My Artistic Vision

Some of you who know me well know that I come from a family of artists. Art has always been a part of my life but my inner artist sometimes wished I could combine my horses with my art. Many people have combined their passion for horses with their art in their own way but I had yet to find a way that spoke to me and my artistic voice.

I made genuine sterling silver and gemstone Wow!bands(http://www.fdhorsemanship.com/#!shop) for bridles and that was cool but I needed more. I designed my own websites, business cards, and logos but still wanted another outlet.

For those of you who don't know, my father, Jack DeJohnette (https://www.facebook.com/jackdejohnette) is a well know Jazz musician and master of Improvisation. Growing up, music was all around me but little did I know that this Improvisational style would come to permeate me to the very core in my career as a horseman.

As many children are, I was influenced by my parents but sometimes we don't realize how much. As I began my path into the art world, The horses called to me at a young age as well. I was completely obsessed and by the time I was 8 I poured over books about these magical animals, By the age of 16 after many riding lessons and working at the local stables, I declared I wanted to be a professional horseman. I had no real idea what this entailed but I knew the horses were calling to me in a very visceral way.

I followed a fairly traditional route with horses...Until I didn't. Like many people, I was taught all the basic ways of being with horses which really didn't allow us to "be" with horses. It took me many years to find my "outside the box" mentors that set me free from that box. I openly confessed that when I was set free as I call it, An awesome, experimental, happy monster was created. I stepped enthusiastically into a world where I could do anything with my horse I wanted as long as we understood each others vulnerabilities. Anything was and is possible if you are willing to try and figure out how to do it. From an amazing, wonderful deep connection with an animal, amazing things happened and continue to happen.

I got the idea to collaborate with my father when I started to see that this Liberty training that I was playing with closely resembled how musicians improvised together. It was a free expression between two or more beings with music. I felt like when my horses and I were at liberty together, It was like a musical improv. Especially since we are often listening to music. In Dressage we use the terms Tempo and rhythm all the time. These are music terms. Horses are music to me. Dancing with them is joy.

I like the idea that when the horse is at liberty, he is like another musician and can play his own instrument. When he is in tack, or under saddle it is not the same though I enjoy riding very much, It is a different type of collaboration. More like a guided dance.

My dad was gracious enough to agree to come to the farm and help me see my artistic vision start to come to life. I brought him to the herd and explained how he should see the horses as fellow musicians and "listen" to their music. That way he could get in the right frame of mind when I brought Mercury in to the arena to join our Music and Dance Trio.

In my vision I wanted to put a shaker on Mercury's leg so he could have his own instrument. I had to get him used to the sound and lots of carrots seemed to convince him this might be a good idea! He was a bit nervous about it and all the film people around. "Oh and who is this person sitting in the middle of our arena with instruments all around him making all these strange sounds!" He seemed to say. Were it not for our deep connection I would not have been able to settle him as quickly as I did.

My dad started to listen to Mercury's movement with the shaker and as Mercury started to move with me and dance, my dad expertly added his music spontaneously to what was happening. It was pure magic and joy! I felt that all at once, all my worlds came together in a way they never had before. I had made a living breathing, work of art! Live Music, Dance, Horses! I must say I am quite spoiled now and want live accompaniment all the time! We filmed the whole experience and will be filming more. I'll keep you posted in the mean time, enjoy another exclusive trailer. http://youtu.be/AVMnJqF1-LM
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Electra's first ride

Here is a video of Electra's first ride. She did amazing! Using the Liberty, Line, Mounted progression made our first ride easy and our communication transferred beautifully. I am so proud of her! I'll keep you posted on progress!
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Upcoming events
9/31-10/2 FDH Horsemanship Clinic: Plainfield, MA
11/30-12/2 FDH clinic in New Zealand: at Taralee stables, Carterton, NZ
11/22-11/24- FDH Clinic in Australia Strath Creek, Victoria, Australia
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Fear revisited

Anyone who has been around horses has had some fearful experiences and even actual bad accidents and traumas. I have met people who are non horse people because of a childhood frightening experience. Many of my students themselves have had some terrible falls and scary accidents. I myself have had some very frightening moments and luckily only minor injuries.

So what happens after such a moment? There are two kinds of people I see. The first type of person is person who although shaken and possibly injured by the incident never ever thinks about not being with horses or getting on again. It is not an option for them. They will not let that stop them from their joy. The other person is stuck in the perpetual trauma and can not seem to get out of it. It is growing bigger and it is literally driving a wedge between them and their horses. The fear is controlling them and stripping their connection away.

It is hard to break free of this cycle once it gets started. Fear is an important emotion when it is in the moment and it is from being present. Your instinct knows exactly when you need to get to safety and when you are not safe. This is good fear. The kind that will save you from injury and possibly worse situations. This is a gut feeling and pure instinct. The second fear is a mental trap your mind sets up. It is no longer in the moment and is a constant recording of negative, worried, and fearful thoughts that can escalate to a full panic attack. Since horses are mirrors, this can be very precarious unless you have a very calm and generous horse.

If you are in this state it is probably no longer fun or positive for the horse or you. So how do we change this difficult fear trap? The first thing is to declare you are done with it. You will no longer let it rule you and take away your joy. You must be very honest about what you really are comfortable with to reconnect with your Confidence and Joy. You MUST decide once and for all you no longer want this pattern and never look back. This is the important part, I see a lot of people kidding themselves and riding who are really frightened of their horses. You cannot be seen as a leader or be seen as trust worthy if you are in a state of hidden panic. Some horses will try to be dominant with this energy and some will just get more fearful with you. So people put special bits or tack and people do tons of ground work but you never really feel safe deep down or happy and connected. You have to switch that deep down fear in your mind. The mind is strong. How strong? Strong enough to convince you to be frightened and worried all the time even when there is no danger present. That mind is no longer in the present it can not react with mindfulness and feel at this point. That same mind can be brought to confidence, balance and mindfulness once you are ready.

Flower essences are a good way to address stuck patterns and fear as well as Essential oils. Rescue remedy, Mimulus, Aspen, Rock Rose, White Chestnut, Star of Bethlehem and Cherry Plum are excellent  Bach Flower remedies. I direct them to the people more then the horses because you need to be the change you want to see in your horse. How many times have you seen a horse be very upset and nervous with a worried, fearful person and then when a calmer person took over the horse calmed down.

I have had my cofidence shaken many times by my own horses when they were younger and I hadn't figured them out yet. But I wouldn't let the fear take over. I figured out how to make myself safe and confident again no matter how long it took and I overcame it. And that feels excellent when you do it! You figure out how to get yourself there. That means finding good Instruction and deciding you are going to move forward with the horse you have or find a confidence making not confidence taking horse.

I am so thrilled with the success of several people I have worked with who owned difficult horses and are over coming their fears and challenges with them. They set their minds to it and are doing it!
Here is a link to Bach Flower http://www.bachflower.com/original-bach-flower-remedies/

UK Clinic up next! http://www.eventzilla.net/web/event?eventid=2138993665
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Horsemanship for Wellbeing

I'd like to talk about Well-being and how we can approach our horsemanship with both of our Well being as a priority.

As a trainer who does Yoga, I very much bring the Yogic mind to my work, teaching and training. This is not only in the physical sense of a flexible strong posture, but also the mind-body connection.

In pursuit of the best relationship and training program possible with my horse. I must focus first on the Connection and Friendship, Then I must stay mindful of who my horse is, where they are in there physical state, and what is most fun, healthy and beneficial to them.

Combining a Natural Approach to Classical Dressage with Yoga and Physical Therapy Principles allows me to bring my horses along in a way that is supportive to not just their bodies but their minds as well. I see myself as a sort Yoga instructor/Physical therapist for my horses. Part of my daily work is to come up with gentle supportive Liberty-Line-Mounted progressions that are not only beneficial but fun for both of us. In Yoga, you never push the body beyond what it can comfortably do and still stay breathing and relaxed. You listen to the body very carefully and do just enough to have a benefit.

An important mind set to have when working with a horse is that you are a Physical therapist or Yoga instructor. I call it staying in the PTYI (Physical Therapist/Yoga Instructor) mind. When we stay in this mind, we wont push a horse harder then is beneficial for their Well being. When you introduce an exercise, Imagine it is your horses' first Yoga or PT session ever. Then imagine yourself having to go to your first Yoga/Pilates class. You would like an instructor who would not ask you for anything harder then you could do. If you were sore and even injured after the first session, you most certainly wouldn't want to go back for another session.

Classical Dressage is in fact Yoga/Pilates/Physical Therapy for horses. It belongs in every program regardless of discipline as the training foundation. Thoughtfully and conscientiously applied, it can improve your connection further with your horse on the ground and mounted. It can help your horses mind-body connection and can rehabilitate some horses that have extreme Symmetry issues. 

It can become a form of meditation together if you avoid the Left brain, perfection, hamster wheel trap so many people fall into. Each day you can meet together and do your "Yoga" session at Liberty, In Hand and Mounted. It doesn't matter whether you ride Western or English. It's all good.

I will be adding new exercises and patterns to the FDHorsemanship Virtual Clinic so be sure to check it out! In the mean time, Enjoy this video which to me, shows all facets of what I look for in my program with my horses. Joy, Fun, Connection, Technical play, fitness and suppleness play, and horse Yoga and Physical Therapy!

Soft vs. Light

Here I am working with a Mare that had a tendency to be Braced in her Mind and movement on a Mind and Body softening exercise...

Soft versus light is an interesting comparison that sometimes there is confusion about. Depending on who you talk to you will get different interpretations.

My Interpretation of Light is a horse or a response to a cue that is very sensitive or even reactive or Over-reactive. So there are degrees of lightness that can actually be too light. The horse may over react or move too quickly so the movement or action is too fast and lacks quality and flow. This is for sure desireable in some disciplines but it can cause mis-communications between horse and rider. This can be a horses natural temperament or tendency or they can be taught to be "Lighter" in their responses if they are a bit un-reactive or slow to react.

Softness to me is about Suppleness, flexibility, a calm mind and flow in the horses movement, body, and mind. There is Relaxation, Rhythm, and fluidness between horse and rider whether you are moving at speed or slow. You'll note that I said a calm mind because to me you can not have true "Whole" softness without a calm, trusting, happy, minded horse. You can not manufacture softness with gadgets, bits, and force.

Now let's talk about Light versus Soft in the Rider. A rider can be Light all the time in their communication or very heavy handed figuratively speaking. Using strong cues always "shouting" so to speak at the horse. This will cause a horse to become perhaps no longer Light where he once was. So we want to be careful of training that into a horse and thinking it's their problem not one we created. A person needs to understand the full spectrum of  "Request levels" starting with a whisper and escalating to a firmer (not louder) Conversation and everything in between.

Which leads to Softness in the person. All the same things apply here Suppleness, flexibility, a calm mind and flow in the persons movement, body, and mind. There is Relaxation, Rhythm, and fluidness between horse and person because you are able to effectively mirror the traits you are asking for from your horse. And again without the calm, happy, mind and body, you can not have true "Whole" softness in yourself.

It is always good to ask yourself as the Leader in the relationship between you and your horse, if you can do what you are are asking your horse to do whether it's be Calm, Be Fearless/Courageous, Flexible, Responsive, Energetic or Quiet. Whatever it may be, It starts with us.

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Keeping Training and Practice Fun and Joyful

Mercury learned to smile from me teaching him how to take oral medicine. How useful is that! And he thinks he's so cool he walks around smiling all the time. Especially for the camera! Big ham...

As a young riding student, I learned a fairly traditional approach to horses and riding. This was niether good nor bad. It was what it was. I was taught all the basic things you are taught as a young student and I soaked it up like a sponge never questioning any of my instructors. As I got older and morphed into a trainer and teacher myself, my thirst for knowledge never ceased and is still there. I was starting to expand out of the box of traditional Horsemanship and branch into some other ideas of approaching horses and training.

The real revolution occurred with the idea that Practice and training of horses could actually be more like playing or a game and it could be fun not only for ME, but also for my HORSE. What a concept! As youngsters most of us were taught that riding was a fun activity, We LOVED horses with a passion and wanted them to love us back. But how many of us really thought about if our horse was having fun with our goals we had. Hunters, Jumpers. Eventing, Dressage, Western Pleasure, Reining etc. I'll tell you right now as someone who is still actively competing and coaching, I look into the eyes of some horses and they do not look like they are having fun. They are being obedient and performing but why can't it be fun for them too?

The first step to making it fun for your horse is to start by building a connection using a method such as Carolyn Resnick's Waterhole Rituals or something similar. This helps foster a horse who likes to be with you and wants to participate in the activities you may set up. The next thing is pick horses who have at least a little aptitude for the work you'd like them to do. This has nothing to do with breed or size. It has to do with raw materials. They don't have to be the next Olympic Reiner or Jumper but they will enjoy the exercises more if it is EASY for them to do them once they understand the question. The next step is relaxing agendas and being creative with exercises. Present them in little pieces, step by step. Not all horses learn the same way. Just like us. If they don't seem to get it one way, try another approach. Reward the slightest try and act like your horse is the smartest, coolest horse ever.Use the 10 second exercise between tries to allow your horse to come up with something. Don't judge what ever he comes up with. Go with it. Give treats at the right time as motivators. Horses like to know there is a food reward involved especially with hard exercises. The timing and giving of the treat is important to the "games' and "puzzles" you create. Some of my happiest training accidents have been when my horse was trying to invent a "New" exercise to offer me. You'll note that I said my horses will "Offer" or invent things on their own. If you let your work/play be like this then it is likely that your horse will invent things on his own and if you are open and flexible you might be knocked over by what your horse can do!  I encourage this experimenting and interaction. That is when it is the most fun (even magical seeming) for me AND my horse! Happy Training!

Visualization and Intention Setting

Visualization and Intention Setting are two powerful and under utilized tools in our relationship and training of our horses. How many of you have uttered the phrase " I just thought it and he did it" while working with a horse? I bet some of you have.
It is in our mind but we cast it off as a unique incident or that the horse is really trained or super sensitive. Now those factors of course can be in play but what if we worked from this place all the time.
First let's break down Visualization and the different uses for it. I use Visualization in Riding, Training, and other times with my horses. The reason I put the two together is that when you Visualize you are starting to set your Intention. Visualization is when I clearly picture something in my head. It could be a particular movement as small as moving the horses body or leg a certain way, it could be a larger movement of leg yielding, it could be seeing the horse take the canter on the left lead etc. It could also be a calming visualization for me or the horse. I may see the horses posture in a more relaxed shape with the head lower and may mirror breathing calmly to the horse. I may see myself as softening and relaxing my body by visualizing something the triggers that in me. It is only your imagination that is the limit.
When it comes to Intention Setting. This can be a long and short term idea. I may say I want to do a Liberty Piaffe with my horse or I want jump four feet. So I have set my intention. By doing that, if we stay fluid and opened to the path to that goal it will most certainly happen. As soon as I set my intention, if I get out of the way, everything starts to move in that direction. Even training problems seem to fix themselves. Another good place for Intention setting is for a fearful rider. You may say "I want to walk out on the trails with my horse in 3 months and feel safe and calm" This helps you start on a positive path as opposed to this mind set of "I'm afraid to do this, I can't do this". Setting small achievable goals and knowing exactly when to push past yours or your horses comfort zone are keys to moving forward. Even so called backward steps are just reminders of readjusting your intentions or slowing down. If you listen to these little guides you will stay more fluid with yourself and your horse. Mistakes are only road signs to pay attention to. Read them and follow what they say and you'll get back on the path. The next time you go to your horse, try setting your Intention and then Visualizing what it is you want the horse to do. Let me know how it goes in the comments! Also write your Intentions down so you can start working toward them. Below you will see and example of my own Intention setting and Visualization. A long time ago, I never dreamed of riding without a bridle and doing dressage or jumping and then I saw people do it and I said "I can do that" and I saw myself doing it and I did it on a horse that was very difficult to ride it was a testament to what you can accomplish when you use these tools. See my first free ride in an open field I did last week and my first jumping video on only my second attempt at bridless riding in the videos below...
FDT

Positive Reinforcement

As I have come to work with some challenging horses and with the wisdom of time and experience, I have come shape my training around Positive Reinforcement.

What is Positive Reinforcement? It can be Verbal, Physical, Food, or allowing the horse to do something he wants to do. If I have a horse that may have some undersireable behavior I basically ignore it and focus on the rewarding the behavior I do like and build up from there. We tend to fixate on the "Bad" behavior and correcting it instead of teaching the horse a new pattern.

For example, if a horse is rude around food I would not correct him or yell at him for being pushy and aggressive. I would think of what I might like the horse to do instead and set about showing him how to do that and then rewarding the positive change. So I might say to the horse with my body language or even a stick, "could you move back over there about 5-6 steps and "whoa"? The horse may need to be requested several times to stay back and wait, but I will just keep asking politely until he says "ok" by standing and giving me eye contact. At that point I will give him the precious food he so much wanted and we will have had a conversation about how I'd like him to conduct himself around me and food. Ultimately respect my leadership and safety and I will be more then happy to give him what he wants. Leadership is  balance thing.

If we are Ogres and control freaks all the time, the horse will run the other way when we come to the pasture. On the other hand if we are push overs, we can get hurt and frustrated because our horse out ranks us.
We need to focus on consistent positive, behavior patterns and keep working with them daily.

When I have worked with difficult horses, I find as long as I can get them to honor my personal space, we can start to have a conversation about what might be a better way to work together. I don't really care if a horse is a bucker, rearer,striker or kicker. None of these things can hurt me if the horse is not in my personal space. So if I have this horse and he is upset or even aggressive, we have to learn how to be in a space and respect each other. If I feel safe I can let the horse express his opinions freely until he feels heard and then he will probably listen to me. A lot of times a horse wants us to just listen. Like a person who's upset.This horse often stops protesting when he sees I am not going to make a request until he shows me his softer side. Also, by not trying to control the "bad" behavior it often diffuses itself and fizzles out. If you don't feed that energy, it goes hungry.  Same with fear and spookiness.

Some horses seek negative reinforcement just as much as positive because they are smart and it has gotten a rise out of the human. It can become a game that you don't even know you are playing. If I ignore this game and then see some behavior I like, I will go and Positively Reinforce it. The horse learns the "negative" behavior goes un-noticed and loses interest in doing it anymore. I have found this way of training has garnered me much more success then chasing horses around pens and "Dominating" them. This is not to say a horse doesn't need leadership and to respect you. It is to say that we can do it in a Positive way and keep a nice relaxed, harmonious connection even when there is a lot of energy to deal with.
FDT

New Series: How Liberty work helped me with riding

This is the first video in a series I wanted to do on the link between Liberty work, riding issues and how you can overcome them. I am sharing my journey with my mare Phoenix who has been a challenge from the get go. I feel like it is important to share the links I am finding with my horse to our riding issues. My hope is for people to understand the deep importance and role of Carolyn Resnick and the Waterhole Rituals to your mounted work.
If you are unfamiliar with the Waterhole Rituals, They are 7 exercises which progressively build Bond, Trust, Willingness, Focus, Respect, Connection, and Desire in the Horse and Person Simultaneously. And yes, I said it builds these qualities in the person as well.

Through the exercises, you learn how to emulate and step into the role of a "Lead" horse versus a Dominant horse and the difference. A lead horse makes requests of other horses. A Dominant horse seeks to Dominate other horses. You become a Leader you horse WANTS to follow because he chooses to.

The exercises teach you to slow down, and be present when working or riding your horse and eventually be more present in general. They are not meant to be something you do and then once you learn them you stop. They are meant to be a permanent addition to your practice and a continual method to build better and better communication, feel, and connection. The Connection will literally keep getting better and stronger. This work has brought an aspect to my Training that has increased my fun, joy and understanding of horses as well as creative problem solving to common "issues".

If you love your horse but you are not sure your horse feels the same towards you, Carolyn Resnick's Waterhole Rituals will help your horse feel toward you as he does toward his favorite pasture/herd mates (if he has them). If he doesn't have "horse" friends. He will learn to relate to you as a likeable "Lead" Horse.

The applications of The Waterhole Rituals are literally endless and are only limited by your imagination. You can "Technically" Train a horse all you want, but if he doesn't WANT to work for you, he's not going to. These exercises help your horse want to work with you because he chooses to. Not because his choices are do it or else. In the world of competition, I would feel much more trust in a team mate who wanted to give me everything he had then one who was afraid of the consequences of not doing so.
If you would like to know more about this Method and the extraordinary woman who founded it go to Carolyn Resnick's Blog to find out more.