...mostly like no one else!

December 2014
Exceptional Horsemanship Newsletter

 

What a FABULOUS time I had in Kansas a couple of weeks ago. Four full days of horse training and people training from breakfast to after dinner by the fire. Immersion training. Many thanks to Billie (on my left in this top pic) for asking me to come and providing such a fabulous experience for us in her 1800's limestone family farm house extraordinaire. Billie is a fantastic cook and EXceptional host. She should open a B&B. We were delighted to have Yvette and Bryan join us along with their horses for the experience.
"Lauren, WOW and Thank You! I have never learned so much in such an enjoyable way. I'm looking forward to using all these fabulous tools you have given me to build a happy partnership with Red and Playboy. OMG four days with you and we accomplished so much! You are a gifted horsewoman, of course, but also a gifted teacher. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and also helping me stay light-hearted and have fun with my horses. I look forward to working with you again in the warm weather!" --Billie 
This immersion technique works as well with horse and horsemanship training as it does with language learning. So very pleased with all the progress with Red, Playboy, Whiz and Gunner. And looking forward to getting back for another session in the spring (Ya know... when it's warmer!).
Now then, if this is the last newsletter you get from me I might be dead. Just got a serious bucker in here. Alas, no one will tell you if that's what happens as I'm the only one with access to this newsletter.  If I'm still alive, I'll be doing my best to reorganize the mental state of Rocco though and keep you posted as able. :D You can always check on the fb site for regular updates. Of course you won't see any there if I'm dead either!
Do you want all your horse friends to not only think that you're the most fabulous friend, but TELL you? Well then, grab them a copy of my Curbside Service book for their holiday gift. For only $11 and change, they will be amazed with the ease and fun. I get emails from folks all the time telling me just that. Some of them are even a bit angry that no one ever told them this before! So, pop over to amazon and grab several copies to hand out. Matter of fact, that's how I met Billie!
AND... it's BAAAACK! Some time ago there were some technical issues that caused me to have to change a lot about my website. I hated losing the wood and torn parchment background and I'VE GOT IT BACK! Got a bunch of other changes, some are done, some are still in the making, but check it out!
And don't forget my friend Helen Miller's Boo Boo Goop in those lovely tins. I use it on me and the horses for just about everything. Fits in any stocking - including mine - hint, hint!
Eye of Newt? I'll catch up on that in the next newsletter as I know some of you can't read too much. :)

Grab some training ideas you've missed on the blog
 
So... Are You Horseman Material????

 

Howz come so many people doubt they'll succeed when asked to do something new? Just about every time I say to a student "How about we" (meaning them :D) or "I was thinking" or "What if" and then while I'm explaining the movement I'm watching their face. Many times the look on their face ranges  somewhere from to ugh, to dismay, to uh-uh. Now, I know what I'm doing and I know horses and as far as I can tell, it's my JOB to come up with this stuff. And as I'm frequently pointing out: I'm not going to ask you to do something you can't do - although I will ask you to do things you may not want to do. But, it WILL advance your horsemanship. As it's meant to. 

I'm not talking about skills that you already have and can do VERY well and NICELY. I'm talking about the opportunities to stick your toe over the line between knowing and not knowing. I'm talking about ADVANCING your horsemanship. Why hold yourself back?!

I still laugh every time I think about the student who interrupted me with: "Those are the three most hated words that come out of your mouth for me." 

"What are you talking about?" I replied.

"I hate it when you start a sentence with - "I was thinking", he said. "It always means you've come up with something I'm not going to want to do." :)

Could we work on getting closer to having our initial response be Doubt You'll Fail?

Let's!!!  Conquer   Our    Response   to  Our    Fears!!!!!     

Sure it may be scary - Do it anyway! 

 

A shout out to Allison Pilchard (here with her new guy Freddie) because she is so willing to grab whatever challenge I throw at her and works SO hard at understanding and learning how to put into effect the essence of horsemanship and understanding the underlying truths of the concepts and not just "put your rope hand here". Freddie is having a six week sleepover with me while his mom is away and he's such a lot of fun. Smart and willing to learn even though he has a bunch of un-training I have to do to restore his confidence and help him carry himself nicely.

 

Leroy is turning out to be quite a lot better than I thought he'd be in a short time. Still have to be careful to keep all my digits attached, but...

You can keep up with all my daily training of the horses and their stories on my Facebook page.

 

Hey YOU! Be Unstoppable!
Not because you don't have failures and doubts but, because you continue on despite them. When you're working with your horse (and hopefully you have the preposition 'with' there instead of just working)  and it isn't going as you planned, most of the time it's a good time to give your self a hail and hearty "So What!" Then, all you have to do is change the exclamation point to a question mark and ask yourself "So, WHAT? now."

 

"Some men have thousands of reasons why they cannot do what they want to, when all they need is one reason why they can."
-- Willis R. Whitney

 

I recently read "A Horseman Remembers His First 90 Years" by Jack Brainard. If you don't know who Jack Brainard is... find out. Read his books. Want to learn about flying changes and balance with a horse who's never done it before and how the hooves fall in situations - he's your guy. I believe Jack is 93 or so now and he still rides and trains most every day. And he's the epitome of nuance. Pull your head out and get going.  

What a ton of great info here, eh?


Please forward this newsletter to your friends and tell them to sign up for their own. Click 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:

Nuance
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
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
Grab some friends and Schedule a one day workshop for magical changes. Advance your horsemanship! Accelerate your knowledge, skills and concepts.  Call or email me to schedule a workshop, 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