Lessons Learned

“I bet you want me to saddle that horse for you,” Grandpa said with a sigh as he dusted off the bits of hay from his daily chores. Under the heavy lids of his eyes, I saw a twinkle of excitement. Oh, how I loved to ride my horse and even though Grandpa was exhausted from his labored day, his recliner would wait. Grandma would tell him, “Just tell her you are too tired,” but he would always take me back to the barn where he would place me in the manger as he went about saddling and grooming.

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Connection...What Does it Look Like?

As many of you know, we have addressed the topic of “connection” between horse and handler for years now. Yes, it has evolved over the years, but it is something, to some degree, that I have always done with horses since I was a child. Although I didn’t call it such, my awareness about “connection” started many years ago after an observer asked me, “Why do you blow at your horse?” As with many trainers who have worked with horses their whole lives, I had no idea why I did it. I just did it. And frankly, at the time, I was a little embarrassed that someone noticed that I did it. Since I’m a former Marine and grew up a cowgirl, you can only imagine how it might have seemed a little too “touchy feely” for me. But blowing at my horses was such a part of me, as a horseman, I kept doing it. And after some time of thinking, I concluded that I did it because horses really responded to it and liked it. And I could have simply left it at that. Right?

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Honest Thoughts From Your Horse

Just like you, I have physical needs, and if they aren’t met, I am not able to give you my best. Please remember to feed me plenty of good quality hay or pasture and have a salt block where I can reach it. Just like you, I need to have fresh water available to drink all the time. My hooves grow just like your fingernails, and they need to be trimmed regularly. Keeping my hooves trimmed will help ensure that I stay sound and will be able to carry you when you want to ride. Regular de-worming and immunizations will keep me free of disease and parasites. When you don’t take care of me, I don’t feel good, and I don’t want to work for you. When I’m happy and healthy I enjoy working for you.

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What Color is Your Horse Really™?

All life is about relationships. Work relationships, social relationships, and personal relationships all have a profound impact on our lives.Are there ways to better understand the motivations of ourselves and those around us to improve our relationships? Yes, there are, and the Color Tool™ is a great tool to use for improving relationships. The Color Tool is a system of recognizing motivations and personality types of individuals. It works equally well with people and horses.

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Communicating With Your Horse Through the Use of Aids

A horse and rider team that moves through a pattern in perfect harmony is a beautiful thing to watch. Each seem completely in tune with the other and make the flawless performance look soooo easy. How did they do that? Are they psychic? Do they read each other’s minds? How do they communicate with each other so that you can’t even see it happening? The answer is the rider uses aids in a consistent way that the horse understands and honors.

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