Johnny's Cowboy Philosophy
Anyone hanging near the round pen or arena on Johnny's ranch outside Gunnison, Colorado can gather up a bunch of expressions Johnny Leverett uses to train horses. Johnny is a Texan, born on a ranch in Cleveland, 80 miles northeast of Houston. One grandfather was a rancher the other was a livestock trader. "There were always horses in my life. I was riding before I was walking." His grandfather was always bringing in horses. "He'd say: 'Boys, I got to get 'em sold so let's get 'em rode,''' Johnny reflects. I don't know if anyone else rode 'em after we did but from early morning until we couldn't see anymore at night, while other kids were playing baseball, we were riding horses." "I've met a lot of old-time cowboys. Some were ahead of their time. They realized the value of consideration for their horses. When I was a kid these cowboys were already in their 60s and 70s. They rode on cattle drives. Some were good horsemen." He met others who abused horses. "What suited me were those who were cooperative with their horse. My grandfather said, 'Be as good to the horse as the horse will let you be.''' "If you can put things in a way they can understand, they will do anything for you," Johnny says. This is a powerful notion that applies to both horses and people. "If you try to force, you'll have a fight you probably won't win. The best control you can have is mental cooperation and understanding." Johnny has spent a lifetime learning about how a horse behaves, how horses interact. It has been a life-long commitment of observing horses in the herd and watching for their telltale signs of contenment or dissatisfaction. "I'm just an old cowboy always striving to find new and better ways to help horses with problems." Johnny has always been a staunch advocate for the horse and at first felt little patience for their riders. His wife Sybil, who passed away from cancer four years ago, reminded him, "You can't help the horses until you can help the people." Johnny realized his thinking was short-sighted and only "half the deal" so with growing enthusiasm over the years, he began leading horsemanship clinics. He has since realized the more patience and understanding he gives the people, the more they could relax and process and function; not that differently from the horse. His philosophy of training horses applies to life in general. Relationships depend on seeing the other person's point of view. "The more you learn to see the world the way they see it, the better your relationship with the horses. When you get the horse's cooperation, there's a willing partnership. I realized after watching some of the old cowboys why there are no young masters. You have to live and learn to understand how you can get more from a horse by doing less." Johnny has a pure and deep understanding of horses. In any profession there area a few individuals who excel above the rest. Johnny has the unique gift of being able to communicate with a horses' language, emotions and motivation. What his students and others see as an almost mystical gift, Johnny considers the product of passion, time and focus. "I can't tell you the thousands of hours I've spent on the back of a horse, not doing anything obvious; just trying to feel, to see how he responds. It's a matter of communication...with an animal that thinks totally differently. It's a never-ending quest." |
"A horse is nothin' but rhythm on four feet."
