Natural Horsemanship Camps, Clinics, and Private lessons where horse lovers discover more about confidence, leadership and communication so they have even more success and fun with their horses. Develop a better relationship with your horse which leads to partnership and overall better performance no matter what discipline you choose.

Leigh and Hobby. Leigh has a lot of confidence and Hobby is learning from Leigh's leadership.

CONFIDENCE WITH HORSES

Confidence! Some of us have it and some don't. Some of us once had it but have lost it. Some of us are slowly gaining it back. Most of us understand how powerful and at the same time elusive the feeling can be.

Yes, confidence can be described as a feeling, a state of mind, the lack of fear or self-doubt. It knows that you have the ability, knowledge, and savvy to "get'r done". Confidence or the lack thereof affects our goals, motivation, relationships, and our self-image.

Success, knowledge and experience breed confidence. However, it may also be situational, depending on the environment and circumstances. It can be very fragile and lost in the blink of an eye. It depends on how a person perceives things at any given moment that determines whether confidence is being built or torn down. The more you know about any given situation and what to do about it the more confident you will be.

Confident riders communicate effectively with their horses. The outcome is a horse that is also confident, willing, and reliable. Most of us desire this kind of confidence. But how do we increase our confidence level and strengthen our self-image?

Confidence is a choice! There are certain choices we can make which will ensure confidence building, and other choices can destroy it. It won't always be easy and it will take self-discipline, desire, and a willingness to persevere.

Here are some suggestions of choices you can make which will lead to more confidence.

1. Choose preparation and time.

One of the best guarantees for more confidence is prior and proper preparation. This does require self-discipline and the patience to take the time it takes. It is important to practice with progression, purpose, and concentration. Just going through the motions won't get the desired results either. Skipping key elements in training is a sure way to ruin confidence of both the horse and the rider. Stick with a program it will help ensure success.

2. Choose consistency and realistic expectations.

Don't expect perfection over night or all the time because this may lead to frustration and discouragement. Instead of perfection strive for consistency and excellence. Keep your expectations realistic and only increase them with your skill level. Remember set you and your horse up for success this will build your confidence quickly.

3. Choose to learn from mistakes.

Mistakes are part of every journey, especially with horses. Choose to view a mistake as a temporary setback. If we hang on to mistakes or make excuses for them, we loose the opportunity to learn from them and therefore make significant changes for the better which will lead to gained confidence.

4. Choose optimism and to manage your emotional fitness.

Be optimistic. Believe you will be successful. Use positive affirmations when you are facing new challenges or dealing with plateaus that seem to go on forever. Remember to look back at your progress. Stop listening to that little voice of doubt that reminds you of all of your mistakes, and tells you all the things that could possibly go wrong in the future. That negative voice will chip away at your self-esteem causing you to question your abilities and will paralyze you from moving forward. Fight back, take action, and start talking back with positive affirmations every time it speaks.

5. Choose instruction, plus share and get feedback.

The idea of Women's Confident Leadership Camp was born after listening to story after story the past three years of how horse owners lacked confidence. We have discovered if we surround ourselves with uplifting and inspiring people in a positive environment it will boost our confidence level. Spending four full days with your horse and others who may be struggling with confidence will give you invaluable feedback for continued growth and learning. The sharing of suggestions for improved confidence will be delivered in a caring environment with time for reflective evaluation and practice with your horse. Find an instructor or study group who will support and encourage you.

6. Choose a good lesson horse.

Many people don't have the correct horse at this time to help them build confidence, especially if the person lacks experience. I'm not suggesting that you have to sell your horse and buy a new one. But I am suggesting that you need to find someone who has an honest lesson horse you can learn from. Then when you have more confidence and experience you will be able to be the kind of horseman your horse needs you to be.

Most of us who are very confident with horses can tell you all about the horse who inspired us to reach a higher level of horsemanship. These great horses are exceptional teachers who in addition to boosting our confidence level also provide great enjoyment. And isn't that why most of us have a horse? Enjoyment!

If you're not having fun because you lack confidence there are people and horses that can help. Start making some choices today that will lead to more confidence. You'll be glad you did and so will your horse.

If you want to sign up for one of our Women's Confident Leadership Camps go to www.heartinyourhand.com The next camp is Aug. 31-Sept. 3rd. Still time to sign up!

"Learning is not attained by chance, it must be sought for with ardor and attended to with diligence." -- Abigail Adams

Happy Trails,

Sherry Jarvis

I don't have a picture of trailer loading, but here is Jan doing a good send with her horse Sully at last year's Oct. Women's Camp.

Over the past few months I have helped a lot of people who are having trouble loading their horses in the trailer. I think this could be a new full time career for me. So if you are having trouble loading your horse in the trailer, I'm sure that I can help, because I always succeed without a lot of dust or fighting. I spent one summer at a ranch haltering yearlings for the first time, teaching them to lead and get in a trailer. It was a great learning experience. But I think I've even learned more in the past few months from the not so green horses.

Patience, confidence, understanding, and time are the main ingredients a human needs to gain a horse's trust in order to load him in a trailer with willingness. Without trust you will have a fearful slave instead of a willing servant. The main thing the horse needs is respect to a forward cue and confidence. Without respect and confidence you will have nothing more than frustration which may lead to injuries for either the horse, the human, or both.

The first thing that must be established before you ever approach the trailer is a good forward cue, or I call it "the send". This is not about leading the horse, but asking the horse to move forward toward a designated place with intention and energy. Until the horse will walk beside you with energy, he will walk straight ahead, and stop straight when you stop you are not prepared to ask the horse to load into a trailer. The key to easy trailer loading is good respectful forward motion from the horse upon request.

Next load your horse into as many creative things you can think of which simulate the action of trailer loading. (Over a wooden bridge forward and backwards, jumping a log or barrel, put his feet up on a pedestal or tarp, cross water, go through a small gate or door, and between trees that are close together.) Use the forward cue or "send" which you will use at the trailer. The better your horse will do all of these things the more willing, confident, and respectful your horse will be when asked to load in the trailer. Make a game of it, and have some fun!

It is essential to have the proper attitude with plenty of time when loading the horse. If you become angry, frustrated, anxious or nervous the horse will catch your spirit reflecting your emotions in his own behavior. If you are in a big hurry the horse will become even more reluctant. Remember they hate to be rushed into anything. Be very matter-of-fact, as if you are going nowhere important. Load the horse as if nothing unusual is going on. Act like he has done it well a 1000 times before. Remember  to stand around and relax, because you can't rush a horse into a trailer, hoping he will be in before he knows what happened.

With prior and proper preparation trailer loading doesn't have to be a traumatic or difficult experience for either the horse or the handler. Now that you have armed yourself with a good "forward cue", lots of practice through simulations games, and the proper attitude with plenty of time, you are on your way to successful trailer loading. The next training tip we will continue this discussion with loading procedures that work when applied with feel and timing.

Remember it's not about the trailer but about the relationship and good communication.

If you need lessons on loading your horse in the trialer, call me. I am the traveling trainer. I will train you right along with your horse.

Go to www.heartinyourhand.com for more information.

"Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not one bit simpler." -- Albert Einstein

Happy Trails,

sherry

PS: Come join us at a Women's Confident Leadership Camp and learn to have even more success and fun with your horse on a beautiful working cattle ranch in the sandhills of central Nebraska.

Sherry and Cisco dancing!

What is "HORSE SENSE"? We could debate this question for years. When I try to think of answers to this question it causes me to ask more questions. LIKE: Do horses have it? Are there any people who have it? Will "HORSE SENSE" forever elude us? Will some of us come to understand it in a way that helps us be safer, improve our performance, and have even more fun with our horses?

Some would call "HORSE SENSE" a "knack",  while others would say it's a "skill", but for me it is trying to figure out what makes horses and people tick. It has become my life's passion to discover and share ways that people can find a common sense approach to horsemanship where ordinary people can get extra-ordinary results with their horses.

My horsemanship journey began at the tender age of two when my Dad gave me my first pony named, Ginger. We grew up together and she lived to be over 30 years old. These early attempts at finding "HORSE SENSE" were without sophistication or any special knowledge. However, what I did have going for me was an unconscious awareness of how to be natural with horses and a sensitivity to what was right and wrong imparted to me by my parents. Ginger and I were partners in every way even though we lacked experience, training, and maturity, three of the basic ingredients which may be vital to "HORSE SENSE".

When I was old enough to compete in 4-H, rodeos, horse shows, and gymkhanas the partnership I had with horses seemed to change along with my ideas about "HORSE SENSE". The pressure to win was both a good and bad influence on me. My judgment was sometimes clouded by my ultra ego to look and be the best. Therefore I often found myself doing things that were unfair and even unkind to my horse. I now call it a lack of "HORSE SENSE" to blame my horse for a poor performance resulting in a loss, and then take all the credit when I won.

As I reflect on this time, I realize temperance and refinement were two other qualities I needed to develop in order to regain the partnership that I had experienced with Ginger as a very young girl. On days when I would forget about my rigorous practice routine and I could just hang out with my horse by grooming, a free gallop in the pasture, or a swim in the river with my horse, I discovered a sense of balance which kept me on the path toward finding true "HORSE SENSE".

The next leg of my journey for getting a taste of "HORSE SENSE" took me to the Howard Pitzer Ranch near Ericson, NE. As I rode the colts assigned to me in the round pen, I kept my eyes glued on the other end of the arena where Gary Putman, Howard's trainer at the time, showed me a reliable savvy horseman with feel, timing and balance. His ability to decide with soundness what each horse needed was part of the refinement of "HORSE SENSE" I was still missing. I had a new conscious awareness that I had some "raw talent", but I was a long way from being an artisan of horsemanship, like I dreamed of.

While working for a reining trainer in Montana for a very short while I met the first horse who scared me into paralyzing fear. I knew right away that I didn't have the savvy to handle this situation. At least I was rational enough to get out of a very dangerous situation due to my inexperience before I got hurt. I think this decision could be considered "HORSE SENSE".

Later another horse came into my life that left me puzzled, and frustrated. I found myself learning to put up with a lot of undesirable behavior as normal. In reality the horse was training me about what not to do when around him. It was the first horse I couldn't load in a trailer, put a bridle on over his ears, worm him, or give him shots. He was difficult to catch, trim his feet, he spooked a lot and oh, did I mention he pulled back when tied. Other than that he was the perfect horse. Of course, I loved him and so I learned to live with all of these problems. I only tried to solve a couple of these problems. I finally begged a local "horse whisperer" nick-named Pistol Pete to show me how to put the bridle on over his sensitive ears and load him in the trailer. Pistol Pete accomplished the tasks with ease, but after he left I still couldn't do them.

After many years of success, a suit case full of buckles and ribbons, plus a wall full of trophies I became very conscious that I now had quite a bit of experience with horses, but no formal training, and I wasn't as smart as I thought I was. I admitted that what I understood about horses, why they do what they do and how to handle each situation in a positive progressive and natural manner was minimal at best.

Once I opened my mind to the fact that I needed help if I was going to be one of those people with "HORSE SENSE" a whole new horse world appeared to me that I never realized existed. I became a learn-aholic, reading everything I could get my hands on. I went to many clinics, camps, and lessons. I watched videos over and over. I took notes on everything, and kept diaries of my progress.

I spent hours and hours learning from horses. This was something new for me, because in the past my attitude and motivation was much different. I used to do things "to horse" or just "saddle'm up and ride". Now my intention is to do things "with horses".

I'm sure I don't have perfect "HORSE SENSE" yet. But I do know experience, training, and maturity have taught me the pieces of the puzzle I do have and those I'm still missing. Only as I improve my understanding of what makes horses and people tick will I become the kind of horsewoman my horses need me to be in order to get extraordinary results with them.

As you travel the road toward "HORSE SENSE" may you have more fun than you ever dreamed possible, ride safer and give your horse the best gift ever, a savvy partner with some "HORSE SENSE". I believe your horse already has all the "HORSE SENSE" he needs, he's just waiting for you to catch up with him.

Go to www.heartinyourhand.com to find, Camps, clinics, and private lessons where you discover more about confidence, leadership and communication so you have even more fun and success with your horse.

Happy Trails,

Sherry

"Assumptions are the termites of relationships." -- Henry Winkler