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The Ultimate Horseperson
By Stevi Weissbach
The question? What do great horse people think the ULTIMATE horseperson is. A way about working with the horses? Characteristics the horses look for? The answers are inspiration enough to live in your tack room.
"When I think of the ultimate horse person, I think immediately of one of my most valued and influential teachers, Ronnie Willis. To me he represented everything I strive for as a human and a horseman. As we would meet daily to go greet the horses that we were going to saddle that day, I’d say “mornin Ronnie, how are you?” he would always say, “Never better son” with a smile that had so much warmth and with an attitude that would make my whole day. I believe the horses he would be around felt that inside of him too.
Ronnie’s respect and feel for the horse was truly incredible. Respect for the horse being an understanding of their mind and emotions, what they are capable of and when they need Love or Leadership. He would be as soft with a horse as I’ve ever seen anybody and as firm as need be to get the mind to change in the desirable direction. All the while having the care and honor for the horse like he was getting the chance to be with them for the last time.
Ronnie Willis past away in May of 2003 and moved on to horseman’s heaven. It was one of the saddest days of my life. I hold him close to my heart hoping I get good enough with horses that I make it to horseman’s heaven too."
By Jonathan Field,
One of five endorsed Parelli instructors and one of three horse specialists in Canada.
(And an amazing human being.)
“When Stevi asked me about my perspective on the Ultimate Horseperson, the first image that came to light was that of a young boy with autism whom I had the honour of introducing to my little herd. As I began to reflect upon why that image, I realized that for me, horsepersonship is becoming less about yielding the hindquarters and seamless transitions, and more about the often life changing moments of fellowship witnessed as horses share themselves with us…
- A young boy with autism calms and bows his head in front of Fredy’s nostrils. Fredy breathes warm, soothing breaths into his crown and the young boy brings his hand to rest gently on Fredy’s shoulder.
- A teenage girl who put aside her own stories of abuse, to move ever so tenderly, week after week, to earn the trust of a once neglected mare.
- A street youth who chose a big, happy face symbol to represent his time with the horses. “Because when I’m with them it’s the only time my heart smiles”.
- A woman who opened her arms to the sky as Grace whiff led her heart, a heart self-declared as shut off and cold, opened and rejuvenated by the unconditional love of a horse.
Horses inspire us to live in our light. In doing so we get closer and closer to the heart of true horsepersonship, a mutual connection, a combining, in which 2 lights together shine more brightly that one.”
“There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it.”
-Edith Wharton
Offered by
Registered Clinical Counsellor
Epona Approved Clinician
“…is to be trustworthy, sensitive, and kind. Your horse wants you to balance assertiveness with empathy, consistency with accountability, composure with passion, awareness with proactivity. Your horse wants to know you have mastered the perfect push and that it can count on you for herd safety. It wants you to earn its respect, focus, trust, and willingness because it knows you can cause it to move better than it is able to move on its own It wants you to show it that you can improve its ability to move, coaching it how to run better, faster, longer, jump higher, stay better balanced, and move with greater flexibility and quicker reactions. It wants you to overcome its own survival instinct, so it can bow to your authority and give itself over to you body, mind and spirit, because it will consciously realize it is better off with you than without you.”
Thoughts from Chris Irwin,
Author of Dancing With Your Dark Horse
“The Ultimate Horseperson, in my opinion is some one who understands horse psychology to the degree of predicting there every move, making leadership easy to establish. Once leadership is established the line of communication is opened and the learning process begins. The Ultimate Horseperson knows exactly how much pressure to add, when to release, and how many times to ask a command, because they are reading the horse through patterns and the horse is reading them. These patterns tell the person when the horse is bored, tired, fresh, scared, don’t understand or simply just doesn’t want to do what there asking.
The Ultimate Horseperson works through all the issues a horse has without causing stress or injury to the horse or themselves. And in no time at all, they become one, in their movement and thought. I don't believe the Ultimate Horseperson is born with all there talent. They spend countless hours learning, practicing, experimenting and discussing Horsemanship, with the horse being their main concern. Because of the passion and love for horses that they WERE born with.”
Doug Mills
www.trainingthrutrust.com
1-250-573-4189
8825 Barnhartvale Rd.
Kamloops B.C
V2C 6W1
"The ultimate horseperson is a person with patience, who can give me the chance to figure out what is being asked of me. Someone who can allow for my natural instincts, respect them and use them in a positive way to benefit my training. I can't change what I am, but you can change how you communicate with me. The ultimate horseperson is a person who can not only look after my needs, physically, but also emotionally. Allow me to be a horse. The Ultimate horseperson can find a way to use the things that make horses special, instead of having them "fixed". Of course, caring for your horse and knowing how to feed them is important but I think that to get to the bottom of what it really means to be the "ultimate horseperson" you would have to ask the one who knows it best. The horse.”
“The Ultimate horse
person to me is some one who can look at all
different forms of riding and not think one is better than any other one. Fads
come and go but common horse sense will always win out.”
Terry Cardin
www.terrycardintrainingcentre.com
“If a horse owner really loves their horse, then he or she needs to take the responsibility of learning how to be a confident and competent leader. The horse only needs three things--I call them "food, friendship and freedom". The horse's physical, emotional and spiritual needs all need to be met in order to establish a good working relationship. By "food" I mean that the horse owner needs to meet all the physical needs of the horse. "Friendship" means that the owner needs to provide the horse with emotional security, protection, leadership and other horses for company. "Freedom" means that the owner has to understand that the most valued currency for the horse is its freedom. If you don't "pay" the horse with a release (freedom) at the right time, the horse will not keep on working for you, will not want to be around you, and will leave every time he gets a chance. How long would you keep working without a paycheck?”
Steve Werklund
Certified John Lyons Trainer
Forming an Understanding through the Nature of the Horse Copyright 2009
By Stevi Weissbach.
If you’ve ever gotten frustrated with your horse, generally it would be because of lack of understanding. Understanding your horse’s natural instincts to be exact… Knowing how they react to situations they see as dangerous, what they look for in a leader, and some qualities horses appreciate. We would create a better relationship with our horses if we try to understand their intentions.
The horse is a simple animal. It is built, bred, and brought up to survive. This means that if the horse is uncertain or feels threatened, he or she will do everything possible to leave the situation, by either leaving physically or dissociating emotionally. Dissociation is when a being’s life is so deeply threatened that a part of the beings soul feels it is not safe to stay in the body because the trauma could not be handled. Human examples of this may include rape, physical abuse, or a physical trauma. This piece of them will usually return once everything is safe, but it doesn’t always. The horse is a very sensitive animal and should not be pressured to the extent that he or she needs to leave (either physically or emotionally). Since we have taken away the safety from the herd it is our responsibility to give them the safety they need, where they can look to us for guidance. With this guidance they will return to their bodies because they trust you to keep them safe and respected.
Most horses are looking for a leader that will take care of them. Even though the leadership role in a herd is stressful, a horse is not willing to hand their life over to “just anyone.” The individual that assumes this responsibility needs to be someone who can be trusted with a horse’s life. Not to own them, but to respect their likes and dislikes, and guide them in the areas they have trouble coping with.
The horse is so concerned about its survival that he will test the person who claims they are “boss.” In order for you to be accepted as the leader, the horse will need to trust you, your judgment, and your respect for him or her. When a horse tests you, keep in mind this is for survival purposes, no matter what he is doing. This is where you can earn a lot of respect. Your horse needs to know if you will lose your temper or give up on him. If you do not follow through consistently, he will know that HE needs to be the leader. His life depends on it!
Horses dislike uncomfortable situations, and will learn from the release of pressure. In order to communicate, pressure is put on the horse, whether it is a mare shaking her head, guidance from a halter or a dressage whip, and when the horse moves in the right direction, the pressure is taken off. The quicker the release, the faster the horse will learn that it is a good thing to do. It is something anyone can do. Here’s the only trick. A person needs to feel with their heart, what the horse needs in regard to guidance, fun, and creativity. New skills and a nice ride (from both the human and the horse) can come from “play time” instead of from a schooling session.
Offer them your heart and with it, tell them of your spirit, your dreams, and what you want from the relationship, and they will tell you what they want if you are listening quietly. Horses are meant to be equals, as another spirit journeying in a world we have to share. We need to take the time to truly convince them that we too can “play” with trust, respect, and fun. On this two way street of respect we can form the most amazing relationships we ever dreamed possible.
Feel Copyright 2007
By Stevi Weissbach
We all seem to want to better our understanding with our horses. There is so much to learn, but once we get their willingness, proper training, and understanding of one another, it all becomes simple!
Part #1 : Problems with willingness?
A horse is not an animal that is naturally inclined to hurt humans. Or to push us into frustration. Or to go against our wishes. In the horse’s mind, it is doing what is necessary. Sometimes we just have to change their mind…
If you want them to follow a suggestion, once they clearly understand you, they will do it. They like being with people that try to help them understand their training and can communicate with them. If a person gets frustrated, mean, or pushes too hard when working with the horse, the horse most likely will not want to be with that particular human being, or people in general, until that person gets their act together and earns their respect.
Sometimes a horse’s training will work against the person trying to communicate with the horse. The horse will be trying to do what the person is asking, even if it is no where near close, logical, or reasonable to what we see as the task we are asking. The horse does what it thinks will work. If you put pressure on a rope, and the horse reared up as a reaction, and you quit, the horse may start to think that is a way to get rid of the pressure on the halter.
Another way horses seem, to go against a predator…If we act like a predator, it will become their natural instincts work against us. Mother nature has inlayed some pretty strong instincts in the horse. Whether they choose to fight or run from the unknown, this usually goes against the responses we were hoping to get.
Our instincts work against us too. When we feel the horse is being “bad” and disobeying us, we tend to get tight, frustrated, or harsh with them. This is the last thing the horse needs. Most of the time this will set you back with your horse. If a horse has had too many people getting rough with them, they will be suspicious or prepared to fight back. Their natural instincts tell them this is how they will survive. How they can stay alive. To fight for their life.
When the horse starts getting troubled… stop and think about it. Why is the horse behaving this way? Is he concerned about his safety? Could this behaviour have worked for him in the past? Or is he thinking you are asking something totally different? Is he over stimulated and not thinking straight?
It may need a gentle but firm hand to help get the job done, or get out of the situation he is in, but getting mean rarely helps anything. The horse may require reteaching. Sometimes their instincts are so strong that they will just need you to go with the flow for a bit, for them to let go of their instincts and be able to follow your suggestions. The horse just needs some problem solving done before everything falls into place and they do what you ask of them. The majority are very willing animals, they may just have previous misunderstandings or scarring that needs working through.
Part #2: Getting a Feel for your horse
There are so many different words for it… feel, energy, impulsion, momentum, power, action, understanding or being… of the whole horse. Getting a feel for your horse, and the horse for you, can create a “togetherness” that will look like magic. Your horse can enjoy your company and time together because once you understand each other, there is an agreement to work collectively and in stride.
Before you can possibly get your horse to follow your feel, you have to get a feel for him. Rather than trying to get control of him right away, try to understand how he’s feeling, where all his energy is going. Is he worried about his own self preservation? Is he gathering up like a coiled spring? Is he choosing to express his energy in other ways? Once you have an idea as to where this energy is going, you have to go with it. Ride with it, or go with the flow so to speak. When he understands that you aren’t trying to force him into doing anything, he will start to accept you, and your feel.
To offer him your feel, you need a bit of understanding. You need to have a basic understanding of what he is doing (or not doing) this moment. And you have to know what you want him to be doing with his energy. Take the evergy he is giving you and remold it into what you would like to feel. Whether he is running and you would like him to be walking, or he is strung out and you would like him collected and on the bit, it is possible to influence or harness his energy output.
Part #3 Timing to Teach…
It can take very little to get a horse to learn something. The more the horse uses the training, the harder it is to retrain, but it can be done if your timing is right.
Brain connections are very similar to lightening in a jar. The more the pathway is used, the stronger and easier the connection becomes. The less it is used, the weaker and more difficult it becomes for the connection to be used. If a horse is very high strung and is always running under saddle, the more that connection is used. If the horse is asked to slow down the thought pattern, and interrupt the cycle of “go- go- go” the easier it will become to do other things with the horse. If the connection has been strong for a long time, it is still relatively easy for that connection to be used again.
To teach something new, there is one basic principle. Put pressure on when you want something, and take it off when the gives it to you (or, in the beginning, even has the thought of giving it to you). If your timing is good, the horse will pick up quickly that the pressure is gone as soon as they moved a certain way, forming a new connection. The more you can use it and make it a positive experience, the stronger the connection will become, and the better the horse gets at the task.
Yemaya Horse Retreat
11763 Hwy 97 North
SS2 Site 12 Comp 101
Fort Saint John, B.C. Canada,
V1J 4M7
(250) -262-7637
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