“Pony” Learns to Trust Using the Waterhole Rituals
Aug 24th, 2010 by Carolyn Resnick Method
Carey Sweet rescued “Pony” from the race track. He was to be euthanized. She had rescued other track horses before and welcomed him into her life. In spite of her best efforts, his head shyness and jumpy reactions to movements or being touched escalated over the 7 years she owned him. She left a breakaway halter on because she couldn’t take it off without him exploding. Even unclipping the lead rope would throw him into a panic. Whenever he was loose he was nearly impossible to catch unless he was ready to come in for dinner. The situation became increasingly worse, as she didn’t have enough information about how to help him past his fears. After he panicked and crushed her mother into the wall of the stall, breaking her leg, Carey felt desperate. A respected source referred her to Robin Gates who’s work is based on my Method.
After 2 hours of trying to connect with him, Robin advised Carey to have an experienced body worker visit Pony because of the injuries he had inflicted on himself in his outbursts and then bring him to her ranch.
The first days at the ranch were spent simply being with him in a large paddock. His meals were spent with Robin quietly nearby. He was aloof and distant, declining to even to allow her to approach to say hello. However, on the 4th day he became interested in leaving his hay to investigate the carrots and grain she offered that happened to be in a feed bag known as a morral that is placed on the horses head. If he advanced to investigate, the lowered bag came closer and he could reach in and get some goodies. If he showed fear, hesitancy or avoidance, even slightly, the bag moved further away. If he leaned or stepped forward, the bag came closer. As he became engrossed in the good experience, Robin gradually placed the strap over his ears. He began to consistently approach and seek the pleasure of having of the bag on his head. Over and over, Robin would put the bag on and then take it off. He decided that he really wanted it on his head and would follow her around in hopes that she would put it on. She also taught him to lower his head when she tapped his withers so he could receive a reward. Before placing a halter on or taking it off, she would tap his withers. He decided that he loved having things put on his head.
Robin helped Carey develop a new and trusting relationship with Pony using the Waterhole Ritual’s. He now happily approaches anyone who visits him and will offer his head for scratching. He has even allowed Robin to nibble on his ears!
This is a story I asked Robin to share regarding one of her latest successes in working with horses that are extremely fearful, not unlike what I am experiencing with Marylin here at my ranch. I think you will enjoy the accompanying Youtube regarding Pony.
I strongly suggest that you consider attending Robin’s next clinic on Sept. 4th and 5th. It is being held in Northern California in the town of Sebastopol located in Sonoma County. Contact Lisa Walters at 707 322-4955 to register.
Carolyn
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Just beautiful!
I am forever grateful for finding this ‘way’ to be with horses. I love that it is a completely different experience with each horse & it is the horse who becomes the teacher.
I’ve recently been blessed by being given a beautiful 7yo Paso gelding, extremely sensitive & fearful. We have just made a major breakthrough which I would like to relate if I can find the suitable place here on the site.
Thanks so much for the video, truly inspiring!
Hello Carolyn,
I had the good fortune of attending Robin’s clinic this past weekend. Robin is amazing. Lisa Walters is also amazing.
It makes me so happy to see someone working on kindness. it is certainly something we need more of. And Pony looks so happy!
Thank you!!
I was finally able to watch a utube on my slow internet, and I just had to choose this one. Beautiful! tears were rolling down my face also as I watched Robyn’s patient and loving interaction with Pony, gaining his trust little by little by speaking in a language he could understand. then to see Carey and Pony joyfully communicating and playing together after so many years trying to reach each other. what a gift! I so wish there was some clinics nearby in the SE states to attend.
thank you!
Laurinda Reinhart
This is very similar to the exercise I call the “Halter game” with horses that are hard to catch or easy to get to come but don’t like the halter. My horses are volunteering to put the halter on enthusiastically in fact throwing themselves into them sometimes! After you have learned the Waterhole Rituals virtually anything is possible and sometimes in a surprisingly short time.
Dear Carolyn;
Thank you for sharing. I need to work on my body language for my horse. I see now a lot of my mistakes from this video. I have already taken your advice and found help for me, not my horse. I will be using your method for her. For now I will be content just sitting with her until I have the proper training. I love your blog and will be ordering your book when it comes out in Dec. I can’t wait. Thank you very much.
Catra
Dear Carolyn,
Thank you for sharing that video. It is wonderful to see such a good example of advance and retreat, timing, and compassion. I learn much with visual aids, and this was a perfect example for me. Robin’s very calm body language is an inspiration. It helps me remember to tone myself down when working with an excitable horse.
Thank you,
Toni
How beautiful!! I will share this with friends who own an OTT, not as extreme, but many of the same issues…
Thanks to Carolyn and Robin for this amazing work. Pony and Marilynne are lucky to have ended up where they are, and not where they would have ended up otherwise.
Christian
I’ve known Robin Gates for over 20 years, and she doesn’t cease to amaze me. Her work is fantastic, what she accomplishes with the horses brought to her that have been damaged by other people is just amazing. Every horse person should attend the clinics. There’s nothing like harmony between a happy horse and a happy human!
Every time I watch this video, I see something more. Robin’s movements with Pony, how she stands, where she looks, when she stops or backs away and when she offers support to him, the wonderfully casual play with the lead rope while she hand feeds him, all speak to her understanding of a horse’s fear, and shows her impeccable timing.
It is incredibly moving to see such skill in the service of helping a damaged horse find understanding and security with his owner. What an inspiration for those of us who seek a better way to be with horses.
WOW! Amazing results. With an amazing Method!
Wow Robin. I love your music choices, they seem perfect. The more time I spend with horses using the Waterhole Rituals, the more I slow down. The more I slow down, the faster the horses want to make connections with me. It is time itself which which feels like it is expanding. The more I allow those connections to evolve and be willing not know what I am going to do with a horse when I go into a space with him the more the quicker the bond comes. I suppose that’s called being present. Time is a funny thing. Thank you Carolyn for your inspiration and wisdom.
Really beautiful and heartwarming! The moment when he touches Robin’s back so carefully… what love, patience and empathy can do! Bring a world of difference.
Carey is an amazing woman for holding on to Pony and her feeling of what is right and wrong to do to a horse. And Robin is amazing in her timing and creativity.
Thanks for sharing!
The horses truly are taking us on the right path. Many thanks
Ang
Thank you for sharing this beautiful and healing story and video. It reminds us never to give up! There is always hope.
Tears of joy and pain from me. I feel the pain of so many horses who are misunderstood and treated like objects. I had the opportunity to pass on this blog to a horse owner who was delivering feed to me. She was telling me about a horse given to her barely handled and very afraid. She’s been round penning him and making some “progress”. I thoughtfully suggested she look at Carolyn’s Method as well and printed out some pages from the blog. She seemed very willing.
Love and Blessings from Regina
Wow, Pony is so much like my Panchy. the beginning of the video, when he’s breaking away from her when being turned out.
I haven’t gotten Panchy to let me do so much head touching, but when he is nervous, he puts his nose on my chest and that seems to help.
I do believe Panchy has eyesight problems, though. I should look for a feed bag to try that approach.
I could go on for pages, but won’t. That video gives me more hope.
Thanks Robin.
I really enjoyed watching the Pony story. It demonstrates the brillince of the waterhole rituals and Robin’s wonderful work so well.
I’ve been working with Robin over the last year and a half with our two horses. My mare has gone from being an aloof, easily agitated and anxious horse, to a confident, curious, and willing partner- a pleasure to be with. My husband’s horse , nick-named the “space-invader” , has become a respectful gentleman. Robin has been an excellent instructor, working with the horses, but also with us, making sure we could be effective with the horses ourselves. Traditional training never touched on most of the basics of what we’ve learned from this teaching. It is unique, powerful (and fun) stuff!
Such a powerful story about patience and understanding – I, too, wept watching Pony’s story unfold – I am so impressed with Carey for her unwillingness to either give up on Pony, or give in to “professionals” who’s tactics went against her instincts – Robin is a joy to watch her use gift – Carolyn is simply a treasure – thank you so very much for sharing Pony’s journey with us.
Beth and Cookie,
in Virginia
It is a lovely story but unfortunately I can´t watch the video, sony music entertiment is blocked here in Sweden. I would love to watch it!
Lovely! I have had the pleasure and privilege of working with Robin Gates and it was amazing. Thank You for posting this.
Lucky horse, wonderful video. My hat is off to Carey Sweet for fostering and nurturing Pony until she came across and recognized the key to helping him in the methods you devised and Robin Gates so skillfully applied. Uncounted thousands of thoroughbred babies born every year are endowed by nature with far more sensitivity and spirit than the people who handle them know how to deal with. Most of them break down on in training or on the track and end their brief lives in pain and fear. My heart sings every time I learn of one who, like Pony, was snatched by some caring person from this all too common fate.
Wow…just wow. Talk about putting the horse first
Fabulous, thank-you.
oh, and thank you for sharing this video. some of my horse friends have a hard time understanding the beauty of your methods. i will show them this video.
wow, crying from sadness and then joy. it is amazing to see what little things mean SO MUCH to horses. thank you carolyn for showing us what our horses need. it is wonderful to watch how skilled Robin is. i wish i could go to her clinic, but i can only make 1 trip to california this year and i will be in your clinic in dec. i know it will be incredible. you are an amazing horsewoman and person. i feel very privledged to attend.
Shelly I am in exactly the same boat with you, and I suppose I’ll be bringing a big box of kleenex to the clinic, which you can share!
Watching this video leaves me speechless, and fighting the urge to pack up and move to CA.
Beautiful story!!
This is SO beautiful, thank you for posting this so that more people can appreciate just how deep a connection is possible between horses and humans, and the power of transformation. Thank you.
It’s so nice when human and horses come together, it is a very warm story but it’s a pitty that I can’t watch the video as he’s blocked in our country by Sony Music Entertainment.
Tine
What a beautiful testimonium to your method this is Carolyn! It’s so wonderful and touching to see Robin’s great timing in the very subtle approach and retreat she does with Pony.
There’s so much love inside of this horse and finally it’s allowed to come out…
Very impressive video!
Fabulous – Loved the story and video – Very moving. We all know why we are following this path and this story confirms it. Thank you.
I also run my tears, what a touching story. Carolyn now I know for sure what my path is. Thank you so much
Lots of love Monique
well I’m glad to learn I wasn’t the only one sitting there crying like a baby! I cried for the injustice and brutality that reduces a horse to that state, I cried for the incredible gentleness and understanding of Robyn (and yes, what wonderful timing!), and I cried for the joy of seeing Pony and Carey being in peaceful harmony together….thanks for sharing this, it is inspirational – and deeply important that such testimonies are shared with all horse people, who may need just to see something like this to encourage them to look in the direction of a gentler and less exploitative way of being with horses.
susan
(IC, Italy)
Fantastic to see this. More to inspire and bring into practice! Thank you so very much for sharing!
Sally
That made me cry as well, his behaviour is so similar to when I first had my horse, not as extreme but could see huge similarities. My horse was born into racing and although now 16 and off track for many years no one had ever bothered to address his fears. It made me cry because humans have done this through greed and arrogance.
Thank you for sharing this beautiful story – it made me cry. Why are you people so far away from here? There would be so much need of you here in Italy.
Andrea (IC)
That is so moving. Thank heavens he found Robin and has been released from all his fear.
This is a similar story to my own. Thankyou for giving me hope, that with your Method, I will be able to build such a relationship with my rescued Standardbred xo
Hello Carolyn,
I am fortunate to be able to attend Robin’s upcoming clinic. I was already excited about it, and now I’m even more jazzed. Thank you for the video, and for getting Pony’s story told. I love it when Robin sits on the flake of hay.
Carolyn
This is truly inspiring and a testament to your methods of training. How wonderful to see such a beautiful animal feel happy and confident and for its owner to be able to handle him safely and lovingly.
Sally
So helpful to see Robin work with Pony. Her timing was beautiful to watch, how she turned away when he turned way. Love it!
Inspirational and very touching.
Thank you for sharing this story.
Pat
Yet another success story using Carloyn’s methods.
Its so inspiring to know that someone is willing to ‘take the time it takes’ with no agenda and allow their Pony to connect on his terms and not just be forced into it. Well done Carey on finding Robin who could help you learn a better way to be with your horse. Hope you have lots more years of great connection and fun together.
Maybe I’m just being over-emotional, but that video made me cry like a baby. Watching Pony’s trust and affection grow touched my soul. Thank you for sharing your remarkable story. –Carol
Wow- awesome! Loved it
)
God bless each of you for the part you played in Pony’s life!
Really lovely description and the video is so helpful.
Virginia
Very inspiring! Thanks Robin, Pony, Carey and Pony!
I love that your parents were kind enough to let you be with the wild horses , THANK GOD for the horses sake loving you Lorrie
beautiful story, thank you for sharing