My Manifesto for 2010!
Jan 5th, 2010 by Carolyn Resnick Method
I want to thank you for reading my blog over this past year. I believe you are a part of a group of equestrians who are on the cutting age in supporting the horse’s journey with humans. It is an ongoing pleasure for me to be on this journey with you.
I know many of you have your own web site, school, healing practices and products, are competitive riders, trainers and animal communicators. I firmly believe in the strength of community and I invite you to take this opportunity to share in the comments what you offer to the horse community and how our readers can find you.
You might also like to share a story of how the magic of your work has helped people in making a better connection with horses. Please also share any story you may have of how horses have improved your life and how you have improved theirs. Everyone likes to read personal stories, so please share yours, no matter how insignificant you feel it may be. I developed my Methods from these moments people would call insignificant.
Through my blog and my Methods of training, I have developed connections all over the world and have had the opportunity to work also with many people here at my ranch in Escondido California.
I would like to publicly thank a great many people who have supported me this past year and have made a list of them at the end of the post.
I also want to thank all you who took my Insider Circle Program and In the Box Programs, for banding together through the Insider Circle Club that developed afterwards. The Club helped the community stay together and lend support with the evolution of each other’s liberty training and dancing. Community connections and supporting one another on a national level is the wave of the future. I feel blessed to be a part of this enthusiastic growing community of humanitarians.
I enjoy coaching both beginners and professionals in my Method. The Insider Circle was full of both and I believe this mix was a great part of the success of the Programs. It is always rewarding to help new people working with horses and it was also informative for the beginners to see how the Method helped professionals get a better connection and performance with their horses.
I read the other day that, with the right teacher, learning is the highest form of entertainment. As an instructor, my life is a playground and my students and horses are my close friends. I want you to help you find and use your personal power and freedom to be creative when using other training methods, rather than follow rules which clearly seem to offend the partnership with your horse. I believe and teach that you should use rules in a way that best serves you and your horse and not let the rules beat you both down.
I have seen horsemanship rules make a person feel stripped of their own personal truth and what they know of right and wrong. Training horses nearly always seems to boil down to these rights and wrongs, of ethics and how a horse needs to be lead. There is little written on how to train a horse by developing a bond through companionship activities, in a way that is truly natural to a horse at liberty. I am therefore currently in the midst of writing such a book and hope to have it published later this year. What I want is to contribute to the world of horses is a method that develops the bond, where training deepens the friendship and brings entertainment to the horse.
I am still holding a dream for the Sorraia Center. It is a tourist center designed to bring awareness and understanding of the culture of horses and our journey with them through the ages. The center supports a school that offers study programs on herd behavior, leadership and communication of horses through the study of the herd rituals of horses that build their community. There is a study program in how horses raise their young to fit in to herd society.
There is also a study program that highlights the difference between lead horse and dominant horse behavior. Students learn how to integrate into herds of wild horses, to develop a working bond and to train them in my Method without tack or the need for fences. When they have made a bond with a horse in nature, then they have an opportunity to advance their skills in horse training by continuing on into bridle-less riding and lastly into dressage training using my Methods.
The school is funded by the public visitor center income. All students are on scholarships, so no one is denied an education because of a lack of funds. This is most important to me. Education should be freely available. Through the school curriculum, a student learns how to be truly functional in community activities. It is the aim of the center to produce fully realized humanitarians with a strong desire to be a leader. For we learn how to better support others through our leadership in community.
My secret to training horses is knowing that horses have a natural desire to bond with humans. They have a natural desire for community and their greatest need is for companionship. When horse people can understand this, they will discover that horses are very easy to train indeed.
Through time spent with them in companionship and in quite solitude, horses have given me an understanding of all things on earth. Now through my blog and all of you who read and contribute to it, I feel I am supporting the evolution of kindness that grows partnerships that know how to get things done. I am a natural humanitarian and love what I am doing, and feel grateful to be able to bring my Method to the forefront of the equestrian world. It’s wonderful to see that the world of horses is turning a corner, and looking at horses differently now. Rather than seeing how they can support us, it seems people now want to pay the horses back for their years of loyal service to us. From a horse’s need to bond with humans and from humans becoming more aware of the integrity of a horse, a new community between horses and humans is emerging. We are all entering into a new era with horses. I feel blessed too to have the opportunity to see such changes happening in my lifetime and to be a small part of them.
Please remember to write your stories in the Comments section and may I wish you all the best and a very Happy New Year!!
Carolyn
Here is my roll-call of thanks:
- Jeannette Correia – who handles my shipping and in office work. Without her support, the ship would simply not run.
- Mark, Elke and Tessa – for all they have done personally, running the blog, handling the many details in my growing classroom and helping to spread the word.
- Alessandra Deerinck – my apprentice student, with whom I have worked with for the last three years. I also what to make you aware that Alessandra is now certified in giving clinics in my Method, both here at my ranch and in Europe. She is a human dynamo and is currently writing a book on retraining racehorses using my Methods amongst many other projects she is persuing on my behalf.
- Stormy May – for her work to bring this new era to the attention of the world through her film “The Path of the Horse” and for choosing me to be a part of the film.
- Liz Mitten Ryan – for sharing her connection with horses and for her workshops from her ranch in Canada, which has become a healing center where horses heal humans.
- Stina Herberg – for her work in the Caribbean and her lovely videos and for the workshops based on my Methods.
- Stuart Camps – for his programs for the camels.
- Kim McElroy – for helping all me and many others to find and unleash our ability to draw horses in a new way.
- Connie Funk – for her great book, “Beauty from Brokenness” and for being an advocate of my Method.
- Linda Kohanov – for her book, which I have been using as my teaching aid for my self realization workshops.
- Robin Gates – for her programs in Santa Rosa on my Method.
- Shelly Martin – World Champion cutting horse trainer and student in my Method and Panadero, for spreading the word through exhibitions where they dance together at liberty, in a true loving connection that demonstrates the new relationship we can foster with horses.
- Julia Felton – who came over all the way from the UK, studied with me for 5 months and put together the wonderful Blog Collection Vol 1 book, which is receiving a lot of great reviews. And if anyone from the UK wants to learn my Method, then please do get in contact with Julia via the blog.
No related posts.
Hi there Carolyn, I am hoping to contact Julia Felton in the Uk for more information/accessability on your Methods. Anyone know where I can find her??
It is wonderful to hear everyone’s stories. I came horses again by adopting a BLM mustang about eleven years ago. It was the start of a journey of learning that just keeps expanding. I created a business with a friend called Forest Horse http://www.foresthorse.com Our goal was to carry books and other products that would be truly helpful to the horse. My start, luckily, back into the world of horses was with TTEAM and then I learned about natural horsemanship, then found out how classical dressage fits in and meanwhile enjoyed trail riding and then added on the eye-opening work with Peggy Cummings to address my and my horse’s bracing patterns. All of this of course is reflected in my store. With finding Carolyn about a year ago, I have found another large missing piece. I have used the WHR only in starting with a new filly. It is such a great feeling to have a horse truly interested in me and connected from the beginning. My other guys have been a process! Oh and I can’t forget the beauty and the quiet wisdom and humor of the BLM burros I have adopted. I am ready to let my store go and to create something else with all of the energy that is present now, or to become more of an advocate of the horse somehow.
I’m sure anyone who has done healing work with horses has many stories, and I would like to share this one.
I was called to do bodywork on a horse at a farm who was having some health problems. I arrived and found two horses at the farm. I worked on the one with the problems and we did fine. When I was done I asked about the other horse, a small white horse who was standing off by himself. The owner said she had bought the horse for her daughter to ride but it came from a bad situation and no one was able to touch the horse. She said, “You can work on him if you want to, but we can’t get near him.”
I went into the pasture with the horse and it was true, he did not want human touch at all. I could tell he was hurting, both physically and emotionally, even spiritually. After a few minutes, he let me stand next to him but not to touch him. I thought, “How can I do bodywork on a horse I cannot touch?”
I decided to do the work energetically. I moved my hands in the air as close to him as I could get without him moving away, which was about 6 inches. I did the entire bodywork session in the air. I think it was kind of like your advice to pretend you are doing it. When I was done, I waited.
The horse stood and processed what I had done energetically, and finally looked at me and gave me permission to touch. I then did the entire session over again, this time touching very lightly, almost like a feather touch. When I was done, he again processed and let me do it again with regular pressure.
This horse had a lot of areas of concern and I was not sure why they had bought him for a young girl to ride at all. However, I did my best and left. The next week I came back to do a follow up on the other horse and when I asked about the white horse I was told that he was doing fine and the daughter had been brushing him and playing with him all week.
I’m glad I was able to give the horse some relief, even though the end of the story was not what I had hoped. I wish I had known about the Waterhole Rituals at that time. It would have been a perfect thing for the young girl to do with this horse. Unfortunately, the horse was eventually sent back to where it had been bought from because the girls was unable to ride it successfully.
Hi Michelle!
I just wanted to say the same thing! Your DVD clip was very inspiring; I would love to see the whole DVD. You have a great gift with horses!
Blessings,
Hannah
Hi Michelle Dennis, what a fabulous DVD preview you have on your website. I’m sorry I forgot to remark before. It is bookmarked as a favorite, and I learned a lot from what you do with your horses already! Kudos!
I just wanted to share one beautiful moment I had with one of the greatest horses I know. Usually this horse would kick people who tried to catch him in his paddock. I hadn’t seen him for a while, and when I came and visited him he came over to me and arched his neck over my shoulder like a hug, and he stayed there for a long time, until some kids came by and he became embarrassed (he didn’t want to seem soft, really). I felt at that moment that he really loved me, and it still warms my heart to think about it:)
Hello,
I have so enjoyed reading in these comments about others’ experiences and connection with horses – what beauty and grace they show. My own connection with horses began when I was two years old (“Daddy, I need ride it, the horse,” I said), and my favorite color was brown, because, clearly, all horses were brown! Eventually I became interested in eventing and when a young teenager got a Thoroughbred who would change my life. My horsemanship allowed and encouraged him to be fearful, panicky, and emotional – I was no leader and had no connection. In my quest to save our relationship I began natural horsemanship, completely changing everything. I began trick and clicker training him and started bridleless dressage (he is the horse in my avatar picture).
My passion continued to be shaped with horses and I found that my true love was in liberty and bridleless training with minimal pressure and a willing choice by the horse to participate. Last year, I found Ms Resnick’s teaching and was blown away. Although I had spent years training my Thoroughbred in various methods, I will never, ever forget the time one day when I was first doing the Rituals with him, and he… connected. There are no words to describe that — I thought I knew connection but had no idea until that moment. He could think of nothing but me and I could think of nothing but him. He shunned food even when I offered it, preferring to stay close, close by my side; despite all the pain I had caused him, at that point, he and I had found each other… and I never wanted to leave.
Eventually, Caspian left to help guide another owner, and I was blessed with Maia. For as long as I can remember, I have been in love with the Andalusian – I would have posters on my walls and pictures taped on my mirror of Andalusians. I would dream of the day when someday – someday – I might have my own Andalusian and I would fly on the wings of Pegasus. Then one day, my sister found an ad in a magazine advertising that the Foundation for the Pure Spanish Horse was hosting an essay contest in which first place was a PRE mare. After a lot of thought and prayer, I went for it. I poured everything I had, all the experiences of love and healing I felt the Lord had blessed me with, spent hours at night making each word perfect… and I submitted it.
And then, on December 23, I received the phone call saying that I had won. I had an Andalusian, my dream had been realized and the horse that had only trotted through my dreams would soon be standing in my pasture.
Yet the miracle continued. It turned out I was one of four winners to whom they had decided to give a horse, but which mare I was to get was unknown. And that leads to one more staggering “coincidence.” I was on the breeder’s website the next morning and scrolling through their horses, thinking none of those were being given away. But, as I was scrolling through, there was one particular mare that caught my eye, and I thought, wow, if I could have any of these mares, it would be that one… and then I moved on.
And I was given that mare. That mare, that very mare, is the one that was being given to me. I could cry, there is no way this is all a coincidence. The birth of Christ is the greatest Christmas present I could ever have, but He chose me to give me my dream horse… I named her Maia, which is Hebrew for “close to God”; she is my witness to His faithfulness.
Being gifted with Maia gave me the final push, the final sign, that I was to continue with horses as a career. I am now in college and have begun my quest of becoming such a horseperson as to be able to start horses at liberty and continue their training from foundation to final performance never truly needing tack. My love is bridleless/liberty dressage and working equitation, and I have a blog at http://www.cambriahorsemanship.wordpress.com. May you have a wonderful year with your horse.
Blessings,
Hannah Rivard
Hi to Pat Lawrie from Kerrie
We’re in San Antonio at the bottom end of Calle Libertad – come by any time. All the neighbors know one another, just ask “para ella que tiene el chico prieto que se llama Capricho” – probably you speak Spanish very well and didn’t need even this.
Hello Carolyn,
I wrote a comment replying to your question of what we do and personal stories. It seems my comment was not accepted and I am wondering if I said something that was not appropriate. Please let me know.
Evergreen Amundson
Thank you, Carolyn, for the opportunity to share. I am enjoying learning your techniques so very much. I grew up riding hunt seat and dabbling in open jumping. I remember my lovely gentle little buckskin quarterhorse, and being told to hold him tight and spank him with the crop to get his energy up before a round of jumping. Something never felt right about much of the conventional training techniques.
In college, I met a horse who was part of a rental string at a hack stable. Poco ended up becoming part of my life. He started me down the road of looking for new, kinder ways of training. I always dreamed of having a relationship like Alec and the Black Stallion, not quite believing it was possible. With Poco, and our first bridleless ride during a TTEAM clinic, I found my hope again. Poco also put me back on the path of alternative medicine, and reminded me of my true calling.
I now share my life with 5 horses, all of whom have taught me new approaches to saddles, training, healing, shoeing and many other things. My passion for their health has grown into working with other horses and their people in the eastern US. Readers can find me at http://www.carrieeastman.com
I share about your work whenever I find someone open to new possibilities.
Thank you for helping me find friendship and partnership with my horses.
Carrie, Lucky, Poco, Ben, Foster and Pony
Dear Carolyn,
you asked us to write about our own personal growth with horses, and how they have mattered in our lives. Well, I was a suicidal teenager, the son of an alcoholic, and I probably wouldn’t be in this existence today if it weren’t for horses. I had my first lease horse when I was 12. She was a black Connemara mare called Ellen, and my love. Then her owner sold her and broke my heart. I followed her and worked as a stable groom at her new owner’s barn to be near her for a while.
At 14, against all odds, and with the help of my mother, I bought my own first horse, a grey dappled gorgeous young Connemara gelding called Orson. He saw me through the worst part of my life, and I am eternally indebted to him. I rode him everywhere, all day long. We did shows together in first level dressage. We jumped together. I didn’t know anything really, I didn’t know what I know now about the language of horses, or at least I didn’t know what I knew, but something I must have known, as he trusted me and we were so bonded. I knew to spend time with horses. I think I knew about reciprocal movement and herd interaction, although I had no terminology for it. Orson died of colic when he was around 12 years old.
My horses always show me everything that matters in life. Like what kind of energy and outlook to have. You can’t kid yourself for too long if you really open yourself to them. Happiness begets happiness. There is nothing like moving in connection with a horse. Learning with you, Carolyn, is the culmination of what was more like an instinct in me. I wish I had had those tools (the Waterhole Rituals, primarily) back then as a teenager. But I am so happy to have them now and reap the connection that I enjoy with my mare and my colt now. Thank you.
There are so many stories to tell, but I’ll leave it at this for now.
Christian
I’d like to share how I spent many months in 2009 making a website about a subject that can make the daily lives of many horses much more interesting. I came across the wonderful concept of ‘Paddock Paradise’ (a natural way of keeping horses, where they move a lot) about 1,5 years ago I guess. I have always been on the outlook to improve my horses’ daily life, but with PP all my previous thoughts and plans came together. And as always, when I am enthusiastic about something, I wanted to share it with others. And what is a better way than the internet
)? So I decided to make a Dutch website on Paddock Paradise. I’m kind of a perfectionist, so I spent several months collecting all kinds of background information, writing texts for this new website and experimenting with the layout (learned quite a lot about HTML code in the process 
). The website was launched in July 2009 (click my name to visit the site) and I was surprised with the amount of visitors. Exactly in new year’s night the site reached the number of 6000 visits 
. I also wrote two articles about PP for some horse magazines.
People get inspired by the website and the articles I wrote to build their own PP and I get a lot of feedback by e-mail and on the forum attached to the site. This is very inspirational to me and it makes me so happy to see other people giving their horses a happier and more interesting life in their own PP. By keeping their horses this natural way I see people getting closer to them and learning to understand more of the way their horses spend their days and interact naturally with each other. And that can only lead to more understanding of how they should interact with their horses themselves. In my experience this natural way of horsekeeping in a PP fits in perfectly with a natural way of training and spending time with them, like you teach us so wonderfully Carolyn.
I am grateful to be able to contribute to the horse’s wellbeing in a way that meets my interests and develops my talents at the same time.
I feel strongly that we are on the threshold of a new era, in which harmonious relationships between all living beings will be crucial.
Thank you Carolyn for connecting us all in this way,
There are several things that I do. I am an author of two books, “Spirit Rider” and “Gifts of the Storm” which are fiction centered around the characters interactions with horses. My website is http://www.evergreenspiritpress.com
I do bodywork with horses and am an Equine Touch practitioner.
My horse coaching method is called Equine Relationship Training. I do not teach conventional riding. I teach mostly ground work and finding the relationship between human and horse. Your work is a parallel to what I want to accomplish with people and I have recommended your work to my clients as well.
Another area I am involved in is something that I have been doing for the last six years which is called The Teachings of the Delicate Lodge. It is ancient Mayan teachings around the medicine wheel to learn how to live in balance and harmony as a human in this life. Each time I read one of your blog posts, the same question comes to my mind, “Does Carolyn know these teachings too?” Because, honestly, there are so many parallels to what you teach. I know in your book you mention meeting a native man for the ‘tea ceremony’, but I wonder how much you have been influenced by native teachings?
During this Delicate Lodge training I have always had the goal of bringing these methods to the world of horsemanship, because it was my horses who showed me the need to begin this path. Now, the keepers of this tradition have developed the World Foundation for the Discipline of Peace and a new focus of the “Eight Principles of the Discipline of Peace.” I am doing workshops around these eight principles, and am beginning to develop a program called “First Peace in the Pasture.” (see firstpeace.ning.com)
These are the teachings that include the eight different kinds of love that you and I talked about in one of the Insider Circle calls. I apologize for not being able to share those with you in that call, but I was not ready yet. Some day I will come to visit you and we can sit with a cup of tea and share these things.
The saying is that when the student is ready, the teacher will come. I believe that you have come into my life at the perfect time, and that all of us are on the edge of a new age of consciousness that will bring 5,000 years of peace to our world. And I am honored to walk this path with you.
Thank you,
Evergreen Amundson
Hi Carolyn,
Yes I agree we are entering a new era in horsemanship and I want to be a part of that. I have been making a DVD for the last 5 yrs which will go to print in the next few weeks. It shows what’s possible when you have the horses’ hearts and minds with you and it shows the kinds of things that are necessary for that to happen – the right image saves a thousand words. Living out in the bush for the last 7 years with my herd, many of whom are others’ rejects and give-aways, has taught me so much. I started doing a few liberty demonstrations and shows so they could help earn their keep and people started asking me to train/retrain their horses and it was then that I realised that what I was doing worked across the board with all horses and didn’t matter if it was starting them from scratch or fixing man-made problems. I insist the humans must watch what I do so they at least have an idea of what the horse has been taught and then I teach them either with their horse or one of mine depending on what the situation is. The most satisfying ones so far are two ladies, Julie and Francesca, both not very experienced, and both with young unstarted chestnut horses that were quite sensitive/difficult ( both needed some chiropractic work, hate to think where they would have ended up if sent to a normal breaker). Julie is riding hers around the paddock, in a halter, bareback with the other 4 tagging along. He waits near the mounting block telling her to get on. I am still in the process of starting Francesca’s horse but am teaching him groundwork and liberty and then letting him teach her and she will come and learn some riding on my horses. I encouraged her to go have some lessons with different people and see what’s around and she was quite shocked at how ignorant some people and horses are. My website is http://www.firehorseinspirations.com.au and I sincerely hope to meet you one day.
Happy New Year, Carolyn! I want to thank you for all your generosity of spirit and the work you are doing- as well as wish you fulfillment in all the intentions you have set for 2010!
For me it is difficult to set specific intentions for 2010, because I feel that our work/play here at Alderlore is still evolving into what it dreams to be. Alderlore — this place, the horses and the people — continues to be a kind of experiment and journey. It seems pretty clear to me, though, that we are a part of a larger whole that is transforming the horse-human relationship, which itself is part of a larger whole of transforming people’s relationship with all sentient beings and becoming aware of the heart-connection with(in) nature. All these cannot be separated.
Our work with horses is a kind of two-way thinking. We train people to be ambassadors to the horse world – and we train our horses to be ambassaodrs to the human world. The two sides evolve and co-create each other. It is like you once said – the horse is always shaping your leadership, as you help shape the horse’s character.
So thank you, thank you, thank you. I am looking forward to 2010 with great enthusiasm and eyes wide open.
Bests, from all the creatures of Alderlore,
Bonnitta
Dear Carolyn,
Thank you for the opportunity to learn to be with my horse in a way that doesn’t cause me inner conflict; that is to say, in a way that is gentle, that pauses for reflection, and encourages us to go at an appropriate pace without any ‘must do’ checklists, and most importantly, in a way that plays to our strengths and supports me to develop “personal power and freedom to be creative”.
Having my own horse was a 25-year old fantasy during which time horses were relegated to my inner world of night and day dreams. I had almost given up on ever actualising the dream until personal crisis led me no choice but to pursue the one thing I knew would support me to change and grow, and to find happiness. Your method has supported me to continue the dream.
Now Sun and I are together and with your continued support in the blog classroom, books, DVDs and the forthcoming Spring coaching programme I am keenly looking forward to this year and the magic bonds with people and horses that it will bring.
I would love to learn from Julia Felton directly so will go over the past comments to locate her email address.
I have every faith that the Sorraia Centre will take off and look forward to one day being a student there.
Thank you kindly,
Joanna
Hi Carolyn,
All I can say is thank you again for adding something not just to my horsemanship but to my quality of life. I do what I call Integrative Horsemanship and I have seemlessly integrated your Method as the departure point for all further training my horses or clients horses may pursue. I also reschool Thoroughbreds like Alessandra. I love to place them in loving homes and new careers. I also take a lot of pride in taking on horses that others would have given up on or written off as dangerous, aggressive and difficult. Your method has added an invaluable piece to my approach with these horses. I have helped a lot of people and horses and learned and enjoyed the process thoroughly. I work with all disciplines as I love the variety and believe horsemanship is horsemanship no matter what style you ride. I myself love Dressage and Jumping and working bitless and bridless. I am working on teaching others bitless and bridless collection as there are not many who do this around our area of New England. My website is FDHorsetraining.com
Hi Carolyn,
I’m still trying to get caught up with your blog after being gone for about 3 weeks. Today I worked with my mare Tahnis in the arena for the first time in a month, and what I experienced is beyond words! You were certainly right about the horse sometimes being more trained after a long absence, that’s what I experienced today. After sharing space for a considerate amount of time and having my young girl come up to me several times I went out towards the middle of the arena, thinking about maybe inviting to some play, however I didn’t get very far as she understood right away what I was up to and ran up to me excited and ready to play. We had a marvelous time playing and dancing together, and the connection we shared was like a continous conversation. Things that before seemed like issues, such as companion trotting, had vanished and I realized there was mutual understanding and trust between us.
Afterwards I decided to try having her stand still while I walk around her as I need to be able to do that with the uber exercises. I wasn’t sure if she would actually stand still and not walk away, however she did! She was also super polite about her food today, remembering that she cannot walk too close to me when I have the feedbucket in my hands and that sometimes it’s just better to stop and wait for me to bring her the food.
After finishing our session I looked at her happy face and thought what a wonderful thing it is to be with a horse that loves you and wants to be with you…
When I think of how it was in the beginning with her, about a year ago now, I realize how amazingly far we have gotten in our relationship…had I been two years back in time and looking at what I do with my horse today I would barely have believed my eyes…
Dear Carolyn,
I have been here 25+ years here in Mexico in the same place as Kerrie, tho we have not met. But I did do a double take a week or so ago at a little black horse that looked like a Friesan!!!! So she is not alone as a Mexican representative. For a short while I had the use of an amply sized piece of property next to my house that I had just fenced and was doing the WHR’s with my horses. I did all the rituals I learned from your blog and watching youtube videos with my two horses and even laying down on command. I got the same look from the locals, as in “what is that crazy gringa doing?”. But I was having such great fun and even sometimes got tears in my eyes from the closeness and connection we were sharing. I cared nothing for what anyone thought or said. Cars would stop and people would gawk. My neighbors who saw me a lot were quite impressed.
But then the owner’s son came along and had a tractor mow down all my fencing and now it sits fallow once again with the weeds growing back. Who knows why. So I am back with them on my own property in a small paddock and do what I can. As of two days ago I quit my dog boarding and time consuming business as I want to devote 2010 to me and my horses, and my own 5 dogs.
I have always had a special “way” with dogs and cats, but just didn’t know how to achieve it with horses. You, Carolyn, are instrumental in showing me that way. I came to Mexico from Encinitas, but had no horse back then. It was only when I came here I was able to fulfill that childhood dream and get my first horse. I wish I knew about this wonderful work when I had that fabulous horse, but he crossed over the rainbow bridge long ago.
With your gracious gift of sharing your knowledge I hope to one day spread that knowledge by putting on a “show” at one of the local events.
I am not a “showy” person, but I feel it must be done to open up new lines of communication between people and their horses in this land of “do it my way, or else”.
I thank you for that gift.
Pat Lawrie
Hi Carolyn, I have a question. I think it was in Naked Liberty you mentioned one of your horses walking up to a horse and holding him by the neck. It wasn’t an aggressive thing. I watched my gelding do it to a horse yesterday. My gelding is inside the barn on stall rest. I have to keep his foot dry while it heals, and we have a lot of snow on the ground. I let him cruz the alley visiting the barn horses while I clean his stall, every day. He’s pretty isolated, and it gives him the opportunity to get some nose to nose time. The horse he did it to is a very shy, introverted gelding that is terrified of just about everything. Gunner took his throat in his mouth and just held it. They were best buds after that. Pepper Jack even let me touch him, and chose to stay with us both. I got granfathered in to the moment I think.
I wouldn’t have even known what was happening if I hadn’t read your book. Heck, I’m still not sure what happened. Any thoughts???
Dear Renee,
This is a question to ask in Thursaday’s class room . To answer your question what you want to do is allow and then wait for a second and bring the horses head back and say “wait” be firm and use a strong hold and the release and allow and ask again. When you feel the horse complying you more on and then repaet untill it is natural for the horse to hold still.
You are shaping new behavior and working with the horse’s resistance to stay put and relax. This is very important to a hroses life. Some time it may be very valuabe to saving a horse’s life from your ability to keep your horse in control and still when the horse would prefer to not listen to you.
This is very serious trainig and imporntat work.
This training is as important as the training a child goes through to wear a seat belt to behave in the doctors office and not be tramatized by the experiance or the training .
After the horse learns how to stay put when he feels resistance in new setting when he gets resistant and you get strong with him he will naturally choose to give up his resitance and work with you.
when you put your questions on Tuesday’s blog many people will not read my answer and I will have to repeat it again.
Does my answer bring clarity to the approach you need to take with your horse?
Hello Carolyn, Was able to read Naked Liberty and so enjoyed laughing out loud and giggling within. I am hungry for more instruction as I have seemed to miss some important ingredients. So I will watch the WHR tapes again, take notes and visit the “girls” again.
Question – if appropriate here- both mares while doing the UE will occasionally turn their head away from me. I have let their head go and tend to mirror them with my head and connection, is this the correct thing to do? Thank you, Renee
Hi Carolyn,
I have enjoyed your blogs very much so a big thank you for sharing your thoughts and methods with us.
I’m an Australian and I will be spectating at the world games in Kentucky and I was wondering if you were intending on attending also. If so it would be an honour to meet you.
yours sincerely,
Sally
Hello Carolyn!
I have, as long as I know, been a lover of animals. I have always dreamt of a horse of my own. The onley horse I´ve got as a child was a horse of wood. My father made one for me and one for my cousine. He also made a foal. They realyy loked like horses. My cousine and I made bridels, saddels, stirups… so we could ride on them. We built a stable and a paddock and we carried and dragged those horse all over. We rode those horses out in the wood, we jumped and rode dressage. We gave them food and groomed
them. It was a imaginative and fantastic time.
40 years later the dream has come true. I and my dear cousin have bought two horses, Zaritsa and Ameri Kahn. It has been a long journey.
I have been riding on riding schools but I wasn´t really happy with it. I wanted to be with the horses and getting to know them not just ride them.
Not far from were i lived as a child there was a horse called Pollo. I visited him often. Sometimes I rode him. He wasn´t so easy. He went home when he had enough and I couldn´t stop him. I rember one day when I was with him in his padock, he layed down, I sat down and he layed his head in my lap and it was just magic.
I and my cousin took care of horses but we didn´t ride so often. I was, I am allergic to coat animals, so I gave up the thought of having a horse of my own, or a dog.
I´ve got married, became a teacher and gave birth to four lovely children.
One day, for about seven years ago, I read in the newpaper about a women that had imported russian horses that worked for allergics.
I rang her up and I and my cousin started ride again. It was fantastic.
The horses live out in a flock and it is such a harmony to be there.
The stallion walks with the other horses so every year the mares had foals.
And for four years ago Carina said to me. “Now I have a little boy that I want you to train a little. He was very careful and shy. But we get along well. When he was 2 year she moved him and another young stallion to another paddock. We visited them and trained them a few times.
Carina wanted me to buy him and I had to think it over.
Before I bought him he there had been a problem lifting his feet and Carina had treatet him for this. When he was ok I decided to buy him and my cousin bought a mare.
I have had Ameri Kahn for 11/2 year now. During this time it has been hard to lift his feet and to get near his off side. I have been talking to horsepeople, I have been reading books and searching for help to know how to train him. I started to spend a lot of time with him and tryed not to bee needy. It was a very good lesson to me. Soon I could be on his offside and after a while I could scratch him and then I could pick up his feet and then I found You, Carolyn. And that ws the best thing that ever could happends to me and to Ameri K. I sat down in the padock reading your book, Naked liberty. This first WR have been just grate for me and Ameri K had been standing with my side, sometimes half a sleep and somtimes sniffed my hair. Now I can scratch him all over and I can lift all four hoofs.
Though I have a big problem, the ferrier hit him because he couldn´t stand still long enough. ameri K tiold her that he had enough but she didn´t listen.
He didn´t let her near again she traid to give him an apple but i didn´t work. I can lift his hoofs but if I have some tools with me he think it is scary.
If I put the rasp against his hoof he try to do his best but it isn´t easy to him. I have never tryed with treats perhaps that can help us. He is a lovely horse and he respect me and he have learnt me to respect him.
We will work on but right now it is really cold outside and you can´t stand still for longer than 5 minutes.
I will go on reading your blog, books and watch your DVD´s and spend time with my horse to learn more. And as a bonus I will improve my english.
Best regards and thanks for all you give Carolyn!
Anna-Karin
That’s a lovely invitation Carolyn, thanks. My name is Jenny Pearce and I am the author of “Zen Connection with Horses” and “Bobby’s Diaries Straight from the Horse’s Mouth to You”.
All great horsemen and women have a special something – a knowing… an intuition… They seem to just know when to back off, when to move forward – they know when and what to do and their results are effective and poetry. Needless to say, you have it Carolyn.
My book Zen Connection with Horses is a simple, step by step framework for ordinary people to have that too. Zen Connection is not another animal communication book. The depth of understanding of ourselves and our horse that it leads us to, is profound.
It is a practical book, with practical results. The audio lessons in the back of the book take people one step at a time through understanding and developing that knowing, that intuition – and then how to systematically use that with their horse for those practical results.
There are so many threads coming together, so many synchronicities – you would almost think that the horses themselves were behind them. I too have been profoundly influenced by Linda Kohanov’s book “Riding Between the Worlds” and am very grateful to have Stormy May rave about my book. Thanks Stormy!
Your invitation to share a story… That was a hard one to choose – I have so many wonderful, heart warming stories – from the dangerous horses turned pussy cats in hours, beginer riders with the most amazing co-operation from their horses, frightened horses who have gone back to curious foals ready for being “trained” right this time, great riders who have lost their nerve who can ride again without fear, angry, frustrated people who have found peace.
But I think Tammy is a good story. Tammy is a middle aged Mum and beginner rider with a beautiful half Percheron mare. She rode at home in her small yard, tight and tense and the thought of riding out of the yard terrified her. She had gone to riding teachers and clinics and sometimes she enjoyed them, but when she came home, the fear seemed to get bigger instead of better.
She didn’t enjoy the clinics where they wanted her to dominate and be hard on her horse and she actually had the courage to walk out of one clinic like that.
When Tammy read Zen Connection with Horses, she understood that the fear that she felt, the tension that she felt, was actually her horse’s. She came to understand that it was her deep desire for a connection to Dana that had her feeling Dana’s fear as if it was her own. Her and Dana’s life together changed in that moment.
Over a very short period of time, Tammy learnt to pay attention, and act on, the very early warning signals of fear that I call Not Quite Right – so that she and Dana no longer had to experience fear itself.
Within days, Tammy and Dana were happy together riding in the yard. Within weeks they were happy and relaxed riders, out in her big open paddocks at Bruthen. Within a very few months, they were bareback and bridle-less and still bubbling with joy. The pictures on my website of Tammy are of her first bareback and bridleless ride.
Tammy confessed to me a while back, that when she read me talking about bubbling with joy with your horse, that she thought I was a bit “over the top”. The photos that she sent me that are in the People’s Stories section on my website, are of her and Dana bubbling with joy together. She no longer thinks that I am a bit peculiar talking about bubbling with joy with a horse!
Zen Connection with Horses isn’t a method. It’s a way of being with your horse that you combine with everything that you already know and everything that you continue to learn.
I’ve been enjoying your posts on the Uberstreichen exercises very much, Carolyn. They are filling in a gap for me. Thanks!
And thanks for this opportunity to tell people about ourselves.
Cheers from Australia everybody! Jenny Pearce
http://www.bookswithspirit.com
Hi Carolyn, checking in again this week. I have been reading your book Naked Liberty which I love. Also received your Liberty training video and watched that this morning. I had a lot of “ah ha” moments, you gave wonderful descriptions of body language, and can’t wait to get out to my boys to improve our communication.
While on topic of books etc, I read a book recently that has really taken hold of me in a way no book in recent years has and at a time when I have been first introduced to your methods. It is called “Ishmael” by Daniel Quinn and if you have not read it you might want to add it your “to do” list. It seems to blend very well (at least for me) with your Naked Liberty book.
I would like to quote one paragraph from the book that has had quite an emotional impact on me.
“I considered the matter of our feeding. Human children dream of a land where the mountains are ice cream and the trees are gingerbread and the stones are bonbons. For a gorilla, Africa is just such a land. Where ever one turns, there is something wonderful to eat. One never thinks, “Oh, I’d better look for some food.” Food is everywhere, and one picks it up almost absentmindedly, as one takes a breath of air. In fact, one does not think of feeding as a distinct activity at all. Rather, it’s like a delicious music that plays in the background of all activities throughout the day. In fact, feeding became feeding for me only at the zoo, where twice daily great masses of tasteless fodder were pitched into our cages.”
My son read this book for school and came to me and said “mom I think you would enjoy this book”…well he was spot on! For me it is one of the best books I have ever read.
One of my new years resolutions is to simply “listen”….more to my horses as well as friends and family. Hope you have a wonderful 2010 Carolyn.
Hello Carolyn,
What a vision you have, and I wish you all blessing in achieving these goals. You have already done so much for all of us.
After a 37 year hiatus from horses we bought a couple of rescues a year ago tomorrow. Capricho looks like a miniature Friesian, but also may have Paso Fino blood due to a walking gait with which larger horses can not keep up at a trot. In any case the Waterhole Rituals allowed us to create an amazing bond, as I have written about before. The little guy who wouldn’t give eye contact to any humans now follows me everywhere and loves to perform at liberty. I believe this never would have happened except for the WR.
It may or may not come to pass, but here in Mexico of course a lot of macho still prevails, so we are kind of an upstart in this extremely horsey community at the far edge of Guadalajara – some 50-100 horses’ hoofbeats are heard outside our house per day as people ride around Lake Chapala here and into the foothills. Little children are taught to ride even before they can stand.
Enter Capricho and I, where we dance around on a one acre lot which is an ambling, irregular shape and studded with trees. People at first just thought I was insane, but now people are starting to watch intently as we go through our dance… or shake their head and wonder what I am doing when I “just sit with that horse” reading a book (I try to explain this helps teach manners). So at any rate we are your personal revolutionary extension of horsemanship at liberty in Mexico.
My neighbor is a woman from a family of horse trainers, whose five daughters also ride and train. She came and watched me work with Capricho a few times and has asked me to come and work in front of her clients (boarding, rides, training) to show them what is possible. I also loaned her my copy of Naked Liberty, so you should be hearing more from these parts soon.
Thanks Carolyn