SEDALIA – James Frazier wrestled steers and manhandled broncs as a rodeo cowboy in his youth, but at 46, he has found a calmer, quieter, not to mention safer, way of bringing an animal with a bad attitude into submission: talking to it.
Frazier will host the free horse whispering demonstration at 10 a.m. Aug. 11 at the Mathewson Exhibition Center at the Missouri State Fair. Admission to the Fair is normally $10 for adults and $7 for seniors, but on the 11th, Opening Day, admission is $4 for ages 13 and over, $2 for kids 6-12 and free for kids under 5.
A cattle rancher based in Diamond in southwest Missouri, Frazier forgoes the traditional breaking-in process for a horse, and attempts to quietly build a rapport with the horse, taking into account the motives, needs, desires and mindset of the horse. For the demonstration at the fair, Frazier will enter the pen with a colt with known behavioral issues that refuses riders or to socialize with others. He will attempt to earn the trust of the colt to follow his lead.