Photo: There’s a lovely “feeling of each other’s energy” happening between Mandi and Blondie. Note her hand is held out below Blondie’s nose so that Blondie can CHOOSE to reach out and down for Blondie’s part of the hello.
The Lesson
So what’s the big deal? What’s walking up to your horse and saying hello got to do with a good dressage movement or a fantastic spin or a happy trail ride?
Well, you are looking for self carriage in your horse as your horse’s contribution to you riding together as one beautiful being.
And you are looking for self carriage because in that way of carrying themselves, your horse will have the naturally elevated back to carry you with strength and grace.
You can work on your horse’s self carriage in your saddle work and spend a long time getting there – or you can FAST TRACK that self carriage – the self carriage that is your horse’s contribution to the beautiful energy of riding together as one being – by eliminating all pockets of nerves, anxiety and resistance from your horse’s day to day existence.
So here is an important lesson about releasing any old fears, traumas and resistances that may have been caused by your horse’s previous catching experiences. This Lesson is also part of what will help anyone who is having problems catching their horse.
Click here for an alternate recording for – the approach
Click here to refresh the early warning signal that Something is Not Quite Right
The key to fast tracking your horse’s side of that beautiful riding together – is systematically eliminating old anxieties and resistances.
And nowhere is that more important than the beginning of our very first approach to them.
Young Jess was thrilled with how much emotional and physical healing her appaloosa Buddy did one morning when we were working with that first approach.
Buddy had been a very angry horse before we started and had given her a serious fright.
As she stood up to go and walk over to him, she felt that first early warning feeling that something was Not Quite Right. And like many people at the start of this journey, she ignored that first feeling.
I guess she thought that it couldn’t happen that fast. She had been catching her horse Ok forever, so SURELY that couldn’t be what I was talking about.
Well I don’t enjoy working with the bigger feelings of frustration, fear and anger, so if you don’t enjoy those feelings either, then yes those first tiny feelings are it!
So she had to sit down again and wait for The Chew.
By the time I left, Jess had got the hang of paying attention to those first tiny feelings of Not Quite Right and the frustration and even anger that she had been feeling with him before I arrived just wasn’t there any more.
Buddy’s whole body shape changed quite dramatically as he healed in front of our eyes that day and all she worked on was walking up to him and getting that into his Comfort Zone. Jess was privileged to experience and feel her horse bubbling with joy for the very first time – how awesome is that!
He did so much healing that his body shape changed completely in just a few hours. So to ask for more on that day may have pushed him into too much healing too soon – and that can be uncomfortable.
So if your horse has been doing long waits for The Chew and even changing body shape then maybe they need a break for healing too.
You will hear me say this a lot because it’s so important – it can actually be a GOOD thing to walk away from your horse without getting what you want when you’re working with Comfort Zone and leadership.
So the first part of this Lesson for you is to walk up to your horse, reach out towards your horse’s nose with the back of your hand and say the horse hello.
Now you are not going to just march on up to your horse. We are looking to release any old anxieties or resistances that your horse may have about being approached by a human.
So you need to notice the early warning signal that something is Not Quite Right. Stop. Take a few steps backwards until you feel OK again and wait for The Chew no matter how long it takes.
And repeat that as often as it takes until you can walk up to your horse, hold your hand out for the horse hello and have both of you enjoy the experience.
Like young Jess with Buddy, pay attention and take action on EVERY tiny feeling that something isn’t OK by stopping and walking backwards and waiting for The Chew.
If your horse is looking sleepy and kind of jerking their muscles every now and again, kind of looking as if they are dreaming, then they ARE in the middle of processing and releasing something – which is exactly what you want.
You can do things the easy and fast way or you can do them differently. This waiting for The Chew will be the most productive time you ever spend with your horse – it will be emotionally and even physically healing and it is fundamental to doing things the easy and fast way.