If you’re considering attending a Martin Black clinic, learning a little bit more about a typical clinic may help you make your decision. Check out this firsthand account of Day One of the recent Cow Work/Stockmanship Clinic at McCulley Farms in Jasper, FL.

8:30 a.m.: Martin gathers the students around a lit woodstove on a chilly, February morning. This campfire time gives Martin a chance to talk with students about stockmanship theory, balance point and flight zone. Though the students had spent the four previous days discussing the balance point and flight zone for horses, this morning they’re talking about how cows are influenced.

In Cow-Horse Confidence, Martin defines these terms as:

Balance Point—The position from which you can influence an animal to change direction or stop. Balance point constantly changes, depending on your position to the animal.

Flight Zone—The area around an animal where, when something or someone approaches too closely, the animal feels the need to move and maintain a safe distance. The closer you are to the animal, the faster that animal moves. Likewise, the farther you move out of the flight zone, the more the animal slows or even stops.

Around the fire, he explains that a horse already speaks the language of flight zone and balance point, the two components required to move and direct cattle, but it’s up to us to be able to read the flight zone as well as the horse is able to.

To help explain the idea of flight zone and balance point, he offers up an example. “Think about a ball floating down a stream,” he says. “You could put your finger on one spot to make the ball stop—that’s balance point. Any spot you touched that made the ball move would be flight zone. You can’t have a balance point without flight zone.”

As he answers questions from the students, he goes on to explain that the cow work is less about the actual cattle and more about opening another door to improve his horse.

9:30 a.m.: Time to saddle up! Among the horses present for the clinic were nine mustangs from Florida’s Wild Horse Recue Center, an organization that saves mustangs from neglect situations. Talk about a great opportunity for these horses!

10 a.m.: Time to head to the rodear. In this first lesson, students take turns getting a feel for flight zone and balance point with Martin’s watchful eye. This presents a valuable opportunity even for those students not currently working the cow as it gives them a chance to develop an eye for that tipping point as they watch others work, then have a chance to try it for themselves.