“I’ve probably started over two hundred horses over the years,” he says. “I really enjoy working with the young colts or breaking out a young horse. I find that it’s very rewarding. They change every session I work with them and you can see them changing in leaps and bounds. It’s a real challenge and a lot of fun when you see the positive results. The young horses give you so much and really try hard for you. I will never tire of it.”
Carmichael is an AQHA Professional Horseman and horses have always been a part of his life in some way.
“There were four of us kids raised here on my parent’s farm ( on Chantler Road in Fenwick) and we were all given lessons and exposed to the horses. I was actually the only one that stuck with it. It is something I am just drawn to. I started showing horses as a kid and I’ve stuck with it ever since.”
He says that once a person shows an interest in horses there’s no going back.
“Horses are like an addiction almost,” he says. “ And once you are involved it’s really hard to get out of it. I’ve actually had a few periods in my life where I’ve gotten away from the horses for a while, for a year or so, but I’m always drawn back.”
Carmichael started his own training business in 2004 and says no other job can compare to it.
“I find it satisfying working with an animal every day. Teaching and helping a horse to become a better individual for another person is rewarding work and I enjoy it. All aspects of my life are usually revolved around this. Who wouldn’t like riding horses for a living?”
Carmichael says one of the best things about his career is watching some of the animals he’s trained become champions.
“I’ve had many go on to win national titles and world championships,” he says. “It’s satisfying to know I’ve been involved or I’ve broke them out and they’ve gone on to become super horses.”
Carmichael is offering the chance to learn his techniques and receive advice through his 2011 Clinic Series. Carmichael is running three unique clinics at his indoor arena in Fenwick. There is an opportunity for participants to bring their horses and work one-on-one with Carmichael and there is even a heated observing room for spectators.
Carmichael began offering clinics last year as a way to offer a service in an industry that has been affected by the economy.
“I think with Canada’s changing economic times people are having more trouble paying for the expense of keeping a horse and training,” he says. “So that’s why I’m actually doing some of the clinics. I think it will be more of a cost effective way for people to learn and I think people want to do it themselves too.”
The Rusty Riders Clinic on March 12 is the first in the series and it “covers general horsemanship skills useful to anyone working with horses.”
Carmichael will discuss how horses learn, how to improve communication and how to gain trust and respect from them.
“Communicating with horses requires lot of body language. It’s your position and the way you present yourself to them that tells them what to do because that’s how they communicate in the wild,” he says. “That’s what people call horse whispering and natural horsemanship. It’s really just the way you present yourself through your body language.”
He says since horses are a passive herd animal they have a natural need to be told what to do.
“They like to follow the leader or directions,” he says. “They learn quickly if techniques are used right. They enjoy a schedule and being told what to do and they will respond positively to that.”
Although most horses learn quickly, Carmichael says there is one exception.
“Horses that come with a history or have had bad experiences are definitely a lot harder to train,” he says.
“I’ve worked with a few, what people would call, problem horses and you have to kind of remove a lot of their previous training and start basically from square one.”
He says it can be “difficult because of a lot of them remember those bad experiences or bad people that were mean to them. Or they may have had an injury or accident in a horse trailer. You have to rebuild your foundation up from basic stuff.”
But Carmichael believes with a lot of positive consistent training these horses can be rehabilitated.
The Schooling Show, being held on April 10, is the second clinic and it focuses on rules and presentation techniques and how to put together a winning run.
“I’ll explain procedures, what judges are looking for at local events and we’ll have practice runs. Then I’ll tell people how they can improve and we’ll finish with a mock show with a critique at the end.”
The third clinic, Showmanship, Western Pleasure and Horsemanship, is “ a specialized clinic helping participants with preparation, training methods and what it takes to put together a winning run.” This clinic will run on May 8.
Published in Niagara Farmer's Monthly - February 2011
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