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Exceptional Horsemanship Newsletter
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Greetings!
The holidays are over, maybe we have caught our breath and can take some time to enjoy our horses in this good weather (well, I know that's not everywhere, but...). Take advantage of all those winter-time ponders (you DID have winter-time ponders, didn't you?) about what steps you want to take to advance your horsemanship and SPRING into it! Start Fresh! Don't operate on old thoughts and ways.
 Two weeks ago, Bev and her horse Kitchee took their first exciting turn at riding bareback and bitless in the Phoenix Mountain Preserve and cantered/loped along!!
And THAT'S HUGER THAN REALLY BIG THINGS! Way to spring forward with a new, fresh way! ;D
I've been working hard to develop some exciting new stuff for 2011 and truly hope you enjoy them.
"What a horse does under constraint... he does without understanding. Under such treatment horse and man alike will do much more that is ugly than graceful." - Xenophon
Now... here she (me) goes again.
Contingencies - Have you been thinking about them from last month? - If you have a rocket in your back yard, does that make you a rocket scientist?
If you have a brain... does that make you a brain surgeon?
You know where I'm going with this, don't you?
Aren't you just holding your breath until we get into the "I just want my horse to love me" subject?
Observation: Whenever I write something that asks people to consider their shortcomings or challenges with skills or knowledge with horses, it gets strangely quiet. It is my hope that ALL (and this newsletter goes out to about 600 people currently) of you know that never do I intend this to be/sound mean. Yet, when a certain chord is struck it may evoke this feeling. The good news is the feeling is a signal saying, "Hmmmm... maybe I should give this some consideration and effort." Anyone who has read one paragraph I've written grasps that whitewashing isn't one of my strong points and I don't ever want it to be. I only have a short amount of the time allotment you give me to read it. And even if I did use more time/space, I just don't have it in me to waste your time or mine.
A favorite quote of mine is "Get comfortable with not knowing." And boy, when you do, the world opens up. To be able to keep feeling the wonder of learning something new is marvelous. It's a WOW feeling. WOW... look at that! WOW... my horse just___! WOW... what softness! WOW... how funny that was! WOW... I love my life! WOW... I love this! Don Marquis said, "If you make people think they're thinking, they'll love you: but if you really make them think, they'll hate you." Hope it's not too quiet out there. |
So... Are You Horseman Material????
Contingencies
Back when my daughter Courtney (she's on the front of my Curbside Service book) was in high school, she had a friend over. We were watching the horses and the girl said something like, "I love to ride. I'm a good rider."
No, I didn't have to be rushed to the hospital with a humongous something lodged in my throat, but it was close. In the nicest voice I could muster, I asked her how many times she'd be on a horse. Her answer was "Three, so that makes me pretty good, doesn't it?" Aaaaahhh..NO!
But that's how a lot of folks think about horses.
Just a couple of weeks ago, we had some people over and there was a friend of a friend in the group. I was finishing up a couple of things with the horses and he came over. As he stood there watching me correct some improper eating behavior with a horse I have in training, he said, "I don't know if I could train a horse really well." Me (nicely) "Of course you couldn't. If you've only been ON a horse once, how could you possibly train one when you don't know what to do?" Now really, he didn't even THINK of that! Then I said, "Do you speak Farsi?" Him, "No." Me, "Then, it's unlikely that you could teach it, isn't it?"
But... that's how a lot of folks think about horses.
A winner is someone who recognizes his God-given talents, works his tail off to develop them into skills and uses these skills to accomplish his goals. Larry Bird That 'works his tail off to develop them into skills' is the part many people brush over or avoid altogether.
In addition and something we'll get into later, being a good rider doesn't make you a good trainer either. A good rider MAY be a good trainer, but... not necessarily.
Whenever you're around your horses, you're teaching them. Are you aware of what or sure you know what they're learning?
For exceptional results, think "how and how can I".
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| Upcoming stuff:
The Long Short Way
It's all about time
What does it take? What are you missing? If you're missing it, how do you know it?
By the way, do you have a "red X marks the spot"? They're on my website or make something of your own. Check your precision.
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Decent weather most all places for horsin' around, so get started. "An investment in knowledge pays the best interest." Benjamin Franklin Call or email me to schedule a lesson, training session, phone or email lesson/consultation today. Best $13 you'll spend? Get the book, Curbside Service, And Change the Way You and Your Horse Think About Each Other. AND, it's now available on Kindle. If you get it in this format, please let me know how it goes and if the pictures are good. Don't forget to check the blog for more training and put in your questions and comments!
Sincerely,
ME
Lauren Woodard
Exceptional Horsemanship |
Lauren Woodard
Scottsdale, Arizona 85254
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