Unique Opportunity…deadline July 29th 2012

Long time no see.  Sorry for my long absence….I’m getting divorced and it’s consumed my life for the past few months.  But I will be back in the saddle in a couple of weeks.  As many of you know, I write reviews of educational horse dvd’s on my blog (also on hiatus) and I am a grand horse film enthusiast.  Recently the opportunity was presented to me, to review a horse movie prior to final editing and offer my input.  I was contacted by a young girl in college who is making an indie horse film about a troubled teen who loses her horse, the boy she must trust to help her in the search, and ……ha ha ha…..can’t share the rest of the movie with you….it’s a secret. But the name of the movie is “The last Wild”

Anyways, she is in a pickle and doing fund raising for the final editing so she can finish the movie.  She is in the editing phase working on color correction, sound mixing, and music.  I agreed to share the link to the fund raising campaign with my followers and friends.  She only has 9 days left to raise the funds for film completion.  She is a master of fine arts candidate at UCLA in Film production and Directing.

Now the cool part is…..contributors of any size get a special mention on the films face book page with a blurb, bio, pic, link ….anything you feel represents YOU…..and Larger donations will get actual film credit for you/your company….there are all kinds of perks for donations of all sizes, including a special invitation to the premier screening and reception in Los Angeles.

She also would like to become partnered with Equine Therapy groups and Wild Mustang  activist groups, so if you are connected to any of these great organizations, please get in touch with her.

Everything you need to know is at her site including a small snippit from the film
Click here

I will be writing a "pre" review of the movie as soon as I am done watching it, and another when the movie is completed.

Savvy On
Michelle

The 'techno' challenged- FREE ebooks

I dont know if i am techno challenged, behind the times, or just plain stupid......but I 'discovered' something this weekend andi thought i would share my discovery....though y'all probably already know.

Apparently.....you can get and/or sample many books online for FREE.  if you go to google, type in what ever you are looking for, either by author, title or subject matter then hit enter.
once you have your search results.....look on the left hand side of the screen.  you will see the categories..."everything, images, maps etc".....if you dont see the category 'books' then hit the category 'more' and you will then get 'books'.......click on that....and viola.....a list of books

once you click on a book you want, then look at the top.  you will either have a red button that says, 'get ebook'....ie a free book....or you click on 'sample'.....most books that have samples....apparently only have a few missing pages from the book.  if you dont see the ebook button or the sample button....then that particular book is not available in any other way than good ole fashioned paper and binding .....or possible kindle/nook.

to take this one step further....there is an iphone app....i got it, so i can read my books on there....but only the ones with the 'ebook' button.

you can also save books to a library, even just the sample editions, categories include 'favorites' 'reading now' 'to read' 'already read'.

you have to sign into google to save books though.  anyways....i am reading a few french classical dressage books right now, one of them from the 1800's.  how cool is THAT!!!???!!!!

Savvy On
Michelle

Muscle vs Mindfullness

So I watched my lame little video.....looked at the title i gave it...'back in the saddle'......thinking.....but my A$$ has been in the saddle over the last 4ys.....what makes it different this time?  truth be told, I have not done anything 'dressagy' for probably 13ys.  just been starting my rescues and green beans....

during that time i have been doing parelli, be it my intial "this is crap, gonna prove it wont work with dressage" to "i'm gonna be a PP"  to "something is wrong gotta bail".  with the car accident, my inferior skills upon my return, my horse hating me and life in general.....i have been on this journey for the last year n half.....since my whole OLL3 audition debacle.....and have noticed many times I thought i had 'figured it out'.

Many times I have had these BFO's....that in retrospect were only mini bfo's.  but i think i have it now....I think I finally found the missing piece....or maybe just figured out how all the missing pieces i have found in the last year...have finally completed some cosmic kharmic picture.

a picture that shows me the death grip i had on what ever it was i was holding on to so tightly.....that it took something pretty big to get my attention.  Maybe I needed that smack to my leg to force me let go with the last finger i had gripping on for dear life.

so i recently watched Mark Rashids dvd "developing sofness in the rider".....and just as his books have given me deep spiritual revelations, his words are so profound to me and this dvd was no different.

he talked about our minds needing to be like still water in a pond, so the landscape around it can be mirrored perfectly in the water.....and if you throw stones in the water....the ripples distort the picture.  and just as in life....chaos in your mind distorts your perceptions of people places and things around you.  or something like that....

so my friend and i have been talking about his muscle vs mindfulness concepts nearly every day for the last week about nearly every aspect of our lives.....and then.....I rode.

so here i sit, watching my little lame dressage video....and it hit me....for the first time in 13ys....i saw a glimpse of ME....and realized i have not seen her in a long time.  i saw the soft me, the mindful me, the peaceful me, the get in harmony and help my horse move right me, the dressage me that i never thought i would see again....

unfortunately i saw the FAT me too....but....i guess you cant have your cake and eat it too.....oh wait...that's how i GOT fat.....so i take that back....i guess you can have your cake and your husbands cake and your kids cake...and eat them all in one sitting while crying in your cereal :roll:

i noticed in this last ride, all the fear, judgement, assumptions, ridicule, self loathing, hatred, pain, and worst of all the ANGER....were gone.  i was at peace with myself, and my horse and i danced.  sure it wasn't perfect....not even by a million to one long shot.....but it was ME and i liked what i saw

it wasn't the me that everyone else told me i had to be, the me that everyone expected me to be, the me I thought everyone else wanted me to be.....I was

ME.....and I was pretty dam OK with it.  I cleared the clutter from my head and followed my own set of rules, tuned everything else out.....and listened to my horse.  Instead of 'upping my leadership' and using muscle (not physical rather mental) and i used my intuition and let nature guide me.  i didn't fight muscle with more muscle....I simply redirected the energy using my mindfulness and we danced.

In that lame little dressage video i also saw something else.....HOPE
Hope for the future....that I do have one and it does include dressage....MY dressage......Rose's dressage.....Nature's dressage and

we will dance again. :wink:

Whole Heart: #6 ~ Information

Depriving a horse a desire, so as not to let them win, thus causing us to lose.  "if you do _____ you'll let him wim"....Man, have I heard that a 1000 times over the years.  Mark explains that 'bad' behavior, isn't bad.  It is just the horse trying to comunicate to us his desires or dislikes....it is just information.  How we percieve that information, dictates what we choose do next.  He of course has a few stories of horses to describe the whole...'behavior is just information' thing.  One of which was a horse he bought with some 'problems', and turns out, the behavior disapeared, never to return, the day they dug out 5 large beans from his sheath.  The horse was close to slaughter when Mark found him due to his 'behavior', yet he was in pain, and was just trying to comunicate it to his owners.

This morning I had my own little story of bad behavior = inofrmation.  So we have this puppy, Mondo, who is a chi hua hua/pomeranian mix.  He is 4 mos old.  Since Roxy had parvo on the property last year, we were more than reluctant to let Mondo go outside until he is complete with his shots and more mature in size.  also, there was no one home to let him out during the day.  And it is hard for a small puppy to hold it long times,  so with him being an inside dog anyways, we just put puppy pads on the floor.  He has been really good about using them until a week ago.  "All of a sudden" he started pooping in the living room, about 20ft from the pad.  We got a new brand last week, and thought that might be it? Maybe it smells funny.  We let him in the garage to go out there, he still chose to go about a foot from the pad.  We took his food away, and started to feed him once a day, give him 20 min to eat, and take it away, then take him outside.  again, missed the pad.  So we decided to construct his old puppy pen, and put him in time out, until he 'goes'.  That stinking dog would wait until we let him out, and poop in the living room. He has one more puppy shot to get, and I am paranoid about parvo.....But last night, after watching him in his pen, lonely and pathetic, I decided to let him run around a while.  I lifted the gate, he came out, went 6 inches and hunched.  I said....'oh HELL no" picked him up, and took him out to the garage.  He didn't even look for the pad and started to hunch.....again......'Oh HELL NO!" I picked him up again and took him outside and put him in the shavings that the barn cats poop in.  Do you know that dog sniffed around and went poop! Of course you do, I am the only one stupid enough to not put this together.  So I praised him, and let him run around the house and then put him back in his pen for the night.  When I got up, my husband had already fed him, and there was no new poop in his pen.  So I took him outside, he peed and pooped.  What a GOOD boy!  I let him back in the house.  Right before I left for work, for the first time he hiked his leg on the dust ruffle......a loud scream interupted his pattern before he did the deed, and right then it ocured to me that his testicles are dropping.  And maybe all this 'bad behavior' was just his way of telling me, he is a big boy now, and doesn't need to be treated like a puppy anymore.....and that it is time to get him gelded....I mean neutered!

See, just information.  he wasn't trying to be bad or naughty, or even a filthy pig.  He was just trying to tell us something that he needed us to know.  It is the way we chose to look at the information that assigns a value to it.  I chose to believe, he is just saying.....'hey, dont dogs poop outside?"

Savvy On
Michelle

Whole Heart, Whole Horse by Mark Rashid

Whole Heart: #5~ Trauma

Debunking the 'make the wrong thing difficult, right thing easy' theory.  Well this is an eye opener.  He talks about how most often, say in a round pen, we 'chase' a horse around, until it gives us two eyes.  Of course we all know there is more to it than that....but in the interest of making the wrong thing difficult, when a horse wants to run rather than not, we make it run faster than they want to run....ie making it more work than the horse intended have.  But a pshycologist attended a clinic of his, where before he had the chance to do anything with the horse, he noticed for the horse it was already difficult, so he chose to just let him run on his own, like his mentor had done with a horse years earlier.  Anyways, the pshycologist came up to him to comment on it.  He said that with trauma, the body goes thru physiological stages, one of which is to expend the energy of the trauma.  That wild animals dont have problems with trauma because they can and do expend that energy, but that humans and domestic animals are usually not able to, thus the energy remains like a cancer, making us either physically or mentally ill, or both.....and that to chase or put preasure on an already running animal, is like adding trauma to trauma.  Of course this is all explained better in the book, but I wanted to give an explanation for discussion sake. 

So like the previous chapter where I mentioned my own 'problems' I am wondering if I too need to expend some energy.  I know I have had to hold it all in, and not 'disturb the peace'....I am supposed to let it go and let by gones be by gones.  I did intially expend a great deal of energy, of course it was directed in not so healthy ways, for me, but I did the best I could.  I am thinking that it is just festering deep in me, and manifesting itself in other ways, that I am not able to correlate the two things as being related.  Hmmm? 

Anyways, he goes on about how that information changed the way he looked at horses....and thus he rarely uses the technique 'wrong thing hard, right thing easy' anymore.  Figuring, if the horse doesn't understand what you are asking of him, it is probably already hard enough for him, why make it harder.

"It's funny how sometimes in life, we can look at something for years and years and years, and the picture never changes.  Then suddenly, out of the blue, an new piece of information comes in.  Even though the picture doesn't change,we start seeing that scene in a completely different light."

Wow this is so true....With my new information that I am learning in all these new and exciting places, especially with learning the way a herd leader really behaves, I am seeing my horses behavior in a totally different way.  I havn't yet gotten myself sorted out, in the application department.....but inside I have to say, I feel so much better when I spend time with my horses....just being thier friend.

Savvy On
Michelle

Book: Whole Heart, Whole Horse by Mark Rashid

Whole Heart: #4 ~ Boundries

I just love how this chapter begins.....'thwaka, thwaka, thwaka, thwaka" as mark goes on to describe a revelation he had at the grocery store.....about horsemanship.  He just has way observing things, about human nature and horse nature, and then being able to tell a story, so that you can get the observation too.  So this chapter is all about boundaries....which for all intents and purposes....is self explanatory.....or one would think it is.  He talks about how we often do not create boundries with our horses, and then wonder why they are always on top of us.  He emplains that horses push on things to see if they move.  If they do, they keep pushing, if they don't, they stop pushing.  Humans are no different.  They push on us to see if they can make us move.  He explains it is not about dominating, disrespect or even herd behavior.  It can be those things, but the root of it is, that is what horses do....they push on things.  My favorite line is...."somtimes a push is just a push" and if we move, we will continue to be pushed.  It is easier to fix it, when it is a thought, and harder to fix once it has become ingrained behavior.  So that is what the first half of the chapter is about.....keeping the horse at arms distance.

The second half is a story about a woman who couldn't catch her horse, when everyone else on the planet could.  OMG....tear jerker!  Her husband had died a year earlier, and it was her sadness inside, being so closed off to the world, that was pushing her horse away.  He tells the whole story of the session, and the heartfelt ending to it had me bawling.  Not because it was particularly said or endearing....but yet again....because he is talking to me.  I think back to the two years after the accident, and the incedents that dominoed in my life.  I was mose assuredly beaten down and angry.  I had no control of the horrible things going on around me, least of all the behavior of my L4 horse Rose.  I put so much pressure on her it was insane.  Not that I felt it at the time.....there was no abuse or anything like that.  I was actually putting the preassure to perfom on myself.  But I sure was a dictatorbitch.  I felt like a failure to begin with, and the fact that the one thing I held most dear my soul, was the relationship I had with my horse.  Losing it, along with everything else that was gone in my life, was like losing myself.  The harder I tried, the worse it got, to the point of her attacking me. I was in a downward spiral, and there seemed to be no end in sight.  No matter where I turned, I could not find the answer to my woes.  Luckily, Cha'cote came along.  There were no expectations, he needed to be healed.  I was his savior.  But really, he saved me from myself.  I still had not found the answer with Rose though.  It wasn't until I started reading this book and the 'tao of equus', months ago, that it occured to me, that it was me.  I mean I knew it was me, that I was the one doing things wrong.  But that is just it, I thought it was the 'things' I was doing.....not just plain old me.  She could feel my deepest darkest fears, anxiety, sadness and pain.  And she was acting them out, for me to see them.  Problem is, I was blind to them.  The 'things' I was doing, didn't help either.  I was getting more 'leadership' by being more 'just' with my phase 4.  Told that she didn't believe me that I would go there.  So I went there.  Since I read the first chapter, that gave me a complete emotional release, and began this new journey , our relationship has taken a 180* change for the better, though I still do not play with her.  She genuinely seems happy to see me, and looks at me with eagerness in her eyes.  I will only be doing the Water Hole Rituals and stuff from Klaus Hempfling with her, until I feel that we have healed our relationship enough that we both trust me to do the right thing.

So I am just going to quote the last paragraph in the book, as it really sums it all up.

"Most of the time when we talk about establishing boundries, we are reffering to making sure the horse is comfortable enough with himself that he doesn't feel like he has to be right on top of us all the time.  However, sometimes boundries are also about opening ourselves up enough to let the horse know being close isn't all that bad either."

Savvy On
Michelle

Book: Whole Heart, Whole Horse by Mark Rashid

Who's your Master?

Over the years, there is often discussion on forums asking "Who is a Horseman?"  Generally, the discussion that follows includes a VERY short list.  Less than a handfull of public figures make it to the list.  And the top 3 are Tom and Bill Dorrance and Ray Hunt.  A recent discussion I am involved in regarding the Road to the Horse competition, has sparked some ideas and I just wanted to share my thoughts on this.......

I have had these ideas/concepts swirling around in my head for some time now….the more I explore, the more ideas that get crammed in there. I can see them swirling around, and as I play with my horses, I try to reach out and touch them, but they are hard to grasp, because I have yet to put them into a cohesive string of thought. I am able to achieve glimpses of what is to become of them. I think some of the difficulty lies in my aimless ambling after my partial break from Parelli, but the reality is……becoming a good, well rounded horseman takes a lifetime. You can try to force it, but that will only get you so far.


One of the things that is coming to the forefront of my mind at the moment, is that most of the so called ‘horsemen’ are western. And I am not. While I believe that does not effect the initial learning of thinking like a horse, or a colts basic foundation, per se, it can, and all to often does effect the end product that I am seeking, and am thinking this is the result of technique, not concept or philosophy. The reason these types of horseman use the techniques they do, is for the end result they are looking for. A COW horse. So in the beginning their techniques are the initial step, to a more advanced technique that will be helpful and useful to working with cows and/or colt starting. They may or may not be useful, and may or may not be harmful, in the end, to say an upper level dressage horse, jumper etc. This is one of the reasons that PNH was so inviting to me, because Linda was ‘English’ and could understand things from my perspective, and help to translate this into the end goal that I was/am seeking.

I am doing research for a book.  On my quest I am far less concerned with ‘opinions’ of a method. (not saying anyone else is concerned with opinions) What I have been looking for, is the concepts and philosophies that the masters have in common. I am looking at common techniques or similarities as well, and matching them up to those philosophies/concepts. Techniques are just a way to put the concepts and philosophies into application. The end result you are seeking, will determine which techniques you should use to facilitate that end goal. What I have found on this journey very enlightening. And the cohesiveness that I am searching for, to these thoughts, is just over the horizon. But it seems at times, the more I learn, the farther away the horizon gets.

I personally think that putting just a few people on the pedestal of ‘horseman’, in an all encompassing way, is again, limiting ourselves from the possibilities that await us. It closes the door that can take us to another level. I believe that we are ALL horsemen. I prefer the terms master and student.

I use Master as it is defined in this context:

a : a worker or artisan qualified to teach apprentices b(1) : an artist, performer, or player of consummate skill (2) : a great figure of the past (as in science or art) whose work serves as a model or ideal

We are ALL students, and will always BE students. And what ultimately defines us as a master horseman, is the ability to master our selves. The ability to become one with our art form. When one is a master of something, it not only appears to become effortless, it actually does become effortless. It becomes second nature, and those watching it, will not see its intricacies. It will often appear mystical. To a master living with the confines of this definition, horsemanship is an art form. Otherwise we are a master in the other sense, and horsemanship is merely a means to an end….it is utilitarian, to get a job done, and can lose all sense of beauty and art as you have enslaved your subject…..the horse….and are now his master.

I believe, just as in college degrees, one can be a master of one or a few things, but the likely hood of anyone mastering it all, is slim to none. Horses are no different in my opinion. And who so thinks they get to be the one to decide which art forms are credible endeavors, exclusive to creating a master. Just because someone’s desired end result is different than western cow horse, does not mean they are not, or cannot become, a master. If they have mastered their own goals and art form, they too are a master. Just because their goal seems silly to you, does not mean they are not a master of horsemanship, or that they are ridiculous in any fashion.

Here is MY masters ‘list’…of course I have yet to meet anyone and everyone on the planet, so this is a work in progress, that will never be complete. And, I am only listing a few public figures for examples sake, because lets all face it, there are many unknown masters, to whom their only audience IS the horse. Please feel free to share an area of study that you feel one of these masters has mastered, and/or, Add a master of your own…a public figure that people can relate to. I have also listed my level of study, so that people know why I may not have listed much, or listed a lot, NOT that I have learned all that there is to learn from them. I am far from a Master of anything.

Pat Parelli- Master of: Putting the relationship first. Making NH approachable, fun, social, easy to understand and most importantly ‘mainstream’. Taking the message of “putting the horse first” world wide like no other horseman has before or likely ever will. Exposing back yard owners to the possibilities. Master at inspiration. (Graduate)

Linda Parelli- Master of taking knowledge and making it understandable and learnable for the lay person.

Sally Swift- Master at using imagery to teach balance and symmetry in the rider. (graduate)

Mary Wanless- Master at teaching rider biomechanics and how intricate it can be to effectively effect the biomechanics of the horse while riding. (undergrad)

Carolyn Resnick- Master at understanding and teaching herd culture and needs, and how to effectively emulate the herd leader, to gain a true bond with your horse. Master of teaching horses at liberty. (Current area of study)

Cynthia Royal- Master at herd culture and using it to create a spectacular show of entertainment. Master of liberty and bridleless riding. (current area of study)

Klaus F Hempfling- Master at the way he presents himself to the horse from the first second he sees it, before he ever approaches. Master at being in tune with nature as a whole, the universe and ones inner self and the way we are all connected. Basically a master of higher consciousness. He is the master of knowing and using the horse as a mirror, and honestly acknowledging the image it portrays. Master of knowing that our horses behavior is a direct correlation to our inner energy. (current area of study)

Mark Rashid- Master educator thru the art of story telling. Master of gaining strength thru softness. Master of quietly leading. Master of ‘recognizing the try’ (current area of study)

Reiner Klimke-Master of lightness, straightness, suppleness, strength and power, developing a horse from start to finish, adhering to principles and philosophy of dressage as an art, despite dominating the competition ring, for decades. Master of elegance and grace and humbleness. (forever area of study)

Chris Cox- Master of the release and retreat. Master minimalist. Well rounded humble student of the horse. (next area of study)

Buck Brannaman-Master of being technically correct in bridle horse training, and teaching this style to students. (need to learn more about)

Ray Hunt- Master at getting thru to hardened cowboys, getting one to THINK for themselves, teaching to think from the horses point of view, being a humble student of the horse. (still learning about)

Clinton Anderson-Master at teaching being CLEAR in your communication to the horse, teaching to make your request black and white. Teaching each and every nuance of a technique. (drop out-seen all I need to see)

I think a list like this is more helpful than hero worship, because when you need guidance in a certain area, if you have already identified who has mastered that area of study, you are more willing to seek guidance from them, than if you are held to an allegiance to one or maybe two ‘horsemen’ or ‘masters’.

Being a master teacher, one also needs to be a master of communication and people skills. It is very important in my book, because if you are so offensive to people, what does it matter what all you know about horses? What does it matter….what you have mastered within the realm of horsemanship? If few can stand to be around you long enough to learn anything from you, to whom will your uniqueness in your art form pass on to?

This saying was originally said by Pat in regards to horses, but I think it applies to humans as well…..we don’t care how much you know until we know how much you care…..about us. I think this is another reason that the Parelli’s have had monumental global success.

At the end of the day, the truth remains, I ain’t no cowboy, and never will be. So I will take the concepts and philosophies that align with what I agree with, and then use what ever techniques will best fit within those concepts and best facilitate my chosen end goal. What ever the hell THAT will end up being, it will always start, and end, with being my horses friend.....something I don’t need a masters degree in.....to be.

Savvy On
Michelle

Considering the Horse: #3 Unfixable Horses

Oh dear, this one educated me...BIG time.  Please read the whole thing, as the end will likely educate YOU big time too.  I guess with my success rescuing, rehabing and rehoming horses...via my success in the parelli program (and my previous knowlege) I just kinda assumed that all horses are 'fixable' by the right person.  That somewhere in the world there would someone with the right skill and personality to match each horse and could fix it, and that too many horses never have the good fortune of meeting that person.  Same theory on horses with hoof problems.  So this chapter and having just seen a few of Pete Ramey's dvds.....both Mark and Pete talk about the ones they couldn't save.  Both describe the account as VERY humbling.  We are not gods, no farrier or clinician is a god....we cannot save them all.  Some are just too far gone, and some the owner get in thier own way.  But some, a small number here, but some......no one can save.  He wrote some things in this chapter that literally made me cry, and all of this pain is man made. 

One of the causes is severe long time abuse....some horses just can't recover no matter how good you are.  you can help them, but you can't cure them.  Another is undiagnosed serious physical issues, such as ulcers.  But the one I had no idea about is in breeding.  I knew genetically you could have some huge problems......but I never really put much thought into it.  I know of MANY big time QH/Paint breeders who do what is called 'line breeding'....and have heard a few breeders state...."if the colt comes out great...I'm a genious....If it is messed up....I'm a moron".....

WTF???  What on earth could cause a person not to hear how incredibly stupid that is?  Maybe they were line bred?  I dunno....but the whole thing sounds REALLY stupid to me.  There are so many great horses to choose from, why on earth would you choose to breed in a way that could seriously comprimise your end product? One of the great phonoms that has always plagued me, is the breeding of Impressive lines.  So many horses have suffered the fate of death due to this human selfishness.  It is one of the reasons I will never buy or rescue a 'grade' quarter horse.  Too easy for someone to take a 'well bred' hypp positive horse to a 'sale' and not tell anyone of his breeding or his genetic problems, and just say it is 'grade'.  They buyer thinks they are getting a great deal, and when they get home, the horse has a siezure....hopefully not while riding, and is ultimately put down.  Pitifully sad and is a fault that only humans can claim. Selfish....and usually for the dream of some stupid ribon at some stupid show.  Thank god the AQHA has finally recognised this via the genetic testing discovered, and is no longer letting them be registered.  But it has not stopped people from breeding them.  IF the colt turns out hypp negative...they register it.....if not....it is sold as 'grade'.  I think they have now made a ruling that if one of the parents is hypp positive the foal CANNOT be registered, but dont quote me on that as I just don't follow QH news.  So to sum up, line breeding is only slightly less risky than in-breeding....which I hope we all know is BAD!!!

So apparently, what can happen is that horses just don't have the genetic make up, that makes them 'normal'.  They can display behavior that is highly dangerous to them selves for no apparent reasons. I have once seen a horse like this, but I don't believe it was the breeding, I believe it was from an accident that the foal suffered at one day old. The filly had run into the stall wall pretty hard head first and she was just never 'right'.  She had an infection that needed 3x daily care, and it took two of us to get the job done.  One to hold her, one to treat her.  One day I thought she was doing well, one arm wrapped around her chest, the other around her rump.  She was about 5dys old.  She leaped straight up and head butted me.  I saw stars and then everything went black....and then a thud as I hit the ground.  When I awoke, I was certain my nose was broken, though it wasn't, and I had two black eyes.  I became more than a little determined to help this filly. I spent several sessions a day with her for a month.  I did TTouch massages with her and every NH technique I knew of.  Every session ended very well, and every session began as though she had never seen me before.  it was the saddest thing I ever saw.  I was then, and still am, convinced something was not right with this filly and never would be.  Not long after that I wasn't working at that farm due to getting my furrent job with the government.  But I worried about her fate, and if I had to lay money on it.....I would bet she is no longer alive.  She, as with all TB's, was destined for the race track, and I can't imagine her 'fitting' in very well there, and if still alive, she would be about 6ys old now.  I think I will pay Donna a visit and see if she can remember this filly and knows what became of her.

Anyhoo, I need to quote something from the book because I swear it ripped my heart out.  It sent chills thru my whole body.  Through some of the things that have happened to me in my life, I can feel the pain of the horse in his story, and of her desperate cry for help.  Basically it is about this mare who was given to him by the owner with the stipulation he would try to help her before putting her down.  Her name was dusty....

"What I soon came to find out, was that Dusty had some problems that were bigger than both of us"
She was very unpredictable, some days she was great, others she would....."pull away, rearing and shaking her head violently".....after getting away, "she would spin and buck in place" and then "stop and look at me. The look of terror that was on her face slowly dissipated into one I can only call helplessness"

One day "at the end of the tantrum, she ran directly into the side of the nearby barn, scraping her head and shoulder before stopping.  To this day, it's hard to explain the feeling I got when she looked at me.  I swear that she was saying, "can you please help me?"......"I felt the mare was trying to tell me something"

"Less than week later, while grazing with another horse in a 5 acre pasture, the mare suddenly panicked for no apparent reason......she turned and began running as fast as she could.  When she came upon a 4 strand barbed wire fence that enclosed the pasture, she never slowed a beat and hit it full speed.
By the time I got there, she was standing quietly about a quarter mile away, being tended to by susie.  The injuries she sustained when she went thru the fence were so severe that there was no question that she'd have to be put down. I immediatly went to the truck and returned with my rifle.  As I approached, she nickered as if to say,

"There...that's what I've been trying to tell you all along.  Finally, now you understand"

One of my best friends has just such a horse.  She and I have talked at great lengths over the years about him, and last year he did something like this to himself.  He was retired in a 1000 acre pasture with a couple dozen other retirees, and for some reason also went thru a fence.  It cost her about a few thousand dollars to save his life, but I had let her know then, horses just don't do the things he does, and maybe she should seriouisly consider puttin him out of his mental misery.  He is over twenty now, and has been like this since she got him as a yearling! She has decided, if he ever again does ANY thing to himself, she will give the nod for the vet to grant is life long request.  Reading this chapter confirmed to me, that we have been right all along suspecting that he just isn't 'right' and never will be.  Is it fair to make a horse continue to suffer this way?

I hope all of you reading this will read the book and story in it's full and original form, as i just can't retype the whole thing for you and Mark of course tells it better than I do.

Please consider that when your horse acts out, he may not need more leadership, he may be trying to tell you something very important and as his friend you should at least try to figure out what it is.

Savvy On
Michelle

Considering the horse: Mark Rashid 2nd edition with updates.

Considering the Horse: #2 Problem Causes

This is a very important chapter as I believe it is a subject too many people forget to investigate.  PAIN.....that's right.....maybe your crazy horse is in pain.  There are a myriad of physical issues that will only manifest themselves into what appears to be a 'training' issue.  Limping isn't the only way a horse can tell you some thing is wrong with him.  Palpating his body will only yield you results for that body part and only for that moment in time.  There is nothing you can on your own do, to observe or palpate......what is going on with his insides.....without a vet's asssistance.  Sometimes, we subconsciously ignore the fact that we may need the vet, trimmer, dentist, chiropractor, acupuncturist, saddle fitter, etc......because our finances don't allow for it.......AND worse yet....because we think that our training method is so good, that we our selves can fix the issue.  He tells some really great stories about some horses whos 'training' issues were magically fixed with one visit from health professional.  Ulcers, teeth, feet and saddles, seem to round out the top of list for 'training' related physical issues.  So it is a great reminder for me as someone who rescues to never forget the possibilities of physical causes FIRST.....because there is ONLY one way for our horse to tell us he is hurting.....and that is to act it out.

A great human example of acting out from pain....is when a woman is in labor.  We have all seen it in the movies and tv shows.......someone says something stupid, with good intentions, to the 98lb woman trying to give birth to a 10lb watermelon, and the obcenities start flying out of her mouth.....often followed by a death grip to whom ever her fingers can latch on to......concluded with some sort of death threat.  When we don't feel good we get grouchy.....why should we assume it would be any different with an animal.

The other leading cause of 'training' issues is abuse.  The scars can be both mental and physical, and he gives some great examples of this too.  Unfortunately, due to a current owners lack of horse handlinig knowledge, or lack of knowlege in medical investigation......they all too often blame that a horse must have been abused in it's past, and the investigation stops cold in it's tracks.  They cannot see that THEY are the ones teaching a horse to behave in that way, due to ignorance of horse behavior....and assume the horse has been hit before.  The other unfortunate is that often they are right....as horses are abused horribly every day.  Thru cruelty and anger, frustration of a training method not working, lack of knowledge, and well meaning owners getting frustrated.  We have a bad day, the horse gets the brunt of it, and we say to our selves it was wrong and we won't do it again.  But why do we do it in the first place?  Why do we go there?  Something to think about for sure.  Have you gone too far?  Frustration, anger and abuse...start.....where knowlege ends.  Get smart fast as your horse NEVER deserves a phase 4 because you don't know what a phase 1 is.

The good part of the chapter is that it educates you to what may be ailing your horse so that it might be corrected....the bad part is that it leads you to the next chapter......'unfixable horses'.....a stark reality.

Savvy On
Michelle

Considering the horse: Mark Rashid 2nd edition with updates.

Considering the Horse: #1 Horse Sense

Mark Rashid is an amazingly talented writer.  Not that a cowboy can't be smart and philosphical.....but DANG this guy is gooood.  He is beyond intuitive.  His style of writing just sucks you in like sitting with a good friend over a cup of coffee.  The more I read, the more blessed I feel that he comes here close to me twice a year and I get a chance to meet what may well be the wisest person I ever meet in my life.  Some unusual things have been happening to me lately, all strangely good in the midst of one of the largest injustices ever to happen to me.  I am not known for having good luck.  For this reason, I never gamble, as the cards always seem stacked against me.  No pity party, just my reality.  The only part that makes it seem harsh, is the fact that one of my best friends is quite possibly the luckiest person to ever roam the planet.  My luck streak, seems to be just enough to keep me afloat.  No more, sometimes less.  So, this causes me to be somewhat superstitious about things, as I never know what kharma (assumedly from a past life) will throw at me next, and she is not routinley very nice to me. For this reason, I am NOT going to talk about these strange occurances, I will knock on some wood, in hopes I don't jinx myself.

So this first chapter is simply an introduction to the fact that we should REALLY consider the horses point of view when around them.  I of course cannot tell a story like he can, and while I do tend to see things very differently from the majority of folks, Mark sees things in the most ironic and metaphoric ways and tells these stories in such a way, that your imagination takes you right there to that place and time that he is speaking of, and causes you to have one epiphany after another without even realizing you are in the midst of changing your life for ever.  Problem is....trying to read two of books at the same time.  He talks of his mentor, and of the first time he ever saw a horse 'broke' and how it was the first time he was made to realize this undeniable fact, that we must always consider the horses point of view.  To be more patient, more quiet, and to never be on a time schedule as that is when you most assuredly run out of time and cause trouble for you and your horse.  Instantly I go back to my trailering issues with Cha'cote, and how they began, the day I filmed my OLL3 with him, and the next time with the trailer I was rushing to try to get him to a play day.  Cha'cote spent 6 yrs locked in a stall, if ever there was a horse that has no time table, it is him.  He waited his life away, and he is probably the single best horse at taking his time to get something done.  He has all the time in the world, and I best get me some more for my self, if ever I stand a chance to change his mind up about the trailer.

This along with watching a Pete Ramey dvd today, I am reminded, more likely taught, that is just when you think you may know it all, or have it all figured out, that life throws you a curve ball to put your insignifant self back into your rightfull place in the universe.  And that is.....a full time student of life and the horse!

Savvy On
Michelle

Considering the horse: Mark Rashid 2nd edition with updates.

The REASON behind the reviews

Ok, so whether or not anyone can read between the lines or not, I was having a bit of.....difficulty.....on my PNH journey.  In many ways.....my car accident, the surgery, constant pain, tasks, levels, auditions, relationships, biomechanical correctness, Catwalk, feeling like a failure, depression, some 'domestic" issues, corporate policies....."holy crud batman......this is a long list.....how can you continue on?"

I started to seek help elsewhere, and not one to jump ship in the middle of the ocean, I much prefer the idea of waiting until we dock at the next port of call, and safely arive to shore!  So I took the advice of some other 'friends' on where I ought to start looking.  I wanted advice from others that I knew.....were studying and taught the same things that I believe in.  There really was no one place to come and gather 'objective' reviews of the 'available' material.  I have few options for 'live' instruction, so dvds and books are all I have to go on.  So I figured....If I am doing a mad dash rush through a long list in my giddy-up que....taking notes for myself....I may as well share my observations....from a parelli students perspective.

I know no one is perfect, and I know why most people ARE parelli students.  they are looking for a great relationship with thier horse.  Pretty Plain and Simple.  I am on the hunt to find other methods and techniques that are along the same line as parelli, certainly not the polar opposite.  I am not looking for a replacement in the sense of ONE person to follow.....EVER again.  NO one has all the answers.....but I am re-disovering that Parelli comes the closest to my horsemanship morals and to the ideals I hold dear.

So I hope these reviews are helpful, but as always, they are just MY opinions of the things I am observing...and my self discoveries while I am reading.

May each of you find peace and love and beauty with your horses, with out force or fear.

Savvy On
Michelle

Whole Heart: #3 Perceptions pt2 What am I doing?

So what IS my quest?  Level 4, to get back what I once had.  The Journey to the Black String.
But why am I so catatonic?

There I was, on my journey, so clost to my goal, my first destination, I could taste it.  Then...WHAMO...my life turned upside down in a flash.  A flash that has blinded me for far too long.
I thought my mistake was thinking I could just pick up where I left off.  But that didn't give me the result I expected or desired, and I was devestated.  The harder I tried, the worse it seemed to get.  And now I think I know why.  Not that I haven't uttered those words before...but God keeps giving me the puzzle pieces so far apart, that it is hard to see the picture in my mind.  At the very least, I got another piece of the puzzle.

I can't remember how I got to level 4 in the first place.  Why is that? I know some of the obvious reasons.  But now I know the subtle reasons...the reason that really matters.  Parelli has a map for success.  A pretty good one too.  Obvious reason #1....They keep changing the lay of the land on me.  #2 the tour guide is often not available or helpful with the lack of an in depth look at L3/4 education.  But that is not the real problem.  At least I don't think so anymore.

After completing chapter 1 of this book, it has revealed to me a revelation about my journey.  And all journeys really.Ya know how google maps you type in your current location and destination and it gives you the directions?  And how you can drag and drop your path to choose a different one?  That is how the levels pathway kinda is.  The problem is, it doesnt account for detours, traffic jams, pit stops....you know....the 'what if you dont get the results you think you should be getting"

Mark reminded me, that results are just that.  They aren't good or bad.  Just valuable feedback that will direct you to your next move.  This is how I got so stuck.  Stuck because I thought my results were bad because they didn't yeild me the outcome I thought they should and thus reacted negatively toward them.  Rather than view them the way I did the first time I traveled down the road to L4.
"We need to remember what the horse offers in response to our request, is simply information, nothing more, nothing less"  It isn't wrong or right.  It is just information to help us decide what move to make next.  Kinda like a Tom Tom navigator.  If we deviate from our predescribed route, it keeps us on course by giving us directions from our new 'current location'

because it was so long ago, I can't remember all the little detours we took along the way.  Each little nuance....request I made....her response to each request, that led me to the next step.  Since I was learning, I had no arrogance or ego, underlying my interpretation of her response.  I have been so busy trying to stay on the predetermined route, that I was ignoring my horses response.  I just kept making all right turns, and ultimately going in circles ending in the very same spot, all in the name of trying to get back on this predetermined path.  How on earth can I remember every little spot I placed each foot, of every step of the way the first time I traveled this road?   And really, even if I could, the problem is, each of those steps were taken because of what ever response to her feedback in the moment, and thus not appropriate for THIS step, THIS time.  I need to pay attention and navigate myself, based on todays response, to this moments request.

So on this path, this time, how do I plan my route?  What requests will I make?  What IS my destination?  Until now, I thought my destination was a black string.  And ultimately it is.  But from where I stand, this is like charting a map to China.  THAT is a huge journey!  I think what I need to do first is figure a way to navigate out my driveway.    I need to have smaller trips in mind.  Smaller goals.  This brings me back to my success with Cha'cote and the 'why' I had success with him and not Rose.  Unlike Rose, I had no 'path' try and remember and duplicate.  He was a virtual clean slate.  I had no choice but to keep things small and simple, and take one day, one step at a time.  I had NO intentions of auditioning with him.  That seemed almost impossible anyways, so I never even had it on my mind, or the map.  And in so 'not' doing, I arrived there sooner with him, than with Rose, a horse who had been there before and has NO confidence issues.  Just like he says in the book...

"Those that don't worry about making mistakes, will make less mistakes than those who do worry about making mistakes"

So now I think I just need to pick a task & ONLY one task.  Probably go back to the basics....AGAIN...That's right, the 7 games on a 12' line, and the L1 patterns, and friggin do it right this time.  Try my hand again at those driving lines, something that has no memories to chase down. Not have some arbitrary reward in mind, other than that of the relationship with my horse.

For all intents and purposes, I am a better L5 than I am a L4.  Sounds wierd, right? But I know why.  I am a better horseperson now than I was 3ys ago.  How can that be, with so many failures in the last 3ys?  Kind of obvious now, and really only important to me and my ego.  But here we go anyways.  I have taught the 7 games to well over 100 horses. I have alot of experience with rank horses.  Having worked on 2 large TB breeding farms, RB extroverts are kinda my thing.  But they exhaust me. I have taken 7 horses through what is now known as the current OLL2. And of those 7, 4 thru what is the current OLL3.  And of those, only 1 thru what is the current OLL4. 

Since L5 is about specialization, difficult horses, teaching, training, colt starting etc.  I have been doing those since before parelli, so I do them quite well, it is only the subject matter that has changed a bit.  But I only have experience with 2 horses with L4.  Snookie in the freestyle and finesse, back in the day, we could have passed those with our eyes closed.  Turns out, I was quite "natural" in the saddle, before I knew what natural was. 3rd level dressage and bridless riding kinda covers the freestyle and finesse dept.  And since nothing I have learned in parelli is different than what I was already doing....guess I was doing parelli too!  And then there is Rose with the online and liberty.  Rose is my liberty queen and the only thing we havn't done much of is driving with 2 lines.  And here I am beating myself for something I don't have as much experience with.  I don't know why I am so hard on myself.....ego I guess.  I think I need to start treating myself like I do my students.  Focusing on what is good, not my mistakes.  My horses don't care what color my string is...why should I? 

So that is my revelation for the day.  Drop the ego, and give myself a break...we all make mistakes.
I wonder what chapter 2 has in store for me.

Onwards and Upwards to Savvy
Michelle


Another obvious, is my complete arrogance that I know more than my horse.

Book: Whole Heart, Whole Horse by Mark Rashid

Whole Heart: #2 Perceptions pt1... Here it come's...bring on the tears! Spooky scary.

Man this book is good.  I'm not even PMSing! I had to put it down because I started crying.  NO NO....it's ok...good tears.  I started the first chapter.....and his story (stories can be good for teaching a lesson I am learning) seemed to be going off on a path about something other than horsemanship.....but I was rivited.

Just before I started to read the chapter, after reading the preface...I was thinking about my session today with Cha'cote....as if pony palouza wasn't enough....the preface story got me thinking a bit, about why I keep getting direct line about the trailer, no matter how hard I try not to.  I mean, it wasn't all bad...and it ended on a good note.....zone 5 nearly against the trailer....but that was after I beat my self up for the hour I had just spent with him......somehow making the 'not about the trailer...ALL about the trailer"

His preface helped me to come up with the all too often, hush hush, not talked about EGO.
Even though I would not consider myself egotistical, I guess, in the end, I really am.  Not about my success's, rather my failures.  I stood smoking a cigarette, thinking more coherently than I have in a while, what if someone gave me permission to fail?  What if?? someone actually said to me...."Just because you are level 4 doesn't mean when you fail, we will strip your success right out from under you.  You don't have to prove to me that you are level 4 by gettin this horse in the trailer.....I can see that you are."

What if?

So I came back in, and cracked open the book.  Holy mother of all that is creepy....do you know that is what the first chapter is ALL about!?!  Basically, in this chapter....that is what he said to me!!!!

Of course he didn't write...."Michelle...it's ok if you dont get this mustang in the trailer...no one will think less of you".....but you get the gist.

He tells a story of when he was a kid, how a mistake of dialing a phone number just one number off, ended up so good, he actually grew up a little by whom answered the phone.

Moral of the chapter so far....mistakes are ok...and can lead to good things.

Wo why am I crying?

It is funny how we have such an emotional attachment to words.  How one word can lift you up, tear you down, or stike you so deep to your core that you can't even breathe.  That word for me was 'paralyze'.

He spoke of mistakes being opportunity for growth and goes on to say

"The problem is, fo rsome, just the simple thought of making a mistake can be enough to paralyze them into a state of inactivity and perpetual fear of the unknown"....MICHELLE

So, if anyone has read the header on my home page.....I state how my fear of failure has been.....paralyzing.

How on earth, could this seemingly "just a horseman" be so wise?

I don't know, but I am ready to pick up the book and continue reading........as it seems he wrote this book just for me....so I best get to reading it.

Savvy On
Michelle

Book: Whole Heart, Whole Horse by Mark Rashid

Whole Heart: #1...WOW...I am awe struck!

Completely and utterly gobsmacked!  I just got my two new books that I bought, and I think I have just found an unlikely source of a philosopher.  I haven't even started the first chapter...just the forward and the preface, and I am touched to my soul.  What book is that you ask?

Whole Heart, Whole Horse
Building trust between Horse and Rider
By Mark Rashid

The preface alone has enough in it to cause me to lick and chew for a lifetime.  I cannot wait to meet him in the spring when he comes to town, and I am more than thrilled that I signed up for a 1/1 lesson with him in Nov '11.  Nearly a year, but something tells me, it will more than be worth the wait.


So it starts out with this seemingly innocent question he had in the early morning fog between sleep and coherent thoughts of being awake.

And how that very simple question, gave him a profound epiphany to his teachings and horsemanship.  His journey to the answer to the question is the sum of the preface.  I have to say that he is an excellent writer as well.  It just sucked me in, and before I could move on, I just had to share my excitement.

So here is the question, try to answer it for your self, and I will get back to you on his answer...it will most assuredly surprise you, as it did me!

"What is mightier....the Rocks in the Grand Canyon, or the River that Runs through it?"

Feel free to comment your answer, and the reason you chose what you chose.

Savvy On
Michelle

Book: Whole Heart, Whole Horse by Mark Rashid