LES VOGT’S COWHORSE U PROGRAM RECRUITED FOR CAL POLY - Les Vogt CowHorse U Program: Study Program for the Performance Horse by Les Vogt

For Immediate Release

Contact:          Linda Boggs
                        Linda@CowhorseU.com
                      or call 877-LES-VOGT

Les Vogt’s Cowhorse U program Recruited for Cal Poly

San Luis Obispo CA – When Les Vogt put together his Cowhorse U training program he wanted to offer a step-by-step approach to show serious horsemen how to put a good, solid foundation on a horse. In the program Vogt breaks down his training process and shares it through written material and demonstrations so riders and horses are able to master the concepts and skills, one at a time.

Cowhorse U was designed to help riders develop skills over a period of time (one of the components is a six-month Training Schedule), so Vogt was intrigued with the idea of incorporating it into a real teaching environment. Since he lives nearby, he dropped off a copy off for Pete Agalos, a training instructor in the Equine Science Department at the California Polytechnic State University (commonly referred to as Cal Poly) to get his thoughts.

Agalos says he “was a little worried” when Vogt showed up with the program. “Most of the slick looking training programs I’ve seen are more entertainment than real training. I find people walking away more confused than they were when they started!” But respecting Vogt’s reputation as a horseman, along with the fact that he brought it by himself, he decided he at least owed it to Vogt to take a look.

“I was really excited when I started to watch the program,” Agalos recalls. I thought to myself, “that’s exactly what I try to tell these kids every semester! This is really how you do it!” Agalos was so thrilled with the program that he decided to put it to work this semester as the textbook for the Equine and Human Communication course at the University. “This is our intermediate riding class,” says Agalos “where we teach how to start bringing a performance horse along. The students are good riders when they begin, our job is get them to understand more about the training process. Adding the structure and material from Cowhorse U to the experience they are getting on the horses, should add some great depth to our program. I’m really looking forward to using it with the students.”

Vogt was thrilled to hear the news that Cowhorse U made the cut as college level material. “I still love showing, but in all these years of riding horses, I’ve learned things that many, many riders can benefit from,” says Vogt. “And most of them I’ve learned by making mistakes! This Cowhorse U program takes the program I use on my horses and teach in my clinics, and breaks it out almost like having me there working with you for six months. That was the goal anyway!”

This first Cowhorse U program is titled the “Foundation Level” and covers all the body control, collection and flexion that you need to have on a horse before you can ask for any high-level or high-pressure maneuvers. Additional levels will take riders through the training of the maneuvers and into the cow, hackamore and bridle work. For more information on Les Vogt and the Cowhorse U program visit www.LesVogt.com; for information on the Animal Science program at Cal Poly you can visit the school’s website at www.calpoly.edu