The Ultimate Horseperson Copyright 2006
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