Clinic with Bonnita Roy Part 1

In my never ending quest to explore horses, Today was our first workshop with Bonnie Roy of the Horses at Alderlore. Her workshops consists of Klaus Hempfling, Linda Kohanov and others in that vein inspired work. Working on true connection and spiritual growth through and with horses. She uses her own herd including her stallion Khemancho at her place to do workshops for horseman and non horseman alike. Her work encompasses all different areas and I encourage people to go to her site to see the scope.
Our particular workshop involved working with our own horses and observing non-judgementally, our relationship with them. We did this by doing a series of exercises at liberty one at a time while we watched each other.
We had an extremely interesting mix of horses and people ranging from a Morgan, Belgium, Quarter Horse, Freisian and Dutch warmblood! Also, with very different circumstances.
I was particularly intrigued by her work with the barn manager and her belgium mare that had agression and abuse issues. This mare was a force to be reconed with and intimidated us all. I knew somehow this work would be helpful to her but I didn't know how. She just let the mare tell her how much she could handle and Bonnie listened. Bonnie worked with her owner as a team and the mare became soft and happy before our eyes. It was great to watch. It gave her owner new tools to work with to build there relationship beyond one based on fear of this formidable mare.
As for myself, I worked with my Warmblood. He is an extremely sensitive extremely smart horse. I raised him from a yearling and as you can imagine we have a great rapport with each other. But here is what I learned. My horse is so smart he is an overachiever. I also had found that lately, He would so over anticipate tasks, that I could not get him to stand still and wait for me. I saw that this was out of balance and was in the process of working on this area of our relationship. Bonnie helped me see this more clearly. Slow down she said, be more aware of my body language. I was sending unintentional cues to him I didn't even notice. And because he is THAT sensitive I need to be more aware. That's why we all need eyes on us.
Upon further reflection later in the day, I realized I had created this learning monster because I kept saying to myself "he is so smart I have to keep giving him tasks to keep him challenged" we forgot how to do nothing. I also saw in myself that I am quick minded and fast learning and I need to SLOW DOWN. And even though I thought I had mentally slowed down, It wasn't enough. I have been working on this for some time now and Mercury mirrored to me exactly that. And that no matter how aware I THOUGHT I was, he was telling me I was not paying attention to my own energy. Which is the caveat of being a trainer. We ofter pay more attention to the horse then ourselves. And that's why I knew this workshop was perfect for me! I highly recommend her and look forward to the next one on the 22nd of february.
FDT

Observing the inventors of Natural Horsemanship in action today...

Today, I had the privelege of watching the inventors of NH in action, The horses themselves. I was at my barn and I was observing a paddock which had just had a new horse added to two others.
I also was reflecting on Linda Kohanov's teleseminar and what she had said about Dominant horses vs. Lead horses.
In the adjacent paddock was my friends horse, displaying very anti-social and dominant behavior. Aggressively lunging at the fence, pinning his ears and acting very agitated. I had no doubt that he would hurt the other horses in the paddock if he was in with them. In the other paddock was a true Lead horse showing me how "real" round penning is done. He was moving the new horse around in an assertive but not dominant way. The second horse mimicked him and followed and was showing that he was already established with the Lead horse. I saw the dance between them. The new horse stopped, turned and faced, looked in several times, dropped his head and walked. He wanted to talk it over. Come and Join up. The lead horse looked away and showed no interest. I watched this for some time. It was so interesting to watch them do it. Not a human! I felt like I had a refresher lesson from the masters themselves.
FDT

Here is this weeks NHN Radio show on The Natural Performance Horse

In case you missed it live. Here is tonights show on Natural Horsemanship and the Show horse. Check it out!

Visualization...This stuff really works...

I wanted to share the successes I have been having recently using visualization. One was with the Freisian and his owner in their lesson and the other was with my mare Phoenix in her training.
In the lesson with the Freisian we are working on getting him to reach further underneath himself with more flexibility and power with the hind legs. He is weak in his hind end and tends to want to be short strided. To "visualize" this yourself, If you imagine as your horse is walking, trotting or cantering (easiest while walking at first)the back feet are coming all the way up to you cinch or girth. If you watch horses move at liberty, some do this naturally and some do not. Or another way to look at it is to watch a horse lunging and watch to see if the back hoof print is in, over, or not up to the front hoof print(you have to watch for a bit to see this). Anyway I had his owner visualize the hind feet coming forward further under his body and he did it. Just like that! I then got on him and showed her how it looked when I did it. Very cool.
The next case is a lot more difficult. I have a Right brain extrovert(in Parelli speak) My mare Phoenix. In lay terms she is more go then whoa and quite ADD or even ADHD at times. Anyway, standing still is like torture to her. She hates it. She will throw tantrums at times if she has to stand still longer than she feels like. So picture cross tying. Total ants in the pants! wiggling side to side, back and forth, pawing. So for the past fews sessions I have been working on sending her pictures of her standing relaxed with a leg cocked and feeling ok about it. In the visualization, I tell her that this is a relaxing place to be and I see her with her head down and calm. So guess what happened. She started standing still! Quietly and calmly. Today she stood for a very long time without getting into the wiggles. I was very proud of her. And she seemed to "get it" and be ok with it. I will tell you that this worked better then weeks of trying to back her up to the same spot and "stand" her there using all the NH techniques I know. Very cool. Try it out.
FDT

Goal setting for the new year...

I'd like to address goal setting. This time each year I like to review what I've accomplished with my own horses and others I work with. I also like to think about any of my own personal training or riding goals that I have achieved. I think if you reflect on your past year, you can often see a huge improvement from where you were 12 months before (think about that for a minute). I then like to think about what I'd like to work on in the upcoming year. Things I'd like to improve in my own riding, in my horses training, or anything at all that may need work. Winter is a great time to fine tune things and also "ground play" with your horse for fun or respect or both. I take this time to play a lot with my horses because our show season is suspended for a while and it's FUN!. I work minimally on show stuff and shift the emphasis to playing, learning new things and possibly studying different methods. That is why I am really looking forward to our workshop with our own Bonnita Roy to learn some new ways to interact our horses. I will blog about that after we do it in february. If you find that you have somehow "gone backwards" or your horse has. Then try to make a plan to get back on track. Maybe find a trainer to work with or a DVD or book that focuses on your type of goal or issue. Good luck in the new year!
FDT

My reading with Pamela Au

I just came back from Maui, Hawaii and I had the pleasure to meet (over the phone) and have a reading with Pamela Au. She is an Author, Horse Trainer, Spiritual reader, Artist and Photographer.
I had always had her book but connected with her on the Natural Horse Network by coincidence. We had much in common and seemed to be of like minds. I didn't know Pam was living in Hawaii until communicating with her. I knew I was planning to visit there and thought it would be fun to hook up there.
I decided to get a reading to help me with some questions I'd had on my mind lately. I got much more then I bargained for! She works with you or your animals but my life is intertwined with my animals so they overlapped.
I have had many readings before with different people and this one was the best one I think I've ever had.
She was very precise about things my horse would communicate and helped me understand the intense connection I have with him. She helped me get clear on some career directions I was unsure of. She let me know of some pets that had crossed over, that were still with me. She let me know a lot of interesting details that helped me understand why things are the way they are in my world. I was able to ask very specific questions which I got clear answers too. Even the most sure of us need that help sometimes.
I highly recommend an animal reading or a personal one for anyone or as a xmas gift. You or the recipient will not be disappointed! Click here to go to Pamela's Site.
FDT

To blanket or not to blanket...

I am always a fan of not blanketing if at all possible as I believe if they are able to grow their own protection, and have access to a shed/shelter, they should be fine and it is better for them. It actually inhibits there coats function to cover it and flatten it out. As we have all seen when it gets cold the hair shafts act as a sort of down/solar panel that stands up and draws the sun. That's why they get that "fluffy" appearance As they get warm they flatten the hair down as in after a workout.
If horses are confined, I tend to blanket based on temperature and individual need. Let's say an older horse, a thin skinned horse, a sick horse or a horse that has come from a warmer climate recently may need some additional help. I also look at breeds. Some are tougher then others. Have they lived outside and been allowed to develop their natural protection. Some are clipped for competitive/training/cooling reasons. I believe also, that if they like us, cannot move around naturally and keep their circulation going (as in turnout) they could get cold.
If you must blanket, I am a loyal Rambo/Rhino/Amigo (their least expensive one) fan. They are durable, fit beautifully, never shift, never cause shoulder rubs (I don't know what the secret is), Have minimal straps to deal with (NO leg straps which saves time and I think the horses like more) They even make a QH specific cut line. But I never found it necessary.
Of Course I now own Mercury who has made it VERY clear that he wants to be NAKED! He refuses to wear anything and lets me know by destroying it within minutes and turning it into his personal toy running around gleefully with it like a puppy playing with a chew toy. Yes, I have learned the hard way as I watched him destroy brand new blankets in minutes. Now he only get's blanketed if absolutely necessary.
FDT