Showing posts with label conversation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label conversation. Show all posts

Monday, May 4, 2020

Imagination is a Great Teacher

by Mary Gallagher

I’ve been thinking a lot about imagination, as I do my rounds at Freedom Farm. As I shared last month, I’ve been spending more quiet time doing a greater variety of things with my personal horses and trainees, and have been encouraging my students to do the same with their horses.

Without the pressure of upcoming shows, and with the necessity of quiet, more individualized activities, we are discovering and developing new avenues of purpose with our horses, making use of our surroundings to develop, test, and hone our skills and our partner’s skills.

With a little attention, we can easily find sources of inspiration around us, to get us going on a meaningful journey of discovering our oneness with nature. And with our horses, by mindfully cooperating, we can awaken the intelligence innate in both us.

Wednesday, November 1, 2017

Lifestyle series 3: Conversation with a young trainer

By Mary Gallagher and Colton Crouch

Colton with two young trainees, Kiveaho (left) and Hilo (right).
I was talking to Colton Crouch, a former Freedom Farm student who now has his own training business, the other day. He said something that made me proud, and I was inspired to share it with you:

CC: Doing things the right way takes more time, and you have to work harder, but the end result is worth the extra time and effort.

Thursday, June 4, 2015

Lesson Notes: The Benefits of Head Lowering

by Mary Gallagher

When I was working for Jimmy Williams, I noticed that he was forever getting his horses to lower their heads. He would lower a horse’s head to put the bridle on, or to smooth the forelock out under the brow band. He would teach the horse to roll a barrel with its nose. With a squeeze in front of the withers, he’d get the horse to lower its head, and then he would throw a sugar cube on the ground for it. Thinking back, Jimmy spent a lot of time in this endeavor. He must have thought it was important.