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Diary of Trail Ride on March 20th, 2005 at Cottonwood Creek Stables
Diary of Wakefield Workshop April 30th, 2005
Diary of American Legacy Workshop Aug. 27-28, 2005
Diary of American Legacy Workshop June 10-12, 2005
Diary of Lincoln Workshop June 13-14, 2005
Diary of Cottonwood Creek Stable Class Sept. 24, 2005
Diary of Madison Clinic November, 2005
Diary of High View Farms Workshop, September 10-11, 2005
Lessons Learned at Madison Jan. 2006
Diary of American Legacy Workshop Jan. 21-22, 2006
Diary of Holstein May 2006
Diary of Weeping Water and BKT Arena Spring 2006
Diary of Sioux City 2006
Diary of Chance Ridge 2006
Diary of Private Lesson Days Summer 2006
Diary of Calamus Women's Camp 2006
Diary of Calamus Youth Camp 2006
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Lessons Learned at Madison 1-28-06
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It never ceases to amaze me how different each class is that I teach and how much I learn.
It also seems that a theme happens to emerge each time. This time the theme seemed to be “SLOW DOWN, SOFTEN, RELAX & TRUST YOUR HORSE!”
It was also very interesting how we witnesses horses mirroring their rider’s emotions.
Last weekend at the end of two full days the students said that they wanted and needed another day because they felt like they were just getting started. I had to agree with them, I wasn’t ready to go home either. I find it very challenging to teach a one-day class because there just isn’t enough time for the students to really experiment and practice with their horses what I am teaching. It seems that we were only able to touch on the surface of everything. We were so limited by time that we were not able to really dig deep and get inside of the learning so that it becomes truly permanent. However, I do have faith that the people will do the best that they can to remember some of the things they learned that really made a difference for them. I also believe that through thought, practice & visualization that they will eventually internalize what they learned so that it makes a huge difference in their horsemanship skills. Whatever concept or technique they took away from this class it will serve to help build a more confident and harmonious relationship with their horse based on communication & understanding.
I want to commend the participants for their great attention, effort, and ability to keep up with me. I really slammed them with a lot of information in one day. I probably over did it. Those of you who know me have experience first hand my energy & enthusiasm. Some of them may thank me for it, and some of them may be thinking, “What just happened to me?” One thing for sure, I’m positive everyone went home exhausted both mentally and physically, including the horses.
At the end, one of the participants shared that she realized just how much she still had to learn. That can be discouraging when you want it all now. Horses live in the present moment. If we live for the future, anxious about what has not yet been achieved, then the horse and human will have a hard time coming together peacefully & harmoniously. So I want to encourage all who are reading this to try to take it one day at a time, be thankful for the progress already made, slow down, relax & try to enjoy the journey even when things don’t go as planned. Eventually with continued learning, one day we will look back and be able to say, “Wow! I remember when……..I can hardly believe what I can do so easily now which used to seem so difficult or even impossible.” (Like not getting tangled up in all the ropes & sticks, Ha! Ha!).
The introductions at the beginning of the class lead to an interesting discussion about horse behaviors that seem to annoy many of us like: (pawing when tied & using humans as a scratching post). As we talked about this we could admit that there are certain horse behaviors that are exactly that “natural horse behaviors.” We also concluded that we can do something about them if we choose to, and that most behaviors continue simply because we allow it, or don’t know what to do about it. However, we also discussed that the very qualities that attract us to horses can also frustrate, scare, or annoy us.
Most people are drawn to the beauty, power, grace, speed, athletic ability, freedom, strength, yet fragileness that the horse represents. However, when the horse displays these very characteristics we admire so much in our presence we want to harness & control it or change it to be more human like and acceptable in our eyes.
Another interesting discussion that surfaced was that of verbal cues. We all know that horses can and do learn verbal cues. I am not against them, I simply don’t teach them because most people are not consistent enough with them to be very effective. For example: Take the command whoa! We all use it, and quite frankly we all have overused it at some point. I like the T-shirt with two horses, and one says to the other “What’s your name, mine’s Whoa Damit!” All joking aside, let me explain why I encourage people to learn body language first and save the verbal commands for later. If we are going to use the verbal command “Whoa” then that is exactly what it should mean. (It is suppose to mean: “stop your feet right now and stand still until given further instructions.”) However here are some examples of how the word is misused and therefore it becomes meaningless sounds.
1. The person says “Whoa” then lets the horse take 5-10 more steps, saying “Whoa” over and over again. You just taught your horse that when you say “Whoa” it doesn’t really mean stop right now; it means stop when you are good and ready to stop.
(It’s kind of like telling your kids to “go to bed” over and over again. They know exactly how many times you will say it before you really mean it and will do something about it.)
2. The horse is starting to increase the speed in the gait you asked for and so you just want to slow the speed of the gait down a little bit, or even transition down to another gait. The typical verbal response is “Whoa” especially if we are nervous. But “Whoa” doesn’t mean slow down a little bit, it is suppose to mean stop.
Are you confusing your horse, by your inconsistent use of a verbal command?
3. The horse has his head high, throwing it around, because he doesn’t want the wormer, bit, headstall, or whatever. His feet aren’t moving, but his head is doing a great job of avoiding you. Then we say “Whoa?” If I were a horse I would think, what a silly human, can’t he see that I am “Whoaing” (I am standing still)?
4. When we are riding for pleasure with other people, humans have a tendency to converse almost non-stop. I can just imagine the horses wondering if we ever stop talking. I wonder if they listen or just learn to tune out our constant chatter??? This causes me to wonder how does the horse know when we quit talking to the other people and begin talking to them?? Hmmmmmmm, how interesting? I don’t really have a scientific answer based on research to my questions. What I do know is that when I am playing with my horses one on one, I rarely talk. It just doesn’t seem necessary.!! I love the silent way of communicating; it is very fascinating and beautiful to me!!!!!!
There are many more examples that could be listed, but it is not necessary because the point is not to focus on what is wrong, but how we can be more consistent and therefore more effective in communicating with our horses. I am simply challenging people to listen to themselves more closely and examine the results carefully.
I noticed by feedback from the students that one of the highlights for many of them was the passenger lesson. I can’t begin to tell people how powerful this simple exercise is. The results are usually very amazing. There is something very freeing in it once you get past the beginning frustration stages. However you have to stay long enough to move through the stages into that place of trust. Once you do, you finally just get it, and you just can’t explain it in words. This process involves discomfort and enormous effort but it can lead to a mentally & emotionally fit leader. The master horsemen are so mentally & emotionally fit that it is very difficult to distract or frustrate them. They have a way of just letting loose and simply letting it all happen without a whole lot of tension. I really don’t know how to teach that kind of leadership, but the passenger lesson comes as close as I have ever seen possible to giving that focus, feel, timing & balance a sense of reality.
The emphasis on riding was for relaxation especially in the rider’s legs. We tried to overcome this tension through pedaling and breathing. One of the quickest and most dramatic transformations that I observed during the riding portion was when I had the riders “squish the bug”. It helped riders to immediately quit leaning forward and get on their balance point. All of a sudden the riders body posture was greatly improved they bounced less and the horse was moving forward more freely with better cadence.
While playing the circle game, I hope that the students learned that “lounging” is more than chasing the horse’s body around in a circle. If we do this the horse tends to shut off his mind, the lights go out, so to speak. It is not about using up the horse’s physical energy. This won’t earn a horse’s respect, trust, or interest. Circling should be a way to engage their mind and give them a responsibility in the partnership. It is also a way to learn to trust that the horse is capable of performing his responsibility without constant nagging.
By demonstrating with a student’s horse, I hope that I was able to give the students a visual perception of how to be passively, politely, & patiently, persistent in a way that did not give the horse a sense that she was wrong. It didn’t take long and the horse understood exactly what her responsibility was and she proved herself a trustworthy partner. I’ll bet everyone will remember the phrase, “OH, Boy, I get to practice my send again.” I know that I repeated it more than they wanted to hear. I did not punish the horse or think, “you dumb horse why don’t you get this?” If I had kept yelling at her, “you’re wrong” she would have become worried, resisting my commands, and ending up bracey. Instead I just kept saying, thank you very much for trying a little, but that’s not quite what I expected, here try again, you can do it.
I have to admit that I had a little fun with one student when we were simulating the circle game together. I was being her horse, and I’ll just leave the rest up to your imagination. She and I burned a few calories, had a few laughs, and learned from each other. Those kinds of moments in classes are precious to me.
Lastly, I want to encourage all of you to be gentle with yourselves in the learning process, laugh at yourself, and remember it’s not about the stick, the bit, or the task. It’s about the journey. Take the pressure off yourself and you will be able to take if off your horse.
Student Testimonials:
Sherry, the class was wonderful and I can't thank you enough! Like
Tammy, I am in the Hmm stage, letting things soak in still. And man
I was certainly exhausted when I got home.
I am ready to take horsemanship more seriously. To work on focusing
on my position and posture and cues- Now that I have gained a better
understanding of these things. I do see that it is my responsibility
to Simeon- he is an amazing horse- I knew this already but it became
more evident to me as I sat and watched him.
I found the clinic to be a very special special experience...and so
much was revealed to me about myself..it is almost like having a
counceling session! There is something intimate about the whole
experience, I think. I am still pondering the whole thing.
It was good.
Nita
What did I learn? Hm…. A lot.
Sherry warned us that we would be uncomfortable. I am still
uncomfortable today. I learned a lot about myself and my horse.
Where does Sherry find her energy? My gosh, girl! You are
incredible. Anyone who has even thought about taking one of
Sherry's classes should commit. It was truly extraordinary.
tv
I'm still in the processing mode from Sherry's Saturday clinic in
Madison.
The clinic was amazing and like I said above, I'm still processing the
information. Sherry is a very interactive, active teacher and keeps you
and your horse thinking and moving. We didn't stand around, we were
doing - active learning. That's how I learn best so it was great.
I've
been injured several times on my horse so trust was an issue (me
trusting him) and had never ridden him in a halter. After ground work
in the morning I put enough trust in him to do it, and had a great time
and got along really good - I have to confess though, his bridle was
hanging on the fence in the ready position. It hung there all day -
poor lonely bridle.
I learned and absorbed so much that I'm having problems trying to put it
onto paper. Some things are:
1. my horse is a goof,
but that's okay, he's a horse.
2. TAKE TIME - things don't happen
immediately but if you keep working at it they will happen.
3. Trust -
even though it's hard.
4. Passenger lesson is a blast.
5. My horse is
a goof but he's definitely MY goof (oh, I said that already).
Spending
time working with him and learning with him was incredible - no hubby or
kids with their horses and their problems.
There were 5 in the clinic and we learned a lot from watching each other
work through things. Horse people are just good people.
Sandy
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