You’d think a horse couldn’t change their conformation, but Rapunzel has, at 12 years old. She’s gone from the downhill horse, where her croup was higher than her withers, to the withers lifted up that you can see as she’s playing in the video below. Even standing still, her withers are now higher than her butt.
The cause of the change is the Releasing that we’ve done around some tensions in her past (not that many really) and the big deal – I have been inviting her to cut loose and show me who she really is in our liberty work together. The joy that we’ve unleashed in both of us has been tremendous. The rearing in this photo – yes I’m asking her for it – is part of that lovely liberty work that is still unfolding.
The Release and the power has flowed into her play in the paddock as you can see in the video below. I’ve been looking after Rapunzel here for 7 years and owned her for two and I’ve never seen her play before, let alone play so athletically. I didn’t know that she had that athleticism in her!
I’m tickled pink. 🙂
I’ve got this video listed under horse health because this new conformation is going to give her much longer lasting, happy joints because of the floating action that she tends towards now.
Rapunzel is the dark bay. 🙂
Dee Morris says
Glorious!❤️
jennyp says
Thanks Dee. 🙂
Kathy Peers says
So beautiful Jenny, just makes your heart swell 🙂
jennyp says
We’ll have your boy looking like that in no time!
shelley dunkin says
Wow, jenny, i cant believe she was a downhill horse! She is gorgeous! And she is moving so beautifully. It looked like she did part of a canter pirouette. This has really inspired me!
jennyp says
She did and a bit of a capriole too! I guess that’s why they call them airs above the ground!
Emma says
Very coincidental that you have posted this Jenny as had a similar experience this week with my new girl Ruby. Lovely to see my girl having so much fun as she often looks shut away. Since then she has been more keen out riding too. Found her mojo again!
jennyp says
Yes your girl will be unleashing her inner diva too Kathy, you’ve done such lovely work with her! I know that it felt to you like such small things that you’ve helped her with, but the stress of these small things is huge and the impact that has on their confidence when they realize that we REALLY DO have their back about the things that they are anxious about – it makes SUCH a huge difference to their whole mind body spirit. 🙂
jennyp says
She did and a bit of a capriole too! I guess that’s why they call them airs above the ground!
jennyp says
What do you think Emma, have been the keys to success coming from looking “shut away” to finding her mojo and enjoying life again?
SusanJ says
Oh WOW Jenny, Rapunzel is really having fun….and you too! I love that she has changed her outline and way of going. Something for me to aim for with my mare!
Haruko says
Hi Jenny, nice to see your place and Rapunzel playing in there!
I am very much interested in how you have invited her to become more active and to unvail her real personality. Will you tell us a bit more?
jennyp says
Lovely to hear from you Haruko. How are you? Each horse is going to be absolutely different and it will be different if different people were playing with the same horse too. So the fine details won’t be useful to you. The outline: First of all, we eliminated all those things that had her anxious – high energy with the stick was a problem and yet I felt she wanted high energy, so I did something similar to Fast Track lesson 20 – developing a comfort zone with tools, using the stick with high energy as I moved away.
She was INCREDIBLY obedient right from the very first liberty play and ride, right from the beginning when I took her on for my new riding horse after Bobby’s retirement. And you would think that obedience was fabulous and yes it was, but it came at a price – she wasn’t happy. Her mouth was tight and tense and she often had her ears back and our work together was missing that joyfulness that I look for these days.
So I kept digging down, Quiet Minding, figuring out what had to change about her tight mouth and the faint Not Quite Right that I kept feeling.
I talked about it on our monthly live seminar and I’ll talk a bit more detail about it on Sunday’s Fast Track Live Seminar if you like. 🙂
aghy says
Congrats Jenny, its wonderful watching them play, just seeing them so happy. I caught Allegra playing the other day and was so happy for her!
jennyp says
Yes your girl will be unleashing her inner diva too Kathy, you’ve done such lovely work with her! I know that it felt to you like such small things that you’ve helped her with, but the stress of these small things is huge and the impact that has on their confidence when they realize that we REALLY DO have their back about the things that they are anxious about – it makes SUCH a huge difference to their whole mind body spirit. 🙂