Education

I was going to title this "Training", but I am finding the my education is more to the point than the horses' training. John Lyons says that a horse will do anything you ask them to do, and will wait forever for you to learn to ask properly.

Pull and release: Like most people, I thought the reins were to turn left and right, and to stop. I saw Lyons in Columbus a few years ago, and it changed my riding. A real break through. He title his clinic session "the calm down cue" He proceded to teach a flighty horse to lower its head, lower and lower and lower. He said there is no "calm down cue", but the head down cue, and the practice of pull and release, has the desired result. For the rider and the horse. It lets you find that place of communicating that takes your attention off of the the spook. Practice practice practice.

10/19 Continuing education:

The three breaths. That will be my foundation. I know this sounds crazy, but it is as if there is a place that one can go to by continuing to practice the three breaths. Three deep breaths from as far down in the belly as you can. It helps to close the eyes, but it is not necessary. I've found that horses respond by the end of the second breath. it is as if there is a state of being that the horse can respond to... a resonance between the human and the horse on a deep, gut level. It is where communication begins. This will be my foundation.

I don't know when the new mare, Cat, gets here. She may still be in Oklahoma. She may be on the road to here. Her foal was taken off her as she was loaded in the trailer a couple of weeks ago. Poor dear. All new. All sorrowful. How can there be any joy, happiness, or.... more importantly to a horse....safety and security.

She will be pushy and have no knowledge of how to behave with humans. I have to remember this going in. she will step on my feet, push me around, crowd me.... she may well kick or bite if she feels threatened.

Return to the three breaths and remember that we have all the time in the world, and no where to hurry to.