by Mary Gallagher
One lesson horses have consistently taught me over the years is to be present and address questions as they arise, before moving on. We don't know what future problem we are fixing in the present but most certainly, if we ignore the issue in the moment, it will show up again at the most inopportune time. Knowing this has shaped my teaching at home and on the road: make each moment you spend with your horse count!
In my last post, I shared how I had recently witnessed a horse's unwanted behavior at the in gate at a show, a perfect example of an issue showing up under pressure, at an inopportune time:
Articles, experiences and advice from master trainer Mary Gallagher at Freedom Farm natural horsemanship, Port Angeles, Washington.
Showing posts with label emotions. Show all posts
Showing posts with label emotions. Show all posts
Sunday, August 7, 2016
Thursday, July 7, 2016
Koko and the Beginnings of Balanced Performance
by Mary Gallagher
Everyone in my family got to choose a special gift for their 13th birthday. I think that was my parents’ way of getting out of buying us cars at 16. Anyway, all 6 kids wanted their special thing, and mine was a horse. His name was Koko and we spent a lot of time together. He was 3 when I got him. I had been showing since I was 7 so I wasn’t a total beginner, but I was no trainer, either. I depended on my adult trainers for guidance on how to develop Koko.
There were lots of trails around our stable, so I rode him out after lessons whenever possible. We fox hunted and did horse trials along with dressage and jumping lessons, and horse shows. Koko was a great all around horse.
About 3 years into our life together, the showing part was beginning to develop a glitch. Koko did not want to leave the in gate; he developed a real aversion to it. Within a year we were regularly getting excused from the arena. I tried everything my trainer asked, and even had other trainers ride him at shows to help get him get over this behavior, but nothing seemed to work. Koko was one very arena sour guy.
Everyone in my family got to choose a special gift for their 13th birthday. I think that was my parents’ way of getting out of buying us cars at 16. Anyway, all 6 kids wanted their special thing, and mine was a horse. His name was Koko and we spent a lot of time together. He was 3 when I got him. I had been showing since I was 7 so I wasn’t a total beginner, but I was no trainer, either. I depended on my adult trainers for guidance on how to develop Koko.
There were lots of trails around our stable, so I rode him out after lessons whenever possible. We fox hunted and did horse trials along with dressage and jumping lessons, and horse shows. Koko was a great all around horse.
14-year old Mary Gallagher on Koko. |
Thursday, January 28, 2016
The Transformation of Niko: Jessica Crouch Comments
by Jessica Crouch
This article is part of our "Transformation of Niko" series, by Michelle Grimmer, jumping and dressage instructor, and Niko's owner. Our previous post was the fifth in the series, and has links to Michelle's first installment. -ed.
Michelle asked me to spend some time with Niko as her school year got busier. Obviously, the dressage/jumping work itself was being well covered by Mary and Michelle, so I decided to focus on groundwork and relationship building with Niko. One of the very most important things I look for from a horse is the feeling that they WANT to be with you and that they look forward to a new learning experience with enthusiasm. This is sometimes very difficult to achieve - after all it's hard for a human to compete with the safety and comfort of a horse's herd mates. I noticed that Niko tended to prefer being with his herd rather than with people, and he seemed to worry quite a bit about the herd when he was out. He also tended to do things a bit grudgingly - not really engaging with his person, even if he (Niko) was otherwise performing beautifully. With Niko, there is an added component that he is one of the more dominant horses in his herd so he has a strong need to look after his buddies. Also, because of whatever stresses he had in his past life, he had some definite worries. So he would need to feel pretty secure and comfortable to let all that go and engage with a person.
Michelle asked me to spend some time with Niko as her school year got busier. Obviously, the dressage/jumping work itself was being well covered by Mary and Michelle, so I decided to focus on groundwork and relationship building with Niko. One of the very most important things I look for from a horse is the feeling that they WANT to be with you and that they look forward to a new learning experience with enthusiasm. This is sometimes very difficult to achieve - after all it's hard for a human to compete with the safety and comfort of a horse's herd mates. I noticed that Niko tended to prefer being with his herd rather than with people, and he seemed to worry quite a bit about the herd when he was out. He also tended to do things a bit grudgingly - not really engaging with his person, even if he (Niko) was otherwise performing beautifully. With Niko, there is an added component that he is one of the more dominant horses in his herd so he has a strong need to look after his buddies. Also, because of whatever stresses he had in his past life, he had some definite worries. So he would need to feel pretty secure and comfortable to let all that go and engage with a person.
The Transformation of Niko, Part 5
By Michelle Grimmer
This article is the fifth in a series about Michelle’s thoroughbred Niko, whose journey to health is a study in holistic horse care and natural horsemanship. The earlier articles are highly recommended as background. You can find all Michelle’s articles by clicking on her name at right, or just start HERE, with the first installment of The Transformation of Niko (Part One). - ed.
This article is the fifth in a series about Michelle’s thoroughbred Niko, whose journey to health is a study in holistic horse care and natural horsemanship. The earlier articles are highly recommended as background. You can find all Michelle’s articles by clicking on her name at right, or just start HERE, with the first installment of The Transformation of Niko (Part One). - ed.
One
of the best things that ever happened to Niko was that I started nursing school
just after I adopted him from his previous owner. While at times I felt
frustrated that I could not do more with him on a daily basis to help him
progress, the very thing he needed was for me to do things very slowly. In
other words, less was more. The challenges present in his body and mind (which
I came to think of as his ‘twistedness’) required strategic nudging and time
for things to be sorted out. Niko is a tremendously talented horse who has
always always been willing to try, and has always made progress, but I had a
nagging sense that there was yet more inside Niko to work through, that there
were still ‘stuck places’ in his body somewhere.
Saturday, November 14, 2015
Transitions for Physical and Emotional Fitness
by Mary Gallagher
I am a big fan of transitions, both on line in the round pen and while riding. Longing, round pen work, and riding can all be improved when we allow our horse’s transitions, as opposed to not allowing, or preventing the horse from doing down transitions. The difference is in seeing un-asked for transitions as opportunities for communication, rather than mistakes to be corrected.
I am a big fan of transitions, both on line in the round pen and while riding. Longing, round pen work, and riding can all be improved when we allow our horse’s transitions, as opposed to not allowing, or preventing the horse from doing down transitions. The difference is in seeing un-asked for transitions as opportunities for communication, rather than mistakes to be corrected.
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.
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.
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