Shaman, Rascal, Ranger and Black Elk All Mustangs from the Wild
All horses have one direction that is easier than the other, and some days are better than others. Our job is to help them become more balanced. Stretching on the outside and contracting on the inside. Today, Black Elk was not as relaxed and when asked to canter to the left, his less favorite direction, he cantered but pulled.
Rascal and Black Elk, the Butt Biter!
Now, he's big- 16-3, huge bone and well developed. When he's pulling it's a lot of horse out there on the end of the line.
So, what to do?
I started with having him walk and yield his hind quarters, then trot and yield his hind quarters. It's hard work, but when he's yielding, he's NOT pulling. So, once that was established, I let out more line and asked for a canter and VOILA! A beautiful round canter! No pulling on the rope, bending nicely, slow and round.
After a few steps, yes, that little, I praised him and let him come in for a treat.
Back again to yielding at the walk, the trot and once he relaxed into the trot, I asked for the canter and once again- it was just perfect!
Having had hot off the track Throughbreds, appendix quarter horses, anglo- arabs, I was pretty much unprepared for the Introverted Horse. At first he just seemed shy, then I thought perhaps he was a bit of a social geek, as the other horses often seemed to herd up and there Black Elk would be - all on his own. He didn't seem to mind being on his own so much, not upset by it. In fact, it was hard to tell what did upset him. Well, that is - until it was too late. One thing was clear to me though - HE DID NOT WANT TO BE PUSHED!
He was lucky to have found me for I was all about exploring draw and positive re-enforcement, clicker training and 'the pause'. I was lucky this was of interest to me, as otherwise working with Black Elk would have been very frustrating. Instead it has been
interesting.
"wow, that's interesting!"
Rather than: 'what's wrong with him...?" He has taught me a lot about the Introvert - Horse and Human!
Today he taught me something new. I have long since found that working with my horses at liberty, companion walking and just hanging out with them for an hour or so, makes for a much happier training session on the lunge, or riding. I have grown to love this time so much, in the winter months it's how we spend the bulk of our time together. The minutes slip away, the horses all want to be with me, and I sing to them. Nothing is forced, no one is made to do a thing, but lots is offered and the enthusiasm is high. I leave them feeling in a state of bliss.
Living in the Pacific Northwest, the weather is always changing, and we had a low pressure system moving in. I missed the hour of quasi-sunshine, and while out with the herd, it grew progressively darker. With the falling pressure, the horses were feeling lazy and rather unmotivated.
My intention for the day was to work with Black Elk on his cantering, and so in preparation, I heard Carolyn Resnick's voice in my head, and I moved to 'Leading From Behind' with Black Elk. It was pretty fun as Rascal and Shaman companion walked with me, one on each side, while I pushed and paused and turned Black Elk around the rain soaked arena. All very gently, no hurry. This exercise is used for building a work ethic.
Putting the other boys away with a winter treat of willow to chew on, I put a halter and rope on Black Elk. In the driest part of the arena, I sent him out on the lunge. Walking and trotting are easy, but he's still not so thrilled about all the energy required to canter. He has a lovely canter. This 16-3 mustang looks like a Warmblood and his canter is amazingly round, slow and relaxed.
At a trot, he blew and started chewing and then completely on his own accord offered the canter. Three beautiful circles, no pushing from me, no pulling on the lunge from him, round, balanced, relaxed, the stuff that dreams are made of!
All from a simple, non-confrontational exercise, and of course the hours it takes to make a good connection. It's easy and it's natural.
Saturday, my granddaughter, Trinity was with me. She had wanted to spend some time with one of our horses. She's a very active girl, and being still is not easy for her. But she asked for a lesson in connection.
Ranger, Shaman, Rascal
We began by seeing who wanted to interact. It was Ranger, much to my surprise. Ranger is Ken's horse, and the one horse I rarely work with. He has not done much of the liberty work I so enjoy. So, we took Ranger and spent some time grooming him. His mane is long and wavy and it had lots of dreadlocks, so it was a bit of a chore.
Notice the LACK OF CONNECTION and their expressions
The other horses were let out to graze and we let Ranger graze for a while on the lawn, while we talked about what we would be doing. I told Trinity it would require patience and focus and relaxation, and that there was no knowing what exactly would happen. She would just have to relax into the experience.
We began by sitting on the stump in the arena. I stayed with her, as she was somewhat frightened of the horse. He went over by the gate wanting to go be with the other horses. So we sat together, and I told her, we are not to think about the horse, our job is to listen to the birds, the sound of the wind, watch the clouds, feel the sun, enjoy the moment. But, not picture the horse, or try to get the horses attention. So, that's what we did and as we relaxed and softened our eyes, Ranger came over to be with us.
He hung his head down and sniffed the back of Trinity's hair, he inhaled her scent. He explored her. He was gentle and slow, as if she were a new foal. If she got frightened, I told her to just wave her hands a little bit and he moved a step or so away. She was NOT to touch him. After a while he just stood over us and hung out. Carolyn Resnick calls this Sharing Territory. It's what the old cowboys did when they went to fix fence day after day with a young horse, focusing on the fence, but giving the horse time to know them - Without the focus of the predator on them. It builds trust.
After a while, I told her, I'd leave the arena, and she could stand up and wait for Ranger to see if he'd join her. From outside the arena, I instructed her in the dance steps of building the connection. This is what it looked like...
He was happy to be with her, but I hoped with time she could become the leader.
He stayed right with her, as she walked around and around, making circles and weaving between barrels.
I wanted to see him by her shoulder, not pushing her along, so in our effort to change the dynamic, he walked off, and she was instructed to follow him, gently, stopping when he stopped and moving him in the direction she wanted him to go. Just as he did moments before.
When Ranger rejoined Trinity, he was more willing to walk by her shoulder.
Without force, without a halter or a rope a novice 8 year old is "leading" Ranger easily and naturally. When I asked her what she felt she said: I felt like I was one with the horse.
Neither of them is scared!
The horse feels safe and relaxed.
And once again, I was in awe and in love with this work! This is such a
loving way to Experience Horses! For more information check out my website: www.naturalhorsemanshiponorcas.com
Our trip off island with Shaman to the Robin Gates Clinic, in our trailer was calm and uneventful. He loaded in about one minute, looking confident and relaxed and off we went to the ferry. Sometimes it's best to pay attention to the flow of things and the road blocks as well! I certainly had had some things standing in my way of taking Rascal and Black Elk.
When we unloaded Shaman at the farm, he was well behaved and contained himself, until he saw the terrifying red and green horses in the adjoining pen! Having always lived 'au natural' he had never seen a horse in a blanket. Off he blasted - fortunately I had long since learned to release a rope easily, so he raced around, snorted and eventually realized, oh, they are just horses!
I could write in depth about the clinic, but it's really something that should be experienced, and it's hard to tell about. Robin's message was: I Am Just Telling You What You Already Know. It's about connection, not force, it's about meeting the horse where the horse is, not demanding he meet you where you want to be, it's about listening to the horse, it's about being loving and compassionate, it's truly about making your relationship with the horse the most important part of being with the horse. It's about just being with the horse!
It's NOT about performance, or dominance or tricks. It's heart opening and fosters self realization. It's spiritual - connecting your spirit with the horse and with yourself. It's magic!
In the video you will see Robin meet Shaman where he was that day. Where he was emotionally - and spiritually. She became like him: you could almost hear him say ' you are just like me!' and then he joined her, and in finding a leader, relaxed. It truly was amazing.
People at the clinic were surprised at how nice a mustang can be; a woman with a very elegant (and expensive) warmblood said she'd be looking at the BLM next time she was horse hunting. A vet said it was such a pleasure to see a horse move so correctly and without any pain. Many commented on his correct conformation, perfect feet, sweet disposition and respect. I felt like a representative sent from the BLM!
This video was on the first day and he was frightened by all the eyes on him. Quite a new experience, except for when he was in the corrals at the BLM in Burns, Oregon. The next day, I made sure I was in the arena with him, as people wandered in, we met each person and I had many offer him a treat, soon he was no longer worried about all those new folks.
I was the last one at the clinic, waiting for my husband to come with the truck. He had been overloaded on the ferry and was running late. I loaded Shaman easily, took off his halter and then in backing out of the trailer he came out with me. Brilliant! Now it was dusk and he was free.
He ran over to see a horse in a pasture down by the driveway. I have to admit, I was thinking Oh boy.... now what! Would he listen to me in this place that was still so new, would he come to me as he does so happily at home, would he be frightened and run? But, all went well, and I walked over to him quietly, waited a moment for him to offer his head and slipped the rope over his neck and put on the halter. Little did I know that I had an audience who were also holding their breath for me! Again, we loaded, this time I was careful to keep him in the trailer!
This is a continuation of the letter from yesterday. My student wanted to know what I thought of a horse she had gone to see, and this was my response to the video she sent me.
Shaman, Rascal, Ranger, Black Elk
This horse is a really pretty guy, very flashy. At 5 years of age you can
be sure he is very green. Parelli says green and green results in black
and blue. I think he's right. I also know it's hard to find a good
solid citizen that we could all hope for, to learn from. The perfect
horse would be closer to 10 and maybe even 18! Lots more hours on an
older horse. Parelli says 2000 hours are needed on a horse for a
beginner. Yes, that's a lot. If you figure 2 hours a day/ 5 days a
week, that would be about 4 years. Some horses are quiet,
unflappable and just cope. Quarter horses are bred for that quality.
Those QH/Halflinger mares that I trained were more like that, especially Sadie,
it's not that they were smarter, but they were so much less fearful
that they progressed with out much fuss.
My style is to ask the
horse only a bit more each day, my goal is NO DUST and NO BLOWUPS! I rarely have any. My training can look like grass growing, but you end up with a happy and confident
horse who is delighted to see you and willing to participate.
All this to say that temperament is paramount. There is a difference
between temperament and spirit. Think about that!
This horse was not so happy being ridden. Did you notice his tail?
Wringing, swatting about, either his back hurt or he didn't like
what he was doing. You want to see a horse's tail relaxed and
swaying, it's an extension of his back. He also seemed rather
dominant and I think he could be pushy. (not terrible but you'd
need to be firm with your boundaries)
He was not relaxed or happy
in the arena doing ground work either. He was much more relaxed on
the road. I think you'd find him a lot to start with. That being
said, if you are not in a rush to ride, if you are willing to spend
time hanging out, doing ground work, walking the trails, working at
liberty, knowing riding could be a year or more in the future for
you, knowing the journey will be slow as you are both green, then
find out more about him, if you like him.
This weekend was my second Robin Gates Clinic. I had intended to take Rascal as he was the most trained of my horses, and really ready for a new place. Lynn's farm is calm and feels safe and I felt it would be a good beginning for new experiences.
Naturally three days prior to the clinic Rascal turned up sore. I did Jin Shin with about 50% improvement, but felt the ride in the trailer was likely to bring up the issue again. So, I deceided to take Black Elk, as it had been Black Elk who I'd worked with the most of late, and who was the most mysterious to me!
Since I had planned on trailering with a friend, this meant now I only had a few days to get him ready. He happily loaded on my trailer and off we went to my friend's. He was pretty full of himself over at her place and I saw a part of him that I did not expect - he acted bold and in charge! Whew - wish I had a camera when he climbed on top of the hay box to prove his point that he was top dog! Her horse, very kind, laid back and younger than Black Elk, was OK with his showing off, and they had a quiet night.
Once there, I realized I was totally unprepared for having Black Elk travel with another horse, tied with side panels and not loose. By the next morning, the goal I had set for myself that day was to play with my horse in a new place - if we got into the new trailer and could stand tied - great! We played around trees and through new gates and up and down the hills and eventually, I gave it a half-hearted go at getting him in my friend's trailer.
Loading, tieing, being confined by the side pannels, and then trailering to a strange place via boat and highway. Frankly, I was questioning why I wanted to do this at all! Why would I risk my lovely, loving horse by draggind him down the busy highway, away from his home, his herd and his security to have him participate in a clinic? What was in it for him? Not much that I could see.... it was all about me. And for me... I didn't really know why I had wanted to do this so much either!
When he wasn't willing to put more than his front feet in my friends trailer and she suggested that it was time for some pressure, I made the decission to take him home. This wasn't the right time for this horse to be pressured and I needed to be in control of his well being. So, we quietly went to our trailer and he loaded up without a pause.
The night I came home from my first Clinic with Robin Gates, Shaman had come to me in a dream. In the dream he said: "Why is it always about Rascal and Black Elk, why are they always first string with you? Why not me?" That dream made me feel so sad for Shaman, as it was true in many ways.
So, I had thought about taking Shaman - first of all as he had come to me in that dream, and because he loves Liberty Work - often offering things like rolling barrels, getting up on mounting blocks, backing up when I stand behind him. He allso has a boldness and sense of self that is stronger than either Black Elk or Rascal. I felt he could deal with the newness most easily and in fact he loves showing off, and he'd done the most trailering.
With 16 hours left, I decieded to take Shaman, in our own trailerto meet Robin and crew.
I have been writing back and forth with a student who is looking to buy her first horse, and my husband read the letter and exclaimed, this is a blog! So here you go! Names have been changed to protect the innocent!
In preparation for getting your horse -
Rascal and Kate
I would love to get into a lesson routine with you. I would suggest twice a
week and to add in some 'hang out' time with that. (like an hour
lesson and grooming/hand walking for another hour). I don't leave my
horses unsupervised with anyone because every interaction is
training, but for you to have time to groom Shaman and learn about
pressure and release, while he's a liberty in a round pen, would be
excellent for you, as would walking with him. I would be around,
but not instructing during that time. I might be grooming or working
with another horse. I am thinking that we could consider a monthly
'package'.
Shaman and Kate
You will benefit greatly by working with a trained horse. What is so unique about Shaman is his generosity of spirit. You can
experience what it's like to have a connection with a horse, without
having put the time and work into creating that connection in the
first place. Shaman in particular is so willing to offer it to you.
I think it's like learning dressage from a schoolmaster, the horse
teaches you what the movements feel like. Sometimes Shaman is the
teacher and I act as guide/translator, sometimes I am the
teacher/educator and he is there so you can practice - when you get
it right- he'll respond by doing what you want. It's quite different
than teaching the horse. I would like for you to have that
experience as well, but it's best to learn first from schooled
horses!
The more you know about how to handle a horse the better able you
will be to evaluate the horses you are looking at. If you fully
understand the 7 games, for example, you can use all of them when
looking at a horse, and each will tell you something about that horse.
As for the woman with the Percheron, who sent you a video, I would ask her for a better and larger
formatted video. She can load it to Youtube. I'd ask for her to
demonstrate his ground skills. Show him being haltered,
brushed, his feet being picked up and cleaned, how stands for grooming and harnessing. I'd pay a lot of attention to his willingness - does he go up to the trainer/owner and willingly put his head in a halter, does he stand quietly and contentedly, is it easy for her to lift his feet?
Snow Angel!
Then I'd ask for a video of him pulling the
forcart/wagon and being saddled, mounted, walk/trot/canter both
directions, standing while mounted, how he handles with another
horse in the corral would be good too. If he's had Parelli training,
have her do a video of the 7 games with him as well. Find out how many hours
of riding has he had. How many hours of pulling a cart? What happens
when he's stressed and upset. Is he easy to read? On a scale of 1-10
what is his temperament and how would she describe it. Would she
consider him a seasoned horse good for a novice? ( I could go on....
!)
The rest of this letter will be tomorrow's post. So, come back tomorrow!
All my mustangs love the snow! Here is Shaman hanging out with me at Liberty in the middle of a snowstorm. He loves to walk with me, matching every footfall, stopping as I stop, trotting when I jog, being cute up on the stump. No matter what I ask of him, he is willing. Why is that?
It's all about Connection. It is the result of many, many hours of playing with Shaman and making it fun for him. It's about developing a language that is subtle and kind, and a relationship that puts the horse first.
Shouldn't all our relationships be that way? Full of focus, kindness, play? Thinking about how the other one feels. Is it fun for you too?
This video shows us walking together, but I am not leading him. While walking beside him, it is more like riding, and the horse has to take greater responsibility for himself. It develops his bravery and self-confidence. He also has to listen to me and stay with me, stop when I stop and back up when I back up, turning both directions. To ask him to walk I have several cues, such as some pressure in his ribs, the word walk, or pointing. He understands them all. He is free to leave me at any time, but mostly he stays connected.
Rascal had a very different issue. But the great thing about Jin Shin is that it works on many levels: physical, emotional and spiritual. Of course, the issue might show up on all those levels - or just one. Rascal's presenting issue was a persistant soreness in his right hip, so Pam and I worked on his back and his hips. It is interesting to see his expressions, so I have included lots of photos in this blog. He was not as expressive as Black Elk, but I don't think the issue was nearly as deep either.
While it is best to have your horse loose while doing Jin Shin, Rascal is like his name and he's into everything, so I tied him to the trailer, so he'd stay more in one place. You can see that some energy is beginning to move by his pawing and the arch in his neck in the next photo.
Like folks who smoke or eat all the time, Rascal works out his displaced feelings with his mouth, so here he's eating the trailer.
I was working on the hip that was stiff, and Pam was working on the opposite hip. Even on her side there was very little energy.
By now, he seems to have some release and is feeling better.
Usually at the end of the session the horse seems to say 'thank you'!
As for me, I want to thank my Jin Shin Peeps.. Pam Frye and Teri Murrey! They are pure magic!
On my birthday, January 5, my Jin Shin friends came over to share Sushi and Jin Shin. I had just come in from a lesson that focused on 'relaxation in movement' with Black Elk. I was in a feeling mode, not in my head and very clear about what I felt about Black Elk. He tries so hard to please. He wants to do it perfectly, so perfectly that he has a terrible time relaxing into the movements, even though we have done them many times and he's really very good at each of them.
My fellow Jin Shin Practictioner's were listening and as I heard myself talk about Black Elk, I heard the words too. Perfectionism, trying too hard or as Mary Burmister says: Pre-tense.
We all agreed that he needed the heart flow.
Kate and Pam work on Black Elk
In the lesson, we worked on asking for a movement and then not releasing or letting him quit until he showed signs of relaxation. (He was familiar with all these movments, but he tended to relax only AFTER he stopped) We wanted him to learn he could relax WHILE he was moving. What I found during the lesson was that unless I slowed things down a lot, he would go and go but not relax, until he got to walk or stop. I felt if he could learn to relax while moving we'd both be happier.
So, Pam Frye, my Jin Shin teacher and I went out to work on Black Elk. He's an introvert, which means among other things that he's shy, and has trouble showing what he's feeling. It also means he'll stand still while you work on him, which is great.
I did the heart flow on him while Pam worked on the 12's - which is all about unloading garbage from the past- releasing. Why we didn't have the camera going is beyond me. It was amazing. He dropped his head and began yawning and yawning, opening his mouth so widely he looked as if he wanted to vomit. (Horses can't vomit, by the way) He twisted his tongue so it was sideways in his mouth, he stuck it out - untill about 8 inches of tongue was showing, he continued to yawn, stretching his neck down, shaking his neck, pawing, rolling his eyes, chewing, mouthing, sticking his tongue out again and again. Deep breathing, sighs. This went on for 10 minutes or more. Until he was quiet. He looked back at me with a big quiet eye.
His actions reminded me so much of some very intense therapy I had done on a very painful childhood issue. At times I felt as if I would vomit, and I would often dream of vomiting. In Elena Avila's book: "Woman Who Glows in the Dark" (a Çurandera) she says that naseau and vomiting are always signs of brining a soul back into the body, back to earth, to ground, to recapture that lost part of ourselves, it is a true spiritual cleansing. (see page 211)
I think this happened for Black Elk. For the past two weeks I have seen him come out more and more, playing with toys, with the other horses, acting like a big kid, cantering in lovely small circles.
And in our work together, he is learning to relax while moving.. but more about that later.
I am one of the lucky ones living on Orcas Island, with the love of my life. As the Owners/Brokers of OrcasDreams Island Properties, Ken and I help people create their dream on Orcas.
I also train and teach horsemanship. My webiste is: www.katewood.snappages.com My approach is very gentle, fostering a heart connection, building respect and developing communication between horse and student.
In true Island tradition, I wear more than one hat. Being resourceful is important on an Island and the way we maintain our health is through the practice of Jin Shin, an ancient Japenese Healing Art, which harmonizes body and soul. I offer Jin Shin sessions at The Island Massage Studio in Eastsound.
If you have ever wanted to own and ride your own mustang, but don't feel you have the experience or the facility required by the BLM, I can gentle your horse for you. With 40 years of horse experience and 4 mustangs out of the wild, I can help you on your way to your dream! Have questions? Drop me a line! kate@orcasdreams.com