Please click on photo to see it enlarged

I feel fortunate to have been working with Jonquil again this winter, a client who brought in two ponies (Winnie and Gem) for seven weeks to be started last winter, and who brought Poppy and Fern along to be started this winter. I write 'fortunate' because it has been a pleasure to witness the hard work and struggles which Jonquil like many of us embark on in order to become a respected person in our horse's or ponies' lives. We can become swayed by what others think of our horsemanship/ riding but if our horses and ponies look to us with respect and come to us for help, then I feel this is the most important judge of where we are at in our horsemanship. So I feel fortunate to have witnessed the changes for the better in the ponies and in Jonquil. The learning never ends but it's great to see that they are on the right path together.

Below I have attached a testimonial which Jonquil has written for my website. I thought that some of you may like to read about Jonquil's journey with her ponies.
 
"I have four young Dartmoor ponies and wanted to improve my communication and interaction with them on the ground, so that we all felt safe and confident with each other. Anna helped me to understand the concept of ‘feel’ and enabled me to learn how to use this so that my ponies and I could start to ‘feel of each other’. I began to see how I could give my ponies direction and reassurance and keep their minds with me.

I felt inspired to ride again and it seemed the logical thing to do, to extend my improved skills on the ground to the ridden. Anna was able to take my ponies in for training ‘to be backed’ during the winter months. I went to watch and work with Anna as often as I possibly could. It was an incredible and fascinating learning experience for me. Anna was always very patient and listened, at all times, to me and my ponies. Explanations and demonstrations were given with clarity and confidence and Anna found different ways of helping me if I did not understand.

Right from the beginning I felt reassured by Anna’s emphasis on safety and ability to interpret what my ponies and I needed to help us understand and trust each other. All four ponies made brilliant progress with Anna and are very alert and responsive, both on the ground and when ridden.

Thank you Anna, for setting us all off on the right track and for enabling us to have such fun!" (Jonquil Stapleton, Jan 2012)

Harry Whitney riding his horse Sandy. Please click on the photos to see them enlarged.

In March I am returning to Arizona in America for two weeks to ride in Harry Whitney's Clinics. Once again I will enjoy the in-depth discussions and the experiences shared while riding with Harry and the other students/ trainers who visit from Germany and various States in America. It's also always a pleasure to watch Harry working with his own horses too. His horses are effortlessly responsive and attentive with a brightness in their eyes, showing a willingness and interest in their work.

I recommend that you have a look on his website now that it has been revamped! The 'articles' section is a good read.
http://www.harrywhitney.com/articles.html

I look forward to writing about my experiences in my Spring Newsletter.