Equine Tea Time

Have you ever struggled to get your horse to drink enough water after exercise, while traveling or during very hot or cold weather? Is your horse ever grabby or rude when you bring food?  Do you have concerns using food as a training aid due to your horse’s weight problems? By dissolving various types of horse feed products in water, you can create an enticing equine “tea” that brings health benefits and can be used as a training aid.  Here I will share with you ideas about the benefits of using tea and some of my favorite recipes.  If you have an interest, you can experiment further and discover your own.

The importance of good hydration for equine health was driven home to me last summer.  My thirty two year old Arab gelding, Frankie, began having difficulty getting up after he rolled, [one of his favorite things to do].  The problem was getting worse and he frequently required assistance to get on his feet.  He even had a chaffed “bum” from rocking back and forth in his attempts to stand.  One afternoon, during a bad heat wave, I was completely unable to get him up.  Absolutely distraught, … Read more

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We just finished another fantastic Beyond the Waterhole Rituals clinic.

I enjoyed this clinic along with my class so much that we are going to use the same curriculum and the same number of people going forward in my future Beyond the Waterhole Rituals clinics. The size of the class, only 4 students, was much smaller and it was more rewarding for all of us.  Instead of having two clinics a year, we are now going to have four clinics a year.  By running more classes with this intimate setting, the students get much more personal, one on one time with me.

What an amazing experience and event.

In the morning we gathered together and I shared what was on my mind about what I felt was important to the class that day.  It was a five-day clinic,  each morning we focused on one of the first five Waterhole Rituals that develop an ability to dance with your horse at Liberty as a true art.  We also moved ahead to more advanced training of the horse regarding people’s interest in training horses that included the start of the bit-less program.  Everyday In the afternoon students got to practice Liberty Dancing…Companion … Read more

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Horses are all about attitude and building appreciation for one another. The interactions that take place while Sharing Territory cause the horse to grow their social cooperation and communication skills. In the process a horse learns how to be considerate of other horses while finding a place in the community.  As they grow from the interactions they have with each another, harmony and unity is the outcome.

If you want to gain a deeper connection with a horse and have a horse that will perform from a willing heart, you can gain this kind of connection by shaping a horses’ character to fit in with you in the same way that they learn how to bond and fit in with each another.

I find that some people have a natural respect and connection with horses.  These two qualities are most important if you are going to have a good relationship with a horse. Respect and connection is how to grow the bond. If you have respect and a connection you most often find that you have a dependable horse you can trust that trusts you as well.

If you are not one of these people, you can gain … Read more

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In September 2007 I arrived home with my dream horse, a green just backed 4yr old Lusitano Mare called Xinita.  My children and grandchildren helped to find a nickname for her as Xinita(shenita)is a bit of a mouthful!  We settled on Noo Noo.  It is the name of the hoover in Teletubbies, a kids program. She would gently hoover you with her muzzle and always hoover up hay.

Noo Noo hacked along the lanes with my older horse to babysit her.  My aim was to compete in dressage with her, but I didn’t want to rush into just schooling.  I soon found that Noo Noo was a very strong willed lady.  I took her to some competitions as a five year old, so at a low level.  I had grown more and more interested in Iberian horses knowing that to win at competition you needed a Warmblood.  The way they can collect and work in collection fascinated me.  She would be fantastic one day and really wild the next, so our results competing were not consistent.

About 2 years ago I had her saddle checked and the saddler decided to change the width.  I was not sure when I saw … Read more

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As the current Insider Circle and Extended Circle course is closing, I would love to have my students, as well as my readers, add something to my blog in regards to leadership and what you have gained with the connection and feel with your horses.  You are also invited to add a poem to my poem.

In my online course, as you may recall, we started Sharing Territory with my guided meditations to help you on your journey. This is so important to bring forth the 5-heart felt strings of connection.  I want to end the course with a poem because I believe that it will keep you close on the path in harmony and unity with your horse going forward.

Am I aware?

Who can my horse be now?

If I am aware of my horse’s changing moods, he is more respectful and it draws him to me and I know more in how to respond to him with my leadership and direction.

Is he always the same or is he always growing and becoming?

Am I growing and becoming? Of course I am, this is what it is to be alive.

If I do not acknowledge my new … Read more

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I met Carolyn a few years ago.  I was introduced to her by a mutual friend (thank you Barbara!)  However, unlike her students, we met socially through having horses in common.  In the beginning of our relationship we talked horses, but not about Carolyn’s work.  We were friends for a year before Carolyn shared her Method with me.

Once Carolyn and I started talking about horses more in depth regarding her method things got interesting. Anyone who knows Carolyn, knows her poignant questions.  She reads people and horses like a psychic.  It is an amazing skill that I see from working next to her in the classrooms as she is coaching students.

One day while we were talking about some funny new thing my horses had come up with, Carolyn asked me, very cautiously, how I felt about my relationship with my horses.  I told her that I was very happy.  My horses loved me, I loved them and we had great times trail riding and spending time together.  It seemed like an innocent question, but I could tell I had just stepped into the “Carolyn Zone” and my life was getting ready to be changed.

I remember talking about … Read more

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A horse needs manners to be able to go on a picnic. A good gas pedal helps!

Horses do not see us as family members to be trusted until we give them reason for their trust. They do not always like our agenda. They like us, but they generally have to put up with so much from us, that it can get in the way of how easy it is to train them. We are generally in a hurry and we can forget to make a connection with them before we tell them what to do. We tend to use tack in a way that makes a slave of the horse. Many times we make them go to events when they do not necessarily want to be there.  When a horse shows his spirit we are uplifted, but was the horse feeling this dance or only frightened? When things go wrong we often look for a quick fix. I see less than a few people taking the time to become a true horseman and this for me is the best part of life.

I see that people are resonating to my method and it is raising the consciousness in how … Read more

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