I have waited all my
life to write this newsletter, it will disturb many. The first half will be a
long and ugly read, yet necessary to lay the foundation for the end story, so
hang in there. Please note that having been a bodyworker for many decades, I know the horse's spine is not a weight bearing mechanism. Anything after 1/2 hour of riding causes blunt force trauma to the horse's spine.
There comes a time in life when experience crescendos into
who you are and what you are meant to do. In any given field of expertise one
enters, no matter the schooling, it takes years of gleaning through mounds of
false information, to gather a grain of truth.
The horse industry can be a mine field of false information.
Breed Associations, competitive organizations and judging standards often
contribute to standard training practices that are pure torture to the horse.
Many people simply look the other way or become indoctrinated that life is to
be so. A few twisted individuals may take pleasure in inflicting pain. It takes
much to wake humans’ from this multi-layered, deep sleep of delusion.
In the wild horses roam in excess of twenty miles a day. A
herd’s territory can cover 30 to 80 miles. They are a matriarchal society and
depend on the wisdom of the lead mare which guides the herd to known areas of
nourishment and refreshment. Movement is vital to the horses’ health.
Comparative to its size a horse has a relatively small stomach, only holding
2-3 gallons. Constant foraging contributes to the digestive health of horses
with a wide variety of grasses and herbs, enhancing the horses’ vitality.
Lowering the head downwards to graze offers benefits to the lower mandible and
the entire top line of the horse, stretching the back; allowing the sun to
nourish Bai Hui (the meeting point of a thousand meridians), a major
acupuncture point where the pelvis meets the spine. Roving keeps their feet naturally trimmed, and
moving great distances at the walk and trot over various terrain tones and
balances the body the way no human - induced training regime can. The horse is
free to master his own mind and body, influenced only by the tides of Creation.
Imagine the complete terror and hatred that such a majestic
creature, born to signify travel and freedom, feels when rounded up and forced
into metal corrals and trailers, because a human sees fit to do so. Feet once
trimmed and conditioned by keeping time with Mother Earth will need human
intervention to stay “balanced” as the human eye deems proper. A diet once rich
in grasses and herbs that vary with the seasons turns to a dried ration that
dims the palate and state of health. Robbed of the right to journey,
confinement in the small space a stall offers often contributes to aggression.
And yet the horse co-operates and yields to our whims, because such is his
nature to harmonize with us, that we the human may have the opportunity to
grasp the connection to ancient wisdom the horse provides the gateway to.
Please don’t take this gift for granted.
It was once the norm to allow young horses years at pasture
to mature physically, know their bodies and the ways of the horse (a gift many
horses no longer get), before being molded into mans ideal silhouette of what
the horse should be.
Several decades ago, I was a grieving child that lost her
mother. I rode my bicycle to a local stable and was put to work saddling lesson
horses, tending to injured ones and engaging in ground work for the young
horses not yet under saddle, in exchange for riding lessons.
I had a penchant for the horses that had quirks and
difficulties. They taught me more than the complacent ones. I eventually
managed to acquire my first horse Berni.
Berni was young and my family wasn’t exactly well to do, so
it took a while to acquire all the tack needed that was deemed so necessary
back then. A blessing came in the amount of ground work I was able to do with
her at the barn and on the trails. Not riding has many gifts most will
overlook. The silent miles we walked together helped to heal the hole in my
heart my mothers passing left. Berni was and still is my Equine Guided Healer,
long before the notion became vogue.
Harshness is quite prevalent in the horse industry and the
acceptable norm in many cases. In less than a year I gave up my “working
student” status. I learned more from just listening to Berni the first six
months than lessons could teach me. I found this little brown horse could tell
me better her needs when the chatter of others was not in the equation.
There was a bunch of us teenage girls that would gather on
quiet afternoons at the stable. Theses sessions were nothing more than idle
playtime that bore fruit to bigger lessons in life.
Some wanting to ride bareback would ask for a leg up. We had
a streak of mischief in us and it wasn’t uncommon to be heave-hoed clean over
the other side of our patient mounts. Unbelievable though it may be, some were
not so appreciative of this roughhouse humor and chose the service of a
trustworthy mounting block or fence. Some took the opportunity to hop on their
horses with their own agility (they had short horses). Those with the most
warped sense of humor combined elements of timing and strength to override the
gang of over-zealous revelers trying to topple you off your mount. While
working through our own fears and learning a thing or two about human nature, a
simultaneous lesson of trust was cemented with our mounts.
We rode with neck ropes and never wore a helmet (this was
back in the day). Though what we did was possibly dangerous, deeper lessons
were being forged. We weren’t fettered by rules that were indoctrinated. We
spent hours knowing our horses and what would scare them before it did.
If something scared our horses, in our silly, little girl
way, we would talk and show our mounts why they needn’t be fearful of such and
such. We weren’t colored by the judgment of others regarding our methods. Our
horses were aware we knew how they felt and both parties honored limits and
found creative ways to get over idiosyncrasies so we could get on with the more
important business of folly!
This was the “safety agreement” in action: either side
voicing concern when ones safety felt compromised (in this case the courtesy
extended via non-verbal communication). Here the basis was laid of having the
horse wanting to work for us and not having to work for us. Evidenced by that
bright-eyed, ears forward “what are we gonna do next” look the equines would
give us, following us to our next conquest of nonsense.
That little group of girls knew nothing of animal
communication, bending energy, or much of anything else. We just had fun and
our horses did too. Our mounts never greeted us with a swing of rump (a warning
of being pushed too far). There were eager knickers and pawing at the door. A
mutual joy emanated that erased the burdens of the day.
While great strides have been made in the horse industry, it
can still be a place where owners of privilege pay those skilled in horsemanship
(not necessarily in finances) to “train” their horses. If the owner does not
feel the horse is progressing fast enough, there is often fear on the trainers
part of losing a client, so the trainer may employ shortcuts and quick fixes,
or simply push the horse too hard and fast, to win the race or in show ring;
the horse being the sacrificial lamb at the altar of the ego. Ethics and
morality often wane in the floods of ego and materialism. Pretty silks, show
coats and ribbons do little to cover the stain of pain one can witness on the
back side of the track or show ring.
In a time when human’s lived a less frenzied paced life, the
horse was given the courtesy of pasture life as a youngster. Playing hard with
pasture mates as only horse’s can, developing balance and physical prow ness,
eating a more natural diet helping them bloom into maturity.
At age 3 or 4 they were started under saddle, not starting
serious work till later in life as bone and mind matured. Many riders take for
granted this important step in a horse’s life; when the horse grants to
humanity the willingness, not only of our physical weight, but our mental,
emotional and spiritual burdens to rest on their backs. No rider should ever
take this treasure for granted.
The horse’s skull and spine fully mature and stop growing at
age 7 years. By then most horses started in this country will have suffered a
great deal of trauma to the head and mouth by well meaning but misguided, harsh
and fearful hands, ditto the spine by less than balanced riders, ill fitting
saddles and work the horses conformation maybe less than suited for.
It is now common for the stunted little, two-legged being
with the enormous ego to take the horse at about 6 months of age; place the
foal in a stall, feed him rich food from a feeder and prohibiting the horse
from eating at ground level which helps to stretch the topline (back) and
allows the jaws to work as they were designed too, coupled with insufficient
exercise. The horse experiences problems with growth plates in his delicate
bones and joints as a result. Options from dietary changes or pasture to
surgery if the problem is severe enough give the appearance of solving the
problem.
Soon peer pressure pushes people to enter futurities for 2
year olds. As fore-mentioned, the horses’ spine and skull do not “mature” and
stop growing till the age of 7 years. There is untold damage being done to very
sensitive tissues by the weight of the rider and the demand of the job the
horse is being trained for. This aside from any falls or pulling that may occur
while the horse is being taught to stand tied, ridden or just playing.
Depending on the horses breed and riding discipline, each
genre has its own acceptable horrors.
Saddlebreds and gaited horses often suffer the most severe
training as the silhouette that suits the human eye for these horses cause the
horse to be trained and move in a frame in complete contrast to how a horse is
designed to move.
Just as we need to bend our knees and round our backs to
efficiently lift weight, so must the horse engage its hind, the abs help to
lift the rib cage (and efficiently carry our weight) and scope the neck, the
head will automatically fall on to the vertical. Proper movement starts with
the strength and fluidity in the haunches. The sacrum is the most rigid of
spinal structures, much like the end of a whip. Conscientious horse folk know
to build this foundation well. Once you get to the head: that will be like the
lash end of the whip, lots of movement and flexibility. It should be the last
part of the horse to be “finished” in training.
Many riders that fixate on setting the head in the desired
position are so busy riding the horses mouth, they disconnect from riding well
with their seat (where a good rider initiates the dance with the horse from)
and the horse moves about with the haunches trailing behind like a boat with
the motor half out of the water, lacking impulsion and drive. This type of
riding will induce TMJ problems, neck problems, back problems and a whole list
of ills in the LS joint, hips, stifles and hocks. This is a common error in
many riding disciplines. The entire haunch is designed to work in unison like a
spring loaded mechanism. This hollowed riding posture induces damage akin to
lifting heavy weights with straight legs and a hollowed back in people – you
can feel the pain! Caustic substances are often introduced to orifices to
enhance the “fire” of certain breeds.
Adding insult to injury these breeds are often shod with a
very long foot and sometimes weighted shoes and added chains on the lower legs
to induce pain and cause the horse to exaggerate leg movement as a result of
pain. This practice is not allowed, but one can still witness less torturous
practices in warm up areas of the show ring. Let alone what goes on away from
prying eyes. Picture Olympic athletes competing in high heels or platform shoes
and you can just imagine the strain induced on connective tissue.
Western pleasure horses are often shown in absurdly slow
gaits. There is a practice of “blood-letting”, draining a certain amount of the
horses’ blood to induce that lethargic gate rewarded in the show ring.
“Bitting” a horse (the head is tied to one side via a bit in the horses mouth
and a side rein pulled short) is touted by many to “supple” a horse. The horse
is left in the stall, head tied to one side for a long periods of time. The
Dutch doors closed, so no one needs to look the poor creature in the eye, which
pitifully looks for help and does not understand. The pain this can induce in
the head, neck, shoulders and back – unimaginable. They submit and are dulled
in spirit, conforming to earn their daily bread.
Drugging is common; in disciplines such as racing, 2 year
olds are on grueling training schedules. Others like jumpers though they can
and will jump, are being subjected to something very unnatural for a horse to
be doing. Years ago I was made aware of a race horse headed for slaughter (a
common end for many). This creature was so loaded with pain killers, he
suffered from “chemical founder”. The hoof capsule literally sloughed off due
to the caustic substances he was pumped with, so he could continue to run while
in so much pain; his final insult, a grievous last ride to slaughter as the
numbers of creatures like him are so staggering and qualified homes to rehab
them so few. While drug-testing and other laws and measures are taken to stem
the lack of integrity in human ways, the sheer volume and cost of random
testing keeps the despicable practices alive as the lure of materialism feeds
this wretched beast.
In Europe horses fare a bit
better, they are started later, 3 – 4 years old and not put into heavy work
till the bones stop growing at 7. This is an age where some may have noted that
the horse “finally gets it”. There is a “knowing” about them at that magical
age. Many of these horses imported to this country will quickly deteriorate
under riding practices in this country, no matter how well bred or started the
horse is. There is a practice in dressage (Rollkur) and other riding
disciplines, where the horses head is pulled in behind the vertical (the horse
is actually flexing at the 2nd vertebrae in the neck rather than the
poll) and lowered, this practice in turn jams the lower back amongst other
areas. Dr. Vet Horst Weller necropsied horses post mortem and found a great
deal of calcification at the base of the skull, bony nodules inside the nuchal
ligament and mineralization of the ligament in dressage and jumping horses.
Horses used for hacking, trotters, ponies had little or no build up of bone in
this area.
All this, shameful, but true; a grim sampling of things I
have witnessed in 30 years of service to the horse, and at times fired for
voicing a need to stop the torture. The list can go on, but you get the
picture.
The less obvious taint to training is the erroneous
assumption that man is balanced enough (both of mind and body) to tell a
thousand pound beast what to do.
To properly tell this story one must access and accept as
truth the connection the natural world shares and that man has strayed so far
away from. Native Americans knew the Great Spirit spoke to the two-legged
through the grace of the creatures. Many cling to this like some fable, yet the
reality comes to our attention when our creatures are able to tell when the
earthquake or tsunami comes and the human, with all our sophisticated equipment
cannot. This difficult foundation had to be laid in order for the following
case to make remote sense to those not savvy with the horse industries taints
and maybe even more so to those who need to justify such acts.
Some folks need 3 plus 3 to always equal 6. There are others
that will suffer great ennui knowing the equation will always be so.
For those needing the tidy sum to always to be same, there
are a host of biomechanical, tissue manipulation, saddle-fitting, dietary and
surgical interventions to ease in their minds they have done all that is
physically known to keep their horses from breaking down.
As an example, in the horse, the lower leg consists of bone
and tendon, a common injury of horses is to bow the tendons in the front legs.
Tendon strain occurs when muscles tire and the sinewy tendon takes on the job
designed for the bulky muscle. It can also occur as a result of slipping and
straining the tissue, or an abnormality of the leg conformation.
Many horses have a certain dry, hard muscle build and
tension that gives the impending troubles away, they tend to always be working
through some sort of pain. These creatures lack supple muscle tissue that springs
back to life with fluids and nourishment and knows how to breathe.
Back in the day, it was the norm to allow 6 months to a year
to allow this type of injury to heal itself. Now there are stem cell
transplants in the tendon tissue to resolve the injury. While some find
success, others find it may only stave off the inevitable at best, as the
rider’s habits that induced the bow to begin with were not addressed. A
mechanical fix will not always lead to the riders’ ability to listen to and act
upon the prayer in the horses’ heart. As the tissue gives way again, sounds
fades to the distance.
Here is the fun part for those of us that 3 plus 3 needs to
be something more than the predictable 6.
I dearly love working with soft tissue. The body never lies,
all that is ever written in a cells history, and the history of the mental,
emotional and spiritual planes of a being, reveal that history to the hands and
knowing of those willing to read this information. It is most amusing when
people only want a certain area of concern to be worked on, they are then
surprised when the horse reacts in an area completely different than the one
they fixate on. Addressing the whole horse speaks to areas of compensation as
well as the originating weak link, often lost under layers of imposed insults.
It really never is just that “one thing” that people would like it to be, it is
a complex web of “many”.
While fixating on the front leg with the heat and swelling
(screaming for the most attention), most riders miss the diagonal haunch,
congested with tension, inflammation and pain. Such was the situation in a
recent case.
In Nov. 09 a trainer whom I enjoy teaming efforts with
called to work on a horse she was concerned about. She was worried about
swelling in the tendons of the left front leg, feeling guilty as she was
pushing his training to get ready for a show. The owner was leery of spending
the amount that the stem cell route would entail. As an alternative they gave
me a call.
When first working on a horse, I run my hands along the
entire body to scan for areas of sensitivity, heat, tension, always keeping an
eye on the horse’s reaction as I pass over certain spots. As I reached the
right hind quarter, there was heat and congestion. The horse kept pushing into
me (almost sitting on me) to “work” that area. The forms of energetic release I
employ to get my job done are varied, gentle, deep acting and effective. I
completed balancing the body, releasing tension in muscles too tight, and
giving a signal to those muscles too lax to get back to work. Many horses that
present themselves the way this horse did suffer from severe sciatic pain (I am
not a vet, I do not diagnose, this comes simply via animal communication and
what the tissue speaks to my hands).
While the trainer was still worried about the front leg, I
was glad to release the right hind. It is my experience that connective tissue
problems in the front legs often originate in the corresponding diagonal hind.
As the hind is designed to work as a spring and there are 3 other legs to shift
the problem onto (the horse being a master compensator), there are a multitude
of ills hiding in the haunches many people overlook or don’t even know where to
start looking.
The remedy, Rhus. Tox. 1m was given for “restlessness, pains tearing in tendons, ligaments and fascia, better for motion,
soreness of condyles of bones, sciatica right side”. Rajan Sankaran in his
book “The Soul of Remedies” describes Rhus. Tox. “as someone facing some kind of danger or attack from members of his
own family and feels helpless and forsaken by others”. This can be the very
feeling many horses have being pushed too far and thus remedy is a good opener
for cases involving horses.
The following session released to a deeper level of comfort
for the horse. The right hind quarter was no longer hot and taunt. The horse
did not insist on pushing this part of his body onto me as before, a very good
sign. I prefer the horse push into me so they apply more pressure, rather than
assuming I know the amount of pressure right for the horse. The shoulders and
neck carried more tension this time. Another good sign, as the sore areas
shift, one gets closer to restoring integrity in the tissue.
At this time Ruta 200c “spine
and limbs feel bruised, stiffness in wrists and hands, tendons sore”, and Cal. Flour. 30c, were employed. Here again
Sankaran describes the feeling of Cal. Flour. “as the persons source of security or support is unstable and
unreliable”. Most horses will need a remedy in the Cal. Family somewhere along the way as the
trainer herself mentioned “she pushed to hard getting ready for the show”. The
horse was willing, but unable to live up to her expectation, leaving him
feeling unstable about his “security”. Plus, Cal. Flour. is wonderful at restoring tissue
elasticity!
This horse had a very up-right, right front hoof, known as a
club foot, there was also considerable flare to the toe on this foot. Such a
flare on the toe of the hoof “pulls” on the soft tissue in the hoof capsule,
giving a pre-laminitic feel. The corresponding left front hoof had a run down
heel on the hoof. In most major show barns this is an all too common imbalance
in the fore legs of horses. After working with numerous performance horses of
various breed and disciplines, I am quite convinced this is in most cases, a
man made condition.
Most riders are right handed/sided. It is very common for
riders with the right sided dominance to ride slightly collapsed to the right.
This adds a subtle but noticeable burden to the right side of the tissue of the
horse. Additionally, because of this right sided dominance, most people will
work a horse more to the left (while working in a ring) as the horse moves off
their dominant side with more ease. This is evidenced in Equine Guided Healing
as most right sided people will work the horse more to the left (working off
the humans’ right side). If asked to work from the humans left side, most are
so atrophied; the human will struggle to find the strength and balance to move
the energy of the horse efficiently and with grace in the weak direction. This
causes an innate choice to work more off our dominant side; most people will
need to be told to move the horse in the opposite direction to keep the animal
balanced but more importantly to begin balancing the human.
I suggested a bare-foot trimmer that would address the club
foot with the flare with a different eye than most farriers. There is a
tendency for many hoof specialists to trim feet to pathology. Having the
benefit of working in many different areas gives me the opportunity to access
the talents of many incredible individuals that address imbalances in the
hooves and teeth of horses. As long as that foot stayed the same, my work would
only stave off the inevitable at best. Using more or stronger remedies at this
point, would only lead to suppressing an imbalance that needed a mechanical
change in the foot fall of that hoof in particular. The change was made to
balance the feet and a new level of healing was ushered in.
The trainer kept a solid routine of not riding the horse,
and most importantly allowing the horse to find its new “normal”. Years of
carrying compensation and pain will leave the body feeling and moving very
differently. This is where the human really needs to stand down and let the horse
find its new balance. I have been blessed with a wonderful clientele that
respects and allows this gift to the horse. The glow goes both ways when this
happens and amazing things result.
By the third visit, I was astounded as to how much this
horse had muscled up (sticking to slow and steady work – but not ridden). The
feet were much more in balance. An interesting conversation about leg wraps
took place that day. The gal asked if I used leg wraps. I mentioned that unless
there is something pretty severe going on be it injury or conformational
problems, I don’t. I prefer to have the horse speaking to me on all levels –
and that includes swelling, to make me the trainer I would like to be, but
mostly to respect the abilities of the tissues I am asking performance of.
With feet more in balance and the connective tissue blooming
with equilibrium, a final combination of tissue salts (Cal. Flour., Cal. Phos.,
and Sil. all 6x, 4 tablets each for 2 weeks) were used to sustain tissue
integrity, elasticity and addressing possible remaining scar tissue. Keeping
the momentum going of what was started. There was minimum inflammation in the
left front. A final piece of the puzzle was just about to fall into place.
A short while later the trainer called with a message that
breathed life into my bones. She was long-lining the horse to build upon the
wholesome foundation that was evolving. She gave the horse the freedom to find
his balance, in doing so the horse went “straight”, possibly for the first time
in a very long time, on his own; as he did the swelling in the left front,
cleared completely.
Straightness is the horse moving with each leg firmly under
each of his “corners”. This is a treasure that really good horsemen know takes
years to develop. It should not be imposed upon the horse, as fore mentioned in
the lengthy introduction to this part of the newsletter, but rather a dance
that evolves over time. For those not familiar with horses it seems this should
come natural. All life is born with its own inherited imbalances; in all levels
of a being. The more constrained and contorted the mentals and emotions, the
more evident gait anomalies become to the trained eye.
In any show ring or race track you will see horses careening
around the track or ring with their haunches or shoulders facing towards or
away from the rail. Kind of like a car with a bent frame after an accident.
This imbalance will affect a diagonal set of legs, depending on the slant of
their travel. This is not traveling straight.
Likewise when a horse travels in an arc, in horse terms
known as the bend; say one wants to turn to the left, looking in the desired
direction of travel will initiate the turn to a horse. This will cause the left
seat bone to give a subtle but active signal to the horse. The horse should
then initiate the turn via the head, one can feel the neck bones follow through
the shoulders, back as the hind legs power through the turn. A balanced horses
back hoof prints will fall into the hoof prints of the front feet, tracking straight
through the bend of the turn (the same holds true on the straightway) – this is
straightness. This is an over simplified version, as much more goes on, but for
the benefit of those not familiar with horses, a condensed version.
The trainer also noted that prior to this horse finding his
“straightness”, all the exercises used to teach the horse straightness
(leg-yields, shoulder-in, haunches-in), were nothing more than an evasion to
pain. I was almost in tears at this point of the conversation as experienced
horse folks of many years rarely come to this level of knowing about the
creatures they ride, let alone to admit so.
Having found his balance and straightness, the horse could
now perform the moves with ease and not having one side be “stuck” and “needing
more rein, leg or spur” to get the movement from the horse. For me this was
validation on a whole new level. I have had to witness some pretty ugly things
in 30 years of service to the horse. Many times one is slammed by those in the
“know” as what is possible clashes with the delusion that perpetuates disease.
My heart glows as the numbers of this caliber of client grows and the honor of
the horse is restored.
But the story does not end here. Time came for the fourth
session, at first the horse seemed to “have enough”; not really wanting the
session. It was as if he was saying “I’m good now”. I did a few more moves and
the horse relaxed to a whole new level, neither one of us expected. I could
feel deep releases in his sacrum, pelvis and deep in the cranium. He relaxed
into a deeper, more grounded version of himself. It was really amazing to be
part of, and for me, even more telling to respect the rate at which a being is
ready to be healed. Many horses need to keep a certain amount of “characature
armour” because of how they are ridden and what is expected of them. It would
be ill advised to release tissue too much in such a creature as the rider will
induce much trauma via the ego. Such creatures do well with a more superficial
release version of healing work, the horse knows more than we do.
At this point we also had a discussion about halters and
bridles. This particular gaited breed has a signature head bob with his gaited
movement. While many people are fans of the rope halters with the strategically
placed knots, I am not. These knots rest over major nerve plexus that emerge
from the skull. They cause pain, they are uncomfortable, and nothing we do with
horses is “natural”. Natural is what the mustangs have before we rob them of
the life they have a right to. If you are going to have some sort of healing
work done, stick to regular web or leather halters. Rope halters irritate
tissue one is trying to release. The head is an awful place to carry discomfort
and pain. Bosals offer clearer signals to the horse (without the irritating
knots), and to me the bit one uses doesn’t really matter as much as the hands
guiding the information the bit is trying to send. A shoestring can be
torturous in the right hands. The change was made and the horse found a new
swing and freedom to his step. Letting go of what we think we know is the
blessing.
Humans will often want a speedy recovery to continue playing
the games of their egos, regularly at the expense of others. When we stop and
give something else their voice and actually listen, the results will expedite
our expectations (get out of your own way). This in turn will foster a deeper
level of acknowledgement, understanding and respect for all life. The more one
allows oneself into this communion with life, the less damage occurs, the more
life is enriched. No ribbon or trophy can grant the same feel to the heart and
soul. This is a kinship that eradicates fear from the relationship between man
the predator and horse the prey. If deep down you fear your horse, you have no
clue what this paragraph should mean. This fear is the root of many of the
torturous occurrences mentioned in the first part of this article.
In the days when I was rehabbing problem horses’ pain and
frustration were common ills. When the remedy of horse milk was proven in
homeopathy, those interested in horses got a really good insight as to the
dis-satisfaction horses are putting up with. This was confirmation for what I
already knew. Once you know there is no going back.
Some horses I would spend a good six months working on slow,
medium and fast walk and trot; engaging properly when working hills, before
even attempting the canter. A minimal amount of time spent on basics (10 to 15
min.), making sure never to drill the horse to boredom (if the body can it
will). I would over prepare to build the horses confidence (pushing to our
expectation can induce a huge lack of confidence in horses) till the horse
offered the canter on their own. Dissipating expectation allowed these horses
sovereignty to find themselves and their strengths that man robs trying to ease
his own fears.
There is a level of riding that will act upon the tissues as
body work. I first wrote about this in an old newsletter in 2001. The spine
will feel like loose flexible cup links to a train, the back will rise (so sad
that many riders only know this feeling when a horse is about to buck and
therefore fear this correct feeling); the neck supple and free to initiate the
floating movement of the feet. Each foot connects with the ground with
conviction and a solid reciprocity that springs the nurture of Mother Earth
back to horse and rider. How many riders know this feel after years of riding?
Not enough, because too many clutch at the reins for dear life, fearful because
the relationship was built on fraud.This level of riding is rarely seen and as fore-mentioned, anything more than 1/2 hour of riding causes trauma to the horses spine.
The good news is 10 years after that early newsletter; a new
reality emerges for more and more horses and their riders. While it gives the
appearance of something new, it is really a very old song the planet has sung
to her offspring since conception. It honors and nurtures the unique and
special qualities endowed to each individual as falsely imposed barriers melt
into harmonization and breathes new life into our bones and our relationships.
