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Horse Equus Plus It’s All About the Horse Menu Home Welcome Blog About Kari The Horses Hi Handsome CCR+/ RS Pop A Top (Chaco) Sweet Savannah Storm (Stormy) Spanish Harlem My Writing Life Contact Me Search for: The Silence Between the Notes – Developing Harmony and Trust with Horses July 4, 2017 BLOGGING , Natural Horsemanship , parelli natural horsemanship 3-Star Instructor Parelli , Communication with horses , Equus Plus , Harmony with Horses , HORSES , KARI BOVEE , Licensed Parelli Professional , Mattie Cowherd , natural horsemanship , parelli natural horsemanship , Partnership with horses , Peace and Calm with Horses , True Horsemanship , Trust and Harmony with Horses Kari Bovee Guest Post by Mattie Cowherd – Licensed Parelli Professional, 3-Star Instructor For me, there is a certain peace achieved after a day of riding. In that moment, I can drift away from the past, or my distraction of the future. This allows me to simply BE – soothed by the passing of the moments rather than the struggle of my thoughts. I believe that peace and calmness are essential to developing the true art of horsemanship. I still laugh when I remember my students’ faces as I galloped past them on a fat little cob during a trail clinic in Wales — eating an apple! The concept of peacefulness in full motion didn’t make sense to them. But, if I have true harmony and partnership with my horses, not even galloping at full speed should separate us. Peacefulness should also extend to teaching your horse something that is scary or new. Pressuring a horse when it is on adrenaline is never a good idea. This natural drug in the horses’s system sets off its flight-or-flight responses. Horses don’t think when they are on adrenaline. Yes, you can force a horse through the experience, but you are likely going to have to repeat this lesson – again and again and again — because the horse is not mentally present. The horse’s brain is shut off, and it is operating strictly on instinct. If you use calmness, clear communication with your body, and patience, your horse will learn that he can make mistakes, and retreat when he is fearful. He will trust you to show him the way through a problem. I believe that peaceful horsemanship starts with awareness – first of yourself, and then of your horse’s internal and external states. Are you tight? Are you worried? Is there a good reason for this? Can you foresee any issues during your groundwork session or your riding and if so, can you simply avert it by being passively proactive? And can your horse check in with you and see that things are indeed okay? Can he see that you have been a patient and progressive leader for him? Can he trust that you will not be afraid or offended by what he needs to do? Perhaps I notice more strongly now what a true partnership feels like because I also know what a false partnership feels like. I can feel the lack of attention and the lack of trust. I feel the discordant communications when a horse is terrified and unable to think. I can also feel the harmony and the moments of true oneness. I can see my horse reaching across our communication to ask me a question or answer confidently when he understands. I feel the moments when my horse and I are slightly out of sync, and yet, I can refocus my energy and my intentions to bring us back to harmony in an instant. If I feel my horse and I are out of sync during new lessons or a moment of fear, I can ask my horse to trust me and let me guide him to the right answer. It’s like a dance. You can’t dance with another person when you are both intent on correcting or defending yourselves. You need silence between the notes. Stillness between moments of movement is vitally important to your horse’s understanding. If you do not pause or release completely, your horse does not have a chance to learn. It is in moments of stress or learning with our horses that our attention to PRESENCE is so important to our communication and relationship with them. Horses are only in the now – adjusting to the present with reference to memories of past experiences. Create your best self when you are with your horses. Strengthen the positive responses with reassurance and attention. Your horses will seek this praise with enthusiasm and will approach future learning opportunities knowing that their partners have their backs. To learn more about Mattie, go to her website here. July 4, 2017 BLOGGING , Natural Horsemanship , parelli natural horsemanship 3-Star Instructor Parelli , Communication with horses , Equus Plus , Harmony with Horses , HORSES , KARI BOVEE , Licensed Parelli Professional , Mattie Cowherd , natural horsemanship , parelli natural horsemanship , Partnership with horses , Peace and Calm with Horses , True Horsemanship , Trust and Harmony with Horses Kari Bovee Trailer Loading – Solving the Mystery June 22, 2017 BLOGGING , Horses , parelli natural horsemanship CO , Happy trailer loading , HORSE TRAINING , HORSES , KARI BOVEE , Pagosa Springs , parelli natural horsemanship , Parelli Ranch , Sweet Savannah Storm , Trailer loading , trailer training Kari Bovee For many horses and horse owners, happy trailer loading is a mystery. Let’s face it, to a horse, the trailer is just a metal box on wheels where they can be trapped for an indeterminate amount of time. For an animal whose natural environment is thousands of acres to roam, it is easy to understand why trailer loading and transport can be harried for everyone involved. Not all horses have the luck or luxury of traveling in big semi rigs with a controlled climate and the cush of air ride. Every summer for the past few years, I have taken natural horsemanship courses at the Parelli campus in Pagosa Springs, CO. It is a great way for me to further the bond, connection, and relationships with my horses. This summer will be no exception, and this time, I will take my youngest horse, Stormy, an 8-year old half-arabian mare. As I thought about taking Stormy to the ranch, it occurred to me she has not been in the trailer by herself very often. As a foal, she accompanied her mother for a visit to the vet a few times. My husband also played with her for the first year of her life, and they worked on trailer loading and other introductory experiences. In her adulthood, I’d taken her to several shows, but always in the company of one of my other horses. I took for granted that Stormy loads when led, and rides quietly with another horse. I remembered the few times I have trailered her by herself, the distance only a handful of miles, and she pawed and called for help the whole way. It hardly seemed fair that I will expect her to travel 4-5 hours to Pagosa Springs by herself. I decided to start trailer loading with Stormy from square one. What better way to test the foundation, right? The first day provided many distractions. Dogs barking, people riding bikes on the ditch behind our property, and the other three horses of her herd looking on like kids watching a movie. She wanted to look and be everywhere but the trailer. I had to remind myself what Pat Parelli always says – It’s not about the trailer.” It is about the relationship. Here are some of the steps I’ve taken to help Stormy feel confident and secure enough with the trailer to load and travel alone. It is important to note that my trailer is a two horse slant load with a ramp. Slant loads provide more room for the horse to get into the trailer and are less claustrophobic than straight loads. First, we hung out at the back of the trailer with the doors open and ramp down. An extroverted horse, Stormy needs to move her feet when nervous, so I worked on yields (hindquarter yields and forequarter yields) near the opening of the trailer. I kept my stance relaxed and when she yielded well, I gave lots of praise. Then I asked her to investigate the trailer using the approach and retreat” method. I asked her to touch the ramp with her nose and when she did, I took her away from the trailer....