Last week Sally asked a good question in the comments section of the blog about how the practice of the Waterhole Rituals™ relate to riding and training horses when there are no fences or arenas to contain the horse. I will answering this question for you in my two blogs this week.

The Waterhole Rituals™ are a unique method of working with your horse by working with the horse’s natural instincts. The Rituals do not train your horse per se but rather they provide a means whereby you can communicate effectively with your horse in a language that he understands that also builds the trust you need when you go to ride him. By communicating with him in this manner, you create a bond of friendship and trust with your horse where he sees you as the leader, which in turn causes the horse to be more willing and more connected. The strength of this connection allows the horse to feel secure and so in my experience the horse offers you more performance under saddle than you would have without the practice of the Waterhole Rituals™.

Consider your own relationship with your best friend. If you have a great relationship, … Read more

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I gave a lesson during the Self Realization through the Waterhole Rituals course on Body Talk that was very empowering. What I often find my students doing is communicating body language at the horse rather than dancing with the movement. So, I asked everyone to imagine that the horse was as big as a whale that was listening to them. They had to exaggerate their body talk while slowing down their movements so that the whale could clearly understand what they were asking. This worked out very well and helped the students to better understand how to use Body Talk.

Another image to use is to imagine that your horse is far away and so you need to exaggerate your movements so he can clearly understand what you are asking from a distance. One student got the Body Talk down but could not use the reed with the same softness. She could not make the reed an extension of her body because she felt that is was too aggressive to use it. She used the reed in little jerking apologetic gestures, which only agitated the horse and no one moved anywhere. You need to use the reed in the same … Read more

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I remember years ago, a lady came to take lessons with me. She had traveled all the way from Florida to learn the Art of Horsemanship. She had all the right clothes and a great deal of enthusiasm. However, on her first day she became disappointed with all the details she would have to learn to stay safe around horses. And on top of that, she also found out that she would have to learn how to manage a horse’s behavior.

The next day she found even more disturbing because instead of something to do in her lesson, I told her to enjoy the moment and relax while keeping the horse way from her as she was sitting in a chair reading a book.

Initially she said that all she wanted was for the horse to relax, however she discovered that it took a lot of leadership, concentration, attentiveness, focus and management in order to be around a horse. These were the same things that she did at work all day and exactly what she was trying to avoid. She wanted a horse so she could forget about the details and just fall into a blissful state of being in … Read more

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When a horse responds to your body language it is the art of partnering with your horse.

One way to improve your body language is to pretend you are underwater. Imagine that the air that you are moving through is thick like water. Visualizing this will cause you to put your whole body into your movements rather than selected, machine-like, static, isolated signals. Instead, you approach the horse like a mime with full dancing, extended expressions. Think of your movements like Tai Chi exercises, not always that slow or exaggerated but close. As you are communicating, do it with expression to give your communication meaning. Take the time it takes to get the point across. Doing this helps to prepare the horse to pay attention and then it will give the horse time to figure out what you want and then he can clear his mind and respond. This means you have to make more effort in reading your horses mind to figure out the body language that is going to get the response from your horse that you want.

To more your horse away from you, first stand to full attention and then get your your horses attention then … Read more

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Hello again. I am absolutely thrilled to announce that my new DVD, Waterhole Reflections™, is now available. It has been a long time in the making but we are very pleased with it and are sure you will like it too.

The DVD is designed to awaken your senses enabling you to be truly present and to put you in the right state of mind before you start work with your horse. Through appreciation of the world of horses by viewing this DVD and having a heart-felt connection with your horse, you will strengthen your relationship.

By viewing it on a daily basis, you will continue to reach a deeper connection with your horse by raising your awareness in the moment and you will return to a feeling of well-being. In the moment of the pause, the connection deepens. Breathe deeply and relax. Enjoy the scenes in nature. Being in a state of joy and being present in the moment helps all relationships in life.

I also call the DVD, A Meditation with Horse in Nature. You will find that when you see your horse after the meditation your horse will be much more receptive, focused and willing … Read more

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For those of us who were blessed at birth with a natural affinity for horses, or who as children developed a fantasy surrounding these amazing creatures after reading King of the Wind, Black Beauty, Fury or watching The Black Stallion, we developed a magical relationship with them based on communication, trust and understanding.

However, as we matured, perhaps that relationship and the training have somehow become more pragmatic, more cut and dried. Has the magic of horses and horsemanship somehow disappeared?

Yet what if we could recapture those youthful dreams of a close personal bond with our horse, while at the same time facilitating and enhancing our training program? What if training could be more than simply a human’s will imposed on the horse and become instead a mutually shared partnership between horse and owner, based on a system of communication both could understand equally?

What if the horse could have a real voice and truly participate actively in his training, working with the owner to achieve success, without coercion or forceful means? … And what if, in the process, the training time was dramatically reduced while results were significantly amplified? What I’m talking about of course is liberty training … Read more

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Hello. This week finds me in the middle of my Self-Realization through the Waterhole Rituals™ course, which lasts for ten days. Actually, we are three days into the course already and having such fun! I will tell you more about it in future blog posts.

However, with the next Insider Circle Program fast approaching, I’ve written down some thoughts covering the more important points for people who may be interested in taking the next class. Hopefully what I say will give you some clarity as to whether to choose the Insider Circle as a way to learn my Method over working directly with me from my ranch, telephone coaching or using my DVD’s.

Working with horses at liberty can be more challenging than working a horse with tack because you are giving him or her the freedom to experience their true feelings. This is why we take it slowly with the Insider Circle Course. You are learning how to train a horse in a free, open environment by developing a bond in a slow and natural process like the boy in the movie ‘The Black Stallion’. It is truly natural and time consuming and more rewarding than you can imagine. … Read more

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