gave me a start at the age of 14 to work on a real working ranch. He looked after me like a second dad at Quilchena and gave me the opportunity to get many hours at a time in a saddle behind a herd of cattle.
Orville Rolston, cowboss of Quilchena, taught me about feel with cattle and how soft and subtle you can be but also how firm you need to be at times.
I had parents that were into horses and a dedicated horse-show mom.
Craig Johnson, Ray Hunt, Ronnie Willis, and George Morris: these are all master horsemen that have inspired me greatly and have given me something to strive for.
I’ve been really lucky. They say every success has a thousand fathers and failure is an orphan. I have a lot of fathers. I have a lot of people that I’ve been able to talk with, befriend, and get advice and ideas from when I needed them. When it comes to horsemanship, you need your horsemen mentors. When it comes to going out into the public and being a business man or a presenter, that’s another whole set of mentors.
Jennifer: How do you manage to keep your energy and enthusiasm going all the time?
Jonathan: I just get invigorated. I absolutely love my work. I’m passionate about my goals and what I want to achieve. I’m passionate about helping people. I get energy from being in this environment. I heard someone say if you hate your job and you’re always lacking in energy, you’re misaligned. I feel like I get invigorated when I go to work. I’m not looking at the clock, waiting for the day to be done. That keeps my energy going. It’s a natural thing. I don’t have to force it that way. Though there’s definitely been days where I’ve been hurt by a horse, pulled and jerked around, I’m tired, or I’m packing up to get ready for the next clinic and Angie and I look at each other and go "Do I really have to be here and then drive twelve hours to be there? Are you kidding me?" But, as soon as you get there and all the boxes are unpacked, the horses are settled, and everybody’s ready to learn, away you go!
Jennifer: We run a "Careers with Horsepower" feature series in Canadian Horse Journal each winter, which gives insight into careers in the horse world. Do you have any words of advice or encouragement for those who are starting out?
Jonathan: The best advice that was given to me, by Pat Parelli, was look after your horsemanship and your horsemanship will look after you. Go to every clinic. Learn from every clinician. Get your hands in there. Try different horses. Don’t be the person that just has the one horse you did it with. Learn with a whole bunch of different horses. Really focus on your horsemanship so that, ultimately, if someone comes along and they need help with a horse or a specific challenge they’re having, you know what to do because it’s not your first time through. That’s how you’re going to build your business. That’s how I started — one person for one hour for free! I did a lot of that. Don’t be afraid to work for free at first. Say "Hey listen, I’m just starting. I’m at an apprenticeship point in my life. I can’t guarantee anything. If you’re uncomfortable with anything I do let me know. This is what I plan on doing," and bring them through it.
Also, be very ready to say "This is over my head. I need to get somebody else in," or "I can’t help you with this. I’m not ready for this." As soon as we hit that threshold where we go from recreationalists to beginning professionals we can feel like we’re expected to know it all. You’ve got to be able to say "Hey, I’m getting pretty good but I’m still not there. I can’t deal with this issue." Whether this is a rearing issue, a bucking issue, or whatever, you’ve got to be able to say that. People respect you for it. They’ll trust you for it. I did that in the beginning a lot.
The other thing is never talk about something you don’t know. For example, I’m a foundation specialist, so I’ll never teach jumping. I was with Craig Johnson, a World Championship reining trainer, for a couple of months at his place in Texas. I’m a reining enthusiast and I have been for years, but I never teach about reining. I won’t. You won’t catch me doing it. I’m not a reiner. I love it but I won’t teach it.
So number one is look after your horsemanship, then be ready to say "I’m not ready," and finally, don’t teach outside of what you know.
In terms of inspiration, if you really love horses and you have it in your mind to become a professional, it’s a wonderful life. If you can look after the business side of it, be professional, show up on time, answer the phone, say what you’re going to do, and then do what you said — all of those things that are professional qualities that you need to have — it’s a wonderful life.
I feel privileged. I was excited to get out of bed this morning. Even when it’s cold out I can’t wait to get down [to the clinic]. You know you’ve had a good day when you’re covered from head to toe in horse hair. You know you love your job then. I’m excited and feel extremely privileged to do this. But it’s been a solid ten years to get to this point. A solid ten years of focus — every night, every day — to get to this point. I was doing this professionally five years ago, but I was just scratching to make a living. And sometimes I still think I’m scratching by, but I know that I can support my family now. It was only in the last couple of years that I thought "You know what? This can work. I can actually do this."
Jennifer: So what’s it like trying to balance family, horses, and being on the road?
Jonathan: The way I’ve dealt with it is 90 percent of the time I bring my family with me. I love horses, I love teaching, but I really love my family. The balance is that my family comes first, then my horsemanship second, then teaching third. The reason for this is because I don’t ever want to be a teacher that can’t do. I don’t want to just sit and talk about this. I want to be able to go out and show people what this thing is. When you do this and learn about the horse this is what it’s supposed to look like. I’m not the best, but this is where it brought me and I always want to be able to show that. That requires me riding every night.
If I’m on the road with my family this is what my day consists of: I normally have my three horses in the stalls [on the clinic grounds]. I have a three horse trailer so I bring three of my horses with me and they rotate — different horses each time. I get up in the morning, wake [my son] Weston up, hang out with him, spend a little time with [my wife] Angie, go teach, come back, eat dinner, get my three horses and head to the indoor, come back, tuck them in bed, and we’re done. It’s kind of like Groundhog Day.
Jennifer: Tell me a bit about some places that you’ve been recently. I understand that you just went to Wellington, Florida to learn from George Morris?
Jonathan: I’m still excited about it! Actually it’s more like I can’t believe it happened. And the more I think about it the more I realize what an unbelievable opportunity it was. I still can’t believe it happened! It was five days with him and I was with him all day, every day. I followed him around like a shadow and listened to him while he visited with the U.S. Equestrian Team and all the other professionals. I got an inside look at George’s life and I got a lesson each day on a different horse at a different facility.
We never jumped anything over maybe two and a half feet the whole time. I learned about how you start to see distances, what "with the seat" is, what "behind the seat" is, why you use one or the other, how to judge distances, how that makes such a difference when you approach one jump from another, and all the things that most every jumper knows. Fundamentally he emphasized over and over and over that if something is going wrong with you at six inches, it will only be amplified at six feet. So it’s really about getting it right from the start. I found him to be very concerned with his students getting it right. He’s a very passionate teacher and a passionate horseman.
Jennifer: And that all was from a chance meeting at The Mane Event?
Jonathan: Yes. It was a chance meeting at The Mane Event in Chilliwack when George was presenting two years ago. We really hit it off in that first meeting and throughout that weekend.
He said "listen, you and I do the same thing. It’s horsemanship. It’s just that I do this and you do that. I happen to jump and you happen to do what you do. But fundamentally it’s horsemanship." And that’s the thing. I don’t use the word natural a lot because really, if it’s horsemanship, you don’t have to say natural — just horsemanship. It’s governed by the horse, like I said. So if it’s real horsemanship it doesn’t matter what discipline you do, you have to have the same principles that you live by: the principles that the horse lives by.
Jennifer: I’ve heard recently that you have a TV show in the making. Can you tell me about that?
Jonathan: Well, it’s probably still a one in a 1000 chance that it gets made, or at least a one in 500 chance. What I’ve done is I’ve partnered with Danny Virtue. He’s been in the movie and television business here in Canada for 20 to 30 years. He’s been all over North America and traveling around the world doing it. He’s the guy that knows the industry.
The idea is that every episode we’re going to have a different experience, whether it’s chuck wagons, whether it’s Russian Cossacks, or whatever. We really want to give the audience a good insight into horses but its really experiential rather than a behind the scenes documentary. So I’m just going to get right in there and hopefully not get hurt!
We did our first half an hour episode as a pilot. We did it in Mission, BC at Danny Virtue’s place. He’s into movie stunt horses, so we did it with him. He’s a partner, but also the perfect person to interview first. I went there and I learned about horses in movies. I met one of the first Black Stallions. I learned how to fall a horse. I did a couple of different horse falls.
Danny called me up a couple of weeks after we edited that together and said he was doing a movie called Kingdom Come, which is a Hallmark channel movie. He said "Hey, do you want to be a stunt man in it? You can learn a few more skills and actually participate as a stunt man in a real movie. We’re going to film it." We got permission from Hallmark to have our film crew film me being filmed in the movie. The two stars were James Tupper from Men In Trees and Dean Cain, who was Superman, in Ripley’s Believe It Or Not, and an NFL player. I was in the movie as a bandito and I was shooting a gun. In my part I did a horse fall where Dean Cain would come up, grab my shoulders, pull me and the horse down and we’d all crash to the ground. I get up like I’m going to fight him and he punches me out and then I’m done. That was my big movie debut. That was episode one for us.
Jennifer: I understand you just released a new DVD. Can you tell me a bit about it?
Jonathan: The idea for the DVD was to create something for all the people that wonder what I do as a horseman. It gives you an idea of how I prepare for a show and what it will look like.
We put together a whole series of everything we do, whether it’s from the ranch, Sacramento, or The Mane Event. It’s years of stuff that we’ve filmed and captured in photos. There’s music. It’s fun. It’s high impact. It will give people an idea of whether they would like to try this. At least they can find out without having to look at the 18 hour DVD set [Natural Foundation Program].
Learn more about Jonathan Field Horsemanship in every issue of Canadian Horse Journal or visit www.jonathanfield.net.
Photo 1: Jonathan working with a horse at a Level 1 clinic in Victoria, BC. Jennifer LeBlanc.
Photo 2: Jonathan and George Morris in Wellington Florida. Larry Field.
Photo 3: Jonathan works with a horse at a Level 1 clinic in Victoria, BC. Jennifer LeBlanc.