Newsletter XIV
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Edition XIV |
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Hi Welcome to this month’s HorseConscious Newsletter. I’d like to start off by thanking everyone who completed the survey in the last newsletter about a possible HorseConscious Event featuring the Teachers and more. Thank you also to those who wrote with details about events and sent further comments, I appreciate your input. So, as they are deep in the throes of election time here in the UK at the moment, I thought I would relate some of the results with a flavour of that in mind! There was a positive 86% approval rating for holding the event but this must be tempered by the fact that most of the nay-sayers were down to geography rather than anything else. Comments such as: "I am coming from Australia, the flight and accommodation costs would be high, so I would be wanting the event itself to be big enough to justify the cost." "I would say yes to all the above if it were in England." "…would love to attend, but living in Australia – the cost of travel makes it prohibitive for me" "I also know that folks in New Zealand are starving for this kind of work with horses" "If it were in Victoria or South Australia (Australia) I would tick yes, so it is the location not my lack of interest stopping me. We seem to miss out here in Australia a bit!" Other equally positive comments included: "I personally think such an event is priceless" "That’s why I say I’d pay $1000 – and if all the guys you mention were to be there and offering their expertise in some way, it’d be worth it." "It sounds like a fabulous idea!" "I love this idea, Mark" and this from Kim McElroy: "Hi Mark! I am so excited about the idea you and Sandra have shared. For years I wished that there was a "holistic" horse event like you describe. I even had a dream about it once, which involved visiting a Native American Tribe who had a horse celebration going on celebrating natural ways with horses. In the dream I was invited by the elder to create a logo for the event. It is one of the rare times I ever dreamt of a new work of art. I still have the vision of it, and I’d like to volunteer to create it for this event. It was the head of a horse with its mane blowing back as if in free flight – and in the mane were people from all walks of life, all cultures, and all ages – hanging onto the mane with joy on their faces… let me know if you’d like me to create this for the event!" Wow, thank you Kim and everyone. As for other similar events that are currently taking place you came up with the following:
Anybody not completed the quick 3 question survey yet? Or do you have any other events you can think of? If so, you can (re)visit the survey here: So, the other question that is then crossing my mind is how to make a HorseConscious event different. Would that just be because of the Teachers attending? Or is there some other angle we should look at as a way to make it different to the other events and at the same time very attractive? Again, if you have any ideas on that then please (re)visit the survey on the link above.
A couple of weeks ago, Carolyn Resnick‘s Waterhole Rituals ‘Insider Circle’ and ‘In a Box’ Programs began. As last year, both of the Programs proved to be very popular when they became available, with the limited availability ‘Insider Circle’ Program being sold out in a matter of days. One would never think it would be possible to teach horsemanship or horse skills remotely via phone and web but Carolyn’s knowledge and understanding of horses makes all this possible. I asked her how she was able to do this and she very eloquently replied with the following: "From my observations I discovered that horses have a distinct culture when they live in groups. They abide by a code of ethics and form deep bonds and connections that support their very survival. I discovered that the culture of horses is formed and created through everyday interactions that center around 7 rituals the horses use on a daily basis to raise their young, develop a language, create order, a networking system and the character development of the individual that develops coping skills for surviving in hard times. My Method is about the everyday life of horses and their culture that creates the kind of unity, harmony and team working skills to stay safe from predators. I learned that dominant horses are different than lead horses. Dominant horses are interested in self-serving acts and lead horses are interested in the caretaking of the community by restoring harmony, creating unity and keeping their band safe. I discovered that pecking order is not about the survival of the fittest but instead it is a system that establishes order through the evolution of behavior that comes from lead horses teaching other horses how to be. It is directly related to the attitude of the lead horses who are focussed on keeping peace and creating salvation. Their peace and salvation is achieved from the evolution of their bonding rituals, which transform bullies into caretakers. Of course, I realized we humans could use these ideas and they would help us to get along with one another at all levels of connection from inter-personal, family and business that could ultimately create global harmony. You see, ultimately the rituals horses have developed improve each horse’s ability to know when community rights should supersede individual rights and when individual rights should supersede community rights. The horse that has more rights is the one that would most support the well-being of the herd. Having this ability keeps a community from taking gross advantage of the individual and creates a caretaker out of an individual. The difference between a horse and a human is that a human seeks drama and fights resistance to gain control and a horse seeks well-being, safety, unity, harmony and companionship. Their culture has evolved to a greater desire for peace, harmony and unity from the practice of their rituals. " Carolyn’s view on life goes way beyond training horses and is greatly needed and very pertinent to the time we currently live in. Please take the time if you can to read this wonderful blog post from her from Tuesday this week:
We love receiving your feedback and input, it feels like a very tight community we are building here. So perhaps you can help us so that we can help you in return. I asked this last year but with so many new people coming to the site and because life is ever-changing, it would be great if you could help us the following question: What is your 1 biggest horse, horse handling or horse training problem? This survey/questionnaire is even shorter than the previous one, it’s just 1 box requiring a 1 sentance answer! Here it is:
So that’s it for another month. In addition to the 2 short surveys above, please feel free to express yourself over on the HorseConscious Community site at: HorseConsciousCommunity So, until next month, take care and have fun! |
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‘To ride a horse is to ride the sky’. – Author Unknown |
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Watch Out For The Precious Baby!
by Connie Funk This is an exciting time in the history of our planet to be alive. Evolution is changing the culture for those who have been historically downtrodden like never before. Domination and violence are regularly challenged as being unacceptable and those without voice are receiving advocacy and support from many. Peace is prayed for around the world. Times, they are a’changing, my friend. In many wonderful ways. We see and feel it every day in the subculture of the horseworld. Yet my heart remains heavy that those of us who love and live with horses may still be engaging in the very behaviors that are the source of the problems of what we think of as good/bad, right/wrong and all judgements. It is likely that individuals who get into politics do so because of a sincere personal desire to affect a system that is not working, and again to protect the downtrodden and secure equal rights for all. Yet often those same individuals go down a path of learning to point a finger at everyone else who does not agree and it becomes a divisive battle. Certainly the party system in America has affected the United States to become divided states. Expressions like "United we stand, divided we fall" and "Remember when You point a finger at someone else that three are pointing back to You!" come to mind here. What is the under all of this emotion? While I completely agree that being in close company with horses requires us to see them as magnificent sentient beings with feelings and emotions similar to humans as fellow mammals, I do think we need to be extra careful not to circle up our wagons on our high horses and judge others harshly. Otherwise, we are impediments to the peace and connection we are seeking. With horses and all species. Blatant abuse must be challenged and exposed for what it is, but how would Jesus do that? Or Ghandi? Or Martin Luther King? These outspoken yet softspoken leaders preached peace through non-violence. And judgement, however insidious, is a form of violence that easily escalates through justification. Putting others down will never elevate us or contribute to peace. Temple Grandin, a remarkable women with a PhD in Animal Science and a person with characteristics on the spectrum of Autism, is a controversial figure due to the fact that her life’s work and passion has been to design humane slaughterhouses for animals. Taken out of context, one could easliy judge her harshly for contributing to the suffering of animals. When in fact, her intention is that the reverse be true. She has made a decision to accept the fact that humans, in her lifetime on this planet, are raising animals for consumption and that it is a huge industry . So since she feels, literally as animals do and ‘thinks in pictures’ in the present moment, she feels that the very least we can do for them is to help them feel calm as they live their lives in feedlots until the day they become meat. She accomplished this by spending time with cattle, literally on her hands and knees and living in their skin to find ways to know what would best help them connect with their own kind in the most harmonious way possible under those conditions. Some would say that she is part of the problem and that it will never be acceptable to dominate animals and eat meat. That is true for many, but the film created to tell her life story, called Temple Grandin, Thinking In Pictures does, in my opinion, a brilliant job of showing the story in its enormous complexity. It is incredibly well cast and filmed and does a better job presenting the picture of the dysfunctional human animal condition than what a group of angry confrontational, finger pointing picketers could accomplish. I would venture to say that this film allows the individual to see a bigger picture and make a decision for themselves. Hopefully many people will decide to no longer eat meat and have a desire to connect more deeply with animals after viewing this . But it will be that their hearts have been touched, not because of militant zealous posturing. What if we did not ‘throw the baby out with the bathwater?’ What if we saw the inherent value and light in every soul? On my personal journey with horses, I have taken some missteps. For me on occasions I have given my own power to trust my inner guidance away to others who had more expertise with horses. I have regrets. I admit my mistakes and ask my horses for forgiveness. But I also know that from every experience, that I have learned incredibly valuable lessons, some from others who have a very different viewpoint from my own.
Technology, for example. It confuses and confounds me and I have not been naturally good at understanding it. There are many horrific abuses of what computers offer–crimes against others, etc. But focusing on the negative aspects creates an impediment to improving my skills and appreciating what I have learned and how it has connected me with kindred spirits all around the world. I can rail against it or use it for good. Here is a wonderful illustration of how a computer can help me get to the heart of how I am feeling. Because idiomatic expressions and language–verbal and non-verbal–fascinates Me, I looked up the origins of "Don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater" since it seems to be an expression that can help me to put into words how I feel about this issue of divisiveness in the horse community. There at the click of a computer mouse to a search engine is a long list of sites to provide information. We can relate to the baby as the value–the good–the right–and the bathwater as lacking in value–bad–wrong. This all or none thinking/judging is at the crux of what prevents us from finding peace within and peace on the planet. We cannot have inclusiveness or exclusiveness simultaneously as we cannot love and be in fear at the same time. Years ago when my only son Evan was a babe, I had a terrible conflict with his father, my husband Gary. It hurt. It stung. It felt like a chasm dividing us. While Evan was napping, I did some laundry and remember crying angry and confused tears while I was sorting clothes. Suddenly I pulled a little single stocking out of the pile, a hand- me- down from a friend for Evan. It was a very ordinary white crew sock, with a green stripe, not the type of socks that he had in his drawers, which were either solids or patterns. I stood transfixed and held the tiny foot shaped object in my hand and was overwhelmed by feelings of love for my precious child. Knowing he was asleep in the next room, I felt deeply of his complete innocence. He was an empty vessel, deserving of my love. We had no baggage, no betrayals between us. Instead we shared the most deeply healing intimacy that I had ever experienced. I laid the little sock down and looked for its mate. And as I sorted through the pile, the next piece I pulled out was an adult sized sock that was indentical except bigger. It was a white crew sock with a green stripe. Again I felt overwhelmed with emotion, and through tears, realized I had never really viewed Gary as a precious innocent babe. Instead of working to resolve a conflict, I allowed my heart to judge and claim the right to feel wronged. What was even more amazing is that Gary never wore this kind of stocking and I had no idea where it came from. The fact that God could use socks with green stripes to speak to me seemed like an amazing way for me to find a different persective. I remember this as vividly as if it happened today and it is an illustration that peace must start within each of us. If we cannot be at peace in our own hearts, we cannot find it in other relationships. To learn to not throw the baby out with the bathwater. To learn to love my son and my husband and myself where we are at any moment. When Evan woke up, I felt radiant and an hour before, my heart was heavy with grief and all that had changed was my persective. The conflict we could deal with over time and a mutual commitment. I gave Evan a symbolic bath in the kitchen sink, something I had always wanted to do and his jubilant smile mirrored my mood and heart. We celebrated my epiphany as Evan reached down to help me pull the plug out from the sink and watch the water go down the drain, allowing me to let go of those heavy feelings in a whoosh. When I read the search engine offerings for this expression, it said that it derived from a German proverb in 1512 , and there were a number of citations for its use over the centuries. One that truly caught my attention was from an article about arbitration in the United States by David Sherwyn, Bruce Tracey and Zeo Eigen called: Saving the Baby, Tossing Out the Bath Water and Constructing a New Sink In The Process. As horsepeople who feel like connecting deeply with horses, is this not what our hearts really desire? Do we not want to save the horse, toss out the domination and violence and build a new culture of the horse/human relationship as one of mutual love and harmony? I believe with my whole heart that we do. And I think that the very best way we can do that is to learn to see the light in everyone and work on our own hearts and consiousness rather than finding fault with others. It is a delicate balance, I realize, and one we will continue over a lifetime. But we can make a shift, and think of the little white sock with the green stripe and remember that we were once that tiny and innocent to have our little foot fit in it. Like people in glass houses who should not throw stones, let us always remember that there is no mortal alive who does not leave a ring when departing the bath. |
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Manes and Tails
There’s nothing like the sight of a champion reining horse with its classic mane flying during a spin. Without that, the spin isn’t nearly as crowd pleasing and attention getting. Think about the splendor of a golden palomino set off by it’s long flowing white mane and tail and what Arabian doesn’t look more refined when it’s gracefully arched neck is clothed with a flowing mane? Even carousel horses would be nothing without their thick manes and long tails waving in the wind as they go around and around, right?! None of the fairy tales I remember described a majestic horse with anything less than the mane and tail flying in the wind as the hero gallops in to save the damsel in distress. People throughout the ages have admired and longed for this kind of beauty depicted in history and all of the Fairy Tale mental images are what I always wanted. Once I discovered how to do this though, I found out that having a gorgeous horse impacted many more aspects of both mine and my horse’s life. It changed the way people reacted and responded to my horse in unexpected ways. The first and most obvious change is that you and your horse will both get noticed a lot, you suddenly get lots of attention. People compliment, they ooh and aah, they pet and praise your horse and ask if they can take a picture. They want to know everything about your horse and how you got the mane and tail to grow so long and thick. I can’t tell you how many new friends I have made because of this. It is really a great feeling when your horse is admired by everyone, isn’t it? It feels like everyone loves your horse as much as you do. It also helps you really bond with the people you meet because you instantly have something in common to talk about and everyone is very enthusiastic about talking about beautiful horses. My best friend even met her future husband this way. He came up to her and started talking to her about how beautiful her horse is. Now they are inseparable, so it’s a real ice breaker and conversation starter!
I have a barn and another thing I’ve discovered is that I can save a lot of money buying a plain looking horse because the current owners don’t put that much value on it. They think there is nothing special or fancy or pretty about their horse, so they price it low. With today’s market the way that it is, people are practically giving away the more plain, boring looking horses. You can get great horses right now for next to nothing! In many cases, people are even giving away horses they can’t afford to feed anymore. Some of these are really awesome horses that just need a little help in the grooming department. I look for these knowing that I can get them inexpensively and turn them into stunning horses. If you are looking for your first horse and need to keep the price low, I’d look for a good horse that is on the plain side because you can make it gorgeous when you know how.
I can’t help but swell with pride when I look at my 16 year old gelding that is completely blind, he is so beautiful. I’ve had him for about 10 years and he’s been blind about 4 years now. I can spend hours just primping and pampering him and admiring his beauty. His thick forelock goes down past his nose and covers his eyes, so most people don’t even realize he is blind.
Beth has written a book on how you too can grow a thick luxurious mane and tail on your horse. |
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WELCOME TO THE WORLD – A Non-Invasive and Loving Approach to Imprinting My journey with horses has been an adventure of discovery. I am always looking to refine and enhance the connection and communication. As a warmblood breeder I have birthed and raised dozens of foals. I remember reading all I could get my hands on, and specifically when Dr. Robert Miller published his findings on imprinting to the snickers of the ‘old boys’ club. His practices are now embraced by natural Horsemanship greats like Pat Parelli and adhered to religiously by most breeders. I have been a breeder now for fourteen years and have developed through the process a more holistic and rewarding approach similar to how we welcome humans to the world. There are several important ideas involved: Become A Trusted and Considerate Friend to Your Mare Learn All You Can About Foaling So You Can Make Wise Safey Decisions Help Make Your Mares Birthing Experience Wonderful Be Sensitive and Gentle Don’t Dominate the Foal, Forcing Him to Comply if He’s a Bit Reserved Paschar, the foal in these pictures was born 3 weeks early after Epona, his mom had a serious bout of pneumonia. The vets suggested we abort the ten month old fetus as she was having trouble breathing. That was one thing Epona and I agreed upon –our baby would live! When Paschar was born three weeks early he was literally fighting for his life and even after my gentle welcome, a day later he tried to rear and run at me. I understood his concern. Humans had tried to end his life and he had to fight for it. Patiently I talked to him and told him he was my angel (Paschar is the Angel of Vision) and as I talked and stroked him, his eye would soften and he would relax. Days became weeks and I would remind him who he was and how loved he was and each time his eye grew softer. By the time he was two months old he was the most gregarious, loving and affectionate foal who particularly loved being buried under hugging children. At three months old he followed at liberty, backed, moved his hind end and shoulder, picked up his feet, trailer loaded (all at liberty) and ran happily behind in a game I call stick (to me). He was fully imprinted and de-sensitized while fully alive and filled with Joy. He now as a two year old understands my every word and is so self assured that he follows me down to our playground, several hundred yards from the paddock where his family is grazing, gets up on tires, runs across bridges, walks ,trots, and whoas all by voice and body language, all without halters, ropes or sticks. Paschar is a super horse. Why? He was born gently, loved, treated with patience and consideration and knows that his well –being is my first concern. To see Paschar in the video One With The Herd visit www.lizmittenryan.com/media |
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‘He trots the air. The earth sings when he touches it.’- William Shakespeare |
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Amigo: Endurance and Beyond When Amigo arrived at the University of Tennessee Equine Hospital on January 17, with a 3-foot-long tree branch impaled in his side, veterinarians gave him a 2% chance of survival. Luckily they underestimated the tenacity of the 10-year-old Arabian endurance horse, who is recovering from his injury and poised to go home in a week, said his owner, Gary Sanderson, of Luttrell, Tenn. Amigo competing, the accident, and undergoing work at UT. Amigo’s ordeal began over a month ago when Sanderson found him standing in his pasture with the tree branch sticking out of his side. "I was freaking out," Sanderson said. After an attending veterinarian recommended euthanasia, Sanderson decided to take Amigo to the UT Equine Hospital. There veterinarians removed the branch, but the branch had broken two ribs and caused a lung to collapse. Amigo was fitted with drainage tubes in his lungs to help keep infection at bay and has been on eight different antibiotics, Sanderson said. And it’s been a bumpy road to recovery. In the last month Amigo has had four close calls. At one point a blood clot travelled to his brain and caused a seizure. At another point, Amigo’s blood platelet count was at lethally low levels. "It’s been a grueling month, but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel," Sanderson said. In the last few weeks, Amigo’s story has spread around the Internet, and the horse now has a Facebook page with more than 4,000 fans who have rallied together to help Sanderson with the estimated $20,000 veterinary bill. So far, donors have raised $5,000. Those interested in donating money for Amigo’s care can send checks to: University of Tennessee Large Animal Clinic Patient #211197 Amigo c/o Business office, 2407 River Drive, Knoxville, TN; 37996 "I’ve had to take a second job to help pay his bills," Sanderson said. "I’m just amazed and humbled that this many people care about Amigo." Sanderson doesn’t know how the branch ended up in his horse’s side, but hypothesizes that Amigo might have fallen on the branch, or a tree might have fallen on the horse in the 100-acre pasture that he shares with two other horses. One of his attending veterinarians, Nicholas Frank DVM, PhD, Dipl. ACVIM, said the biggest concern now is managing the tissue in the wound that is breaking down as it heals from the inside out. Frank adds that as long as the infection is contained and continues to drain, Amigo’s toxin levels will stay low, reducing his risk for laminitis. Impalements are nothing new to Frank, but he says what makes Amigo’s case unique is the way the horse has battled through several life threatening situations. "His ability to work through these situations is just remarkable," Frank said. Amigo’s fight has touched thousands who have followed daily postings from owner Gary Sanderson in a Facebook group. And donors have helped cover most of the $25,000 veterinary bill. One anonymous donor sent in $11,600, according to Sanderson. That generosity has prompted Sanderson to help establish the Amigo Legacy of Hope Fund at the University of Tennessee. Donations will be set aside in a fund to help cover the large veterinary bill of another critically injured horse. "I hope this saves someone else from the financial burden while they’re going through this emotional experience, it just gives me a good feeling to do this," Sanderson said. "This is just something that really has become bigger than me."
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‘A horse is the projection of people’s dreams, powerful, beautiful, has the capability of giving us escape.’- Pam Brown |
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Twenty-one thousand U.S. horses sent to die in foreign slaughterhouses but hundreds more were saved The tired chesntut mare was heavy in foal, just days away from delivery, but that didn’t stop someone from dumping her at the Camelot feedlot in New Jersey, where she became Hip #769, slated to be run through the auction on March 17th. The New Jersey Horse Angels equine rescue group knew she was in danger, and in bad shape, so they hurriedly raised the funds to "bail" her before she could be purchased by a kill buyer and loaded onto a van for a one-way ride to a Canadian slaughterhouse. Just six days later, the no-longer anonymous 12-year-old mare–"Bridget"–produced a perfectly gorgeous filly, aptly named, "Miracle." They are two of the lucky ones, now safely ensconced in the hands of loving caretakers under the auspices of New Jersey Horse Angels, awaiting adoption. But in the first 14 weeks of 2010 alone, at least 21,776 U.S. horses were not as fortunate. That is the number of equine victims who were trucked out of the country to meet their demise in slaughterhouses in Canada and Mexico through the end of March. The latest grim statistics were compiled by researcher Dr. Darrell Charlton, Jr., based on information reported by the Foreign Agricultural Services Unit of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. A total of 12,919 horses, or 59%, were shipped to Mexican slaughterhouses, which are known to be excruciatingly barbaric. In the seven-day period ending on January 16th–the bloodiest week of the year to-date–1294 horses were transported south of the U.S. border to meet their painful deaths under cruel and unforgiving circumstances. These numbers become all the more heartwrenching in light of a new study by Italian researcher Dr. Elisabetta Micera,, and reported by Christa Leste-Lasserre in TheHorse.com, confirming that "horses endure significant stress while waiting to be slaughtered." It comes as no surprise. The only solace that can be gleaned from Dr. Chandler’s statistics is that the number of U.S. horses dispatched to their deaths in foreign slaughterhouses was actually higher during the first quarter of 2009 than in 2010, by a factor of almost 3000. There are many possible reasons for the decline, but the intervention of Internet-based equine rescue groups is certainly a factor. Acting as lifelines for discarded horses whose fates are seemingly sealed, loosely networked equine advocates avidly congregate on sites such as Alex Brown Racing, whose forum members have raised more than $1.3 million for the rescue of 3489 horses, including 139 in the first quarter of 2010. During the same period, several other groups, including Another Chance 4 Horses, Voice for Horses, and New Jersey Horse Angels, have marshaled their Facebook "friends" as a powerful fundraising force to save hundreds of others. At 7:02pm on Sunday night, for example, Voice for Horses’ Diana Murphy typed out a desperate plea on her Facebook page, next to a photo of a cute bay mare who was literally in line at Camelot to be loaded onto a Canadian-bound truck. She begged: "EMERGENCY: we have a little bay mare who is scheduled to be on the truck tonight, we have one last time to save her and only 3 hours or she is loaded. We need $650, we need a miracle." Twelve minutes later, she wrote again: "LIFE OR DEATH. This mare is waiting to load as we speak. She is scheduled to die. We need $600 to save this girl. Please help if you can. We have one last chance to save one more horse. If not, then kiss her good-bye." And then, as is typical of these last-ditch rescue efforts, there was a most amazing outpouring of money, prayers, and good will from people who seemingly came out of the woodwork to rescue a horse they had never met. In increments of $20, $30, or $50, a group of suddenly unified people made rapid-fire PayPal pledges to save this mare from a ride to hell. It worked. By 8:35pm, the $650 had been raised. Christy Sheidy of Another Chance 4 Horses had been standing by, waiting for the signal from Diana. As soon as Diana confirmed that the bail money had been raised, Christy climbed into the dreaded truck to take back possession of the little mare, who had already been loaded into it. But now, thanks to the kindness of strangers, she was safe. The same scenario is played out dozens of times each week, and it’s putting a crimp in the underground slaughter pipelines, one horse at a time. |
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The Horse’s Prayer Feed me, give me water, and care for me, and when the day’s work is done, give me shelter, a clean bed and a wide stall. Talk to me. Your voice often substitutes for the reins for me. Be good to me and I will serve you cheerfully and love you. Don’t jerk the reins and don’t raise the whip. Don’t beat or kick me when I don’t understand you, but rather give me time to understand you. Don’t consider it disobedience if I don’t follow your commands. Perhaps there is a problem with my saddle and bridle or hooves. Check my teeth if I don’t eat, maybe I have a toothache. You know how that hurts. Don’t halter me too short and don’t dock my tail… it’s my only weapon against flies and mosquitoes. And at the end, dear master, when I am no longer any use to you, don’t let me go hungry or freeze and don’t sell me. Don’t give me a master who slowly tortures me to death and lets me starve, but rather be merciful and take care of me, by letting me run and enjoy a warm pasture. Let me request this of you and please don’t regard it as disrespectful if I ask it in the name of Him who was born in a stable like me. Amen Author Unknown |
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NEW ARTICLES ON HORSECONSCIOUS Gateway 2 Ranch EARTH Retreats – Liz Mitten Ryan
These are the latest photos/video from Liz’s EARTH Retreats. To watch the video and read more of Liz’s articles, visit Liz Mitten Ryan on HorseConscious To find out more about the Retreats go to: |
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An Echo Beyond the Mirror – Sandra Wallin T Mirroring Principle To read the compete article and more of Anna’s articles, visit Sandra Wallin on HorseConscious |
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The Opposite of Reinforcement is No Reinforcement – Debra Olson Daniels Most of us are cross over trainers. If we have been with horses for any length of time we have used correction based training. Yes, we would give a pet, a good girl or good boy, a secondary reinforcer, but we still would correct unwanted behaviors through various means. If we look at the science behind operant conditioning and clicker training we see the opposite of reinforcement is no reinforcement. It is not correction… To read the compete article and more of Debra’s articles, visit Debra Olson Daniels on HorseConscious |
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‘Whether you regard the horse with awe or love, it is impossible to escape the power of his presence.’- Mary Wanless |
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Riding the Wisdom of Horses For the last twenty years I have been an artist who seeks to define horses in my art and portray them with an awareness of their sentience and spiritual and intuitive gifts. Yet despite my faith in the truth of what I believed about horses, and though I had experienced some profound connections with horses I had met, I had never really had a direct healing experience in the presence of a horse. Then I read Linda Kohanov’s books, The Tao of Equus (New World Library, 2007) and Riding Between Worlds (New World Library, 2007). In these books Linda writes about her Epona Center in Arizona, and her amazing experiences of receiving and witnessing others receive emotional healing with horses. Her writings further confirmed my feelings about the profound wisdom of horses. I longed to experience the intuitive encounters Linda had described but imagined that they were only available to rare individuals born with the gift of intuitive communication. One day, I received a flyer announcing a three-day workshop in my area presented by Leigh Shambo of Human Equine Alliance. Leigh is an Epona Instructor who studied with Linda Kohanov. I was excited to learn more about her work. In addition, Leigh listed one of the workshop’s benefits as a way of learning to overcome fear of riding. This was something I could definitely relate to, so I signed up. Though a lifelong horse lover, I had only recently become a horse owner. I had fallen in love five years before with a racehorse named Darma. Darma is a beautiful bay Thoroughbred mare. At 16.3 hands her withers are taller than my petite 5.3” frame.
After a year of lessons and workshops and practice riding other horses, I did ride Darma a few times, but neither of us was able to truly relax. Then one day, only moments after I had gotten into the saddle, she went from a standstill into a bucking fit that threw me off her back, whereupon she ran frantically away from me. Fortunately I was only slightly injured and I was able to catch her. Though she was obviously shaken she seemed physically ok. But I was emotionally devastated. These emotions later turned to fear whenever I attempted to ride any horse. I could barely sit on a horse without an overwhelming sense of vertigo. My decision to never ride again seemed inevitable. My strong emotions and my deep need to continue to find a way to understand the relationship between Darma and myself led me to explore learning more about horses than what I had previously been taught. But books I read on the subject of horses and training seemed to be missing something. I intuitively felt that there was more to the connection between Darma and I than what could be explained in traditional theories of horse behavior and the human drive to interact with horses. I had always been spiritually inquisitive, and my art was about spiritual and emotional themes, but it took a traumatic experience with Darma for me to realize that perhaps there were things we could heal in each other. I began consulting with animal communicators and other intuitive practitioners to find some answers from that realm of knowing. Little did I know that my experiences with Darma had catapulted me into a quest for healing that was deeper than my fear of riding horses. Interestingly, my quest with Darma led to my introduction to Linda Kohanov and her books, because Linda had heard a story about Darma and I through an animal communicator I had consulted with. Linda called to interview me for her book, The Tao of Equus. I was honored and thrilled that Darma and I were to be included in her book. Linda’s discoveries resonated with me, but even though I felt Darma was leading me on a path to healing. I still did not forsee the potential that all horses could assist me in profound ways. Horses as Mirrors The cold winter wind blew outside as we huddled in the warm tack shed the first evening to listen to Leigh’s introduction to equine facilitated learning. Leigh began her workshop by explaining that horses could act as mirrors to human behavior. Through a complex series of involuntary physical clues and even more subtle energetic factors, a horse can essentially read the state of physical, emotional, and mental states of anyone in his or her vicinity. In Equine Facilitated Learning a trained facilitator assists a person to engage with a horse in one on one reflective or active sessions with a horse. The horse’s responses allows one to gain insight into one’s emotions and thoughts, which the horse is reflecting back to you by its actions and behaviors, and which the facilitator can help interpret. As an animal preyed upon in Nature, horses are ultra sensitive to those around them. One primary discovery was that horses often appear most comfortable around people who honestly express how they are feeling. As humans we are often taught to suppress our emotions, but it is that very suppression that is often unsettling to horses.
In addition, just as the horse is affected by our presence, so theirs affects us when we are taught how to tune into our body sensations, energy dynamics, and intuition. Leigh also explained how we all have a critical mind or “false self” that tends to inhibit new learning or being open to new experiences. These concepts were fascinating to me. I was eager to learn more. The next day we gathered at the outdoor round pen. The day was chilly but clear. It was Teri’s turn first. Teri stated that his goal was to seek some clarity in his work life. Leigh suggested Teri would benefit from a reflective session. A horse was led into a 40’ outdoor enclosure called a round pen. The horse was allowed to move freely about, and after some safety instructions, Leigh said that Teri would enter the space with the horse and that he would interact spontaneously with occasional guidance from her. Leigh invited Teri to leave his “false self” outside of the round pen. Leigh led Teri to stand near the round pen but face away from the horse, and do what she called a “body scan”, which is a technique developed by Linda Kohanov to assist a person in identifying what is present in their body, mind, and emotions before interacting with a horse. Teri told Leigh what he was hoping to receive from he experience. The horse watched intently as this process began, and he even walked over to stand near them. Then Teri face the horse, again speaking quietly with Leigh, and then she invited him to enter the space with the horse. When Teri entered the pen the horse came up the greet him. Then a silent dance seemed to begin. Teri would move about – at times approaching the horse, only to have the horse step away. At other times, the same actions on Teri’s part would result in the horse willingly approaching him. After awhile it became clear to me that the horse’s behaviors and movements differed from the usual dynamic of a human and horse working in a training exercise. The intent wasn’t to train the horse, or ask it to move, or even to ask it to engage. Rather the horse was given the freedom to respond to the person. Leigh began asking Teri questions, and Teri explained to us what had been transpiring. He had entered the round pen with questions about a career change he had been facing from being a technical write to a creative writer. The potential change both excited and frightened him. His career was stable yet stagnant, and yet he wanted to provide for his family. His creative writing was a calling he couldn’t ignore, but was a step into the unknown. Whenever he thought about his current technical writing job and his dislike of it, the horse would seem to avoid him. When he thought of his creative writing, his fears would come up about his job change and the horse would move uncertainly away from him. When he thought of his desires to write and the depth of what he wanted to express in his writing, the horse immediately approached him and touched his nose to Teri’s heart. This profound moment gave Teri a feeling that he could move forward despite the fear and that he would be supported in his decision. The interaction had taken perhaps half an hour, but in that time Teri’s entire demeanor had shifted, he patted the horse gratefully and emerged from the round pen with a look of amazement on his face. When my turn came, I told Leigh that my desire was to understand my fear of riding. Leigh suggested that I also engage in a reflective session with a horse. Despite the interesting session with Teri I really couldn’t imagine how this experience could help me with my fear of riding. But I was open-minded and wanted to experience this new way of interacting with a horse. Touched by Goldie Leigh guided me through the body scan. Leigh asked me to face away from the horse and stand in a relaxed stance and to close my eyes. Then she suggested that I allow my awareness to go from the top of my head down my body to my feet and to report any sensations, images or emotions that came up when I opened my awareness to this moment in time. She suggested that I not try to change any of what I sensed but to just observe and notice. This is a technique developed by Linda Kohanov to tune in with body sensations and visual images with the goal of defining any sensations and visions and asking one’s own body for messages. This form of tuning into my body’s awareness was new to me. I began to experience surprisingly vivid sensations and pictures. My awareness first went to my forehead where I found my brow was tense. Then I became aware of my heart, but my heart felt empty and vulnerable. An image vividly came to mind of a black hole, a void that was completely exposed to the outside world. I could see small colored lights that seemed to come towards the void but they would get swallowed up in its dark vastness. I didn’t know exactly how to interpret the images, but essentially it seemed that I became aware of a mute but powerful longing, the void was in myself, and it felt like a place that I never believed would be filled. Leigh then asked me to turn and face Goldie, and to repeat the body scan again. She suggested that I try to perceive if anything had shifted. To say that something had shifted would be a severe understatement. As I faced Goldie, the sensations in my entire body shifted dramatically. I can only describe it by saying that I immediately felt grounded into the earth in a way that I had never felt before. It was as if I had spent my entire life floating without feeling truly at home in myself, on the planet, or with my environment. When I faced Goldie, I was overwhelmed by a sudden sadness compounded by simultaneous sensations of homecoming and grounding that I was experiencing physically in my body. These feelings brought up emotions that I could barely contain. Leigh asked if I was prepared to enter the round pen with Goldie. I nodded yes. The moment I entered the pen, I began to cry. The wail that escaped my lips echoed across the valley. I wondered remotely what it sounded like to those who heard it. But then I became lost in the experience. The sadness was so deep that I felt as if I was sobbing tears accumulated over my lifetime. While I cried, Goldie stood by me, gently lending her unconditional support. My feelings were a mixture of loss, frustration, powerlessness, doubt, and disillusionment. In the midst of my crying, I reached out to touch Goldie a few times. I thanked her for her forbearance, yet she allowed me to have neither the impulse of apologizing to her or seeking comfort for myself. Instead, she gently leaned away, out of my reach, while continuing to stand in the same place. She seemed to be making it clear that her supportive presence wasn’t intended as a crutch, and she also didn’t need my apology for my overwhelming expression of emotion. Where Were My Emotions Coming From? The Real Goldie
In her presence, I had the same sense of feeling grounded as I’d had the day before. I climbed on Goldie’s back, and she moved at a gentle walk. I waited for the fear to come up in me. It didn’t. I waited for the vertigo. It never came. Leigh began to instruct me in subtle adjustments to how I was sitting in the saddle, or my posture. As Goldie walked steadily around the arena, I began to feel even more secure. Leigh’s supportive encouragement allowed me to relax and feel less self-conscious. She told me that if I did feel fear, I should acknowledge it. She could offer tools to help me understand and work through it. Goldie was steady and gentle. She carried me faithfully into a secure riding experience with the wisdom of a sage. Later, when I put Goldie back in her stall, I hoped that somehow I had helped shift her own awareness and consciousness in a small way. Perhaps she had been able to change her mind about some humans, too. More Profound Messages A few years later, I attended another workshop with Leigh Shambo. Though I was now rather experienced at this sort of personal growth work, the layers of emotions and awareness revealed in that context always surprised me. This time, one of the most profound messages came from a horse named Leo. Despite having experienced several miraculous healings with horses, I still felt emotionally blocked as I began a session with a horse. Each time, I thought that my expectations would be too high or I wouldn’t know what to do. This was a reflection of how I felt in life. I harbored constant questions, which blocked the flow of my experiences: What will I do next? What if I don’t know what to paint? What if I can’t make a decision? What if I am disappointed? I entered the round pen with Leo, feeling once again the heaviness that I carried with me. It only came to the surface whenever I did the reflective work with horses. Leo was a beautiful 15-year old chestnut thoroughbred horse. His face had been scarred by an accident with a gate before he was rescued and came to this wonderful farm. Leo turned toward me and waited expectantly. I could feel the tears starting in my eyes. I asked silently, “What if nothing happens?” He looked into my soul and said in words that my mind heard as clearly as if he had spoken them. “Nothing never happens.” I knew then that he meant I could create anything I wished in art and in life. All I had to do was let go of the doubt. And in that moment, I did. The lessons that I have learned from my horse teachers continue to unfold. In the process, I have begun to rediscover long buried sources of wisdom within me. My mare Darma inspired me to begin this quest. The word Dharma means the chosen path. Indeed Darma has led me to travel pathways I never could have foreseen to inner destinations that are unfolding with each step of a four-footed beat. Postscript: After writing this story I inquired about Goldie and learned the wonderful news that Teri and his family purchased Goldie and she now has a wonderful and permanent home with a family who love her. |
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‘To see the wind’s power, the rain’s cleansing and the sun’s radiant life, one need only to look at the horse.’-Unknown |
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Equine Vision: Impact on Trail Behavior (Book Excerpt) It’s all in the eye of the beholder. That cliché has been around for years, but when we consider it in light of the human eye compared to the equine eye, the saying takes on a whole different meaning. Humans and horses literally see things differently, and this difference can sometimes lead to problems on the trail. No doubt you’ve ridden on windy days when suddenly your horse became agitated and excited. A piece of paper flew across the road or trail and your horse jumped or stopped dead in its tracks. This might well be the same horse you rode on this trail yesterday without a hint of skittishness. Why the sudden change in behavior? Because of the way your horse sees. Once you learn how the equine eye functions, you’ll better understand your horse’s actions. And you’ll have insight managing your trail horse when it becomes skittish for no apparent reason. Let’s consider the windy day-flying paper scenario. You didn’t give a second thought to that piece of paper skittering across the trail. Your horse, though, saw a strange, out-of-focus object moving across its path. The inability of your horse’s eye to send a clear message to the brain brought on apprehension and fear. The fear of unidentified moving objects comes from being a prey animal. For centuries equines served as tasty meals for big cats and other predators. Some would lie in wait or up in a tree for a horse to pass by and then spring to the attack. In other, rarer cases, the predator simply outran the horse and dragged it down for the kill. Whatever the case, the horse knew sudden movement meant danger. However, Mother Nature did not leave the horse defenseless against predators. She blessed the horse with an unusually broad field of vision, keen hearing, the ability to lash out with front and back hooves and, most importantly, the ability to outdistance all but the fastest of pursuers.
The equine eye is unique in that it has both monocular and binocular vision. With monocular vision, the horse can see objects with one eye. As a result the brain often is receiving two images at the same time, sort of like a human attempting to watch side-by-side television sets simultaneously and absorb the action on both. With binocular vision, however, the horse can see the same object with both eyes at the same time and only one message is conveyed to the brain. A horse’s eyes are wide apart and on each side of its head to accommodate monocular vision better–very important to a prey animal. Humans have only binocular vision. We fall into the predator rather than the prey category. As such, our eyes are in the front of the head, and only a short distance apart, just like other predators–lions, tigers, dogs, and cats. A predator’s eyes are designed to focus on the prey it’s attempting to chase down. Therefore, we can quickly focus on objects while the horse, with its broader range of vision, has trouble bringing things into focus. Auto-Focusing The human eye is a lot like an auto-focus camera, making use of disc-like lenses that are attached to powerful ciliary muscles. These muscles quickly flex or relax to adjust the lens shape as needed. If you want to look at something far away, you simply stare at the object and, in a flash, the lens focuses on it and you see it with clarity. If the object is close, the same thing happens, only the focal point is much nearer. If you want to look at something to either the right or left, you simply turn your head and the ciliary muscles do the rest, sending a sharp image to the retina, a mass of nerve receptors on your eyeball’s back wall. The retina then transmits the image to the brain–all in the proverbial blink of an eye. Compared with a human’s ciliary muscles, the horse’s are underdeveloped and do a poor job of bringing objects into focus. There’s also a big difference in the retina. In humans the retina is a smooth, concave surface. The equine retina is more concave in some places than in others, and some sections are nearer the cornea than others. (The cornea is that transparent structure at the front of the eye that covers the iris and pupil and admits light to the interior.) Difficulty Focusing Because the horse can’t focus on objects as we do, it compensates by lifting and lowering or weaving its head from side to side. It may also try to get either farther away from or closer to an object to bring it into focus. Even when the horse has focused as best it can, its sight is only three-fifths that of a human. In other words, when looking at an object twenty feet away, the horse sees only as much detail as a person with twenty-twenty vision would if the object were thirty-five feet away. This means, of course, that when you’re riding down the trail and see a strange object ahead, you’ll recognize what you’re seeing long before your horse does. Monocular Vision Because its eyes are large–the largest of any land mammal–and on each side of its skull, the horse has a very broad field of vision. A horse actually has a vision field of more than 350 degrees, compared to the less than 180 degrees in the human. Only about 65 degrees of the horse’s field of vision are binocular–seen with both eyes–while the remaining 285 degrees are monocular–seen with one eye. [This is an excerpt from Happy Trails, a comprehensive guide is the first to cover all aspects of trail riding whether that trail ride is for an hour, a day, or a week. Veteran horseman and author Les Sellnow uses his firsthand knowledge of training and riding the trail horse to prepare every horse enthusiast for this fast-growing American recreational activity.] |
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FEI: New Stewards’ Guidelines on Warm-Up Techniques The FEI Bureau gave its unanimous approval today to new stewards’ guidelines on warm-up techniques produced by the Working Group formed after the round-table conference held in Lausanne in February. One of the key stipulations in the Working Group’s report was that all unacceptable training methods and techniques must be stopped immediately. The Working Group was also insistent that abuse of the horse should be avoided and, in particular, stressing the horse, aggressive riding and inflicting pain and/or discomfort on the horse must be prevented. The current guidelines for FEI Stewards already include instructions covering aggressive riding, but the Working Group has created a new Annex (XIII) that includes clear instructions on action to be taken if necessary relating to flexion of the horse’s neck during pre and post-competition training. The key initiatives in the new guidelines, which will be implemented from May 15, 2010, are: Movements which involve having the horse’s head and neck carriage in a sustained or fixed position should only be performed for periods not exceeding approximately 10 minutes without change (diagrams defining the head and neck positions will be provided to the stewards). No single neck position should be maintained which may lead to tiredness or stress. The rider is not permitted to use rough, or abrupt, aids or apply constant unyielding pressure on the horse’s mouth through a fixed arm and hand position The guidelines state that it is the steward’s responsibility to ensure that riders respect the above procedures and intervene if required. The steward will intervene should he/she observe: Neck stretching achieved through forced or aggressive riding. The use of extreme flexion if it does not comply with the above. A rider deliberately maintaining a sustained fixed head and neck carriage longer than approximately ten minutes. If the horse is in a state of general stress and/or fatigue. The steward may also ask the rider to walk for a certain period in situations where the rider’s stress may caus Only in exceptional circumstances and with the permission of the Chief Steward, may a pre-competition training session exceed one hour. There should be at least one-hour break between any training/warm-up periods. Repetition of movements carried out in the practice arena post-competition may not exceed a period of 10 minutes. All training sessions, including pre-competition warm-up, may only be performed in the official training arena while under the supervision of stewards. Use of a training arena outside the official training period, and/or in an unsupervised arena, may at the discretion of the Ground Jury lead to the rider’s disqualification. The Chief Steward must be present in the training arena during pre-competition training and for the duration of the competition, be in a position to observe the training arena at events where numerous training arenas are in use, or appoint a suitable deputy. The introduction of CCTV for selected events is recommended in order to provide a means for monitoring the practice arena. A new group should be established specifically for the purpose of investigating cases which occur during the course of an event but could not be dealt with, for whatever reason, during the event. A new education and assessment system for stewards will ensure consistency and a high standard of stewarding. National federations will be asked to send the new guidelines to all their stewards immediately to prepare for implementation on 15 May 2010. If modifications to the guidelines are required, these will be initiated by a Council of Horsemen, which will be set up specifically for this purpose. "Everyone in the FEI has horse welfare at heart and these new guidelines will help the stewards be more proactive, giving them the authority to do their job and prevent abuse in all disciplines," said Working Group Chair Frank Kemperman. "A huge amount of work has gone into producing these guidelines so it is pleasing that the Bureau has given them unanimous approval. The principle on which these guidelines are based is respect for the horse, but also for the stewards, who do a difficult job with great dedication." The Working Group was made up of Dressage Committee Chair Frank Kemperman (Chairman), Richard Davison (GBR), Rider/Trainer; John P. Roche (IRL), FEI Director Jumping/Stewarding; Jacques Van Daele (BEL), FEI Honorary Dressage Steward General/Judge; Wolfram Wittig (GER), Trainer; and Trond Asmyr (NOR), FEI Dressage and Para Equestrian Dressage Director/Judge. Input was also received from Dr. Gerd Heuschmann, Sjef Janssen, and the FEI Jumping Committee. |
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| DIARY DATES: | ||
| May 7 | Sandra Wallin, Book signing, Horse As Teacher: The Path to Relationship, 3:00-4:00pm and 6:00-8:30 Black Bond Books Haney Place Mall,Maple Ridge | |
| May 8 | Anna Twinney, Spook-Busting Secrets, Sealand, Denmark, Contact: Regina Flittner Reginahf@ofir.dk | |
| May 9 | Anna Twinney, Ground driving clinic, Sealand, Denmark, Contact: Regina Flittner Reginahf@ofir.dk | |
| May 10 | Anna Twinney, Holistic Horse Day, Sealand, Denmark, Contact: Regina Flittner Reginahf@ofir.dk | |
| May 11 | Anna Twinney, Animal Communication Introductory Evening, Sealand, Denmark, Contact: Regina Flittner Reginahf@ofir.dk | |
| May 12-14 | Anna Twinney, 3-day Reach Out to Horses® Natural Horsemanship Clinic, Sealand, Denmark, Contact: Regina Flittner Reginahf@ofir.dk | |
| May 12-16 | Sandra Wallin, Dancing With Equus A Chiron’s Way Facilitator Training Program in Equine Guided Development, Module 1, Maple Ridge, BC, http://chironsway.com/seminars.html | |
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May 14 |
Linda Kohanov, The Tao of Equus: Mindfulness Through the Way of the Horse, booking@theeponacenter.com |
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| May 15-16 | Anna Twinney, 2-Day Animal Communication Introductory Class, Sealand, Denmark, Contact: Regina Flittner Reginahf@ofir.dk | |
| May 15-16 | Sandra Wallin, Psych K Basic Workshop, Maple Ridge, BC, http://chironsway.com/seminars.html | |
| May 19-20 | Liz Mitten Ryan, Guest Workshop, Britt Mills DVM, http://www.equinisity.com/workshops.html | |
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May 20 |
Anna Twinney, Holistic Horse Day, Stall Danora, Nora, Sweden, Robert Raine eponaes@hotmail.com |
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May 21 |
Anna Twinney, Animal Communication Day, Stall Danora, Nora, Sweden (must attend Holistic Horse Day on May 20th to attend), Robert Raine eponaes@hotmail.com |
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May 22 |
Anna Twinney, Simple Solutions, Stall Danora, Nora, Sweden, Robert Raine eponaes@hotmail.com |
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| May 22-29 | Liz Mitten Ryan, Level I & II E.A.R.T.H Workshop with Liz and Billa Devries, http://www.equinisity.com/workshops.html | |
| May 23 |
Anna Twinney, Ground Driving, Stall Danora, Nora, Sweden, Robert Raine eponaes@hotmail.com |
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May 24 |
Anna Twinney, Reiki for Horses, Södertörn Ryttarcenter, GRÖDINGE Sweden, Margaretha Tärnström, www.omduvill.se |
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May 27-29 |
3-day Natural Horsemanship Clinic, Geilo, Norway, Marianne Geilo Hestesenter www.geilohest.no |
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May 30 |
Anna Twinney Holistic Horse Day, location TBD Norway, Rune Samnoy, Rune.samnoy@fusi.no |
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May 31 |
Anna Twinney Private Demonstration, Stend Vidaregaande skule, Norway, Rune Samnoy, Rune.samnoy@fusi.no |
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May 31- June 3 |
Liz Mitten Ryan, Animal Communication Workshop, Mara Williams, http://www.equinisity.com/workshops.html |
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| June 3-8 | Kathy Pike, Workshop and Equine Facilitated Learning and Coaching – Level Three Training, http://www.coachingwithhorses.com/calendar.html | |
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June 5-6 |
Debra Olson Daniels, "Clicker Compatible Horse Handling Skills", The Magic Center Toutle, WA, http://www.equineclickermagic.com/schedule.htm |
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Various dates – Please quote HorseConscious when booking |
For details of all of all Anna Twinney’s events and workshops click here |
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Various dates – Please quote HorseConscious when booking |
Kathy Pike’s calendar and clinics can be found here |
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Various dates – Please quote HorseConscious when booking |
Details of Epona workshops by Linda Kohanov can be found by clicking here |
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Remember: |
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May 8-9 |
Mary Ann Simonds, Enlightened Horsemanship and Enchanted Riding Equine Behavior and Communication Level I, http://www.mystichorse.com/maryann.htm |
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Long, silky manes and tails, we all love them, don’t we? In my opininion, the number one most significant improvement that you can make to a horse, is to grow a long, thick, luxurious mane and tail on him or her. I reckon that even if the horse has conformational flaws, the beauty of a flowing mane and tail can completely takes the attention off anything on the horse that is less than desirable. It not only frames but just completes the whole horse making it a stunning sight to behold. This is the kind of horse fairy tales and dreams are made of.
This next thing I noticed is something I had suspected for a long time but couldn’t really prove it until I made my horse stand out with his attention getting beauty. Previously I had horses that I was showed that I knew were better than some of the prettier, flashier horses that were getting better ribbons than me in the shows. I knew it was because my "Plain Jane" horse wasn’t catching the judge’s eye or even getting a second look. It isn’t fair but its human nature. I guess you girls out there can relate!
Of course, on the other side of the coin, if you decide you eventually want to sell your horse, you will almost always end up getting a better price for it. Similar to what I mentioned above about competitions, a beautiful horse is always going to sell for more money and quicker than a horse of equal quality that does not have the looks. The best way to make a horse more beautiful and even to hide some flaws, is to grow a breathtaking mane and tail on it. I have actually sold horses for four to five times what I paid for them simply by growing a thick flowing mane and tail and cleaning them up. I can count on an average of three to four inches of growth on the mane and tail per month, so in just three or four months, I can add a foot of growth.
De-sensitization and imprinting are found in every trainer’s tool box. Their importance to our efficient handling of horses is invaluable. From a human perspective our interaction with horses from handling to riding is safer and less stressful. Its value to a trusting partnership though is dependent on how sensitive and considerate we are to the horse. Is our horse enjoying the relationship more as a result or are they simply dead to the stimulus?
he idea that horses can detect and reflect the human condition has been the source of much discussion in the field of equine facilitated learning/therapy. As a therapist and teacher, I follow my horses’ lead while observing how they illuminate the inner story of the people we work with.
Darma’s abrupt entry into my life had its share of challenges. Acquiring her had not been a practical decision. But my overwhelming emotions the moment I met here were so strong that any sense of practicality went out the window. In some ways we seemed suited for each other. At the young age of 3 years old, Darma had already sustained a racing injury to her knee that made her life as an athletic riding horse more limited. Most people bought horses to ride, but though I was a horse lover I had never been an avid rider. However after a year of attempting to handle her unpredictable mood swings and fears on the ground, I succumbed to the advice of various horse trainers and people I thought were “knowledgeable” horse people who asserted that riding her was the best way to establish a relationship. Now I know this advice is rather backwards, but at the time I gave in to other’s opinions. 
The next day, I voiced my wish to ride Goldie. Amazingly, though shaky on my new emotional legs, I felt steady enough somehow to take on that challenge. I tacked up Goldie and tried to prepare myself to transition from the meditative experience I’d had in the round pen to the active experience of riding her. I asked that she take care of me and teach me to overcome my fear. I told her how grateful I was for allowing me to ride her. 
Unique Eye
e undesired riding.
Filed in