Carolyn Resnick Horsemanship Blog: Horse Training from the ground up

Our Insider Circle class and the “In a Box” program are now over. It is such a worthwhile project bringing horses and humans together in a deeper bond from winning respect through allowing the relationship to grow naturally. I also focused on having the class develop a deeper understanding of horses from Sharing Territory with a horse in a way that fosters friendship, cooperation, and intimacy. The interactions that occur around Sharing Territory bring about a magical communication with a horse.

Mark is leaving up the Youtube videos and the questions section for a while, and we can still stay in touch with one another on my blog.

Going forward, I would like the class to communicate with one another on my blog on topics about the Waterhole Rituals and the relationship and communication that is developing with their horses, as well as any New Horse and/or New Human sightings!

The other day, I saw a man sitting with his horse in a field in a chair reading a newspaper, that is and example of a New Human sighting.

Please, feel free to stay connected through my blog, so we can still share with the world our everyday experiences with… Read more

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Hi. By taking the time to learn the Waterhole Rituals and their origins, you will be able to observe horse interactions with a much deeper understanding and insight. What previously seemed like unruly or strange behavior will suddenly start to make perfect sense as you watch the rituals unfolding before your eyes. Of course, this doesn’t just happen one time, it’s a continuous ongoing process and horses are always testing the limits around them.

Today I would like to share a letter with you from one of my regular blog readers, who witnessed herd dynamics and rituals at work when she introduced her new horse to her herd. It’s wonderful that she was able to witness it and take pictures for us. Thank you.

If any of you know that you have a new introduction coming up, I encourage you to make some time to watch the process and see if you can pick out what’s happening and how it mixes up the pecking order. If you can take some video of it all, I would love to see it and I’m sure we would all learn from it immensely, so I look forward to hearing of your experiences.

Till… Read more

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Today I would like to share with you a video by one of my students using the Uberstreichen Exercises. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

This video clip I made yesterday.

I put the camera up in a tree and started. Before starting I have been reading on Carolyn’s UE Thursday blog and I had printed out the first two exercises and read them over a couple of times and also watched Farah’s and Carolyn/Alexandra’s videoclips on UE. So after the theoretical preparations, I did the mental preparations which was to clear my mind. I clear my mind by watching some video clips of horses, it can be the Unbridled Spirit Videos or listening to a few music pieces. I did not watch the Waterhole reflection DVD yet of Carolyn, but this is the kind of video you can use to clear your mind.

You may notice in the video that I am not distracted of the other horses and I am very focused on what I am doing. My mind is right there 100%. Through my journey so far with Carolyn, one thing that has surprised me the most is how much of what you

… Read more

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This was a very good question from Elizabeth in Thursday’s classroom and I thought it would be useful to share my answer with you too.

Elizabeth’s question was how the 7 steps of liberty training I taught in my first video Liberty Training are related to the Waterhole Rituals. Well, the short answer is that they are basically the same although I have obviously continued to develop my Method a great deal since that first video came out. For example, the 7 steps of liberty training I taught back then didn’t incorporate treats as a training aid and the video did not go into as much detail and had fewer related programs.

I realized over many years that I needed to give people more information on how to use my Method because most people have little practice in interacting with a horse without fences or tack. I needed to find a way to give the horse more reason to want to connect with a human and “food” was the answer. By introducing the use of treats, it helped to develop the bond and keep the horse motivated to figure out what the person might want when the person was… Read more

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The purpose of the third UE exercise is to teach your horse to lower is head while he is walking. The third exercise is done in the same manner as the second exercise. You will start each day with the first exercise and then when it feels good you move on to the second exercise. When you feel the horse is really connected and listening to your “rein aids,” which are the requests you give your horse through the halter and the rope, you then move to the third exercise.

Start yourself and your horse in “companion walking” on a none influencing looped line on a 20-meter circle. Do some walk-halt requests to get the connection in rhythm and team work going between you. Halt about every 10 feet. When your horse would slow down and speed up with you in companion-walk without the influence of the rope, you can begin the next part of the third exercise. While you maintain a steady speed in walk ask your horse to lower its head while he is walking in the same way you did the second exercise. Lower you head and tuck your nose a bit and request that your horse… Read more

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This is one of my favorite stories from my own experiences growing up with horses. This is a quick version of a story that will be out in my next book, a how-to book on the Waterhole Rituals.

The story offers a formula in “How to get what you want from a horse”. Let’s say you want to bond, or to be able to put a halter on a horse, or maybe you have a larger goal like winning the Olympics on a horse you have trained yourself, or take the “buck” out of your horse, or take the anger out of your horse, or teach your horse not to be afraid of a trailer, or teach him not to bite you, or how to be successful with the Waterhole Rituals to solve these issues, or to be successful using any method that has stumped you.

The secret to your success with a horse might be revealed to you through asking yourself one question only. From this question a path will unfold easily, you will return to what you “should be” doing with your horse rather than want you “would want” to do with your horse.

Maybe you read Tom… Read more

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It is often said that “an eye is the window into the soul,” but there is little known about the possibility that horses communicate with each other through eye expression. However, there was some reference to this fact in Robert Vavra’s book, Such Is The Nature of Horses, where he he refers to the rolling of the eye as a warning signal to other horses.

I myself have been able to judge character, intelligence, athletic ability, vigor, health and a horse that would make a champion. I also know what a horse is thinking by the expression in his eyes. But, before I read Robert Vavra’s book, it never occurred to me that horses communicate to each other through eye expression even though I knew the way they communicated was with body language, and my life study has been horse behavior and communication.

I thought eye rolling, when the whit of the eye can be seen on a horse who has a normally solid eye, was a sign of fear not aggression. I never guessed that horses instinctually communicated to each other with their eyes. It seemed strange to me because body language is so effective.

I… Read more

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