Summer Newsletter

From the Horse's Perspective

Spectate at Anna's 4 Day Riding Clinic

9-5pm
Dartmouth
  Fri 16th, Sat 17th, Sun 18th, Mon 19th September

To come along and join us as a spectator on any day, please call Anna : 07743 160149

Adult spectators £20 per day including lunch
(6-16 yrs old pay £10 and under 6 yrs free) 

Now for sale

 
Squirrel is a very sensitive 5 yr old Thoroughbred x Warmblood mare whom I started. Squirrel is ready to start her life as an eventer. Her Sire is Catherston Dazzler and she is out of a Just Zulu mare, both of which are talented eventers.

Below are photos of her and I in the first week of working in the school this spring after a winter of hacking out in company and on her own on Dartmoor. Please do contact me if you would like more information about Squirrel. She would also be a fabulous brood mare.

My aim has been to help Squirrel to relax in her mind and through her top line, to lift her back in order to carry a rider in a way which will benefit her mentally and physically for years to come. For a horse to develop this way of going takes patience though. Sometimes as riders we can feel pressurised to have a horse carrying themselves in a frame but if the horse doesn't have a clear enough understanding that they can 'relax and yield in their mind and body to the feel of each rein, our body and our leg', then we can accidentally start to manufacture this desired frame. This can create a feeling of resistance in the horse, which can turn into undesirable behavioural habits and the development of undesirable muscles in the horse's body.

My quest for softeness in a horse's mind and body

Horses communicating with us

Below I have included two photos of Squirrel and her owner's daughter. After riding Squirrel on Dartmoor I tied her up and then watched her lower her head and softly call to Emma's daughter who was attempting to gently stroke and brush her nose. Moments like this get me thinking. Many of us have witnessed horses responding to disabled riders or children in a gentle way. I've often heard people say 'it was as though the horse knew to look after the disabled rider or young child who was riding'. This makes me wonder what we are doing to sometimes block this deeper connection with a horse? My teacher 'Harry Whitney' in America says "If our agenda becomes more important than how the horse feels then this leaves no room for the horse". Our expectation/ agenda can put pressure on ourselves and the horse before we have even left the yard. Thus this leaves little room for the natural connection which can be seen in the photos below.

I have experienced a couple of horses calling to me when I dismount and I find this to be very interesting too. If anyone has experienced a horse calling to them in an unusual situation which didn't involve food/ tip bits then I would be very interested to hear your story.

Alice worried about a rider getting on

Alice came in for training with me in May 2011. Her owner Caroline bred her and wanting the best start for her sent her to a yard to be backed. After two weeks she brought Alice home again because she felt that the approach that the trainers were using was too rough with the horses. After Alice returned home Caroline discovered that Alice became very frightened every time that Caroline attempted to get on her.

Working with Alice was very interesting, I took the time to allow her to try the option of moving away when I went to step up, I calmly hopped around by her side quietly following her around the arena while having the tip of my foot in the stirrup. I then helped her to learn that if she stood still I would then step down. I tried to support her while she went through her options and I then made the option of standing still feel really good to her. Several times she and I went through this same pattern of her rushing off and then realising to stand still. After two 15 minute sessions of this she became confident to stand and wait for a rider to mount and dismount. The creases under her eyes from worry had gone and she looked relieved that she wasn't in trouble for wanting to save her life by rushing away. This situation reminded me of a Tom Dorrance quote "I believe that horses naturally have tremendous faith in the human being. It is their natural instinct of self preservation that the person needs to understand in order to gain the confidence of the horse".

The photo below is of Alice and I. I hope that these stories give you ideas about how to deal with situations that you find yourselves in with your horses, in the same way that other people's horse stories continue to inspire and help me to learn more.