Welcome To My Blog -To Get You Started!

The purpose of my blog is to make a connection with you. I can connect with people all over the world, thanks to the computer, and we can explore and correspond with one another on the experiences we’re having with our horses in our life!
I also use the blog as a way, to educate, to raise consciousness, and to use philosophical viewpoints that will lead to a better relationship with horses; for training, partnering, and performance.

The blog is also here to help support interested people and my students who are learning my method through the educational material I offer and direct coaching. Feel free to ask questions on horse behavior, pecking order, leadership, self-realization, meditation, and the training and performance of horses. I may answer your question, or I may choose it for a blog topic for a later date. Of course, I can’t answer everyone’s questions, but I will read all your comments and I will respond to several questions on each blog.

I look forward to dialoging on the subject of what creates a better connection with a horse. Enjoy!

I will give you a lesson from my … 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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Today I thought I would share a lovely letter sent to me by Connie, one of my Insider Circle students.

Dear Carolyn,

Thank you for your reminder to us about how subtle and important intention is when we are with our horses.

When I first was leasing my horse, I was purely in that place of making it all about him. That was how I dreamed having a horse would be and I was continuously thrilled having him in my life. That has not changed after proudly becoming his person and spending the last couple years with him.

In the beginning, others said my first horse should be such and such, and he should not have any lameness issues, perhaps should be older than 5+ years, etc…however, I persisted because this horse deserved to be loved as every horse does and I felt a deep connection with him. I had his teeth done, sheath cleaned, nearly fused hocks injected, and tried chiropractic and acupuncture to help the front leg issue…it was expensive, but it worked. I believed in him and saw the treasure within. I was involved with him because of the joy we felt with each other, because of

… Read more

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Expectations be gone!!

I have gone from ice boxes to refrigerators, from fans to air conditioners, from wild horses to Arabians and back.

I have experienced closets in homes three feet wide as being more that enough room, to walk in closets as big as rooms not big enough. I have experienced a running hose in the backyard at 100 degrees in the desert with my Mother’s dish pan as my pool and the hose as my fountain. Today I have a friend whose swimming pool rivals that of a theme park. I am now living in a culture that is less satisfied, where the games are only focused on being competitive. I prefer games that are creative and bring communities together working on a creative project or dance.

Today I love to watch cooking shows because of the art and culture of it and the history and the way to bring joy to friends though cooking.

All the shows are a contest built on speed and performance and frustration. Yes, frustration is part of the show and if frustration was not there, the show might be considered boring. It seems that frustration is a good thing in all these … Read more

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Hello, I hope you are enjoying this holiday time with your family. Today we are going to continue our exploration of the Uberstreichen Exercise by learning to use the first Exercise to recognize when the neck begins to form a true arch.

When a neck comes shorter it does not always arch, most of the time it just bends or lifts. As you practice, you will start to recognize when the neck arches and later to recognize when the shoulder raises, from the arching of the neck. You will learn more and more to see subtle shifts in the horse’s whole body that are needed for collection.

Before you start the practice of forming the arch in the horse’s neck, there are two new things to practice within the first exercise with the horse, when his poll is relaxed in a floating hold. So far we have been working on relaxation, cooperation, training the horse to accept us holding the halter with consistency, lowering and raising the head and neck, tipping the nose, along with straight and lateral flexions of the neck created when we rock the horses head from side to side. Now we are going to start doing … Read more

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For anyone new to my blog, the programs I offer are about developing better connections between horse to human and human to horse. They are meant to support the equine community by creating better equine partnerships through social interaction and communication that strengthening the bond, trust and dance.

If you are new to my classroom and want to understand more deeply my philosophy and the programs I offer, I would suggest that you order my book Naked Liberty, the DVDs Introduction to the Waterhole Rituals and Panadero’s Journey. I also invite you to join in on the free training course on the Uberstreichen Exercises. These are exercises to develop a better partnership and connection when your ride, by working from the ground teaching a horse to perform the beginning stages of collection.

You can join in the free winter Uberstreichen Exercise Program by going back in the archives and reading from the November 19th entry. Every Thursday there will be a new lesson, Tuesdays will be regular blog entries that might have further information regarding the lessons.

From reading all of your comments, many of you say you are visual learners and are grateful for the YouTube videos. … Read more

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Hi again. Today we will be moving on with the Uberstreichen Exercises.

When your horse will stand on his own then you are ready for the next step. Put your hands on each side of the noseband of the halter and do not but in fingers or thumbs inside the halter in order to prevent injury to yourself your horse should jerk his head up. Don’t but your head above his for the same reason. Hold the horse’s head straight, breathe deeply, and relax. If the horse turns his head one way or the other gently bring it back to straight and then float with him holding his head. Do this for a short time as the horse will tolerate it, then let go slowly and walk away and disconnect. The disconnect is very important to practice. The horse is learning to give and to stay put. He is learning to be responsible without you having to police him. This teaches your horse to stay focused in a hold as well as in a disconnect. Self-carriage of the horse’s gaits can only occur when the horse is free from the rider’s active influence. This exercise starts the journey. Self-carriage creates … Read more

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