Whispering in Kamas
Photography: Don Weller
Pssstt. Pass the secret. There’s whispering going on in Kamas. Horse whispering. At the scenic High Star Ranch on State Road, two renowned horse whisperers will hold clinics this summer for horse enthusiasts wishing to calm a wild stallion, control a stubborn equine, or simply have better communications with the horses in their lives.
Although he shies away from the title of horse whisperer, Cliff Tipton understands how to communicate with equines on a spiritual level. He has been riding horses ever since he began walking, so it should come as no surprise that he enjoys a simpatico relationship with these spirited beasts. “I have a gentle style and help horses learn to make choices that lead to the right answers,” explains Tipton. “With this approach, the horse becomes more willing to do what we are asking it to.” Tipton’s goal is to help handlers and their charges communicate more smoothly.
Because of his experience with mustang herds in Utah, Nevada, Colorado and Arizona, Tipton started working in an official capacity with the Bureau of Land Management rescuing and taming wild mustangs. Last autumn, Tipton participated in an extreme “mustang makeover,” a rigorous competition for the best horse handlers in the western region. Competitors were each given the task of choosing their own mustang out of 100 horses and were then given 100 days to tame and train that horse. At the end of the competition, Tipton and his horse Hercules were finalists. By the end of the contest, man and beast were fast friends and are still inseparable. Hercules will be with Tipton at the High Star Ranch July 19 - 20, 2008 as Tipton works with troubled horses and their owners here in Utah.
Horse training veteran John Lyons has been conducting horse training clinics since 1980 and has helped hundreds of steeds and their owners. In fact, many of the modern approaches to working with equines came from training principles that Lyons created. This seasoned horse enthusiast plans to bring his expertise to the High Star Ranch August 20 - 24, 2008. “I bought my first five acres when I was 24-years-old and thought if I had that much land, I had to have a horse,” explains Lyons. He promptly acquired a horse and has been in love with the amazing creatures ever since because he finds that they give him a great sense of peace.
As a tamer of horses, he operates by the same rules a school teacher might use to settle a classroom. “My first rule is that I am responsible for my students,” explains Lyons. “My classroom shouldn’t be wild and crazy, and kids shouldn’t be standing up throwing spit wads.” As a prepared instructor, Lyons focuses his training talents one horse at a time, realizing that although horses are spirited creatures, they each have their own unique abilities and challenges.
Both of these gifted horsemen have unique talents to offer horse enthusiasts this summer. For more information on these events, view highstarranch.com. To schedule horse training with Cliff Tipton during the weekend of July 19 - 20, contact him directly at 435.849.4923 at his Erda, Utah, residence. To participate in the August 20 - 24 training session with John Lyons, contact John Lyons Symposiums, Inc. at 970.285.9797.
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