Horses have been training me for a long time. My experiences with them have shaped my life. I've made my fair share of mistakes with horses. It wasn't until I started seriously studying natural horsemanship 10 years ago that everything really started to click for me. My past history with horses was full of ups and downs. I used to think the ups were winning belt buckles and trophies. But now all I can think about is winning a horse's heart. Life is very full of blessings and the future looks even better. I used to think the downs were when I couldn't get a horse to do something in the way I wanted him to. But now I see these as learning opportunities to gain more savvy. Now the down times seem to be defined by moments when one of my horses are sick, like last summer when Cisco was at the vet hospital for EPM. The only other down time I have is when I see someone treating a horse in a way that I know is not best for the horse because the person is ignorant of a better more effective way. As I look back over my riding life I've ridden fast, slow, up, down, in control and reckless. I recall the words of my father when I thought I might have knocked a barrel over. He said "Don't look back." He always told me to keep both eyes forward and focused on the next barrel because you can't fix anything behind you. When a hunter jumper hears the clunk of the horse's hoof on the rail, this same advice "Don't look back." should be adhered to because you can't put the rail back up, and you better be getting ready for the next jump. When clunks occur in our life or in our horsemanship journey, the temptation to turn to see if the barrel or rail came down is addictive. Looking back blurs the rider's focus. An expert rider already has his eyes and attention on the next barrel as he is turning it, and a jumper is looking at the next jump as he clears the rail directly under him. Timing is critical and focus is imperative. Good timing and powerful concentration are universal success ingredients for savvy horsemanship. There will be more ups in the journey if we prepare ourselves to do the best we can each day armed with timing and focus because they give us "feel". And "feel" is all the horse has to go on, so we have to figure out how to get "feel". Another example when we need perfect timing, focus, and feel is when crossing a bridge, water, ditch, or any kind of obstacle. The worst thing we can do is look down or back. We need to keep looking straight ahead, in fact a mile down the road to where we are going. The ultimate horse sense says, don't look back, look straight ahead. Metaphorically, the next obstacle is coming quickly from the future to the present and the past one is unchangeable history. So we need to learn to focus on the next obstacle with a powerful concentration which the horse reads as intention. This kind of feel is easy for him to follow. Without feel the horse is lost! Too often, we get hung up on what has happened instead of what is happening right now. We know that we can't change history but that doesn't stop us from dwelling on it. I don't think my horse has spent a single day worrying about which barrell or jump he knocked down. He is only concerned with the matters at hand, which may be his next flake of hay. Horse sense comes easy only to horses. Understand the importance of today, the here and now. Focus and be ready for progress. You can do it with education, hard work, support and encouragement. When thoughts meander back to "knocked down barrels or rails" from previous experiences, the chance of losing focus heightens and history will repeat itself. Don't Look Back unless you are reflecting upon just how far you have come in a celebration. Look forward to an even better bond and relationship in 2008 by keeping it natural with timing, focus and feel. Be patient with yourself and with your horse. You will get to your destination and it will be even better than you dreamed. Remember the horse and rider are a team that can meet challenges together, so don't let it all be one sided and the journey will be great for both you and your horse. By Sherry Jarvis
Student Testimonies from recent clinics: "I am so thrilled with the clinic on Sunday. I learned so much and now I want to just go to your clinics and train my horses. I think that you are a great teacher and you took the trouble to make sure that you didn’t hurt my feelings which is very sweet. I don’t know how you cope with all the tears and the fears. I believe you can guess that I wouldn’t do very well with being a teacher like you are. You do a great job and if anyone says anything else I want you to call me!!!!" Kim "I had a WONDERUL time Saturday at the clinic and thought my wife was going to have to hang up on me to shut me up from chattering on and on about it. You were correct that you picked the perfect horse for me, as Sliver was exactly the challenge that I needed to move outside my comfort zone. When I saw his scared eyes and saw he wouldn't come near me when I approached the stall I thought I was in trouble for the day, but the second you told me to touch his withers and he relaxed then I knew it would be ok. I know he was a bit skittish as we walked into the arena and I still was a bit apprehensive with this horse I really didn't know. However, I was amazed that within a half hour I felt we had both relaxed and started to have fun together. The more confident I grew as the leader, the more I could see him relax and start to really focus on me, and that was so gratifying! I realize I have much to learn in honing my reigning techniques and getting them to a point where they are more effortless, but I sure did leave yesterday having learned some important lessons of how to bring the horse under my control. "Phil
Can I let my horse roll? Question: My horse has rolled under saddle before. He has rolled once with someone in the saddle, and twice after someone has just gotten off. There has never been anyone around to show me what to do when he does this. I know it's wrong. But, in the instances when I'm leading him, I would prefer he not roll. I'd like for him to know the difference. Is that feasible?
Answer: It is feasible for your horse to know when it is appropriate to roll and when it is not. The first and most important thing to establish is clear defined roles of leadership and partnership. Without a clear definition of roles between the horse and human the horse will test who the leader is by taking over the position whenever they feel like it. A person who does not set firm respectful boundaries will inadvertently reward undesirable behaviors and confuse a horse about whether behaviors are appropriate or not. Through consistent application of several simple ground exercises a person can establish confident leadership in a safe, non-threatening way. Reading the horse and being able to respond appropriately with clear communication will cause the horse to understand when things like rolling are acceptable and when they are not. Sometimes it is ok to let your horse roll. Like after you have taken the saddle off and he has some itches to scratch. Use common sense. If your $2000 saddle is on his back it isn't a good time. There are times when it is appropriate for you to ask him to wait and there are times we can allow rolling. It depends on the circumstances and the reason the horse is choosing to roll. Another time it is appropriate to let your horse roll is right after you take him out of his stall before you ride. A horse often needs a bit of a run and a roll after being cooped up for a long time. This simple preparation exercise often sets your ride up for even more success because the horse feels better. I remember one winter in WY when our horses had been on ice for what seemed like months. We went to ride in a nice sandy indoor arena. The minute our horses felt the sand they dropped and rolled. We were anticipating it, so we hadn’t saddle yet. We wanted to give them an opportunity to just be a horse and feel good before we put them to work. There is nothing wrong with allowing your horse to just be a horse. It will help develop the relationship. But once saddled we expected them to be respectful of the saddle. Another reason a horse may roll is avoidance of a task or to get rid of his annoying rider. This kind of rolling is inappropriate and should be corrected. I have seen horses lay down to roll in order to throw a fit like a 2 year old. Most people with any observation skills can tell the difference between an honest “I got a scratch roll and giving you the middle hoof roll”. I've only had two horses give me the middle hoof roll. One did it to me several times before I figured out what I was doing. This horse was going very catatonic (withdrawing into himself) because I was putting way to much intense pressure on him with no relief. He didn’t understand my communication. I was yelling at him instead of finding a way he could understand my requests. Once I changed my approach so he understood me and gave him relief of pressure the moment he showed signs of understanding he stopped flopping down on the ground and rolling in frustration. The other horse was a mare at a clinic using rolling as an avoidance and defiant behavior because she didn’t want to cooperate. She was used to being in charge and wasn’t going to give up her position with ease. I ignored her antics and went right back to doing what I was like it never happened. Because she didn’t get a rise out of me, she gave it up. Through ground exercises we were able to establish a leadership position with her. She gave up her tactics of rolling in order to get her own way because it didn’t work for her any more. We can prevent rolling whether we are on the ground or riding by picking up the head then giving a simple forward cue the moment the horse acts like it is in their thoughts. The better your forward cue is and the sooner you catch them the better it will work. A person has to be paying attention in order to prevent rolling. If you are in la la land then you will have to do more. Less sooner is always better than more later. Happy Trails, Sherry Jarvis
All We Can Do is the Best We Can! I have noticed that a lot of people beat themselves up about the ability or lack thereof they have with horses. Then others think they are a lot better than they actually are. But all we can do is the best we can, because we only know so much and there is still so much to learn. None of us have reached perfection. As I look back over my horsemanship journey I realize there are some things I thought were the best at the time, but later I came to see that maybe they weren't nearly as good as I thought they were. If I beat myself up about those mistakes I won't continue to progress. All I can do is be the best I can be right now, keep learning and trying and it will come. Sometimes I wish I could go back and apologize to some of the horses I have handled. Since that is impossible most of the time, all I can do forgive myself because I know I was doing the best I could at the time with the knowledge and experience I had. When I peek back I realize how much I have learned and how far my skill level has progressed in the last 10 years. It was very evident to me this past weekend at a clinic when I worked with a horse on some despooking issues. This same horse five years ago may have taken me 4 days or even 4 weeks to get to the point where I got with him in less than an hour. I can't wait for the next five years to see how much deeper my understanding will be and how much better my feel timing, and ability to read horses might be. One of the most difficult things I have had to learn is that it is not my place to tell folks how to work with their horses unless they ask. There are a lot of things I see which I might not agree with. Even if I feel the horse isn't getting a fair deal, I try to learn something to improve my own communication by watching each situation. Many times when things go bad the horse is just confused or afraid, even if the person may see him as stubborn or uncooperative. Sometimes I cringe while observing such a scene. But I still don't judge the person, because they must be doing what they are doing for some reason, even if I don't agree or understand it. They are probably doing the best they can at this time with the knowledge and experience they have. Just because I don't like the way a person handles a horse or the fact that we have philosophical differences doesn't give me the right to tell them how I think they should do things, unless they ask. However, I will admit it breaks my heart because I know the horse could offer so much more if he was given half a chance. However, if I see someone doing something that will hurt the horse or I see a person in real danger, I will intervene, even if it means I might not win a popularity contest. We can't impose our philosophy or techniques on anyone unless they are curious, but we can help prevent unecessary injuries to either the horse or the human. There is more than one right way to get things done. In fact there are hundreds of different ways to get things done with a horse, and all of them may work, but maybe only 10 or so of them are the best deal for the horse. I am seeking those 10 effective ways that are a good deal for the horse. Not everything suits every horse. That is why reading the horse, feel and timing are essential to an artisan of horsemanship. All we can do is offer our horse the best we know and the best we are today. Then learn more so we can offer him even more and better deals. If we get so stuck in our ways we will miss the opportunity for new knowledge and understanding and therefore our best won't really be the best we could offer our horses. Keep an open mind, be ready to experiement, use some common sense. Give the horse a chance to teach you. If you have a willing heart to listen and help people will notice. Then they'll start to ask questions. When this happens the door is open to share your personal knowledge and experience. Just be the best you can be and then realize you can still be better. By Sherry Jarvis
RIDING PANTS, BRAS, AND KENT FEED! I have been looking for quality products to recommend to students over the past four years which will enhance the whole horsemanship experience. As most of you know I mainly use Parelli halters, leads and sticks because they feel the best to me. However there are also other sources on the links page of our website where you can buy comparable tack at a little lower cost. Check it out! As I have been trying products and researching I have found three products which have passed my expectations and the companies have been excellent to work with. Kent Feed: I have been feeding my horses Dynasty Pro since Cisco came down with EPM last July. They love it and are doing great. You can have a chance to win a 50lb. bag of Kent feed by pre-registering for any of my camps and clinics. I will be giving a bag away at most of my events this year through drawings. Smooth Stride Riding Pants: I started wearing these seamless pants this winter and can't believe how much more comfortable they are then my favorite blue jeans. I'm sold. So I am selling them, or you can buy them direct. But if you do, please tell Marianne that I recommended the pants to you. They are made in America by contract seamstresses and are of very high quality. They are made of wickable material that breaths, plus they have a winter fleece style for cold weather riding. Fabulous Athletic Bras: I have been looking for a very supportive and comfortable bra for years now. I thought I found one a few years ago, but this one is better. I discovered one of my problems was wearing the wrong size. Barbara has excellent customer service and will be sure to fit you perfectly. That is worth a lot of money to me. Since she must fit you properly, I am simply referring customers to her as a product influencer. So when ordering, please tell her that I recommended the bra to you. Whether you are small or big chested you will be glad you purchased this bra. Also custom made in Amercia.
As many of you know I have been working on writing a book this winter. I have learned even more by writing things down. It is helping me to realize what was in my head, what I do know, and what I don't know. This has forced me to do more research and experiment even more. As I go through this process I keep getting reminded of how challenging and humbling it is for anyone to become good with horses. I have also been thinking back about every teacher I have studied with. In doing so I realized each one had an important piece of the puzzle. None had all the answers and none were perfect or wrong. But each teacher whether horse or human offered a unique perspective which guided and influenced my personal experience and understanding. I also became aware that all I can do is pass along the important concepts I have gained from each one of these great teachers, along with my own insights. It is the way I present the information that makes it unique not the knowledge itself. No matter how good our teachers are, or how many horsey friends we have, ultimately the horsemanship journey is one that is taken alone. It is the many hours in the corral spent alone with our horse that turns us into savvy horsemen or women. It is our individual responsibility to learn as much as we can and be the best we can be for our horse. This journey is so personal. There is something very special which happens between each horse and rider. Every horse we encounter offers an important challenge to us. If we are open to these challenges, they will be the perfect catalyst to teach us what we need to learn at that particular time in our journey. It is only because we choose to face the challenges that the right teacher then appears. When the puzzle pieces begin to fit together, it is only for the love of horses we remain willing to learn. Some horses have a way of pointing out our weaknesses on a regular basis and keep reminding us to stay humble. I do believe some horses were put on this planet to make sure we get it right some day. It is the ones that are our toughest most honest teachers who cause us to change the most and become better horsemen. I believe if we always have in the back of our mind that our horse is for sale, we may struggle a bit more with him, then a horse we are committed to keep forever. You may find when you finally promised to never try to sell him again the progress you make will begin to change. The importance of trust, love and commitment to the relationship with a horse can make all the difference. I had lots of people offer to buy Cisco this weekend at the Expo and some even begged. But he is not for sale for any price! I know to some people that is dumb, but it is my commitment to him. I'm not saying you should never sell a horse. I'm just giving you some thoughts to ponder on how deep your relationship is with your horse. It can't be very deep if you are always on the lookout for a new home for him. It doesn't mean you have to have that kind of deep relationship with every horse you own. But it is something to consider, because your horse can read you so well. Your intentions and attitudes do matter. Remember the kind of feeling you got as a kid when you just wanted to be at the barn even if you didn¹t have a lesson or work to do there. You just wanted to hang out with your horse. No kid wants to sell their horse.
As I am writing in my book about rider¹s becoming more observant, more attentive,
better role models and leaders I realized that I still sometimes get too agenda driven. I never want to forget to take the time to really observe what is important to my horses. From them I have trust and respect. But do I really know their loves and what they want? Do I have their loyalty? Even though we have provided the very best physical care for our horses, I am starting to see there is no substitute for my time. My presence in their lives as part of their herd is important as well. The last week I have been hanging out a lot more with my horses as someone who loves them just as much as they love me. We don't always have to be training, we can just enjoy. This is a very valuable lesson. And it's a great time of year to do just that, because it is warming up and they all need their winter coat brushed out. What an enjoyable way to spend a sunny spring day. By Sherry Jarvis
I have a Green broke 2-1/2 year old TWH Mare. Each time I get her in the round pen I expect her to kick up her heels,buck etc.. Instead she races around like her tail is on fire. She does turn when I ask but has one speed, fast. Once she is lathered and breathing rather heavy then she asks to come into the center. Most of the time I am just standing watching her not asking a thing of her. I hate to see her all in a tizzy like this. What else can I do to get her to listen and slow down to do her Flat walk and switch to a Rack or a dog walk? Thank you any advise is very much appreciated. Jan from SC Jan, you need to do one of two things either put her back on line or if you decide to keep her at liberty in the round pen change her direction often while she is on the rail running. If you think you don't have the skill level to quickly change her direction when she is at liberty then put her back on line. It wouldn't hurt to let her get rid of some of the pent up energy she must have by putting her in the round pen by herself and let her play before you even enter. But once you enter it is your job to get her attention and lots and lots of change of direction will do this if you are athletic enough and your timing is good enough to get it done. If you choose to go back on line use a long lead on the horse, at least 22 ft. This way you can be far away from her and still slow her down. You can even stop her from running by putting a vertical feel in the lead which discourages her from running forward because she keeps running into the movement of the rope under her chin. Start light at first but get as firm and big as necessary to slow the horse down. Don't stop until she either slows down or stops. The rest of the time let the belly of the rope fall on the ground like it isn't there, but the instant she takes off, wiggle the rope vertically to remind her she doesn't need to run around like a chicken with her head cut off. Essentially you are interrupting the idea of running off every time she thinks of it. Pretty soon she won't think of it any more. But you have to stay focused and consistent. You cannot give up until she decides to go at the speed you are visualizing in your mind. If you decide to remain at liberty and not put on the long lead, get a stick with a string, plastic bag, or flag on the end of it. Not a whip. We are not going to hit the horse we are going to influence her direction. The stick just makes your arm longer and the flag causes a motion for the horse to want to move away from. Make sure she is not afraid of your stick and flag before you start. Every time she starts to run you are going to step in front of the drive line putting the stick out in front of her nose and wave it, causing the horse to change directions. For now, it matters not to us whether she turns to the outside or the inside. Eventually you would want her to turn towards the inside. But for now we will just be happy when she changes directions. The moment she changes directions, if she is going slower, stand in the middle of the pen relaxed with no pressure on the horse. The moment she speeds up immediately change directions. I mean right now. Your timing needs to be good, that is why you need to be athletic. Do this as often as it takes and she will stop running. In fact she will want to come in to you to rest. If she turns and faces you for even a second, stop and walk away, your horse will join up with you. The key element whether you go back on line or stay at liberty is to interrupt the behavior. Get her paying attention to you and thinking you are the most important thing in the round pen. Visualize what you want her to look like, and be sure your energy is projecting the same intention. If you have any further questions, please let me know. I would like to hear back from you after you try this. You can also join my yahoo chat group, for lots of support from me and my students. Happy Trails, sherry
Even though it has been a cold January I have had many dedicated students eager to learn come out for private lessons and simulations classes. As I watched horses and people trying to perform in the bitter cold I noticed how sometimes people ask something of the horse when he is not paying any attention to them. Perhaps it is hard for them to concentrate because they are so cold and shivering. But no matter what the excuse, any effective communication begins with having the listener’s attention. When working with horses I have found many of them are not in the habit of giving their attention to a human. I believe this is often the cause of a lot of the difficulties people experience with their horse. Being able to gain and hold a horse’s attention is the first step in building a safe, harmonious relationship between you and your horse. I have been pondering why we tend to skip this first step. Perhaps it is so basic and such a subtle step that we take it for granted. Since it is so important for good communication I think it is worth giving some thought and consideration to this topic which we seldom hear people talking about when they discuss horsemanship. We all know and realize when explaining a task, in order to expect our directions to be followed well we need to have the learner's attention. Since I am an retired school teacher and many of you reading this may have children I can make the analogy of teaching children. For example, if we want to help a child learn a math concept or the meaning of a word, but they are staring out the window watching other kids play on the playground, they won't learn a thing until we get their attention. It is no different with horses, except that we also have fears to deal with. And if a horse is afraid, he is not paying attention to learning but to surviving the moment which usually means fleeing. Every good horseman is aware at least subconsciously all the time of making sure he has the horse's attention before attempting to elicit a response. They achieve this by doing just enough to warrant the horse's attention. It could be something as simple as a shift of weight, a flick of a finger, or change in expression of the handler to distract the horse from whatever he is focusing on back to the handler. The key is to stop doing whatever you did to get his attention the moment you get it. Consistency will pay off. As soon as the horse's attention leaves again, the sooner you repeat a small distraction the less you will have to do to get his focus back. It usually takes very few repetitions for a horse to associate focusing on the handler with the release of the distraction. The horse soon realizes his attention on you is more comfortable and more important than away. If you can do this without being over demanding and at the same time peek the horse's curiosity then the horse will start to stay with you mentally longer and longer. It takes a person who is acutely aware of when the horse's attention is about to leave in order to make your cues more and more subtle until they are nearly invisible to the untrained eye. The reason you want to gain and hold the attention of a horse is so he will keep track of you in order to respect your space. You need to make sure your space matters to him and that the horse knows where you are. It is important we have a horse's attention on us even when doing everyday tasks like brushing, saddling, going through a gate or stall door, and feeding. You can tell if his mind is on you by checking to see if his eye or ear are towards you. If his head goes up and he looks off in another direction to watch what is happening somewhere else then do what it takes to bring his attention back. Do this for safety, because when his attention leaves that is the moment you begin to loose influence over the situation. First his mind goes and then his feet, followed by ribs and hips. You had better watch out if you are in his tracks. If you will develop the habit of tipping a horse's mind back towards you early and as often as necessary you can avoid a lot of accidents and phrases like "he didn't even warn me", or "I don't know what happened, he just..." If you cannot regain a horse's attention quickly and direct or disengage the hindquarters then I would not recommend leaving a confined area to ride your horse until you can. It is important you learn to read the indicators which tell you the horse's thoughts are going elsewhere. Some of these include: body tension, drifting a certain direction, ears and head coming up, and the direction he is looking. It is better to keep control over the situation before they are too far gone. By being aware, reading the signs and keeping the horse connected to you a lot of dangerous situations can be avoided. Try tipping his nose for a step or two at the first sign of discomfort, thus redirecting his mind back to your ideas. Then maybe ask for a lateral flexion checking to see if he is still with you. You have to get his attention first before you can be heard and thus he can follow your directions. It is the habits you have developed in a controlled environment that will either ensure of impair your success of keeping a horse with you mentally and hopefully physically when you are in an unfamiliar or threatening situation. If you are in the habit of letting your horse's mind wander and tune you out, then don't be surprised when his concerns take him where they may instead of where you desire. I have developed some simple exercises for my students to practice keeping their horse's attention. They are very easy to do even when the ground is frozen. You can do them while standing in one place and you don't even have to ride. They work wonderfully. But I am not going to give my secrets away in this newsletter, you will either have to join our yahoo chat group, or come to a clinic or lesson to learn these very effective exercises. I am having wonderful results with my own horses. As with most things in horsemanship, you must first be able to gain and hold your own attention well, before you can expect your horse to do the same. Being diligently aware of your horse's attetion takes practice. It is not a habit that comes easy to some. It is not until it becomes second nature to you that you will be able to keep track of your horse's attention subconsciously. Consistently giving your attention to the horse is the start of gaining and holding your horse's attention on you. Happy Trails,
Sherry Jarvis "Horsemen share knowledge. Showmen hide it in a corner and go home." -- AQHA Judge Dale Livingston
Jan. 08 Monthly Training Tip Question: My Horse keep moving away when I try to mount. I have even fell down while trying to get on. Is it my horse or is it me? How can I get her to stop? Answer: This is a cartoon we see all the time in the horse world. But it isn't funny to the person having the problem. First it is important to understand why the horse is doing this so we can develop a successful plan to deal with it and change the behavior. Sometimes the cause lies with the horse and other times it is the humans problem, but most often it is a combination of both. There are several possibilities behind the cause of this problem, and without seeing you with your horse I will list some of the possibilities. However it usually boils down to one of these three generalities or a combination of them. 1. The human allows it and doesn't know what to do to change the behavior. The person tries to put up with it which causes it to only get worse. Have you taken the time it takes to teach the horse to stand quietly? 2. The person doesn't use the most efficient method of mounting which makes it easier for both the horse and the human. This is a nice way of saying the person isn't athletic enough to mount so they are pulling the horse off balance. Do you square your horse up before mounting? Are you poking the horse with your toe? Are you pulling back on the reins? Are you putting too much pressure on the withers? Do you grab the cantle of the saddle? Is your center of gravity too far away from the horse? Are you looking across the horses back? Does your saddle slip a lot? Are you landing abruptly on the horse's back with heaviness? All of these things can cause the horse to be off balance and therefore have to move to get comfortable and maintain a stable position. If you can't mount athletically then you need to strengthen some muscles and consider using a mounting block at all times. 3. It is a conditioned response which has been developed by saying "Giddy up, let's go" the moment your rearend hits the saddle. Do you ever just sit and do nothing for a couple of minutes once mounted? Other more specific causes may be: Pain: A horse with a poor fitting saddle, a sore back or any other physical issues can cause the horse to move in order to relieve the pain. If we can eliminate physical problems first then we need to keep digging to get to the source of the problem. Distraction: If you do not know how to keep your horse connected with you mentally he will be easily distracted by other horses, food, or any other thing that grabs his attention. When the horse isn't paying attention to the rider, his feet will go wherever his mind is taking him. Attitude: This horse is expressing his opinion loud and clear by saying "I don't want to be ridden". He is playing games with the human and is avoiding being ridden. Maybe he has a poor work ethic, or doesn't like being ridden for a million different reasons. However it is usually a case of disrespect and poor ground manners. Fear: This happens most of the time in a young horse, but no matter what age, a horse can have fear issues if they have not been properly desensitized. If the horse does not trust you or is afraid of the saddle and you being above him, it is time to go back to some foundational ground training. Once you determine the cause of your problem and I am guessing it is a combination of the above possibilities then it is time to develop a plan to change the behaviors. I have found many times the rider has unknowingly created the problem. The solution will most likely involve finding a more efficient, less awkward way to mount, which may include incorporating a mounting block. If necessary you may need to go back and work on ground manners for respect and trust. Then start slowing down by relaxing in one place for several minutes before asking the horse to go somewhere. If you are not familiar with the efficient mounting process which allows the horse to stop fidgeting while you mount then call Sherry, she will guide you through the process. It is much better to see a demonstration than imagine it from words on a piece of paper. Happy Trails,
Sherry Jarvis
Heart in Your Hand Horsemanship
www.heartinyourhand.com
Fears about Trail Riding There are quite a few people who enjoy trail rides in NE and they do it safely. However there are still some people who's fears keep them from trail riding, even though they desire it very much.Trail rides should be relaxing and fun but for the person full of fears they can be a nightmare. Making trail riding fun and relaxing is each riders responsibility. There are some things a person can do to ensure trail riding is both relaxing and fun. Unconfident horses and riders rarely improve through trail riding. So get some confidence first in a familiar and confined environment. Be sure you and your horse are properly prepared before you go. Taking an impulsive, emotional spooky, unconfident horse on a trail ride is not fun and it is downright dangerous. The best time to go on a trail ride is when you know how to take care of your confidence and also your horse's confidence. You will know when you and your horse are ready and you will benefit from waiting until the time is right. It is also important to be with people who will support you if you have any horsemanship issues along the way. There is nothing worse than being left behind to deal with it by yourself, or being forced beyond thresholds. In order to preserve your confidence have no qualms about getting off and resorting to ground skills to prevent disaster if that is what it takes. You really only get one chance to avoid a bad situation and it is better to have a false alarm than go through a terrible experience. There is only one thing worse than getting hurt and that is losing your confidence. When you lose your confidence you may lose your dream and stop riding altogether. So protect your confidence and that of your horse, no matter what others may think of you. Sherry will be doing a demonstration about how to build your confidence and that of your horse at the NE Expo this year, March 7-9, 2008. Visit her at her booth and have a chance to win a free lesson with Sherry or a bag of Kent Dynasty Pro Horse Feed.
Staying in Riding Shape this Winter As we examine our horsemanship goals at the beginning of each year, no matter what those goals are, in order to achieve them a good horseman has to be physically, mentally, & emotionally fit. Most people who own horses don’t have the luxury of an indoor arena to ride in all winter. Even though upon occasion we make it to an indoor arena to ride, many of us may be out of riding shape when the ground thaws and we can start riding on a more regular basis. Therefore it would be wise to use our time during the winter months to keep in shape physically, so we are prepared for spring riding. The better physical shape we are in the more in tune we will be with our body and the more control we have over it. When we have better control over our body we can ride our horse even better. We will feel more connected with our horse’s movements when we are more connected with our own bodies. Even though your entire first couple of months of the year might not directly address your ultimate goal, it will focus on something you know will help you down the line. I recommend finding an exercise program which fits your personality and time schedule. If you will commit to a program for at least 6-8 weeks, then you will be more motivated to keep on track. And I suggest you pay for all 6-8 weeks up front, because you will make more effort to keep going so you get your money’s worth. I do my exercise program by myself at home, because I live near a small town in central NE and the closest health club is 100 miles away. I have some DVD’s, a body ball, and I cross country ski. I rotate these programs so I don’t get bored, but I do them consistently during the winter. I can’t say I do them on a consistent basis when the weather is nice, because then you will find me on the back of a horse. If you are a self motivated person there are 100’s of DVD’s you can purchase for a home exercise program or just turn on the TV early in the morning and you will find a host of programs to choose from. I like Pilates on “Veria” channel 9575 on Dish TV. I prefer Yoga, Pilates, Marshal Arts, or any type of program which focuses on how to achieve good posture and healthy body movement without stress and strength. By participating in one of these exercise programs you will develop better concentration and awareness of body movement which will carry over to riding. Your ability to concentrate better will improve your focus while riding thus your communication will be clearer to your horse. Improved awareness of body movements will help you to focus on one aspect of your horse’s movement and still be able to maintain a sense of the whole horse. It is important to choose a program which helps you strengthen your inner abdominal core which is essential to your safety, performance and effectiveness while in the saddle. The core is more than just your stomach muscles, it is the whole abdominal and lower back area. I can’t stress enough this kind of bodywork for riders, because a deep strong core will also keep your back healthy and pain free while riding. Other benefits include better control over all your body movements leading to better balance and posture which are critical to riding with an independent seat. Better balance and posture will improve your ability to move with the horse and absorb the concussion of the horse’s gaits. When you are riding this way the cues and aides you give the horse will have better timing and they will also be more consistent and precise. With timely, consistent and precise cues there will be less confusion and more harmony between you and your horse. A weak core or a person who has no awareness of how to use their core will greatly affect their riding and therefore the performance of the horse. If you don’t want to join a health club or buy a DVD, go to Wal-Mart and purchase a body exercise ball. They are between $10 and $20 and come with an exercise chart. I do the exercises on the chart plus some I have come up with. I am sitting on the ball as I write this article. I also sit on it while watching TV. I do pelvic circles where I just move my hips in tiny circles with my knees and shoulders held still. I move my hips from side to side in a slow fluid motion. I roll the ball forward and backwards by pushing my belly button toward my chest which causes the ball to move forward and then arching my back very slightly to move the ball backwards. Sitting on this ball is a great way to find your balance point and straighten your spine which is necessary for good riding. You can do exercises with this ball to develop your core and gain more flexibility in your pelvis and lower back which is important for riding. I instruct people at horsemanship camps with other exercises they can do with this ball to improve their riding, click on www.heartinyourhand.com to discover more. Now it is up to you. All you have to do is choose a program and make a commitment to stick with it. You are the one who has to find a way within yourself to stick with it. Here is one idea to help you. Take a minute or two to write down three honest, selfish and real reasons why you will benefit by making such a commitment so you can refer back to it for motivation whenever you consider quitting. If you need encouragement or support, don’t be afraid to call me, I will help you stick with it, if you are serious. Happy Trails, Sherry Jarvis Instructor/Speaker/Writer Heart in Your Hand Horsemanship www.heartinyourhand.com sej@carrollsweb.com
Take Advantage of our FREE RESOURCES for learning: Read Sherry’s Blog (Training Tips and inspiration for the journey.) Join our Yahoo chat group (Lots of good information and motivation.) Ask Sherry a question. (She will answer you.) Join a Study Group (Please call before coming, check on location, etc.) Host a 2-day Clinic in your area (Qualify to participate for free! ) Call Sherry any time 308-346-5663 (I care about your progress.) FURTHER SUPPORT: Regular Private lessons at certain locations and upon request. Monthly Training Tip Pod Casts coming in 2008. DVD and Book also coming in 2008. Internship: Live with Sherry for 2 weeks or more. 1– Day Mini Clinic with Free Trail Ride: At Sherry’s place this spring Other things of interest available through Heart in Your Hand Horsemanship Christmas Special Offers on Camps still available until the end of January 2008. On-Line Pay-Registration Sponsor a Youth with a Scholarship for a Camp Scholarship Application. For a youth to attend camp. Win a Bag of Kent Feed By pre-registering 2008 Horsemanship Camp Schedule at Calamus Outfitters Ranch near Burwell, NE Women’s: May 2-5; July 8-10; Aug. 5-8; Sept. 12-15; Oct. 3-6 Youth (12-up): June 10-12; July 15-17; Aug. 12-14 Parent/Youth (kids 13 & under): June 24-26; July 22-24 Cowboy Cowgirl Cattle Drive: May 30-June 3 (Scroll down newsletter page for more information, separate page coming soon.) Family Horse Vacations: Request Dates Hope to see you on the trail in 2008. Sherry Jarvis PS: Come to the NE Expo to watch Sherry do a demonstration: "Rider Fear" is the topic. You can also enter a chance to win a free lesson with Sherry by visiting her booth at the NE Horse Expo March 7-9 , 2008.
I hope you had a happy and safe new year and in thinking about your 2008 horsemanship goals you will include bonding even deeper with your horse this year by providing even more confident leadership and clear communication. There is no feeling better than when your horse spots you coming whinnies at you and leaves his friends or food to hang out with you. It is an honor to be viewed by your horse as a worthy partner who is both fun and interesting. One of the quickest ways to improve the bond with your horse is to be able to spend quality uninterrupted time with your horse. Lack of quality time with your horse is often your worst enemy. Our four day Horsemanship Camps can help solve this problem for you, because you will be able to focus solely on you and your horse without other obligations, such as your job, cooking, dishes, laundry, family, etc. If you have never been able to spend four full focused days on horsemanship you will be amazed at what the total immersion in horsemanship will do for you. Repetition is one of the keys to retention of information, so if you want to progress quicker in 2008 be sure to check out the Schedule and start making your summer plans now. If you are serious about making significant changes this year don’t miss out on our Christmas Special Discount for 2008 camps which runs until the end of this month. This month we are offering some Simulation Classes where we will be discussing the “physical posture and movement” of the horse. Some of the movements we will explore are suppleness, straightness, disengagement, turning, backing and collection. The purpose of the simulation exercises will be to help us be more connected with the core of both the horse and our own body so we can produce more fluid and harmonious movement. We will also be discussing and simulating “timing and feel” The purpose of these exercises will be to present a better feel to our horse and therefore get better overall performance. We will do some exercises to help us find our balance point and thus improve our riding posture. These classes will be held in several locations in the afternoon or evening. With a minimum of 8 students the cost is only $20 per person. If you would like to host a class, please let me know. Current Dates are: Jan. 19 Chance Ridge Elkhorn Jan. 26 Lincoln Feb. 2 Lexington Fewer than 8 students will cost slightly more. Private lessons at Chance Ridge Jan. 18-20 are filling up fast only a couple spots left open so if you are interested. Call now to reserve your spot! Happy Trails, sherry
In my January newsletter I usually write about goals, but since I already wrote about having a theme for your 2008 goals in last months newsletter I have chosen a new topic. If you missed the newsletter on goals last month you can still read it on my website or blog. My 2008 theme is “Be Approachable, Be Accessible and Make it Applicable”. This is the first winter in the last 4 years the snow has been perfect in NE for cross country skiing. The normal 6 foot high drifts and patches of bare ground caused by 60 mph winds are no where to be found in my pastures this winter, so I have taken advantage of the perfect conditions by skiing almost everyday. Last January in the goals newsletter I suggested if you can’t ride your horse because of winter weather to start an exercise program in order to get in shape for spring riding. Well this was my thought behind skiing this winter, although it has led me to some more discoveries about “ riding with straightness”. In addition to skiing, riding horses in the snow, and working on my book, I have been studying “straightness” in the horse. Ray Hunt is the first one who inspired me to think about straightness. This is also a topic that Bill Dorrance repeats in almost every chapter of his book “True Horsemanship Through Feel”. “Straightness” is a theme for one of my 2008 riding goals, because according to these men it is “everything”. Now I will go back to explain how skiing has helped me discover more about “straightness”. As I was skiing on 2 inches of new snow this morning all my old tracks had disappeared so I was breaking new trails. I stopped for a moment to catch my breath and my eye was caught by the tall prairie grasses sticking up above the snow glistening in the early morning sunshine. It was as if there was glitter sprinkled everywhere. When I turned to catch a 360 view of all the beauty I was surprised to see how crooked my trail in the snow was. This observation led me to a series of experiments on “focus and straightness.” My first intention was to ski to the North West gate of the pasture as straight as I could. I set my focus on one of the gate posts. But to my dismay my tracks had veered to the right. The next time I aligned two focal points. This gave me a near focus and a far one to help keep me in line. Then I imagined that I had a string attached to my belly button and I was being reeled in by the far focal point which happened to be a big round bale in the next field quite a distance away. When I arrived at the near focal point, a post, my focus was still on the far one and when I turned around to see my tracks, they were much straighter. But it was not good enough yet, because I could still see little bobbles of crookedness in the tracks. I wondered what had caused these little bobbles of crookedness, so I went back to ski in the exact same tracks. As I was doing this I concentrated on how the ground felt and what my body was doing at these points of crookedness in the path. I discovered I was leaning to the right each time the path had a bobble, therefore causing me to drift right. I also noticed my stride was longer with my right leg than with my left leg. I also felt more strength in my left arm which pushes me forward with the ski pole as my right leg glides forward. Bottom line, I was using one side of my body more than the other. Hang in there with me I am going to get to how this relates to riding a horse with straightness. The next part of the experiment involved skiing with my eyes closed. I know it sounds crazy, but this is when I really started to make progress because I was better able to feel the imbalance in my body. I picked a point much closer than I had been using, closed my eyes and bravely began my journey. When I opened them, I was shocked by how much I had missed the point. And you guessed it I was to the right of the object. I tried it again with a new object, same results. The next time I closed my eyes and concentrated on skiing to the left of the object a little, and to my amazement I was on target. Wow, I had to try it again, but this time I was off to the left of the object even more. I had overcompensated and when I arrived I fell down for the first time this year because I was leaning to much the other way which not only caused me to miss the target again but to loose my balance. I thought to myself, “I have to concentrate on keeping my body from leaning either way, make my strides equal, and put equal amounts of pressure in my poles.” Plus I thought about my core again. I imagined I was being pulled from my belly button with a string to the object. Yahoo, this time I arrived on target with perfection with my eyes closed and it was the straightest path in the snow I had made. I also felt strong and balanced. If you haven’t figured out by now how this relates to riding a horse with straightness, I will try to explain it. But before I do, I challenge you to do the above exercise in the snow. You don’t have to ski, just try it walking with your eyes closed to an object and see how straight you are. Then try riding your horse at a walk in the snow and see how straight you can make the trails. You can even ride with your eyes closed a short ways. You will be amazed at the results. I have been doing this with my horse, plus seeing if we can go in the exact same trail over and over. I thought it would be easy, but I found out I still have plenty of room for improvement. For those of you who have been to one of my camps, clinics or lessons you know I talk a lot about focus. And you often hear me say things like “don’t look at your horse’s ears, they won’t fall off”, or “quit looking at the ground, look ahead at something”. This is one of the keys in helping a horse stay straight. I noticed when I looked at the ground while skiing the more crooked my path was and the further out in front of me I focused, having two objects aligned with my core being drawn to the far one the straighter my path was. A horse will go where his brain is focused. Whenever his brain and feet are working together the horse will move forward with willing straightness. However if his brain or focus is going in a different direction than where you are trying to get his feet to go his anxiety level will increase along with his crookedness. It is our job as a good leader to set it up so the easiest thing for the horse to do is focus on following our guidance. Without a strong focus of our own our guidance is meaningless to the horse. If we get the horse focused in the direction we are pointing him and our focus is a strong support, the next t |
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