...mostly like no one else!

JULY 2014
Exceptional Horsemanship Newsletter

 

What makes some folks so much better at horsemanship than others?
Desire? Everybody has the desire. I hear it every day. Words. It's all I can do to not role my eyeballs right while they're looking at me.  
Deciding? Many decide that they're going to do whatever it takes to be a better horseman. Neither of those will make someone better. The only thing you have to do is...
DO IT! And KEEP doing it! More! And more! And always.
"Most people have the will to win, few have the will to prepare to win."
Bobby Knight 
Set your bar higher.  Making the decision is only the first step. The second, third and fourth and so on are the persisting without settling for less. It doesn't mean it will all go right. Of course it won't. So what? It shouldn't. What kind of determination would you need if everything went your way the first time? Or the tenth? It doesn't matter. All that matters is that you keep at it. ANYONE can ride a horse that's going straight and behaving well. ANYONE. It's when things get a bit sideways that you need some skills.
"The starting point of all achievement is desire." --Napoleon Hill 
The STARTING point. That's it. That's just to START. If that's all you got you got nothin', my pet peaches. DO! 

"It's always an a-ha moment for me every time I spend time with you! I go home thinking how I want to be better with my horses and a better me! Lauren I know you have heard this before but I want to tell you again, I appreciate you as a friend, a trainer and a mentor so much! Your ability to work on people through the horse is a beautiful skill that I am blessed to be a part of. Thank you for being willing to share your tools so that I may add them to my rusty tool bag! You said something today "I need to trust you" that pierced me to the core. I do trust you, I just forgot how much! And today I did something very different than I've done in the past, I didn't beat myself up, I just took a big notice and knew next time I will trust and forget about the negative talk in my head! Thank you for another life changing moment, another a-ha moment for me!"   Joey

  It was 105 the other day and I needed some relief so I grabbed my trusty Sharpie and got to work for and hour or so. Last time I drew something like this was 3 years ago.

*Click over to this article I recently wrote of what is and isn't a snaffle. This is a huge problem and many don't even know they don't know and are running amuck with a jointed curb thinking they're using a mild snaffle.  

Oi! Read it!    Something just happened pursuant to this bit issue the other day and I'll probably address it in the next newsletter as I should cool down a bit first before I write. 

I 'm sure most of you are very familiar with Dr. Oz and Dr. Weil. Do you know that both say that energy work is the medicine of the future?
And are you familiar with essential oils? Fabulously interesting stuff that I'll be including for your reading pleasure in the near future in the newsletters.

AND - DRUM ROLL, PLEASE - start thinking about what you're going to do for your video for the INTERNATIONAL CURBSIDE SERVICE CHALLENGE!!!
So... Are You Horseman Material????

This is something that goes thru my mind occasionally--especially when I know it's a horse from my specialty group--rogues, renegades, spooks and knuckleheads. But, interestingly enough it isn't a negative sentence for me. There's a difference and it may be hard to write but: hoping something goes well and fearing it won't aren't the same thing.
I hope it goes well--just that. Nothing more and there is no more attachment to that. And then I set out to get on with it.
Your horsemanship will be severely affected by whether you have a scarcity mindset vs. abundant mindset. Scarcity is a fear of having something not go well. For heaven's sake you've never done it before or just tried once and neither of you have done it before. It shouldn't go well! And so what if it doesn't? 
Get over yourself. Abundance tells you that you have plenty of options and  more time with your horse so you can figure out what you might do differently or better.

Adversity is the universe's way of finding out if you are serious about your dream, if you are willing to press on regardless of the struggle. Maybe your past or present experiences are just that - the universe simply testing you to find out what you're made of. WHAT are YOU made of? 

"Our doubts are traitors and make us lose the good we oft might win by fearing to attempt" --Shakespeare.

So many times I see people do things with their hands or position or they don't understand exactly what they're asking the horse to do and then get their panties all in a bunch when it doesn't turn out as they thought. Learning is the journey and I don't care if you blow this cliched line off, it really is. People regularly ask me what to do about such and such a problem with their horse and tell me the horse has done it for years. I tell them what to change and they don't want to do it. I say, "Fine, I can ride my horses." Insanity to think your horse will change TO YOUR SATISFACTION unless you change. What folks neglect to realize is even if they stay the same, the horse is still  changing - and these people are NOT going to like the results.

You will not get to the destination without it so embrace the journey and enjoy it and energize yourself to focus without getting stuck.  

If you're tired of what you've got, if you want a better result - give me a call. 


***Please forward this newsletter to your friends and tell them to sign up for their own by clicking on the purple "Gimme" button on the website. 
 
There's a difference between techniques and technique.
For exceptional results, think "how and how can I".
Upcoming stuff:
The EASY button isn't what you think and running rough-shod over it will keep your horsemanship on the uphill struggle side of the hill.
Accuracy - what does the movement look like? ex:  on the galloping bridge. Drift. Would you know what side of the balance bean you'll fall off?
A horse invading your space as opposed to being in the same space.
Dressage Mastery
Sunshine Acres
Riding into your 90's.
Asking your horse to do something way above his level and way above yours! 
 "awareness" - the need for calm.  maintain boundaries in order to create focus, both in yourself and your horse.  ladder jumping - the art of waiting   timing/feel   come
Managing space around other horses
Wondering just what a relationship or partnership with your horse really is? Not sure just where to start? 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!

Sincerely,
ME

Lauren Woodard
ExceptionalHorsemanship.com
Lauren Woodard
Scottsdale, Arizona 85254