As the Insider Circle and Extended Circle classes are going on, I want to share with my bloggers and the class more detail on how to approach Leading From Behind™ that I offered to Karin in the comments section of my last blog. I also added some information about how to approach your horse with reciprocal movements (leading and following in connection) and Leading From Behind at liberty, and the attitude and energy level that will help in how to approach this Ritual.
When you first start out with Leading From Behind, you start out easy and stay easy. You follow slowly, and when your horse stops, wait a moment. Then ask him to step forward- and when he does, you can either follow behind him, or if you feel he might take off, immediately walk in the opposite direction, and wait for your horse to relax. Use the “Hello” Ritual, but this time, stay with your horse and wait-and when your horse walks off, repeat by slowly following him again. Slowly and surely, Leading From Behind will look like a parade in harmony and unity.
Get to the Ridge By Sundown!
Visualize that you are on the plains as … Read more

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Recently I was working with a new student, showing how I introduce teaching halt from trot on a circle at liberty after I have the basic connection with a horse that the Waterhole Rituals provide to the partnership. I asked the horse to whoa, and about eight strides later, he stopped, and looked at me with a look that seemed to say “Is this what you wanted?” I then told him he was a good boy, and gave him a treat.

My student asked why I treated the horse since he stopped eight strides later than when I first asked for it. Since the horse had not been asked to halt this way before, the fact that he stopped at all was quite an accomplishment. Of course, with more time and training, soon the horse will be stopping on a dime and will be happy to do so. As our training session progressed, gradually, the horse stopped in fewer and fewer strides. It was the pause which allowed him to think about the request, and gave him the time to put his body in the right frame which would allow him to stop from a trot.

The next stage of … Read more

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Horses test us and build our character through their innate nature and natural instincts by how they respond to us. One of the ways they test us is by how we approach them. However, the rudder is lost in how to learn what a horse has to teach us if a horse is forced against his will to respond differently from his natural instincts. The path is lost in how to grow spiritual awareness, compassion, and wisdom. When a horse comes to us, it naturally puts us in a position in having to choose whether to lead him, follow him, or be with him in the pause. A combination of these interactions in the right sequence builds a wonderful partnership revealing how to connect with all things.

By learning when to lead, when to follow, and when to pause we grow the cross species bond and our spiritual evolution. This is our first lesson with a horse. Not only is it our first lesson, it is the lesson we are always facing when working or being with horses.

When we are in rhythm with nature it is easy to know when to lead, when to follow, and when to be … Read more

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I have another new horse sighting. It was with a student of mine. She had not ridden her horse for some time and rode him. She started him back with all the precautions one would take to bring a horse back, but did not share space with her horse or make a great personal love fest connection. She did not do that with this horse because she never needed to do the rituals with him before.

Well, he bucked really badly but showed no signs that he would object to her getting on him at the time. She was sure he was fine. During the bucking, he paused and she jumped off. As soon as she did, the bucking continued. As she stood there in shock, the horse stopped bucking and gradually walked back up to her. At that point, she thought that getting back on again would not be a good idea and decided to take things much slower. Over the next two weeks, she worked her horse by hand walking him, sharing territory, and lunging him. He was also tied up around the barn and horse trailer. Occasionally, she would saddle him up, but not ride him, and … Read more

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Communicating with a horse is like a courtship.

Try treating a horse like you would like to be courted, and then your horse will show you how he would like to be approached, this way you will discover a working partnership from a co-creative evolution that will grow into an amazing cross species bond built on love, affection, parenting and respect. Know that trial and error will, usually, have a positive result, because your heart is in the right place.

There as been several people a bit confused in how to communicate the fifth Ritual Eye Contact with their horse.

It is quite easy to put it into practice.

I thought I would break it down for those of you that would like more information.

What you are wanting to do is to develop your horse to have a habit of keeping an eye on you, not as a horse would on a predator but like you would do with a friend at a gathering of many people, where if you did not keep and eye on each other you could get separated.

The way you approach this ritual is the same way lead horses teach the younger ones to … Read more

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Fact- The Magnetic Connection is not something that will always be there for you nevertheless you can always get it back though the practice of the Waterhole Rituals. It is normal to lose the Magnetic Connection when you are working on exercises or games that direct your horses where to go, like in the carrot game.

The carrot game creates a controllable gas pedal, encourages politeness, develops enthusiasm, and engages the mind in the horse. It also builds the horse’s trust and respect for people in general. It does not however, develop the Magnetic Connection because you are asking the horse to work independently from you and as he gets use to working independently it temporarily takes away the Magnetic Connection. You will always need to make adjustments in the horse’s mind as he transitions from being directed to matching your movements in companion energy.

At liberty, your focus is on making adjustement in the horse’s attitude throughout your relationship to bring about the performance you are looking for. You do this through working with the Waterhole Rituals that strengthen the heart-felt strings of connection and from the exercises within the rituals that increase the synchronicity in teamwork. … Read more

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Today’s blog comes to you courtesy of my apprentice, Lila.

Working on the ranch as Carolyn’s apprentice student I am having many opportunities to appreciate the subtleties of the Waterhole Rituals and learning what creating willing relationships with a horses REALLY looks like.

As a professional consultant and coach, working at training people for the past 25 years, working intensely with horses for the past 12 of those years, I feel that I have a good grasp on what it takes to create willing partnership in my students and trainees etc. But that being said, I must tell you that what horses are showing and teaching me is dramatically expanding that understanding.  I want to share with you the continued evolution of what my horse Sebastian and I are creating together.

Some of you may have heard about my experience with my horse Sebastian at liberty in the arena a few weeks ago; how I was playing with him looking to see what training opportunities would evolve.  We played with a barrel and I learned about the power of focus and sharing leadership though reciprocal movements.   As I have observed Carolyn with horses I see that with some horses

… Read more

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