Heart In Your Hand Natural Horsemanship

Being a Cowboy Taught me…

2011-12-14T17:42:00.004-06:00

Being a Cowboy Taught me…

Campfire Cowboy Ministries

By Kevin Weatherby

Being a cowboy taught me….being a servant is as easy as feeding the horses, cleaning out their pens, breaking ice in the winter, and putting your comfort second in every situation.

Being a cowboy taught me….getting bucked off will teach you all sorts of life lessons.

Being a cowboy taught me….crap may smell bad, but it washes off pretty easy.

Being a cowboy taught me….never get too comfortable, something’s fixing to change.

Being a cowboy taught me….some people will call you Howdy Doody, but the smile on a child’s face when he points at you and says, “Look mom! A cowboy!” is worth it all.

Being a cowboy taught me….the greatest love you can show is putting down your own horse or dog if it’s suffering.

Being a cowboy taught me….it’s ok to cry when your horse or your dog dies.

Being a cowboy taught me….people will respect your actions more than your words.

Being a cowboy taught me….you can’t ride point and drag at the same time with any degree of effectiveness.

Being a cowboy taught me….God will not speak louder than your selfishness.

Being a cowboy taught me….suspenders are a great until there’s a #2 emergency.

Being a cowboy taught me….true grit is found right past the moment where you’ve always given up.

Being a cowboy taught me….worry is just as effective as cussin’ the weather.

Being a cowboy taught me….shutting your mouth is a skill that needs to be honed daily.

Being a cowboy taught me….learning to laugh at the simple things will help when things get difficult.

Being a cowboy taught me….when you try to please God, it’s gonna piss a bunch of people off…and that’s ok.

I just had to share this. For more great articles by Kevin go to www.savethecowboy.com

The Essence of Horsemanship

2011-12-05T21:27:00.007-06:00

The Essence of Horsemanship

By Sherry Jarvis

Heart in Your Hand Horsemanship LLC

www.heartinyourhand.com

Good horsemanship is a lifetime pursuit. We are aware that timing, feel, and balance are three words that describe good horsemanship and most of us are still in pursuit of perfecting these three elements. No matter how good we are, we all know that if we spend very much time with a horse things don’t always go as planned or as we would like them to. No amount of good intentions, will power or self control will stop us from becoming disappointed, frustrated, fearful, or angry when things fall apart with our horse. What will change our way of being is learning to see the horse as a horse, perfect just the way that God created it.

Good horsemanship starts in your mind. Ray Hunt said, “Let your Idea become the horse’s Idea”…and “fix it up and let him (the horse) find it”. He also said, “If the horse is right on his feet he’ll be right on his head”. Ray’s thoughts and words are the essence of good horsemanship. But how do every-day people like you and me get there?

I have been trying to learn feel, timing, and balance for 40 years now and to teach it to others for about the past 10 years, because apparently these three things are all you need in order to become a good horseman. However, even after many years these are still concepts that are not easy to do or to teach. Even though good horsemanship is not always an easy task the rewards and benefits are worth the blood, sweat, tears, and money we pour into this passion we call horsemanship. Just how does one go about acquiring good horsemanship?

The Essence of Horsemanship is composed of seven things

I believe that the essence of horsemanship is composed of seven things:

1. A calm projected, quiet yet strong, and fair confidence that gives humans leadership in the equine order of things.

2. Sensitivity to the animals means of communication, most of which involves touch and body language.

3. Patience, patience and then more patience with lots of time. Don’t be in a hurry!

4. Strategic planning as to how to teach the horse to do what is desired.

5. Enough balance, athletic ability, bio mechanical knowledge and conscious control over your body that you do not impede the horse or send random or meaningless signals.

6. A sincere and honest desire to join with the animal's feelings.

7. Letting go of our agenda, at least for a little while.

Being fixated on a big agenda causes humans to have narrow vision and limited ability for being flexible, tolerant, empathetic, and patient. Not being fixated on a specific agenda allows humans to be open and more able to adjust to variations in whatever a particular situation produces. Giving up agenda gives the human a better view of the bigger picture. It removes limitations and blocks to progress and allows more opportunity for success. Giving up our agenda offers a rare glimpse of freedom to the horse and the human. Empathy is a huge key and essential element to successful relationships of all types, including with our beloved horses.

Humans need to learn flexibility and creativity when training horses. I love this quote by Betsy Shirley (Buck Brannaman's foster Mom),"Blessed are the flexible, for they shall not get bent out of shape." No one standard method will always work with every horse. Each horse will develop as an individual and will react differently to the same stimulus.

“The balance of human rules and horse rules will depend on the particular horse and human involved. That's why we can't treat all horses in the same way and expect the same results. Recipes have an allure because of their simplicity, but they will ultimately
fail because of their lack of specificity.” Greg Brass

Knowing what to do, how and when to do it (and more importantly, when to stop doing it) is bound together within feel, timing and balance. If you release the pressure at the wrong time, you have lied to your horse. Horses that have been lied to repetitively are easy to spot. They are the ones who:

throw their heads up instead of softly backing up.
hesitate or refuse to enter a horse trailer, the arena, or go over a jump
step away or kick at the Farrier instead of lifting the desired foot.
won’t stand still for grooming, saddling, mounting
push through any kind of pressure, or crowd people
avoid being caught
buck when asked to go forward, etc….

Yes, I have had horses like this, we all have. The good thing is I have also had horses that will do just about anything I ask of them with an amazing willingness. Horses that desire to be ridden are a joy. You can easily spot these horses because they:

are easy to catch.
will stand still untied for saddling or just about anything else within reason.
stand quietly to be mounted and they may even step over to the mounting area to pick you up.
respect your space and respond willingly to all your suggestions when understood etc….

I think horses are more intuitive than we give them credit for. They can understand your intent….your THINKING. They can feel a temper, anger, frustration, all of which they do not respond very positively to. Therefore we should always remain empathetic.

Feeling what others are feeling is called empathy. Horses are naturally and always empathetic. Empathetic responses help animals to become bonded, develop trust, respect and create loyalties. If we have empathetic relationships with our horses they truly become our trusted companions and we become that to them as well. If this sort of relationship is established, generally the horse will really try as hard as it can to comply with the wishes of the human because the human has become a great herd leader for the horse.

Horses should not be accused of doing anything personally to a human. It's only a horse, and does not think to intentionally cause a human to have problems, spoil a humans day, make a human look bad or ever have any such inclination to personally do something to a human.

“What appears innocuous is insidious, but there is no bad intent in the horse. It's nothing sinister, they're attempting to fill the void. Horses relate to each other with a set of rules. Some of the rules are hard-wired in their DNA and some are learned. But the rules give them an ordered understandable way to live in their environment. It makes life more manageable. When humans enter into the horse world there needs to be a negotiation to determine the rules that will apply.” Greg Brass

All behavior we see in our horses that we call bad or stubborn is born out of fear or confusion within the horse. Horses will not act against their good herd leader. After all, it is the leader of the herd that helps assure the survival of the herd.

I think one answer to better horsemanship is our willingness to become empathetic with our horses. Greatness in humanity seems in part to always contain the quality of empathy. When empathy is combined with compassion and kindness huge strides are made towards a better existence for all. With our horses, if we can add the ingredients of great equestrian skills, wisdom of the mind of the horse and excellent leadership, then high levels of success are assured. Think about becoming an empathetic horseman and, at least attempting to feel what your horse is feeling. You will be amazed at how much closer you will become with your horse and how much closer that horse will become with you.

So the next time you are working with your horse you may want to think about these principles:

before you blame, examine self
before you speak, listen
before you demand, suggest
before you respond, watch
before you ask again, wait
before you block, offer an out
before you drill, be creative
before you get angry, preserve dignity
before you take a hold, let go
before you brace, breath
before you say no, know the right answer
before you yell, whisper
before you go over board, stay balanced
before you speed up, slow down
before you ride, pray

I would like to close this article with one more quote from my horseman friend Greg, “Once humans recognize that they aren't particularly special, that they are merely different, then they can relate to horses as different equals that together have the ability to be greater than themselves individually. A human's greatest obstacle to being a good horseman is ME.”

Happy Trails,

Sherry Jarvis

Oct., Nov., Dec. Newlsetter 2011

2011-12-05T21:20:00.003-06:00

I have had such a busy fall that I have not kept up on my blog very well.
So here are the links to my Oct., Nov., and Dec. newsletters.

Oct. Newsletter; Think Like A Horse

Nov. Newsletter; Thanks

Dec. Newsletter; New Beginnings

SCHEDULE FOR JAN. AND FEB. 2012
I will reserve the dates of Jan. 13-16 and Feb. 10-13 to set up private lessons and one day clinics in Omaha and Lincoln. The back-up dates in case of bad weather and unsafe travel conditions will be Jan 20-23 and Feb. 17-20.
Please contact me as soon as possible if you are interested.
308-346-5663 or 308-730-2150 email Sherry at sherry@heartinyourhand.com

The rest of 2012 Schedule can be viewed on the website.

All dates are subject to change: So Please call first to check availability.
If there isn't anybody signed up for an event and you want to host a clinic or reserve the bunkhouse for that weekend, we will make the necessary changes.
All our business is a first come first serve basis.

15% OFF

Sherry's book or
Your 2012 stay at
Horse Lover's Bunkhouse
Make a reservation today with a deposit 3 months prior to your date and receive a 15% discount off regular bunkhouse rates. Does not include stall, lesson or guide fees.

Also 15% off Sherry's book "Win Your Horses Heart"
Offers expire April 1st.

DREAM VACATION
at Horse Lover's Bunkhouse,

Give a Gift Certificate
to a Horse Lover for Christmas.
Round up some friends, grab your saddle, enjoy a good laugh, and let us help you ride the trails and relax with your horse. We offer trails, lessons, spiritual growth retreats and more.

An affordable vacation where you can bond with a horse. Make new friends. Ride over 12,000 acres of gorgeous trails. Stay in our comfortable heated and air-conditioned bunkhouse. Nice pens for your horse. Lease Horses available.

Get away with your horse this year.
Contact us today. 308-346-5663

TESTIMONY ABOUT SHERRY'S BOOK
" Win Your Horse's Heart" (Be a Better Horseman)
I bought two of your books (one for me and one for my friend, Terry) and she was so excited when I gave it to her. She sat down and read it in two days! She is my friend that is a foster Mommy for two to three horses at a time from a local rescue in our area. She works with them to re-build their trust in ppl and their self-esteem and most often she has to put weight on them – she is nourishing them inside and out. She said she learned a lot reading your book!
Sherry, keep up your great work and inspiring others with your messages.
Diane

SPIRIT HORSE RETREAT

2011-09-05T20:32:00.004-05:00

Get Refreshed, Restored, and Ready
A journey with the Master Trainer, Jesus!

Sept. 16-18 and Oct. 21-23

Horse Lovers Bunkhouse
Burwell, NE

Fri. 1:00-6:00 Sat. & Sun. 9:00-5:00
Trail Ride Sat. Evening & Church Service on Sun. Morning.

If you love horses and want to grow spiritually this retreat is for you!
Using a Bible Study by Beth Moore called: "The Promise of Security"

You do can bring a horse or lease one of ours.

Call Sherry @ 308-346-5663

More Details:
1. The last time we did a bible study on Slaying the Giants in our Lives. This time I bought a short Bible Study by Beth Moore called: "The Promise of Security". Today's women face all kinds of unrealistic expectations: look young, get ahead, have it all together etc... Some women feel trapped in chronic insecurity, but God wants us to be free from this "trap"and find our security in Him. Drawn from the Scriptures this little bible study by Beth Moore will inspire you to find the soul-deep security God longs for you to experience. "The Lord is your security. He will keep your foot from being caught in a trap." Proverbs 3:26

2. This is not a horsemanship clinic. We will NOT be focusing on developing our horsemanship but rather; while we are developing our horsemanship we will focus on how the things we are doing relate to our spiritual life. So don't come expecting to fix all the problems you have with your horse, or even addressing every one of them like I will try to do at horsemanship camp. This is about looking beyond the mere physical aspects of horsemanship (how do you get a horse to do this or that) into what can the horse teach us about ourselves and God. It is about observing analogies between the relationship we have with a horse and the relationship we have with our Savior Jesus Christ. It is about how we live our lives and who we are both as horsemen and children of the most High God. So if you just want to focus on developing your riding ability you may want to choose a different camp. I just don't want anyone to be mislead or disappointed.

3. Meals will not be provided. But we can share food and eat together as we fellowship.

4. Schedule:
We will start at 1:00 on Fri. ending around 6:00 Then supper and fellowship in the evening
We will start on Sat. at 9:00 am ending around 5:00 Then supper, fellowship, and trail ride for
those who wish in the evening
We will start on Sun. at 9:00 then you may go to church with me or not at 11:00. Then we will
begin again at 1:00-5:00.
If you need to leave a little earlier on Sun. or come a little later on Fri. that is up to you.
I am requesting that if you come you attend as much of all three days as possible in order to get
the full benefit.

5. Some people have asked me if they have to ride a horse or bring a horse. The answer to
both questions is no. It is up to you. And I do have horses for lease if you choose. $25/half day
and $50/full day which includes tack.

6. Some people have asked me if we are going to trail ride. Those who want to may do so on
Sat. evening.

7. Of course everyone wants to know the bottom line of the cost. I am doing this as a ministry, so my instruction is by free will donation. You can give me whatever you think it was worth to
you. However, there is a charge for the facilities as I must still pay my insurance, taxes, electric,
water and garbage bills. It will depend on how many come and how many nights you choose to
stay what your cost will be. Right now I have no clue how many people will come. The last time
the number of people coming changed every day right up until the day it began. So I can never
predict how many will show up. I wish I could, but I cannot. So no guarantees on the final cost
until it is all over. But you can figure an estimate by these rates.

Bunkhouse Rates
* Single person reserve the whole place $50/night
* Double the fun (2 people) $80/night
* Triple the fun (3 people) $90/night
* Four people $112/night
* Five or more people (double up in beds) $125/night
Tax in not included add 10.5%
Outdoor or Indoor Stalls.
* $10/night/horse
* Guided Trail rides are $20/hour for the group
* Lease Horse is $50/day or $25/for half day (includes tack)

Greatest parts of the Journey

2011-09-05T20:28:00.005-05:00

Photo by Julie Williams
Here are some of the greatest parts of my journey so far, in no particular order
of greatness or importance.

1. My first pony Ginger at 2 years old.
2. Riding my Dad's rope horse at 12 years old.
3. Starting my first colt by myself at 13 years old.
4. Teaching others especially mentoring interns
5. Riding at Parelli's in Pagosa
6. Riding with other great horsemen like Jack Brainard, Richard Winters, Kirsten
Neilsen, Bryan Newbert, Buck Brannaman, Ray Hunt.
7. Helping Sunshine find a better life within herself.
8. Helping people gain more confidence and reach their firsts.
9. Riding with Keith in the WY mountains
10. Going to the Carter Ranch in WY for a week every year to ride and give
lessons.
11. Giving my heart away to so many horses and receiving the greatest reward and
satisfaction of all back from them when they partner up with me.
12. Meeting so many wonderful friends who are also horse lovers like minded with
me on the journey.
What are your greatest moments on the journey?
I would love to hear from you.
Happy trails,
sherry

FOCUS ON THE JOURNEY, NOT THE DESTINATION

2011-09-02T21:13:00.002-05:00

You know the routine. You pack the kids into the car to go on your summer vacation. It is a long trip, and five minutes out of the driveway it starts: "Are we there yet?" I can remember as a kid that it felt like it took forever to get anywhere. Sometimes I was so excited about the destination that the hours of sitting still in a car were complete torture. Time didn't go by any faster when
I was figiting and frustrated. So I had to learn to "wait well" in the car. As an adult I occasionally find myself with the same wrong attitude, spending too much time focused on my destination instead of enjoying where I am. I believe I have finally learned that life is about the journey, not the destination, and now the ride is becoming a lot more easy and fun.

On your own horsemanship journey toward excellence and safety, you also need to enjoy the ride. Now you may be one of those lucky people who does enjoy every ride with their horse, and if you are congratulations. However, in my travels I meet so many people who are frustrated, afraid, and feeling incapable. It is not how far away your are from your destination, or even where you are right now, what matters most is the direction you are headed.

If you live in Alaska and are headed to the sandhills of NE for a horse vacation in our bunkhouse you've got a long way to go. However, you will get here, no questions, as long as you keep heading south. On the other hand if somebody living in Denver CO heads south they will never get here even though it is a lot closer to Burwell than Alaska. If you are studying tried and true
horsemanship principles and applying them to your journey, be excited that you are headed in the right direction. Every thing you learn, every book you read, every DVD you watch, every lesson you take, every clinic you attend takes you one step closer in the right direction. So go ahead and feel good about it no matter where you are compared to those around you.

The important things is not what you can do with your horse today, but that you are improving. If you goal is to gallop across an open field or compete at the highest level of dressage don't get discouraged because it seems so out of reach. Instead, ask yourself if these are realistic goals considering your age, physical abilities, dedication, time, and money you can put into the project. If you can make the necessary sacrifices then continue by developing a plan. If not there is nothing wrong with lowering your expectations a little.

But even if you have to change your goals to become a bit more realistic given your current circumstances, be PROUD of today and all that you have accomplished so far. Don't focus on how far you have to go, always remember to look at how far you have already come. Do everything you can to make this day with your horse a success. And when it is, allow yourself some deep satisfaction in it.

Think about your successes, rather than your failures. Maybe you made a mistake with your horse today, but the good news is you probably didn't make as bad of a mistake as you would have a year ago. Perhaps you intended to ride your horse for two hours today, but got started late and could only do 20 minutes. Don't feel that you are a failure and should have done better. Remember there were plenty of times you didn't get out there at all. Be happy that you at least got a little time in, and then try to get a little time in more often, and you will be amazed at your progress. Keeping a positive attitude about your progress will breed more progress.

Let your days be filled with good choices and good thoughts. Then your body and soul will be happier and more content with where you are. Don't focus on the long trip, the many miles ahead of you, instead focus on the day or even the moment. Have one good day with your horse, and tomorrow becomes more enjoyable, and that leads to an even better next day. As you enjoy the journey, you'll soon discover how easy it is to love just where you are each moment, even if you haven't arrived at the ultimate destination yet. Your horse lives this way and so should you if you want to see horsemanship from his perspective.

I hope to see you on the trail this year. I am staying a little closer to home the next couple of months because of training horses and quite a full schedule of people reserving the bunkhouse to come out for lessons, to enjoy our gorgeous trails, participate in a spirit horse retreat, or even just to relax and kick back. If you would like to have one last horse vacation in 2012 we only have a few dates open, but I am sure we can figure something out if you want to come bad enough.

Happy Trails,
Sherry

End of first week with Pip

2011-08-30T22:40:00.000-05:00

Introduced Pip to the snaffle bit yesterday. I took the reins off the bridle and put the halter on over the top of the bridle and continued with normal ground work and liberty round penning. She did the typical chewing getting it under her tongue etc. I ignored it all and let her work it out. Oh and I also did the rope around the butt, follow the feel exercise, mixed with some friendly with ropes around her legs etc. This all went according to the book. No big issues.

This morning after the normal warm up; greeting, haltering, flexion, backing out of stall and moving HQ and FQ over, some million dollar moves, and backing in circles. I turned her loose in the round pen, she was full of energy today so I upped the games with her saying if you want to go fast, me too, I like that idea, and by the way let’s see how athletic you can be by changing directions at fast speeds. She got pretty hot and sweaty while I smiled calmly working a lot less in the middle. When she decided to settle and join with me, I gave her a nice long break to cool down. Gave her plenty of scratches and brought her a bucket of water. Then I did a little invisible line driving which was lovely because our connection is coming along very well. I put the halter back on did a few transitions on the circle and she was much more relaxed and responsive. Then I took the halter off and put the bridle on with the long lines.

I started with contact on only one line and slowly progressed to having two, she did really well. Then I started changing directions, she was more resistant when turning to the right but when I stayed in time with her feet using good timing and release it wasn’t long before she softened both directions. Next I started stopping her, again there was some resistance in there but I was able work it out real quick, also aiding with my breath and seat. Went back to some circles and then change of direction all at the walk. I checked to see if we still had a smooth stop before I started working on just a step or two of backwards feel. . This came pretty easy because all the other pieces were in place. So it was time to ask for the trot and do some transitions, she was a pro, looking real pretty with some nice lines, good impulsion, flexion, balance and rhythm. Called it quits on a very very good note.

This all took about 1 ½ hours.

The pm session was the best one we have had yet. She was really acting like a partner the whole time. Did a very short version of this mornings warm up after saddling her. Neither one of us were sweating a bit, she decided it is much easier to just be a willing relaxed partner. No bridle tonight. My main focus was to see if she could transition into the canter on the 22 foot line without any bucking, squirts, and not increase the speed into a gallop. If she could do this, I was prepared to ride her tonight. She did it perfect both directions. This is the first time she didn’t even give a thought to bucking. So to the mounting block we went. Didn’t take long to get her standing exactly where I wanted her. Mounted and dismounted several times. Did some lateral bending and moving the HQ. Walked around a little and by then it was dark, and the bulls were starting to freak both of us out a little. My brother’s bull and the neighbor’s bull were having a yelling match the precursor to a fight and my place is in the middle. I won’t be shocked if the fences are down in the morning.

Anyway, we quit when all was well. The first week is under our belts and I am very happy with her progress. I gave her two days off which is unusual for me but I had to man a booth at the state fair on Friday for the Burwell Chamber, and Sun. before church I took a family trail riding who were staying in the bunkhouse and then after church I took my parents to the horse races in Columbus. However the days I have worked her she has gotten two session each day except for Sat. So far a total of 11 sessions and 20 hours.I am looking forward to the rest of our time together. I am positive we have begun in a way that will set the rest of the month up for success. Her owner is coming on Sat. to bring more hay and take a lesson.

Happy trails,

Sherry

3rd Day with Pip

2011-08-25T14:15:00.000-05:00

Had a 3 hour session with Pip this morning it wasn't as cool as last night but not as hot as the first day. Again I strove to work smarter not harder. I also focused on pretending I didn't have any tools. How much can I get accomplished with just my thoughts and body? I also slowed way down, waiting for the golden licks and chews often even if it took a few minutes to get them. The more soak and relaxation time I give each horse the more then want to perform me and understand I am on their side.

Started the morning off with where we left off last night; synchronized walking (with saddle on). When way better this morning, she is stopping with my breath and seat now, and it doesn't matter which side I am on, it is equally good.

Then reviewed life up life down, and circle with human in neutral giving the horse 100% responsibility to stay in gait, don't change directions, watch where you are going and by the way keep a float in the rope. Still took longer than I wanted it too, but I remained patient. Aiding her only when necessary, rewarding the slightest tries. Also worked a little on Yo Yo. Being sure that she floated back like a boat moving away from the dock. Lots of soak time on each end of the yo yo, creating sweet spots.

Started teaching backing in a circle. First couple of times she had some brace in her rib cage and didn't feel like bending. But I used the barrel for a focus and she soon found how easy it was to go around the barrel when she softened and bent her body while keeping the impulsion backwards.

Took her with me to do some other horse chores like putting out hay for my horses, filling water tanks, moving hay bales etc. She was like my partner. I just put the lead in my pocket and went about my work. Let her have a nice drink and a little hand grazing before going to the round pen for our final work out of the day, where the focus was proper posture and free forward movement with some flexion.

Ended in the round pen, instead of starting in the round pen just to keep things fresh and unpredictable, yet keeping my communication and fairness very consistent and dependable. So in other words using repetition for security in learning yet variety for motivation for willingness to learn and practice.

Really worked on shaping her body up while in the round pen, not just letting her run around without purpose, focus and form. It again took longer than I predicted but we were able to quit on a very good note. The lesson for the day for anyone reading this is SLOW DOWN be PATIENT and CONSISTENT, your horse will love you for it.

Happy Trails,
sherry

Pip's Beginning

2011-08-24T12:06:00.001-05:00

Pip arrived yesterday. It was hot, humid and no breeze. But despite the weather conditions we proceeded to get to know one another. She is a beautiful three year old appaloosa owned by Donna, who has raised some very fine appaloosas. I have had the privilege of working with a couple of other horses she has raised, one included the sire of this fine filly. Not only is she pretty and built well, she has a good mind. She may be a little snotty and opinionated at times, but for the most part she really would rather just get along and go with the flow. I think she is going to be fun.

We started in the round pen at liberty. I just let her go stood in the middle and watched her, leaving her to just be a horse. I carefully observed where her attention was, how she was moving her body, and what she choose to do when left on her own. She was pretty relaxed, she found a few blades of grass near the edge of the round pen to nibble on. Her attention was quite divided between me, grass and my horses on the other side of the trees out in the pasture. She has beautiful balanced and relaxed movements.

After a while I asked her to move out at the trot, that is when the snotty started, head tossing, shaking, and even kicking out at me. So each time she was snotty I asked her to move a little faster and as soon as she soften I asked her to turn and face me by backing off the pressure, NOT chasing her HQ. She was good at turning and facing but didn't want to move towards me in the middle. So I made the effort to go to her and play some nice friendly game. I also played a backing game using steady pressure, plus moving the FQ a little.

When I asked her to move out again, I was very particular about staying as subtle as possible. I was working smarter not harder. I was choosing to do as little as possible in order to get maximum results from her. It didn't take her long to figure out it was easy to go with the flow. Now remind you it is very hot out, and so I am doing my very best to get this all done without any sweat from either of us. It is working. As she is turning and facing so well, but choosing to stay on the rail, I keep working on the draw. She is finding that I am a darn good deal and choosing me more often. The center has become our sweet spot and we both enjoy our time together there.

When she chooses and stays with me three times in a row, we call it a good day. But I don't just go put her away. Donna says she is food motivated. So I go to the pasture to hand graze her. Here comes my herd to check out the new horse. I use my stick to chase them off and she learns to read me not the stick. We become a herd of two and the magic has begun.

Pips second session on the first day started at 8:00 pm. It is still hot, humid, no breeze and not much cooler than it was this morning, but we press on anyway.

I make sure she touches me first at her gate. I am particular about her lowering and turning her head to me while I put the halter on. Spend some time with friendly scratches. Move the HQ over to position her butt to back out of the gate. Ask her to back out of her pen, which will be her habit for the next 30 days. I put the 22 foot lead rope on and head to the arena. She wants to lead me a bit on the way, so I remind her that we are going together as a team, practicing my synchronized walking. Everything you do with a horse matters. And you are continually either developing poor or good habits for you and your horse. It is your choice, but you must pay attention in order to develop good habits.

Upon arrival at the arena she thinks it is more interesting to pay attention to the other horses than to me. So we play a little attention game and work on the million dollar move (move the HQ then the FQ through). When she has softened and paying attention to me, we begin life up, life down exercises, mixed with friendly game with the stick and string. (Read me, not my stick, read my intentions, respond don't react or escape.)

When she is moving lightly and quickly from life up and slowing down and relaxing from my life down, we proceed to circle game. The goal is for me to do as little as possible to teach the horse it is her responsibility to:

a. stay in the gait I have asked for until further notice.

b. don't try to change directions

c. watch where you are going

d. relax in forward motion with rhythm and a slight bend in the body, keep attention on me and on the circle.

e. don't pull on me, (keep slack in the rope, in fact I want the rope on the ground for now, don't let it come off. I do nothing but stay the same in the middle and only correct when she makes a mistake. Even then I give her a moment to fix her own mistakes if she can. The longer we go the better she is at doing this.)

f. Do all of the above for one entire circle.

This exercise is actually very easy if the handler is very very very patient. Don't try to cause it, rather allow it to happen, then it will go a lot easier and quicker. Think and visualize the circle in your head maybe even from birds eye view.

I did reward her a few times before she had completed the circle, just because I didn't want to loose the draw and join up that I had established in the first session with her. Always remember to reward the slightest try and you will be pleasantly surprised at how much harder the horse will try for you.

When she finally gave me the circle that I was seeking for I turned and walked out the gate towards her pen. She joined up and walked on a loose lead synchronizing as my partner all the way back to her pen even though she was leaving the rest of the herd. We have bonded as a herd and as a team. We are off to a very good start. It is dark and my clothes are stuck too me because the air is sweating it is so humid. Even so I had a lovely time with a great filly.

Thank goodness it is a little bit cooler this second morning with Pip. It is still hot and humid, but the difference is there is a little breeze. Hallelujah. I bet Pip is as happy about this as I am.

She greeted me at her gate with a good look on her face, offered me her head for the halter and backed out the gate like she knew it was expected. All signs of a good session to come. We started in the round pen again this morning. However, this time after watching her for a few minutes, I played with the invisible line driving. I drove her to the middle to stop and smell the saddle and pad which were now our next goal. It was easy to stop her at the saddle and she was curious about it, playing with it and stomping on it. Good thing it was my 40 year old saddle. Ha Ha! You don't think I am stupid enough to put my $3000 new saddle on the ground in the middle of a round pen, do you?

Anyway, after some good line driving and a couple of good join ups. I put the halter on and saddle her from the off side. All good, she stands perfectly still. After cinching tight enough so it won't slip, I step back as if it was her first time saddling which it is not, and let her do whatever she chooses. She meanders off towards the gate looking at my horses in the pasture. I let her settle, she walks around a bit. Then I ask her to move out at the trot. She moves out easy but is a little tense, however nothing alarming or extreme. So I let her float down to a walk and rest. Do this a couple more times each direction.

Then I think, I'll bet if I ask her to canter she will show me her true colors. Because yesterday in our first round pen session she was a little snotty when asked to canter. Oh Yea, I am right, when I ask her to canter she goes to bucking and bawling. All my horses come running to see what is the matter. I kick it up a notch with her asking her to go faster and whala, it works like it should she stops bucking and when she begins to relax in the canter, I ask her to come in. She joins up real nice. We have a nice long friendly session. Repeat on the other side, all of the above. She buck each direction one more time, but not as violently. Then the 3rd and 4th times each directions she transition nice into the canter, I don't ask her to stay in it. My goal for now is to just get a good transition. I will ask her to hold it longer later.

This whole thing did not take very long, and each rest session was a little longer than the bucking or moving out session. I am excited at how quickly she comes around to be willing, and she is an extremely beautiful mover. I could see some dressage moves on her real soon, when she gets in harmony with the rider.

As soon as she transitioned to the canter nice each direction I unsaddled her in the round pen, did a little more invisible line driving. Then hand grazing on the way to the barn, gave her a grain treat, brushed her out and applied fly spray, which was not big deal.

Don't worry about the bucking Donna, it is all part of the process and she came around real quick. I predict she may attempt it half-heartedly this evening, however, I am not worried about it. She really wants to please. Plan for this evening is the same and then take her to the obstacles after round penning.

Oh and she did overreach on her right front foot while she was bucking. A little blood on the cornet band on the inside. Just a small scrape, I'll keep an eye on it. But I don't think it will turn into anything. I will also get her a salt block this afternoon.

Already have 7 hours in Pip in the first two days. Well at least it was a lot cooler this evening working with Pip. As I predicted she only gave me half-hearted bucks tonight in
the round pen and we introduced obstacles. She is very confident, got up on the pedestal in 5 minutes, crossed the bridge in 2 and went right through some squeezes no problem. Took a little longer to get the circle to the right tonight. Last night she was quicker to get it going to the left. I work one direction at a time until it is good, because every time you start a new direction you can have a new horse because we are working the other side of the brain.

We also had a little discussion on the way back to the barn about who leads who. Which is why it was well after dark before I was finished, and Keith came looking for me to be sure I was ok. Good hubby. All in all a great 2 day beginning. Don't know that I will be able to keep up with detailed reports like I have already posted as I have a very busy schedule coming up.

Happy Trails,
sherry

Think About What You're Thinking About

2011-07-09T22:43:00.004-05:00

Dear Horse Lovers,
I've been studying the mind for a long time. As a teacher I am very interested in the brain and how it works and how we learn. Over the winter I have been reading a lot of books on this subject.The more I learn the more I realize how important our thought life is. I remember Ray Hunt repeating the words "Think, have a plan." over and over at the clinic when I rode with him. And I recently rode with Buck Braanaman and when one student asked him "How did you do that?" He said, "I thought it." Have you ever thought something and your horse just did it? I know some of my students have experienced this. Thoughts are powerful and they have creative ability. So it is critical that we think about what we think about.

I don't think it is very likely to have a positive life if you have a negative mind. If you struggle with negative thinking, it's important for you to come to grips with the fact that your life won't change until your thinking does. I have learned not to think about every thought that falls into my head. I decide whether it is a profitable thought or not and if it is not I simply throw it out, and I don't allow my mind to dwell upon it. Then I start thinking about things that are true, honorable, just, and honest. I consciously think about things that build myself and others up instead of tearing them down. This includes any horse I am working with.

It may take a little time to develop the discipline of taking your thoughts captive. It may happen little by little just like we develop our horses little by little over time with good habits. Don't criticize yourself when you have setbacks in your thinking patterns, just get back up, dust yourself off and start again.

Sometimes people come to me for lessons or bring their horse to me because they are discouraged about their progress. My job is to equip them with tools in their horsemanship skills and more importantly to encourage them to keep moving forward. Some people are afraid to be positive or hopeful because of past hurts or failures in life. But the pathway to freedom begins when we face the problem without making excuses for it, and then begin to change our thinking about it. You don't have to allow the old things that have happened to you and your horse to keep affecting your relationship and progress forward.
I can't promise the journey will be easy, that you will never be disappointed, or that things will always turn out exactly the way you want them to. But you DO HAVE THE POWER TO THINK AND BE POSITIVE AND MOVE FORWARD if you so choose to replace your fear with hope.

No matter how negative your thoughts are or how long they've been that way, I know you can change. I can promise you that it will be worth it if you make the effort to think about what you're thinking about. This has helped me to succeed in so many ways. But don't forget that the thinking will then have to be followed with positive actions that match those positive thoughts.

If you are struggling in any area of your horsemanship or even in your personal life, our camps will help you transform your thinking and we will encourage you to be the best you can be. Hope to see you this summer at one of our many camps. Please check out our calendar and sign up now.
Happy trails,
Sherry

No Matter What!

2011-07-09T22:36:00.003-05:00

Dear Horse Lovers,
Throughout the course of a horse's life both positive and negative things happen to them. Some of those things are very damaging to the horse's willingness to interact in a safe and acceptable way with humans. It is heartbreaking to me when I see a horse operating with high defense mechanisms. They are simply doing it for self-preservation and survival. People who are ignorant of the horse's survival needs and effective ways to communicate with the horse are normally the cause of this. The horse is struggling with fears, confusion, lack of trust and respect for humans.

I had a horse like this in training during April. I am very happy at the dramatic changes that happened in her in just over a month. But I spent over 100 hours with her in order to break the chain of fear and confusion which caused her to be scared and defensive. Through a lot of relationship building exercises I gained both her trust and respect. She looked like a different horse when she left here both physically and emotionally.

I was patient with her, no matter what. I took the time it took with her, no matter what. I worked with her consistently every day, no matter what. I gave her enough repetition and variety, no matter what. I expected the best from her, no matter what. I never got frustrated or angry with her, no matter what.I preserved her dignity and curiosity, no matter what. I remained calm and stable for her, no matter what. I focused on her confidence, no matter what. I was crystal clear with her, no matter what. I was soft as possible and firm as necessary, no matter what. I did not 't give up on her, no matter what. I know it may sound impossible that I was able to do all of these things but it is true. I am not perfect; however, I have taught and disciplined myself to be very serious about doing whatever is necessary to help a horse come around, no matter what.

Going at a slower pace than I wanted to with this horse actually paid off much more than I ever thought it would. In the end I was very pleased with her overall progress and I know that she has a new confidence in herself and would like to be a willing partner given half a chance to do so. Once again I realized going slower is actually faster.

No matter what issues you or your horse may have there are workable solutions. However, depending on the severity of the issue it may take a lot of time and effort in order to get to the other side. You will find great satisfaction from overcoming these issues and by taking it to the next level with your horse.

I became very attached to Babe this month and it is was very hard to part with her. But I know her owner also has her best interest in mind and will do all that she can to continue what I started in Babe. Babe was not the only beneficiary here, I gained another opportunity to take my horsemanship to the next level by working with her.

After I fulfill the obligations I have already committed to, I am not taking any more horses this year. I really want to take my horses to the next level. I have had very little time in the last couple of years to work with my own horses because I am always so busy riding everyone else's horses, and solving their problems for them. However, help is still available because I am still doing camps, clinics and lessons. One of these avenues is a great way for you to take it to the next level with your horse.

I will take horses again next April. I love working in the cool spring weather even when it rains and snows. And I hope to work on my second book during the heat this summer, when I prefer being inside with the air-conditioner.

I hope you have another great riding year, having more fun than ever and staying safe, no matter what.

Happy Trails,
Sherry

Affordable Horse Vacations

2011-07-09T22:28:00.003-05:00

Whether you show, are new to horses, have lost your confidence or simply want a safe and quiet mount to trail ride, our clinics, camps or lessons are for you!!!

I am all about safety and creating a "partnership" with your horse. I am a full certified instructor for American Asso. of Horsemanship Safety, Inc.

By attending one of our events you will learn to understand how to work through any situation that may arise between you and your horse. Knowing why your horse does what he does is the first step in creating a willing relationship based on mutual trust and respect. The result will be a well trained "partner" and will always result in a safer and more fulfilling relationship for you and your horse.

I will use proven methods I have learned from other great trainers like Buck Brannamen, Ray Hunt, Richard Winters, Jack Brainard, and Pat Parelli, (a few that I have actually ridden with) in order to teach participants how to achieve:

A "yes" attitude in your horse
Respect, trust and control
Softness and suppleness with the bit
Collection and lateral/vertical flexion
Softness and suppleness with leg and seat cues
Balance in both horse and rider

Some of the topics covered and issues dealt with will include:
Ground Manners
De-spooking
Headshyness
Standing Still While Mounting
Biting
Kicking
Bucking
Bolting
Rearing
Head Tossing
Pulling Back
Leads
Great Stops
Smooth Gait Transitions
And much, much more!!!

If you are interested in more information about attending one of our events go to our website at www.heartinyourhand.com

When you come out to Burwell to one of our very affordable camps you will be surprised at how much you get for your dollar. The clinics which I mentioned above that I have attended on average were $600 for about 12 hours of instruction and did not include lodging, food or stalls for my horse. So that is always an extra expense, which can really add up when you stay in motels and I have paid up to $40/night for a stall for my horse.

For about the same price at one of our camps you will get over double the amount of instruction from me which is very individualized because I keep the groups small on purpose. (Only about 6-8 people as compared to 25-30 participants in other clinics).

Plus I include in the price very comfortable lodging in our bunkhouse, nice stalls for your horse, and beautiful scenery on free trail rides each day. (Meals are optional for some of our camps).

So if you are looking for a summer vacation where you can enjoy your horse or one of mine, give me a call. You can come and just ride trails, or participate in a horsemanship camp for learning, or even sign up for a Spirit Horse Retreat where you let the horse teach you about yourself and God.

We do private camps upon request. Call to find out available dates. So if you want to come with a friend and design your own camp, let me know. The bunkhouse is full from June 15-30th. But starting July 1st I have some openings.

Here is a testimony from a gal in Florida who attended a camp and she doesn't even own a horse.
Had the good fortune of participating in one of Sherry's amazing clinics 2 years ago... the experience was a life changer. The lessons learned go far beyond you and a/your horse. I continue to practice and reflect on my experiences, thank...s Sherry! Oh, I augmented my "camp" experience with a few days working with Sherry and her herd. I stayed in town... again, I cannot tell you how special the time was and how much I learned. Don't pass this up!

So if your looking for an affordable horse vacation give us a call.

Happy Trails,
Sherry

Watch Your Words!

2011-07-09T22:23:00.003-05:00

Here it is the 14th of June. This is the latest date I have ever sent out my monthly newsletter. It normally comes between the 1st and 5th of each month and I have met that deadline every month for nearly 7years now. That is a lot of writing and articles. However I have a good excuse for being late this time. Many of you know that on May 19th my Dad had a heart attack and he is still not out of the hospital. However, we are hoping he can come home by this Fri.

On June 9th my parents celebrated their 54th wedding anniversary in the hospital. What a great accomplishment to be so in love and devoted to one another for over half a century. I have a thing or two to learn from them about relationships. They seem to always be there for each other no matter what. They always speak good words about one another. It is amazing how powerful words are. I saw this quote on facebook and I believe it is so true.

Watch your thoughts: They become words.
Watch your words: They become actions.
Watch your actions: They become character.
Watch your character: It will become your destiny.

How does this relate to horsemanship? We really have to watch our thoughts and actions around horses, because they have this uncanny way of nearly reading your mind. But technically they don't read your mind, however they are so darn good at observing your body language they just as well be reading your mind. And words we say about our horses and our own horsemanship abilities can somehow become self fulfilling prophesies. So be careful what you say. I think a horse knows our character even better than we do. Because he knows what happens before what happens, happens. What is your destiny with your horse? You can create that destiny by paying more attention to your thoughts, words and actions.

I recently said that I wasn't taking any more horses in training at my place until 2012 so I had more time for my own. Another example of being careful what you say. I had to eat my words because last Sun. a nice little black mustang named Husker came to live with me for the next month. When these people called it just seemed the right thing to do to help them on their journey. I have already had a great time with Husker in just 3 days. The owners are going to be spending a lot of time in training with Husker, because they realize that they need the training even more than he does. So it will be an enjoyable month teaching both horse and owners who are so willing to learn and be the best they can be.

It is exciting to have so many people coming out to Burwell to stay in my bunkhouse to learn along with their horse instead of just sending the horse for training and expecting him and I to do all the hard work. I have 5 more people coming this month to do exactly that. Then at the end of the month is the parent youth camp, which will be fun.

I have given my bunkhouse a name, "Horse Lovers Bunkhouse". I purchased some signs and brochures for it recently and am excited to see them and get them hung up. It is very cute and comfortable. You don't need to bring your own bedding, towels, or dishes, all is provided. Just bring your own personal toiletries, food, clothes, and an attitude of learning and fun. We have air-conditioning, but no TV, don't worry you won't have time to watch one anyway. However we do have wireless internet access.

I hope you get the chance to come visit us this year.

Happy Trails,
Sherry

Report from Parent/Youth Camp June 2011

2011-07-09T22:20:00.003-05:00

By Anne Burkholder
Megan and I had a wonderful time at Sherry's Youth Horse camp this week. We sat
down tonight and she recited some of the things that she learned.
1. Don't ever over-correct your horse b/c it makes him stop.
2. Always have control of your horse. (Keep them between your legs)
3. When you are doing ground games or riding, take your time. Don't rush your
horse and always reward the slightest try.
4. When something is hard, don't ever give up. Stay positive, Get creative, Be
patient!
5. Attitude—have a good one!
6. Be confident, Be a leader!
7. Have fun and be interested—your horse will too!
8. Fun with horses also comes with responsibility.
9. Don't let your horse get in your bubble-protect your space so that your horse
respects you.
10. Don't pull your horse, push him!
11. One reign stop! Lateral bending with softness.
12. Nose, neck, maybe feet.
13. There are four distinct phases---hair, skin, muscle, then bone.
14. When backing, the way that you move your hand will determine which direction
his butt goes.
15. Never get frustrated when your horse is yanking your chain.
16. When backing while riding: keep your hands in front of the saddle horn with
tightened reins, roll your hips backwards by rolling your belly button back, and
lift your hands.
17. Two pointing is awesome and I can't wait to gallop!
18. Never lean forward in the saddle.
19. When your horse has a bad expression with his ears, fix that before you ask
for anything else.
20. Do not touch your saddle or your horse's butt with your leg when climbing in
and out of the saddle.
21. Always balance your relationship with friendly!
22. What you don't do on the ground, you shouldn't do in the saddle.
23. There are 7 ground games: friendly, porcupine, driving, yo-yo, circling ,
side passing, squeeze
24. Have a set routine when asking your horse to pick up his feet—pinch instead
of push. When you ask for a back foot—stay out of the kick zone and bend his
neck toward you. Don't release until he gives you what you ask for!
25. Use your entire body to direct your horse.
26. Lead and ride your horse like a QUEEN.
27. Be particular!
28. Be a partner, not a predator.
29. Don't let your horse wallow when you are on his back!
30. FOCUS (pay attention to your horse) and have a PLAN!

Thanks so much to Sherry for a great camp. Horses are such a wonderful thing to
share, and they teach great "life lessons".
Anne
Youth Parent Camp: July 21-23 As of today I don't have anyone signed up for this camp. It will be a first come first serve basis whether I stay home for the camp or go to Omaha and Lincoln for monthly private lessons that weekend. If you read the above report you will see it is a great camp for both parent and child. The list of things that Anne and Megan learned is very detailed. This camp is a great value as the parent instruction is virtually free. So it is a two for one as far as the instruction fee is concerned. Carol another grandmother who came said she thinks she learned more than her granddaughter. It is a great way to bond with both your horse and a child.

A More Excellent Way

2011-07-09T21:40:00.003-05:00

Do you need help with getting your horse to stand still for mounting, bridling, trailer loading, crossing water, taking a lead, slowing down, speeding up, stopping, or a million other things you wished your horse did better? Or maybe you are ready to take it to the next level with collection and refinement. Whatever you are searching for to make your life better with your horse, I am sure that we can assist in a way that will allow both you and your horse to be happier.

I am always pursuing excellence in both my horsemanship and teaching skills which is why I also continue my education through clinics, seminars, classes, etc. Excellence as I define it is a general consistent state of high quality. It brings to my mind an unmatched performance, someone with unusual expertise who demonstrates consistent high-quality performance. We often think that to be the best at something we have to be naturally gifted or talented. But experience has taught me that talent, while it can be important is not the main ingredient for excellence.

I believe that no matter what area of life you want to improve you can develop it to a level of excellence with a little know-how and a lot of effort even if you are not particularly gifted in that area. The primary pathway to excellence in any endeavor has three main ingredients, none of which depends solely on talent.

# 1. Find Your Passion:
Well I believe you would not be reading this if you didn't have a passion for horses. People of excellence love what they do. I am sure you love riding horses, so I challenge you to learn how to fuel the fire that keeps moving you forward in your skills as a horseman.
You can spot a really passionate horseman seeking excellence, here are some things you may observe:

They put their whole heart into it
They are attentive and undistracted
They work with maximum energy needed for the task
They are consistent
They have a positive attitude
They put in the time it takes
They are willing to take small and gradual steps

In life the prize goes not to the person who is the smartest or the most talented; it often goes to the person with passion. Are you passionate about being excellent at trail riding, barrel racing, dressage, jumping, cutting, roping, showing, or just developing a relationship with your horse where you can both have fun and be safe? If you are passionate, that is wonderful. You are off to a good start, and that is the easy part, but the next step is the hard part.

# 2. Never Cease Practicing
Passion won't take you anywhere unless you combine it with disciplined practice. Successful people like the Beatles, Bill Gates, any great horseman like Chris Cox, Clinton Anderson, Buck Braneman, Peter Campbell, Pat Parelli, Bill or Tom Dorrance, Ray Hunt, Walter Zettle, Lynn Palm, Karen Rolhf, Charmayn James, you just pick the one you think is great; they have all put in thousands of hours of practice before making a big splash. Nobody cruises to the top on natural giftedness alone.

Malcolm Gladwell writes, "Practice isn't the thing you do once you're good. It's the thing you do that makes you good."

I don't consider myself as having made a big splash yet, but if people knew how hard I had to work to gain the mastery I have, it would not seem so wonderful at all. Learning is only the first part. The real key is putting that learning into practice that leads to excellence. You can't just read about how to fix your horses problems and expect it to just happen. You can't just watch a video about how to train or ride a horse and be able to do it very well the right away. You need to perform what you have learned over and over and over again to perfect the skill.

# 3. Honor Your Values:
Passion and practice bring excellence, but character sustains excellence over time. Absence of strong character eventually topples talent. People cannot climb beyond the limitations of their character. Eventually the limelight of success brings to light the cracks in their integrity.

I encourage you to develop a core set of horsemanship principles and values from which to be passionate about and practice from that foundation. Without that foundation the building of something excellent will eventually fall apart. I have tried very hard to never sacrifice my principles in order to achieve my goals. It has been difficult at times, but in the end it will pay off.

The fact that excellent horsemanship skills aren't something a person has to be born with should be encouraging... In order to be excellent all you have to do is determine what your passion is and then put in the hours and hours of practice. As long as you stick with it and honor your foundational principles and values along the way, you will reach a level of excellence you never thought possible.

I hope to be a part of your journey towards excellence no matter what your passion. And it doesn't matter whether you go to the grand prix, or the world show, excellence is not a competition, it is a prize of satisfaction for a job well done.

Our camps will set you on the course of learning and give you the extra practice you need to help ensure your success when you get home. A commitment of a couple of more days at a camp instead of an hour or two private lesson or a 1-2 day clinic will offer the extra practice with instruction that can be just what you need to keep you going at home. All you will have to do is use some wise time management.

Hope to see you this summer! And keep reaching toward excellence with your horse. You can do it!

Independence and Liberty

2011-07-04T19:16:00.003-05:00

Free Yourself to Experience the Joy of Horses at Liberty!

But be smart about it; preserve the horse’s dignity and your safety.

Since I am writing this on the 4^th of July I decided to write about the fine art of dancing with your horse at liberty. It is truly a beautiful sight when done in a way which allows the horse to perform from joy with natural enthusiasm and expressive movement while looking to the person for leadership. A horse at true liberty is free to engage every moment in the process of building meaningful relationships. When a horse is at liberty the handler can shape his character, confidence and curiosity for learning or he can destroy those valuable qualities.

I recently had a person spend over a week with me who has been struggling for a few years to get her horse to perform at liberty with her. It can be very frustrating when your horse keeps leaving you at very high speeds. Then you slap the ground and chase him hoping to disengage his hindquarters to get him to look at you. After doing this enough times it becomes a great game for the horse and an undesirable habit is developed, one which will be very hard to break.

The worst thing you can do to see if you can dance with your horse at liberty is to take off your halter go to the round corral, turn him loose and see what happens. If all you have ever done with a round pen is watch a famous clinician work in one a time or two, chances are neither you nor your horse are prepared to have a successful first experience. The second worst thing you can do is form a habit of chasing the horse rather than drawing the horse to you. It is the draw that you must perfect and that means the release is more important than the pressure, not the other way around.

The general perception of liberty training is a system which applies nearly constant pressure to the horse in a small confined area like a round pen. The person is often quite aggressive, snapping a whip with forced manipulations along the fence line. The horse may come to the person in the middle because his lungs are burning bad enough that he needs relief. It is often a chase game with lots of hard pressure, change of directions and hopefully release of the pressure at the right time to cause the horse to stop look at the person and hopefully move towards the person. And even this can look impressive to some folks. It seems the adult trainer is often very pragmatic in his approach and everything has to be cut and dried. He thinks, “That’s the way we’ve always done it.”

But what if….

· training could be more than simply a person's will forcefully imposed on the horse or a person begging with carrots?

· the horse could have a real voice and truly participate actively in his training?

· there could be a mutually shared partnership between you and the horse, based on a system of communication both could understand equally?

· in the process, the training time was dramatically reduced while results were significantly amplified?

Would you do it? Would you be willing to change your thoughts and actions?

Rather than forcing specific behavior from the horse…

What if….

· We could be more free in our approach, simpler, maybe even childlike with a magical quality.

· We had a proven system based on the actual language horses use to communicate with each other.

· We focused on the horse's language, which is spoken through body movement, eye contact and touch, not sound or verbal cues.

· We fostered a healthy ego in the horse, stimulating his desire to learn, enhanced his natural curiosity and motivated him to excel with meaningful rewards.

· We developed a truly harmonious working relationship based on trust, respect and understanding.

· We encouraged a ballet of shared energies, like dancing, where body language and compatible movement create a strong bond.

· We were so crystal clear so the horse readily comprehends the goals we hope to achieve, plus we give the horse the freedom to work with us as a team player.

· We allowed the horse to be trusted as a willing participant in the dance.

All of this is definitely possible with liberty training. But liberty training is much more than just turning a horse loose in a large enclosed area, free to move about at will, regulated without use of any tack, ropes, halters, or other restraints. It is about speaking a language the horses recognizes and can understand. Even though there is complete freedom of wills there must also be an instant cooperation, precipitated by immense gratitude, and coupled with security felt upon joining up. We must never forget there is high demand for responsibility, sacrifice, appreciation, and commitment from the human in this act of independence which will ensure success at liberty. It is much like the independence we can experience in our personal lives and our great country (America), but in order to maintain it there is a price for liberty.

Support Your Horse

2011-03-28T20:56:00.011-05:00

Support Your Horse
My journal entries from Riding in Buck Braanaman Clinic March 11-14, 2011

March 11:
I love little Sorry so much. I've known that she was ultra sensitive and that I need to have better feel for her. My big blinding flash of the obvious is preparing her for the transition by changing the way I collect my reins so she does not brace.

We started the day with the all important lateral flexion at the stand still. Buck was very particular about how the horse bent. Just cranking the horse's head around was not acceptable. If we want to be great horsemen we had better learn how to do this with finesse. We concentrated on rewarding the horse's slightest try.

We worked on three elements in the flexion; elevation of the poll above the withers, ears staying level (the horizontal plane) and the nose slightly tipped or (the face on the vertical plane). Oh and we didn't over bend them either, just 90 degrees. We recognized any time the horse was correct in one dimension, not expecting him to accomplish all three elements at once. First we asked for one of the elements to be performed very well, then two and maybe eventually all three elements would come together for a moment. We didn't expect the horse to start out perfect, but should always be working towards perfection with all three dimensions of the vertical flexion.

We sat still for quite some time working on this exercise. Patience is a virtue of every great horseman. If you were in a hurry at this clinic then you were in the wrong place. Like every horseman I have ridden with they each have stressed the importance of bending the head. Buck was more particular than any other person I have ridden with about us taking the time to really get this good. And he stressed all weekend that we should continually be working on it with every horse. After the lateral flexion was working for us a little better then we also worked on the soft feel while standing still.

We were instructed to first asked the horse to elevate the poll and give us a soft feel before walking out. Plus be sure your horse left straight. We did a lot of serpentines using our legs first then supporting with the reins. The inside leg was back and the outside leg forward. While performing a serpentine make sure the whole horse is making the corners and impulsion is maintained. After the serpentines were working for us a little we then began to ask for the same soft feel while continuing the serpetine work.

Next we worked on stopping from the walk taking extra care to be sure we asked for the soft feel before stopping the horse. After everyone was getting their horses to stop a little better, we stopped the horse then waited for the horse to settle before asking for a soft feel again and a back up. Again we were instructed to focus on elevating the shoulders to get the backward impulsion where the hind quarter is pulling like an engine. The next step was to transition right from the walk to stop to backup with smoothness.

Again my blinding flash of the obvious was in my preparation for the transition in order to keep Sorry from bracing. It is always about the feel we are able to present to the horse. Sorry fell in love with a Buckskin horse, whom she must have thought was like her buddy Cisco back home. She was talking to him whenever she could. She slowed up whenever she was by him, hoping to stay with him, and tried to speed up whenever he wasn't nearby. Buck talked about how horses are fresh first rides in the spring and we need to support them more. They will quit being buddy or barn sour when we are able to support them in a positive way. The more we are their leader the less they need another horse for support. I am glad to say that each day I was able to give her more of the support she needed and by the 4th day the Buckskin was now a non-issue for her.

Next we did some walk trot walk transitions. I was not happy as Sorry got a little more emotional as we increased the speed. So I went back to serpentines, small circles and disengaging the hind quarters when needed. Buck explained the importance of keeping the four corners of the horse balanced and straight from front to back, especially on departures. This to can keep the horse from being emotional because he feels solid and balanced. Just like Ray Hunt, Buck told us to focus and keep the horse between our legs.

We didn't do any ground work, but we talked about how important it is especially when one isn't a good enough rider to get the job done from the horses back. There was one horse who was pretty crabby with the other horses and he had the same idea Don Jessop did at the Parelli clinic I went to last spring, to make the horse move out faster away from the other horses. When a horse is pinning their ears getting ready to kick at another horse he will always slow down, so speed them up. However, the lady riding this horse was unable to do this. She just couldn't make her horse go. So this led to a discussion about life in the feet and making sure your horse walks out nice and is not dull on your legs.

The best part of the clinic was at the end of the day after the ranch roping. Buck was riding his horse outside on the way back to the stalls and the horse was rushing. He showed how to slow the horse's walk, with a soft feel and waiting for the horse to get with you. Instead of quieting the horse he said let the horse figure out how to quiet you. After everyone left I skipped dinner and extroverted that I am I stayed and rode Sorry working on that last thing I saw Buck doing with his horse. I worked on getting her to slow down her walk on a soft feel, staying with me and not getting frustrated or emotional about it. When she could do it I went back to serpentines as she felt relaxed doing them. Then we cantered some circles. Which was the only time I cantered the whole weekend. Buck told how Ray Hunt and Tom Dorrance said they could get a horse ready for The Cow Palace or The Grand Prix and all they would ever do is walk them and maybe trot a little. When I rode with Jack Brainard he stressed the importance of doing everything very very well at the walk before ever increasing your speed. I must say it was much easier for her to do all of these things without the other horses in the arena. Meaning I have got to have a better connection with her and keep her attention when riding in a crowd.

Sorry didn't like her stall, so I thought I would tire her out some so her stall looked like a pretty good place to rest and it seemed to work for her at least that night. I didn't get supper until 9:30. It is late now, so shutting off the light as I am writing this in bed. I am looking forward to another day tomorrow.

March 12:
Wow, another great day with Buck and the best horse I ever owned, Sorry. If only I could be as good a horsewoman as she needs me to be. I want it so bad, I am desperate to be the best I can be for her. She deserves the best because she has so much natural talent. I want to be able to provide the leadership she needs from me to help her feel secure and be able to stay balanced both physically and mentally so she can do her best and feel good about doing it. I didn't get started as early with her today and didn't do as much ground work. So consequently when I first got on she really needed to move her feet so instead of frustrate her I let her walk her big walk around the arena. Then I added some serpentines and slowing down the walk. Finally I found a good place for her mentally and for us physically in the arena to do some lateral bends while standing still. It was kind of tricky to find a spot, because with 25 riders all warming up it was sort of a circus.

When Buck circled us up he talked to us for quite a while. I wish I could write down everything he said, but it is too much and it is the same philosophy that I already have. However he does speak about it very eloquently, yet with a common sense attitude that is both meaningful and thought provoking. I could listen to him all day. Here are some of the little morsels: less sooner instead of more later; prior preparation is key; feel and timing; reward the slightest try; take the time it takes; get it done even if it means you have to do it ten thousand times; persevere; have a good work ethic; think positive and focus.

After our pep talk he sent us out to do real tight serpentines with lots of bend in the horse. It was hard for everyone to keep their forward impulsion because we kept running into one another. Even Sorry lost hers and that takes some doin' on a horse with a ton of go. She was better to the left than to the right and of course better when we were in a clearing than in a tight group squeezing us. I worked on lots of lateral flexion and soft feel though out the day. In fact every time, we stood still and Buck was talking with us I played around with it.

Sorry was getting better and better, less resistance and oh so pretty on the elevation part. Her vertical and only going 90 degrees is improving also. She gives me so much it nearly breaks my heart. Her try is so awesome. If only I could give her as much each moment that she gives me. My timing still isn't always where it needs to be. I am giving her my whole heart too, but it never seems to be enough. I believe her heart and try is much bigger than mine and my try is pretty determined. She inspires me beyond what words can describe. There is no way I will ever out-grow this horse and Buck pretty much said the same about his horses. That touched me how much he really cares for his horses.

After the small serpentines we started doing the million dollar move. HQ to FQ. Sorry was sticky on the HQ but moving the FQ pretty well but with too much forward and often crossed over behind instead of in front. We just had so much forward motion it was hard to shut the front end down and when I did she got somewhat emotional. She worked up a pretty good sweat, and it was colder than heck in that arena. Everyone was freezing. Buck wanted us to keep the lateral flexion though out this move and I had been practicing it with the head and neck a little straighter, so we had to work at that a little harder than I expected.

Buck observed that people were using their legs too much and dulling the horses so he did an awesome simulation explaining how we brace on one another equally, and the difference when we present the kind of feel with lightness that is effective. I am not going to try to describe the simulation here but want to say that it was a profound one. I have to lick and chew on it more and do it with someone. But the bottom line is if we brace on the horse he will match our brace to balance himself.

Next we let the horses really walk out then offer a soft feel and see how slow we could walk them. I mean barely moving, slow, slow, slow, and when you think you are going slow, go even slower. We were instructed to bring our life down and not just pull on the reins. I already do this all the time, but Sorry was emotional a few times especially in one part of the arena. This was a great exercise for her and it is working great. Since this was my burning question I wanted to ask Buck on the first day, when he asked us what we wanted to learn. I didn't ask my question because I figured he would eventually answer it if I paid attention. And he did. The question was, "How do I slow this horse down without her getting emotional and also not loose my awesome impulsion?" I love the way she walks out, like she really has a job to do, and I never want to loose that. I hate riding a horse who just plods along.

The last exercise we did for the day was to have the horses randomly spread out with four riders trotting around us. They were to stay in the trot and make as many turns as possible, have a good focus, and try to use legs first then reins as a support. Sorry always tried to stop at her buddy the Buckskin, and one horse kicked my stirrup as I rode behind him. Glad it hit me rather than Sorry. She did swing her hind end out too much sometimes, but gave me some nice soft feel and a few good turns with all 4 corners feeling solid. It seemed my turn was shorter than the others, but I am not complaining.

During this exercise while we were sitting still we were instructed to give our horses something else to think about when another horse trotted by and our horse got worried or crabby. Sorry had a few of both at first, but it wasn't long and she wasn't paying the least bit of attention to the horses moving around. She was finally getting connected with me. During this time she gave me some awesome lateral flexion. After I got back from supper I took Sorry out to the arena for a good roll and run. She did lots of both. That horse never gets tired. It took her a while to come to me. As soon as she did I took her back to her stall gave her a good rub down and shed a few tears in her mane because she is such an awesome horse. I don't know what I ever did to deserve such an awesome creature, and I feel so responsible to be the best I can be for her. I hung out with her for quite awhile until I was completely frozen. It was quite a cold weekend.

March 13
Buck said we all have a lot of baggage that we don't need to bring to the horse and stressed how important it is to live in the moment like the horse does. Everyone sat in awe as Buck warmed up his horse both this morning and in the afternoon. It was inspiring to say the least. He is such a beautiful rider and truly soft. Everything looked so effortless. He was basically doing dressage in a western saddle wearing a flat cowboy hat. He has impeccable timing and patience with his horses. He always wants the horse to have a good expression and be relaxed the moment he drops everything to let the horse stand and rest. In other words he doesn't want the horse to be bothered.

He keeps telling us over and over about the importance of life in the feet and to use our legs with the air not on the horses sides to create lightness. He turned us loose to practice the slowing down the walk with a soft feel exercise, expressing again how vital it is for a good canter. Then we added back up 5 forward 5 back, then 4, 3, 2, 1. We worked a lot of million dollar moves, mixing it up with the slow walk, fast walk transitions, backups and serpetines when necessary.

Then we started some leg yields. He said not to come off the rail because most horses want to dive in anyway. We also did a lot of backup then pull the front end through (a slow roll back). When I got my timing with the feet right Sorry crossed in the front but when I got ahead of her she stepped behind and lifted her head up high. I really need to slow down and wait for that foot to come through. Slow down, slow down, slow down, Sherry. You are ahead of her in your timing. She was also yielding to the right better than to the left. My right knee hurts a little tonight. Must have been putting too much pressure on it.

We must have trotted for at least a 1/2 hour doing leg yields across the diagonal of the arena. I was frustrated with the other riders because they couldn't seem to follow the directions. We were to stay single file. They couldn't seem to get the idea of how to rate their horses behind another one. They would let their horse go up the tail of the one in front, pass really close or they couldn't keep their horse going. If they would have just stayed a horse length apart it would have worked. But they did not. It was a very frustrating exercise for me because so many of the people would not stay organized when we were not on the diagonal. So Sorry got a bit emotional too. Plus it was tough in the middle when the lines criss-crossed. But I do like the exercise, if people would just follow the rules. Some just couldn't follow the rules because they didn't have control and others seemed not to care or just didn't get what they were suppose to do to keep it organized.

After break we picked a partner. One person was the cow the other the cow horse. We were to mirror each other like cutting. It didn't go so good for Sorry because the other horse kept crowding us and my timing was off. Before we quit we practiced again on our own all we had done today. Even though Sorry's leg yields and roll backs weren't so good in the group situation, when we were on our own slowing down I was impressed with how the stressful work had improved her yields when the pressure was off. So it was all good. After everyone left I did a little ground work with Sorry, but went back to my cousin's early on Sun. evening to have dinner with them and play with the kids.

I didn't write in my journal after the 4th day, because on the way home I had to pick up a pony for training. It made for a long drive home. Didn't get home until late and every day since I have been working Happy the pony and another training horse named Babe, plus continuing the learning with Sorry. But I will say the 4th day was just as good as the others. Buck did not introduce anything new, we just kept practicing what we had already done, trying to refine it. He is a perfectionist and said he wants his students to be just as good as he is, or even pass him by. But he also said they would be aiming at a moving target, so they better be progressing faster than he is. I love a teacher who is always continuing their own education and striving to be better.

Oh and I almost forgot, a couple of people got bucked off on the fourth day, thankfully it wasn't me. LOL. Don't really know what happened? A horse spooked at who knows what? And from there it was like dominoes falling. Luckily I was at the other end of the arena. And when I heard Buck yell one rein stop, I did it and Sorry stopped turned and faced the dust storm of spooking and bucking horses. She stayed calm and that sure made me happy. Even though that little horse can be a nervous ball of energy at times, she has always stayed with me during some out of control situations (like a cattle drive with bolts of lightening, a covey of quail jumping out in front of her etc.) She seems to be able to keep her head about her. Another reason I think so highly of her.

I am glad I made the effort to go instead of attending the NE Horse Expo this year, and I plan to go ride in another clinic with Buck in CO this summer. The only regret I have is I didn't get any pictures. I can't get enough learning and I am desperate to be the best I can be. I know that takes dedication, perspiration, and perseverance. I am willing to pay the price.

Report Card Time

2011-03-07T16:18:00.004-06:00

Picture by James Ingram
Report Card Time
By Sherry Jarvis

Here we are at then end of our series about CAWA. The acronym we have been exploring the last few months in the feature article of the monthly newsletter. We have looked at C-Calmness; A-Attentiveness; and W-Willingness of both the human and the horse. As we arrive at the last desirable character quality I would like you to burn these anchor words into your mind, so that any time you are working with your horse you are giving yourself and your horse a grade in each category.

Observe your horse with keen eyes, scan over his body does he get an A+ or an F for calmness at this moment. Just because he is standing still may not mean he is calm. It could be the calm before the storm. Maybe the horse deserves an A for calmness but he is blowing you off and therefore deserves an F for attentiveness.

Perhaps you deserve an F for attentiveness because your horse may be trying his heart out for you, but you keep pressuring him too hard instead of becoming clearer for him, and then when he finally blows you wonder what happened. You became to direct-lined in your thinking, thus you missed the signs because you were not paying attention to the horse in the right way. Therefore you earned an F in attentiveness and now you are assigned a do-over lesson. You have to start back at the beginning again in order to re-teach the horse in a way that makes sense to him. Sometimes a horse has to do some unlearning of bad habits before you can teach him the new and desirable habits. And sometimes the human has some unlearning to do too! How many do-over lessons do you want to be assigned? Becoming more adaptable in your approach will lead to fewer do-overs.

Then there is the horse which has high marks for calmness and attentiveness, but fails in the willingness department, because you haven’t figured out how to motivate him yet. So he just kind of stands around looking at you with his tongue stuck out at you like “Ha, Ha, bet you can’t make me do that, others have tried and failed, what ya got that they didn’t have?” So don’t forget you might need to be willing to get out of your comfort zone to find ways to help motivate this horse to want to perform for you. As you can see it is a two way street, I am grading myself as well as the horse on how we are doing in each character trait.

Now we come to the last letter of the acronym A-Adaptability. I have never had anyone come to me for help because their horse will do anything they ask calmly, attentively and willingly, no matter how the situation or circumstances change.

Adaptability means being able to adjust or be flexible to changing situations and circumstances. It is the ability to change (or be changed) to fit changed circumstances.

When a person is adaptable and flexible it shows that one can act in a way that encourages change at any or all times. In today’s challenging times, this is more important than ever. A great leader can be many things; but most great leaders do not fall apart when they are faced with change and adversity. They are not so fixated on one way or one thing that they are not willing to explore new ideas and different solutions to old problems. Adapting to a situation, surroundings, culture, or idea does not require you to lose originality but it expects you to assert yourself in a way which makes you welcome to it and the people or in this case the horse involved.

Some consider that a person’s ability to show adaptability and flexibility is essentially a part of their emotional intelligence. I think it also shows a horse’s emotional stability. In leadership development, it is a key quality. It is a common trait that all prospective employers seek when considering candidates for a job.

Being adaptable to change is a very important positive character trait for both the horseman and his horse. To be able to deal with change is necessary, because life doesn't necessarily let us remain in our comfort zone all the time. Regardless of the amount of preparation you’ve had before working with a particular horse, you simply cannot predict everything that may happen now or in the future. I guarantee situations will pop up that you were not expecting. I can’t count the number of times I have heard myself and my clients say, “Hmm, my horse has never done that before. What the heck is going on?”

Those who have learned to adapt to the needs of each individual horse you work with will have better success developing the horse into a working partner. Adaptability is high on the list of top positive character traits for both the horse and rider as without it you won’t be able to make the most of your experiences. Adapting and adjusting is crucial and one should make it their priority as it will be appreciated by your horse. You will also appreciate your horse more when he is adaptable to you, the circumstances you put him in or the situations you end up in together.

A horse that is truly adaptable does not need to loose his high grades in calmness, attentiveness or willingness just because the circumstances change. These are the old trust worthy horses, the tried and true partners, the first ones we always pull out of the corral when we have a serious job to accomplish with no messing around. Mine is Cisco.

A horse is becoming adaptable when we change the context of what we are asking him to do and he can still remain calm, attentive, and willing, or at least he can keep his grade fairly high in each. While a horse is learning to be more adaptable at first he may lower his grade a little in each category, but as he progresses he will eventually be able to hold it together better when we change the context and he may only loose one of those positive qualities. As he becomes more and more adaptable he will be able to sustain his calmness, attentiveness and willingness better and longer each time we change the context. There are many ways we can change the context of a situation for a horse.

The weather: All of a sudden the wind comes up. Does your horse loose his calmness even though you are still asking him to do the exact same thing he was doing a moment ago? If he does, he isn’t very adaptable to weather changes. Last spring students were shocked in the young horse handling class at how calm the colts were even though the wind was blowing about 60mph. It can be done.

The environment: You take your horse to a new arena that is very different from the one he is used to. How often have you heard yourself or someone else say, “My horse never acts this way at home.” Then you have seen the person with the tried and true horse that no matter where they take him he never seems to get unsettled and can do his job in nearly any environment, especially when the person is patient with him and they understand one another.

Other horses coming and going: You are doing a perfectly calm, attentive, willing, little jog trot when your horse’s buddy leaves the arena then suddenly you are on an out of control race horse. What happened to the relaxed willing jog trot? It left when the calmness and attention the horse had on you were replaced by a crazy scared horse with absolutely no attention on you. In fact, he doesn’t even recognize that you are still in his world, the only thing he is paying attention to is his buddy leaving. So he can’t possibly think about a jog trot. It becomes something like a piaffe or maybe even a rear when you try to hold him back from running to be with his buddy. So don’t even think about getting the jog trot back until you get his calmness and attention back. Or what about this scenario? A new horse comes in the arena while you are cantering beautiful collected circles and as the new horse goes by your horse acts up.

Change of Speed or Gait: I have seen some horses that are very willing for the rider at the trot, in fact he will trot along calm and happy for miles, but ask him to canter and all of a sudden the answer is no; he will kick up, turn, speed up or even slow down the trot, he will do just about anything except canter. This is usually a very lazy or spoiled horse. Then there is the opposite a horse that wants to go all the time, as long as he is trotting at a nice clip or even galloping along he is fine, but ask him to walk and the willingness turns into nervous resistance which can result in jigging, rearing, running off and a host of other undesirable behaviors. And what about changing the speed within a gait? A well broke horse stays calm, attentive and willing whether you ask for a slow, medium or fast speed at the walk, trot, or canter. Does your horse loose his calmness or willingness when you ask him to change the speed of a gait, or do you only have one speed within each gait?

Anything new: Like trailers, flags, plastic bags, loud unfamiliar noises, different textures on the ground, going from light to dark places, any small space that makes the horse feel claustrophobic, pigs, birds, deer, and a host of other animals and things too numerous to mention. It is only natural when you ask your horse to do something new that he becomes nervous. However if you can keep the horses attention and give him reasons to be willing, like rewarding the slightest try, using approach and retreat, then your horse can become more adaptable to new things. How often I have had people call me up because they got a new horse trailer and they can’t get the horse in the trailer. They usually say, “He loaded in my old trailer, just fine.” It is sort of humorous if you think about it. We spend all this money on a brand new trailer and our horse doesn’t appreciate it one bit. The fact is the more adaptable your horse becomes the quicker and easier it is to introduce him to new things.

I found it interesting that when I looked up the word adaptability in a thesaurus some related words were; pliability, suppleness, bendiness, softness and an antonym was rigidity. Who doesn’t want a horse that is pliable, supple, soft, and bends easily in your hands? We all know we can get a lot more done with a horse like that no matter what discipline we choose. And what horse likes a rider who is rigid in their riding posture and heavy handed making it physically difficult for the horse to be pliable, supple, and soft?

When we are too rigid in the rules of engagement we can become dictators to the horse causing him to be less willing and adaptable in his mind. On the other hand by being a flexible yet reliable and assertive leader we allow and encourage the horse to become a willing partner that is calm, attentive and adaptable. This kind of working relationship is valued and enjoyed by both the horse and his rider.

What does your report card look like, are you calm, attentive, willing, and adaptable when working with your horse? Or are you unconfident, unobservant, stubborn, and rigid? What does your horse’s report card look like? Is it fairly steady or does he go from A’s to F’s too frequently? If so, then my advice is to be more consistent. Consistency is one of the greatest keys to good training. There is a huge difference between consistency and rigidity. Consistency is reliable, even, regular, and steady, where rigidity is severely strict, harsh, rigorous, and stiff. My way or the highway kind of thinking.

So be firm but fair, be soft but not a sponge, be particular but not critical, be determined yet flexible, and most of all be balanced. In other words don’t swing the pendulum too far to one side or the other. Oh and keep a light heart too, it’s fine to take your horsemanship seriously but remember it can and should be fun too, which is why my slogan is Happy Horses, Happy People. You can’t very well have one without the other.

If you missed the other feature articles about CAWA you can read them on my blog, or I am working on another book, and I will go into these principles even deeper with exercises to reinforce them. However, I have no idea when it will be finished because my schedule is so busy right now. But I will keep working on it. Another way to learn more is at one of the summer horsemanship camps, regular private lessons, or schedule Sherry to come to your area for a clinic. The 2011 schedule is quite full, but we will do our best to fit you in. Go to our website to learn more. www.heartinyourhand.com

Stubborn, Bored, Scared, Confused, or Willing

2011-02-04T23:10:00.008-06:00

Stubborn, Bored, Scared, Confused or Willing

Over the past few months I have been sharing an acronym CAWA in the feature articles of the newsletter. We have covered C-Calmness and A-Attentiveness of the horse and the human. In Dec. the article titled "The Heart Regulates the Hands" the willingness of the human was discussed. If you have missed these articles you can read them on my blog.

This month I will focus on W-Willingness again, the willingness of the horse. Of course, this is a no brainer. Who doesn't want a willing horse? I have never heard someone say, "I need to sell this horse he is just too willing, he wants to please me all the time." In fact the opposite is usually true, if you have a horse who is so willing and tolerant that he will do just about anything you ask without any resistance, this is the horse you cherish and rarely put up for sale, unless you are hopelessly desperate for cash.
Let me start by reminding you of the qualities of willingness.
The horse is:
• easy to get along with (he just seems eager to do what you ask without reluctance)
• ready to act voluntarily (there is no need to force him with external pressure, phase four is rarely necessary)
• enthusiastic to cooperate (as long as he understands he complies without hesitation)
• prompt to act or respond (he does not drag his feet, or fight against requests)
• cheerful and freely offers his obedience (his ears are forward with a soft eye, sometimes all you have to do is think or point and the horse says yes)
• agreeable or favorable disposed in his mind (he does not switch his tail, bite, kick out, or lay ears back at you)
• prepared to act on his own accord (the horse will ask questions, like “What is next?” He is seeking what the right answer is and can work things out on his own)

I doubt that there was ever a horse born who was perfect and could live up to every one of these qualities all of the time. However, there are some horses which are born more willing than others. Of course environment and learned behavior also plays a role in the temperament of a horse. It is our job to help the horse to be more willing no matter what his inborn characteristic or learned behaviors happen to be. Sometimes horses are described as stubborn or bored, scared or crazy, confused or stupid, and even downright naughty or mischievous. So how do we get a stubborn, bored, scared, confused, or naughty horse to be the willing partner we dream of?

If we want to influence and win people or horse’s hearts so they are more willing to do whatever we ask of them, then we must first find out what they need to overcome fears or weaknesses, and then discover what motivates them. If we can give them what they need and inspire them with a reward that is meaningful to them the chances of them being willing to do things for and with us will be greatly improved. We need to be the one who is flexible, change to fit their needs and provide motivation, so therein lies the first challenge. Are you willing to change to fit their needs? If you are, then the second challenge will become quite interesting. It will involve a great amount of careful observation with a little trial and error to discover what is needed, what motivates, what works and what doesn’t. But that is what makes it exciting and rewarding for you. When you finally see what is needed, what motivates, and find what works it is very satisfying.

I believe the most difficult horse for me to work with is one who is stubborn or bored rather than one who is scared and crazy. Because once you get a scared and crazy horse calmed down and trusting you it usually isn’t very hard to motivate them to be willing. However, a stubborn or bored horse which has become disrespectful can be very hard to motivate to be willing. So our approach has to be totally different with these two horses.

Let’s tackle the stubborn or bored horse first. I have discovered that they are very good at simply outlasting a person. They know you will quit long before they have to do what you want them to do. They can be very frustrating. So the first thing you must be determined to do is not give up and don’t loose your cool. To motivate them you may have to become quite provocative. Find interesting things to peak their curiosity. They need a reason to move, so I use lots of objects or obstacles, even other horses or cattle to give them a job with a purpose. Be creative, use whatever you can find. Maybe they are bored because you are boring to them. I believe mindless circles are boring too. Now I know the importance of riding good circles and I expect my horses to do that, but I change things up often to keep this horse interested in me and what we are doing. If I am bored with the circle why shouldn’t they be too? Too much repetition will bored them to death, so don’t try to perfect them in one day or you will end up with a fight on your hands. Instead, do it just long enough to make a little better change then reward them greatly. Sometimes letting them do absolutely nothing is the greatest reward in the world. So leave them alone. Treats can also be a great motivator for this horse, but I don’t make a habit of giving them out of my hand. Instead I’ll play hide and seek with them on the ground, on a barrel a post, etc.

The main thing is forward motion is critical to keep and once they offer it to you don't shut it down because if you do it will be much harder to get it next time. This horse needs to know what's in it for them. The good thing is he is clever, however sometimes smarter than we are, which is why he appears stubborn. But at least they are calm, dependable and consistent. So sometimes they will fill in for a less confident person, and then they might take over too. So bottom line is no matter what kind of horse you have you still have to learn to be a savvy horseman in order to bring out the best in him.

So now let’s talk about the horse which is the total opposite, one who is scared and crazy. This horse doesn’t need a reason to move and it is not a good idea to hold them back because it makes them want to run all the faster. Instead, let them move their feet and you will have to find some ways to interrupt their frantic patterns like lots of change of directions. Try to constructively direct their energy instead of trying to shut them down. If you are not a confident horseman then you will probably never get this horse’s trust or respect, because you must be able to always stay calm and not over react when they do.

You must introduce new things very slowly to this horse and follow it up with lots of repetition, because doing it over and over builds their confidence each time they succeed. This horse needs a lot of time in unfamiliar situations if you go to rushing this horse without using approach and retreat you will push him past thresholds and explosions will follow. Plus they will loose their trust and respect for you when you do this. So slow down, give them lots of space in tight situations and ad changes gradually. Purposeful progression is very important.

The main things is you must be a confident leader who is crystal clear. This horse is not always forgiving and will not fill in for a beginner until he is trained at higher levels, plus he must trust and respect you. However their great energy and endurance makes them very athletic. So if you want a talented performance horse they may fit the ticket, if you are patient enough to develop a relationship with them. They are highly perceptive which is good for their survival but it means they can read you like a book, so you can't fake it until you make it with them.

If you want to learn more about how to help the horse who seems confused or unpredictable, or the one who seems downright naughty or mischievous become more willing we have specific suggestions for these horses as well. You can learn about these strategies by attending one of our equine psychology workshops or a summer horsemanship camp. In the mean time remember that it is we (the humans) in this partnership who must first be willing to change to meet the needs of the horse according to his inborn characteristics and learned behaviors. Then we have to find out what motivates him. Basically all prey animals are motivated by five main desires; safety, comfort, food, play and sex. Which is much different from the primary motivators of humans which include; love, praise, recognition, and material things. As we keep these differences in mind, and keep our eyes open to subtle changes in the horse then respond appropriately we will become more effective in helping our horse to be a willing partner.

Sign up for our next equine psychology class (March 5th) or attend one of our camps this summer to learn hands on. Or get a copy of my book “Win Your Horse’s Heart” because if you can learn to win your horse’s heart you can be sure he will be a more willing horse.

Happy New Year Dreams

2011-01-07T19:28:00.001-06:00

As we embark on the New Year, I want to remind you that dreams and goals can be realized. So I wanted to share with you my story in hopes that it will inspired you to follow your dreams in 2011 no matter how hard it seems.

Even before I quit my teaching job six years ago to pursue my dream I had a vision of where this adventure was going a long, long time ago. The dream actually started when I was a very tiny girl with my first pony Ginger. My Dad believed in me and told me over and over I could do anything I set my mind to and I believed him. This is the beginning of any dream, believing you can do it!

The dream started to take a deeper root after college while teaching in a little one room school in the middle of the Sand hills near Whitman, NE. I found a new reason for living besides my own selfish ways through the happy faces of eight little cowboys and cowgirls. The sweet kids in that school didn't have much financially; in fact most would call it poverty, for some lived without electricity, or indoor plumbing. One little boy came to school smelling so bad I would take his clothes over to my trailer during recess to wash them, and give him some of mine to wear. He brought pork fat sandwiches for lunch, so I bought him Ramen Noodles and apples for lunch and gave him free guitar lessons after school. This little boy and the other kids really changed how I looked at life and caused me to think about whom I was and what I had. I rode horses with them after school and these kids were my only friends at this time in my life and they blessed me. One of the little brothers, only four years old could ride better than most adults I knew. My Dad had taught me to believe in myself but these kids taught me about believing in others.

Before moving to MT I had a great opportunity to work at Howard Pitzer Ranch near Ericson NE. It was like a dream job. I was handed a groomed saddled horse that a cowboy had ridden once or twice and was told to get them going. I learned a few more pieces of the puzzle that I needed to know by watching Gary Putman, Howard's professional trainer at the other end of the arena. We rarely talked but I observed everything he did carefully. I thought I had arrived and I put myself up on a pedestal. But about the time one thinks this the rug seems to get pulled out from under them. Before my pride got out of hand I set out on a new adventure which was more like a wandering in the wilderness. Searching for what I thought I wanted but more importantly finding what I needed.

After the move to MT my dreams seemed to be put on hold while I was being trained for the things I would need to understand and experience in order for the dream to take shape. I worked for a reining trainer where I learned how little I really knew. But his ways were rough and cruel and it just didn't feel right. I felt alone at this time on my horsemanship journey like nobody really understood me. I knew I was missing a very big piece of the puzzle, but I wasn't sure what it was, where to get it, or even how to receive it. One of the things I have learned about dreams is that once you think you know where it is and how to get it you still have to learn how to receive it. I also experienced some painful losses during this time which gave me more compassion towards others.

Through more unforeseen circumstance I moved to TX and then to NV. My precious horses were left behind in MT while I lived in TX for about six months, then a year later I finally brought them back to me in NV. I was further away from the dream than I had ever been, and I thought I would never see the dream fulfilled. Yet in my heart I held on to it, without any indication of how it could come about, or if it ever would. Nothing seemed to be working the way I wanted it too. Little did I know at the time that the trials I was experiencing were the very thing I needed to develop the maturity I would need in order to handle even a little piece of the dream. During these troubled times I learned about leaning on others and my horse for strength and true friendship rather than using him for my pleasure and desire to be better than others in a competition. I humbly learned that I didn't have to have the purple ribbon or acceptance and praise of others in order to be a winner. I didn't compete at all during these years, but I spent countless hours with my best friend, Slick (a very troubled horse, who now as I look back was a perfect mirror of me at this time).

The dark times were about to come to a close. The doors began to open in WY where the dream was being reborn again in the sunshine of the Wind River mountains, and it would be even better than I ever dreamed possible. It is there that I finally learned what I didn't know. I found the missing pieces and what to do with them. I received them with much gratitude. During this time I met the Parelli's several of their instructors, Brian Newbert, and some other natural horsemen and women who inspired me, taught me, and helped me realize that there was so much more to my dream.

I also learned in order to have the dream I must give up my old self and ways. I thought I had already done that back at the little one room school in the sand hills. However, I was wrong. Change is a long and sometimes grueling process. It rarely happens miraculously over night. It would take nearly twenty years for me to truly take what was planted in my heart the fall of 1983 in that little one room school and begin to see the fruit of it. Through those years the soil was toiled deep with a painful sharp plow. Weeds were plucked out of me which often tore my heart, but the scares of the tear were always washed and healed with cool, clean, living water. I did not let a root of bitterness grow in me, instead I held on to my dream, never giving up. On New Years Eve of 1998 I wrote on a little piece of paper, that by the time I am 50 years old I will be sharing my passion for horses and life with others in a full time way.

Upon moving back to NE I felt like I was finally home again, but the time still wasn't just right. So I waited patiently for a couple of more years, trying to be faithful to my work even though my heart was now deeper in the dream that it had ever been. Well, maybe I wasn't totally patient, I whined and moaned a lot more than I should have. I felt depressed and like a failure. It was a very big leap of faith when I quit my teaching job at 46 years old. Four years before the age on my piece of paper. It was a very small beginning. I trained a few horses, did a few clinics, sometimes there was only two people at them, but I gave them my all. And sometimes I still only have a couple of people at an event, but that matters not to me. What matters is I am living my dream of sharing my passion for horses and life with others.

Every year for the last six years Heart in Your Hand Horsemanship LLC has grown and evolved, and so have I. I know this growth and evolution will continue, as I stay flexible and open to new things and change. I have made plenty of mistakes along the way and learned from them. I will make a few more, but I am not afraid of the mistakes I may make as I continue forward. I will learn from them too, and keep living the dream.

I am very excited about the new camp formats for this year, because I feel they are really the next step in the evolution of sharing my passion for life and horses. I really look at this passion as a ministry to uplift others and help them overcome their obstacles and live their dreams. Whether it is their horsemanship dreams, the dream of being more confident, starting a new business, writing a book, getting in better shape, living in joy and peace, it matters not to me. I will do my best to be a means of not only giving you information but inspiring your transformation. So if you have a dream deep within you don't give up, and if you don't have one then I ask you to step a little out of your comfort zone and let one develop in your heart, because they do come true with desire, perseverance, and diligence. I am living proof of it.

Happy New Year

Sherry

Jan. 2011 Newsletter

2010-12-30T18:17:00.001-06:00

As I write this newsletter with only two more days left in 2010 it is lightly snowing. The last three days it was in the 40’s and even up to 50 so I took full advantage of the beautiful weather by riding my horses. However, my office work has taken a back seat for way too long and I will discipline myself the following weeks to get caught up. As I look back over the past 12 months I am so thankful for all the wonderful people and their horses who shared their horsemanship journey with me. I think I learned as much as they did as I taught and helped both horse and rider develop their relationship and skills.

One of the things I hear people say when they talk about instructors they have had, they want a person who will listen to them, encourage them, and teach them from where they are not from where the clinician is. So this year I am working on my listening skills for both the horse and the rider so that I can break things down and teach them from exactly where they are, not where they think they should be, or where I want them to be. However, I do know that sometimes this may cause the person to be discouraged, especially if they are not where they think they should be. So I will hone in and work on my encouragement skills (or in horse language, reward the slightest try) in order to support the person to keep on moving forward one step at a time even if there are obstacles in our path. I will work with the person and horse to either work around these obstacles, learn to deal with them, or move these obstacles out of our way.

Each year Heart in Your Hand Horsemanship has grown and evolved in different ways. In the past couple of years some additions have been my book “Win Your Horse’s Heart” (Be a Better Horseman) was published and this year we added a new bunk house for you to stay in when you come to our place for lessons, clinics, trail rides, camps, internship, or to bring your horse for 30 days of training. We also have nice new individual pens for your horse, a round pen, and playground. In 2011 we will hold any camp with only 4 or 5 people in the new Bunkhouse. Camps with over 4 or 5 people will still be held at Calamus Outfitters. In fact the May 9-12 Camp is already full with 8 people. It will be exciting as it is a camp with both husbands and wives coming together. Another first, well we have had Dad’s come to the parent youth camps before.

2011 will be another year of firsts, growth and change as we evolve to meet the needs of horse lovers. This winter, I am working on another book, but this one is a spiral bound workbook, with step by step exercises to help you build an even better relationship with your horse. In addition to our monthly private lessons trip to Omaha and Lincoln, a yearly week in WY at the Carter Ranch, plus clinics anywhere upon request, we are also offering several new camps formats this year which include:
• Horsemanship & Trail Obstacles Camp: will include groundwork, de-spooking, horsemanship skills, and a variety of trail obstacles and fun trail rides. A friendly competition for extra motivation.
• Trail Ride Camp: is for people, who are not interested in lessons, they just want a really cool place to trail ride. We provide the lodging for both horses and humans, the land to ride on, lease horse if needed, and the wrangler to guide you. Bring the whole family or a group of your friends. Space limited to small groups of 6-8.
• Spirit Horse Retreat Camp: is for those who want to grow spiritually and they love horses. I have found that horses can teach us so much about ourselves and our relationships. They are like mirrors with hair on them. They can teach us many truths about life. Round pen, ground work exercises, riding tasks, mixed with free times of reflection, plus guided discussions & bible study will round out your day. Bring your own horse or lease one of ours if you don't have one.
• Yoga for Riders Camp: is for those who want to develop their physical abilities as a rider. We will be doing yoga class every morning for our own bodies. Then we will be doing stretching exercises for your horse to improve his suppleness, and then we will be transferring the yoga exercises to riding. You will go away more physically fit, a plan to continue it, and a more balanced rider.
• Body, Mind, and Spirit Camp: is a combination of the Spirit Horse Retreat and Yoga for Riders Camp with common sense horsemanship skills which will keep you progressing. We will start the day with Yoga exercises (Body), work the common sense horsemanship skills in the middle of the day (MIND), and end the day with Bible Study (Spirit).
Of course we will continue the camps we have had for the last 5 years as well. Which are:
• Youth Camps for those over 12 years of age, and the Youth/Parent Camps for those under 12.
• The Women's Confident Leadership camps are a real hit for those needing just that, more confidence with their horse.
• The Young Horse Handling Camps are for those who want to get their horse off to a good start with a solid foundation.
• Horsemanship Boot Camp for those really serious about taking their horsemanship to the next level (we worked real hard, not a lot of leisure time, and the camp is more days).
• Alumni Camp in Sept. This is for anyone who has ever attended a camp in the past 5 years. It will include the regular classroom sessions, free time with your horse, group and individual instruction, simulations, and leisure trail rides.
• Annual Alumni Camp in Oct. This camp is by invite only, we will be advancing each person from their level, doing drill team patterns, liberty and finesse skills, and yoga exercises
It is not too early to sign up for one of these camps. You can find dates for each one on our website Calendar . I know in this economy everyone wants to know the cost of the camps and I can guarantee you that our prices are more than competitive. In fact I have been looking for a clinic to attend for my own continuing education and everything is nearly 2-4 times what our camps cost. So if you are looking for a great value we will meet your need. You can sign up by Clicking Here.

We invite you to join us in our new horsemanship adventures in 2011 and go where you never dreamed possible.

Upcoming Events:

Jan. 7-9 Private Lessons in Omaha and Lincoln, unless the roads are bad, then the back up date is Jan. 14-16

Please reserve your private lesson time as soon as possible, as we only have a week to put together the schedule and we all know that can be challenging. If we have to postpone until Jan. 14-16 we will try to keep the schedule as close as possible to the Jan. 7-9 one, however, I know it will need a little adjusting.

Jan. 22: Equine Psychology Class in Bennington 10:00-4:00
This will be held in a private heated indoor arena. Bring your own lawn chair. We will have a variety of horses to observe as they are at liberty in a herd, and then while being handled by different people. We will discuss their horsenality, things going on with the horse and between them and the handler, plus strategies to deal with behaviors and situations that come up. You will not need to bring a horse. This is an interactive session in the arena with some classroom time as well. Bring a lunch, or be prepared to go somewhere.

I will also schedule some lessons this weekend on Fri. the 21st. However I do plan to go home Sat. night after the class unless some others want lessons on Sun.
I plan to come to the Omaha/Lincoln area each month throughout the winter just as I have done for the past three years. So if you can't make the trek out to Burwell for lessons or camps, remember I will continue to be the traveling trainer coming directly to you in order to meet your individual needs.

Feb. 11-13 Private Lessons in Omaha and Lincoln, unless the roads are bad, then the back up date is Feb. 18-20

Feb. 26 Yoga for Riders, place to be determined.

Against All Odds

2010-12-30T18:15:00.003-06:00

Last month I continued the discussion about the acronym CAWA (Calmness, Attentiveness, Willingness and Adaptability). I talked about the willingness of the human and how the heart regulates the hands, if you missed it you can read it on my blog. I said that I would talk about the willingness of the horse this month, but every year my January newsletter usually includes something about goal setting, achievement and motivation. So I would like to continue that tradition this year.

The picture is of Bettina Eistel and her horse is Fabuleax 5. If you look closely, this is a 50 year old woman from Germany who does not have any arms. Bettina doesn’t let her disability stop her, in fact she didn’t just overcome her disability, and she walloped it! She wears riding boots with cut-outs in the toes so she can have ‘hands’ (imagine how cold her toes must get … and how often they clip a branch or a fence board – ouch!). She can saddle, bridle, hose down, wrap, blanket and do just about anything else that is needed for her horse. And, she rides by steering with her legs and holding the reins in her mouth. IN HER MOUTH. Try that…Kind of makes me feel ridiculous for complaining about anything I can't do with my horses.

Her accomplishments include: 2 silver and bronze medals at the European Championships in Portugal in 2002 and 3 silver at the World Championships in Belgium in 2001, 2 silver and one bronze at the 2004 Paralympics in Athens, 3 German Championships. A bronze and silver medal in the team standings at the 2008 Paralympics in Hong Kong. She also wrote a book, and hosts a TV talk show, not bad for a girl with no arms. Now that is winning against all odds. You can read more about her by Clicking Here

I share this story not to make us feel like incapable failures with our horses but to motivate us to believe that we can do anything we set our minds to. It might help us to stop looking at what we can't do and start exploring and expanding what we can do! During Christmas Break I read three very powerful books about overcoming challenges, gaining confidence and never giving up. The combination of some R&R the last month, reading Bettina's story and these books I am re-inspired to do even better this year with my horses, students, business, family, and my personal life. When I look back over the last seven years since moving to NE I am empowered by all the changes that have occurred in my life. Now I admit that there were challenges and struggles along the way and that all of the positive changes I have experienced were not accomplished without some pain and effort. I am not yet perfect and still have areas in my horsemanship and personal life which need improvement. When I am not exactly where I want to be I remind myself that neither am I where I used to be. The fact that I have not yet arrived does not intimidate me or make feel less successful; it simply spurs me on with a deeper desire and more courage to reach my potential. And I am sure that it is much greater than I have even imagined. Now I don't say that to brag, but I say it to encourage each of you that I believe in you and the things I know that you will be able to do in 2011. A teacher cannot teach effectively what they do not practice or believe themselves. Integrity is living and practicing what you preach or teach.

So what do I practice and believe? I believe that we should never give up on ourselves. I refuse to live in fear. I didn't say I would never experience it, I said I would not let it rule my life. Because fear is the greatest obstacle many of us must overcome in order to develop our potential. I have met people who are afraid of their horse or being hurt by them. However in addition to that I find many horsemen afraid of failure, change, making the wrong decision, criticism and what other people will think. So I practice keeping a right perspective on fear, where I learn to discern when to heed it's warning, when to face or confront it, and ultimately how to conquer it.

I believe that it will take some sacrifice in order to reach my goals and I am willing to pay the price. Progress or success will cost something. I believe it takes consistency in order to make significant progress or succeed at anything, and this is something I practice in many areas of my life. I know that if I am not happy with where I am at or a situation I am in right now that I will have to make an effort to change myself first, even if it is just my attitude towards the situation. I know that if I don't want to be in the same place next year at this time I will have to pay the price on this end to have the desired results on the other end. I will have to spend some of this year moving towards my goals for next year. As I move forward I am sure I will have to make some tough choices and I will come to some painful crossroads. When I reach those places I have two choices I can either run back to where I came from or press through. No matter what I want to see change (in my abilities as a horseman, my business or my personal life) I will either press past the pain of change now, or I will be exactly where I am today this time next year. However, I believe I will have the strength and courage to be consistent, make wise decisions and keep putting one foot in front of the other, because I know that if I continue pressing through without giving up I will eventually have the victory I long for.

I fully believe reaching your potential is linked to the way you handle adversity. Winston Churchill said: "Difficulties mastered are opportunities won." When we allow difficulties and challenges to frustrate, intimidate or discourage us we will never win against all odds like Bettina has. We don't all have to be alike, we don't all have to face the same giants, but if you face your own giants head-on and press past them taking one little step at a time and then another one and another one and another one, you will develop the skills and determination needed to be everything you were created to be and experience your dreams to their fullest and beyond whatever they may be. They don't have to be riding in the Olympics, they may be very small, but we should never despise small beginnings. They are just that a start; and that is where it has to begin. So we all have a new start in a couple of days, I hope that each of you will take advantage of it and that at this time next year, we can say we conquered a few giants in our lives and we have moved closer to becoming all that we can be.

The Heart Regulates the Hands

2010-12-30T18:10:00.001-06:00

Over the past few months I have been sharing an acronym CAWA in the feature articles of my newsletter.We have covered C-Calmness and A-Attentiveness of the horse and the human. Plus I have shared training diaries of the seven horses I worked with this fall.

This month I will focus on W-Willingness for the human and next month we will talk about the horse. As we have been discussing these qualities we realize that not only do we want and need them in our horse in order to have a safe and successful ride, but we need to display these characteristics as much as the horse does. Horsemanship is a partnership and when both parties do their best to uphold their responsibilities the outcome is a learning experience where growth and progress is a continuing journey.

Let’s start by defining willingness:

It is relating to the will or power to choose
Intentional or deliberate choice
Ready to act voluntarily, without being forced or because of external pressure
Accept what asked to do by choice with eagerness or without reluctance
It is an enthusiasm to cooperate or comply
Prompt to act or respond not dragging the feet
Something offered or given freely and cheerfully
Being agreeable or favorable disposed in mind
Being prepared to act on your own accord

This fall I had a little black Welsh pony here named Lightening Bug, she was one of the most willing horses I have ever trained and so it was really effortless for me to be willing. One willing horse and one willing human equals two very happy partners. I was eager to get out and ride her everyday. Each session was pleasant, trouble-free, simple and straightforward. When things are going well it is not difficult to be willing. However when a challenging horse appears in our lives suddenly it is not so easy to be willing to do what it takes with that horse. But this is the time when we need more than ever to be willing to change.

I had another horse this fall who was quite the opposite of little Bugs, this mare was complicated, demanding, and problematic. I exerted every ounce of my energy, strength, and concentrated thinking every moment I was with her in an attempt to help her become calm and willing. She was very complex with numerous issues to resolve. The more I worked with her the more I had to be willing to change my own strategies, to think outside of the box, and to look at my own shortcomings. This horse pushed me to the very limits of my patience and the trial with her often exposed my true colors. This pressure triggered something totally unexpected; I became more willing to take the pressure off her. I offered her more time than I could afford. I gave her everything I had. I tried to be spontaneous with her. I observed her carefully, sensibly and judiciously. As I watched her I became more sympathetic and compassionate towards her. This insight caused me to quit trying to order her around against her will and instead try to bring the best out of her.

Each day I worked with her I had a plan before we started but I remained willing to change that plan accordingly. The best thing that I did was I always finished what I started with her no matter how many hours it took. She taught me we have to be willing to do what it takes to finish. I learned that even though my commitment to finish with her was clear, I could only do what I could and not what I couldn’t. I tried many new ideas but one idea kept returning to me; the heart regulates the hands. And so I needed to be willing to control my thoughts and heart feelings about this horse so that the feel I presented in my hands to her were something that she could respond to with willingness.

Are you willing to go the extra mile with your horse? Are you willing to make the necessary changes in you in order to help your horse become a more willing partner? Are you willing to take the time it takes, putting aside your goals and entertainment so that your horse can develop into the trustworthy horse that you desire? Are you willing to learn from your horse? If you are, I am willing to bet that the more willing you are to be the kind of horseman your horse needs you to be the more willing your horse will become. If you find yourself being unwilling to do what it takes with your horse because you are at the end of your rope, or you have simply run out of ideas remember we are here to support and encourage you. We may not have all the answers but we have a pretty good reputation and likelihood of getting you on the right track again.

In the middle of this holiday season of love and giving I hope we find ourselves willing to give more than we receive and that this spirit will continue with us throughout the year in all of our relationships including the ones we have with our wonderful horses who give us so much. If you are a horse lover you know what I am taking about.

Discovering the Joy Again!

2010-11-15T19:37:00.002-06:00

After a long weekend of lessons in Omaha and Lincoln, frustrating cancellations (as usual) and driving over 600 miles I was exhausted last night when I got home around 10:00pm. Went straight to bed after hearing about the deer hunting weekend.

The joy is the absolutely wonderful day I had with my horses. I played with eight of
them. I started with Sunshine, and I wept tears of joy in her mane as if I had met up with a lost loved one after months of not seeing her. Well, I do see her and feed her everyday, but have not spent any quality time with her since July, or maybe before that. I can't even remember the last time, because I have been too busy training other people's horses. Sunshine was perfect, she was so soft and responsive and we did everything at liberty because I soon realized I didn't need a halter. She was so with me I can't even explain it.

It also makes me sad when I go to work with other people's horses that are so disconnected from them or even in opposition to the people. I am not trying to put anyone down, so please don't take it that way if I gave you a lesson this weekend or have ever given you a lesson.
But after working with eight of my horses today: they were all so with me,I was on phase one and only once in a great while two, much of the time I was just thinking it and they were doing it, I realize how many horses are using huge defense strategies to just survive. I worked with a horse this weekend that was so shut down, introverted and catatonic that I have never seen the like. He is only three and just shut his eyes like a child hoping that if he didn't look at you, you might go away. Then another was in total flight mode in fear. These were suppose to be broke horses. Another was so crabby and cinchy.

It is so heartbreaking that people think they have trained these horses, but in my eyes, mind, and heart they are far from being trained and even further from being a partner. The people who own these horses just bought them a couple two or three weeks ago, so the sad shape these horses are in is not their fault. However, it just puzzles me that a person would sell these horses as well broke. I guess people are just so accustomed to brace and resistance in horses that it is just looked at as normal, they don't even know what true oneness feels like.

So coming home to work with my horses for the first time in months was such a joy today to find out that they are so different from most of the horses that I encounter when I am on the road. Now, not all of them, so please don't get offended if I saw you and your horse this weekend. Some of you have a very good relationship with your horse and are making super progress each and every time I see you.

After I was almost finished with Sunshine I think I found my answer to taking horses next spring. I have been really wondering if I should take horses next spring or just work on advancing my own horses to greater levels. I really miss working with them and have spent less time with my own horses than other people's horses this year.

Today when I found out just how with me each of my horses were, I was convinced that I would rather work more on the relationship I have with my own horses, setting a high example and standard for those around me, rather than developing a relationship with someone else's horse to have him go home and not even be touched for two years or worse yet handled in a way that causes him to develop poor habits.

I think it would be more valuable to require that the people come with their horses, because too often they go home and start to train their humans. Again I am not putting anyone down who has brought a horse to me, and certainly that has not happened with all of them but it certainly has happened with more than I would like to admit. I know that each horse has gone home a better horse, and that what I was able to accomplish with the horse has helped the person as well. And some of the people are continuing lessons with me and are doing fine, but there are always those who fall through the cracks.

You see the bottom line is I can't develop a relationship for you with your horse. I can't put in the time for you that it takes. I can't give you the patience that it takes. I can't keep your horse trained you must do that. So I can offer support and encouragement through lessons, camps, clinics, study groups, and a workbook program that I am putting together this winter. But bottom line is you have to follow it and do the work. There are no short cuts, even having me take your horse for a month isn't a short cut, you still have to keep up the work when you take the horse home.

Even DJ and Que were breathing and stepping in rhythm with me today. I rode Cisco and Dolly bareback and bridleless. It is the first time I went totally naked on Dolly. I always had a halter with lead before and tried not to touch it and the bareback pad. But today, I bared it all, however I did have a stick in my hand and only had to use it a little on turns. Go and Whoa were awesome and we even cantered circles. I laughed and hugged her neck so much.

It was also fun finding out that I could back all of my horses in circles with porcupine game and no halter. In fact I played with everyone at liberty today, after a short warm up with the halter. I love what Pat Parelli says, "When you take off the halter all that is left is the truth". And I was so surprised with the truth today and it brought me great joy.

The joy in my heart is also thankful for the opportunity to help other horses who don't feel the freedom to be with their owners without brace, resistance, fear, anxiety, etc. etc. and for the way my horses responded to me today with freedom, grace, exuberance, expression of softness and oneness. I am not trying to brag and I am not perfect, but my horses were perfect in my heart today and they blessed me beyond what I can express in words. I feel like I have neglected them long enough trying to make a dollar training other horses. I would rather be poor for a while and spend more time with my own horses and working with people who really have the priority to develop a oneness with their horse far above all goals and entertainment that their horse can provide for them.

I am not trying to be elitist, or condescending to those who have competitive goals or just want to trail ride for entertainment, I like those things too. I just feel a desire for something deeper on the inside of the horse and me that will be reflected on the outside. It is sort of hard to explain, but I seemed to have turned a corner on my journey today and am excited to see where it takes me from here.

Anyway, this is one of the happiest days I have had with my own horses in a very very long time. It is about time, and I am going to make sure it happens more often in 2011 and if that means not taking horses in training unless the owners come with them, then so be it.

So if you were considering bringing your horse for 30 days in the spring save your pennies and come for the ride of your life WITH your horse.

Happy Trails,
sherry

Does Your Horse Have ADD?

2010-11-15T19:17:00.004-06:00

In the summer newsletters I started a series of articles about CAWA an acronym I use to describe four characteristics we would like our horse to have. In June and July I wrote about C – Calmness. Then in August I wrote about the attentiveness of the human and promised to write about the attentiveness of the horse in Sept. However, in Sept. and Oct. the newsletter articles featured diaries on the horses I had in training. Even though I could share more training diaries from Bugs and Duchess who have been here since Sept. 10th I will return to the CAWA series.

I pose the question, “Does your horse have ADD?” because I see so many horses that are not paying the least bit of attention to their handler or rider. When you take a horse away from the comfort and safety of his natural surroundings, there are many things in the big wide world that can distract or attract him. His attention wanders to those other things. All horses are this way by nature, and green horses or horses that haven't been handled much or well are by far the worst. They HAVE to check this, that, and the next thing out in their environment. They need to be sure there's nothing that's going to come get them. They like to check and see if there is some other horses they'd like to be with, some grass or some other food they'd like to go eat, some manure to smell, or some wide open space they would like to go lounge in. These are the things that give pleasure to all horses.

A horse pays attention to what matters to him, and the direction of his desires. Are you more important to your horse, than anything else in the world, including such powerful draws as other horses, food, and piles of manure? At some point you have to get to where you rate higher in his mind than those piles of manure!!! Are you something that gives your horse pleasure? Or does he dread to see you coming unless you have a bucket of grain?

If your horse is easily distracted and doesn’t seem to want to stay with you it's time for you to start thinking about supporting your horse toward being more able to choose to be with you rather than anywhere else. When a horse learns to pay attention to the handler/rider he becomes able to focus on the handler/rider when requested for a few seconds at first then building to longer periods. Something magical happens when a horse begins to really pay attention. It is like something clicks over on the inside to where he begins to have a feeling of inner peace and confidence, rather than a feeling of anxiety. He actually stops trying to leave you all the time, and starts wanting to be with you.

We have all had the experience of being in a classroom at school. The teacher stands at the front of the room and expects all the students to pay attention to what he/she is saying. When people pay attention to a speaker they look at the speaker. But if, suddenly, there was gunfire out in the street, then everyone's head would turn because their attention would have been caught by the sound from outside. It is your power of observation to see where the horse’s attention is and how to get it back that allows you to train horses with effectiveness and without the need of painful physical force or coercive methods.

There is a law of the horse's life which says; wherever the horse’s attention goes, his body must also go. It causes a horse to experience great inner turmoil to have his body separated from his attention. The main cause of a horse’s body and attention being separated is the actions of people who do not even realize what is occurring. Some horse owners are not even aware when the horse has lost his attention they only see and are aware of the things the body is doing wrong. I challenge each of you to pay closer attention to where your horse’s attention is especially when he isn’t doing what you want him to do.

A common way to practice being more aware of where the attention of your horse is directed is to dramatically slow down your actions. If you will learn to be more present in each moment with the horse you will start to see things you never saw before. Learn to wait on the horse, and give him wait time. This doesn't mean you can't be present while working fast. Speed and intensity of focus can go hand in hand. Also worth considering is the subtle distinction between "working quickly" and "being in a hurry"

If your horse jumps around and this catches you by surprise, it is because you were not paying attention. This means you were not attentive to what the horse was paying attention to. It means you were not sufficiently focused to call upon him to remain focused upon his work, or what you wanted him to do. Your focus determines his focus. Your confidence and inner peace determines his confidence and inner peace. Your ability to "set the horse up" to go quietly depends entirely upon your ability to attend to the signs he gives you BEFORE he jumps around.

There are a million things that can potentially distract or spook a horse. You can never desensitize him to all the things he may encounter. Our mistake is in thinking that being distracted or being afraid is the horse's main problem. It is not his main problem. The external situation or objects are not what cause the horse to be distracted or concerned. It is the loss of his attention, the loss of his inner peace and confidence in himself and in us that is the problem. There is a buildup before this happens. The rider or handler's shortcoming lies in not being able to detect, or defuse, this buildup. We have to know what happens before what happens happens.

It is true that other animals, dead fish, flags, blowing paper, motorcycles, bicycles, rattling dry branches, loud noises, flowing water, high wind, other horses, and ten thousand other things all have the power to unsettle a horse. But they do not have the power to do that all the time. I am sure that all of you have noticed that sometimes the sign on the road doesn’t concern your horse in the least and he keeps his mind on his job. Then the next day the same road sign is associated with a buildup that leads to an explosion. Why is it that on the same trail ride some horses totally refuse to cross flowing water at the same stream that another horse will quietly cross?

The answer is that when a horse gets 100% OK on the inside, nothing bothers him, or at least he has learned how to deal with it. Some people believe this is impossible. But I believe it is possible you just have to work to find that ability with yourself. How do you help a horse become 100% OK on the inside so he is OK with everything on the outside? How do you help a horse learn to deal in a postive manner anything that is thrown at him? In order to do this you have to start with one particular thing or situation where you work through together successfully with the horse no matter how long or how much effort it takes. Then you go on to another success and another. After a time, it becomes second-nature, a habit that both you and your horse do all the time when something unexpected happens. Many of you have heard me say over and over that good horsemanship is a HABIT. And you have to be Ok with this stuff you are asking the horse to do too. Because until you are 100% OK with what you are bringing to the horse, they will never be 100% OK with you or the object. An example is a person who really wants to canter their horse but the moment the horse brings ups his energy to do it the person immediately says "Whoa" in his mind and also in his body, but especailly the reins. I call it the "Go but not really syndrome". I see it all the time.

Remember horses learn to be100% OK from the release of pressure. To drive a horse into pressure destroys his confidence and causes the horse to develop distrust for you as a leader. I take the horse back away from the pressure area until we find that place where the horse is comfortable. Then once calm is fully restored, move back toward the pressure until we reach the slightest reaction point. Keep repeating the approach and retreat while holding the horse’s attention with you all the time. As soon as you feel or see the horse’s attention starting to leave you need to catch it before it leaves. If you catch it before it leaves it never does leave. This is why we need to ride every step and be present every moment with your horse. The earlier you try to capture the attention the less physical you will have to be to get it back. The goal is to become so subtle that it is invisible to those watching.

If we expect to be able to control our horse's attention, we had better be able to control our own first. If I am still focused on other things or if I have a case of ADD, is it fair to ask my horse to focus on something other than the grass beneath his feet or the next manure pile that he would like to smell?

PS: Our Friendly Warning: There is always some risk involved in horse training for both you and the horse. Horses can cause serious injury. Be sensible and don’t attempt anything that is outside your comfort level. Any information in this article or that we present through any of our programs are intended to illustrate how we apply our training techniques with success. However you are responsible for using this information wisely. If you don’t feel comfortable with your abilities or an exercise, don’t do it! Seek advice or assistance from a professional before attempting things beyond your skill or confidence level. Stay on the "high side of trouble". Keep it natural and above all KEEP IT SAFE!

Until Next Time,
Sherry Jarvis

Author of "Win Your Horse's Heart" (And Be a Better Horseman)
www.heartinyourhand.com
82507 465th Ave. Burwell, NE 68823, Tel: 308-346-5663

Getting Off to A Good Start!

2010-10-07T20:31:00.002-05:00

The last three months the feature articles have been relating to an Acronym CAWA, which I am using to teach about my philosophy. C stands for calmness in June and July I tackled this aspect. Last month I explained about second letter of our acronym A attentiveness. I started with the attentiveness of the human and I promiesed that this month I would discuss the attentiveness of the horse. However I believe I will wait until next month to deliver that article and instead I have decided to give a little report on the horses we have in training this month. If you would like to follow our progress you can either join our chat group E-mail Leigh, or you can become my friend on facebook.

Wed. Sept. 1st was our official first day of developing 5 very nice horses for the next 30 days. Alyce's horse Peepers arrived Sat. Aug. 28th. She is a pretty 8 year old bay Arab from WY who already has some training so we are working on refining and finishing her. I have already ridden her a week last year another week this year when I was out at Alyce's beautiful ranch near Lusk WY. She is a very smart and sensitive horse. I enjoy working with her very much. I rode her a little Sat. and Sun. plus did some ground work on Mon. and had her stand tied that day as well. So she has a big head start on the other horses, which are all around 5 years old and haven never been saddled or ridden. Erica (my training pratner, used to be apprentice) got to know Peepers on Sept first and she did a fine job getting her over the bridge and on the pedestal. Then she mainly worked on transitions with her while I rode my horse Sorry. Alyce would like us to also get her used to crossing water, riding with a rain coat and working cattle a little. So we will see what we can do about that. I guess we will go do some beach riding on the Calamus Reservor sometime this month, which is great fun. As far as cows go there are plenty in our country and I am sure we can find some to play with.

On Sun. Aug. 29th Kache arrived. She is also a nice brown Arab mare about 5 or 6. I have been told she can be a handful, however so far she has been real easy for us. I did some ground work on Tue mainly for respect. On the Sept. 1st we put her in the round pen at liberty and that went real well with good join up and direction changes. Had fun with invisible driving reins. Then played put your nose on things all around the property for about 45 minutes, followed by put your feet on things, like a pedestal, bridge, tarp, log, etc. Played some circle game, then friendly with plastic bag and tarp. We then put on the bareback pad without any issues, but when we turned her loose in the round pen and asked her to canter she gave us some good bucks for about 15 seconds, then decided it really wasn't worth it. After that she gave us about six nice canter transitions and change of directions. We decided there was no time like the present since things were going so good, so we got on her bareback and rode around about 5 minutes at the walk. She was super relaxed, calm, attentive and willing. So we left her in the round pen wearing the bareback pad cinched up pretty tight for a few more hours, while we worked with Peepers, and cleaned stalls.

On Tue. the 31st Erica brought a small 5 year old sorrel mare named Punky to start and she did the same as what I did with Kache although she wasn't quite as calm and relaxed when Erica first mounted her bareback, but she came around.

Luan arrived with Wildfire on Wed. Sept. 1st. She is also a 5 year old small bay mare (Skipper W and Two Eye Jack) quarter horse. She is a 1/2 sister to Ace the little black horse we had a couple of springs ago. She has a real soft eye and is a complete blank slate, so we are excited to start working with her.

Arlene arrived late in the evening on the first with Maiden, a red roan Tennesse Walker 5 year old mare. So we have all mares this time. She is a foal of City Lights the Black Walker I had in training last spring. She is huge compared to all the other horses we have this time. Erica's first impression of her tonight was she was a little pushy, however she just got off the trailer from a 6 or 7 hour ride and her life long partner and mother City Lights was in the trailer whinnying for her as she left.

Thur. Sept. 2nd: On the first day of each horses training here in Burwell, all were given their first ride bareback (with a bareback pad). I like putting the bareback pad on first before the saddle so they get used to the girth. Maiden and Punky (Erica's horse) did not buck at all. Wildfire only made it around the round pen once before she gave it up and she didn't really put her whole heart into it. Kache put a little more effort into it but it didn't last one spin around the pen either. None of them bucked until we asked them to canter. However after their initial attempt at getting rid of the girth, each canter transition was without any bucking. So we said, "what are we waiting for we only have 30 days so let's ride." We only did walking and lateral bending but it went very well.

Since it was Kache's second offical day of training we rode her a second time, she still bucked with the bareback pad on the first canter transition but again it didn't even last 10 seconds. After riding her again bareback asking a little more of her we saddled her. After desensitizing to the stirrups we turned her loose in the round pen, she did buck a little longer with the saddle but not as hard as she did the first day with the bareback pad. So we were happy. We let her be in the round pen wearing the saddle for several hours while we worked other horses on the ground (flagging, tarping, backing, circling, flexing, etc.) Every once in a while we went in the pen and asked Kache to move again, no more bucking when transitioning into the canter. If this continues we will be putting the first ride under saddle very soon.

We repeated all that we had done with Kache yesterday with Maiden, Wildfire and Punky. Then we will saddle them tomorrow. We believe that we will be able to ride Maiden under saddle on Friday, and maybe Punky too. But have doubts that Wildfire will be ready until the next day. She may need a little more confidence.

Peepers is doing great too. I rode her last night while Erica rode Dozer. That Dozer loves his girl Erica, he is actually Keith's horse. She got him up on the small pedestal with all fours last night. Wish I had my camera. I will try to take a pic of it sometime soon. Last year she got him up on the big pedestal with all fours but the small one is a real challenge. They are soooooo cute together. Peepers and I worked on a lot of subtle control of HQ, FQ, sideways, and backing. She didn't want to sidepass over the logs but was doing fine anywhere else I asked her to do it. So I spent some time desensitizing her to the logs. It was a lovely evening riding because the wind had finally went down. It was brutal here again yesterday, however, we can count our blessing for the trees around our pens which broke some of it. We rode until after dark, the mosquitos were coming out and we were getting exhausted so called it a very successful and easy second day after 12 hours of work, but a very satisfied feeling was in my heart as we wrote the notes in our training diary.

Day three Fri. Sept. 3 morning
WOW!!! Erica and I are knocking our own socks off. We had the most amazing morning ever with 1st rides under saddle. It is really only Maiden, Wildfire and Punkies second day here. Kache is a day ahead of them, and of course Peepers is way at the head of the class but she has a big head start.

Anyway, we are jumping for joy right now with the peaceful easy morning we had. We rode Maiden, Wildfire and Punky under saddle and it was the first day they had ever had a saddle on them too. Erica and I keep talking about how much easier it is when we have clean slates and that is exactly what these three are.

Here is the process we repeated for each one of them.
A little liberty work in the round pen.
Put the bareback pad back on them. They all cantered without bucking. So rode them bareback at the walk again.
Change of direction this time, and one rein stops.
Saddled them very slowly and gently, using lots of approach and retreat.
Desensitizing to the stirrups.
Move at liberty around the round pen, invisible line driving while carrying the saddle.
Sent them into a canter.
(Amazingly enough only Wildfire through in a few bucks but it wasn't anything we could not have ridden. It only lasted a few seconds, then the rest of the canter transitions were A OK. )
Took all three of them to a bigger arena, I rode Dolly and used my new long whip, to move them around at faster speeds and turn backs. Dolly loved chasing them around the pen and even got down cutting them for me. It was a blast.
After seeing they could really move out, change directions quickly, increase and decrease speeds well without any issues, we took them back to the round pen and rode each one. Only at a walk.
Did a little change of direction and 1-Rein Stops, lots of flexing and called it a very very very successful morning.

3 horses saddle and rode for their very first time in 4 hours without one single issue. YAHOO!
This afternoon we will do the same, with Kache!
Then we plan to take Peepers on a trail ride, looking for water and cattle.

Afternoon of day 3 went exactly as planned. Could not have been better. Kache did great on her first ride under saddle. She did do a little half hearted buck when we first asked her to canter before mounting, but changed her mind quickly about that being a very desirable thing to do. Put her in the arena with Peepers, since they are best buddies now, and moved them around while mounted on horseback, just like I had done to the others this morning. I think my horse Dolly has more fun than I did. Also ponied Kache from her a little.

After putting Kache away, we rode out to the school section seeking cattle and water for Peepers next step in her education. Found both at the windmill and Peepers handled both very very well. It took about 6-8 minutes to get her across the water, and the cattle were a none issue. Next plan for her is the rain coat.

We are looking forward to this month and hope that it continues to go as well and easy as it has been the first three days. We are off to a very very good start and feel confident that the horses will teach us much this month and that the owners will be satisfied with their horses at the end of our time together.

In the middle of the month (Sept. 18th and the 25th) we will have another auditor day if anyone would like to come observe us developing these horses. There is a fee of $35/day and the bunkhouse is available at $35/night if you want to stay more than one day.

We pray that they will continue in the fashion that we have begun with their horses. I thank the owners for putting their trust in us and we will take the best care of these horses and not only gain their respect and trust but we will help them to be more valuable horses. We hope to bring out the potential that each one of them has.

We welcome new apprentices to learn with us next spring as we get another group of horses off to a good start! Or anytime, if you are a serious student of the horse I am more than eager to share my passion with you.

Observing Kache

2010-10-07T20:14:00.006-05:00

Day 25
Nila was driving by my arena as I was sitting on Kache the night before and she knew the horse was unhappy and wondered if she was in pain. So the plan for the day was to put her in a pen and watch, I mean really really observe the horse, nothing else. So bucket sitting is where I started with Kache in a medium size corral. I remember Jack Brainard telling me my most powerful tool as a horseman is the power of observation. So I just watched Kache with a very keen eye, not asking her to do anything as I sat on my bucket in the middle of the pen being as neutral as possible. At first I put her buddy Peepers in with her. She is also an Arab with a similar build, I thought that would give me something to compare to. I was trying to see what I had been missing. Is there a lameness issue, I had failed to see? What? What? What is it? They pranced around and played a little bit. I couldn't seem to detect any lameness in Kache, but Peepers was moving with a lot more freedom, and there was brace in Kache's body, plus she was throwing bucks in for fun every now and then and Peepers seemed to just be floating around on the air. After about 7-8 minutes Peepers came over to join me, she just stood there by me for at least 5 minutes. Then she wandered off again for a while, but it wasn't long and she was back by my side. I didn't touch her, I just sat there as she stood close by. All this time and Kache had not even looked my way once. She was mainly doing figure 8's on one side of the corral as far away from Peepers and I as possible.

Keith then brought in my horses and as they gallop by our corral Peepers ran off and Kache and her got excited running around playing a bit more. Then as my horses lined up on the fence by the corral we were working in Peepers went over to greet them, squeal and do horsey things. Kache ignored the whole bunch and did not join them. She kept doing her patter figure 8. Another thing she was doing a lot of is the head tossing in a circle thing that a dominant horse often does. I see my head horse Dozer doing it at the others to chase them away from his hay pile.

After Peepers was finished talking with my horses she interestingly enough joined me again rather than Kache. She stayed with me the rest of the time. A good 45 minutes has gone by now and Kache has shown not even the slightest interest in me or Peepers. I have not asked one thing of either horse, I am just letting them be who they are and do what they want. I decide to walk to the gait and put Peepers out in the other arena. I get up, she follows, I open the gait she walks out with me. I thought for sure Kache would try to follow but she did not. So I went back to my resting place on the mounting block to watch. I sat there for 2 more hours and Kache did not attempt to come to me, ever. As I sat there I kept praying, Lord, show me something that will make a difference for this horse, I only have 5 days left. It is obvious that she has no desire to have a connection with me when given complete free choice. I realize that we are stealing rides on her, and I guess if I were a good enough bronc rider, you may be able to ride her until she quits. But that is not the way I do things, nor the way I feel is best for a horse. It may work and it may not, but I am not willing to sacrifice my body to find out. I've done everything with her and much more that I did with the past 30 horses that I have started and yet, she is
still not accepting the partnership I have offered her. Oh Yea, she is obedient
now when she is on-line, but it isn't the kind of feel that I believe is in there somewhere. I just haven't accessed it yet.

Nila was driving by so we decided to now ask Kache to move around at different speeds in different directions to watch how she moves and handles changes etc. Neither of us believe we saw any signs of lameness or pain, just brace in the mind which follows through in the body. As we moved her around, Peepers was running up and down the other arena and actually putting a lot more effort into her movement. When we stopped Peepers did not have an sweat on her and Kache was drenched. They are both in great physical shape. Another sign I believe that Kache was very emotional and Peepers was moving about with freedom in her mind and body. But Kache is holding in a lot of pain in her mind and emotions. Where it comes from, I have no idea. I have tried everything I know to help her through it. So I decided to go for a long relaxing trail ride on Peepers and think on it. I was gone a good two hours. As I rode her I worked on the relaxed walk her owner desires.

When I got back I unsaddled her and went back in the corral with Kache. As I entered it was the first time all day that she had acknowleged me. She watched me as I walked to my resting place, but the moment I sat back down she began walking her pattern again, ignoring me. I sat there for about 15-20 minutes then left. Caught Maiden and went for a 2 hour ride, worked on the same things I had done the previous day. Came back and repeated the same thing with Kache again. However this time when I walked into the corral she started to follow me to the resting place, but left before I got there. Same thing happened so after another 15-20 minutes I went to catch Wildfire. Rode her for 2 hours, worked on perfecting her sidepass over logs, backing through L's, canter transitions. Leads on line, etc. By this time, Kache had been in this corral for 10 hours. I feed the other horses and by now she really wants out of there. I walk in and she follows me clear to the resting place, but the moment I sit down she leaves. So I watch her ignore me for about 5 minutes, I decide she has outlasted me and I am ready to give in. I pick up the mounting block and move it closer to the gate, she approaches me comes close, stays for about 5 seconds then leaves again. I sit for another 5 minutes, get up move the mounting block closer to the gate, she repeats but stays maybe 10 seconds. I move a little closer to the gate, she repeats. I realize the only reason she wants to be with me, is I am
her only ticket out of here and back to her pen which is where she would rather
be. She is training me to do what she wants. I get clear to the gate, touch it and here she comes. I give in put the halter on and rescue her. But I know in my heart she is not with me. She is using me. Smart horse. When we are walking back to her pen, I know she is not with me, because she is trying to lead me. I put her in her pen and hang with her for another 20 minutes just petting her. Then I feed her and call it a day.

Another very very very long and exhausting one. I have no idea at this point where to go from here. I feel totally defeated and disappointed. I think about throwing in the towel, raising the white flag and humbling admitting that I have met my match. I decide to think on it and pray about it a lot, because it is the first time I have ever wanted to give up on a horse. Sunshine was just as difficult to crack as this horse and in fact was more dangerous than this horse, but I had years and all the time I wanted to develop the relationship with slow progression and it worked. I feel that Sunshine do have a partnership now and if I bucket sit with her, she chooses very quickly to come hang out with me.

Day 26
Fast forward to Sunday morning devotions and church, a much needed time away from the horses. The sermon is on Job. A man who learned to persevere even in the toughest of times. He never gave up and never cursed God for all the bad things that happened to him. So I will not give up and I will take care of Kache right up until the end because her owner has entrusted me to do that. I will keep up my work in faith and love exactly as I set out to do at the beginning of this month. I will guard this precious horse that is in my custody and give her my very best until she is with me no more. I don't have a great new plan of some super duper technique or magic pill that will solve all the problems, but I will continue on in faith that what I do will eventually work given the right time. When the going gets rough, when I take it on the chin, I will get back up and persevere. It is the diligent farmer who gets the produce. So I will remain diligent. I don't know what the next 4 days will bring, but when it is over, I will know that I never gave up and I gave it my all, even if my all wasn't enough.

I left Kache in her pen all day. Thought it was best to give her and me a day off. What we will do tomorrow morning with her, depends more on her than on us. Repeating the basic essentials over and over can never hurt, so I am sure we will start there.

30 Day Training Diary (the short version)

2010-10-07T20:14:00.005-05:00

30 Day Training Diary (The short version)

We had 5 mares in training here for the month of Sept. I shared a detailed description of their first three days in last months newsletter. Here is a shorter version of the diary we kept the rest of the month.

We take the best care possible of the horses entrusted to us, and we plan to not only gain their respect and trust but we will help them to be more valuable horses. We hope to bring out the potential that each one of them has.

Day 1
Ground work and ride with bareback pad in round pen.
I like putting the bareback pad on first before the saddle so they get used to the girth. None of them bucked until we asked for the canter. However after their initial attempt at getting rid of the girth, each canter transition was without any bucking. So we said, "what are we waiting for we only have 30 days so let's ride." We only did walking and lateral bending but it went very well.

Day 2
Repeat day one and then saddle.
We let them be in a pen wearing the saddle for several hours while we worked each horse. (flagging, tarping, backing, circling, flexing, etc.) Then we move them all together under saddle.

Day 3
Repeat Day one and two, plus put first ride on them in the round pen. (Walk, trot, 1R stops, lateral flexion)

Day 4
Repeat Day 3 plus add snaffle bit and long lines during the ground work.

Day 5
Canter under saddle in round pen. Pony on a trail ride.

I have discovered that many horses are ok with desensitizing while standing still, but just because you can do things with your horse standing still doesn't mean that you can do it while in motion. When you put a horse in motion they can become scared, or maybe even defensive, especially on their right side in zone four. I spend quite a bit of time with this until a horse doesn’t feel the need to kick out or spin away from the stick/bag when in motion. Spending a lot of time near the right flank and back legs is profitable. It is important to give the horse lots of wait time. Then I do the falling leaf pattern with the bag as my stimulus. I also believe that part of desensitizing is teaching the horse to respect or move away from the object. Interestingly enough the more they respect the object the more confidence they gain. I always put the horse away
on a really good note.

Day 6
Mock worming and ride out of round pen in a small arena in halter, walk trot transitions.

After a little ground work we mounted up. Well it took a little longer to mount Wildfire. She did not want to stand still. It was windy, thundering and raining. We went slow, because mounting is part of riding and if it doesn't go well, especially with a colt well you can't really expect the ride to go much better. We started with passenger riding, then tit for tat, then some 1 rein stops, and circles. Next we played follow the rail only using reins when necessary. We combed the reins instead of pulling on them to direct the horse. Then we did the same thing with some 360's on the rail and finally some figure 8's. Plus we added a little yo yo (riding forward and backwards).
It was more difficult to get Maiden moving forward than the others. So I had to support Erica from the ground. We feel it is really important to get the forward button fixed from the very beginning. It is pretty hard to teach a horse anything that is difficult to move. Impulsion is so important. You have to have life in the feet in order to direct them.

Kache problems: When we saddled her and turned her loose in the round pen, she went to bucking harder than she ever has. So we went back to square one with the friendly game. We did lots of approach and retreat with sticks, ropes, stirrups, etc.
Again she is pretty fine when standing still but put her in motion and it is a different story. I suppose we could have worked a little faster but I gave her plenty of down time whenever she made a little progress. After 2 1/2 hours she
had made some pretty significant changes. Then I spend another hour and ½ helping her to circle at the walk. Whenever we ask her to go she goes alright, but it is mighty fast and with an attitude. So I didn't quit until I could send her out and she was calm, attentive and willing to walk an entire circle without breaking gait or shaking her head with attitude or bucking. I feel like I made some real strides with her tonight. The truth will be told tomorrow after she has time to think about everything that she learned today. I am confident that she will be a lot better, maybe not totally cured yet, but life will be better for both her and I. I knew we would have just been stealing a ride tonight if we had tried. I want her in the right frame of mind before we mount her again, because I want it to be as good for her as it is for us. The plan for tomorrow is lots more friendly with Kache, getting her to slow down and be in physical and more importantly mental and emotional control while circling. We will ride her only if she is ready.

I know it doesn’t make good business sense to put in 5 hours in one day on one horse, when you are not getting paid by the hour. But she needed it and I will do what needs to be done with a horse. I will to my best no matter how long it takes. I won't push through just to make things happen. I will take the time it takes to get it right before I move on. It is better for the horse that way and safer for us. Plus the results will be more lasting, instead of a quick fix which isn’t permanent.

Day 7
Raincoat riding because it is raining. Lead by rope on feet, Ride in larger arena with obstacles.

Well it paid off big time! I am referring to the 5 hours I spent with Kache yesterday. She was a very changed horse today. She was the most relaxed and willing than she has been since she arrived. So we did make the ride as good for her as it was for us. The end to a beautiful day and what we think is our easiest and most successful first week ever, since Erica and I have been working together. It was a peaceful and rewarding day.

Here is our raincoat progression.
Spend some time on the ground with bag and tarp preparing for raincoat. Then work with the rain coat before saddling. After saddled I continued the process of desensitizing to my rain coat. Let the horse carry it. Hang it on the fence, and then I wear it while doing some ground work. I drag it, swing it, and throw it, all kinds of things. Then I mount and ride up to it on the fence let the horse smell it. Next position the horse so that all zones and both sides are close to it on the fence. I then pick it up put it back down, then put it on the saddle and carry it around. Finally I dismounted put it on, then remounted and rode for an hour with it on.

Day 8
Trailer loading and riding in the rain in the small pasture.
Tomorrow another round of trailer loading just to make sure each horse is confident. We are getting ready to haul the horses to camp this weekend. Remember prior and proper preparation prevents poor performance. Don’t make the mistake of waiting until you have to go somewhere to see how well your horse loads. It is important to practice trailer loading until your horse is well seasoned in hauling.

Day 9
Focus on Impulsion, transitions, backing and 1 rein stops. Ride horses in arena by themselves for confidence and to prevent buddy sour issues. Short trail ride in bigger pasture with another horse.

Day 10
Take horses to clinic this weekend to ride in group situation, plus first longer trail rides.

We were very proud of them as there was a lot of distractions which included: (People cantering around on their horses, a big herd of horses coming in from the pasture, over 50 people coming and going in the lodge for a dinner, lots of cars, etc.) They stayed calm, attentive, and willing during the longest ride we have put on them. Kache is still not quite where I would like her to be this many days in, but we are glad we have been taking the time needed with her. We only rode her in the round pen at the clinic, however it was a good ride. We both feel that once we give her a couple of days off to soak on all of this the progress will begin to go a little faster for her. We are enjoying working with her even though she has been teaching us how to stay patient, giving her the time she needs to figure things out and change her attitude about it.

Day 11
All horses have the day off while I take one of my horses to the camp. A day off will not only refresh us but them as well. We have over 20 hours in each horse in the first 10 days. Peepers and Kache have over 30 because they came earlier and Kache has needed more time.

Day 12
5 hour trail ride at camp. They didn't spook at anything and went right across the water and mud. We cantered out on the trail, around hay bales in the fields, went up and down some steep hills. Plus they rode politely in the group.

Day 13
Same as Day 12

Day 14
Ride in Snaffle bit for first time. Trail ride at home and ride through cattle.
Practice circling and turning around cedar trees. We like to do a lot of training out on the trail, not just arena work. So from this day forward it is about 60% trail and 40% arena work. We do about 70% riding and 30% ground work. Added the use of a post for change of direction to follow a feel in the ground work.

Kache bucked today. She was goosing to movement of the legs so we spent an extraordinary long time doing friendly game along her sides until she could move with out humping up again. Then we got off and desensitized with the stirrups. Did some more ground work and quit on a good note. She has definitely been a challenge compared to the others and is quite a bit behind their progress even though we have twice as much time in her. But all is well, we will not give up and she will keep
teaching us how to be tip top horsewomen.

Day 15
Focus on freeing shoulders and disengaging HQ followed by FQ (Dennis Reis call this the million dollar move). Sometimes we support one another on the ground with the stick. We always have fun doing that together Started sidepassing over logs. We
finished up with our square barrel pattern.

I split up Kache's training times today one in the morning and another in the evening. In the morning I really worked on moving her FQ around from the ground for more respect, sort of like lots and lots of falling leaf but without the HQ disengagement. Also flooded her with the stick and bag, in other words more desensitizing exercises than the law allows, being passively persistent. She has been really touchy on her sides and above her. She can take it while standing still but in movement she has a hard time accepting it. I also did some long lining with the bit, which went nicely. Then went back to the stick using it for
porcupine game (move the FQ, HQ and sideways). I did this until she was responding instead of reacting or humping up. That was just the morning session. I want to say that even though she has been a challenge it is a good thing, because she is
teaching us a lot, especially to be persistent because she sure is. Again not a bad thing, she is who she is and we are working our tails off to help her be a calm, attentive willing horse who wants to be a partner with us.

Day 16
Focus on figure 8’s because our plain circles are coming along well; get up on the big pedestal with all 4 feet while being ridden; work on relaxation and stretching on the circle during ground work.

Again split up Kache sessions into two again today. Still putting twice as much time into her as the other horses, only because she needs it and I want to. All of the horses are still getting 2 hours a day and that is usually more than enough. All horses are different and some are definitely easier than others and some are quicker than others. I guarantee that I will do what it takes with each horse. I do what I think is best for each one to the best of my abilities, and if that means more time, it is just longer hours for me. I don't skip another horse’s time if I need to spend more with one for any reason. I am real happy with each horse’s progress. Each was in a different place when they came and each will leave in a different place, a better one, I am sure. Of course the easiest ones were the blank slates, but that doesn't make them better or more valuable than the other horses, they are what they are, each one of them. It is my job to take what they are and make the most of it, no matter how difficult or easy it is, no matter how much time it takes or how little.

To help Kache more with her nervousness about accepting a rider on her sides and above we sandwiched her between our horses and waved our arms above her, slapped the saddle, and let our feet and legs run into her from both sides for about 2 miles until it was no big deal for her. Of course we gave her lots of retreat, rest and soak time when she wasn't reactive. Little Wildfire rode like a dead broke horse instead of a green horse on this ride, side-passing over to Kache every time Erica asked her, and of course Dolly kept everyone in line as a polite but persistent lead mare should. I was real proud of all three horses. Not only did we desensitize Kache to things on both sides of her and above her, she has learned not to be crabby when riding with other horses on both sides of her, and Wildfire learned some good lessons about that too.

We got on and off Kache about 50 times after our sandwich trail ride. Up and down on both sides, jumping around her, moving legs on her sides, etc. etc. Then I put the lunge line on and she had the most forward moving relaxed ride to date. Whew, it is the first time we didn't think she might explode at any minute. We are sure hoping and praying that she has given up the need to think about or attempting to buck. Our goal is not to have to ride a bucking horse, and not to let her find out it is an acceptable thing to do. If that is all we get done this month I will think we have certainly won the battle. And oh, yea she did some real nice lateral flexions tonight also.

Day 17
Focus on soft turns, stopping, backing while riding in the field. When we got
back we worked on rounding them up.
A few friends showed up to watch us ride Kache. Doug mentioned we must have the best job in the world, and I do love it even though it can be very physically and mentally demanding when you have the responsibility to get a horse along as
far as possible in just 30 days. I think we do a pretty good job, but it isn't accomplished without a lot of commitment to do what is necessary for each individual horse. It can be challenging and rewarding all in the same day or even moment to moment.

Day 18, A couple of the owners came to ride their horses today. The lessons went very well, everyone was pleased.

Day 19
I am doing my best to be a real good steward of the horses that have been entrusted to me. Putting as much time and patience into each one as I possibly can. I am giving them each my very best. In the past three years all the horses Erica and I have started were doing very well at the end of 30 days. In fact each client has said they were doing more than they every imagined they would and more than other horses they had sent to trainers for 90 days. However, this time I have learned that a trainer must always remain humble. Because just about the time you think you are doing really well a horse will come along to teach you a few more things. I always knew that being passively politely persistent in the proper position was important, but I now know just how much patience must go along with that little philosophy. I wrote a book on winning a horse's heart and like people sometimes this nearly happens over night and with others it takes a lot of trust and respect building which must be earned over time.

Kache is doing her part in my journey of becoming a better horseman. I have had to be creative, consistent, and try some things I have never done before. Tonight is the first time I have worked with her that I finally felt like I was actually winning her heart. She was so relaxed, calm, attentive and willing and it felt soooooo good to be with her. I hope it felt the same for her. I know I still have to keep up my A game with her and continue building a relationship based on trust, respect, clear communication, which will lead to a horse who wants to be a partner with a human. Her eyes changed tonight and her body was softer as I finally got her to stretch on the circle using the invisible human technique. I don't have time to explain it right now. But if you are interested in it, I recommend you buy Karen Rolhf's book and video called "Dressage Naturally".

Day 20
Trying to mold what the horses offer us instead of trying to force things to happen. We continue working on rounding them up a little better. Backing through the L, creative riding over the bridge being particular about what feet go where. Ride up on small pedestal with all four feet after getting it on the ground. It is really quite a task in good communication, talking to specific feet of the horse in order to get the job done. It is much easier on the big pedestal.

Here is a quote from Buster McLaury that I really like and I keep thinking about it today. "If the human could just learn to give a little bit, then the horse could learn to give it back. Ray Hunt always said if the human could just give 5% the horse would come up with the other 95%. But it's pretty hard it seems like, for the human to learn to give. Most everybody, they want to take. They get on the horse and they want to take him over this direction, take him over there, speed him up and slow him down. And while those changes in direction and speed are important pieces of the horse's foundation; the trick is to allow them to happen, not force them to happen. You're trying to get that horse to think about the same thing you're thinking about. You let your idea become his idea. It's easy right? But how exactly, do you go about doing that. Horsemanship is pretty simple. It's not easy, but it's simple."

I think a lot of time when you are having trouble with a horse, if we could ask him what was going on he would tell you he was either confused or afraid. Kache has been both with a little bit of attitude and dominance thrown in there. I keep reminding myself that the horse is never wrong. Where she has been coming from in her mind is exactly what she thinks she is suppose to do, or what she thinks she needs to do to survive. To date she hasn’t been thinking with the partnership side of her brain. But I am hoping she will change more in the next few days. She has needed, direction, discipline, understanding, and of course feel from us which was meaningful to her. I think she may be starting to believe that we are on her side
and that we are just taking care of her. Maybe someday she will take care of her riders.

Day 21
Work on opening gates, ride the rail (5 times) until we get one entire lap at the trot without any corrections and a solid steady consistent rhythm in the gait. Then we did our favorite thing "Canter Wars" Ride up and down the big arena from point A to B. Resting at each end. Seeing who can get there first and with straightness and relaxation. Green horses can be so darn drunk and this is how we get them going straight. We love it and had a blast. We ended with some million dollar moves.

Again I repeat that when a horse comes to us that is a virtual blank slate they are usually much easier because they don’t have to unlearn any bad habits, before they could start learning. I can make the whole process a lot quicker. I will admit that a great temperament is a big plus as well. All I could think about all day was take care of the horse and they will eventually take care of you. We love this time of the month. Today was the first day we have nearly a perfect day. All the horses were at their best and we didn't have to work too hard at anything to get it accomplished. It all is finally falling into place, as it should.

Day 22
The end is near, and I am so thankful for having had the opportunity to learn from each of these horses. It has been fun and challenging to get them off to a good start. I think we have accomplished that with each one of them and helped each one become a better using horse than when they arrived. I am sure they have learned as much or more from us. I think they have learned to think things through instead of react, they have learned to accept a saddle and rider, they have learned to be directed by a rider, they have learned to be responsive to the handler or riders cues, they have learned to be trustful and respectful, they have learned to yield different parts of their body, they have learned about moving forward with straightness, calmness, and rhythm. The have learned to whoa and back up well. And they have learned about some lateral movements as well. They have learned to give to the bit, and a little about posture. They have learned to cross water, trail ride, and move through and behind cattle. I am sure there is a lot more. I would have to go back through my diary notes to list everything. But all in all I am very happy with the results as a whole. Of course I am always looking to improve, so I am sure there are some things I could have done better, and I know I will next time, because of the lessons I learned this time. Each horse and each opportunity makes us a better horseman if we are in a learning frame of mind.

Day 23
I had two new clients come from Blair NE today for lessons. They rode my horses Cisco and Dolly while I spent the whole day playing with and riding Wildfire since she will be going home this Sun. instead of staying until the 30th, due to family travel plans. Just a note to let everyone know that people come to my place quite regularly to take lessons on my horse, or they bring their own. So you don't have to wait for a camp or go to one of my many clinics, you can come here directly anytime, as long as we can find a date that works for both of us. And now we have the bunkhouse for you to stay in if it is a long drive for you.

I demonstrated a lot of ground exercises with Wildfire today while teaching the gals. And then also demonstrated riding exercises with her as well, she was a really good horse today. Then we went on a long trail ride, cantered her quite a
bit out there as we all rode together. Also did circles around trees, stepped her up the mounds, crossed water again, etc. She rode just like a real broke horse. I am real proud of her. She is ready to go home a little early.

Counting down the days now, only 7 days of training left, but I won't give them any slack, I will keep trying to accomplish as much as possible with each one of them.

Day 24
Erica is gone so I put the first solo trail rides on each horse except Kache. They all did great, a couple of whinnies when we first got out of sight of the herd but nothing else. Then I got bucked off Kache in the arena That is a story in itself.
I didn't get any supper because I worked until after dark with her. I was able to make a good change with her and ride her again a little before I put her away. I remember reading in Tom Dorrance's book that one of his students said, Tom would work through supper well into the night if that is what it took with a horse. I feel like I quit in a good place with her. I went to bed exhausted at 1:00 am after talking on the phone for a long time with my friend Nila. That is a true friend who will just listen to you and support you through the rough times. She gave me a good suggestion to really watch Kache closely and see what I was missing. Let her tell me what I need to know.

Day 25
This was a very long day, go to my blog to read what happened on my observation day with Kache, it is too long add here.

Day 26
Arlene came to ride Maiden, and Luan came to ride and pick up Wildfire. Wildfire was a perfect little gem for me as I rode her, and as Katlin, Luan's daughter, who will get the horse rode her. Then Luan rode her on a trail ride. It was a beautiful day as the fruits of our labor were evident as we rode across the sandhills together with a pretty blue sky above us.

Day 27
I was happier with Kache’s connection today, but I had to cause it by giving her some very clear choices. So it was progress even though we chose not to ride her. We have ridden her 20 times in the last 27 days. We have right at 80 hours total work with her and she has only had 4 days off. We have three days left with her, and we hope to ride her three more times, but I won't steal another ride on her if we feel like she is going to buck again. I feel totally proud of the effort and work we have put into her and I am not ashamed in the least that she is not riding like the other horses who have less time and fewer rides, she is what she is and I am not criticizing her in any way. I know that we have made a lot of positive changes for her and also given her a lot to think about as she learned with us. I have laid out the truth plain and simple. I am not judging or complaining about her or the long hours and effort we gave to helping her. I would not have done it if I didn't care about her, because if I figure our hourly wage it is way less then minimum wage. That is the chance you take, not all horses take the same amount of time or progress at the same pace. After being a school teacher for a lot of years, people are no different. And a good teacher does the best they can with each student no matter if it is easy or hard to teach or reach them. I am happy to have had the opportunity to learn from each of these horses.

Here is the statistical run down of our month so far.
Kache 80 hours, 20 rides, 4 days off
Peepers 64 hours, 21 rides, 4 days off (she came three days early and I worked with her before Sept. 1st).
Maiden 50 hours, 19 rides, 4 days off
Wildfire 55 hours, 19 rides 4 days off
We didn't keep statistics on Punky but it would be pretty similar to Maiden.
Wildfire is gone but I will put at least 3 more rides on the others.

Day 28
We took some video while riding Kache first thing this morning. Her 21st ride and it went better today, however, we don't feel like she has yet truly accepted the rider, and there is still something funny about her right side. However we were happy with the morning, with some independent riding at walk and trot, some 1Rstops, plus back up and change of direction.

Kache's owner arrived later in the day and so we worked with her again while her owner watched. She did about normal for us, and the owner agreed with us about the right side and that she doesn't totally accept the rider quite yet. I also mentioned that I am sure there are still some bucks in there to deal with. I am sure that with time it will all work out for Kache. She just needs time, patience, and crystal clear communication on a regular basis. It will be important to give her consistency with cues but variety in the work so she doesn't get bored. I look forward to hearing how she progresses through her life. And I wish her and her owner the very best. Sometimes the toughest horses turn out to be the best ones. And Kache has a lot of potential.
We then took Maiden and Peepers for a nice long trail ride and gave Punky the day off.

Day 29
Each of these horses left in a different place and each of them came with their own issues, experiences and temperaments. I am proud of what we accomplished with each one of them. Erica and I have put our heart and soul, every ounce of effort we had into each horse this month. We have a lot of hours in each one, each horse has only had 4 days off, Erica had 5 days off and I had no days off. Training horses isn't about luck, but about plain old damn hard work, dedication, consistency, persistence, and enough savvy thrown in. Maybe we lack enough savvy every once in a while because it took us some time to figure each horse out, and develop strategies that worked best for them. But nobody can fault us on dedication, consistency, persistence, and hard work, that is for sure.

Trainers also need patience and a great positive attitude. We have been tested a few times this month but because there has been two of us it is great to remind each other when one of us slips a little in either of these departments. We keep each other honest. As teachers for these horses we have kept our cool when things fell apart, and we worked firmly when needed while maintaining a patient fairness with them. We have not argued with then when they chose the difficult roads. As students of the horse we allowed them to teach us being gentle listeners, seeking what was best for each horse according to each situation and adapting our approach with flexibility when needed. You just never know how or when a horse will understand, make a change of heart and turn around for you. So we never give up.

Day 30
Erica and I had a very lovely morning. What a gorgeous fall day. Erica and I finished our last ride together for the month. She rode Maiden and I rode Peepers. We talked about all we learned this month, the highs and the lows. The good, the bad, and the ugly. Above all we learned that we both are persistent and can endure a lot of different things, and that problem solving involves a lot of willingness to try a variety of solutions until you come upon the one that works best. She is gone now. I will miss her. But we did enjoy the beautiful clear blue skies this morning. What a great ending to a challenging and rewarding month.

We not only worked hard this month, we had a lot of laughs with each other, plus a lot of nice rides too. We had challenges, frustrations, victories, and satisfactions, but in the end it was all good! We are both better people and better horsewomen from the time we have spent the past month. And gals and guys that is a lot of what it takes - TIME! So if you are not happy with where you are as a horsewoman then you just need to get out there. Make time for it.

Notes from people who followed the full training diary on my yahoo group or facebook.

Sherry, the point that keeps coming home to me, after all these years of knowing you and doing some of your photography, is this: the solid foundation that you do put into these horses. You take the time it takes, and that sentence is not used lightly. Your daily journal reports are helpful for all of us, because it reminds us about breaking things down into small pieces for our horses, especially with the early training and then also with anything new. The horses know what they know what they know because you have taken the time to make things clear and simple for them, and you are quietly persistent every day. You don't brush past to go on and do something more "fun". This is a lesson that many trainers glide on by. I'm glad you have had Kache, the tough nut to crack. It's a lot of work for you trainers, but it's an important lesson for us all. Thanks for sharing your journal notes with us each day/each week they have given me insights and inspiration in my own daily work. Sherry--I've appreciated your diligence and your daily writing, for all you've done and all its shown us, living vicariously thru you in this horsemanship journey. Thanks Julie

I've been following your reports all month and I am inspired by your honesty and persistence. What a challenge. Enjoy your camp this weekend, you deserve it.
Patti

I have enjoyed every report you sent out Sherry. You two gals worked so very hard...you guys gave it your all & more! I learned some more from your reports Sherry. Now to get out there & apply them. Jan.

I, too, have always enjoyed your posts about the young colt starting. I have saved all of them on when Dusty and then Kai were being trained by you and Erica. They are learning tools and insights into horse’s minds. I have always been thankful, that even though you may be tired, you have always taken the time to keep everyone informed. That alone is something that not every trainer would be wiling to do. Thank you for going the extra mile! Have fun at camp! Sharon

Catching Mustangs in WY

2010-08-07T14:31:00.000-05:00

I just got back from a great week in WY giving lessons and training horses. The ranch where I stay is very remote. Many miles of dirt road, but it is gorgeous rugged country. The people came to the ranch for private and small group lessons as far as 100 miles away. The Carter Ranch has a nice indoor arena, however I had to use a real old fashion outhouse for a week, and drive a few miles just to take a shower at the neighbors. I stayed in a cute little old fashion bunkhouse.The Carters are wonderful people and greats hosts. They took good care of me and fed me well. I enjoyed riding and training their nice Arabians while I was there. We rode in the arena on the mountain trials, high plains and badlands. There was a real variety of terrain. It was soft in places and rocky in others. Their horses do just fine without shoes and an natural trim.

The most exciting part of the week was going to another ranch on Monday, about an hour and a half drive away to catch, halter and work with three mustangs for their first handling in this manner. I had a blast working with each of them in the round pen until they gently and calmly accepted their first haltering. It was sort of a spiritual experience for me as these horses trusted me in a very special way. It is hard to explain.

These horses were 5 and 6 years old. They had been captured as 1 and 2 year olds. But for the last 4 years have not been handled much other than to throw some grain in a feed bunk for them and touch them once in a while. Even though they were in captivity they have been in a big pasture eating to their hearts content 24/7 so they were fat. They were used to people being around, providing food and care for them. Other than that they didn't see any need to have people around.

It took me less than 5 minutes to halter each one and they stood perfectly calm and relaxed as I put it on them. However, it took me on average about 2 hours to prepare each horse for this kind of acceptance of the halter. I could have maybe
got the job done a lot quicker if I were a better roper. I could have roped them around the neck like a good cowboy would have. But I knew I would miss several times before I succeeded, and I also knew that it would be a lot more stressful for them. So I did a lot of bucket sitting and join up with them until each of these horses was willing to follow me. I wanted each one curious about me and wanting to be with me before proceeding.

Up to this point I had not tried to touch them. Next I started with a lot of approach and retreat in order help them accept my touch. I spent a lot of time petting the air and eventually the horse from his withers forward with my hand, the stick, rope and halter. I kept this up until I was really winning the friendly game. When it was time to put the halter on it was no big deal. I know I was as happy as the horse was that there was never a fight involved. There was never a need for either of us to get stressed. However, I will admit that we got a little hot as it was well above 90 that day, which more than likely played in my favor.

I started with the most difficult horse first. The gal who owned him said that she had never gotten close to him even with grain. He remained out of reach from human touch the last four years. As I was working with him she asked me if I wanted a bucket of grain to help catch him. Of course I refused the kind offer, because I wanted the horses to catch me and not try to trap or trick the horses into being haltered.

After haltering the first horse, I turned him out into a bigger corral by himself wearing his new halter while I started on the next horse. So he stood around for a couple of hours getting used to his new tack. Before I even approached the corral to take off his halter, I wondered if I would have to run him back in the round pen in order to get the job done. However, I decided to just pretend that he had been haltered a 100 times before and act as if it was no big deal. I walked casually up to him, gave him a pet on the forehead, stepped to his side and took it off without any trouble. I gave him another rub on the forehead and walked away. He was still standing there calmly as I walked away. He was probably wondering what just happened to him. I think I was as shocked as he was. Right after I left the corral I was jumping for joy because it went so well. To me it was a sign that he truly accepted me and the halter. I am so happy that the experience was so good for both of us.

The other two horses went in a very similar manner. I could not have been happier at how well it went. I only have a couple of regrets for the day. One is that they wanted me to catch four mustangs and I only had time for three. The second disappointment is that the whole process did NOT get video taped. I am really sorry that I didn't get even one picture.
DANG IT! But I have the memory in my mind and experience under my belt that I am very honored to have and will always treasure.

I look forward to going back next year to see how these horses are doing, plus all the students who came and took lessons from me. In fact this is the third year in a row that I have done lessons for these horselovers in WY. I had several new people
this year. And they are expecting me to come again next year. I will be excited to see what kind of challenges they have for me next year, and see the progress that each horse and person has made.

Happy Trails,
Sherry

Balance of Calmness

2010-07-02T14:59:00.002-05:00

Last month I wrote about “Calmness Without Obedience Leads to Trouble”, however a horse who is NOT calm, who has NOT learned the art of relaxation will also cause difficulties that prevent the nice ride that dreams are made of. Either too much or too little calmness causes an imbalance in the horse which affects his performance and our safety.

At one end of the scale is a horse that is NOT calm, he moves quickly, and is reactive instead of responsive to our aids. Riders often turn to bigger leverage bits, and tie downs with this kind of horse. In order to achieve the correct balance a not calm horse must learn the skills of standing, waiting, and relaxing. If we don’t help a horse find enough calmness, where will control and precision for performance come from?

On the other end of the scale is the horse that is very calm but dull, slow, and boring. The rider usually needs spurs and whips to get much of anything out of this horse. To achieve balance this horse must learn the skills of moving faster, quicker and more respectful to respond. If we get a horse too calm, where will exuberance for performance come from?

While trying to fine the correct balance of calmness, just like people, horses often overshoot the mark by quite a lot before they find the middle ground where both precise control and exuberance can be seen in their actions. While we are trying to find this balance we can expect to see new problems pop up in the process of change. There will be cycles between one problem and its opposite, until the horse’s behavior gradually becomes less and less severe. As you make progress the horse will become more manageable and eventually he will settle into the middle ground of a harmonious balance. The horse will find this middle ground because harmony feels better than imbalance. Once we correctly address the extreme behaviors of no calmness and too much calmness the horse will start to feel better and his body will naturally seek this harmonious feeling.

I have been asking myself this question for several years now, “Where does calmness or relaxation originate?” Does relaxation always originate in the mind, or can it begin by changing the posture of the horse so that the body tells the mind to relax as opposed to just the mind telling the body to relax? I have come to the conclusion that it is both, because body posture can induce calmness/relaxation, and relaxation/calmness always induces body posture. So calmness can originate in the mind first or it can be a by-product of the physical.

I have also been studying Yoga the past year and I have learned all action starts with a thought first and that although it is important to become stronger and more flexible, it is just as important to train to learn to control the mind. Yoga poses are meant to help clear the mind of clutter by concentration only on the body’s new position - twisting, stretching or balancing. This induces a softer focus and a calmer mind. The physical effort of remaining in the pose for a few seconds or minutes stills the mind even further. Yoga poses should be carried out meditatively, rather than rushing from one pose to another. To my mind, this is the same attitude we should attempt to achieve when schooling a horse, both for the horse and the rider. When done in this manner (mind and body together) the proper balance of calmness between both the horse and rider can be accomplished in a shorter amount of time.

I have also discovered that there is a fewer number of people who can make effective use of this greater mental pathway. Because not everyone has acquired the ability to directly induce calmness/relaxation in themselves let alone their horses. To do this, one must get directly into the mind of the horse. When the mind is uncluttered and focused the body will follow with greater ease. The human must be able to hold onto this mental state himself, if he expects the same from the horse.

It is rather ironic how it does not seem at all difficult for humans to directly induce negative emotional states in horses, i.e. fear, confusion, resistance. It seems more rare for humans to consistently be able to directly encourage calm and a sense of well-being with a horse. Those who can are masters of their own minds and bodies and we admire them with awe. Those who have learned to reach this greater path have become true artisans of blending with a horse and they make everything look so easy. With determination anyone can learn to have the kind of soft focus and mental power necessary to shape the body. Champion athletes and successful business men and women do it all the time. They have learned to wait, remain composed in turmoil, and visualize with clarity and confidence a flawless appearance.

Besides the mental and emotional pathway to calmness/relaxation, there is also the physical path, which everyone has access to. Anyone can learn to properly work through physical maneuvers which help induce a state of calm and relaxation in the horse. Even if you think you are too uncoordinated or out of shape if there is a burning desire you will find a way. People with physical handicaps find creative ways to adapt to perform some amazing activities which those of us who are not handicapped think of as impossible.

Some physical maneuvers which help relax and calm a horse are: un-tracking, squaring a horse up, lateral bending, lowering the horse’s head, properly executed stretches, muscle massage, endo-tapping, and any activity that causes the horse to focus and pay attention.

A horse which has lost his calmness/relaxation has lost his “all-rightness” inside and even the path to it. It is the human’s job to step in there and get the horse to change, focus and come back to being 100% OK on the inside. This may be as simple as showing the horse where the trail is. Once the horse finds the trail again, he has an inner drive to return and remain in the trail or state of “all-rightness”. Once a horse has been shown the path to this “all-rightness” he will begin to voluntarily ask the human to help him and accompany him on the path to it. He will begin to go further down the path and hold it longer every time he is helped to find it again.

The bomb proof horse isn’t one who never looses his calmness. The bomb proof horse is a horse that lives for the place of “all-rightness”. When things come along which knock him out of his “all-rightness”, it is only a moment before he can return to “all-rightness” again. By contrast, the agitated and impatient horse that is always on edge of turbulence is knocked further from “all- rightness” every time the smallest knock comes along, and he even gets more and more lost the longer he is left in this state.

It is our job as horsemen to find a path to follow (preferably both the mental and the physical) because we cannot take the horse anywhere we have not been. I suspect the horse in many ways is already there waiting for us to catch up with him. This is one of the things I like the best about horses, they cannot be faked out. We must be genuine with them.

Whether you choose to work via the physical path, and thereby induce relaxation in the horse as a by-product of body posture, or if you use the mental pathway first, or if you use a combination of both the important thing is that we find a balance of not too much or not too little calmness. It has to be just right for optimal performance.

Calmness Without Obedience Leads to Trouble

2010-06-10T22:14:00.002-05:00

If you come to one of my clinics you will learn about CAWA an acronym for characteristic we all desire in our horse (Calmness, Attentiveness, Willingness, and Adaptability). For the next few months I will further expound on each of these characteristics in my newsletter feature article. This month I will tackle; Calmness.

Before we go further we should define calmness as it pertains to our horse.
It is a quiet composure where the horse remains relaxed or unruffled when presented with a request from the rider. The horse is able to completely and unconditionally accept and respect the rider's cues without becoming nervous, troubled or stressed. The horse is able to execute the given task with the appropriate amount of strength and energy while his muscles remain relaxed and supple. Another way to describe calmness is the horse is peacefully obedient; he yields without any brace in his body or mind, and he doesn’t feel constricted.

I seem to hear this statement a lot at my clinics and camps when the person is referring to a negative behavior their horse displays, “My horse has never done that before.” I have discovered that some well meaning riders have developed a horse who may be calm but is NOT obedient to their cues. As soon as they come to a clinic and start to make more particular or new demands upon the horse things fall apart. The horse is calm as long as they don’t ask much of him. But as soon as the rider makes a new or more difficult request the horse throws a fit or balks, because he has never had to put much effort into anything before. A calm horse who does not accept cues from the rider is always more or less stiff and resistant in various areas of his body.

Loving owners with good intentions can un-train a horse in a hurry when they back off as soon as their horse shows any signs of nervousness or discomfort. The horse learns that if he displays displeasure at the rider’s requests he is rewarded with a reduction of demands. When this happens the truth of the matter is that the horse is training the rider to yield to pressure, rather than the other way around. This leads to what I call a spoiled horse whom eventually becomes dangerous because he battles against the rider with inappropriate behaviors such as bucking, rearing, kicking, biting, etc.

A horse that does not whole-heartedly accept or respect the rider’s leg, seat and rein aides is unsafe even if he appears calm because the rider has no true control over his mount. Without obedience to the leg, seat and rein aids the rider has nothing to work with. They are completely helpless. When a rider does not pay attention to this he gives up control over the horse by de facto. Most problem horses have been "trained" to ignore or disrespect the rider and his cues. In most cases, these problems are manmade.

Every professional encounters horses like this on a regular basis. In order to turn this horse around the rider has to quietly and passively persist in the proper position with his requests until the horse begins to co-operate and settle down. He has to “wait it out” for a significant change to occur in the horse before he moves on. The amount of time which needs to be spent depends upon the behavior, how ingrained it is, and the progress of the horse. One should not finish a lesson before achieving true obedience and calmness when the horse has shown suspicion or uneasiness. Otherwise we may teach the horse that he does not need to obey and the next time he will be even more anxious and less willing to comply.

In order to help a horse be both calm and obedient a rider must remain calm with consistent cues and follow through every time with the proper release. With this kind of dependability the horse will respect the rider more and become confident as well as enthusiastically obedient. Once the horse finds the open door of release and understands that the rider's demands are not as bad as he thought they were he will be much calmer, more reliable, obedient and therefore safer.

Through my experience I have seen a few different types of calmness. The first and most desirable one is when the horse accepts and respects the rider’s request with a relaxed attitude of exuberant energetic obedience. This obedience to the rider’s cues cannot be emphasized enough when it comes to developing a horse who is calm and responsive.

The second and most common type of calmness is a sleepy complacency where the horse seems compliant but when you look closer there is a lifeless attitude where the horse shuffles along with short, flat, dinky strides. He is kicking up a cloud of dust, half asleep, without paying much attention to the rider. This horse is relatively harmless because of his tolerant, easy going, good nature.

The third type is the horse with a more irritable disposition. He is short- tempered, grumpy, sullen, and touchy. His attitude is “leave me alone, just let me be in charge, and I won’t buck you off”. This horse is downright lazy. This horse will make the rider work harder and harder at trying to make him go forward as he works less and less. They are calm as long as you don't impose too much on them. However, if you dare to disturb their way by asking for more energy, they stop, kick out, or threaten to buck or rear.

The fourth category of calmness I will label as the "calm before the storm". If you study the Parelli horsenalities they describe this horse as a right-brained introvert who is unpredictable. These horses withhold themselves going into their little happy place. They "store" their energies, while appearing outwardly calm, which could be described as a catatonic state. Some of them appear quite unresponsive, but just when the unsuspecting rider least expects it, they can explode into a bucking fit, for no reason at all, other than that they cannot contain their slowly but surely mounting energy any more. New horse owners are often in for a rude awakening if they end up with a horse like this, because they don’t understand this horse’s psychology.

As important as the right kind of calmness is, it is equally if not more important that the rider NOT accept the wrong kind of calmness. The appropriate kind of calmness is the one that comes from trusting obedience, and the inappropriate kind of calmness is a conditional calmness that gives way to opposition reflex as soon as the rider asks the horse to make an honest effort in his work. This type of calmness must be overcome before the correct kind of calmness can be cultivated.

Forward motion is the most basic pre-requisite for developing responsiveness which will lead to control and control will lead to a true calmness not a superficial one which I described in the above paragraphs. Many riders prevent their horses from going forward, because they are either afraid of the energy, or they are unable to sit a speedier gait because they lack an independent seat. So they do their best to stifle their horse's movement in order to create the sensation of control. Other riders are not experienced enough to know whether the energy level that their horse volunteers is sufficient or not for the task they are asking the horse to do. The rider needs to learn to be able to read whether the horse is holding himself back or not in order to realize who is in the driver’s seat.

How do we know if the horse is completely accepting the leg, seat and rein aides or not? Here is a test which will help you determine whether a horse is holding himself back or not, whether he is thinking forward or backward. Apply a forward cue with your seat and leg, then support with a crop, stick, or rope to the rump if necessary. If the horse reacts to this with a more forward-upward movement of his hind leg, he is thinking forward, and is respectful of the cue. On the other hand, if the horse is thinking backward he may slow down, switch his tail, lay his ears back, and kick out, crow hop or buck. If he goes against the leg he is being rude and disrespectful of the rider’s cue and is clearly holding back.

Even when the horse is respectful of the leg, seat and rein aides they can occasionally lose their calmness for a variety of reasons. Introduction of a new exercise can lead to some nervousness, which will go away with time, clear communication, and patient practice. Some of the other things which can compromise the horse's concentration and calmness are: outward distractions, fear, boredom, fatigue, pain or lameness issues, ill-fitting tack, a poor rider who is stiff and unbalanced, unclear communication, excessive and unfair demands. Any of these things can cause a horse to become agitated, defensive, intimidated or antagonized.

When the horse’s calmness is compromised the rider must first stay calm himself, then decide where the disturbance came from. Next the rider should check the correctness of his seat as well as the timing, coordination, feel, and intensity of the cue. Then lastly it is important to re-evaluate the level of the demands being placed on the horse according to his stage of training and degree of physical fitness. Making these decisions in a split second and applying them correctly takes quite a bit of practical training experience. It doesn’t happen over night, so be patient with yourself too.

A certain loss of calmness is sometimes difficult to avoid when the rider addresses shortcomings in the horse’s foundational training. So it is important for the rider to calm the horse down so that he doesn’t get nervous every time we ask something new or more demanding from him. It is not critical that the horse gives you a perfect performance every time, especially since nobody is perfect. However, we can expect the horse to try whole-heartedly to comply with the rider’s request even if it is a new or difficult one. If the demands are fair, the rider presents cues with clarity and is willing to wait patiently for the horse to understand and calmly yield to the request then there is no reason why we can’t be particular without being too critical. The stamp of a well-trained horse is one who will give you an honest effort to understand and obey the rider's cues calmly without argument. When you have this you have the makings of a true partner that will bring you not only safety but joy for many years to come. So remember just because your horse is calm, without obedience it can lead to trouble on down the road.

The “I Can’t Club”

2010-03-03T23:15:00.000-06:00

For thousands of years there has been a prolific club offering memberships throughout the world to anyone who wants to join. It is the “I Can’t Club”. Under the bylaws club members are required to make “I can’t” statements with conviction and then think up as many excuses as possible about why these statements are correct. When it comes to horses here is a very small sampling of things I hear quite often:
I can’t find time to work with my horse.
I can’t sit the trot.
I can’t get my horse to stand still for mounting.
I can’t slow my horse down.
I can’t get my horse to go (especially into the canter).
I can’t get my horse to back.
I can’t get my horse to move or turn to the right.
I can’t get my horse in the trailer.
I can’t get the correct leads.
I can’t keep my horse calm on the trail.
I can’t find the right horse, trainer, saddle, bit, etc. the list goes on and on.

Even though there may be truth to these statements for the people proclaiming them, there is no reason to believe these are unchangeable situations or problems without effective solutions. However because of the fervor with which these “I can’t” proclamations are spoken it can sure hinder a person’s progress toward living the horse dreams they desire.

Let me make an analogy with the law of gravity. Everyone is subject to the force that pulls every object to the center of the earth. In a similar way, members of the “I Can’t Club” are prisoners to the downward pull of defeat. It is easy to become ground bound and even the thought of quitting the “I Can’t Club” seems impossible.

Often my job as an instructor and mentor of those who come to me for horsemanship training is to give them faith that there are many possibilities to change their current situation and practical solutions to overcome difficulties they are having with their horse or their riding skills. In other words not only do I give horse lovers physical strategies and techniques that will work with their horse, I seek to motivate their minds and hearts as well. When a person discovers some confidence in their knowledge and skills of horsemanship the relationship with the horse will change dramatically.

When we think about the law of gravity it seems impossible that a 190 ton mass of metal could rise against gravity’s pull and stay in the air. Practically speaking our mind says, “It can’t be done!” However, we all know it can be done by using the principles of aerodynamics. I do not completely understand the principles of aerodynamics, but because I have faith in those principles I can enter an airplane with full confidence that it will fly. Because of my belief I am no longer ground bound. Similarly when we discover horsemanship principles which work from the horse’s point of view and we give ourselves over to believe and follow those principles, the “I can’t” statements no longer prevent us from moving forward. You can start to turn the “I can’t” testimonies into “I can” when united with knowledge, patience, practice, and support.

Here is a small example of what I am talking about. (Although I want to qualify before you read on that I do not think this student is a member of the “I Can’t Club”. Rather this is a testimony to the change of thinking from I don’t believe to I do.)
“The lesson yesterday was simply magic!!!! I can't tell you how excited I am. I was serious when I said that I felt like crying. I never in my wildest dreams thought my horse could drop into a LOPE like that. A comfortable, relaxed lope!!!!!!!! I am still thrilled about our progress. He was so smooth!!!!! The first time you told me to canter, I almost fainted but I told myself that if you think we can do it, then we can.
I can't wait to do it all again this weekend. I am feeling good about being able to do it again but won't be upset if it doesn't go well!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

As you can tell from reading, this person not only believes that she and her horse “CAN” do it now, she is also being kind and patient with herself and the horse if they have a minor set back. I know they will continue to progress in a very positive way because of her attitude, dedication and persistent to be the best she can be for her horse.
Another one of my five year students who has taken a lot of lessons, clinics and camps from me was propositioned with training some horses from another horseman who has been watching her progress over the last couple of years. She was quite surprised and said, “What?” The man replied, “Don’t you have the confidence in yourself?” He went on to tell her she doesn’t realize how good she is....

I can’t express how proud I am of this horsewoman, she has accomplished a lot in the last few years when we look back to where she began. She has a lot of reasons to believe she “CAN” namely the results that she is getting with horses. They always tell the truth. With an “I CAN” attitude and a little more encouragement I have no doubt this young lady can achieve anything she sets her mind to with horses.

There is nothing wrong with believing in and acknowledging your abilities or lack thereof. It becomes a balancing act between being too modest or too arrogant. Being able to project the confidence of “I CAN” without becoming egotistical produces a person who is not only teachable but approachable. The greatest horsemen have superior confidence while maintaining an attitude of humility. Both horses and people will respond to this authenticity.

If you find yourself in the “I Can’t Club” from time to time, don’t beat yourself up. Instead surround yourself with people who believe “You Can”. Also seek out the kind of teachers or programs where they empower you with the principles and tools needed to accomplish that which you have been struggling with. Then believe in yourself and work hard. Listen to your words and if you hear the damaging little phrase “I can’t” pop out of your mouth replace it with “I can because I choose to……”

It is essential to be kind to yourself and your horse. As your knowledge and skills increase you will find yourself doing things you thought were not possible with your horse or at least the difficult things will become easier.

Dreams of Spring

2010-03-03T23:13:00.001-06:00

Dreams of Spring
The hope of flowers blooming, tree leaves budding, the warm sunshine on your face, and some nice footing where it is safe to ride your horse is just around the corner. Everyone is looking forward to spring with great expectation and can hardly wait for the first signs like tulips peaking through the snow. Yes it has been a difficult winter causing conditions where we cried, “I can’t…..” ; you fill in the blank.

I am looking forward to my very busy schedule this spring, and like the rest of you I am hopeful that the snow will melt soon and not be replaced by more. I remember last April first when the young horses came for their training it snowed. I am putting in my request with mother nature that this will not occur this year. But I know that if the conditions are not favorable the people coming will tough it out like the gals did last year. I commend them for not giving up even when the wind and snow blew right through us. The “I can” attitude was strong even when it was difficult. Thankfully we had access to the Calamus Outfitters indoor arena, but it was still pretty uncomfortable.

We have five horses coming for the month of April for development and then a couple more coming for the four day clinic on April 1-4. Auditors are welcome for this clinic, we did have a few last year. This year we are also offering an Auditors Workshop on April 17th where you can come observe the training progress, ask questions, and learn foundational principles important to every horse’s performance. Erica my apprentice will be working with me again this year.

I will have a booth and do some demonstrations at the NE Horse Expo again this year at Lancaster Event Center in Lincoln, NE. I will be using a horse named Hank in my demonstrations who I don’t know anything about other than the owner says he is as green as a Leprechaun’s Shorts. The title of my demo is “Starting Over with A Green Horse”. The times are Fri. 4:00-4:45; Sat. 9:00-9:45; Sun. 9:00-9:45.

Then I will also be giving a lecture on Yoga stretches and Exercises to improve your riding posture and seat on Sun. at 3:00-3:45 in the NE Room

I hope you will stop by my booth to visit, ask a question, register to win some prizes, purchase my book “Win Your Horse’s Heart” (Be A Better Horseman), or sign up for a summer camp. If you sign up by March 31st you will receive an Early Bird Discount of 10% off the instruction.

Speaking of Camps we are having a new type of camp this year for my alumni students. We are calling it “BOOT CAMP”. It will be held at Calamus Outfitters June 20-24. It is for the hard core student who really wants to work some long hard hours in order to move to the next level in their horsemanship skills. There are certain requirements of what you can already do with your horse so that we don’t have a huge gap of skill levels with the riders attending. So call Sherry to discuss those prerequisites if you are interested. If you do not meet the requirements not to worry, there is a camp for everyone.

The schedule for March - June
March 6-7 Private Lessons in Burwell (Preparing for Spring Show Season)
March 12-14 NE Horse Expo in Lincoln, NE (We will have a booth)
March 19-20 Mini Clinic and Lessons in Omaha, NE
March 21-22 Mini Clinic and Lessons in Lincoln, NE
March 28 Study Group in Broken Bow
April 1-4 Young Horse Handling Class, Burwell, NE
April 17 Young Horse Handling Workshop, Burwell, NE (Auditors only)
May 1-2 Lessons with Owners of Young Horses from (30 day training)
May 14-17 Women’s Camp Calamus Outfitters, Burwell, NE
May 21-24 Private Lessons and Mini Clinics in Omaha and Lincoln
May 29-31 Trail Ride Camp at Calamus Outfitters, Burwell, NE
June 4-6 4-H Clinic in Holyoke CO
June 11-14 Women’s Camp Calamus Outfitters, Burwell, NE
June 18-19 Private Lessons in Omaha and Lincoln
June 20-24 BOOT Camp Calamus Outfitters, Burwell, NE
June 28-30 Youth Parent Camp Calamus Outfitters, Burwell, NE

Call now to reserve your spot in one of the above events:
308-346-5663
Go to my NEW WEBSITE for a full 2010 Schedule

Comfortable & Relaxed Riding

2010-02-03T21:52:00.001-06:00

My goal as an instructor is to enable you to be comfortable and relaxed while riding,

so your horse will be comfortable and relaxed with you.

Owners and riders tell me quite often they wonder why:

their horse keeps throwing its head
he won’t go forward
he bucks or rears
he spooks
the horse’s trot is so hard to sit
the horse can’t maintain the canter
why he won't stretch to the bit
the horse, rider or both are uncomfortable and not relaxed

Sometimes these issues may be health-related and you should have that looked into by your vet. But once any conformational or health related issues have been addressed and solved if the behaviors continue then we have to consider it could be and most likely has to do with the rider or lack of training. For the purpose of this article we are going to focus on the rider.

I view the picture of horse and rider as a whole partnership rather than looking at each issue separately. In most cases the causes of many of the issues listed above is the inability of the horse to move "completely" through his or her entire body because of a tight rider, a tight poor fitting saddle, poor postural habits or trying to fix issues with equipment and gadgets rather than connecting with the horses mind and helping him learn to control his emotions. The sole use of specialized equipment and gadgets is always based on the "people schedule" instead of the "horse schedule". In order for everything to function clear, smooth, relaxed and comfortable both bodies have to function in a full healthful way including physical, mental and emotional fitness. It is a wholistic approach where both the horse and rider must be developed in order to have a comfortable relaxed performance.

Riding is not always as easy as the experts make it look. It can be difficult to keep your balance and at the same time be effective with your aids. It can be hard for some people to stay upright and look good in the saddle.

When NOT looking good riders:

bounce in the saddle
their legs flap against the horses’ side
their hands cling to the reins for balance
they lean forward
when giving a cue they bend their wrists, look down and again lean forward
their heels come up
their lower back stiffens
The horse drops his shoulder, throws his head up and tightens his back

As I teach I have noticed that quite a few riders have difficulty keeping an upright posture through transitions and keeping their seat in the saddle at the canter. I have also observed that the trot is usually the most difficult movement to perform dignified and well.

There are many “roadblocks” which can hinder a horse’s ability to move completely through his entire body. But one of the most common "roadblocks" is a tight rider with a weak core. If you are double bouncing at the rising trot, sloppy in the sitting trot, unable to maintain an independent seat in any movement, unable to maintain a collected canter or if you are stiff and tight in your position you are more than likely weak in your abdominal and core muscles.

In order for the horse to carry a rider with a supple and working back,

the rider must:

Become a conscious rider (Listening and observant of yourself, the horse, and the surroundings)
Be able to control your mind and emotions (remain calm)
Stay relaxed and flexible in mind and emotions
Breath normally
Be aware of your body and then the horse’s body
Have “self-control” (physical coordination, and timing)
Be in neutral pelvis position
Have an aligned body (ear, shoulder, hip, heel)
Stabilize through the abdominal core muscles
Open your knees (clamped knees literally take you up and off the saddle making you vulnerable and unsafe)
Think wide through the upper thighs and pelvic bowl (otherwise you are closing your hip joints and restricting motion)
Let your legs be long draping around the horse like wet paper towels
Release and contract as necessary for balance
Remain flexible or supple especially in the shoulders, pelvis, and lower back
Move in rhythmic harmony with the horse

These rider objectives will help improve your posture so you are in a position which allows the limbs to free up and work with the horse’s movement without being restrictive or limiting. The abdominal core muscles stabilize the upper body and support the back which allows the hips, lower back muscles and hamstrings to function independently without a lot of undue stress. Your core is what balances, contains and re-balances the horse and allows you to function within a dynamic and changing set of circumstances in the saddle. The core muscles also stabilize the neutral pelvis which is the foundation of your weight distribution and your balancing point.

Core stability gives a person deep abdominal strength and therefore better posture control and trunk stability. Horse riders NEED deep abdominal strength for riding. Nervous riders tend to cling onto their horse and bounce around. This creates tension in the horse and then the rider and then the horse and the cycle is set

If you core is weak it is no wonder you are tired or sore after riding. Without a conditioned core your body feels out of balance to your horse. Your body is constantly adjusting, re-adjusting and over working postural muscles which become injured over time. The horse does not feel you harmonizing with his movement but rather working against him like a ball and chain. He will not want to lift his back, instead he will hollow his back and you end up with a rough ride and real struggle. Your body becomes a drag on movement and you have to work extra hard to get lightness and forward impulsion.

One of the absolute keys for a comfortable and relaxed ride for both you and your horse is better core stability. A good rider has knowledge of their body and posture. This gives them confidence, strength, skills, and stability which allows them to achieve high level results.

So if you are feeling blue because you can’t get out and ride your horse because of the winter weather conditions then it might behoove you to set aside some time for strengthening your core because it is so important for horseback riding. It is the center of gravity and your body relies on it for proper posture and body functioning. It provides a solid foundation of movement for the rest of the body and injury prevention.

I would recommend Pilates or Yoga, however anything you do to become more aware of your body, increase your strength and flexibility, while learning to control your breathing will greatly benefit your riding this spring no matter what discipline you choose to participate in with your horse.

I want to encourage you to set as one of your goals this year to become a conscious rider who realizes that sensitivity and understanding of your body-mind connection are essential to riding. As you continue on this journey you will begin to understand that using your body to communicate with the horse is the essence of riding and your most challenging task.

COME TO OUR STUDY GROUP IN BROKEN BOW OR THE RIDING SIMULATION CLASS IN HASTINGS THIS MONTH TO LEARN HOW TO IMPROVE YOUR CORE STRENGTH AND AWARENESS FOR RIDING

2010-01-19T19:45:00.001-06:00

Question: This year is an especially long and cold winter with very poor riding conditions. Because I do not have an indoor facility I have spent very little time with my horse. I am longing for warmer weather to be able to ride and play with my horse. What can I do in the mean time to better my riding skills?

Answer: Winter may severely challenge your horse riding routine. So we may have to alter a few things. I like what Theodor Roosevelt said, "Do what you can, with what you have, with where you are."

This winter most of us have been snowed in with 4-8 foot high snow drifts wondering if we will ever see spring. Unless we have an indoor riding arena we aren’t doing much riding right now, so we will have to do what we can with what we have. We could perhaps haul to an indoor arena to ride, but most of us can’t even get to our trailers right now, not to mention the thought of hauling my horses on slick roads is not to appealing. So in order to counter-act the gloominess and stress of the weather we can focus on some other areas that can help improve our riding. Aside from watching training DVD's and reading good horse books and magazines there are some things we can do to improve our riding right now.

Balance is one of the biggest keys to riding. Our horse's feel every move we make when we are astride, and react to every unbalanced move however subtle. So anything we can do to recognize the unbalanced errors we have in our own bodies and correct them before we get on the horse will help improve our riding.

To find our balance we need body awareness especially of our core. With body awareness and balance we can clearly see where our weight is shifting and understand what our horse is feeling. These subtleties can affect our horse's confidence and behavior. How can we expect our horse to trust a person to guide him if the rider can't even manage his own weight? A balanced confident rider creates a balanced confident horse.

There is an old cavalry saying, “it’s never the horse, always the rider”. So if we can do something this winter to improve our balance, flexibility, breathing, core strength, focus, and overall awareness of our bodies it will make our “fair weather” riding more productive. We will be ready for spring and competition or pleasure riding whichever you choose if we start doing something right now. Plus some good exercise is proven to relieve stress and uplift your spirit.

To become a better rider one has to become a conscious rider, which is to realize that sensitivity and understanding of your body-mind connection are essential to riding. It is important for us to understand that using your body to communicate with the horse is the essence of riding and your most challenging task. As you gain valuable insights and techniques for effectively using your own body your horse will thank you by reflecting your positive changes and become more willing, balanced and pleasurable to ride.

It is a known fact that horses communicate through a physical language that includes postures, expressions, and movements. To be successful at riding, we need to speak in a similar non-verbal manner with the horse. For most people, body language is not employed as a conscious method of communicating. So it is our job to acquire the skills that enable us to speak with the horse physically, which includes self-control of body and mind with powerful focus. For safety and efficiency we need to learn a balanced position in the saddle, as well as the ability to focus and relax on demand. Refining the awareness of our own body and coordination is needed to clearly communicate to the horse without disturbing him.

Creating harmony on the back of a large, unpredictable flight animal is a complex learned activity for horses and humans. Most every rider seeks to establish union with the horse—it is a universal goal despite the various reasons we ride. And while riding is not a "natural" act, it can become a "harmonious" one when we cultivate the appropriate level of self-discipline to safely enjoy our chosen mounted activities. Whether we are content with casual riding, or wish to pursue a higher degree of sophisticated control, riders today must take responsibility for our equestrian education. This starts with an exploration of the many learning opportunities available.

People who come to me for lessons often face "obstacles" that block their efforts to harmoniously connect with the horse's movement. Traits such as: insufficient awareness of their own body, lack of core strength, chronic tension, poor posture, one-sidedness, impatience, anxiety, fear, and excessive grip with arms and legs are some of the common hurdles riders need to overcome. Sadly, it is our equine partner who suffers most when "horse control" is prematurely attempted before our own obstacles have been identified, addressed, and eliminated. This approach is the absolute longest road toward harmony, and can create even more riding obstacles, such as: confusion, frustration, struggle, and forceful manipulation—all of which negatively impact the safety and well-being of rider and horse, and increase the risks already inherent in riding.

In my opinion one of the best ways to become more aware of your body, strengthen your core, improve your breathing, flexibility, focus and ability to relax is through yoga. Yoga is the oldest self-improvement practice in the world. Yoga has survived because it works. I have been doing yoga this winter plus other exercises for general overall tone to keep my body in shape for spring riding.

Here are some benefits of Yoga that I know will help improve your riding.

Benefits: Posture

With increased flexibility and strength comes better posture. Most standing and sitting poses develop core strength. That's because you're counting on your deep abdominals to support and maintain each pose. With a stronger core, you're more likely to sit and stand "tall." Another benefit of yoga is the increased body awareness. This heightened awareness tells you more quickly when you're slouching or slumping so you can adjust your posture. (All very important to a good independent seat when riding.)

Benefits: Breathing

Yoga provides time-tested practices for improving your breathing. I believe breathing skills are essential for equestrians to move in rhythmic harmony with the horse. And they are definitely needed to keep us calm and relaxed in a stressful situation with a horse. Because of the deep, mindful breathing that yoga involves, lung capacity often improves. This in turn can improve sports performance and endurance. Most forms of yoga emphasize deepening and lengthening your breath. This stimulates the relaxation response -- the opposite of the fight-or-flight adrenaline boost of the stress response. Again we need to relax in order to ride well.

Benefits: Less stress, more calm

Even beginners tend to feel less stressed and more relaxed after their first class. Some yoga styles use specific meditation techniques to quiet the constant "mind chatter" that often underlies stress. Other yoga styles depend on deep breathing techniques to focus your mind on the breath. When this happens, your mind becomes calm. Again it is important to stay calm with horses in many situations.

Benefits: Concentration and mood

Harder to pin down and research scientifically, concentration and the ability to focus mentally are common benefits you'll hear yoga students talk about. The same is true with mood. Nearly every yoga student will tell you they feel happier and more contented after class. Recently, researchers have begun exploring the effects of yoga on depression, a benefit that may result from yoga's boosting oxygen levels to the brain. Again focus and concentration makes for a much better rider.

You might want to try yoga for stress management and relaxation from the challenges we have faced this winter. It will also benefit your physical body for better riding this spring. Look around for classes in your area to see what's offered. You can also learn yoga from books and videos. I personally tune in to Veria TV on Dish every morning at 9:00 and follow the program. If you don’t want to do Yoga at least try to implement some type of exercise program inside these cold winter days and you will reap the rewards this spring. Come spring your horse will be happy you improved your body tone, posture, strength, breathing, and ability to stay calm.

For more information on exercise and simulations classes to develop better feel and riding ability check out Sherry's new website at www.heartinyourhand.com and sign up for one of our summer horsemanship camps or clinics.

Happy Trails,
Sherry Jarvis
Author of "Win Your Horse's Heart" (And Be a Better Horseman

2010-01-01T14:37:00.001-06:00

2010-01-01T14:26:00.001-06:00

2009-12-26T14:34:00.001-06:00

The Road To Becoming A Horseman (Part 2)

2009-11-03T20:15:00.003-06:00

In last months newsletter I described how I have been guiding a small group of women over the past four years down the road to becoming better horsewomen by their attendance at the annual Oct. Alumni Women’s Horsemanship Camp. The article explained how we explored confidence for both the horse and rider the first year. Then the following three years we studied the emotional, mental and physical aspects of becoming better horsemen. In Part 2 of this article, I am going to continue this discussion by expanding upon the nuts and bolts of what I am currently learning and teaching.

Because I am a retired school teacher I find it helpful to divided learning into smaller chucks so that it is easier for the student to digest. I believe that there are (four main categories or roads) we need to take in order to become better horsemen. I have also discovered that progress is much quicker and improvement enduring if we take these roads in a specific, sequential order. Therefore we avoid getting lost on the journey.

When we become proficient in one category then our experience on the next road will be much easier. In other words the road to becoming a better horseman will be a lot smoother when we build our skills with purposeful progression. It is when we try to take short cuts that the road becomes very bumpy and more difficult. While it may be possible to jump onto any road (or category) at any time, and sometimes it may even be necessary depending upon the situation, it does help to go in an order. Traveling in this manner is a lot more pleasant for both the horse and rider plus the results are far superior to anything I have every tried in the past.

We need to develop skills in these four categories on our road to becoming better horsemen: 1) Develop a Learning Frame of Mind for both horse and rider.2) Advance Groundwork 3) Improve Rider’s Posture4) School the horse for Optimal Movement and Self-Carriage

Within each of these four categories there are different levels; beginning with the easiest and most fundamental skills and building up to the most complicated aspects of training. It doesn’t matter where you are right now, or if you ever want to achieve the most complicated and advanced maneuvers with your horse. What matters most is that you have a general understanding and skill set in each of these categories so that you can be safe and have more fun with your horse.

Here are some of the things I have realized about each category on my own road to becoming a better horseman.

1) Developing a Learning Frame of Mind
What is involved?

It is so important for the rider to have an awareness of self.
It is imperative the rider be very attentive to the horse.
It is valuable to know how to get and keep a horse’s attention.
It is foremost that the rider has great intention and focus.
It is essential for the rider to be a calm leader in a variety of situations.
It is significant that the person be able to read a horse and understand behaviors.
It is vital the person breaks through any defensive behaviors in the horse.
The central key is developing a relationship with the horse which means a healthy happy partnership. It doesn’t matter whether it is a young or old horse, a problem or challenging horse, a remedial or rescue horse, because all horses will appreciate this and therefore become more willing.
It is crucial that the person have an open mind to new learning.
It is necessary the person is willing to experiment and learn from mistakes.
The attitude the rider has towards the horse will have a great influence on everything you do with him.

2) Advance Groundwork
What is the focus?

Developing the balance, feel and timing of the rider is just as important in ground work as what we are doing with the horse. Everything we do on the ground is transferrable to riding for both the horse and rider.
Balance and communication are best developed in the context of groundwork because the separation helps clarify “issues” that are most often the result of miscommunication or misunderstandings between horse and rider.
How equipment affects communication and motion is best assessed in this category. A rider can become fully aware of various training equipment, ropes, halters, whips, sticks, saddles, padding and bridles and how to use them better because they do not have the added things to think about while being on the horse’s back.
The difference between aids and contacts is clarified and both the horse and rider learn their specific roles in the partnership.
Undesirable behavior issues can be dealt with in a safe way. The change of behavior on the ground can and will transfer to riding. Get it better on the ground and it will be better when riding.
Habits are created, which will affect either positively or negatively the daily handling with your horse, from vet care to trailer loading.
Three layers of advancement in the horse and rider:
Emotional balance (calm and attentive during exercises),
Mental balance (understanding exercises and skill development)
Physical balance (energy, relaxation and self-carriage within the exercises).

3) Improve Rider’s Posture
How do we do it?

Focus on the rider’s balance and position through awareness exercises performed in a specific order.
Separate the rider’s balance from the horse’s balance so that the rider can become more aware of exactly where and how the horse is struggling and then offer better assistance.
As the rider¹s balance improves, feel improves and then the timing of the aidsprovides clear communication that is recognizably useful to the horse.
Ideally this begins on the ground using exercise balls and reins for simulation exercises.
A safe lesson horse is an invaluable tool where the rider is on a longe line without reins.
Once in the saddle, this category of training focuses on the rider finding their own point of balance and working from their core on the back of a horse.
A video tape or a set of professional eyes on you with constructive criticism are priceless learning tools about your posture. This can be a painful process but you will learn more about your posture from these experiences than any other.
Correct posture also helps a rider feel safer. A feeling of security allowsthe rider to be more confident with calm leadership from the saddle which the horse is looking for.
Having a sense of balance that is independent of the horse’s motion is what professional riders have that gives them the ability to ride a variety ofhorses very well. While this level of quality is not often taught to non-professional riders I believe it is imperative for all riders to learn because the correct development of a horse depends on good rider posture.

4) School the horse for Optimal Movement and Self Carriage
Why is it necessary?

Focus on helping the horse achieve balance while carrying a rider.
Finding correct use of the body while bearing the weight of a rider is a learned skill for a horse and one that is often ignored.
Although a horse can and often do what is asked while out of balance the cumulative effect of riding an unbalanced horse can be lameness, illness or behavioral problems.
Understanding the difference between the most advantageous motion and acceptable motion helps the rider understand WHY the horse is behaving poorly, performing poorly or having chronic health issues.
It is a simple matter of (basic physics) between the rider’s body, the horse’s body and gravity. When these dynamics work together then harmony is achieved.
By helping the horse achieve his best possible movement with self-carriage under saddle we show the horse that his need for safety and comfort in the exercises we ask him to do are as important as our own agenda of pleasure or performance.
The fundamental skill of helping a horse find his finest movement with self-carriage which is not forced but is relaxed with balance and energy is crucial for the health and well being of a horse whether he is only ridden on the trails once a week or is expected to go to Grand Prix.

As we travel down the road to becoming better horsemen these four categories will help give us a proper road map which will lead us to our desired destination. The better our learning frame of mind is the better our ground work will be, the better our ground work is the better the horse will ride, the better the rider’s posture is the horse will be able to move with more freedom and proper self-carriage, which is the kind of ride that dreams are made of whether you are a recreational trail rider or competitor at any level.

Happy Trails,
Sherry Jarvis

Author of Win Your Horse's Heart (And Be a Better Horseman)

“Good better best, never let it rest, make your good better and your better best” – George Burns

"It's been a long, long road but it's paying off, baby."--Calvin Borel

"High achievement always takes place in the framework of high expectation"--Charles Kettering

Limited Views

2009-11-03T20:10:00.002-06:00

Limited Views

Hello Horse Lovers,
Last month I wrote about taking time for rest and play. And I have been practicing what I preach. I have taken time to baby sit and play with my nieces and nephews, I have played cribbage with my Dad, painted with my Mom, spent more time with Keith and my own horses and enjoyed fellowship at church again. During this pause from my regular work schedule I reflected on what has happened in the past ten months, tied up the loose ends of the year, and started to think about and plan for 2010. In fact the 2010 CAMP SCHEDULE is now on my website.

As I reflected on this past year, I discovered that it has been my most productive year to date. I also realized that there are some important things I can do in 2010 to make our services even better. One of those areas involves the young horse development, apprentice program, and mini clinics with free trail rides at my house. The main improvement that is in the beginning planning stages is accommodations for both you and your horse. If I can pull it off I am going to invest in a small lodge for horse owners and new corrals for the horses.

The housing to date has either been in my spare bedroom, at Wagner’s Bunkhouse, Snyder Street Cottage or Calamus Outfitters, all of which are very nice. However, I feel that having a small lodging facility here at my own place especially for the apprentices will be very advantageous. Making this dream reality is the next step. The design is on paper, and the estimates are coming in. The next thing will be figuring out how to finance all of this. I know that if I work smart and hard this too will happen. This will be a great addition to your experience here in the sandhills with me. I will still continue to have camps at Calamus Outfitters because they have the indoor arena etc. But for individuals or small groups of 2-3 and the apprentices it will be very convenient to have this option available.

The other thing that I am going to concentrate on in 2010 is another book and making some DVD’s. These are all big projects and I may be biting off more than I can chew. But I also know that progress will not happen unless I have the vision. I wonder how long it will take for all this to happen and I don’t have an answer for that yet. However, I do know it won’t happen at all if I limit my vision of these projects. And in fact, the more clear and detailed I am about the vision the quicker it will happen.

There is a term that highway engineers call a “limited sight distance”. Simply put you will drive at a speed that is proportional to how far you can see down the road. A curved hilly and wooded road is a dreamy landscape. But the traffic movement is predictably slow and erratic when the driver’s views are limited by trees, curves and hills. Drivers must reduce their speed to compensate for the unclear path ahead, especially those not familiar with the road.

As I map out my strategy for next year, the same thing can happen if I don’t have a clear view of where I am going. My pace will be slower the more limited my view is. The detailed plans and goals that I am putting down on paper will be the visual I need to reduce my limited sight distance and drive my business full speed ahead with the new roads I am going to build and travel down in 2010 and beyond.

Everybody seems to be in a hurry to get to their destinations these days. I know I won’t be able to move at optimum speed with the plans I have for 2010 if I have limited views. So I am working to make the views as clear and detailed as possible so that I can keep moving forward without traffic congestion.

For the rest of 2009 I will still be taking private lessons at my house or the mini clinic with FREE trail rides on Wed. throughout Nov. (weather permitting).
There will also be lessons available:
Nov. 8 Broken Bow Lessons/Play Day
Nov. 13-16 Omaha and Lincoln Lessons
Nov. 28 Broken Bow (Play day)
Dec. 6 Open House Christmas Party at Sherry’s in Burwell
Dec. 11-14 Omaha and Lincoln Lessons

The 2010 Lesson and Camp Schedule are now on the website and clinic schedule will be developing soon. So if you want to host a clinic, let me know as soon as possible, as I will be very, very busy next year, and I will do my best to fit in everyone who wants to take advantage of our services.

The clear and detailed plans that I am creating on paper for the 2010 calendar year is a de-cluttering process which will improve my sight line toward my 2010 goals. Without it I will have to be prepared for stop and go driving, inconsistent speed and plenty of deer in the road. But with it I am equipped to move forward and keep on trucking down the road because my view is not limited.

In closing don’t limit your views, make a clear path, so you can achieve your goals. Then set out a road map of how to get there and you WILL DO IT !

Until next time,

Sherry Jarvis

Heart in Your Hand Horsemanship LLC
308-346-5663
308-730-2150 cell

“The only limitations you have are those which are self-imposed”. – I don’t know who said it but I’m sure I heard it somewhere.

"The most pathetic person in the world is someone who has sight, but has no vision." -- Helen

Keller"People only see what they are prepared to see." -- Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Let me tell you the secret that has led me to my goal. My strength lies solely in my tenacity." -- Louis Pasteur

"The question isn't who is going to let me; it's who is going to stop me." -- Ayn Rand

Helping Training Babe, Jessica's Mare

2009-10-21T22:25:00.003-05:00

Student Testimony: From Jessica, starting her mare, with a private lessons at Sherry’s
When we were at Sherry's in the spring and they were doing the colt starting all of the horses had this calm, quiet trusting look in there eye, it was almost beyond words. I've never seen it before quite like that in young horses or even very often in horses that are being ridden consistently. It's the look you see when a horse and rider have a deep partnership. It's when people take notice of a special bond and comment "They are a great match". That's what I saw in those colts. The trust in their eyes showed through and that really stuck with me... I wanted that for Babe and I but up to this point I had only seen glimpses. It struck me right before we went in for the night that Babe was finally wearing that look. It warms me to see that expression in her eyes and its taken lots of time, sacrifice and the help of a great teacher to get us to the beginning of that relationship.

I still stand in amazement at what we actually accomplished yesterday. I can hardly express the emotion as it's still spinning around in my head. All I can really tell you is I've had this big stupid grin on my face all day! The reason is, with Sherry's guidance, I was able to RIDE Babe, my free 9 year old Morgan brood mare.

I truly had my doubts if we (I) would ever be able to get her riding. Sherry didn't have any doubts but I sure did. We've got even more work ahead of us now but it's been proven to me and Babe that will the right prep work and time we will be riding confidently some day and that day isn't an infinite amount of "some day's", it's the near future.

Sherry and I talked about pivotal moments in a horse's life with humans and how those times can happen as chance or you can create them. We created a huge wonderful one for her at that moment. Babe's expression, acceptance and willingness in that last half hour of play proved to me without a doubt that with consistent handling and good horsemanship that it will be a one of those moments in her life. I hope that it will always stand out as a before and after point. Do I think that everything will be easier now or that nothing bad will ever happen because she was calm/willing and accepting at that moment… of course not but what a great way to start her saddle horse career.

After a lot of soul searching Jessica decided she just didn't have the time and support to work with Babe on a consistent basis. So Erica (my apprentice) and I started Jessica’s Morgan Mare Babe this past Sept. We had her for 30 days, rode her for about 60 hours in 20 different rides plus ground work each day.

This is what Jessica said when she came to ride her horse after we had Babe for three weeks.

What a day!! What a ride!! Sherry said I was going to be blown away and that was an understatement. This is what I wrote to her about the ride: I just can't get over how good that was. I am so excited about it all. You were so right when you said it was so easy it was almost a let down. There was no let down about it but I think I got myself so wound up about it and all that was really required was just to ride my horse and trust her. It was so good, she feels so soft and solid. I felt our relationship was still quite solid despite not seeing her for a few weeks.
I was a little wound up because of the unknown when we started but she felt so good and solid under me that once I stopped thinking about it and just rode her like a broke horse all of the tension melted away.

We did a few minutes of ground work and I mounted up. She stood stock still, flexed very soft to both sides and then off we went. In the pen we did some walking, changing directions, and backing. She tucks her nose so sweetly and backs so softly it's fantastic. Then it was time to do some trotting. After I got over my butterflies we started moving together nice and she has this lovely springy little trot. Then it was time to canter... gulp! The first time wasn't so pretty because I had a hard time letting go of my tension to relax enough for her. The second time was a little better. Sherry assured me it would improve when we got on the trail.

And we were off... out into the wild blue :) Babe walked out great, relaxed and really enjoyed herself out on the trail. She seems to really excel out in the open. Any amount of tension she was holding was all blown out and we had a GREAT trail ride. We did lots of walking, trotting, transitions, turns around trees, up and down blow-outs (burms), squeeze in between cedar trees, crossed water!! It was very eventful. We did a few canter transitions and they were much better out on the trail. I was able to relax and encourage her and she never got worried she just held a canter as long (a few strides to several) as she could then slipped quietly back into a trot. I didn't ever have to completely one-rein stop her. We did circle into the down transition but it was all very soft and controlled.

We rode about 2 1/2 hours and she felt so solid the whole time. She has nice impulsion but it’s pretty balanced in her downward transitions also. She doesn't really have any "drunkeness" to her any more. I was very happy with her straightness. OH... and her HQ disengagement is wonderful. Sherry is going to start working more on FQ, sidepass and etc. next week.

I am thrilled with the progress and basically she was ready to go home. They have already far exceeded my goals for her training time. I will ride her next Saturday at camp and then she'll come home with me. I can't wait!!

Well Jessica rode Babe the next Saturday on another long trail ride, and did a wonderful demonstration to music for us. I am trying to get the video downloaded to youtube.

The Road To Becoming A Horseman

2009-10-21T22:15:00.002-05:00

The connection between a person and a horse is not only physical, but mental and emotional. The path to harmony is NOT EASY, and it requires considerable personal investment, with moments of deep satisfaction (thank goodness) but also times of profound frustration. Rest assured that determination, perseverance, and willingness to listen and learn will always bring success towards becoming a better horseman. As we progress down the road on our journey the way we perceive horsemanship often changes. For me it no longer appears as a discipline, but rather a way of living and being with the horses by adapting myself to how they learn, act, and react.

For the past four years I have had the privilege of working with a group of women who are dedicated to becoming the kind of horsewoman their horse needs them to be. Six years ago I officially started Heart in Your Hand Horsemanship LLC. However four years ago the idea of the horsemanship camps at my cousin’s beautiful guest ranch was born. There were 12 women at that first camp to let me give it a try. I planned and re-planned over and over all the details, until I had completely over-planned. But even so the results were fantastic and it was a huge success.

Since then I have lost count as to how many people and camps I have had. Each one has been different because of the different needs presented by both horses and riders. One thing is for sure they are never boring, you will be tired, you will be fed well, you will have fun, you will have challenges, and most of all you will go away changed from the experience. You won't solve all your problems in four days but you will make significant advancement and you will be one turn closer down the road toward your destination of becoming the kind of horseman you desire.

People who have come to my camps range from people who live in the city and don’t even own a horse, to people who show successfully, to working ranchers, to others with extreme fears, to those somewhere in the middle. They have been from 8 years old to 72 years young, both genders, and with a wide variety of experiences both positive and negative. No matter how vast the differences in skills are or how unlike their goals are, everyone who has come to our camps have a common bond which is a love of horses and wanting to be the best horseman they can be by gaining more savvy.

With this original core group of horsewomen who come back annually in October I have tried to make each year a little different and keep new information coming as they grew and changed. It has been a lot of work but worth it, as I have seen the development of each horse and person throughout the 4 years.

This year we had the worst weather we have ever had. However, we are fortunate enough to have an indoor arena, so it wasn't so bad after all. Even with the rain we do not have to fight mud because the sand seems to suck the moisture right away, so we do not have to worry about bad footing. I enjoyed the rain as Leigh Cheryl and I rode many miles on that last afternoon together.
The private lessons on Mon. were the crowning glory. Each person really got something they needed with their horse and some made very significant milestone changes that final day, which brought tears of joy. In fact, for those of you who have been to my camps you know that tears of joy and tears of frustration are nearly always a part of the process of change.

On the final classroom session at the camps I usually do what I call nuggets of knowledge where we list the things we have learned over the past four days. However this year I did a recap of the road we have traveled these last four years towards becoming better horsemen. I think it is a pretty good road map for anyone to follow towards becoming a good horseman.

The first year was all about CONFIDENCE: for both the horse and the rider. The theme was Finding Wings So Your Dreams Could Fly. I chose Women’s Confident Camp because while doing a demo at the NE Horse Expo it seemed everyone who came to talk with me afterwards told me how they lacked confidence like they saw in me with my special horse Cisco during our routine to music. At that first camp we focused on the ground games, simulations, and lectures which helped build the rider’s confidence. Without CONFIDENCE, it is pretty hard to be an effective leader or communicator with any kind of horse. Lack of confidence usually causes one of two things either the horse becomes more scared and lacks trust in you to do the right thing, or he becomes even more pushy and lacks respect in your ability to get him to do the right thing.

The Second Year we focused on the EMOTIONAL ELEMENT for both the horse and human. We studied the horsenalities. We accessed each horse’s emotionalcharacteristics and behaviors. We learned how to read a horse, how they learn and react. Then we learned some strategies about how to handle those emotional reactions a horse can throw at us. While we studied the emotional elements it wasn’t a surprise that we were all very emotional, in fact there were a lot of tears of frustration that year. The Theme was "The Journey Continues".

The Third Year we focused on thinking and having a plan. The MENTAL FITNESS wasstressed for both the rider and the horse. We set up patterns and puzzles for thehorse to solve. We talked a lot more about feel and how to develop it. Each person was given a check list of tasks to perform in order to access where they were in their horsemanship journey. By checking off the tasks we could and couldn't do with our horses we had a better picture of where we were on this road to becoming a horseman. We caused the people to think about where they have come from, where they are, where they want to go, and how to getthere. The theme was "Are We There Yet?"

This year we focused on developing the PHYSICAL in both the horse and rider. We stressed life up/life down, postures, conformation, etc. We accessed individual horses their willingness, calmness, attentiveness, conformation, abilities, and physical movements. We tried to apply the feel we have developed in ways to change the horses body and movements, towards relaxation, energy, and balance to set them up for collection.The Theme was "This is Your Time!" We demonstrated our steps forward by a shortperformance to music in a celebration of what we have accomplished the past four years. This really stretched some of us way out of our comfort zone. Another important element on the road to becoming a horseman. If you always play in your comfort zone pretty soon your playing field will start to shrink instead of grow.

As a result of the study of CONFIDENCE, EMOTIONAL, MENTAL, AND PHYSICAL FITNESS, necessary for horsemanship these dedicated women have all become better horsewomen. Through this evolution they have developed different goals. Even though they have all progressed at very different speeds and levels depending on how much time and effort they have had to put into the journey they always support and encourage one another because of their common bond of a love for horses and to be the best they can be for their horse.

It has been a pleasure being a part of their journey, and I look forward to what might happen next year. It will take some creativity to develop a new program for next year, but I’m sure we’ll come up with something that will be meaningful and applicable to the next turn on our road to becoming horsewomen.Horsemanship is an art form that to me takes a lifetime to really come into, because it is a way of life that involves change, constant assessment and adjustments to fit each horse. I’m not sure I will ever arrive at my final destination as a horseman, but I do know this that despite the hardships of change and learning, I’m having a heck of a good time riding down the road to becoming a horseman, and I know these women are too!

CONGRATS TO EACH OF YOU WHO IS RIDING DOWN THIS ROAD TO BECOMING A BETTER HORSEMAN!
IT IS EXCITING AND VERY REWARDING WHEN WE FEEL THAT RIDE THAT DREAMS ARE MADE OF!
Happy Trails,
Sherry
"A little learning is a dangerous thing but a lot of ignorance is just as bad." -- Bob Edwards F

Fall Women's Horsemanship Camp Reports:

2009-10-21T22:09:00.002-05:00

From Cheryl:
Every year I come home thinking this year was even better than last! I don't know how Sherry does it. One of the keys is her constant learning and personal development. As she grows, she shares with us and offers us the opportunity to expand our knowledge and playing field. She is always there encouraging and celebrating our successes.

The Switzers have a beautiful ranch with outstanding accommodations, food, and fellowship. We stayed in the North Lodge this year and we all agreed we liked it even better than the main lodge.

The spotlights were quite inspiring. Everyone has their strengths and it was fun to see them on display. The music adds a new dimension. For my turn, I asked Sherry to pick out two Mary Ann Kennedy songs and I rode Kisses freestyle to one and finesse (on contact) to the second. My plan was to live in the moment and ride the horse that showed up. Fortunately, my partner showed up and I was very happy with our ride.

We had some nice group trail rides and a couple group lessons. We were outside all day Saturday, but spent quite a bit of time in the indoor arena Friday, Sunday and Monday. Everyone had a private lesson with Sherry. Leigh and I wanted a trail ride to end camp, so our "lesson" was a ride with Sherry. We rode in the wind and the rain, but we also had some time when the wind was calm and the Sandhills had their special magic. I don't know how to describe it. The Sandhills are spiritual to me. I feel like this is the most beautiful area in God's creation and am so thankful I get to live here. The rain makes the footing even better. We walked, we trotted, we loped, maybe some galloping even. We went up and down the hills, we saw the deer enjoying the misty day. We were appreciative and thankful. It was the perfect ending for me.
Not sure what next year will bring, but I plan to make my annual pilgrimage to Calamus Outfitters for another camp with Heart in Your Hand Horsemanship.

From Cindy:
As in every year, I come home from camp enriched in friendships, and my horsemanship. Although the weather certainly could have been better, I still loved every minute of it. The drive out to the beautiful Sand hills brought me peace and joy.

What I enjoyed most:

The exercises we learned....
Friday when we played with each others horses, I chose Blue. Leigh's mule. That was a first to play with a mule! He kept me on my toes and you could see he was two steps ahead of me all the way ;) What fun, and a challenge at the same time. I think I know now why Leigh is attracted to mules...!
Saturday....the trail rides through the Sandhills. I am quite sure that is the most I have ridden Checkers in one day. I loved the ride out earlier in the day. It was the first time I've gone through the gate, landing my eyes on the vast Sandhills, and not feeling fear of the unknown. Checkers gave me that sweet confidence. Sherry showed me the hill that the first year I got off and walked up. (We call it the FAT FARM hill!) This year I cantered up to it. What a difference!
I also played on my horse bareback that afternoon. Another thing I always wanted to do, but was too afraid to.
We loved watching every one's routine to music.
Sunday..... after Sherry's cowgirl church we moved indoors. Sherry kept us busy with exercises in the arena she uses in her colt training to create a softer more supple and responsive horse.
Monday: For my individual lesson, I had Sherry show me how to Long Line using two reins. I loved the FEEL it presented to me on line. I wasn't sure I could handle two ropes, as I seem to have enough trouble with just one 22ft. but it wasn't as hard as I thought. And was actually fun!
As usual Sherry gave us some nice study material including areas of Leadership, Communication, Partnership and Lightness. Again also emphasizing the Mental, Emotional and Physical Collection. It was a nice balance of thought and application.

I do feel it all came together for me this year. I have always felt like I was swimming under a layer of ice and I finally hit it from underneath hard enough and broke through. Thanks to my awesome horse Checkers, my mentor teacher Sherry, and my dear friends that are just as much a part of this journey as any thing else.
Wow...I'm finally where I want to be.

Lessons from Horsemanship Camp transferred to working cattle!
From Renee:
Had to write you to tell you what an exciting day I had today. We have been working our calves, pre-conditioning (vaccinating) for weaning in a couples weeks from now. Been using 4 wheelers for moving cows to corrals but used Jack for sorting in the corral. Was so happy to use the maneuvers you taught me on him and he worked so much better. I realized that what helps so much and why we do so good at it is because of the intention that you taught us about. We are so focused on the cow that even when one dives back into the herd, it is like parting the sea. So neat to realize how that works so well. I thought it was all Jack doing that however I do give him a lot of credit for his intentions.

Anyway another exciting thing that I learned today and thought you would be interested in was what I learned in moving the cows. We were taking the herd back to pasture with our 4 wheelers and I was watching our Border Collie and his herding at the same time my husband and I were criss-crossing in the back. It all came together, we were doing serpentines! That's what the dog was doing naturally. So I said "let’s try going up on opposite sides of the herd, turning in towards the cows and criss-crossing in the back, like your dance you talk about. It seemed to work great. I think we can really perfect our timing and dance as we only had about a half a mile to move them. Looks like if we want the herd to move in a different direction, the person on that side would go up a little farther. I am so anxious to try it some more.

So I got to thinking of this on a deeper level. Why I think this works is I think maybe cows need to be disengaged on the front end. When you think about it, when a cow gets on the fight, she braces in the front and faces her enemy. So exciting. I've heard that you need to move cows from the side so I am taking it a step farther. I think you need to disengage that front end and then drive them once moving. We have probably done a lot of this already without realizing what we were doing. I am so anxious to do more experimenting.

I haven't had time to work with Ace. We have been very busy. You did such a great job with him. I have way more hope for him now. Sprinklers have been breaking down and I help my husband with that. Almost through irrigating if we can just get through the next couple weeks.

The lessons that you taught were so, so, so valuable. Thanks so much and looking forward to working with you more.

Take Time for Rest and Play

2009-10-21T22:00:00.002-05:00

What a wonderful spring, summer and fall season I have had. I feel so blessed to have had the opportunity to work with so many horses and their owners. But to tell you the truth the hectic schedule has been more than I expected and I am so far behind on office work and honey do projects around the home front that I need some time to just catch up, rest and play a little. Even though I love my job and I am so grateful that I have been on a horse nearly every day since last March I am going to take some time for catch up, rest, and play the next couple of months. However I will be in the Omaha and Lincoln Area for regular lessons the weekend of Oct. 23-26, Nov. 13-16, and Dec. 11-14.

I will still be taking private lessons at my house or the mini clinic with FREE trail rides on Wed. I will not be scheduling any clinics away from home until January 2010. I know it will be hard on the pocket book but I am willing to invest in this time for my family, my own horses and myself in order to keep balance in my life. But come January watch out, I plan to have another busy schedule with lots of fun and challenging learning opportunities for those who wish to participate. If you want to host a clinic, let me know as soon as possible and the 2010 Camp schedule will be coming soon as well. So sign up early you will be glad you did!

Both amateur horse owners and professionals who are in the horse business know all about work. There never seems to be an end to it. Being “all caught up” with your work is impossible. Being “all caught up” in your work is probable. The nature of horses is to be “on” twenty-four hours a day. A barn full of living animals dependent on our diligence for survival can be both tiring and at the same time very rewarding. Our responsibility to give daily care to our horses is a given, and I also consider it my duty to help my horses be happy and physically able to do the jobs I ask him to do. So I focus on building his confidence, mental and emotional frame of mind, and his physique. I am obligated to balance his work with relaxation and times of rest and play in order to keep him from getting sour.

I also take my job very seriously to help my clients continue advancing down the road toward becoming an even better horseman. I believe this is my calling. I feel thrilled to have found it and to have so many clients who put their confidence in me. The question I am asking myself right now is whether I am creating the opportunity in my busy life for rest and play like I give my horses to keep them fresh and exuberant. As I consider the balance of work, rest and play in my life I would like to offer these suggestions to those of you who may also feel the need for a little rest and play.

Rest

Set a regular bedtime each night and do your best to stick to it.
Rise each morning at close to the same time. Like our horses, our bodies thrive on routine and stress on chaos.
Replace your mattress if it doesn't provide the comfort you deserve.
Indulge in at least one break in the morning, in the afternoon, and stop to eat lunch.
Your mind and body will function better with defined breaks in your daily timeline to rejuvenate.

Play

Schedule at least one day off a week. (I haven’t done this is 6 years, it’s about time)
Create time for yourself to be away from the farm and business doing non-horse activities. It will do wonders for providing the opportunity to relax enjoyably. I may go play with my nephew in the park, play cribbage or go fishing with my Dad.
Consider a fitness program to complement your busy daily life style. A fitness center or personal trainer can help you stretch and tone muscles, and improve your cardio health. It will help your riding ability as well. A new fitness center just opened in Burwell, I went to check it out and even if I don’t join, I’ll start on my own DVD routines again, as I do every winter season. Plus as soon as snow piles up a little I’ll be cross country skiing with my dog.
The mind and body stay fresh when they have the opportunity to experience new things. A Yoga class, dance or scuba lessons, classes in painting, instrument and voice instruction are all opportunities to do something just for you. I plan to do some artwork which I love, and get back to playing my piano and violin again. I haven’t done either since I started this business. I would love to do dance lessons, just not sure anything like that is available in Burwell, maybe Ord? I’ll check it out.
Plan a vacation away from the farm and your home. Even if it's just a weekend away from it, the opportunity to play and relax will provide measurable results in your renewed attitude and productivity. Maybe I can go hunting with Keith, or just go to a B&B somewhere and hang out together.

Now, if you need permission to take a break, slow down or have some fun, You are hereby ordered to get work, rest and play in balance. That is exactly what I am going to do and I know with this balance I’ll be refreshed and renewed for another busy 2010 season of clinics, lessons and camps. I look forward to working with old clients and meeting new ones.

Until next time,

Sherry Jarvis

Heart in Your Hand Horsemanship LLC

Others have said
"The best and safest thing is to keep a balance in your life, acknowledge the great powers around us and in us. If you can do that, and live that way, you are really a wise man." -- Euripides

"Most people struggle with life balance simply because they haven't paid the price to decide what is really important to them." -- Stephen Covey

"We can be sure that the greatest hope for maintaining equilibrium in the face of any situation rests within ourselves." -- Francis J. Braceland

Find More Horse Time!

2009-10-21T21:46:00.003-05:00

Real Life Situations:

Creative Solutions: Find More Horse Time!
When I get together with a person, I always begin with asking them how it has been going since the last time I worked with them. And quite often the first thing I hear is, “I just haven’t had enough time to work with my horse. “
I do sympathize with them, because I realize how busy everyone seems to be these days. It can be frustrating to realize a month has gone by and you haven’t had time to do anything with your horse except feed him.

FIND MORE TIME BEHIND THE INVISIBLE FENCE!
Since time seems to be such a big obstacle I hear from so many horse lovers about why they can’t seem to progress as much as they would like with their horse I decided to share some creative solutions with all of you that I hope will help you find more time with your horse.

I'll bet you've heard of invisible fences (mainly for dogs), but you haven't seen one, have you? I know I have not ever seen one, but I have heard of them and some people have told me how well they work.

A person can see the components which make up this fence; like, wire and transmitters, but it is impossible to see the finished product. What we do see is the result of the invisible fence, which is the constant confinement of a dog in his yard. The dog respects the perimeter of the invisible fence even when other animals, objects or natural instincts may tempt him to leave. The invisible fence does its job establishing boundaries the dog will not cross.
It must be challenging to sell a product that no one can see. Instead of selling the product you have to sells its results. The results are the ability to keep your dog contained within an invisible perimeter. I'm sure you'll agree that boundaries are important in your life especially when you want your privacy and time respected. We could go on and on about boundaries that we have to establish in relationships especially with our horses. However, I am going to try to stay on point and talk about this problem of not enough time to spend with your horse in order to make the progress you desire.

Unfortunately, sometimes others don't respect the boundaries you want to establish in your business and personal lives especially when it comes to time. Have you ever noticed how the many people in your life have an unlimited amount of requests to make of you and your time? Wouldn't it be wonderful to have your own personal "invisible fence" to turn on and off whenever you needed to protect your horse time. Your invisible fence would allow you to get more done in less time without offending the time robbers in your life. Your message to others is that they are still very important to you, that you desire to be there for them, and that you are not inaccessible, but that you aren't always accessible on demand at any given moment.

How do you create your own invisible fence and get more horse time?

Let voice mail answer the phone (and cell phone) for an hour or two. In fact you will find that I don’t answer my phone very often. But those who call me are very pleasantly surprised that I always call you back as soon as I can. Remember if the message is urgent, it will get to you. Disrupting your activity to accommodate a ringing phone costs you more time than you think when you consider the time for the call in addition to getting back on track with the project at hand. I never answer my cell phone when I am working with my horses or clients, they both deserve my undivided attention.
Limit computer and TV time. It is unbelievable how much time can be sucked up by chat groups, e-mails, and TV programs. I try to be as efficient as possible in answering e-mails, and sometimes it is a better use of my time to call people to answer their questions instead of typing a book. I also try to only look at my e-mails once or twice a day max. And some days I even skip it, however, I work hard at being timely to reply, especially to clients. I don’t spend time any more reading all the cute jokes etc. I just can’t possibly keep up. I like our yahoo chat group and the support it provides the horse people who have taken lessons from me, so I keep up with it as best I can. However, I only look at other chat groups on occasion when I feel I can spare a few minutes, which isn’t very often. As for TV, there aren’t too many programs on these days I am all that interested in watching anyway. So I can live without it, and in fact I did for over 10 years. Not even one in the house. However, I think my hubby would have severe withdrawals without one.
Get out of the mainstream, especially if you board your horse. I don’t mean you need to snub everyone. I think you will find it helpful to retreat to a more isolated area of the barn now and again to work with your horse in order to avoid so many interruptions and distractions. I live by a busy highway, and my arena is visible to drivers by. I often have people stop to visit for various reasons. Sometimes it is even strangers, curious about what I am doing. If I really need some time alone with a certain horse without interruptions for a short period, I go out back behind the trees in the pasture where I am invisible to passers by. I’m not being rude, rather I just want to focus on the horse and our relationship for a quality period of time. Kind of like shutting the bathroom door. If I’m out in the arena by the road, I’m polite to a friendly visit over the fence and realize I am open to that when I put myself in that area of my property. In other words my invisible fence is off or on depending on the location I choose to work in.
Get Away! Leave the barn or your property for a few hours. You might not even have to trailer if you live in a rural area. Go to a nearby field, park, arena. Any location away from your other distractions that may keep you from quality time with your horse: like (the tank, tack, stalls, pens, need cleaned; the fence, roof, or a number of other things need repaired; the weeds, trees, shrubs, or lawn, need trimmed, etc. etc. etc.) You get the drift. Take a cell phone, laptop, a yellow pad to a library, the park, or a coffee shop where you can set goals and create a plan to keep yourself on track with your . You can often get a lot more done off premise.
Establish a practice of an early start to your day. Get to your barn a half hour or more before the rest of the crowd arrives so you have the quality time we spoke about in #3. Developing some kind of a workable schedule will help you find more time with your horse. Just like a person schedules a yoga class, bowling league, church, etc. if you schedule a time for your horse, it will be more likely that you will keep the date. The people in WY have a natural horsemanship club, and they schedule regular meetings, play days and trail rides. See if you can find some like minded people to meet with on a regular basis. It helps to keep everyone more accountable. My Mom has been playing bridge on Wed. night with the same group of gals for over 30 years. I just know that I can’t ask her to do anything on Wed. nights because she plays bridge and I respect her time.
Establish a practice of getting enough sleep. After attending one of my horsemanship camps, many of the people call me the “Ever Ready Energizer Bunny”. When I was in WY in Aug. I gave lessons from 8:00 am until 8:00 pm everyday without a break. Alyce brought me a sandwich out for lunch which I gobbled down as I taught a lesson. However, you can bet that by 10:00 pm I was sound asleep in my little bunkhouse, ensuring at least 8 hours every night. I would not have been able to keep up the pace without enough sleep.
Get into the habit of saying No immediately to people who want you to do things that don't make sense to your business plan or to your personal plan. You don’t have to say Yes, to every request. It won’t make you less popular, accessible, or approachable. It will empower you to follow your values and develop even deeper relationships when boundaries are respected. No is the switch that will turn your invisible fence on to protect your boundaries.

I am not trying to lecture anyone by writing this article, nor am I trying to make anyone adapt to the principles that I live by, but these things seem to work for me. When I bend the rules of any of these seven solutions for very long, I find I don’t have enough quality time with my horses. I do have to be fairly disciplined when I am at home because of the amount of time I spend on the road. I hope you will be thinking of other ways to create your private invisible fence to protect others from intruding in your personal back yard. And if you come up with some other solutions that work for you, I would love to hear them.

Testimonies: Working with Sherry

2009-10-21T21:41:00.003-05:00

Emma on Cisco during a lesson at my house.
From Emma’s Mom: Emma spent an afternoon at Sherry’s house, riding Cisco.
Dearest Sherry,
I just want to let you know what a tremendous impact you had on Emma the other day and thought you'd like to know the great things she's told me about her day with you.

When we were leaving she was in tears... tears of joy Sherry. She said to me; "Mom, she made such a difference in my life..." and the entire way home she told me all the neat things you'd shown her, the interesting ways you explained things to her and how you kept explaining things she didn't understand until she did grasp the idea! That was huge in her eyes Sherry - that you cared enough to keep explaining instead of becoming frustrated and getting angry or upset.

She was overjoyed having learned so many new things and the vital corrections you made in her riding. You notice when she does something right and encourage her, rooting for her to do well and seeing when she's made those changes! That is something she's not had before and was used only to hearing the mistakes she was making without positive correction or encouragement when she did do something right.

That's why I was so excited to get her started with you Sherry - I saw not only how you worked at the 4-H meeting but also how she responded to your encouragement and enthusiasm! I knew you would be kind, understanding and gentle yet firm but also that you would cheer and acknowledge when she'd grasped something new or corrected the things she needed to change. Seeing the good in her and rooting her on to do better made her a very happy little girl. She needs that and it's exactly what you give! Thank you!

I wish I could remember all the things she said so I could repeat them back for you - your heart would melt - you made that big an impact on Emma Saturday and she's very eager for more. Again Sherry, thank you!!! The remainder of Emma's weekend was spent telling anybody who'd listen about her time spent with you Saturday afternoon and even Popcorn Days paled in comparison to the fun, neat times she had with you Sherry.

Emma hasn't had many adults in her life that take an interest in her or her well being and though I have actively sought to bring her together with people that do care and want to be a participant, make a difference in a child's life for the better, unfortunately we've ended up with folks that talked a good story but in the end made things more difficult and hard - if that makes sense?

You obviously are not only great at horsemanship and care about teaching people how to correctly go about riding and owning a horse but also took the time to show Emma you cared about her - that's what made the difference!
Emma just kept repeating, tearily, on the way home how you'd "made such a difference in [her] entire life" and for a mom to hear that is the best thing in the world!!

Well Sherry I won't keep you but wanted to take a moment to thank you and share some of the wonderful things I'd heard from Emma with you, and hope it's put a big smile on your face. She had a fantastic weekend thanks to you!
We look forward to seeing you Wednesday at 10:00 Sherry.
God bless,
Marguerite

And Emma, I had a fantastic time with you too and so did my special horse Cisco! Thanks for being careful to do what I asked with him, as he is so dear to me.Thanks for giving me the opportunity to serve you and share with you my love and passion of horses and especially my wonderful horse Cisco. I’m looking forward to working with your yearling filly next week.
Warmly,
Sherry

From Carla in Wyoming: Working with her Young Horse
Dear Sherry,
Thank you for the very encouraging note! The day after our lesson, I practiced the loading button. She followed me in the trailer twice, the third time she walked in and stood there on her own, just like you said she would! I’ve also been climbing on her back from the fence. How much fun is that? It is so comfortable to lay on her bare back. I then saddled her and bridled her and we rode safely and relaxed in the round pen. She stops when I use my butt and when I pick up one rein she crosses her back legs to turn. I am working her with confidence thanks to you. I’ve got two more colts to start and I am excited.
Your saddle pard,
Old Carla in WY
Thanks Backatya’ Carla. I knew you could do it! See you again next year!
Warmly,
Sherry

It’s my favorite time of the year!

2009-10-21T21:15:00.002-05:00

Sherry on Milo (3 year old training horse) at fall Women's Camp

Well summer is winding down and we are approaching my favorite time of the year, FALL and the HOLIDAYS! I usually complain about summer heat, but I have to admit that I didn’t whine near as much this year because for the most part it has been fairly cool here. I didn’t even use a whole bottle of Anti-Monkey Butt Powder to control the heat rash I normally put up with. I only had a few break outs this summer, and Keith and I saved a lot of money this summer as we rarely used out air conditioner. Our concrete house stayed nice and cool this summer with gentle breezes blowing through the open windows. I have to admit we used less fly spray on our horses than ever before because we just haven’t had as many flies this year, which was not only less annoying but another money saver. Then all the wonderful rains we have had has kept our pasture going much longer than normal which amounts to less hay consumption, another dollar saver. And last I have had the most business ever in one summer since I started this business full time just 5 years ago. I wish every summer in NE could be this lovely.

Even in the midst of a so called economic down turn a business can thrive with a little help from mother nature, careful strategic budget and market planning, an optimistic attitude, excellent customer service, a fair price, and consistent, encouraging, and positive results which benefit the client.

I can now smell and feel fall in the air and it gets me excited as I love the approaching cooler seasons. I am also excited about the young horses coming to my house this month for training and Erica returning to work with me. She is no longer called an apprentice but my training associate as she has paid her dues and worked hard with me the past three years. However, if you were thinking of sending a young horse this fall you will have to wait until the next course in the spring of 2010, as we are full again for this Sept. As of right now, I plan to take more young horses next spring and fall as I work better in cooler weather. And I plan to have apprentices here at the same time to support my work with the young horses. So if you are interested in the internship program for 2010 please call me as soon as possible to visit about the possibilities.

The summer months next year will be set aside for the successful camps at Calamus Outfitters, plus traveling for private lessons and clinics. I will be going back to Wyoming again next summer for a couple of weeks as they have already requested my return. In fact they want to make it an annual event. A couple of other 4-H groups have already requested another clinic for next year. The 2010 schedule will come out in the next couple of months.

I am thinking of slowing it down a bit in Nov. and Dec. in order to start writing and designing artwork for a second book, plus I love decorating for the holidays and having guests over. Of course, I will keep with my once a month schedule to Omaha and Lincoln for private lessons and mini clinics throughout the rest of this year as I have a very dedicated group of students willing to take monthly lessons from me. I will also still welcome anyone wanting to come to my place for lessons Oct.-Dec. upon special request. Even with bad weather we can always go out to Calamus Outfitters to ride in the indoor arena.

This year a lot more people have come to visit me for private lessons and I love the fact that I don’t have to travel. It is so fun to share my lifestyle and our horse herd with those who come. However, I also know it will always be necessary for me to travel to meet the needs of horse lovers wanting to expand their horsemanship journey. So even though I would like to live in the fantasy world of everyone coming to me, I realize this is not possible. You can be confident I will continue to be the traveling trainer who is always accessible, approachable, adaptable, and reliable. I do still suggest that you consider a trip our place in the sandhills. I promise it will be an awesome experience. This year I have had people travel from MN, CO, WY, IL, IA, MO, and yes even FL to our little piece of heaven here in central NE. And all of them have been more than happy with the experience and have found it to be a quality investment in their future with their horses.

I am also looking forward to three Women’s Camps between now and Oct. 6th. It is always so much fun to have horse lovers come out to enjoy the beauty of the sandhills with me, and allowing me to share my passion for horsemanship through natural feel with them. As I look forward to my favorite seasons, I also look forward to the horses and their owners that I will encounter this fall. And more than anything I look forward to the relationships we will develop, the lessons I will teach them and the lessons they will in turn teach me.

Until next time,
Sherry Jarvis
Heart in Your Hand Horsemanship LLC
Author of "Win Your Horse's Heart" (And Be a Better Horseman)

"High achievement always takes place in the framework of high expectation"--Charles Kettering

"This time, like all times, is a very good one, if we but know what to do with it."-- Ralph Waldo Emerson

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Oct., Nov., Dec. Newlsetter 2011

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3rd Day with Pip

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Watch Your Words!

Watch your thoughts: They become words.Watch your words: They become actions.Watch your actions: They become character.Watch your character: It will become your destiny.

Report from Parent/Youth Camp June 2011

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Independence and Liberty

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The Heart Regulates the Hands

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Getting Off to A Good Start!

Observing Kache

30 Day Training Diary (the short version)

Catching Mustangs in WY

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Dreams of Spring

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Limited Views

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Fall Women's Horsemanship Camp Reports:

Take Time for Rest and Play

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Testimonies: Working with Sherry

It’s my favorite time of the year!

Watch your thoughts: They become words.
Watch your words: They become actions.
Watch your actions: They become character.
Watch your character: It will become your destiny.