Posts Tagged ‘Many People’

When you are thinking about purchasing a horse, you will find that there are many things to keep in mind when you are thinking about looking after them appropriately. Far too many people purchase horses with only the vaguest idea of how to look after them and this will certainly lead to more problems down the line. If you are considering the responsibility of owning a horse, take some time and really consider what kind of care horses need. There are whole books written on the subject, but take a look at the broad outline below.
 
The first thing that you need to think about is where your horse is going to be boarded. If you have the land, you may keep your horse at home, but if you do not, you may also be able to board them at a boarding stable. There are definitely advantages and disadvantages to both sides. If you board your horse at home, you can develop a much deeper relationship with the animal. You will be the one that the horse sees on a daily basis and you will also be able to keep a much closer eye on the horse on a day to day basis. This can make identifying problems much simpler. 
 
On the other hand, you may not have the land, and you might not have the time to care for your horse as he or she needs, and in that case a boarding stable might be preferable. Some people like the idea of keeping their horses at home during summer and then boarding them at a place with an indoor arena during the winter.
 
If you are housing your horse yourself, they are going to need shelter. Many people feel that horses do not necessarily need to be kept in a stable and that living outside is healthy for them. However, even if they do not live in a stable, they do need some sort of shelter. A shelter will keep them warm in the winter and give them a place to get out of inclement weather. The size of your shelter is going to depend on the number of horses you choose to keep. If your shelter has three sides, make sure that you plan at least 64 square feet per horse, with a ceiling that is at least nine feet high. Because horses are so very hierarchical, make the shelter wide rather than deep, so that one horse doesn’t prevent the others from going in.
 
You should also think about what kind of food your horse is going to get. In most cases, the food that horses eat is divided up into pasture, hay and concentrate. Mature horses that do light work tend to do well on pasture food alone, as long as the area has sufficient grazing for them. Pasturing a horse means that they should have an area that is large enough to meet their grazing needs.   Many people will divide up their pasture land and rotate their horses through them in order to give the grass a chance to grow back. 
 
Hay is another food source that you should not overlook. Always make sure that you inspect the hay before you buy it; ask the dealer to open up a bale so that you can see that it is dust and mold free. If it feels warm, don’t buy it; moldy hay can give your horse some serious respiratory problems. If you are looking at working horses, pregnant or nursing mares or growing young horses, look into concentrates to add to the hay. Sweet feed, manufactured pellets and cubes or cracked grains all constitute concentrates.
 
Always make sure that your horse has access to clean water unless they are very hot from work. If you are cooling down your horse, give him a few small drinks instead of access to free water. Your horse will drink between five and ten gallons of water a day. Also make sure that your horse has access to a mineralized salt block. Ask your veterinarian if there are any other supplements that your horse should have. Some areas are poor in certain vitamins and nutrients, and this can mean that supplements are required.
 
Take some time and really consider what kind of care your horse needs; there are many things to think about!

http://horseridingsaddle.com

Author: Marilyn Witt
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Smiling shark

Many people are confused about the aid for the canter. What follows are some common questions about the canter and my answers.

Q. I know to ask for the canter it is outside leg behind the girth and inside leg at the girth, however during the canter is your outside leg supposed to stay back or do both legs then become neutral at the girth once the canter is achieved?”

A.Swing your outside leg back ONCE, and then bring it back to its normal position on the girth. Think of it as a spring-loaded action or a windshield-wiper-like action. If you wait for your horse to answer, he’s not listening to your leg aid. If he doesn’t canter right away, give him a little bump with your outside leg or tap him with the whip. (Carry your whip in the outside hand for the canter work so you can use it to reinforce your outside leg aid.)

As soon as he does the canter depart, reward him.

You can teach him to canter by holding your outside leg back, but when you start doing half passes in the trot, your horse might get confused. He won’t know whether to stay in the trot and go sideways for a half pass or to pick up the canter.

It’s easier to teach him to canter from an aid that ONLY means canter depart than to teach him to canter from that aid and then have to reschool him when you get to trot half passes.

Q. Are you saying that the canter depart is achieved with the legs only? Or, were you just addressing your reader’s concern about her legs? I thought the canter depart was achieved by a slight turn of the wrist on the inside hand, weight on the inside seat bone, AND the windshield wiper outside leg. Is that correct?

A. Yes! I was just addressing her concern about the legs…But you’re right about the rest of the aids. I also push that inside seatbone toward the inside ear and support with the outside rein so I don’t get too much bend in the neck.

Q. How do I use my hands and seat in the canter depart?
What rein aids, if any, should be used?
Do I stay centered with my seat or shift my weight to the inside or outside when I cue for a canter depart?

A.Your weight is on your inside seatbone. When you ask for the depart, push your inside seatbone toward your horse’s inside ear.
Ask for flexion at the poll to the inside with a slight indirect rein aid, but support with the outside rein to keep your horse from over bending his neck to the inside.

Q. How do I keep the canter depart from being hollow?

A. Your horse is perfectly justified in coming off the bit if all you do is give the aid for a transition. To do a transition on the bit, you need to give two sets of aids at once–the transition aid AND the aid to tell him to stay on the bit–the connecting half halt. When you give these two sets of aids at once, you’re telling your horse to “do a transition on the bit”.

* Essentially, you’ll superimpose the connecting half halt over the aids for a transition. That is, you’ll give the connecting half halt before, during, and after the transition.

* In this case, the connecting half halt lasts longer than three seconds. It might even last six, seven, or eight seconds.)

* Apply it lightly before, during, and after the transition so that you “bridge” the transition with your connecting half halt.

* Start the connecting half halt before the transition. (Close both calves as if you’re asking for a medium gait, close your outside hand in a fist to capture and recycle the power back to the hind legs, and vibrate the inside rein to prevent your horse from bending his neck to the outside.)

* Keep giving the half halt while you add the aids for the canter depart.

* AND keep giving the connecting half halt for two or three strides into the next gait.

Q. What aid do I use to go from canter to trot?

A. The primary aid for any downward transition is a “stilled” seat.

* Sit with equal weight on both seat bones, and stretch up tall so you have a gentle curve in the small of your back. I call this posture a “ready” back.

* Brace your lower back in a stopping, non-following or retarding way by tightening your stomach muscles like you’re doing a sit-up.

* When you brace your back, your hips stop following the motion of your horse. Your non-following hips signal him to drop down to the next slower gait.

* To learn the feeling of stopping your hips, simply sit on your horse at the halt. Focus on the immobility of your seat.

* When you ask for a downward transition, mimic the way your seat feels in the halt.

* To practice your stilled seat, pick a point in the ring or on the trail. As you pass this spot, make your body immobile.

Q. How do I keep my horse on the bit during the transition back down from canter to trot?

A. Let’s say you want to do a downward transition from canter to trot on the bit. Remember, if you want to do a transition on the bit, you need to give two sets of aids at once.

* Ask your horse to stay on the bit during the transition by giving the connecting half halt before, during, and after the transition.

* While you’re in the canter, start your connecting half halt.

* After giving the half halt for a couple of seconds, add the aid for the downward transition by tightening your tummy muscles.

* In the beginning, it may take a few seconds for your horse to respond to your seat.

* No matter how long it takes, keep giving the connecting half halt until he listens to your seat and drops into the trot.

* Maintain the connecting half halt until you’re trotting for at least two strides.

Note: If your horse does the downward transition from the half halt itself, you’re either using too much hand and not enough leg or he’s behind your leg. He should wait to do the downward transition until you actually still your seat. The connecting half halt is just for keeping him on the bit. It’s not the aid for the downward transition.

Q. When we’re cantering my lower leg and knee creeps up and my stirrups dangle on my feet (both left and right). What can I do while I’m working alone, which is most of the time, to improve my leg position at the canter? I realize lunge line lessons would improve my position, but that’s not an option right now.

A. It sounds like you’re gripping with your knees and thighs for balance. Think about relaxing your knees and thighs and letting your legs hang loose so that you feel your feet supported by the stirrups. Sally Swift has a great image for this. She says to imagine that your legs are so long that your bare feet are dangling on the ground, and you can feel mud squishing between your toes.

Q. I was initially taught to ask for the canter with the outside leg, as are most people. However, as I progressed in Dressage, I was taught that although my outside leg was behind the girth in the canter transition (to tell the horse which lead I wanted), I actually asked for the canter with my inside leg, at the girth. Is this right?

A. Absolutely. The outside leg tells the outside hind to strike-off. (The outside hind leg needs to strike off first for your horse to end up on the correct lead.)
Your inside leg at the girth tells your horse to go forward into the canter.
So, you do end up using both legs although the emphasis changes from your outside leg to your inside leg as you and your horse become more advanced.

Q. I unconsciously lean forward as I ask for the canter. Should I stay upright? Should I lean back?

A. Stay upright, but push your inside seatbone toward your horse’s inside ear during the depart. As Kyra Kyrklund says: Pretend there are arrows extending down from your seatbones. You’ll push your horse’s hind legs in whatever direction your seatbones are pointed. So when you lean forward, your seatbones point backwards, and that’s the direction you’ll send the hind legs. By pushing your inside seatbone forward, you bring the hind legs with you and underneath your horse’s body.

Are you sick and tired of complicated and confusing training techniques? Are you frustrated by negative emotions like fear and lack of confidence? Would you like to be trained by a Three Time Olympic Coach? Learn how by going to: http://www.janesavoie.com/

Author: Jane Savoie
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Make PCB Assembly

Many people are under the impression that you can just train a horse and that is all you need to do to get your horse to do anything you want. While training is extremely important and proper training will take you a long way with your horse, there is one element that almost always goes unmentioned. If you want to develop a close relationship with your horse, there is no replacement for spending time alone with them. Now, I know that might sound strange but horses need a close bond with their owners to develop a sound trustful relationship. Once you develop this mutual trust, the bond will last forever. Horse trainers/owners spend hundreds of hours working on control but very few know that spending a small amount of leisure time with them can have a dramatic effect on their attitude.

Have you ever gone out to get your horse and they avoid you like the plague? You have to consider how the horse feels when they see you coming towards them. If they feel like you are just going to put them through another torture session, chances are they will not be looking forward to it.

I would like to offer a simple technique that I have learned and I believe this can be beneficial to you as well.

1. Take your horse and put them in their stall or small pen (Example: 8′ x 10′) and take something small for you to sit on like a water bucket turned upside down or a short stool.

2. The quieter the area is, the better.

3. If you have have other horses, put them somewhere else first so the horse you are bonding with can’t see them.

4. Do not take treats, hay, brushes, or any other sort of bribes to get the horse to pay any attention to you. You want them to act voluntarily.

5. Remove the rope and halter and toss it outside the stall where they can’t see it.

6. Take your bucket or stool and set it in the corner of the enclosure and have a seat and just wait.

7. Don’t make eye contact or show any interest in your horse.

8. At first, just ignore them.

9. The horse may ignore you too at first, especially if you had a hard time catching them in the first place.

10. In a short period of time, your horse’s curiosity will get the best of them (typically less than 5 minutes) and you’ll find them wandering over to see what your doing there as this is not your normal behavior.

11. At first, don’t even raise a hand and make sure your posture appears relaxed and non-threatening.

12. Your horse may walk away briefly but don’t worry, they’ll be back (they can’t really leave anyway).

13. Let the horse check you out.

14. If the horse begins to show any signs of aggression, stand on top of the bucket for a moment and look large but remain passive.

15. Once you feel your horse has accepted the situation and feels comfortable, you may slowly raise your hand and pet your horse briefly.

16. You may even find that your horse will turn around and back up to you. As long as this is not aggressive in nature, the horse may acting out of instinct and stand guard as they do to each other when one wants to lay down. This is their protective nature and they all have it in them.

17. After doing this for about 15 minutes, your horse should be really calm and the bonding process will have begun.

18. After the session is complete, show your horse some love by rubbing them and showing your appreciation. You may even go fetch them a little treat, carrot, or apple.

19. Repeat the practice about twice a week while NEVER showing any signs of aggression or control during this period.

20. Your horse will soon realize that just because you’re around them, you not necessarily asking them to do anything but asking for a little mutual trust.

The Bottom Line: If you can spend 30 minutes a week with your horse and develop a trusting bond, then your actual training will be a lot more pleasant for you and the horse and you can avoid any fear the horse might have had without this bonding procedure. There may be a time when something spooks your horse or you end up on the ground (heaven forbid), but it sure would be nice to see that your horse doesn’t run off, but actually comes to you to see what’s wrong. Respect and a little conditioned-response can go a long way in establishing a bond that will last a life time. A happy, un-threatened horse makes horseback riding an extremely pleasurable experience and one you can both enjoy.

Happy Trails!

Sherry Marshburn has been working with horses for over 20 years. She now runs a small ranch, called Paints of Texas Ranch with APHA paints outside of Austin, Texas. We buy,sale, breed and train horses. If you would like to see more article or tips on horses, such as buying, selling, training, or general care, please go to http://www.paintsoftexas.com or e-mail sherry@paintsoftexas.com

Author: Sherry Marshburn
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Duty on LCD/Plasma TV

It can be very scary entering into a new relationship because it takes some time before you feel like you are really getting to know your new girlfriend. There are many things that you will be able to find out about your new girlfriend by simply asking her. This could include what her favorite color is, when her birthday is, and what her favorite movie is. These are the simple things; it can be a little more challenging trying to determine what her true personality is and if she is a “closet horse lover”.

Many people may not know what a closet horse lover is. A closet horse lover is a person, usually a woman, who is infatuated with horses and everything horse related. What makes a closet horse lover different from an ordinary horse lover is that she is afraid that you will not like horses as much as she does so she will try to keep it a secret from you, but there are some signs that men can watch for to determine if their new girlfriend is a closet horse lover.

The first warning sign is that she will have a secret stash of horse magazines. These could be hidden under the mattress or in a shoe box in the top of the closet and if you are to find her secret stash of magazines, she will go one of two ways. She will either deny that the magazines are hers, or she will come clean and confess that she is a horse lover.

Another thing that men can be observant of to determine if their new girlfriend is a closet horse lover is to pay attention to how she is dressed when she comes home. Many women who own horses will go for a short horseback ride after work. If your girlfriend leaves for work in the morning wearing a business suit and comes home in blue jeans and an “I love horses” tee shirt it is probably safe to assume that she owns a horse and was out riding.

When confronted, many women will confess that they are a closet horse lover, but what makes women hide their love for horses in the first place? Many women are afraid that their new boyfriends will become jealous of their horses because owning a horse is a big responsibility and will take up much of woman time. Many men who have not been around horses find it hard to accept that their girlfriends spend so much time in a smelly barn with a horse everyday.

This is why women will go to such great lengths to keep their horse a secret. Most women are sneaky and they think that if they can keep their horse a secret long enough that by the time their boyfriend finds out he will already be in love with her and he will just accept the horse instead of breaking up. What women do not know is that most men enjoy spending quality time in front of the television while they are at the barn.

Ron Petracek was raised in Southern Idaho with a beautiful jet black morgan as his adventure companion, and the snake river within a easy ride. Horses and the outdoors are a solid part of his life along with his beautiful wife and two children. Ron would love for you to stop by and introduce yourself to our community.

For more great information and FREE equine classifieds! Everything from horses to trailers & tack please visit. http://www.theequineyard.com

If you would like to help others learn more about horses than stop by our beautiful and friendly equine forum http://www.horsechitchat.com

Author: Ron Petracek
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Canada duty rates

I just got a new horse and I’m trying to figure out what I want to do in the shows. Many people say hunter, but some say both.

I recently had a client that, due to medical reasons, could not mount her horse without a mounting block. Her fear was that if she needed to get down off her horse somewhere that did not have a object to use as a block, she would have to walk home or until she found something on trail to use. She asked about teaching her horse to bow for her to mount. Now I know many people that want to teach their horse to bow as a way of exiting a performance, but this was the first time someone had asked me about actually getting up that way. I told her we could give it a try and I did not see why it could not be done. So off we went.

Now there are two ways a horse can bow, with both legs forward or one bent with the knee on the ground. I could see a lot of stress on the horse trying to get up with added weight from the bow with both legs forward so I set about teaching her horse to bow with a bend knee.

This is the same procedure I will use on teaching any horse to bow, mounted or not. The main difference comes with where the cue is located. Obviously, if you are going to bow the horse from the saddle, you need a cue spot you can reach, but that is not where it starts.

I do not use treats and do not force the horse down. I use a full check snaffle with continuous round rope reins. I also use a soft lay rope (I like to use the leads made for rope halters with no clasps or hardware) to help hold up the leg on the side I am standing. Due to the repeated contact with the ground, find a place where the ground is soft and protect the legs as much as possible with wraps or boots. Please keep in mind it is not something you teach all horses in one day.

I will only teach this to a horse that understands how to pick up its feet and that also knows how to release to pressure on the bit. I begin by placing leg protection on the horse and placing the rope on the pastern of the leg next to me. I then ask the horse to give his foot. The cue I teach at this point is a tapping on the pastern with a crop while asking the horse to step back. When the horse lifts the foot, I stop tapping and keep the foot up with the rope. I continue until the horse lifts the foot on his own to the tap of the crop.

I then hold the foot up with the rope and ask the horse to lean back. As soon as he leans back even a little, I release, praise and let him put his foot down. I repeat the cues and ask the horse to rock back farther and farther until the knee touches the ground. Always stop the cue when the horse rocks back and allow the horse to come right back up.

When they are comfortable with that I start asking them to keep the knee on the ground a little longer before asking them to get up. It is here you start teaching the cue to get up so the horse will stay down until you give the cue to get up. A verbal OK or walking forward, whatever you’d like.

When the horse is consistent with touching the knee to the ground and leaving it until you ask the horse to get up, you will start teaching the horse a series of cues to bow. The horse understands to lift his foot to the tap, so we are going to expand that to the horse keeping his foot up on his own and bowing. You ask the horse to pick up his foot with the tap. When he tries to put it down, you will tap again. Continue this part until the horse understands to leave his foot up. You will then ask him to lift the foot and then ask him to lean back. Repeat the request for him to keep the foot up while leaning back if he puts it down. Continue until the horse will keep his foot up while leaning back. Release the horse on improvements and continue to make him wait to get up from the bow until you ask him. If he gets up before, simply put him back on the bow.

When the horse is solid with keeping his foot up and bowing to the tap on the foot, move the cue to where you want it. For the saddle and ground a tap on the shoulder is a good place. So, you will tap the shoulder then the foot (together) and release the tap as soon as the horse starts to bow. If he gets up at anytime repeat the tap on the shoulder and then the foot so he goes all the way down. Continue until the horse will bow off the tap of the shoulder. Back up the shoulder cue with the tap on the foot at any time until the horse is solid.

When the horse is solid on the cue on his shoulder you can start to add mounting. Start by moving toward the saddle and keeping the horse in the bow, move away and cue him to get up. Then place a foot in the stirrup, take it out, move away and cue to get up. Put weight in the stirrup, get down, move away and cue to get up. Finally, mount, dismount, move away and cue to get up. And finally, mount and cue to get up.

Remember, take your time, don’t be afraid to break the lesson into days, praise every improvement, release cues as soon as the horse complies, and most of all have fun.

Jodi Wilson is a recognized authority on the subject of horse training and has spent almost 30 years developing training techniques and solutions for horse owners no matter the discipline or breed.

Jodi is an Accredited Josh Lyons trainer, and is Certified in John Lyons training techniques. Her website, http://Jodi-Wilson.com, provides a wealth of information to improve the relationship between horse and rider. Jodi is also available for clinics and demonstrations as well as lessons, apprenticeships, and horse training.

Jodi has trained and competed in Reining, Sorting, Jumping, Dressage, English and Western Pleasure, Trail and Problem Solving.

Author: Jodi M Wilson
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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RHYTHM AND TEMPO

Before you can pick the perfect freestyle music for your horse, you need to understand the difference between rhythm and tempo.

Many people use the words rhythm and tempo interchangeably, but they don’t mean the same thing. This month, I’ll go over the meaning of each–both in musical terminology and in riding terminology. It doesn’t matter if you ride DRESSAGE, HUNTERS, or you are an EVENT RIDER. Every equestrian needs RHYTHM!!!

Rhythm – When riding, regularity of the rhythm refers to the even spacing between each step in a stride of walk, trot, or canter. In music, rhythm is made up of sounds and silences. These sounds and silences are put together to form patterns of sound which are repeated to create rhythm.

Look at the two descriptions of rhythm and put them together. Think of the sounds and silences of the musical terminology and the even spacing between each step of your horse’s gaits as the same thing. When the horse’s foot is down it is a sound. When your horse’s foot is up, it is silent. This is how we can relate the rhythm of music to the rhythm of your horse’s gaits.

Tempo -Tempo is the speed of the music or the speed of your horse. Depending on how fast you want to go, you can adjust the rate of repetition of the rhythm.

Tempo in music can be fast, slow, or in-between. Music sounds and feels different depending on how fast it’s played. The same piece of music will have a different effect or mood depending on whether it’s played fast or slow.

Hopefully, this description clarifies the difference between rhythm and tempo as it applies to music and to your horse.

Next month, we’ll talk about choosing the particular kind of music that will accentuate your horse’s strengths. Stay tuned for a whole lot of fun!

Ruth Hogan Poulsen

http://www.Ruthhoganpoulsen.com

Ruth@Ruthhoganpoulsen.com

Author: Ruth Hogan Poulsen
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Canada duty

Not many people think of working with horses as a way to help yourself; but in fact that is exactly what can happen. When you work to train a horse, you are working with the mind, and once you have the mind, the rest of the body follows. As you teach the horse about Man’s World (as you know it), you use your own natural mental skills. In turn, the horse will in turn put you back in touch with nature, while allowing you to find balance within yourself and be the best that you can be. The better you are, the better the horse will be.

It’s all about changing your mindset. Your job is to help your horse learn about “Man’s World.” In order to do that, you first need to understand how to go into his world. One successful way is to change the attitude of “Do what I tell you to do” into “How can I help you?” When people learn to become the alpha in a herd of two (the herd being made up of the horse and the person) this “How can I help you?” mindset is at work. The lifestyle of a horse is different in his natural setting as opposed to the environment we bring him into. For example, in the herd, there is a certain pecking order where he has a number of teachers. When we bring him into our world, we need to teach him about the world he is coming into, and become “the alpha” of the herd of two.

In the round pen you simulate life. In order to establish yourself as the “alpha”, the initial work is based on four tasks: movement, direction, rhythm and track. In working with a horse, you use your body to apply pressure, the same way that you use your legs and reins when you ride. In the round pen, your body represents your reins and the pressure you put on represents your legs. In other words, pressure means something, but the horse tells you how much pressure to apply. In this situation, you practice giving up control, thereby being in control and setting the example for the horse. This is a way you can practice your riding, as well as your timing, your feel, and many other things, all without actually riding the horse. It can be the beginning of a step by step process of gaining his trust so that you can build a solid foundation. After the initial work, a systematic approach is used to test the body, first along one side, front to back, then moving to the other side, because for every horse, there are two horses, the left and the right. “We do this to test the body in order to find if we get a negative response or one of the three “F’s” (freeze, flee or fight) due to a lack of understanding. Depending on the reaction from the horse, we can tell if there are issues in that part of the body, mentally transforming “mistakes” or negatives into positives because we know which areas need work. Finally, after the ground work, when you add the saddle, bridle and rider, you have a harmonious relationship and a partner who is ready to work with you. If the initial experience is positive, a solid foundation is laid and a remarkable partnership will develop. During this process a two-fold thing is happening. You think you’re there to teach horses, but in the end, they’re teaching you about yourself.

Many times we teach horses to be dependent on us by telling them where to go and what to do; we always have something attached, whether it is a halter and lead line or bridle and reins. We take away these artificial attachments, and by using pressure, one of his natural forms of communication, ask for what you would like, allowing the horse to make choices for himself and learn about consequences if he makes the wrong choices. This allows you the opportunity to simulate life in our world and let him know what can happen to him in when he makes that mental choice. Having no attachments can be an advantage that can help you to strengthen your “mind power.” While you are increasing your mental skills, you are building confidence in your horse and at the same time building your own self-empowerment. This also allows the horse to rely on his natural instincts and gives you the opportunity to practice life skills such as listening, timing, feel, patience, and many more. While in the round pen, one of the tools is a 35′ lariat, which can be used as an extension of your arm. This makes it possible to “reach out and touch the horse” without making it necessary to act as a predator, while also preserving your safety. Using the rope also teaches you to “give up control;” in other words, you must “listen” to the rope in order to roll it up. This parallels listening to the horse; after all, the horse teaches us to teach him. Using the rope allows you to practice this mindset. The first step is to change your way of thinking. If your attitude truly is “How can I help you?” your focus will be on “listening” to what the horse is telling you to do to accomplish your picture. This takes the pressure off of you and allows you to be “in the zone.” You have a picture and the horse tells you what to do to create the picture. The more you improve the horse’s knowledge, the easier your task will be. This type of work can help a trainer who is already working with a rider to improve in a particular discipline. can benefit horses and riders in all disciplines.

While doing this work, there are five rules. Rule #1: There are no rules. Rule #2: Your safety. Rule #3: The safety of the horse. Rule #4: Conservation. Rule #5: See rule #1. While following these rules, participants often see that the situations that occur in the round pen often parallel or “mirror” situations that occur in their lives. In working to help the horse, you can also work on changing negative habits that you have acquired and work toward self-improvement. In fact, although this work is used for horse owners and trainers, it can be used to improve relationship skills for couples or families. For example, in working with the horse, children can learn parenting skills by setting boundaries for their horse. For a career professional, as you learn to be committed to helping the horse stay on track in the round pen, you can envision the parallels to being committed to staying on track in your career. Round pen work can even be used in addition to traditional therapy methods. A local therapist has seen positive results with her clients. “(This work) brought each individual’s patterns and feelings to the surface as they attempted to have the horse complete the task they were given or the task they gave themselves. In each instance, the horse became the mirror for where they were, where they were stuck, or what they were feeling. As a therapist, it is important to me that the client discovers his or her own “monsters.” The issues became glaringly apparent to the client who is working with the horse in the round pen and, in this case, to the family members observing the process.” The work can also benefit business/corporate and school groups with the emphasis on self esteem and teambuilding. Urica Pope, Program Coordinator for the Creative Services Department of South Carolina ETV, worked in 2004 with Anderson and groups of young girls participating in a gender equity program. “There is a valuable lesson to be learned from it,” said Pope. “We chose this program because it deals with leadership. We want the girls to work together and with the horse as a team-building program.” For Bobbi Kennedy, vice president for continuing education at S.C. ETV, the goal is teaching young girls that they can “take on a complex topic and master it.” Kennedy said that the girls don’t just learn for themselves but learn how to work as a team, a concept that is a constant theme in the program. In workshops with Anderson using two horses, the girls also covered topics such as anger management, self confidence and how to say “no.”

The nice thing about this work is that it allows you to be the best that you can be. If you come to the round pen and do something that you are afraid to do, and do it well, you will build your self esteem. With horses as a representative of nature, in working with them, people are getting back in touch with the environment through the horse, thereby finding balance in both worlds, “Man’s World” and “Nature’s World.” Give a man a fish, feed him for the day; teach a man to fish, feed him for a lifetime: but you’ve got to let him get to the pond. If we stay on the path that we’re on, there quite possibly may be no fish left in the pond. Horses are helping humans find balance in their lives, thereby showing that once again, as they did in the past, horses can play a vital role in our society.

Copyright (c) Nature’s View, Inc. 2009 All Rights Reserved Worldwide

Julianne Neal is an author and educator. She and Bruce Anderson conduct clinics, workshops and training sessions throughout the US. For more information on Nature’s View, visit their websites at http://equusencounter.com and http://naturesview1.org

Author: Julianne Neal
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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