Issue 7

Be the best you can be for your horse

December 2015

Versatile
Equines

Quality time is
the key to all
relationships
Take ownership
of your learning

Give yourself
a break!
Whats a

Bean?

Contents
Editors Note
Missed a Mag?
Dont be so hard on yourself!
When is it time to get on?
Clinician Review
Hanging out with your horse
Give it a purpose!
Book Review
Reader Q&A
It is YOUR learning
DVD Review
Rating your seat- Reader Homework
The Bean Queen
Being A Learner
You Tube Clip Review
Breakthrough with Jewel
Product Review
Coming up in Issue 8

..............

Editors
Note

It has been a year since I last had the desire and

motivation to put my ideas about horsemanship, down in
a formal, written form. Spurred by this motivation, I started
flicking through some of the things I wrote in past
Versatile Equines magazines. Upon rereading, there were
a lot of cringe worthy moments, but also a few light bulb
ones too. Issue 5 for me, is my favourite.
As I expressed in my first ever Versatile Equines
Magazine, I too am on a learning journey. Not all of what I
write, I will agree with in ten years time, just as you may
disagree with things right now. So to repeat the
disclaimer I put in Issue 1, back in 2013: everything I
have written in this magazine is only my interpretation of
what I know so far. Be the creator of your own knowledge
and consider whether my philosophies align with your
own. I am not implying my way is the best. The intention
of this magazine is simply to cause you to think about
your Horsemanship in a different way.
A lot has happened since my last magazine, however,
more in my personal life than with horses. This has
caused me to see horsemanship in a whole new way. It is
amazing how influenced you are by those around you and
how that skews your view of the world. And in that
skewing, you think about horsemanship differently. I feel
like I am now, back in the light, and I am far more chilled
and content than I have previously been. As a result, I feel
more successful with the horses and I feel like they are
more accepting of me or maybe I am just more
accepting of myself?
If you missed our previous issues, never fear. The links
are provided on the following page! They are all
downloadable, so feel free to print and share.
Enjoy this one, feedback encouraged!

Cheryl

Our collection of furry friends, Meg, Bonnie

(lamb), our house, Brozie (cat), Boy, Pie, Bree
and our new horse Maple.

..............

Missed a Mag?
No stress, you can access them all here!

Click here to
view Issue 1

Click here to
view Issue 4

Click here to
view Issue 2

Click here to
view Issue 5

Click here to
view Issue 3

Click here to
view Issue 6

NB: Some of the files are large, so come up with an error message. Just click download.

You can also view them as eBooks too, on Scribd.com. CLICK HERE.

Don't&be&so&hard
on&yourself!
If you are like me, you are your biggest critic. You are constantly
assessing where you are at in your horsemanship journey, promising
yourself you will do better next time and continually thinking up cool
things to do with your horse, that you never have, or make, time for!
Lately, I have had very little time with my horses, as a result, I feel I
have not progressed to where I imagined myself to be at this point.
Part of this imagining, stems from what I see other people doing with
their horses. I even got in a bit of a rut with this, in that I begun to
compare myself to others, rarely a healthy road to venture down. There are
obviously other factors too, which meant I have felt a bit stagnated, travel to
work, work itself, having a life outside horses.
But all this got me remembering that every horse is different, you cannot judge your progress based on
the progress of others. Something I have always advocated, and then I myself forgot!
I only need to make comparisons of horses I have worked with in my time, to remember that some are
just easy and some are plain challenging! I find the easiest horses to be the ones who appeal to my
nature. I like a horse who is forward moving, active minded, smart, dominant and playful. These horses
tend to be extroverted and more left brain (thinking), than right brain (reactive). Horses which are the
opposite of this, fear-based, unconfident, sullen, spooky etc, are more challenging for me, as they require
a lot of safety and struggle when they are taken
outside their comfort zones. Dont get me wrong, I
love the challenges they provide and they help me
improve as a horsewoman, but they would not be
my preferred type.
The Parellis Horsenality System is well worth
looking into. It provides comprehensive details
about your horses nature and how to best form a
positive, progressive relationship with them. Is
Your Horse A Rock Star, is a great book for this
too, as it talks about horse personalities.
So if, like me, you are giving yourself a hard time,
stop it! You are where you need to be, for what
ever reason that is. Truth be told, Jewel is the
most challenging horse I have ever come across,
so it is actually a fair miracle we have come as far
as we have. I have accepted where we are, is
where we are and we just need to continue
improving what we have. As experience has
taught me so far, it is when you are not seeking it,
it comes!
Good luck!

When is it time to get on?

Prerequisites for a
Ridden Education
Do not get on until he is physically, emotionally and mentally ready
A common question I am asked is, how will I know when it
is the right time to get on my horse, for the first time?
The short answer is, you dont, the long answer, I will try to
explain in this article!
First I will define what get on means to me. It is the first time
you sit upright, on top of the horse, with one leg on each side.
It does not necessarily mean you have a saddle or pad on,
nor does it have anything to do with whether or not they are in
a halter, bridle or bit-less set up.

Some absolute prerequisites before I get on a horse for the first time are:
I can move his feet forward, backwards, left and right, in all gaits (where applicable)
Aka groundwork- back up, disengage front and hind, lower head, circles to name a few.
I can run my hands and the stick all over his body
Especially down the legs and in the girth area, the horse should have no adverse reactions.
I can flex his head left and right and he knows this means to come to a stop
This is simply lateral flexion on the ground, practise it laying over the horse too.
I can jump up and down next to my horse without him freaking out
He should stand still, not flinch, nor feel he has to move away.
I can lay all over him (Human Comb, Steve Jeffreys Method)
This link is not top quality, but it gives you the basic idea. Get them used to you all over them.
I can be above him and he is not wary to skeptical
For example up high on a fence, mounting block, table etc. Simulate being at riding height.
I can lay over him and get him to disengage his hind quarters
Can you get him to move off pressure to disengage when you are laying on him?
I can do all of this from both sides
When you are on board your horse, you are all of a sudden on the left AND the right. This can
cause a lot of horses to freak! So prepare them for this by doing equal amounts on both sides.
I have done desensitising with him, so he accepts tarpaulins, plastic bags, ropes, my leg etc
Effective desensitising means your horse accepts you and your tools.
I can put a rope/strap around his belly/girth and he accepts it
Even if you are not doing the first ride in a saddle, simulate the feeling with the horse, incase he
jumps forward and you grab with your legs to stay on!

Other considerations
The things above are only the things I
could think of, there will be others! If
you are not skilled enough to start a
horse under saddle, then it is worth
paying a professional to do it. It is one
of those things that if you muck it up, it
can be traumatising for yourself and
the horse. It can also be quite a hard
thing to undo too!
Also I do not get on until I am 99.5%
sure it will be successful. Any lower
and I go back though my list of
prerequisites and get them solid. The
0.5% you will never really know about,
as who knows what might happen for
the first time for anything really!

Can you get your horse to park next to the mounting block
for you? If not, maybe he is telling you he is not ready?

Can you flex your horses head left and right easily, with no
brace, tension or negative responses?

Can you do crazy things, like put a dog on

their backs? How much desensitising have
you done? Can they handle a tarpaulin over
their backs? If they cannot handle that, how
will they handle you?

Can you lay all over your horse and have them relax and
accept you? What happens when you touch them with your
gumboot?

CLINICIAN REVIEW

Recently seen at
Equidays 2015 in
NZ!

Carlos Tabernaberri
At Whispering Acres Carlos Tabernaberri works through the
eyes of the horse to achieve the calmness, softness,
responsiveness and self carriage that is drawing increasing
numbers of dressage, eventing, endurance and western
specialists to join the legions of pleasure riders who want to
develop the skill to work with their horses through
understanding, not force. Carlos starts, trains and
rehabilitates horses the gentle way, establishing cooperation
through clear communication, understanding and trust to
ensure improved performance and versatility, regardless of
your preferred discipline.
"As a trainer and educator, my focus is on the horses and
people with whom I work to establish a foundation that will
help them achieve their full potential. We should not be
divided by discipline; we should be united by good
horsemanship."
"Regardless of what we call it natural, Western or Englishstyle horsemanship I truly believe there should be simply
good horsemanship, which is about consistently considering
the horses wellbeing first and foremost."
In addition, we provide riding instruction to help you develop
this foundation with your own horse, and conduct regular
clinics around Australia and internationally, that focus on
safety and confidence for both horse and rider.
Therefore our motto; 'Help Ever, Hurt Never.

Exert direct from his website: http://whisperingacres.com.au/

Hanging
out with
your horse
No agenda
No plan
No worries
I love spending quality time with my horses. I see it as
an integral part of any horse-human relationship. It can
be as simple as sitting with them for five minutes,
before catching them and going about the process of
riding. It can be brushing them un-haltered and seeing
how much they really do enjoy it. But, if this was all
you did under the banner of hanging out with your
horse, you would be cutting yourself and your horse
short, it can be so much more.
I have had the most magical of moments with horses,
when I go to visit them with no plan or agenda. It is like
they sense an openness within me, a space where they
can tell me their stories. Funnily enough from these
interactions, we often end up playing. During this play, it
is like you are communicating on a deeper level, a level
that you do not often receive when you play based upon
your own predetermined plan.
Liberty is a more structured version of this play. It is
also beneficial as you get to see more of what the
horse wants and thinks. As Pat Parelli says, you take
the halter off and all that is left is the truth.
Have fun, be open, put the horses needs first xx

Give it a
purpose

Back your horse through barrels

Once you have a bit of control over your

horses feet, do something with it. If you just
do an exercise over and over, you will most
likely get bored and your horse may sull up.
Keep being progressive and thinking of all of
the imaginative ways you can communicate
with your horse!
The key with giving it a purpose is that you
encourage the horse to think and solve the
puzzle. Leading the horse over a tarp
following you, is not the same as asking
them to walk across unassisted. Take it
further still by backing them over it.

Ask them to sniff objects on

the ground, or reach down and
touch them with their feet or
nose. Can you get them to put
just one hoof in the hoop?

Lead them over

things and have
them stop, this
builds confidence

Have them
step on or
over objects

Backing over
a pole,
standing on
a see-saw.
Can you do
it both on the
ground and
ridden? How
little does it
take?
A few other ideas:
-get horse circling and use obstacles to get the horse thinking and more aware of where its feet are. Egstop them every time they get to a pole, trot them every time they go over a tyre, back them up at a cone.
-weave around cones, focusing on getting the feet to reach evenly, or maybe you want the hind to reach
more than the front?
-use 2 objects to create a figure 8 pattern.
-tarpaulins, can you get your horse to disengage its hind quarters a full circle while standing on the tarp.

The only limit with giving things a purpose, is your imagination :)

BOOK REVIEW

This book is a MUST have to get you

started in understanding the horse

The
Soul of
A Horse
A surprise birthday gift plunged
Joe and his wife, Kathleen, into
the world of horses as complete
neophytes without a clue as to
what a horse needed or wanted.
They searched for logic and
sense in the rule books of
traditional horse care. What they
found was not what they had
expected.
Written for everyone who has
ever loved a horse or ever loved
the idea of loving a horse, this
memoir leads us on a voyage of
discovery as Joe and Kathleen
navigate uncharted territory on
their way to achieving a true
relationship with their horses.
Joe Camps inspiring book
unlocks the mystery of a
majestic creature who has
survived on earth, without
assistance, for fifty-five million
years and teaches us that the
lessons he learned apply not
only to horses but also to our
relationships with people.
Check out a video trailer of the
book here!

Other titles by Joe shown here. He has written many. Many of

them are e-Books too!

READER
QUESTION
Question: What sorts of things do you cover at your clinics?
This is a great question and very fitting considering I just completed a thorough summary of a
two-day clinic I completed at Waikawa.
All clinics are tailored to the participants, but generally cover all of the essential ground and
ridden skills needed for a safe ride. All clinics cover in depth elements related to horse
psychology, personal awareness and the why of things. I also run more refined clinics, which
help people connect with their horses on a deeper level, as well as advance their ridden and
ground skills.
Where possible, I try to provide a summary of the day. For the Waikawa one, please click here.
Saturdays notes were for a Foundation Horsemanship Clinic, where as the one on Sunday was
more directed towards advancement and refinement.

It is YOUR learning
I originally wrote this on Facebook and received positive comments. This is the
slightly amended version.

I often see people asking for help on various Facebook

Equine Help groups or posting comments on their wall.
In a lot of ways this is great, if you are over faced with
horses, it is important to seek help. Unfortunately so
many of these comments are soaked in peoples'
frustration and anger about their horses. These people
all appear to be trying to fix the problem, not the
source. Common themes are floating issues,
misbehaviour with other horses, anxiety- especially at
shows, bolting, bucking, rearing etc.
For example, a person writes that their horse always
acts nutty when it goes to shows. Firstly, the horse is
just doing what it feels it needs to do to survive! Many
will think, oh that is a bit dramatic horse, without
realising that a horses primal instinct is to survive. If
they feel threatened at shows (problem), which lets
face it is a fair call on their part, they obviously do not
think they are safe (cause). It is at this point people
need to stop and consider horse psychology and the
messages their horses are trying to send to them!
A common pattern that emerges in these comments
too, is that people only mention the errors of the horse
in their comments and that they want their horses to do
things 'they' (the person) perceive as easy, but to the
horse very difficult. Showing that they have not yet
discovered themselves as central to the problem.
Please do not take this as a 'Natural Horsemanship
rant', as that is not at all what I am about. Good
horsemanship is good horsemanship, regardless of the
'title' or 'label' it is given.

Regardless of the method, style of riding or experience

of the horse, ALL people who own and associate with
horses SHOULD know the basic psychology of the
animal and their responsibilities in being with them.
Yes people can learn this psychology through so
called, 'Natural Horsemanship' ways, ..... OR NOT....
because they believe that is is voodoo and give it a
wide swerve. But the fact is, that a person who deeply
understands the psyche of the horse, will never feel
the need to whinge and moan on Facebook, about
their so called beloved equine partner. This is because
they will know what is important to the horse, meaning
that most of the time you need to sit your own ego and
goal related notions to the side, to be there for your
horse. It means posing questions in a way that
encourage you to inquire, not to blame.
Trust me I know, I do this every day! I cannot wait for
the day that I compete my horse at high levels of
dressage, but there is no way I am going to force the
horse to do this at the speed I desire, because let's
face it, I would be doing it tomorrow. Instead I know
this information and I keep it in the forefront of my mind
at all times. It is this information that ensures every day
I am with my horses is a good one and I am on the
road to my goal. It ensures that I never feel anger and
frustration toward or about horses, it ensures that I do
the best I can every day, to be GOOD enough for my
horses and the horses of other people, whom I work
with.
This brings me to my next points, what do I value?

It is my job to set the horse up to do movements with

ease, as a rider I challenge myself every day to be in a
perfect point of balance. If the horse does not execute a
movement perfectly, I know that they are not wellprepared enough, either through my own inadequacies
as a rider or my failure to put in place a logical teaching
sequence to allow them to do it!

1- The relationship I have with my horses comes first.

What this means is that I take the time to get them
used to things, exposed to things. I ensure that I
properly prepare them by teaching them things in
logical, manageable steps. I am doing my best to
reflect on ALL of this from the horses point of view. I
equip myself with the knowledge I need to make
informed decisions about what manageable steps even
are (most of the time this involves some ground skill
teaching first).

5- My horses NEVER take the blame, they are NEVER

at fault. The horse that kicked me in the back of the
head and fractured my skull, during my time in Australia,
was a lovely horse, I have no ill feelings towards her. I
only hold them against myself, for putting her in the
position where she felt that she needed to defend
herself and unfortunately I was in the way!

2- I know that horses cannot learn positively if they do

not feel safe, if they do not trust people and if their
point of view is not acknowledged. One way I help
them feel safe is by taking the time to allow them to be
caught, to catch me. I never walk into my horses
paddock assuming they will be caught and worked
that day. I take my time, after all their paddock is their
home, it is only polite to knockI look into their faces
and ask them how they are doing, I ask them what they
want to do that day, if we are going to do work, or play
as I like to call it. During saddling and bridling, I ask for
permission, after all it is their body that has to have the
equipment on it, I would hate to be forced to wear a
straight jacket.

3- I am well aware of the complexity of the tasks I want

my horses to do. I try to never over face them; they
always come out feeling like a winner, even if I
accidentally over-face them, I always take them back to
where they were successful. I encourage this sense of
pride in my horses, I want them to want to please, but I
cannot make this happen. It can only come about
through taking the time it takes, understanding what is
important to them on any given day and never putting
my horses in a place where there are no correct
answers.

4- I know how much better I need to be, to even come

close to being good enough for them. I know that my
riding at times makes movements difficult for my
horses and that I am forever in their way. What I mean
by this is that every movement we request for our
horses to make, has a perfect point of balance and to
find this is to be in complete harmony in the movement.
Realistically though, haunches in at the trot for
example, is a challenging movement for both horse
and rider.

6- I have spent HOURS and HOURS and a lot of

money. I have bought training DVDs, from a wide range
of trainers and taken the best of all of them. I invest my
time looking at You Tube clips, I can even learn from the
things I dont like! I have bookshelves full of books from
top horse people, but also people who many have never
heard of. I have STUDIED Horsemanship intensively
and reflect on my Horsemanship ALL the time.

7- I know a lot about horse psychology and continue to

extend this learning ALL the time. I know about the
predator/prey theory, I am aware of my body language
(active/passive) and how this dramatically impacts my
horses. I am open to the power of the mind and
communicating with horses through awareness of
space, visual pictures and body language. I know the
importance of leaving my ego behind with horses, as to
them it has no place. I am not afraid to be an open
book, I do not try to hide my intent from my horses. I
have studied extensively the inner workings of horse
herds, observed their interactions and related this to the
horses I work with to this day. I know that every horse is
a complete individual and so I treat them as such, to
assume something will work like it did with a different
horse is a naive way of thinking. I understand deeply
the difference between a right brain horse and a left
brain one and have strategies, exercises and
perspectives for supporting ALL horses to learn. I
consider the motivation and desire of the horse.
Understanding the difference between an introverted
horse and an extroverted one has also taken my
interactions with horses to another level.

8- I do a balanced amount of desensitising and

sensitising. If my horse is flighty I will do MORE
desensitising, if my horse is dull I will do more
sensitising. I consider the ins and outs of why a horse
is flighty, dealing with the root of the problem, not just
the problem itself.

9- Key to all of this is that I put a good foundation on

my horses (see right).
To be truly good at this you HAVE to put in the time
and sometimes the money. There is no EASY way
and you need to be the best you can be for your
horse, EVERYDAY!
YOU need to take responsibility for your own
inadequacies. This does not just mean asking
questions on Facebook. This means being open to
how much you have to learn, paying people to come
to you and your horse to support you, getting help
from people- good people, not some person who
thinks they know, pay the money to get good support!
It means reassessing your goals and mapping out
some essentials you need to get where you want to
go, if you dont know what your essentials are get
help, buy a book, watch a video, UP-SKILL!!!!
Learn about getting a good foundation/basics on your
horse. For all the people out there who are not
actively trying to make a positive change in the
relationship they have with their horses, your biggest
problem is that your horse does NOT even know the
basics, how can they when you do not even know
them yourself. Pretty much every problem stems from
a lack of understanding and knowledge of the person,
which is then transferred to the horse.

I hope this article reaches those who need it

most, if you are one of those people, do not
feel attacked or targeted, rather take this as a
learning opportunity to be the best you can
be for your horse/s. If you are on the same
page as me, I encourage you to share this
with people who need it. And if you are far
exceeding where I am at and wish to extend
my learning, please feel free to start a
healthy discussion on our Versatile Equines
page or discussion group. Click here.

My List of FOUNDATIONAL Basics

Basics will look different to a lot of people, but for
me the list is huge, a few key things are:
-Horse can laterally and vertically flex
-Horse can walk, trot and canter on a loose rein
-Horse has a soft back up with little to no rein pressure
-Horse comes to be caught
-Horse stands still to get on
-Horse bridles without difficultly
-Horse picks up feet confidently
-Horse goes over, on, through and around scary things
-Horse can float load consistently
-Horse can stop off body cues
-Horse moves through gaits with minimal pressure
-Horse moves hind quarters and front end easily
-Horse can be brushed and touched all over easily
-Horse leads without resistance
-Horse ties calmly
-Horse can take a few steps sideways
-Horse lowers head on command without resistance
-Horse is calm during saddling, can handle it flapping
It is only after these things are FIRMLY in place I would
ever expect my horse to do anything else, especially
flying changes, half-pass, going to shows etc. So
consider the cause of the problem. By this I mean, if a
horse doesnt tie up, that is the problem, the cause is
that the horse is distrusting, potentially has a lack of
respect for the lead rope and does not understand the
concept of moving forward off pressure, not pulling away
from it. It is also more than likely that the horse is difficult
or lazy to lead, and drags on the end of the lead rope
when being led. Another example, horse is difficult to
bridle, that is the problem, the cause is probably a lack
of trust, a feeling of being rushed, was not prepared
properly or has had bad experiences in the past and
needs to be retaught how to positively accept the bridle.
Another classic example is when a horse goes crazy at
shows, that is the problem, the cause probably lies in the
lack of emotional fitness of the rider, can they get to
shows and be calm themselves? Have they developed
strategies and exercises at home for calming, which can
then be used at shows? Has the horse had enough
stress-free outings to shows prior to being expected to
go out and perform? I am sure you get my point. There
is always a REASON why horses behave the way they
do and it ALWAYS comes back to the people being the
cause (either directly or indirectly)!

DVD REVIEW
The No Worries Club delivers infinite
innovation, inspiration and instruction,
giving you unlimited access to the man and
the Method. Get specialised training
delivered right to your door 24/7.

Click here to view it online!

The No Worries Club has SOOOO much information. You have full access to all
DVDs Clinton has ever produced for the No Worries Club members, as well as
access to all TV Shows he has produced too.

About Clinton Anderson and Downunder Horsemanship

Clinton Anderson is a clinician, horse trainer and
competitor. Hes dedicated his life to helping others
realise their horsemanship dreams and keeping them
inspired to achieve their goals. The Downunder
Horsemanship method of horse training is based on
mutual respect and understanding and gives horse
owners the knowledge needed to become skilled
horsemen and train their horses to be consistent and
willing partners. Clinton instructs horsemanship clinics,
presents Walkabout Tours across the country, produces
an award-winning television show, hosts an internet TV
website and is constantly creating comprehensive study
kits and training tools to make learning horsemanship
as accessible and easy as possible. Explore our site
and discover for yourself how Clinton and the Method
can help you achieve your horsemanship dreams.

Reader Homework:

Rating
your seat
The most powerful way of gaining
knowledge is to create it, so
What does this saying mean to you?
How would you explain this concept?
Find a reputable article and video which shows/
explains this concept in motion.
How would you try to teach this to others?
I will give my version to
this question of what I
think rating your seat is
in Issue 8.
Happy learning!

The Bean
Queen
Gross as story, but how much do you all know about beans?
In male horses that is
I have this uncanny talent of 'sensing' when a horse has a bean. For example when I give people lessons,
I get a hunch. At a recent lesson with a gelding, I had that hunch. Then at the end of the lesson he was
hanging out so I quickly said to the owner, before he put it away, "do you mind if I check him for a
bean". Sure enough he had a decent sized one and I managed to remove it.
The weirdest thing is, that this is at least the 10th time I have 'just known'. An old friend of mine used
to call me the "Bean Queen". I swear I could make a business out of it lol!
I have removed a lot of these things. Some horses have had such huge beans, that I have had to hook it
out in about five pieces! The danger of the bean is that is can get so big, it puts pressure on the urethra,
causing the horse pain and discomfort. I am no vet, but I am sure there are other problems too!
If you do not know what a bean is, basically it is a wax accumulation in the end of the horses penis, in
the urethral pouch. Some horses are more prone to the accumulation, where as others never
accumulate any, even if their owner does not do any maintenance'!
A quick way of checking, is next time your boy 'drops', squeeze the nob, if it is hard, he will most likely
have a bean, if it is soft, he most likely does not.
Obviously this could be very dangerous, so make sure you know your horse well and you are out of
kicking range! A great time to get this checked is when the vet has come to do a horses teeth and they
may be sedated. On that note, if you do not feel confident in dealing with this issue, definitely employ a
professional!
I first heard about horse beans in a book by Mark Rashid. He had a horse, who after about 20 minutes
into a ride, would exhibit negative behaviours. The day he realised it had a bean and sorted it out, was
the day the negative behaviours disappeared- just like that! What was happening was that the horse was
heating up with work, so after 20 minutes would start to feel uncomfortable and act up!
It is important to clean the sheath, but not too often, as this removes good bacteria. This clip suggests
one way of cleaning it. But I personally use a 'sheath cleaner' and rubber gloves. This is the stuff I use,
click here. This here is a very good/disgusting clip, which clearly shows the bean etc, click here to view.
Good luck on your bean quest.
DISCLAIMER: I am not a vet and this article should not replace veterinary advice, I am only writing about my own personal
experiences and am not skilled in this area.

Being a learner
In November I went to a Parelli Clinic, run by
Russell Higgins and Ruth Carlyle. They are
excellent Horsemanship educators and it was
lovely to have finally attended a Parelli Clinic!
The clinic had a wide range of people and
abilities, so it was excellent to be reminded of
some suitable strategies for dealing with
challenges.
For me personally, the clinic validated and
confirmed that I am on the right track, and that
Jewel and I have a lot of positive things going
on. I brushed up on things we have worked on in
the past and picked up a few new ideas too.
Some key things I made sure I did, to get the
most out of the clinic, were as follows:
Asked questions: Different instructors, have
different ways of delivering content. To get the
most out of the experience, I asked very specific
questions, pertaining just to things I was trying to
get Jewel to do. For example I sought
clarification on the quality of our lateral flexion, in
particular how best to go about keeping her ears
level, nose vertically flexed and poll higher than
the wither.
Made links: I went in to the clinic with an
thorough knowledge already, not only of the
Parelli way, but of horsemanship in general.
Often people are saying the same thing, but in a
different way. I found that if I linked information
back to what I already knew, I figured out that
the information provided, was just a different way
of saying concepts/ideas I was already aware of.
On the same token, making these links provided
me with some refinement of my understandings
at times.
Sought clarification: instead of just assuming my
thinking was right, or that I was doing things
perfectly, I asked for specific feedback about the
depth of my thinking and the quality of the
exercises we were doing. There were a few
times I felt like I was maybe perceived by others
as flashing my knowledge around, but I just
pushed those feelings aside, as I knew that I
was asking with a genuine desire to clarify my
thinking.

Tried new things: at this clinic in particular,

there was nothing I felt uncomfortable about
trying. I have been to a clinic in the past, where
I have felt that something we have been
instructed to do was not right, or appropriate
for my horse at that particular time. As a
general rule, you know your horse better than
anyone else, so if you are not comfortable
doing something, I suggest talking to the
instructor. It is important to understand WHY
you are doing something, often when you have
that knowledge, you feel more comfortable. At
the Parelli clinic, I tried numerous suggestions
to get a more positive response from Jewel.
Reflect: you should reflect all the time!
Reflection is an essential part of learning and
growth. Reflection does not have to be a long,
deep, arduous task. It can be as simple as
assessing something on the spot. I find that I
do a lot of reflecting after the fact, eg- after the
clinic, or after a session with my horse. It
doesnt matter how or when you do it, just as
long as you are!

YOU TUBE CLIP REVIEW

Warrick Schiller on Lateral

Flexion for a Good Back Up

Click here to view the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwFYyC-QWZ0

You Tube contains a wealth of information. I encourage you to source some quality training
clips and create a subscription list. Another good reason for doing this is so you can find the
clip later, as things can be very hard to find on You Tube! Warrick Schiller is very generous
in that he has many free, short demonstrations, from which you can source some great
ideas.

Breakthrough
with Jewel
Sunday 15 November 2015

There are days working with horses, when things seem to click
more than other days? Is this due to our energy levels that day?
Have we reached a new realm? What ever the reason, yesterday
for me, was one of those days.
For those who know me well, or have followed
my journey with Jewel, it has been very up and
down, round and round. No sooner do we get
something happening, something else crops
up which needs attention!
Of late, Jewel has been 'funny' with the saddle
(a recurring problem in the past too). I have
been trying lots of things to get to the bottom of
it. One day I think I may have found the
answer, then other days the strategy doesn't
work! Well I am SURE this time, I know the
answer
The most common thing which has been
occurring lately, is that Jewel is fine with
saddling, until the girth is done up, then she
jumps around a bit with a clamped tail. As soon
as that is over, you can get straight on and ride
no drama? There are the occasional other
days, when she is obviously unhappy with the
saddle being put on her back and no amount of
'strategies' seem to ease this except to get it
on and work her around (cringe I know!).
I have done, 'all the things you do', flapping,
'hugging her with the saddle', taking it on and
off, working her on the ground in the saddle,
taking my time doing up the girth and
releasing, feed her before saddling, worked her
before saddling, letting her chew the saddle,
etc etc, the list could go on with the things we
have done.... then yesterday it was like Jewel
and I were so much more on the same level.
So I sat the saddle etc on the ground and
played with her at liberty, getting her to
approach the saddle. After one chew and sniff,

she was content to just eat grass. I mucked

around with the saddle pad, she didn't seem to
mind it. I put the saddle on, took it off, flapped it
around etc, no dramas. So then I had all that
sitting on her and led her to a larger area to
girth up, as I normally would.
BUT
For some reason yesterday I was more aware.
I had her in a large space and asked her to
circle around, with the girth hanging (as we do
normally). All of a sudden she stopped, tensed
and kind of danced on the spot (also this has
become the norm a bit). I did what I would
normally do, disengaged her while I flapped
things around, until she was comfortable to
stop.
Then I noticed the stirrup irons... they were
moving in and out, a similar action my legs
have when I am encouraging her to back
faster. They were moving in and out in a way
that tickled her belly every time they came
close. So I grabbed one and mimicked that
same action, with the intention of releasing the
pressure, when she realised we were
desensitising and felt ok about relaxing. What
happened instead though, was that she could
not stand still, she was clearly confused and
doing what she thought she was supposed to
do.
In the end I had her facing the stable, so she
could not walk forward and I continued
desensitising with the stirrup iron. After a bit
she managed to stand still, so I released. Then
started again, this time she took far less time to

stand and she relaxed a bit, I continued this until she was relaxed and unfazed by the movement of the
stirrup in and out. In fact she had a quiet peace about her, which she has not had during 'saddling' for
quite some time. I repeated all of this on the other side, until she was cool with it. During this I also took
the saddle off, walked her around, then put the saddle back on.
Then I took her into the open and did the same thing. She was relaxed, we played around with the girth,
up down, on, off etc. Then I girthed her up, trotted her around and she was sooo loose and relaxed, NO
dramas.
The revelation part, however, was HOW she was moving when the stirrups were moving. She seemed
to be interpreting what the stirrups were doing, as what she is supposed to do when I ride, aka like my
legs. We have some pretty 'fancy' movements, one being that she disengages one step to the left, then
one to the right, then back to the left, to the right, to the left etc in quick succession, kind of like dancing.
So when the stirrups were 'waving', it seemed to her like the 'aid' for that movement, as she was doing
that on the spot!
Once I cleared up for her that the stirrups on their own do not require movement, she seemed to go,
'ohhhhh, oh my gosh, how did I not know that..... thank goodness I do now!
Obviously the proof of the success of this strategy is not yet known and I may need to add it to my list of
'well done you tried' interventions. But I have a strong feeling that when consistently applied, this is
going to 'fix' our problem!

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PRODUCT REVIEW

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Issue 8