When to Start a Foal’s Foundation Training?
Feb 20th, 2013 by Carolyn Resnick
When to start a foal’s foundation training
This time of year, there may be a foal coming into your life and you may be looking for more information on how to go about raising him. This method that I am sharing with you starts with tack rather than at Liberty. Starting with tack is more practical for most people who do not have a strong foundation using the Waterhole Rituals. Also, starting with tack first ensures more safety for the foal if he needs vet support or if you should need to move him to a different location in case of an emergency. In the summertime and early fall, we have fires around Escondido. I have had to move our horses from our ranch three times in 12 years, and I have had to move them fast. A foal that can be contained and led with a halter can be a “life saver” for him.
If you are not already training horses, what I have written may be of great benefit to you by widening your understanding of the process of how to approach your foal’s training. If you are already training horses, you might be able to incorporate some of what I am sharing with you today in your approach to training a foal.
Horses naturally want to stay in a herd
Horses travel together in an amazing flow, following the horses in front of them and speeding up from the influence of the horses behind them that are picking up speed. Horses naturally want to stay in a community with one another. They can also be influenced by the lead horses while staying in unity with the entire herd.
Horses are born with a natural instinct to move away from anything approaching them and to follow anything that is leaving them. This is the herd instinct that they are born with. As a trainer, we want to instill this natural behavior, because it’s this behavior that causes them to be trainable. Along with the herding instincts, if the bond and connection are there when riding, our body can influence the horse to move as one with us. The reins can slow a horse down and direct him in where we want him to go and our legs can ask him to move on. A horse can feel pretty natural about being ridden if we can keep him comfortable and not alarm him or cause him to become defensive and fearful. The more a horse feels a bond and connection with us and acts upon his herding instincts, the easer he is to train and ride. When the bond and the respect are there, training only needs to show the horse what we want him to do.
So were do I start the training of a foal?
This is a program that I have used a lot. I have several programs that I use. I chose this program to share with you because it is the most used by the equestrian world. This method is a standard practice with my personal twist.
With my advanced Insider Circle students, we train at Liberty first, even on a foal. I don’t share this information on my blog because it wouldn’t be applied in the appropriate way without going through my class. You need to know how to train an adult horse at Liberty first before working a foal at Liberty. This way, your leadership will give you the results you are wanting.
Here is the approach I’m going to share with you
This program starts with tack and then melds nicely into my method in the Waterhole Rituals. I start halter training at around 7 days old. It depends on how strong the foal is. With weak foals, I wait until they are stronger and energetic. I keep the mare and foal in the barn at night and then out in a pasture during the day. This way, when I go to put a halter on the foal, the mother does not object because it makes sense to her. If mom is not upset, chances are, the foal will not get upset.
The foal’s first lesson is going out to the pasture at Liberty while his mother is being led there. I lead her to the field at a fast pace to keep the foal’s attention on his mother instead of looking around and getting distracted. After a couple of times out to the field and back, the foal knows the routine. Before I put a halter on the foal, to be able to lead him out to the pasture with his mom, he needs a lesson on holding still. This is an important lesson; it teaches him not to struggle when he gets frightened. It also teaches the foal to trust that you will not hurt him. After he learns this lesson, you can then easily put a halter on him.
Baby steps
All the baby steps are important to help alleviate the foal’s fear. Before I start with the halter lesson, I hold the foal in my arms. I place one arm around the chest and the other arm around his backside when he is standing on the ground.
When he struggles, I keep a hold of him and when he becomes still, I let him go. I do this until it becomes a routine for the foal. I catch him up by leading him from behind, slowly, into a corner or wait until he comes up to me with interest. Then I start scratching him wherever he would like me to. I am cautious not to get him excited in the process of getting a good hold on him; even so, the foal will struggle. Teaching the foal not to struggle can save his life one day, in case he gets caught in something like barbwire or cast in a fence. Then I put the halter on and lead him. I still keep the same pace going out to the field as I did when the foal was at Liberty in order to keep his attention on the fact that we need to travel together. Keeping the pace lively helps to grow the magnetic connection and causes the foal to be brave, naturally forward and easy to train later on. Even though the foal leads easily, because he wants to stay with his mother, it takes a bit of skill.
I use a butt rope and try to keep my foal close to my body with my arm around the foal, or on his withers. I go back and forth between these two positions for whatever gives me the best connection and control of the foal. I use two ropes. The butt rope I run through the halter and then to my hand. When I am walking, I hold it at the withers so I can pull on it to move him forward. I run the extra rope through the halter and then back to my hand. If the foal is moving forward, my arm is extended over the foal to be able to hug him into my body. I also have a lead rope on him, so that I can influence the butt and the head at will.
I hold both ropes close under the foal’s jaw and if he has any outbursts and tries to leave his mother’s side, I go along with him rather than try to control him at this point. I allow the foal to take me wherever he goes at the height of his blow up. Then when he begins to relax, I can strongly influence and guide him back to his mother. The foal can feel me giving into him and my control, which helps to settle him down and become more interested in traveling along with his mother. He can see that I am not wanting him to leave his mother’s side and this helps the foal to connect with me. If the foal gets away from my grasp, he will get to the end of the butt rope line and it will turn him back to me. When this happens, he will stop and I can then gather him up and continue our journey with his mother. In a week’s time, I can lead with just a lead rope because he knows the drill.
If your mare and foal are in a field, and cannot be brought in, I would suggest that you have a corral in the pasture that is 24 by 24. This way, you can contain the mother and the foal for easy handling. Of course, Sharing Territory is essential to starting the bond with the foal and it lets his mother know that your interest in her foal is honorable.
When to begin Liberty training with a foal
I begin Liberty training when the foal becomes rude so I can start his socialization and teach him how to be polite and respectful. Each foal is different. There can be a wide range in age as to when to start Liberty Training; like when a child learns to swim, each child is different. You do not train a child to swim until they are ready.
The day a foal tries to push me around, bump into me or kick me in an aggressive manner is the day I start his social training at Liberty, just like he would receive in nature. At first, a foal does not know he is being rude in this early stage of life, in the first two weeks. I get to play with him, and let him rear up, chew on my clothing or do anything that is sweet and playful.
But when he seems to turn willfully aggressive, I send him packing, even to the point of slapping him on his butt strong enough to cause him to run from me. This act lets him know that his willfulness will get him in trouble. If he comes right back with the same attitude, I send him away again until he gives up his willfulness and stays away. I am stronger on a foal than I am on an adult horse. Three things are gained in sending a foal away. First, it develops his herding instincts. Second, it gives him a gas pedal when riding. Third, it causes a foal to respect my personal space and listen to me in what I will and won’t allow. I have found that a foal will want to develop a deeper friendship with me once he learns that there are consequences for aggravating me.
The next training stage begins at about three months, when a foal starts to itch
This is when I teach him to stand and turn towards me and away from me by using the influence of the halter. When a foal wants to be scratched, I scratch him and take this opportunity to teach him to stand for longer and longer periods of time. When I can lead him, and get him to stand still, I can then teach him to pick up his feet. In my book, “Naked Liberty”, you can read about my approach on a wild mare named Moonlight. The title of the chapter is “Boulder Rituals” (page 223).
If I have the right opportunity, I teach a foal to pick up his feet sooner than three months. I like to teach this, if I can, around two weeks and I continue this practice on a daily basis. Whether I start this training earlier or at three months depends on the willingness and the nature of the foal.
Patience
I also want to add that I am in no hurry to get all the responses of the Waterhole Rituals onto my foal. I let his behavior guide me in how deep I will go with him in the first introduction. I prefer not to handle a foal too much. Once a foal understands a lesson, I do not keep on with it, except for the picking up the feet lesson. As long as I can halter the foal once, send him away knowing he likes me, and pick up his feet, this is all he needs to know. He needs to know these things for the vet and farrier, so that he is easy to handle and does not get mistreated by them needing to do their job.
After these lessons are accomplished in the first four months, I leave him alone until he is one year old. Then I work with him with the Waterhole Rituals to achieve companion waking using the one pile of hay game for 30 days. After the 30 days, I leave him alone again until he is two years old. From the age of two, I will handle him more on a regular basis. I have all these breaks in training so that I do not make a foal too smart to try to outwit me. When I say ‘leave him alone,’ I mean that I do not add extra training. I still Share Territory and interact with him on grooming and leading to keep the training in place, but I do not add more training or drill over what he already knows.
A very important tip
Too much handing can make a brat out of a young horse and take the horse out of him, like foal imprinting does sometimes. I also want the foal to have a good sense of who he is and have the time he needs to experience the lessons learned from his daily maturing process of being a horse with horses.
In the beginning stages of a foal’s life, life and his surroundings look different to him from the maturing process. Each time he learns a new lesson, he sees life from a new perspective. There are many lessons to be learned and I do not want him to miss out because of too much influence from me.
Conclusion
In conclusion, when training a foal, I believe it’s important to have the mindset that there is really no difference between what works for him and what works for us as humans. In the beginning of learning something, the best way to approach it is with baby steps. I was a competitive swimmer when I was a child, but I did not learn how to swim until I was 10 years old. I was afraid of the water and taught myself to swim – by taking baby steps. I started by putting my face into a large salad bowl that was full of water. I put my face in the bowl and held my breath. Then I got brave and learned how to blow bubbles when my face was submerged. I told myself that if I could do that in a salad bowl, in the kitchen, then I could do that in a pool. I then tried to float in a child’s pool that was about 24 inches deep and I learned to kick my feet and use my arms. Then I went to a regular pool and tried it there in the shallow end. When I ran out of air, I just stood up and took a breath. I developed an attitude for practice and I eventually became a long distance swimmer.
As a side note, from my experience of being afraid of swimming, I love to work with people who are fearful because I get to approach them as I did with myself. I am able to work in a thorough manner, teaching the most intricate steps that are not too big for the student or the horse. Some of the best trainers that I have made in my life were only interested in overcoming their fear, and from focusing on the details, horse training became their calling.
Any good books?
You might like to share a book that you like about foal training here on my blog. If you want to add “your program,” please feel free to share it. It might be just what another reader is looking for. I see there are a lot of books on foal training. I looked around on the Internet and found a foal training harness to teach a horse to lead that looks interesting. I can see that just getting the harness on is a good training for the foal.
Be on the lookout for new horse and human sightings and may the horse be with you and have a wonderful weekend.
Warmly, Carolyn
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For those of you following my mother’s progress, here is another childhood story:
I was never as adventurous as my mother. However, I was more adventurous than most children because of my riding in the desert alone at the age of 6.
I might have looked extremely brave, but I wasn’t. I felt at home on the back of a horse and I loved the desert and the freedom it offered. I felt closer to the source of all things. There was nothing to be brave about. If I fell off my horse, I would land in the desert’s soft sand. I felt that I knew what I was doing when I needed to make good judgments for me and my horse’s safety. Like this boy on his tractor, I felt highly qualified.
My mother was at home with things that would scare a normal person to death. Many times I was worried for my mother’s life because of the crazy things she would decide to do. I would rather face up to a wild stallion and tame his wild nature because he made sense to me. I could leave him alone until he was in a mood to connect and I could recognize when I needed to give him room. But my mother would jump in, with both feet, and do dangerous things that she knew nothing about. She is a thrill seeker.
One time, I was at the fair with my parents and they where intrigued with a sideshow of a motorcycle guy who rode a motorcycle around in a large empty water tank with very high walls. When I got to the top of the tank and peered in, I was already a bit nervous as they explained what he was going to do. We were then told that he would ride his motorcycle right along the rim of the tank. I hid my fear because the rest of the viewers did not seem to see how dangerous it was for us to be standing along the edge. I thought he could easily misjudge the barrel’s edge and fly out right where I was standing and this could be the end of my life. As it was, it turned out that his tire was half over the edge most of the time when he clover leafed around the walls. He traveled at high speeds making loops up and down the walls in serpentine patterns.
As the Daredevil was cranking up his bike, they asked if anyone would like to ride with on the back with him.I thought this was a joke and then my mother said she would. I was shocked again and just stood there petrified and concerned for her safety. I did not believe she would go through with it, so I stayed quiet, and then she did! It was the longest two minutes of my life. The barrel vibrated, rocked back and forth, and creaked and moaned as if it would break apart as the bike roar was amplified by being inside the barrel. I would not do what she did for any reason, except if it would return my mother’s mind and her ability to get around on her own today.
Another time, she decided she would like to wing walk on a friend’s biplane. She had no lifeline attached to her. She was told she did not need one because there would always be a cable at close range that she could grab onto on her walk out to the wing’s tip. She did it and showed off on the way! I was panicked, but I lived through it and so did she. As I got older, I started to admire her fearless ways, although none of it rubbed off on me; it makes me more cautious.
Today, we walked around the fountain four times (a nurse, Apollo, myself and my mother, using a walker). Apollo is now so glued to my mother that he is always by her side and sleeps with her at night. I am the tour guide on our walks, pointing out the sky, birds, flowers, and the sounds of the fountain on the way, and still reminding her to be careful!! She takes off in her walker sometimes as if she is in a foot race. We pause at our roses that are as big as platters and a little past the top of their bloom. It reminds me of the time that my mother first showed me a rose bud by walking me out to her rose garden. She wanted to teach me the meaning of a new word, “beautiful,” by showing me a rose. I remember that she said she wanted my full attention because what she had to share with me was very important.
Between my dad, my mother and my grandmother, they all explained things to me in a reverent way to keep my attention. I naturally put deep meaning into the things I focused on and my family caught on to my nature and helped develop my tendency further. My family looked deeply into the meaning of life, nature and empathy. My focus these days is on keeping my mother in that space of comfort and safety and to keep exercising the connection we have right now.
Again, thank you all for your interest, warm wishes and emotional as well as financial support.
Donations and Payments
If you would like to donate any sum of money to our cause, it would be so nurturing for us and appreciated. Even as little as a $5 donation would be so important for her care. Anything you would like to contribute would be greatly appreciated. Click the button below and choose from one of the boxes or click on the link that says ‘Or, Donate A Different Amount’ to enter any specific amount.
There are three levels of support in honor of “Paulina’s Program”:
1. The “Marchador Level” – $150/month
Video Group Coaching + *bonus* 15 min private coaching + chat room
Open to 10 people – February’s Call is this weekend Feb 24th: 1 spot left!
2. The “Honey Level” – $75/month
Conversational Group Coaching + video access + chat room
Open to 20 people – next call is Feb 26th.
3. The “Ladd Level” – $50/month
Both Coaching Call Recordings – Over 4 hours of Coaching! + video access
You can see the details on the donation site.
Thank you all very much for your love and support!
Related posts:
Dear Carolyn,
Thank you for this wonderful blog. And thank you to everyone for all of your generous and beautifully thoughtful comments. This “sacred place”, this blog, is so special.
And thank you, Carolyn, for Pauline’s program. I have to tell you how incredibly much I have learned from being in the program in just this short amount of time. The subjects that have been addressed, the details in your explanations, your inspiring stories, your spot-on advice….it is all simply amazing.
And I want to comment here, in response to your “wonderings” about your abilities, that I have never experienced not only an instructor such as you, but a person such as you. Your method of teaching is unique, not only in your knowledge, but your incredible generosity of giving yourself to us, your strength in giving us strength, and your care in ensuring that we, your students, get as much as we are able to receive, from your teachings. You are always concerned about our questions, whether we understand, whether we have more things to ask, whether we think we are where we are supposed to be….as I said, I have not ever experienced a teacher with your kind, firm, empowering ability.
I wanted to let you know that April and I are doing very well since you and I discussed my last, rather disastrous video. The following came to me almost immediately after this most recent enlightening conversation….
Ode to April
Or
(My Journey to Trainer’s Mind & Back Again)
I asked my horse
For nothing,
And she gave me
Everything.
She gave me everything
So willingly & So beautifully,
That
I asked my horse for everything…
And she gave me
Nothing.
So we go back
Not to the Beginning,
But to a renewal
Of innocence & play, joy & trust, willingness & understanding,
On the continuum of renewals
That is our Journey.
Lessons revealed once more.
Self-forgiveness once more.
Connections deepen once more.
All is well
Once More
I so look forward to the classroom in March. So does April.
I am sending love to you and your mama…God bless you both.
With much affection & respect,
Diane Ursch
Dear Carolyn,
I don’t understand how there could ever be times when you think that you’re not enough! What you have created is so amazing, it goes beyond the boundaries of spoken language and opens up a world of pure joy.
You are a true “Leader of Leaders”! Your magnetism is so strong it reaches all around the world. And through the virtual world wide web you have created a real world wide herd! We are all real people with real horses thriving through your support and guidance. With your blog you are giving us a space to be together as a herd. I’m feeling connected to all of you out there who are in here together, sharing what can be shared.
I’m thinking of you every day, Carolyn, and I’m also thinking of the little girl out on adventure with her horse Mustang.
Reading about your wonderful mother and father, too, gave me so much advise. It gave me the strength to stand up to people telling me I’m not strict enough with my little son, if I didn’t punish bad behaviour. I’ve always either ignored it, or if it was bad enough, leave the space, or ask him to leave. And I only had to send him to his room once and the bad behaviour was forgotten for ever. My son is five years old and just started school. On the weekends we have picnics near the horses and play games. His favourite thing is to do the Hello Ritual with all of them.
I’m very excited about being in your upcoming class. I chose to be in the extended circle because I’m in Australia and I didn’t know if the time difference would cause problems. Apart from that we have been struggling financially so it just seemed like the way to go, even though I wish I was in the insider circle. Thank you for the work book and the interview. I have already listened to it twice.
I really would like to send you a parcel. Could you give me your postal address? I asked for it through the contact form, but no answer.
Your work is outstanding and unique! Thank You.
Ulrike
Dear Ulrike,
Your letter is but another one on I will print out. I never know when I talk to each of you what my reply will be. I listen closely and hope for the best.
I do not know how it will turn out until you get back to me. Other times I am plain stumped when I know you think I have just the answer. It is those moments I wish I new more. But I like this spot it puts me in because all of you keep me on my toes.
Thank you for your words of encouragement,
Carolyn
Dear Carolyn,
that’s just what I think about you and what I tell people you’re doing.
My partner is a musician and has written quite a few songs about horses. I would really like to send some of his albums to you. What address can I send them to? I think you will enjoy the music.
Ulrike
Dear Carolyn – thank you for your comment – my sincere apologies as I was not aware of this – Anne’s letter was so very inspiring – and as you so beautifully quote Mena’s ‘dare to be real’, that is where my response came from….
However, I will keep your request in mind so hopefully it will not happen again in the future …
Much love 2U2
Geerteke
Dear Geerteke,
Thank you for understanding.
Love,
Carolyn
Dear Anne,
Your letter make be happy. We have so much in common. I sometimes feel that I do not live up to my students needs. I will print out your letter to use as a guide post to find my own courage when I feel I am not enough. In relationship of the heart we can only experiment. When we make a mistake if we are coming from the heart all is forgiven. Sometimes we find that the mistake we thought was a mistake is the answer to what brings us closer to one another, we do not know until we experiment. As Mena would say “Dare to be real”!
Warmly,
Carolyn
Dear Carolyn,
Oh, I don’t really know what to say here. I can only say I am very happy my letter could be of help to you – as your words and guidance has helped me so many times with my own problems. On the surface it’s always about horse training, but really it always goes so much deeper than that, because the horses do show us what it is inside of us we need to work on. I spent so much time thinking that my horses walked away on me because they resented this or that part of my very essence, and so I resented myself for it – but in reality, they were just showing me the parts of me that needed healing.
Please don’t ever doubt yourself, Carolyn. You know that you are helping horses with your work, but I do hope you are aware of how much you help their humans too! You help me see what my horses are saying – and the horses are telling how I can become a better person to myself, and then to others.
I see more and more clearly now how every step that could be called a “mistake” or bad decision, all has helped me see clearer how to take back leadership of my own life and really choose for myself what life I want to be living.
And Mena is perfectly right! It is scary, but we must dare to be real
Warmly,
Anne
Hey Carolyn,
I would like to thank you for yet another wonderful blogpost. It was actually this very subject that I had planned to ask you about on the next coaching call – but this blogpost answered so many of my questions that I think I will have to come up with something else
I so wish I had had all this guidance when my gelding was a foal, as I long ago realized that I was too wishy-washy with him as a foal. He was my clean slate, my fresh canvas, and I was so afraid of messing anything up. Also, I was under the influence of trainers who were very judgemental towards any method that wasn’t theirs, and were very for ”lightness” and absolutely no ”confrontation”, not even sending the horse away. But they had very little experience working with foals and youngsters themselves. They had a fine method, pupils of a master indeed, but had no ability to teach their method to me, I realized later. I felt I would be judged if I made mistakes, but at the same time they had very little advice to offer me with my foal, so it was a tricky situation for me and for some time this stifled my ability to make decisions when training. Around when my gelding was a year old – a very very rude one-year-old stallion – I decided I had to do something different, and started sending him away strongly when he was being rude. It was really the only thing I could do, as he was getting quite agressive. Still I felt it was some kind of defeat – as I had been surrounded for so long by wonderful people who emphasized lightness, gentleness and absolutely no confrontation – sending him away that strongly would to them be coercion and aggression, and would be frowned upon. I realize now that a lot of those people weren’t experienced enough in their method to give the kind of strong advice that they did, at least not experienced enough to give online coaching, as they put judgement on people who did things differently, but couldn’t really offer a practical alternative that would work. I realize I have carried their judgements way longer than I thought, and need to cast the memory of notions of defeat and fear away away away.
You mentioned in the coaching call a girl who could no longer brush her horse because she was just asking feebly if he would please stand still. This struck such a chord with me (and so last week I was out brushing my gelding at liberty telling him exactly where to put those feet!). It struck a chord because I remember for so long, I had demanded nothing from my horses. In a quite vulnerable period of my life, I was told that the horse is the mirror of your soul. And I got afraid of them turning away from me and not wanting anything to do with me. What do you do if the mirror of your soul doesn’t like what it sees? So I was afraid of doing anything that would make the horses not like me, I demanded not even that they respected my personal space, and I ended up with horses who didn’t like me BECAUSE of it. I can’t tell you how painful it was, especially since I was in a very bumpy part of my life in every other aspect. After way too long, I finally realized I was getting nowhere near to where I wanted to be. My horses were either ignoring me or walking over me. And the very first day that I told my mare to get lost when she was being rude, she came up to me from behind, rested her head on my shoulder and sighed deeply. It was as if she was saying ”Aahhh good. You’re back”.
Also I would like to thank you for a very nice coaching call last month, talking about the story of you teaching the draft horses to lead safely out of the stall. I so enjoyed hearing it, along with reading the story of how you taught yourself not to be afraid of the water. Hearing all these stories makes the trial and error part not so scary. When you tell your stories, Carolyn, training sounds like an adventure full of possibilities, not the mine-field of possible mistakes that I have found myself often picturing in my mind for far too long. I know I need to throw away all this fearfulness if I want to succeed in my horse training – which I would so like to do! On the call, you talked about enjoying leadership, that I must find it in me to enjoy leading my horses. And I remember thinking ”But hey, I DO enjoy leadership. Several people have actually told me that I am a natural leader because people naturally trust my decisions. Friends tend to come to me for advice on all sorts of things. So why is it so difficult with my horses then?” I realized that you were perfectly right that something has gotten in the way of my enjoying the leadership in the horse training, but it is not something that comes from my natural way of being, it is something that has come later. I have let the fear of rejection and failure take the fun out of leading my horses! Hearing you talk of your experiences of fear and how you got through it is strangely comforting and relieving to me, as I take on the new task of getting rid of my own fears. My new motto: It is OK to be afraid, and it is OK to make mistakes!
Thank you, Carolyn, for the guidance and all the insights you help us come to.
Warm thoughts to you and your dear mother. I absolutely love hearing the stories about her too, she sounds like such a wonderful mother and person. Please keep all of it coming
Anne
Thank you Anne for sharing – I so much enjoyed reading your story..
Warmly,
Geerteke
Dear Geerteke,
Something you would not know because it has never come up but in the future a letter of this nature, and person importance to me I would have liked to have the change to answer Anne first. I want my letter to be right under hers it helps me to feel a deeper connection with my students.
Much love,
Carolyn
Anne — I loved reading your reply! What an insightful post! It struck such a chord with me as I found myself in a very similar place and I am still working my way back up into leadership with my horses. Like you, I lost leadership during a very vunerable time in my life and I just wanted to avoid all conflict and sit and love on my horses and not take the risk of offending them. Like you, I am someone to whom other people often come to for leadership and advice, professionally and personally. But I couldn’t do it with my horses. Your post here has helped me clarify even further what was going on that caused my fall to the bottom of the pecking order, and what I need to do to move back up in the herd. It has also reassured me that I am in fact a leader in all other aspects of my life and my horses will be very happy when I get all of my leadership back with them too.
Thank You and Have a Wonderful Day! MaryGaye
Geerteke and MaryGaye, thank you both. It is so nice to hear that people have had similar experiences, it always makes it easier when you hear you’re not alone, right?
I was also inspired to share that part of my story by what Stephanie wrote about freeing up to try new things instead of being afraid of screwing up your horse. Stephanie, hope you see this although it’s not written under your post
Your post was lovely, I liked it a lot 
Having a horse that is all green and a fresh canvas can be real nice, but also very terrifying. If he doesn’t turn out well, you are the monster and nobody else
MaryGaye and Geerteke, I hope to hear more form your stories
Are you in the next Honey or Marchador class for Paulina’s Program maybe?
Warm hugs,
Anne
Anne — Thank you so much for your reply! All of your letters here are so inspiring and meaningful! It is so helpful to know that others are experiencing the same problems and doubts as we are and how they are working through them with the WHR. Luckily as students of the WHR, Carolyn has taught us not only about our horses, but about ourselves and other people! It’s amazing! People talk about some of the other natural horsemanship methods as being useful to teach empathy; I did not find that to be true. I just found that as frustration mounted we were to use more force. I had to abandon those methods; they just taught me that when I was frustrated enough, I could force my horse to do something. In contrast, the WHR not only teach us about empathy for another creature, they teach us about ourselves and how to bring out the best in ourselves and our horses. The WHR teach us how to find our inner inspiration and evict the demons, and then, how to inspire desire in another creature. Only by understanding our inner realities can we come to the horse and inspire him to be with us and allow us to become their leaders.
I plan on being in the March Marchador class, hope to “see” you there!
Warmly with Hugs
MaryGaye
Dear Anne again you inspire me – don’t know why – yet – but I will know in time – daring to be real is indeed sometimes a scary business – being real also meaning that one has the courage to stand up for one’s own feelings and opinions – even though these might not always be altogether in line with the views of experienced natural horsemen and women.
I will not see you in any class right now – my programme has no room for that at the moment – I have however supported Carolyn and her mom with a donation .
Take care and be well, Geerteke
Hello Carolyn,
When I am trying to log into the waterhole rituals insider circle club page, I get a message saying my invitation has expired. I didn’t know this could happen. Could you or somebody in the office please help.
Thank you
Susanne
Hi Susanne,
Sharolyn
Are you trying to login to the ning community for Carolyn Resnick students – The “Waterhole Rituals Insider Circle Club”?
I see you have an account already, you can login here: http://carolynresnickwric.ning.com
If you forget your password there is a link on that page to have it reset.
Please email web@carolynresnick.com if you have any further questions and we’ll get that sorted out for you.
warmly,
Thank you so much Sharolyn – all good again with that link. Should have asked you month ago!
Thanks again
Susanne
Hi Carolyn,
I loved this blog. Your mother is amazing; I have never had nerves like that, and after I had my kids in 2007, I found to my great disgust that I had lost most of what nerve I did have where horses were concerned. Being a farrier/equine therapist/sometimes trainer, I had always found it relatively easy to stand my ground and not be intimidated by a horse, and I used to get frustrated with other people who would/could not stand their ground and be assertive. That all changed when I became the mother of Emerson and Elena, and I had no control over it at all! Now that they are older, my nerve has returned somewhat, but it is still not what it should be.
I have been evolving how I work with foals/young horses for several years and I find it totally fascinating and fulfilling and rewarding to let them be the wonderful little beings that they are and develop a relationship that allows them to be open, trusting, happy, and willing. My “trainer” mind is a bit at war with this because it is not really training, so on some levels does not feel “legitimate”. Finding you and your method has been so validating, but I have not managed to totally squelch the inner voice that says if it isn’t hard work/confrontational/dominating, then it isn’t really achieving the necessary result.
Our horses live in a herd, or herds, and do not get a lot of one-on-one time. I used to hold the foals as you described, but I found that their mothers did not approve, and because the horses were outside on pasture or in big pens, I could not follow through enough. Holding the babies often made their mothers (and aunties) tell them that people were bad and keep them away from me. I gave it up, unless there is a need to move a foal and mare to somewhere, or bring them in to a stall or small pen when they are first born.
I spend time with each newborn foal (if they choose) letting them explore me with their lips/mouths while I scratch them during the first few days of their life. It is so lovely to have the little baby gum/lips scrootching on my face and tasting me, and it seems to create some sort of bond. They don’t all do it, but I love it, and it has not led to biters/mouthy monsters.
People come here to look at the horses and they ask if we imprint our foals because they all come around (without their mamas) to interact with people and are so quiet, calm, and outgoing. I tell them that we don’t, but there is something really wonderful growing and happening here and it is because of your teachings.
When the babies/weanlings are all asking for scratches and pets, that is when I show them the lead rope/halter and rub them with it, both sides of neck/shoulders/back, etc. They get into a competition about whose turn it will be now. I don’t try to catch them or hold them beyond letting them feel the weight of the rope around their neck, and only a very short time. They learn to yield their necks and follow/come toward the rope which connects us, and I go back and give lots of scratches often. Then I show them the rope on both sides of their face and get them to yield in both directions so they can handle that pressure without evading the rope on one side or the other. Then I “let” them put their nose into the halter and take it off and on and off and on, and then I might or might not do it up during the first haltering and let them follow me around on the rope.
Or I will follow them around and let them lead me around the pen. I am finding that as soon as the horse knows you are not going to try to make him stand still (trap/capture him), he will be happy to both move and stand still, as you the leader, choose. Recently I have been Leading from Behind the first few times that I want the horse to go forward with the halter and rope on. It works wonderfully, and I do not have to worry about boisterous young yearlings/two year-olds leaping up in the air on top of me or nipping me. Being in the LFB position keeps them much calmer and attentive, and I can see them.
One of my favorite things is to go out to the end of the rope (not putting pressure on it) and bend forward from the waist and wait for them to come over to me. They are so proud of themselves for figuring it out, and we are able to lead them on a loose line because they are happy to stay with the person leading them.
What I like about doing things this way is that the horse never develops the habit of bracing against pressure because I don’t give them anything to pull against. They understand what the rope does and how to stay with it, and then when I tie them up they do not pull because they know how to stay within the limits of the rope. They are often several years old before this happens, and have had very little handling.
So many times the way a horse is handled/trained builds a brace (physical or mental) into them which is really hard to overcome; it’s like it is hardwired into their nervous system. I really notice this with outside horses that come here for breeding, etc. And they very quickly come to appreciate being handled with consideration and respect.
What I love about your teachings is the permission to try new things when something isn’t working, and your assurances that it’s okay to make mistakes because it will grow the relationship. This is so huge for me, who comes from the mindset that if you screw up at any phase of the horse’s training, you have created a wreck that you must overcome and the horse will never be as good as he could have been. In some ways, this belief served me well because it made me break everything down into tiny, clear, understandable steps that prepared the horse completely for the next thing. But it also stopped me from beginning at all and paralysed me with indecisiveness and apprehension and “what-if” scenarios.
I love letting every day happen, every horse interaction happen, and just seeing where they will lead with no agenda. I am very excited about the next call
All best wishes,
Stephanie
Dear Stephanie,
Thank you for your letter I am such it will enlighten may readers. You have a natural way of raising foals so training is mostly over looked, and how wonderful is that. I can see what ever you choose will take you to the results you are wanting. The artistry of horse training has always been developed the way you go about your approach. You have my permission to beat up that person in you that is the trouble maker. She is not doing you any good!! Oh I guess we should give her “no fault insurance” too.
Best wishes,
Carolyn
Thank you Carolyn. This made me laugh. That person got inside me from my listening to what other supposedly much more experienced and knowledgeable people told me over the years and it took me away from what I felt in my heart to be right. One of my first instructors (a real cowboy in all senses of the word) called me “Miss Disney” because I talked to my horse and petted her. How sad is that?? I don’t think I would have been confident in my internal beliefs again if it hadn’t been for your support and validation and I cannot describe how grateful I am.
I was thinking some more about tiny new babies, and I realized that I do hold on to them as you do, but I get them to move instead of holding them still because of the big spaces we are in. Their mamas/aunties are okay with that. I am starting to get excited about all the new babies that are coming this spring!!
If the call is at noon tomorrow, I may have to miss it because I have double booked myself. I really wanted to talk to you about my young stallion. We have hit a bit of a snag, and I think we are working through it, but you would probably have some really helpful ideas. I really hope I can get back in the house for tomorrow. Thank you again, and best to you and your mother
Stephanie
Wow what a fun mother you have! Lucky you. Glad Apollo is on the job too. I did not learn much from my 3 year old as a foal as far as leading goes. She did it automatically without me teaching her. Her mother who I also raised needed the rope around the hindend to learn. It was a fun experience and I learned as much as they did. You are so right about them learning to outsmart you and leaIirning bad things. They sure love to play and I’m glad I have 3 older horses for the 3 year old to learn from. I watch them interact and it is funny how much they let the 3 year old get away with She tries to take their food and boss them. I did not wean her—she has been with her mother always. Now moms milk is drying up and I saw the filly try to nurse the other day. Mom must not have had much because the filly gave mom a dirty look, stomped her foot, bit at her mom, whirled around and kicked at her with both hind feet. Mom gave it right back at her. Same motions and level of intensity.
I was amused at the interaction! You could almost see the angry words flying. I’m glad though, that no bites or kicks landed. I can really tell a difference in the relationship now. Mom lays her ears back at the filly more now, and filly listens! Haha
Dear Carolyn,
Thank you for this blog! It was interesting and very helpful!
And your story about your mom put a big smile on my face… loved it!
I would like to share with you what the challenge of not speaking to my horses for one week did to me.
Normally when I get insecure or nervous I start rambling and I disconnect from myself. I already knew this because Monique once told me (a message she received from Angel), but this time I could FEEL it… I could feel how easily I can talk myself away from myself…
Because of the exercise I couldn’t this time and the result was that I found inner peace and strength. Insecurity would just leave my body because I was connected to myself, to my heart, and I knew what the next step would be. I didn’t get lost into thinking… I just did what I felt like doing!
I felt joy even when Angel wasn’t doing what I asked her to do… I could enjoy her saying ‘no’ but also found the ‘yes’ in her after that without much effort. It felt so natural.
After that first week I was much more aware of the words and sounds that came out of my mouth. I noticed that Angel loves it when I use my voice! So there is strength in it too and it’s not wrong to use words or sounds. It’s all about when and how I use my voice.
It’s a wonderful part of our journey now and I want to thank you and Kedra for bringing this up.
Unfortunately the weather is still cold out here and today it started snowing again… I try to share territory with my horses as much as I can, but sometimes it’s just too cold to sit outside. I miss them… they are such an important part of my life…
And so are you. I miss you! Thinking of you and your mom every day…
Much love and big HUG!
Aline
Dear Carolyn,
thanks to your teachings in how to teach horses to be polite and heard behavior, I managed to reintroduce a pony back into the herd with no problem. He did not get on with any horses bigger than a certain size. He always tried to bully them and the submissive mare was left standing in the rain a lot, because of him. When he took on the dominant draft horse mare, she almost killed him and he only just escaped slipping through under the fence. It worried me so much that I let him go when someone offered a good home. Checking on his care weeks after he left I had to decide to take him back as his itch and hooves were not looked after as promised.
So when he came back I did lots of sharing territory and when ever any of the horses were impolite I reminded them of their manners and it really worked! They can now all stand in a small shelter together and eat hay peacefully. It’s such a relief! Especially when we get flooding rains like the whole last week.
It was very interesting to watch my horses do the Waterhole Rituals with each other and I can’t thank you enough!
When I was a child I was always hanging out in a herd of broodmares with new foals every spring. They automatically let me put on halters and lead them after doing so much Sharing Territory, even before they were born with their mothers.
So I did it the same with my now 3 year old who was born at my house here. But now I have the same problem as Susanne: I have not been driving him away and now he is hard to move and fully ignores me at times. I’m not worried though because I’m in your upcoming online course. I will be doing it with a different horse I imagine to be a lot easier and when I know what I’m doing I will start on the young gelding.
Not long ago I was asked to help move an orphan foal (12 days old) to a new place in a truck. I put a halter on but did not apply any pressure. Instead I led her by putting my arms around her chest and bum. When it was safe I let her lead me on the long rope for a while until she was happy to follow.
Thanks again for everything you do!
Ulrike
Dear Ulrike,
How you do things with horses is a great gift. I have done what you did with your orphan foal and I have wanted to write about this to suggest that people try it because of how effective it is.
I am glad that my method helped your herd to be nice to one another.
Looking forward you to being in my class.
Warmly,
Carolyn
Dear Carolyn
Thanks for this weeks blogg. I can’t tell you how much I am looking forward to the Spring WHR. I was thinking of taking the class with Nora my surprise foal out of my Fjord mare Molly. Nora is now 15 months old and the loveliest girl in the world.
After reading the blogg I think I will leave her till another time as she is very polite and not a nasty bone in her. She has had her feet trimmed since she was 6 months old it is all going well. We have taken the herd of 3 for walks down the country lanes and seen cars, tractors, bikes, sheep and cows.
Nora is a shy pest, she does not bother me when I poo pick ,but if she wants attention she starts biting and paw the wheelbarrow, becaus she knows I will stop what I am doing and send her away.
She doesn’t go very far when I send her away but I am not worried about that because she does not go far when Ina my Spannish mare tells her to move and if Ina is fine with that so am I.
I have watched very closely how her mom and Ina tell her how to behave, and they are very gentil with her, even when she accidentally bumps in to them.
Nora will stand at liberty for hours to be groomed and she knows not to use her teeth when grooming me back.
I have learned so much from watching the herd with this foal and I am so glad we had this surprise foal.
Anki Church
Dear Anki,
That sounds like a good idea. Are you going to join the class with a different horse or are you going to wait tell your foal is older?
Warmly,
Carolyn
Drear Carolyn
I Will do the class with Ina again , we are doing so well.
Nora can be a baby for now, she is still feeding from her mom Molly.
Lots of love Anki.
Hello Carolyn
Interesting subject as my foal Rose (now 5.5 months) has been a focus for me since she was born last September. I have used some of your philosophy along with what I know from Parelli and others. I didn’t teach the “don’t struggle” thing that way – I started at liberty with my arm over her neck and taught her to lead that way, then progressed to laying ropes over her (like a hug), then around her shoulders, then her neck, then to a halter. She does lead very nicely. This past week I have been able to rasp all four feet on two different days and (after the first foot) she has learned to cooperate.
On a different question, I have a horse Eddie (rescue/extra) 3yo gelding. He has had his feet caught in the fence numerous times – since I started counting a month or so ago, it’s been 8 times. He is NOT confined – they are in a very large pasture of 200+ acres and there is only a fence at the road perimeter. He has 5 horse buddies, lots of food & water and toys, shelter, etc. He does not get much attention as I didn’t really want him. Really the only attention he gets is when he gets his feet caught. Is it really possible that he is doing this for attention now? I’ve started to put him in the barn every second night (rotating with my other gelding Spinner) so they don’t travel at night (ice conditions allowing them to get out over a frozen swamp). This seems to have made a difference – I am not seeing him paw the wire so much. I am hoping to break this addiction and have hung plastic snow fence on the wire so he can’t get his feet through in his favourite areas. I’m also going to find time to start playing with him – hopefully more positive attention will break the addiction.
Thanks for the foal ideas.
Wilma
Dear Wilma,
Maybe you could have toys for him on the ground and in the trees. They also have a ball with treats inside. Hot line fence may help. Stating youe training program many help a lot. What I would do is invest in some time in the field and drive him away for the fence until he looses is obsession works for me.
Thanks for sharing the way you train your foals. I share methods that I think are good for people but how I appraoch a foal is not based on any method I let the foal inspire me in how I appraoch him. Your way is very inviting. Inviting is always best. I vote for that. Thanks for sharing and I agree with your approach. It would be great if you would do a dvd and sharing your appraoch with the world, sounds good to me. Some foals need to experience giving in from the life long benefits he give them.
Warmly,
Carolyn
Thank you for the ideas about Eddie, and your other kind words. I love to video myself with the horses, mostly for clarity on what I’m doing. Sometimes I don’t see the horse’s reaction until I watch it on video.
We sure did use your idea of sending the foal away when she was aggressive – she did show her opinions at a very early age! She learned to be more polite (ears and face).
Also, when you mention that the foal inspires you in how you approach him – that is so true. I let her actions lead how we proceeded. When I first would put my arm over her neck, she would back up and I would go with her until she stopped backing up, then give her a rub and move away. Also I first started putting a thin, light rope over her back, which was too light and she didn’t like it, it frightened her. Then I used a heavier rope, which had more weight, like the feeling of an arm over her back. She liked that and accepted it.
It is all very fascinating!
Thanks again
Wilma
Dear Carolyn
Sometimes I think you can hear us thinking! I was having a conversation with Marja and was wondering how & when you start with foals… well now we know!
I’ve not written for couple of weeks. After Kedra’s blog I had a go at not using voice. It produced some quite funny over the top body language on my part, but I learnt something very big watching it back. & some of us had a good laugh about it. I learnt that I don’t need to make a big statement with my body or voice if I can harness more inner power & intention. I knew this cognitively, but I didn’t know it deep in my soul… Learning is so interesting!
I’ve been ‘working’ on the herd bound issue with Izzy – by not working on it!! Its all pretty much gone now unless a lot of craziness is going on around us from others, but even then I get her back pretty quick with very little effort. & today what felt like a miracle happened. 3 days ago I accidentally invented a catching game by standing near her & waving a bit of carrot & using a ‘come here’ gesture. She’d walk up & I’d walk backwards some way, ask her to halt & give her the carrot. This is normal, but I just decided to keep going up the pasture & before we knew it we were at the gate. This would never have happened a few months back as she would have got wise to it & turned back. Today when I got there, the horses were down in this bigger pasture that has grass. I thought it was one thing to have her come with me at liberty from a winter field with nothing to eat, but another to have it happen from this pasture. The ground is frozen so the farmer said we could put them in this grassy field for a bit. I started the game & I walked quite a distance & she just kept coming (politely) away from the other horses & the grass. Whoa & carrot. Then suddenly she was companion walking with me up the field away from her buddies! No fussing over the carrots or anything like that (she had 3 bits the entire way). What worked is that if she got a bit rude when I’d asked her to whoa is that I would just walk off in the direction I wanted to go, turn round & ask her to come & she would. Or I’d walk backwards & she would come with me. Today we companion walked all the way up this field, through the gate to the field with no grass. At that point I was so ecstatic I just gave her the rest of the carrots & said ‘we are done’. She went partially back to the others who were also now coming up. Then turned round & stared at me. Shook her head a little & came back! It was hilarious. I think we both have been having big light bulb moments. Having her walk with me from this pasture away from her friends at liberty has been a dream since last summer when Farah mentioned this idea to me. & it just happened on its own out of the evolution of the relationship. Double ecstasy!!
Very much enjoying the stories about Paulina. What a daredevil! & what a rich life!
Warmest wishes from freezing England
Erica
Dear Erica,
Thanks for sharing. I am so happy to see how you created your own appraoch and moved your horse’s training forward all on your own. I know how good that feels. The freedom and joy it can bring is priceless. I am also glad I was able to play a apart in your empowerment.
Good job,
Carolyn
Just so you know, I am making videos here & there so that I will have something constructive to use for coaching calls. Like most people, if I go too long on my own I can lose my way a little & I really want to stay on track (no falling in – ha ha a little joke there for you!)
Susanne Meehan (EC spring 2011), Ireland
Dear Carolyn,
Thank you for this blog…everything in it makes so much sense! Willie, my now 11 year old gelding came into my life at just 5 weeks of age. His mother died suddenly an he was given to me as he was too much bother for his owner. Wish I had known about your methods then!!! Luckily My little Shetland mare pony was there to help me and if I would have observed better how she lead him, I would have become a far better leader myself. It all makes so much sense now – knowing the waterhole rituals.
But thankfully it is not all bad and we are doing good. One thing though I should have done more – hindsight is a great thing!!! You talk about sending the foal away…something I didn’t do that much and it explains how Willie is now. His gas pedal is nearly none existent, it takes a lot of my energy to move him away and he doesn’t respect my space enough. Is it too late to change that now? And what would be the best approach?
Carolyn, thank you for sharing all your stories of your childhood.
It is so important to hold on to the good things in life. Your mother must have been an inspiration for you, growing up. Being a mother now myself I realize what a difficult job it really is. Sometimes it scares me to think how much a parent can shape their children’s future. I love talking with my now teenage daughters about things, and to remember my own relationship with my parents and how I felt as a child helps me so much now connecting with them, especially when there is a little friction. My 17 year old wants to be so independent and it is hard to get her to share with us what she is going through…so much like myself. Being able to remember what it was like for me helps me not to push too hard, but trying to create an environment that allows her to open up to me and connect. SHARING TERRITORY WITH MY DAUGHTER! Focusing on the things that are good between us and not too much pushing… just like handling a foal.
Thank you for taking time to write your blog
Blessings to you and your mother
Susanne
Dear Susanne,
I think that many parents today do not make the effort to develop their children through sharing authentic connections and daily routines or use the opportunity to educate their children from daily events. There is a lack of focus on the child and seeing how the parents influence or lack of influence has such an impact on the child as an adult. I am so glad you mentioned this subject. A lot of what I do is to bring more awareness in how important it is to widen the awareness of a child’s personal power and nature interest, love of nature, and empathy for all beings.
Warmly,
Carolyn
Dear Carolyn,
That is so well put and exactly what I feel.
Thank you
Susanne
Wonderful. Thank you Carolyn…
Stuart
Carolyn,
Thank you for another wonderful educational post and for continuing sharing stories about Paulina. I really love reading them. Sending you both well wishes everyday. I am also sending special Thank You’s to all who are assisting in making this journey a little easier and brighter for you both each and every day.
Leanna
Dear Leanna,
I love our new classes. It is a great support to my mother’s care and keeps me doing what I love doing, sharing what I know about horse training and communication.
Warmly,
Carolyn
Dear Carolyn – I have the desire to start with your mom today – your stories about the mother-daughter connection you both had and still have feels so good – I presume that there must have been some difficult times as well, however, the magical connection between you and your mom is so special to me – I can’t recall a similar connection between my mom and myself – but it lifts me up still – thanks so much for sharing it certainly supports me in connecting with my mother these days ….
It is good to read about Apollo keeping your mom company – animals know…
The foal-training-part of your blog is very informative – I recognize a lot in it like teaching the foal at a very early age to lift its legs – my farrier was very pleased with that …..
Take care and wishing you and your mom all the best
Geerteke
Dear Geerteke,
It is all about “no fault” insurance that my mother and I gave to each other.
My mother never blamed me or make be feel small so if she did anything wrong as a parent I choose not to remember it. She is always kind.
Thank you for staying in touch.
Warmly,
Carolyn
Dear Carolyn thank you so much for your reply – I am sorry to say that I was made to feel small as a child – however I am a grown up now so I am perfectly capable now to chose what to do, how to do it, how to react, how to behave, what attitude to adopt – it has made me forgive….
I feel deep gratitude having had the opportunity to not only have met you in connection with the WHR , but also the ‘you’ as the person you are showing to all of us as well – vulnerability invites vulnerability …
I hope I have expressed in a sufficiently transparent way how and what I feel …
Bless you,
Geerteke
Carolyn: I really enjoyed this Blog. Although I don’t plan on raising a foal again, it is fascinating to see how it can be approached to gentle the foal, but at the same time not take the “horse” out of him. And I loved the story about your swimming! The way you did it step by step reminded me of how you taught your father’s draft horses to go in and out of the stall with you. Baby steps will get the job done! Just do what you can step by step and pretty soon you will be taking giant steps. That’s what I am remembering with Cowboy, don’t get in a hurry and pay close attention to the details. Also, the story about your mother’s extreme adventures is priceless! She is truly an amazing woman! I am so glad that we have the opportunity to help you with her care through Paulina’s Program classes. I will be sending a video tonight and can’t wait to talk to you on Sunday!
Love MaryGaye
Love this blogpost, thank you for this topic.
My shetlandfilly Pippa came to live with me at 4 months old and already had learned to pick up feet, stand tied and be led on a halter and lead. That last part not so well as it turned out. so I’ve been working on that with her a little more. She’s about 8 months now and she’s a hoot, a little clown that really makes me laugh out loud sometimes, but she’s also véry smart and not one of those mini’s you can just keep as a pasture ornament, she will defenately need something to do.
Because it’s only her and Raya and there is no real herd to grows up in, I am already working with her in a WHR-kinda way, but very small and short and not very often. While working with Raya I let her go her way and when she comes close I might just focus on her for a few moments.
She’s such a smart girl and ‘gets it’ after only one or two times. Than I let her be and don’t bother her too much.
Sometimes she comes up to me in a way you can just tell she’s trying to get you to play with her. She’s polite and stays at a distance but it only takes a small movement from me to get her to buck and run across the track and up the dike. Like she needs an excuse to get going (Raya isn’t that playfull). I noticed that since I’ve used a little WHR on her, she’s much more polite than before, at first she would be a little more pushy and mouthy, but that’s all gone now.
So I guess what I’m trying to say is that the amount of ‘work’ you do with a foal/yearling, might also depend on the situation in which a foal is growing up. Pippa doesn’t have serveral horses to learn from, nor a playmate to have fun with (sadly, wish I could provide that for her), so I guess she needs more interaction from me in stead. I try to give that to her without ‘training’ her too much.
Dear Francis,
I want to encourage you to play with her as much as you think will benefit. The bond and respect together. Sharing Territory and letting it happen is just fine. As long as she is engaged and she is being pilot and you are careful to not over do it, this is great. What I want a person to be careful about is too much training. Your foal is asking for the interaction and that is find to work with her when she is wanting to.
Warmly,
Carolyn
Carolyn
Thank you for your insights on foal training! I have a yearling now Sundance who is ready for the hay pile. Wish I had known more of your practices for earlier ages before.
I did not realize how much of a dare devil your mother has been! Amazing actions that I would not have the courage to take on. A life fully lived!
I remember the story of the rose and your grandmother’s experiments and the details your mother and grandmother helped you see and and appreciate in the the larger connection to nature.
Wonderful to hear of your mother and Apollo’s growing connection.
Sally
Dear Sally,
Thanks for your letter.
love,
Carolyn