Keys to Transformation

To transform is to change from inside out, not outside in. We change the thought and that changes the feeling and that changes the behavior, not the other way around. First, we change the way our horse thinks. Once we change the way he thinks, then he becomes a new horse in the way that he feels and behaves.

Both humans and horses need to be able to let go of the mental and emotional stress caused by conformity and the stuffing of worries and resentments. Too often people try to modify a horse’s behavior and yet we may miss altogether the cause of the issues, which is what the horse is feeling because of what the horse is thinking. We try to address the horse’s behavior without addressing his mind and thoughts. This leaves the horse even more confused, frustrated, or fearful, ready to escape our presence. When we approach the horse with the intent of helping the horse have a change of mind and are successful in doing so, the horse can’t help but change the way he feels and that results in a change of behavior.

The horse’s feet are always trying to catch up with where his thought is. Because of the horse’s thoughts controlling his feet, it is possible to draw the horse rather than chase it to catch it. If you can get the horse to think about you, without overdoing it and sending the horse away, the horse will choose to come without being forced or coerced.

Do you have your horse’s eye? Keeping our horse focused on us can be challenging but it’s important to our safety and their training. We want to control the feet, but we need first to have our horse’s attention. We can tell if we have the horse’s mind by paying attention to his eye. Where his eye goes, his mind goes and where his mind goes, his feet are sure to follow. Try looking at an object steadily for a few seconds, keeping your mind focused on the object. Now look away from the object but keep your mind focused on it. When your eye moves, does your mind want to change it’s focus? Learning to have your horse’s eye is key to helping his feet and the rest of his body be correct.

We feel the horse’s thoughts through our whole body, not just our hands. We can also feel their intentions through the energy they send. The horse’s mind controls where the horse’s feet will go, so being able to influence what the horse is thinking is the most effective tool we have. There is no person in the world strong enough to control a horse with their hands if the horse decides to run away. We must have communication and insight into their thoughts to keep us safe. If the horse is unsure or scared, we always want him to ask a question, not just react. Asking a question shows they are thinking and willing to partner with us in solving the dilemma they feel. Connection begins with seeking to understand the horse first, then for our communication to be understood by them.

Buying the "Perfect" Horse

All new relationships have their trials and tribulations.  For instance, when you get married, it’s not easy learning to live with someone else.  There are considerations that never occurred to you during the days of courtship.  Does he pick up his dirty laundry?  Does he replace the empty toilet tissue holder?  Does he hog the covers or snore or sleep in the middle of the bed? Does he realize that 60° isn’t the perfect temperature for everyone?  I had never realized before marriage that my husband was not a particularly good housekeeper.  He certainly wasn’t dirty, but dust didn’t seem to be visible in his world.  Similarly, it had never occurred to me that my happy-go-lucky, talkative, cuddly husband was ALWAYS that way, including at 4 o’clock in the morning.  He rose very early to go to work and he woke up smiling and talking and hugging and being so good-natured that I wanted to kill him!  I have never been much of a morning person and don’t like to speak or be spoken to until about 8am.  Never did I think I would complain about too much cheerfulness, but I did.  After a few weeks of marriage I realized my “perfect” man wasn’t quite perfect.  Almost, but not quite.

I’ve seen people have similar experiences in their relationships with horses.  There is a “honeymoon” period with a new horse when the purchaser thinks it’s the most beautiful, talented, intelligent horse in the world.  When your new purchase slips out of his blanket you comment to your friends about how smart he is to have figured out all of those straps.  When he shy’s at a shadow you give your addition to the barn some grace as his surroundings are unfamiliar.  In face, you can appreciate the athleticism he showed while shying.  That long mane and tail on the newcomer is about the most beautiful thing you’ve ever seen and you vow to keep it that way forever.

Then a few weeks pass and now we’re back to the serious considerations. While you were busy looking at the mane and tail, you missed the fact that your new purchase puts his feet down likes he’s stomping a snake.  Not only that, but his long mane and tail take some serious time to maintain. You’re now considering a roach job and hacking about 8 inches off the tail.   After finding his $200.00 blanket in tatters on the stall floor the new addition’s escape tactics no longer seem quite as intelligent.  In fact, you find yourself muttering “dumb horse” as you pick up the blanket pieces. And shying at obstacles is no longer acceptable behavior.  You want a mount that can handle his emotions and new things without a fuss.  

At this point you may start feeling that you’ve made a mistake.  MM Connections has a proven program to help combat this feeling of buyer’s remorse.  The program takes our Color Tool and couples it with the MM Horse Shopping Guide to give comprehensive, step-by-step details to consider when looking for the “perfect” horse to add to your barn.  This system has resulted in multiple happy customers that have found the horse that is a match for them.  If you would like to take advantage of this program, please email us at mmoore_training@hotmail.com or message us at MMConnections on Facebook.

Just as you will never find the perfect husband, you will never buy the perfect horse. But, like me, you can find one that makes you very happy!  -DM

It's Good to Be Bad

by Sue McMurray, 2017 Bad Betty Versatility Champion

I have long admired Betty for her work ethic and willingness to try new disciplines with her horses at any given time. In her 80s, Betty remains as one of the “baddest” senior competitors around, as evidenced by her reserve championship in the 60 and over division at the 2015 Cowboy Dressage World Gathering. Betty is proof that riding is a lifetime sport, and that’s how I view it. That’s why I continue to take lessons, learn new skills, and take on new challenges well into my 50s—but I want to have fun doing it. It’s also why I compete in the Bad Betty Versatility Challenge. It’s really hard, but it’s really fun. The first year I competed in it, I just went for fun. I didn’t prepare very much, and I didn’t get high scores. A few friends commented that they were surprised I didn’t score better, as my horse usually does well in competition. However, the Bad Betty Versatility Challenge is not just a schooling show or a play day where everyone gets a ribbon. You have to earn it, and it’s not easy. Each division has its own level of difficulty, and it was evident to myself that I was unprepared for the level of difficulty I chose. Having a strong competitive streak, I decided to step it up for the 2017 challenge and train for it. I invested in lessons with MM Connections, focusing on liberty and cowboy dressage, which were my weakest elements. I practiced a lot at home. I went to the 2017 challenge ready to give it my best shot. I chose level 2 for liberty and cowboy dressage, and level three for trail. My choices were the right fit for my horse Jacob and me at the time. While I didn’t do everything perfectly, my preparation was solid enough to earn me the highest division scores in liberty and trail, the soft feel award, and the overall high score/Bad Betty Buckle. This year, I am again stepping it up to compete in level 3 in all divisions. I have repeated my investment in lessons with MM Connections and at home practice, participated in a Facebook liberty challenge, and completed the Bad Betty Versatility Challenge Clinic. I may not score as highly as I did last year because there are some areas where Jacob and I are still working to achieve a certain skill level, but that’s ok. I know that our partnership has improved, and that is the real prize.

Not Just Your Usual Clinic Venue - Welcome Home!

As we drive with the sun shining in our windscreen, we see the sign, Welcome Home Ranch, Make Yourself at Home.  What a warm greeting to match the warmth of the Arizona climate.  It’s a beautiful facility for a 5 day Cowboy Dressage clinic, hosted by Sindy Burke.  Sindy’s choice of venue was a complete match for Cowboy Dressage and our culture in more ways than one.  Welcome Home Ranch is also home to the John Volken Academy, which provides people in need with the opportunity to help themselves become successful, contributing members of society.  It was an amazing experience to hear the student’s personal stories and feel the two cultures of Cowboy Dressage and the Academy, both dedicated to helping people be successful, meld together during our time there.

The Academy program is modeled after the therapeutic community approach to addiction treatment and the students are enrolled in a highly-structured, long-term, disciplined program designed to retrain how they cognitively deal with challenges and make decisions.  We had the pleasure of meeting and working with several of the young men enrolled.  Students are men 18 years of age and older who make the decision to attend the 2-year program.  They come from a variety of backgrounds and all have their personal story of how addiction affected their lives and how they came to be students at the Academy.  We interacted with them in a variety of ways as they helped us set up and take down the challenge court, cooked and served our lunches, helped with audio/visual set up and troubleshooting, made sure we had what we needed and gave us a tour of the ranch.  Without exception these young men were polite, helpful, hard-working, articulate, clean-cut, open, honest and obviously committed to the program and becoming the best person they can be for themselves, their families, and their community.

A Therapeutic Community (TC) goes much further than simply helping individuals stop using drugs and alcohol. The Academy provides a supportive environment where students learn why they used and where they can develop all the tools necessary to stay sober.  The motto of this TC is “each one, teach one”. This implies that individuals assume responsibility not only for their own recovery, but also for the recovery of their peers. They recognize the recovery of each member is related to the recovery of all and conduct themselves accordingly—in turn, reinforcing their own recovery. Personal growth and proper living are achieved by peers serving as role models, providing support through interaction, and confronting each other in group sessions. By doing all of this, participants come to understand and resolve the cause of their addiction and also gain the tools they need to stay sober.

The ranch is an equestrian facility catering to horse boarding and special events.  They have four arenas, 120 boarding stalls, a hydro-therapy pool for horses and a feed store.  The students live on-site, manage the facility, help with events and are completely self-sufficient.  Everything about running and maintaining the facility is part of the student’s daily life.  These guys have amazing skills.  They can fabricate a stall panel or a building with their welding expertise, grow, preserve and cook their own food (they have gardens, pigs, steers and chickens), provide customer service and concessions during an event, run tractors, backhoes, and power tools, make their own furniture and carry on a deep and meaningful, honest conversation. These young men are more prepared for life than most young people you meet!

 

Our main go-to guy for the week was Zach.  Zach is 24 years old and has a desire to work in Public Relations.  He has been at the ranch about 16 months and is at the point in the program where he can take online college courses toward his goal.   Going to school is considered a privilege that is earned.   Zach enrolled in the Academy after recognizing that he needed help overcoming drug and alcohol addiction.    Students apply to the ranch and go through an approval process, including approval by the existing community.  They leave their former identity behind, receiving new clothes, a shaved head, removal of piercings, and are required to be clean-shaven every day.  Contact with their former lives, including families, is non-existent the first month.  Cell phones are not allowed.  After a month, the students can begin to write letters, eventually progressing to one phone call a month and finally face-to-face visits.  They begin to discover their new selves with support from their new community of peers, the ranch manager, the program managers and the Academy board members.  Board members generously donate their time to teach the students a variety of skills from sewing to music. Like all students, for the first month he was at the ranch, Zach shadowed an experienced student, learning the work schedule and how to accomplish the variety of tasks, but also learning about expectations.  Each student is called to hold other students accountable and they have group talks 2-3 times per week where all issues are brought up and discussed.  Through this process students learn to hold themselves and others to high standards and how to communicate honestly and openly about problems and find solutions.   As Zach has progressed through the various levels of the program, he has mentored other students, assumed leadership responsibilities in different areas and become a person whom he and others respect.   We enjoyed every moment spent with him as he shared his personal journey, the story of the ranch and Academy, helped us, fed us and made us believers in the program, just as he is.

If you’d like to learn more about this life-changing program, please check out their websites at http://welcomehomeranch.com/ or https://www.volken.org/.  The stories these young men share are truly inspirational. 

 

Our week in Arizona was inspiring in so many ways.  Our clinic participants had their own amazing stories to tell and coupled with what we learned about the ranch and students, we felt privileged to be part of it and spend time with these very special people.  Thanks to everyone for your generosity in sharing your journeys!

Schooling Show Class List

Class List – page 1 of 3 – Challenge Court Test 

1              Challenge Walk Walk Test 1 Open

2              Challenge Walk Walk Test 1 Amateur

3              Challenge Walk Walk Test 1 Youth 6-12

4              Challenge Walk Walk Test 1 Youth 13-18

5              Challenge Walk Intermediate Gait Test 1 Open

6              Challenge Walk Intermediate Gait Test 1 Amateur

7              Challenge Walk Intermediate Gait Test 1 Youth 6-12

8              Challenge Walk Intermediate Gait Test 1 Youth 13-18

9              Challenge Walk Jog Test 1 Open

10           Challenge Walk Jog Test 2 Open

11           Challenge Walk Jog Test 3 Open

12           Challenge Walk Jog Test 4 Open

13           Challenge Walk Jog Test 1 Amateur

14           Challenge Walk Jog Test 2 Amateur

15           Challenge Walk Jog Test 3 Amateur

16           Challenge Walk Jog Test 4 Amateur

17           Challenge Walk Jog Test 1 Youth 6-12

18           Challenge Walk Jog Test 2 Youth 6-12

19           Challenge Walk Jog Test 3 Youth 6-12

20           Challenge Walk Jog Test 4 Youth 6-12

21           Challenge Walk Jog Test 1 Youth 13-18

22           Challenge Walk Jog Test 2 Youth 13-18

23           Challenge Walk Jog Test 3 Youth 13-18

24           Challenge Walk Jog Test 4 Youth 13-18

25           Challenge Walk Jog Lope Test 1 Open

26           Challenge Walk Jog Lope Test 2 Open

27           Challenge Walk Jog Lope Test 1 Amateur

28           Challenge Walk Jog Lope Test 2 Amateur

29           Challenge Walk Jog Lope Test 1 Youth 6-12

30           Challenge Walk Jog Lope Test 2 Youth 6-12

31           Challenge Walk Jog Lope Test 1 Youth 13-18

32           Challenge Walk Jog Lope Test 2 Youth 13-18

33           Vaquero Challenge Walk Jog Test 2 Open

34           Vaquero Challenge Walk Jog Test 4 Open

35           Vaquero Challenge Walk Jog Test 2 Amateur

36           Vaquero Challenge Walk Jog Test 4 Amateur

37           Vaquero Challenge Walk Jog Test 2 Youth 6-12

38           Vaquero Challenge Walk Jog Test 4 Youth 6-12

39           Vaquero Challenge Walk Jog Test 2 Youth 13-18

40           Vaquero Challenge Walk Jog Test 4 Youth 13-18

41           Vaquero Challenge Walk Jog Lope Test 1 Open

42           Vaquero Challenge Walk Jog Lope Test 2 Open

43           Vaquero Challenge Walk Jog Lope Test 1 Amateur

44           Vaquero Challenge Walk Jog Lope Test 2 Amateur

45           Vaquero Challenge Walk Jog Lope Test 1 Youth 6-12

46           Vaquero Challenge Walk Jog Lope Test 2 Youth 6-12

47           Vaquero Challenge Walk Jog Lope Test 1 Youth 13-18

48           Vaquero Challenge Walk Jog Lope Test 2 Youth 13-18

Class List – page 2 of 3 – Partnership and Walk Jog Test

49           Partnership Lead Line Test 1 Leadline

50           Partnership Lead Line Test 2 Leadline

51           Partnership on the Ground Test 1 Open

52           Partnership on the Ground  Test 2 Open

53           Partnership on the Ground Test 3 Open

54           Partnership on the Ground Test 4 Open

55           Partnership on the Ground Test 1 Amateur 

56           Partnership on the Ground Test 2 Amateur

57           Partnership on the Ground Test 3 Amateur

58           Partnership on the Ground Test 4 Amateur

59           Partnership on the Ground Test 1 Youth 6-12

60           Partnership on the Ground Test 2 Youth 6-12

61           Partnership on the Ground Test 3 Youth 6-12

62           Partnership on the Ground Test 4 Youth 6-12

63           Partnership on the Ground Test 1 Youth 13-18

64           Partnership on the Ground Test 2 Youth 13-18

65           Partnership on the Ground Test 3 Youth 13-18

66           Partnership on the Ground Test 4 Youth 13-18

67          

68           Partnership Under Saddle Open

69           Partnership Under Saddle Walk Walk Test 1 Open

70           Partnership Under Saddle Amateur

71           Partnership Under Saddle Walk Walk Test 1 Amateur

72           Partnership Under Saddle Youth 6-12

73           Partnership Under Saddle Walk Walk Test 1 Youth 6-12

74           Partnership Under Saddle Youth 13-18

75           Partnership Under Saddle Walk Walk Test 1 Youth 13-18

76           Walk Jog Test 1 Open

77           Walk Jog Test 2 Open

78           Walk Jog Test 3 Open

79           Walk Jog Test 4 Open

80           Walk Jog Test 1 Amateur

81           Walk Jog Test 2 Amateur

82           Walk Jog Test 3 Amateur

83           Walk Jog Test 4 Amateur

84           Walk Jog Test 1 Youth 6-12

85           Walk Jog Test 2 Youth 6-12

86           Walk Jog Test 3 Youth 6-12

87           Walk Jog Test 4 Youth 6-12

88           Walk Jog Test 1 Youth 13-18

89           Walk Jog Test 2 Youth 13-18

90           Walk Jog Test 3 Youth 13-18

91           Walk Jog Test 4 Youth 13-18

Class List – page 3 of 3 –Walk Jog Lope, Gaited Horse and Freestyle Test

92           Walk Jog Lope Test 1 Open

93           Walk Jog Lope Test 2 Open

94           Walk Jog Lope Test 3 Open

95           Walk Jog Lope Test 4 Open

96           Walk Jog Lope Test 5 Open

97           Walk Jog Lope Test 6 Open

98           Walk Jog Lope Test 7 Open

99           Walk Jog Lope Test 1 Amateur

100         Walk Jog Lope Test 2 Amateur

101         Walk Jog Lope Test 3 Amateur

102         Walk Jog Lope Test 4 Amateur

103         Walk Jog Lope Test 5 Amateur

104         Walk Jog Lope Test 6 Amateur

105         Walk Jog Lope Test 7 Amateur

106         Walk Jog Lope Test 1 Youth 6-12

107         Walk Jog Lope Test 2 Youth 6-12

108         Walk Jog Lope Test 3 Youth 6-12

109         Walk Jog Lope Test 4 Youth 6-12

110         Walk Jog Lope Test 5 Youth 6-12

111         Walk Jog Lope Test 6 Youth 6-12

112         Walk Jog Lope Test 7 Youth 6-12

113         Walk Jog Lope Test 1 Youth 13-18

114         Walk Jog Lope Test 2 Youth 13-18

115         Walk Jog Lope Test 3 Youth 13-18

116         Walk Jog Lope Test 4 Youth 13-18

117         Walk Jog Lope Test 5 Youth 13-18

118         Walk Jog Lope Test 6 Youth 13-18

119         Walk Jog Lope Test 7 Youth 13-18

120         Gaited Walk Intermediate Gait Test 2 Open

121         Gaited Walk Intermediate Gait Test 3 Open

122         Gaited Walk Intermediate Gait Test 2 Amateur

123         Gaited Walk Intermediate Gait Test 3 Amateur

124         Gaited Walk Intermediate Gait Test 2 Youth 6-12

125         Gaited Walk Intermediate Gait Test 3 Youth 6-12

126         Gaited Walk Intermediate Gait Test 2 Youth 13-18

127         Gaited Walk Intermediate Gait Test 3 Youth 13-18

128         Gaited Walk Intermediate Gait Lope Test 2 Open

129         Gaited Walk Intermediate Gait Lope Test 2 Amateur

130         Gaited Walk Intermediate Gait Lope Test 2 Youth 6-12

131         Gaited Walk Intermediate Gait Lope Test 2 Youth 13-18

132         Freestyle Walk Jog Open

133         Freestyle Walk Jog Lope Open

134         Freestyle Walk Jog Amateur

135         Freestyle Walk Jog Lope Amateur

136         Freestyle Walk Jog Youth 6-12

137         Freestyle Walk Jog Lope Youth 6-12

138         Freestyle Walk Jog Youth 13-18

139         Freestyle Walk Jog Lope Youth 13-18