Welcome to this month’s HorseConscious newsletter.

Just when we thought we were well into Spring with Summer just round the corner, Winter has inexplicably returned. Brrgh. To quote Alice, “Curiouser and curiouser!”.

Still, being outdoor types, that won’t bother us, which is exactly what happened last Saturday when I met up with Sandra Wallin, who was over in the UK doing a Psych-K workshop. I’d last seen Sandra last June in Washington and so it was great to meet again and catch up. As mentioned in my email last week, we went to see the white horse at Uffington, which probably wasn’t looking it’s best but was pretty cool to see nonetheless. I then thought it was appropriate to introduce Sandra to English beer as she had never tasted it before. We adjourned to the White Horse pub and I can report Sandra was pleasantly surprised how good the beer was and not nearly so warm as the anti-propaganda would have you believe!

Anyway, we spent a very enjoyable lunch discussing life, the universe and horses and came up with a good idea of which I will speak more later.

Before that, I am very pleased to announce 2 new HorseConscious Teachers are joining our stable as of today.

They are the aforementioned Sandra Wallin and Debra Olson Daniels.

Both have a broad range of skills in and around their chosen field and this I find is typical of those who really devote themselves to knowing their subject inside and out. As usual, I am filled with admiration for what they have achieved and their levels of skill and knowledge.

Asking Sandra has been on my mind for quite some time and the decision was really cemented after the fantastic HorseConscious Member call we had last month. So it was extremely fortuitous that we were able to meet up and I could ask her in person.

Debra I have only known for a short time but the feedback I’ve been getting from those whom I trust has been truly outstanding.

So a very warm welcome to them both and there will be lots more from them in the newsletter over the coming months and of course on the HorseConscious site. In the meantime, do please go and check out their sites and see what they have to offer:

Sandra – http://www.chironsway.com/

Debra – http://www.equineclickermagic.com/

I had an interesting exchange of emails following the last newsletter with Lee Schultz from Texas about the British and language and, yes, horses.

It’s such a shame I don’t get time to catch up on all the emails and contributions we reveive because I really do appreciate all the effort and thought that go into them.

As an example in point, when I looked back I found another email that Lee had sent, which was chocked full of great pictures, comments and stories of which I would like to quote a couple (with your permission, Lee).

“We need reminders of SOME of the old ways (not the cruel ones). The day of the ‘designer’ horse is here. The stallion, mare or gelding lives in a 12 X 12 foot box, is hauled to ‘competitions’ in smaller boxes on wheels, and is judged by the bling and dressage templates of ‘traditional’ but often times narrow people. Those equines pasture raised and pasture worked are a shrinking herd of holdouts. It’s sad to call some of our ‘designer’ equines true horses. They eat chemicals and powdered pellets rather than grass, have their nostrils ‘plucked’, their hooves polished, their feet colanderized by nails every four to six weeks, their coats shaved, even in winter. They are lucky to have an hour or two of ‘freedom’ a day – which translated means being put in a ‘turn out’ of a few hundred square feet.

Here’s a B&W pic of a campout here in West Texas 40+ years ago. Found a couple of those tiny polaroids of the wooden horse trailer that we used to haul our horses. I think most of the folks in the saddle club thought we were on the “low end” of things. Who cared? We were having a blast. The pics are of a campout on the river. Can you believe how high the trailer is? The horses literally had to do a high jump to get in. Had cow stanchions in the front. Paid $50 for the whole rig, then paid a good welder to do a bulldog hitch on it. The dun buckskin is half mustang/half appaloosa. The other is Becky’s red quarter horse. Station wagon is an old push button shift Nash Country Squire I paid $200 for, which we slept in the back of. For the night, the horses were tethered to the trees where they are in the pic. Put a lot of miles on them the next few days.”

Thank you Lee and your suggestion of a “weekly meeting in some camp spot with a 360 degree view,  or some pub with barn door openings where our four-legged friends could lean in and listen” sounds like a great idea!

I am often asked how many horses I have and how much time I spend with them, so I thought I would tell my story for those of you unfamiliar with it.

I’m English and grew up on a farm, so was around animals all through my childhood. My Father is one of those wonderful people who is loved by humans and animals alike. Today he charms the birds that visit their garden but in those days, he was forever taming stray cats that wandered on to the farm and subsequently made a home with us. He often won best pen of pigs at the local shows and he’ll probably throttle me for revealing it but it was all down to my Mother’s baking flour, which he used to put on them like foundation make-up!

Anyway, time went by and about 4 years ago, my partner Elke decided she wanted to get back into horses again having spent many teen years at the local riding stables. After reading several books, including Linda Kohanov‘s “The Tao of Equus”, and investigation into various courses, we ended up in Colorado at a workshop run by Kathy Pike.

A couple of months later and after reading “People We Know, Horses They Love”, we found ourselves at the Return to Freedom wild horse sanctuary in California. Through the sanctuary’s owner, Neda De Mayo, we learnt of Carolyn Resnick and her methods. During that trip I had 2 experiences that led me to where I am today. The first was running around a large arena in what I can only describe as a ‘bubble of energy’ with Neda’s mare. I walked, she walked. I ran, she ran and all the time she was glued to my shoulder. Wow, what an eye-opener.

The second experience was also a bit of an eye-opener and happened after we were given the opportunity to witness horsemanship at another facility. I was able to compare what I had seen at Return to Freedom with what I saw at this other ranch and it was an epiphanic moment as it was obvious to me which path I should follow.

You have to understand, I knew very little about horses at the time and so was blessed with the ignorance of no prior knowledge to taint my opinion. I was thus free to make up my mind based upon what just made sense to me and what was natural and obvious as opposed to what was not.

To cut a long story short then, not long afterwards, I returned to California and met up with Carolyn and we agreed to work together. Through Carolyn, I then met Stormy May and we agreed to do The Path of the Horse Teleseminar Series together along with all the fabulous guests we had. And out of the teleseminar series, HorseConscious was born.

It’s been quite an adventure so far and I’ve no firm idea actually of where it will go from here. I mentioned that Sandra and I had discussed an idea and I wanted to run it by you to not only get your feedback but also to ask you to help with some research and information gathering.

We came up with the cconcept of a HorseConscious Event. We envisioned a collection of live teaching workshops, demonstrations, screenings, talks, group discussions and not just with the HorseConscious teachers but also other thought leaders and those from the fields of the equine arts, non-profits, natural hoof care, therapy (disabled and autism) and so on.

The idea would be to not just have an event for a jolly get-together but to also harness the power of the online and offline media to really help spread the word about living and being with horses in a different way. About developing a relationship with them as partners and not just treating them as property or playthings.

However, I am aware that there are several other similar events happening in various parts of the world, so I’d love to make use of the worldwide community we have here to do some research. I’ve assembled a very short 4 question survey at the link below and I would really appreciate you taking the 30 seconds it requires to complete it. It will help enormously and I’d really appreciate it. Thank you.

Click the link now to go to the survey:

http://www.horseconscious.com/guest/survey

Thank you again for your time and attention and I hope you enjoy another info packed newsletter.

Till next time,

Best wishes

Mark Mottershead

by Lorrie Bracaloni

Occasionally you’ll come across a horse in pain that just seems unexplainable. Caring owners have exhausted even indulgent holistic care like massage, chiropractic and acupuncture, yet their horse is still “off”.

There is always a reason that a horse is sore. Mainly it has to do with how his muscles support his skeletal system. Muscles contract and release. When muscles tighten and cannot achieve a full release, they will remain tense and will shorten over time. This puts strain on the surrounding areas.

Because tightening and spasms are an extension of the normal contraction process, these types of problems do not show up on x-rays or standard testing procedures. The horse’s problem can be a muscle misalignment.

Every move the horse makes produces stress upon a specific point. All muscles pull, so all skeletal motion is performed in this manner too. Tight muscles can lead to spasms, knots, muscle misalignment and blocked energy. When this happens you can start to see:

•Choppy strides

•Loss of impulsion

•Jump refusals

•Back soreness and hollowing

•Resistance to lateral flexion and bending

•Girthing problems

•Biting and other “bad behaviors”

•The horse being off and on “for no reason”

•Improper tracking forward, back, or laterally

Covering up minor problems most often ends up creating major ones.

Muscles are arranged in pairs of opposites, and muscles have two functions, to contract and release. In order for a muscle to release it must not have opposition and be able to stretch out. Muscle fibers attach to bone. So when muscles remain in a contracted state and are not released properly, this is where your horse’s pain points come in. When the pain points are released, then the muscles stop pulling on the bones, and the horse’s natural balance can return. The pain can cease, and the muscle fibers can return to normal.

Did you know that 60% of your horse’s body weight is skeletal muscle? Horses’ muscles need oxygen and glucose from ingested food stuff. Oxygen is carried to the muscles by the circulation of blood. Any excess degree of muscle contraction or spasms will interfere with the free flow of oxygen into the muscle tissue and the outflow of toxins, which will have an effect on the horse’s performance.

You can check your horse’s pain points before you ride him or when you are grooming him. By checking them you can prevent many problems before they develop. As Jack Meagher, Sports Therapist for people and equines alike said, “Remember any injury you can prevent is money in the bank!”

You may find that releasing your horse’s pain points:

•Increases athletic performance and stamina

•Improves Muscle Tone

•Brings more become clearer and more responsive

•Enhances mental and emotional well being

When working on your horse, make sure it is not feeding time, and that he is not agitated or stressed.

There are books you can buy that show you stretches and body exercises to help your horse along and keeping him balanced.

Acupressure from Tallgrass Institute A working manual

How to Identify and Release Your Horses Pain Points An Owners Manual/Available in DVD- By Lorrie Bracaloni

Lorrie Bracaloni is a Certified Holistic Practitioner (C.H.P.) who became certified in the following fields of equine health: Lorrie Bracaloni has written and self published a Book- Identifying and release Your Horses Pain Points An Owners Manual/DVD available- www.happynaturalhorse.ws • Nutrition • Acupressure (Tallgrass Institute) • Animal B.E.S.T. • Herbal Remedies • Homeopathic • Reflexology • Essential Oils and Young Living Raindrop Application • Dr. Karmon, DC. Chiropractic Applications • Reiki Master, Level 3   She currently has a DVD and Workbook for horse owners called “How to Identify and Release Your Horse’s Pain Points.”

After the Finish Line is planning their summer fundraiser in Del Mar, CA during the Del Mar race meet. We look forward to seeing owners, trainers, racetrack announcers, jockeys, exercise riders, racing fans, owners of off the track Thoroughbreds and horse lovers in general in attendance to support Thoroughbred ex-racehorses who can no longer race or breed. Our fundraiser documents will be posted on our website in April. Please contact dawn@afterthefinishline.org if you are interested in being a sponsor or if you want to donate silent or live auction items.

ATFL provides a second chance and a voice for the Thoroughbreds. The funding awarded by After the Finish Line enables rescue organizations to save and care for more horses. We all understand their potential fate and provide support when needed. You can make a difference between life and death for these horses. Your donations help to save and transition these Thoroughbreds off the track and into a second career.

Do you ever wonder what your horse is actually thinking? How often have you ever wondered if you are on the same page or even talking the same language? Take a look at some of the definitions from the horse’s dictionary and compare them to yours.

Arena: Place where humans can take the fun out of forward motion.

• Bit: Means by which a rider’s every motion is transmitted to the sensitive tissues of the mouth
• Bucking: counter-irritant
• Crossties: Gymnastic apparatus
• Dressage: Process by which some riders can eventually be taught to respect the bit
• Fence: Barrier that protects good grazing
• Grain: Sole virtue of domestication
• Hitching rail: Means by which to test one’s strength
• Horse trailer: Mobile cave bear den
• Hotwalker: The lesser of two evils
• Jump: An opportunity for self-expression
• Latch: Type of puzzle
• Lungeing: Procedure for keeping a prospective rider at bay
• Owner: Human assigned responsibility for one’s feeding
• Rider: Owner overstepping its bounds
• Farrier: Disposable surrogate owner; useful for acting out aggression without compromising food supply
• Trainer: Owner with mob connections
• Veterinarian: Flightless albino vulture

Only Horse People.

• Believe in an 11th commandment: inside leg to outside rein…
• Know that all topical medications come in either indelible blue or neon yellow
• Think nothing of eating a sandwich while mucking out a stall
• Know why a thermometer has a yard of yarn attached to the end of it
• Are banned from Laundromats
• Fail to associate whips, chains and leather with sexual deviancy
• Can magically lower their voices five octaves to bellow at a pawing horse
• Will end relationships over their hobby
• Cluck to their cars to help them up hills
• Insure their horses for more than their cars
• Know (and care) more about their horse’s nutrition than their own
• Have no problem speaking of semen, abscesses and colic surgery at the dinner table
• Have a smaller wardrobe than their horse…
• Engage in a hobby that is more work than their day job
• Know that a good ride is better than Zoloft any day

“We are excited to announce that we are wrapping up the filming and finishing up the last few interviews for SAVING AMERICA’S HORSES A NATION BETRAYED. The feature length documentary film is coming along very nice. We are about ¾ of the way through editing what we have filmed to date.

The horse slaughter issue is heating up and the proponents have been very aggressive in their misleading promotion of this insidious cruelty. The general public must be exposed to the truth and never before has there been a need so strong for people to come together for total ban of horse slaughter in the US.

We have been working around the clock in the trenches and on the front lines as we investigate and document this issue. WFLF Humanion Films’ Advisory Board, Honorary Board and Cast for SAVING AMERICA’S HORSES A NATION BETRAYED is comprised of the Nation’s top anti slaughter equine experts and specialists. This film project is a very special collaborative effort which will bring this controversial matter to the public eye.

We rely on the generous donations made by our supporters. We need your help to raise the needed funds for completion as we come into the final phase of production. Your support is greatly appreciated.

WFLF Humanion Films is a program under Wild for Life Foundation (WFLF), a tax exempt 501 (c) 3 volunteer-based nonprofit corporation. Donations can be made directly to “Wild for Life Foundation” and are fully tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law.

Come Stand With Us! Our United Stance Against Horse Slaughter We believe that…

• Horse slaughter is NOT humane and cannot be made humane
• Horse slaughter does NOT stop; has nothing to do with Abuse, Neglect or Abandonment of equines
• Americans do NOT support human consumption of horsemeat
• A Federal Law permanently banning horse slaughter in the US is necessary
• A Fed Law permanently banning the transport of Equines for slaughter is necessary
• Wild horses and burros belong free on the range
• A moratorium on all BLM round ups is necessary
• Horses may become homeless, but No horse is “unwanted”
• Horse owners should have the right to humanely euthanize their equine
• Equine owners and breeders must take responsibility for the life of each equine in their charge

We invite you and your friends to join Saving America’s Horses’ United Stance Against Horse Slaughter. Come Stand With Us!” (Click here to learn how)

Wild Horses in Australia Face an Uncertain Future.

“Queensland the Sunshine State is raining blood, the blood of Australia’s Heritage Brumby horses in the Carnarvon National Park. 2000 horses targeted for a cruel, agonising death at the hands of so called ‘trained’ part rangers with hight powered rifles will die in April.

Foals will linger, lost and die of starvation without their dams.

Australians WAKE UP….contact your local memeber, contact Kevin Rudd, contact QLD Premier, Anna Bligh. This is happening here, now….now can we, as the public, make our Federal and State Governments introduce sustainable management and redirect over $300,000 of tax payer’s money into alternatives.”

src=”http://www.horseconscious.com/images/XIII/brumbies_video1.jpg” border=”0″ alt=”Brumbies YouTube” />

Click image to go to video

Horses Do Understand Reasoning – Carolyn Resnick

A client of mine called me for some advice on how to get her stallion to cross a bridge; a bridge that he was used to crossing. She housed the stallion in a barn at night and put him out in a field with his mares during the day. The mares came in with him at night and were put out first thing in the morning to make it easy to take him out to the field later.

For some reason though, suddenly he would not go any further when he got to this bridge he had to cross. They did not want to get into a fight with him on this issue and had tried many different training methods before they called me. I asked them, “What happened at the bridge that might have caused him not to want to cross it?” She told me, “One day when the stallion was in the middle of
the bridge, a stork flew out from under it and scared him badly and ever since that time he has become more and more resistant to crossing it.”

To read the compete article and more of Carolyn’s articles, visit Carolyn Resnick on HorseConscious

With or Without Reins?- Klaus Ferdinand Hempfling

Klaus Ferdinand Hempfling reveals why he likes so much to ride without reins even though sometimes reins are better. Here you find his surprising answer.

More and more people today are searching for more friendly ways of riding horses. Especially the Rollkur method and the use of reins has become a hot topic in this debate; a positive development since the use of reins in the wrong hands can cause much suffering to a horse. Recently this became painfully clear when a video clip came out showing a horse during a warming-up situation before a dressage competition, with a blue tongue (!) as a result of the tightly held reins. Although the horse was clearly suffering, the organization of the competition decided not to contest the action. An incomprehensible situation for many horse lovers and reason for the creation of www.dressagedisgrace.com, a site which protests against such abuse of horses.

To read the compete article and more of Klaus’s articles, visit, visit Klaus Ferdinand Hempfling on HorseConscious

Tractate On A School Mount: A Man On The Back, Part 3

Alexander Nevzorov

In part 2 we looked at the serious damage saddles can do to a horse’s back, based on scientific evidence. Now we will move on to the more physiological ramifications of riding with a saddle.

What can be done?

Is it possible to minimize uncomfortable (I do not even speak about painful) feelings of a horse? There is.

This is where Nevzorov Haute Ecole Master differs from the dilettante-sportsman who climbs up on a horse. He must be aware of what a horse feels when person is on his back. When the methods of painful control disappear and a man refuses to control by means of “pain hypnosis” in the form of metal and kilometers (miles) of straps – and everything is based on “relationship” – the necessity to know exactly what a horse is feeling becomes critical so as not to spoil and compromise these relations. For a sportsman, in view of his stupid ways of controlling the horse, this is unnecessary and absolutely uninteresting.

To read the compete article, visitAlexander Nevzovrov on HorseConscious

Enlightened Horsemanship Workshop in UK.

Below are the details of a very special upcoming workshop which is being run by the legendary U.S based equine behavioral ecologist, Mary Ann Simonds this May in Suffolk, U.K. This will be Mary Ann’s first time teaching in the U.K and an extremely rare opportunity to learn from her insights into the understanding of the equine mind and heart. This workshop will give you the tools to transform your connection with horses and your relationship with your own equine partner/s.

Mary Ann does not use ‘gimmicks’ or teach countless ways to dominate- she teaches about true connection, psychological understanding and relationship. This is profoundly transformative, positive and life-changing horsemanship. I have attached further information as files if you would like to read more. You can visit Mary Ann’s website at www.mystichorse.com

The workshop is offered to 20 people maximum and is on the weekend of the 8th and 9th of May in a lovely yard near Bury St. Edmunds. The 2-day workshop is being offered at a very special introductory price of £150!

Please contact Doris Lutz who is Mary Ann’s Europe Coordinator to book you place by email doris@rainemusic.co.uk There will also be a workshop being run on the 15th and16th of May at Saugh’s Farm, Bailey, Newcastleton, Cumbria www.improveyourhorsemanship.co.uk Cost £150.Participants are invited to bring their horses or work with horses from the yard.

Enlightened Horsemanship and Enchanted Riding Equine Behavior and Communication Level I

You are invited to participate in a life changing experience for you and your horse. If you are looking for the “missing piece” in your relationship with horses and want to have the scientific knowledge to really understand horses from their truly natural state of being, then you may want to join us. Mary Ann Simonds is one of handful of equine behavioral ecologists in the world today. Growing up loving horses and riding a variety of disciplines, she studied wild horse ecology and range management to learn about horses from horses, not from humans. A published author and “expert witness” on equine behavior, Mary Ann blends her intuitive wisdom with scientific knowledge communicating and sharing her years of study with a few dedicated and sincere horse enthusiasts each year.

Spreading “truth” and dissolving “fiction” about horses has brought this scientist from the field to the stable to share an insider’s view of horse culture. Mary Ann founded the Whole Horse Institute in 1984 to help educate the horse industry about horses. Later she founded Horsewomen.com as an educational and networking tool for women and horses and now is bringing on-line learning through the Equestrian Science Institute so that more people can have the solid knowledge base to have an “enchanted kinship” with horses.

Here is the outline for the HEART program – The H.E.A.R.T. Program Human-Equine Awareness & Relationship Training

1. Horse Behavior & Communication

Basic Horse Behavior and Communication- My Space/Your Space

Wild Horse Ecology

What’s Sex Got to Do With It? Behavior Differences Between Mares, Geldings & Stallions

Problem Solving, Working with Difficult horses

Enhancing Performance

Advanced Communication Techniques

2. Horse/Human Relationships

Human/Equine Awareness (ABC’s of relationships)

Stress Management for Horse and Rider

Overcoming Fear

Tai Chi for Horse and Rider

Horses as Healers

Horse/human Psychology

Rider Meditations

“To be yourself in a world trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson

April 3

April 3-4

Debra Olsen Daniels, Equine Clicker Training Seminar, www.equineclickermagic.com

April 7-11

Anna Twinney 5-Day Reach Out to Horses Clinic, Kauai, HI, Katja Langholz, larimarland@earthlink.net

April 8-9

Kathy Pike, The Dance of Authenticity through the Wisdom of the Horse,Kootwijk, NL, http://www.coachingwithhorses.com/calendar.html

April 8-13

Kathy Pike, Workshop and EFL and coaching Level I training, Kootwijk, NL, http://www.coachingwithhorses.com/calendar.html

April 14-17

Linda Kohanov, Rasa Dance: The Energy of Connection, Cloudcroft Ranch, East Tucson/Vail http://www.taoofequus.com/ws_advanced.html#RDance

April 17

Anna Twinney Holistic Horse Day, Equine Voices Rescue and Sanctuary, Tuscon, AZ, Carrie Gayne, evoicesassistant@yahoo.com

April 17-22

Kathy Pike, Workshop and EFL and coaching Level II training, Kootwijk, NL, http://www.coachingwithhorses.com/calendar.html

April 18

Anna Twinney Animal Communication Day, Equine Voices Rescue and Sanctuary, Tuscon, AZ evoicesassistant@yahoo.com

April 19-20

Anna Twinney Private Lessons, Equine Voices Rescue and Sanctuary, Tuscon, AZ evoicesassistant@yahoo.com

April 21

Anna Twinney Ground driving clinic, Equine Voices Rescue and Sanctuary, Tuscon, AZ evoicesassistant@yahoo.com

April 22

Anna Twinney Foal handling clinic, Equine Voices Rescue and Sanctuary, Tuscon, AZ evoicesassistant@yahoo.com

April 23-24

Anna Twinney Reiki for horses certificate of completion, Equine Voices Rescue and Sanctuary, Tuscon, AZ evoicesassistant@yahoo.com

April 25

Anna Twinney Reiki I & II, Equine Voices Rescue and Sanctuary, Tuscon, AZ evoicesassistant@yahoo.com

Various dates – Please quote HorseConscious when booking

For details of all of all Anna Twinney’s events and workshops click here

Various dates – Please quote HorseConscious when booking

Kathy Pike’s calendar and clinics can be found here

Various dates – Please quote HorseConscious when booking

Details of Epona workshops by Linda Kohanov can be found by clicking here

Remember:
HorseConscious Members can promote their own events here too!

April 5

Sarah Kreutzer, The Warrior Program, info@learningtolisten.co.uk

April 26

Sarah Kreutzer, The Warrior Program, info@learningtolisten.co.uk

May 8-9

Mary Ann Simonds, Enlightened Horsemanship and Enchanted Riding Equine Behavior and Communication Level I, http://www.mystichorse.com/maryann.htm