Simply put, Curt Pate is a horseman who believes in treating horses with respect and building trusting relationships with them.
By: Julie Gartland
Some would call him a horse whisperer. Others would say he’s a cowboy.
He is a simple man, a man of common sense and humble wisdom. He is relaxed, displaying a natural confidence in speaking to people while working with a horse.
A native of Helena, Mont., the 39-year-old father of two travels around the country demonstrating and exposing horse owners to the philosophy of training horses with gentleness instead of the forceful, dominating methods practiced for more than 200 years. Because of the popularity of the novel "The Horse Whisperer" by Nicholas Evans and the film version directed by and starring Robert Redford, many have become interested in the natural ability to communicate with horses.
A horse whisperer is a breed of cowboy thought to have mystical or supernatural powers able to take a wild horse and transform it into a gentle animal. It becomes apparent from watching Mr. Pate and the horse he works with however, that there is no mysticism between them – but they are definitely communicating. Mr. Pate concentrates and watches the horse for signs of an "attitude." An attitude is commonly displayed by the twitching of the animal’s ears, the movement of its eyes and tail and other body language that the owner must be aware of.
Whispering is a technique to get horses to accept a saddle and rider – without force, fear or pain. Whether it’s starting a colt to accept a saddle or transforming an abused horse to trust again, the method of getting their cooperation is similar to the Zen philosophy of relationships.
"While working on your horse it’s like meditating," said Mr. Pate. "Keeping your mind on the horse and not on things happening outside the fence."
"A reporter once asked me why I thought I’m a good horseman and I told him, ‘Because I’m not that smart, then I can use my own common sense.’ I don’t think it’s necessary to be smart to be successful."
With the setting sun casting a bronze glow on his strong, healthy face, his eyes shaded by the brim of his black Stetson and his well-worn chaps the color of the chestnut brown horse he works with, Mr. Pate explained to more than 50 people at a horsemanship clinic at Rick’s Saddle Shop in Cream Ridge on Sept. 20 how to use gentle training methods and communication to become one with your horse.
Mike Conforth, district manager for Rick’s Saddle Shop, said Mr. Pate is "one of the top guys in the country. We’re lucky to have him."
Buck Brannaman was the basis for the horse whisperer character, Tom Booker, played by Robert Redford in the film. Mr. Pate and Mr. Brannaman worked together during the September 1997 filming of the movie as technical advisers. Mr. Brannaman, who introduced Mr. Pate to this training philosophy, said, "People have an instinctive attraction to horses … so we hook up with a horse and through inexperience and our own fears try to dominate it. But domination just causes horses to try and protect themselves, so they react out of fear too."
Mr. Pate shared many skills and training tips with the horse owners and lovers in the bleachers and in chairs set up along the exterior of the round pen at Rick’s Saddle Shop. He spoke of how to become a better rider and how to correct problem behaviors while demonstrating with the horse. It became obvious during the three-hour demonstration that the most basic element in building a relationship with a horse is time.
He showed how to pack a saddle. "Just like you see a kid packed on mom’s hip," he said, hoisting the pack on his hip. "A mother can cook supper, talk on the telephone and have a kid on her hip. You can pack a saddle the same way. But men – do not let your wife see you packing your saddle like this or you’ll be packing that kid."
"When you saddle a horse you don’t know, you have to be careful when you step out in front of him. But you can’t always be looking at your horse, so while you’re leading your horse … you can have eyes in the back of your head by the feel of the halter rope. If the rein gets slack I know he’s coming towards me, or you can tell he’s chewing on the rope and he’s not to do that," explained Mr. Pate.
"I think in our world today we’re way too fast," he said. "We have too short a time to ride and when we’re finished we bale off our horse and head for our next task."
He suggests after taking your horse on a ride, take the time to think about things while sitting on your horse. "Just sit on your horse so he gets in the habit of sitting and waiting and he doesn’t start anticipating getting turned loose."
Take the time to consider what you’ve done for the day – how it was good or bad, he said. "I think we need to do that with our horses and in all the things we do in life."
He feels the only way to really learn how to ride a horse is to ride more than one hour at a time.
"You’ve got to get out of a flat arena, get on a trail, and get up, down, sideways, slow, fast, for five to seven hours," Mr. Pate said. "If you ride long enough your subconscious takes over and you become one with your horse."
It’s different today than when his father and grandfather, who were horse traders and dealt with a lot of difficult horses, depended on them for their livelihood and spent hours with their horses.
"That’s how they knew their horses," he said. "We don’t work with them all the time anymore and when someone comes to me and says my horse is bucking for no reason, I say, ‘wrong.’ There are little signs all the time, but you don’t see them because you don’t spend enough time with them."
Although Mr. Pate practices the philosophy of gentle understanding, he is not opposed to discipline.
"When a horse gets a bad attitude and it’s not addressed, it’s like a child that’s crying and screaming at WalMart to get a toy," he said. "I am not against discipline – when it’s going to improve the situation."
Whether it takes a unique ability to communicate, or simply spending time with your horse, Mr. Pate emphasizes building trust by not overpowering the horse but developing a bond with it.
With all the traveling, how does Mr. Pate slow down?
"Riding," he said. "Every time I saddle a horse, I’m meditating."
He also feels time spent on airplanes and staying in motels is great for slowing down. "You have to slow down there or you’d go crazy," he said.
"All I want to do is become the best horseman I can. To really learn, I go to these places and people ask me questions. I have to think about things and come up with answers. I think it’s an old Chinese thing, the teacher becomes the best student," Mr. Pate said.