Bar T Horsemanship is a working horse farm and clinic facility tucked into northern Chatham County off Highway 87, where Jim Thomas has built a teaching practice around a simple idea: most riding problems are really communication problems. His tagline, “Training Through Understanding,” tells you how the place operates. You learn how your horse thinks, and your horse learns to trust you back.
Visitors come for the clinics, which run through the warmer months and welcome every discipline, every kind of horse, and every skill level. The regular lineup includes:
- Free spring mini-clinics that double as a community potluck — a chance to ride, talk horses, and meet the Bar T crowd over a shared meal.
- Multi-day Comprehensive Horseman’s Clinics covering groundwork, desensitizing, obstacles, and an introduction to cows.
- Popular standalone Cow Clinics for anyone who wants to push cows in the pasture or work them in the arena.
- Obstacles and Trail Clinics for riders tackling buddy-sour horses, water crossings, jigging, speed control, and rider confidence.
Working Equitation and Western Dressage clinics rotate in when guest clinicians come through. Spots are limited (usually eight to ten riders per clinic), so days stay hands-on rather than spectator-heavy. If you’d rather come watch and learn without bringing a horse, auditing is available for a daily fee that includes lunch. Every clinic includes a hearty meal with drinks and dessert, and there’s limited overnight boarding and trailer hookups for folks traveling in for the multi-day programs.
