Thousands
of people from across the globe are flocking to the farigrounds
for the 61st National Appaloosa Show and World Championship
Youth Show.
It's the first time the competition is being
held in Jackson. And with around 800 horses participating,
competitors were anxious to saddle up, show off their horses--
and hopefully, return home with a prize.
"It's
something they build up to all year long, and it's the highlight
of the year as an exhibitor," said Appaloosa Horse Club
CEO Steve Taylor. "It's a great tradition and a great
celebration."
In the midst of all the competition and anxiety,
there's one man who takes a more quiet look at horses. He
communicates with them. In fact, Ray Ainsworth is known as
the "Man Horses Talk To."
Born and raised in Raymond, Ainsworth says
he's blessed with the gift of understanding the nonverbal
language all horses use. WLBT put him to the test, and he
showed us how to communicate with horses using body language.
"I don't know how many words are in their
language, but every time I grab a lead rope and get around
a horse, I'm listening to them," Ainsworth said. "And
they're teaching."
Ainsworth has made appearances across the
nation and even has his own TV show. He's hosting free clinics
at the Appaloosa show.
Joshua Clevenger of Illinois took advantage
of one of the clinics and said Ainsworth fixed four years
of problems in 45 minutes.
"Ray made him focused more on what I
want to do, not on what he wants to do," Clevenger said.
Ainsworth's three-year-old stallion, Rio,
followed him around the colliseum with no lead rope.
"People think (a lead rope) is control,"
Ainsworth said, "(but) you just saw I didn't have a lead
rope on him. Control is right here," he said, pointing
to the horse's head.
Ainsworth said that skeptics are often surprised.
"They go, 'You really do talk to horses?'
And I go, 'Yeah,' but more importantly, I listen. That's why
they call me the man horses talk to -- not the man who talks
to horses."
The horse show is free and open to the public.
For more information on Ainsworth, or to schedule a clinic,
call (601) 573-1196.
