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Exceptional Horsemanship Newsletter
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"Greetings!
Buenos Dias! Let's have an Exceptional New Horsemanship Year!
So... do you make new year's resolutions for your horsemanship?
Would you like to start? It can be so much easier than taking off a few pounds. What if you committed to learning? Mark Twain said, "What is it that confers the noblest delight? What is that which swells a man's breast with pride above that which any other experience can bring to him? Discovery." Learning from your horse, people you watch, books you read, photos and videos you analyze. Not suggesting that you don't enjoy them, but what if you went deeper? Why are the legs like that? Neck - arched and soft or arched and braced? Eye - tense, calm, questioning, interested, annoyed, more than annoyed? What about the person's hands? Legs? Back soft or looks like they need a surgical procedure to have the rebar removed? A horse will not have a soft, supple back if the person on top doesn't.
Are you're suffering from at least one of three guaranteed success killers - procrastination, perfectionism, or lack of focus - and don't even realize it? If you want to be successful and grow your horsemanship in 2011, you've got to change something or your time, money and hard work will be wasted. Check out the possibilities for email/phone consultations on my website.
I'm stockpiling video and pic's for this type of learning coming up in a new
"Concept and Awareness" training option.
Following is the result of a recent email and phone communication. I'm going to post more from the exchange on the blog, but I just got this from Tenille (it's the day after Christmas now) and couldn't wait to share her fabulousness.
Lauren,
Picture me Jumping up and down screaming! Oh man! Zane & I Curbsided today. Of course these were our first practice sessions, so It's not perfect yet. We only got to do it 3 times before we had to call it a day because of rain. I am so proud right now! And I owe it all to you. Thank you so much for your book and advice. It took us about 15 minutes. I had started to practice yesterday, but I thought there was a communication barrier to me and my horse. I kept calm, but now I see that I was giving the wrong signals which was distracting. So yesterday after I tried, I went home and read the Here We  Go Chapter for the 3rd time. Then I went out and tried it today, and here we are! I hope to practice again tomorrow. I can't wait. Thank you Thank you Thank you.
I hope you had a very Merry Christmas! I know this Curbside Technique is not your only trick. I plan to find out so much more from you in the future. Thank you for helping me better communicate with my horse and have this OMG Moment! Talk to you soon!
-Tenille & Zane
Utah Curbsiders!
And then this a couple of days later: I can't stop Curbsiding. I think it's just so neat! I've been showing him off as well, and directing people toward your book. Thank you. Tenille & Zane
This is what I love, love, love. Having the privilege to be a part of someone having an ah-ha moment! Discovery and Joy!!!
Curbside Service is available from Amazon.com and in a couple of weeks, it will be available on Kindle.
"A man wrapped up in himself makes a very small bundle." -- Benjamin Franklin
:D A good way to think about letting go of ego and concentrating on learning about our horse?
Studying is tough unless and even when you love the subject - so do you love the subject of horsemanship and horses? Really? Then study. Everything. When you buckle down on the most minute movement/shift it really becomes fascinating. And after all, that's where everything starts. You don't trot around the arena before the horse shifts forward. Scroll down to this month's "So... Are You Horseman Material????" training section for more on this.
Click this button and send this to a couple of your friends!
 On the right the picture is of Wylene Wilson and her Mustang Risky Business. On the left, is a quick drawing I did of them with a Sharpie during the first half of a Sunday Night Football game a couple of weeks ago. I haven't drawn in about 15 years so I'm feeling pretty good about this without even sketching it out first.
Have you guys checked out the Grand Prix Dressage and Jumping streaming video on my website? Go to the Training Tips/Video page and when you click there, there's a little drop click option that says CPM24.tv
BTW, I updated the archived newsletters that I didn't know weren't there like I thought they were. This techie stuff is really a work in progress.
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So... Are You Horseman Material????
"Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Wishing is not enough; we must do."
--- Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe
But what the heck does that really mean? Applying is one thing for sure and takes practice and practice. Why many people with horses think they don't need to practice stuff they don't know before it becomes good is of constant wonder to me. (That's the wishing part). But, knowing in the first place is the first place. You can't do something you don't know. And you can't do it well the first time. And sometimes you can't do it well the hundredth time. Is a quarterback able to throw a football thru a tire at 40 yards the first time? Heck, ever? What I see a lot, is quitting because it doesn't come easily. Unwillingness to forge thru, persist, get to the other side. We want our horses to go thru their learning curves and get to the other side, we just don't want to have to make ourselves question, and try and learn and find out what to do, how long to do it, when to change it up, realize maybe that's the wrong track and find the right one even if it's not the first or second track. It's just as important to learn what not to do as it is to learn what to do. While it's important to get good instruction, it's also important to absorb why the instructor chose to say that thing at that moment, not just do it like a marionette. This is my challenge. To change the way you think about your horse and your horsemanship.
I'll ask a person, "What just happened there?" "Nothing." they reply. "I would not have asked you that question if nothing happened." But, if I just tell people what happened, the answer, then they accept it and go on with it as if nothing happened. Think. People I teach have to be okay with thinking and okay with thinking more. There are a lot of people unwilling to go there. The same goes for this column. But know this, my whole intent and goal is to help people get better with their horses and horsemanship. It isn't a judgment of whether you're a good person or a mass murderer. Let's cut to the chase and get on with working towards Exceptional. Sometimes, that requires letting go of beliefs people don't want to let go of.
Knowledge, deeply assimilated, does amazing things.
My hope for the new year - lots of fun (noun) learning and fun (adjective) learning. Here's to us. All of us committed to our horses and how to be better horsemen.
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-Upcoming Stuff
Re-think everything you know about horses. Including the owner's manual. Get the 411 on your horsemanship.
What does it take? What are you missing? If you're missing it, how do you know it?
I'm going to have a link with an email lesson exchange so you can see how that works.
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Start the new year off right by advancing your horsemanship! Gain knowledge and skills, skip some of that trial and error stuff and go for better. Confidence, fun and good horses (better than your neighbor's). Call or email me to schedule a lesson, training session, phone or email lesson/consultation today.
Don't forget to check the blog for more training and put in your questions and comments!
Enjoy a New Exceptional Ride THIS YEAR,
Lauren Woodard
Exceptional Horsemanship |
Lauren Woodard
Scottsdale, Arizona 85254
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