Posted in Advice, Stories on Apr 29th, 2010
Hello. With the Waterhole Rituals Classes underway and the participants already beginning to experience the benefit of it, I wanted to talk about the possibilities there are with the first Waterhole Ritual. At the moment, those who are in the ‘Insider Circle and ‘In a Box’ Programs are working on their first assignment, which is to Share Territory with their horse, read books or write in a journal and focus on becoming connected in the moment. When you do this and when your vibration starts to match the environment in the moment, things really start to occur between you and your horse.
As Sharing Territory deepens and starts to feels like a ritual for you and your horse, new things can begin to take place such as spontaneous outbursts of interaction. This is just what happened at the ranch here last night. I have a new apprentice whose name is Lila Harding and we are very happy to be working together. Anyway, Lila brought her horse, Sebastian, a 12 year old Percheron Thoroughbred gelding, to go through my Method and learn bridleless riding. She has been Sharing Territory with her horse and we are into the second week together.
So… Read more
Read Full Post »
Posted in Misc on Apr 8th, 2010
Hello again. Today I want to talk to you a little about Robin Gates, who is a long time student of my Method and has a natural ability with both horses and humans alike. She is fun, uplifting and extremely knowlegeable on how to create a magnetic connection and keep it as you can see from this video.
Robin will be part of an intimate gathering that is taking place at Lisa Walters’ beautiful, private facility, EquuSatori Center, located in Sonoma County, approximately one hour north of San Francisco. To find out more, please click Robin Gates Clinic.
During this clinic Robin will be working with several different horses and their owners so you will be able to gain greater insights on how to work with the various needs and responses necessary for each situation. How to lead when the connection is strong and how to strengthen it when it is weak.
Often she brings one of her own horses too so you can witness what joy and willingness my Method creates. Like mine, Robin’s clinics are very open, interactive and focused on developing a magical connection with horses as well as addressing your personal questions and… Read more
Read Full Post »
Posted in Advice on Mar 9th, 2010
I do not address vices like biting, kicking or bucking if I can avoid it. Fighting with a horse does not help the bond and partnership and it can cause a horse to develop a bad attitude that then becomes a permanent part of his personality. It is better to focus on building a social bond and deal with the rudeness of the horse in a way that would build the bond and respect.
Many of you may be shocked to learn what horses actually see as polite behavior and it is very much misunderstood. Building polite behavior in a horse would enhance the bond, build team-working skills and enhance a horse’s natural instincts. When a horse is no longer rude, he sees you as family and you have a greater chance that he will want to follow your lead. The Waterhole Rituals will teach you when to lead, when to follow and when to pause. Observing the horse as he exhibits different behaviors from being willing to not being willing will guide you in the direction you need to take with him.
When people bond with their horses, often times the person does not realize that the horse is… Read more
Read Full Post »
Posted in Advice on Feb 23rd, 2010
I have just got a new dog. It is a Lowchen; his coat is gray, he is one and a half years old and weights 14 pounds. He belonged to someone that was at Hap Hansen’s show barn, which is not too far from my ranch; I go there to work with a couple of students and their horses.
Someone had the dog at the barn, looking to find a new home for him. I played with him at the ranch for a while and decided to keep him. His name is Mojo and I can tell he doesn’t like his name, and won’t come when he is called. He runs the other way. When I catch the dog, I give him a treat and let him go. It fixed the problem in a hurry. It was so much fun watching him process his situation and then come running to me with exuberance for the treats.
Mojo, or whatever I will decide to call him is not house broken. I need to keep an eye on him because he will not ask to go out, so I take him out every two hours. When I do so he… Read more
Read Full Post »
Posted in Misc on Feb 18th, 2010
Hello. I will be doing one more Uberstreichen Excercise in this series before we take a break to give you some more time to work with them. I’ll then be doubling back round for the sake of any new readers to the blog and revisit the Waterhole Rituals in the run up to the new Insider Circle Class.
So today I thought it might be fun to share with you some of the videos I’ve received from students who have been working with the Uberstreichen Exercises. You will see a variety of styles and responses from the horses. Some of the videos you may have seen but the feeling and the technique will be different between these videos. These clips help you see the ease and pace you are working toward.
And to whet your appetite for the Waterhole Rituals, here are a couple of videos from the last class:
If you’ve been working with either the Uberstreichen Exercises or the Waterhole Rituals, please let us know about your experiences. This should make for another a great discussion!
Have a lovely weekend!
Carolyn
Read Full Post »
Posted in Advice on Feb 9th, 2010
The fifth exercise starts with the horse in halt, with the head almost to the ground, on a held contact line. While you are holding the contact, ask the horse to move forward. Your horse will have difficulty wanting to do this because he has become light to the aids. In this exercise, we are teaching the horse to go forward with a held rein. This is a new concept to the horse.
The reason this exercise is important for dressage is that here you will ask the horse to stay soft, round up more at the same moment that he would go forward. This is a very hard concept for a horse to grasp, this is why in dressage we see horses becoming resistant, brace become unwilling, nervous and losing their forward impulsion and willingness to listen to the leg aids to go forward. This is also, what starts a horse rearing and bolting. The horse is totally confused because the rein aids are asking him to halt, in his mind, while the leg aids are demanding forward. This simple exercise takes care of these reactions in the horse by teaching him how to round up in a… Read more
Read Full Post »
Posted in Advice on Jan 14th, 2010
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
Read Full Post »
