Denton Cook - Helping You Help Your Horse

By Sharon DeCarlo, Editor, Horse Tales Publications


Denton (Dennie) Cook grew up in Northern California and was a resident of Lincoln, California for many years. A son of an equine veterinarian, he loved to go with his Dad on calls. His Father Henry Cook DVM was a very busy vet and Denton learned at an early age how to respond and handle horses so his dad could get the job done, what ever it was and get to his next patient. This is where Denton learned quickly and efficiently how horses react and respond.

This invaluable early training assisting his Father paved the way for his future as a clinician and horse trainer. Dennie Cook is blessed with a natural talent and has developed his own brand of horsemanship. He was blessed with the opportunity to spend many hours working horses one on one with Tom Dorrance and Joe Wolters, who along with Ray Hunt were his mentors. These icons of natural horsemanship are the men Denton observed and studied while putting his own training programs together.

The Cook’s Love Nevada

Denton and his wife Shari worked on cattle ranches in California, Wyoming and Nevada before settling in Smith Valley. “We like the openness of Nevada and all the great BLM land to ride out on. It is a great place to train horses.”

The outside riding really prepares a horse to be successful in any discipline you choose. The ability to get your horse out and ride for miles in open country that offers so many ideal situations for your horse to experience really speeds up the training process. The weather is pretty mild and there are not too many days you cannot ride”, states the Cooks.

Learning is on-going

In talking with Denton I could tell he really loves his line of work. Denton isn’t one of those horse trainers that are sure he has all the answers and states that working with horses is an on-going education and never fails to keep him in a learning frame of mind. I learned this from my 86 year old Dad who is still a practicing Veterinarian and continues to attend Veterinary conferences in order to be up on all the latest science, research and technologies associated with the health and welfare of animals.

Clinics designed to instruct and help the horseman

When I asked Denton what he likes most about being a horse trainer and clinician he states that it is the process of teaching people how to properly handle and respond to their horse. Instructing people to become successful horsemen is what it is all about. As a trainer I can take a horse and get him trained and ready even do some problem solving but it won’t do the owner much good if they don’t have the abilities and education they need to come together with their horse and apply the methods and understanding needed to unite in a positive relationship.

True Unity

Two fundamental propositions from the foundation of true unity are “Fix it up and wait, and make it hard for the horse to do the wrong thing and easy to do the right thing” and “Adjust to fit the situation.”

Preparation

Denton believes the most inhumane thing you can do to a horse, is to fail to prepare him for what you expect him to do.

For instance Cook will not attempt to mount a horse until the animal has developed the ability to handle the situation. There is a moral aspect to this principle. The human as a leader is responsible for the behavior of the horse. If he reacts negatively to being mounted it is because his handler did not properly prepare him with the necessary skills, such as the ability to release from pressure. Cook knows what he wants from the colt. But the youngster does not always understand what is being asked of him. Cook asks for what he wants by placing tension on the rope. Then he observes the colt intently, looking for a sign of the first small step toward giving and that’s when Cook releases pressure with every little positive move the young horse demonstrates. Trust and confidence is instilled with these principles of increments.

The principle of paying attention

A lot of what Cook does is devoted to getting the horse to pay attention. First things first, he strongly believes that before your horse can pay attention to you, you must pay attention to him and learn from his body language and expressions and what they mean. You must be a good listener. Is the colt up tight or relaxed? Is he full of fear or confidence? Denton’s methods are designed to find the colts secure zone where he can feel comfortable with his new situation.

Denton Cook works with each horse’s personality and ability and uses it to his training advantage.

Handling Cattle and the art of safe Roping

Denton is also a cowboy in the sense that he has spent a lot of time managing cattle and that means he knows his stuff when it comes to the skills of roping cattle. He offers lessons to people who want to learn the basics of roping correctly and most importantly, safely.