Category:

conscious horsemanship

Humility & Horses

by C. H. Eastman June 5, 2016November 13, 2018

written by C. H. Eastman

In my experience, there is no better teacher of humility than a horse.

IF you have a heart open to hearing.

This point was driven home for me the other day by my mare Sugar.

Sugar (Miss Doc Alena) is a wonderful cutting mare who came into my life around the time I was first learning to hear the horses speak to me. She and I had bonded well, and on the ground, she is very much my friend and companion.

On her back, well, that was another matter. I just haven’t quite been “clicking” with her. And I was a bit stumped about why.

She has loads of training in her background. She was super smooth and super sensitive when I rode her before bringing her home.

My first clue that maybe I was missing something, was her reaction to the bitless bridle compared to wearing a bit. I figured she would enjoy going without a bit. I mean, after all, who wouldn’t, right???

Wrong.

Sugar likes her bit. Her whole expression softens. Put a hackamore on her, and she is tense, no matter how padded the nose. I just wasn’t listening, because I had made my mind up that I knew best.

I’m a bit embarrassed to admit that it took me this long to figure out what was wrong. I was still getting on her with an attitude of “I’m the teacher, you are the student.” Even knowing that Lucky, my Arabian, had already insisted on giving me lessons about how to use my seat, somehow I just didn’t stop and think that maybe Lucky was pointing out that my skills aren’t quite as good as I thought they were.

So I was getting on Sugar, and thinking, I’ll do some basic bending, and some yields, and start to show her the different types of rein (direct, indirect). Maybe ask her to yield her hindquarters or open her shoulders.

Sugar was not amused.

So a couple days ago, I had my new-to-me Bob Marshall treeless to try out (this one has the setback stirrups) and my new-to-me SaddleRight pad (I had been using a Skito). I tacked her up, mounted, and as soon as I started asking for some movement I started to get attitude from her. Nothing mean, nothing strong enough to dump me, just unhappy and cranky.

I started to cue Sugar for a move – maybe it was opening her shoulder? – and suddenly we were spinning. After finding my balance again, I thought, “well gee, she didn’t understand” so I changed my cue a bit. And I got a quick light sidepass. I almost fell off. Then I started laughing, and I’m still grinning as I type this. She was trying to tell me all along, she already knows this stuff, and more. It’s me that needs to learn how to ride her.

Taken at that moment that I finally understood her message

The instant that thought crossed my mind and settled in my heart, her attitude changed. She calmed. She softened. I felt a clear sense of relief from her that finally her person is getting “it”. She’s got it covered. She knows what to do. My job is to learn to stay with her, and learn to lend her confidence and courage when faced with something scary.

Since that ride, our relationship has deepened. She comes to me more often. She comes to me and relaxes and sighs. And chews. And falls asleep.

I’m very excited, and perhaps a bit daunted as well, to see what she will teach me about riding a highly-trained sensitive cutting horse.

So, if you are ever feeling a bit overconfident and need a dose of humility, open your heart and listen to your horse. Amazing things can result!

PS – If you are wondering how we liked the new style of Bob Marshall, for riding her, my more forward-set stirrups on my other Bob Marshall seem to suit us both better. The SaddleRight pad we both like.

June 5, 2016November 13, 2018 0 comment

conscious horsemanship

Week 3 of the Chair Challenge from Carolyn Resnick

by C. H. Eastman April 28, 2016November 13, 2018

written by C. H. Eastman

Third week of Carolyn Resnick’s Chair Challenge!

I’m taking an online class with Carolyn Resnick called the Chair Challenge. I have used her methods before a bit with the herd, and love learning more from her. She’s my favorite conscious horsemanship teacher. When the special offer showed up in my Inbox to do the Chair Challenge, I jumped at the opportunity. Carolyn talks more about the importance of sitting with horses here. I suggest reading about the weeks in order, starting with week 1.

Day 10 – Day 13
Rather than write each day separately, I’m recording overall impressions, results, and changes. Both in me and in the horse herd. Some particular quotes and insights particularly struck me this week.

From Carolyn herself “I found the formula into the horses’ world. It was simple; it was my job to wait for the horses to respond and acknowledge my presence. I had to be in a proper state of bliss…”

Bliss. How often have I felt bliss? And when/where/why? This thought really got me pondering. I realized that bliss for me is timeless. It is present time only. It has happened most often outdoors. Most often when there were no distractions, just an appreciation for the moment. And the bliss was ecstatic. Sometimes just peaceful. A knowing. If this is how horses live every moment, wow.

Life on the farm has gotten busy with spring repairs and kidding season. I have found it challenging to make time to just sit with all the things I want or need to do. Being versus doing. Life for us humans is really a balancing act of those two, flipping back and forth.

I have started pausing more during my corral and shed cleaning. I just put the tools down and lean on the fence, or sit on the hay bale, or stand quietly. I watch the horses. I tune into the farm. They are responding to this. I’m finding I can request that they move a bit or respect my space with a raised eyebrow, a look, a thought, perhaps a hand pointing. Even T, the strongest-willed and honestly most aggressive, he is softening.

Which brings me to another quote that really resonated with me this week.

“We do not have to handle any situation where he might bite us or kick us. We create the order, not by reprimanding the horse for a negative behavior, but by the distance that we allow him to have from us.”

As I move about cleaning, I am in an enclosure with 4 horses and sometimes a pony. The entire area is no bigger than a riding ring. Safety is a priority. And I find that the less I crowd them, the softer I make my requests, the bigger the escape opening I allow, the softer and safer they get.

Finally, in the midst of this chair challenge, I am also rehabbing one of the mares and getting 2 others fit again for some upcoming classes we are attending. This means working. And sometimes asking them to push a bit past what is comfortable. So every day I am seeking that balance of how much I can ask, how far I can push the healing, while at the same time honoring their “no”. I cannot say I have found one simple answer. Every interaction seems to take a slightly different approach. The best I can offer is that I am listening harder than I have ever listened in my life. I’m really having to swallow ego, and admit when I’m wrong, apologize, and find a different way. I feel like I am being molded as much as they are.

Which brings me to my last quote for the week.

“Until a horse will allow his character to be adjusted by us, he does not accept training from us.”

I’m realizing that this quote could really be turned about. Until a person will allow his character to be adjusted by a horse, he cannot learn from the horse.

Deep stuff. Stay tuned as things unfold.

If you would like to read more about Carolyn’s work and classes, please go to www.carolynresnick.com

April 28, 2016November 13, 2018 2 comments

conscious horsemanship

Week 2 of chair & reed training with Carolyn Resnick

by C. H. Eastman April 15, 2016November 13, 2018

written by C. H. Eastman

Second week of Carolyn Resnick’s Chair Challenge!

I’m taking an online class with Carolyn Resnick called the Chair Challenge. I have used her methods before a bit with the herd, and love learning more from her. She’s my favorite conscious horsemanship teacher. When the special offer showed up in my Inbox to do the Chair Challenge, I jumped at the opportunity. Carolyn talks more about the importance of sitting with horses here. I suggest reading about the weeks in order, starting with week 1.

Day 6
Explored their territory from my chair.
Using only the senses I can use while sitting, I tuned in to everything around me while sitting with them. In my daily chores, I often get so focused on what I’m doing that I forget about “being”. I had forgotten how many sounds and smells there are, the breeze, the birds, the animals, the crunch of the gravel when I move my feet. I found myself feeling more connected with my surroundings. Later, when I was working, I slowed down and appreciated more.

Day 7
Today I got to read a book. I planned to read my new purchase about raising and training foals, as Malenna is pregnant. I ended up catching up on Facebook posts. I’m curious to experiment and see if they prefer when I read a printed book versus play with an electronic device… I’ll test that out next week.

Day 8
Putting myself in my horse’s shoes. Well, in their case, bare hooves. Today I walked around their areas before sitting, really looking, listening, smelling and feeling to understand how they see their environment. I can honestly say that their environment is richer than mine in the house. So much to smell and taste and hear, and always changing. I feel a greater sense of peace and connection, and this feeling is carrying over beyond the daily time with the horses. The horses are becoming more responsive to me, moving away with a lighter suggestion, talking to me more, and kinder with each other. And breakthrough! Malenna came over and sniffed me, then relaxed peacefully next to me. Being so tiny, she appears to be used to being pushed around, so when she’s given a choice about being touched, she just walks away. This is the first step in her learning to be friends with humans. I’m so thrilled!

Day 9
Today was sitting, then exploring how your horse would like to be approached. This is actually something we have all worked on together before. T especially has been my biggest teacher about proper approach etiquette. He actually used his energy to push me back out of his space to show me the edges of his energy bubble. This was a good refresher today, and also, Carolyn offered the very important detail to approach from head-on, catching both eyes. Being off to the side, even a little, becomes a cue to move. I find I easily lapse back into incorrect approach, especially with the pony Malenna.

Malenna! Hip cocked and resting

Regarding goats and chairs
It’s kidding season, so I’m spending a lot more time in the goat pens, just sitting. I’m having similar experiences with the goats. They are friendlier, more interested in me, the kids are bolder. I feel centered and peaceful with the goats, too. I did find that the chair puts me up taller than the goats, and while the kids see that as a climbing dare, the adults prefer that I sit closer to the ground.

In general, I’m finding that my entire day is more centered and calmer when I make the time to sit with the horses, meditate, focus on gratitude and appreciation for all the sounds and sights and smells of my surroundings. I find that my mind snaps into clarity and quiet much faster and easier. I am also making time to share territory with my goat herd, and getting similar reactions from them.

If you would like to read more about Carolyn’s work and classes, please go to www.carolynresnick.com

Continue to Week 3.

April 15, 2016November 13, 2018 0 comment

conscious horsemanship

Train your horse with only a chair and a reed

by C. H. Eastman April 4, 2016November 13, 2018

written by C. H. Eastman

Doing Carolyn Resnick’s Chair Challenge! First week of experiences

I’m taking an online class with Carolyn Resnick called the Chair Challenge. I have used her methods before a bit with the herd, and love learning more from her. She’s my favorite conscious horsemanship teacher. When the special offer showed up in my Inbox to do the Chair Challenge, I jumped at the opportunity. Carolyn talks more about the importance of sitting with horses here.

Day 1
Explored their territory.
They were curious. They have seen me do this before so no huge revelations. I did get almost a sense that they found it reassuring for my to inspect their areas at sunset. Malenna came over and hung out with me. T followed me for a bit. I made sure to stop at manure piles, handle the hay, ruffle the water surface, and get into each corner. I’m going to make this a nightly routine around dusk whenever possible.

Day 2
Time to introduce reed, make sure they are brave with the reed, and use the reed to move them out of my space. I am using a very thin, very flexible short branch off a poplar tree for now. I’d love to find some local willow or wild reeds to harvest. I’m keeping my eyes open for some.

Day 3
Introducing the chair and sitting in the chair.
Malenna is the only one not well-experienced with this. I keep a mounting block (T sees chairs as toys) in the paddock and regularly sit with them all. See my earlier blog post http://wellness.barakah.farm/2014/09/07/3-horses-3-training-plans-same-foundation-step-by-step-for-you-your-horse-step-1-just-being-together/ about some of our experiences sitting together. In warm weather, I often take my laptop out to the field and work in the herd.

Day 4
Sitting, then exploring how your horse would like to be approached. This is actually something we have all worked on together before. T especially has been my biggest teacher about proper approach etiquette. He actually used his energy to push me back out of his space to show me the edges of his energy bubble. This was a good refresher today, and also, Carolyn offered the very important detail to approach from head-on, catching both eyes. Being off to the side, even a little, becomes a cue to move.

Day 5
Really neat tip from today’s lesson: Put your chair in the middle of a tarp if you need extra help keeping your horse out of your space. And I learned that the key is how your feet move, or don’t move. Sitting removes the chances that the horse can force your feet to move, even by accident.

I’ve also realized something about Lucky. He loves to hang out with me while I sit or stand quietly. He is respectful when I do. Yet, he walks away when offered a halter. He will often follow at liberty though. I’m not clear what he is trying to tell me yet, just that there is something I am not hearing.

If you would like to read more about Carolyn’s work and classes, please go to www.carolynresnick.com

Continue reading with Week 2.

April 4, 2016November 13, 2018 4 comments

conscious horsemanship

A new riding lesson from Lucky – turning

by November 29, 2015October 10, 2018

written by

Lucky enjoying some TTouch on his back before we ride.

You may remember that Lucky suggested that he should give me riding lessons. Our first session set the groundrules (no tack at all) and also established that Lucky feels I have a lot to learn. We covered staying balanced and centered while moving and stopping in our first lesson.

After that lesson, Lucky asked for several days of bodywork only and no riding. He wanted some changes in his back and pelvis, and some adjustments to his hoof trims. I got out my helmet each time, in the hope that he would choose to offer another riding lesson.

Ready to ride. When he is ready for me, he stands calmly at the mounting block, with relaxed breathing and often licking and chewing. I do not get on until I have clear permission.

And after several days he did!
Lucky offered a new lesson about turning. For many years, teachers have talked to me about using my core and about turning from my center. I understood the concept, and struggled to actually apply it when riding. I found myself resorting to my legs, or my reins. I had some success using the principles taught in Centered Riding (c) (I earned my Level 1 instructor certification). When I took advanced bodywork training this past spring, I got to play with using a fitness disc (swivel disc, twist disc) to practice turning using my core (Thank you Kelley Mills!). I highly suggested getting a fitness disc and practicing your swivel. You learn quickly how to balance your left and right.

Until Lucky actually showed me how to turn, I didn’t connect the disc work with discussions about turning a horse with your core. To teach me how to turn correctly, Lucky let me experiment with all the different ways I know how to turn. When I didn’t ask correctly, he simply ignored me. I finally stumbled upon a spiral twist of my core, triggering my body memory of working with the fitness disc and my old Centered Riding visualizations of the barber pole. He turned smooth as silk – the harder the twist, the tighter the turn. I was elated!!!

Here we go!

Turning using my core, with a cordeo for backup, though I didn’t need it.

The cordeo really was unnecessary. Handsome Lucky teaching me to trust him without tack.

Turns. I was playing with using the mane or pointing where I wanted to go. Nope, core guidance only.

Lucky let me play with the feeling of turning with my core for about 20 minutes. Then he walked to the mounting block and stopped. His message was clear. Riding lesson over for this session.

Until next lesson, I am continuing to practice my swivel using my core. I’m very excited to see what he teaches me next.

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration or American Veterinary Medical Association, and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Always consult your veterinarian about any changes to your animal’s health program.

November 29, 2015October 10, 2018 2 comments

conscious horsemanship horses

What’s in a name?

by November 13, 2015October 10, 2018

written by

Words have power. Names have extra power. The meaning of a name reflects on, and influences, the owner of that name.

In many cultures, children are given a temporary name at birth. Later, an adult name is chosen, usually in combination with a sacred ceremony. That adult name either reflects the qualities the young adult already shows, or sets the expectation of who the young adult will grow to become.

When it comes to the animals I share my life with, I do my best to listen for their true name. Some will offer it up. Some stay quiet and ask me to choose.

There are some names I avoid. Buck or Slowpoke or Tripod for a horse would be good examples.
When you hear the name that fits with that soul, it just clicks into place. There is a knowing. Goose bumps. Tears. Joy. Peace.
And sometimes amusement or even doubt.
Really? You want to be called what???

A few years back, my senior breeding goat buck was born. I was sitting holding him on chilly spring day, asking him yet again what his name should be. He stared into my eyes and I heard “Dreamer”.

Dreamer? That’s an odd choice. You are a boy, destined to lead the buck herd, and you are choosing the name Dreamer?

“Dreamer”

So Oak Hill Dreamer he became. Today, the name suits him perfectly.

So fast forward a few years and the contractor I use to help with barn chores was searching for a horse of his own. One day, I saw pictures posted by Omega Horse Rescue of horses in a local kill buyer’s pen.
(For those not familiar with this, kill buyers bid on horses at auctions, then resell them for slaughter in the Canadian and Mexican markets. I am making no judgements here about choosing that for a business. Just sharing facts.) Kill buyers will often allow rescues to purchase or arrange private sales for horses that have been scheduled for slaughter.
So this picture showed up in my news feed on Facebook.
And I knew. THIS was Cody’s new horse. There was something in the eyes. I messaged Cody right away – I found your horse!!!

Cody stepped up and purchased him from the kill pen. My horse Lucky had lost his roommate, and the timing was perfect, as Lucky needed a new roommate. Later I got a further message “I’m naming him Jeep” “My friend has a Wrangler, so it’s perfect”.
Something about that name choice nagged at me. However, not my horse, not my decision. I let it go.

Recently, I’ve been having some pretty intense discussions with horses in my own herd and with humans and horses from other herds, all of us sharing together these lessons presented by our equine teachers.
Jeep went to Kim Walnes 2 nights ago and poured out immense amounts of grief. Followed by this: “I’ve been used as a vehicle so much in my life. I don’t mind being ridden again once my back is stronger, but I never want to be treated or considered as a vehicle again. My name is celebrating a vehicle…even if it is a sturdy and handy vehicle, I wish to have a name that reflects my true self, which is as a teacher of Wisdom.”

I immediately shared this with Cody. We met at the barn and joined Jeep for a discussion of his name, and what he would like his new name to be.
Cody and I both felt pretty stuck about what the new name was. I was having trouble hearing Jeep.
I started muscle testing my way through a list of possible names.
Cody started googling ideas.
Family members chimed in with some very thoughtful, well-considered ideas.
Jeep just kept eating his hay, and occasionally looking annoyed.

I finally gave up and stopped my testing and my thinking and just told Jeep I’m frustrated and not hearing it and please help me.
And there it was my head. Softly yet clearly. A complete thought. As he was giving me his true name, he walked over and nuzzled me in the face.
The name he chose is unusual. It’s powerful. It’s, well, weird. At least from my human perspective. I worried what Cody would think of it, and if he would accept it. I worried what others would think upon hearing it.
He new chosen name is Teacher of Souls.
I thought at him “That’s an unusual name. Humans may not understand.” The-horse-formerly-known-as-Jeep (THFKAJ) looked right at me and I got a very strong feeling of amusement. “That’s your human problem, not mine. Deal with it.”
Being human and prone to overthinking and doubting my ability to hear the horses, I reached out to Kim AND to another human friend on this same path. “THFKAJ just told me his name is Teacher of Souls! Am I really hearing that right?”
Yup, I was.

I braced myself for Cody’s reaction.
“This is what I heard. I don’t understand it, I realize it’s a bit weird, he says it’s ok to use a shortened name for everyday. His name is Teacher of Souls, Teacher or T or Mr. T for short.”
And Cody started smiling and laughing.
Turns out Cody used to ride another horse, a fantastic special lesson horse, with the same name, Teacher. Cody was totally fine with the name. Liked it. Really liked Mr. T as a barn name. Smiles all around.

And T, meanwhile, had walked off to the corner and was deep in a horsey trance processing everything that just happened.

A name change like this is BIG. This is a huge energy shift. Adding in the proof that humans are finally listening to him and respecting him, well, that was a LOT to process. He stayed in that corner for quite a while before rejoining us.

He was much calmer when he returned to the hay. He sent Kim a message that he is coming out and showing us his heart, and that he loves us.

So, Happy Rebirthday Mr. T ! Welcome to your new life, again. May this newest journey be fun and healing!

November 13, 2015October 10, 2018 0 comment

conscious horsemanship horses

The best riding instructor ever!!!

by November 11, 2015October 10, 2018

written by

I’m taking riding lessons again.

With a new twist.

My instructor is a horse.

Lucky has decided to take me under his hoof and teach me the fine art of equitation from a horse’s point of view.

And he had a condition on the agreement. No tack. Not even a cordeo.

Well, how can a lady refuse an offer like that?? I’m in!
First, a bit of back story. Lucky and I have lived together for 11 years, since he was 6 and fresh off the racetrack.
Until recently, I only dreamed of having conversations with animals.
A few years back, an encounter with Kim Walnes and her horse Gideon planted seeds that recently took root and sprouted. I can hear the horses now. And they can hear me. It’s been quite an eye opener, and I have had to set aside many of my old training techniques and beliefs, as the horses have made it quite clear just how wrong they were.
So, a couple weeks back, I was playing with Lucky at liberty and got to thinking about riding. I was telling him how much I wanted to ride again, and describing why riding is important to me and he very clearly said “I will teach you”.
When I approached him with a bridle, he turned his head and said “no”.
I got out my soft braided neck rope (or cordeo) and placed it around his neck. He pinned his ears, raised his head and backed away from the mounting block.
O-kaaay, hmm… what to do now?
I got out my TTEAM neck rope (a stiffer cordeo) thinking maybe he just wanted a different neck rope. Nope. Ears pinned. Head high. And I very clearly heard “no tack”.
I asked again, do you really mean I cannot even use a neck rope. “No.”

Alrighty then. Keep in mind Lucky was a racehorse. My biggest fear in the past has been a runaway racehorse. So this is very challenging for me.

Lucky stood quietly while I brought the mounting block over. I took hold of a handful of mane to swing on, and he walked off. As he stepped away, one eye focused on me and I got “no mane”. Well, huh. How am I supposed to get on without any mane to hold.

He let me place the block again, I laid my hand (which would normally be grabbing mane)on his neck and he sighed and lowered his head. I swung my leg over and there I was, sitting on Lucky, nekkid.

Lucky without tack. That’s Jeep in the background, who decided to hang out with us for my first riding lesson.

I sat there for a bit, just feeling first amazed, then happy, then grateful. Here I was, sitting on Lucky, with NO tack, and he’s being calm and pleasant and helpful.
So then, being human, I started thinking about an agenda. What should I work on? Should I teach him to stop? To turn?
Before I could take that chain of thoughts any further, he sent quite clearly that he was in charge of the lesson. In fact, he said more. He took a careful step forward and started meandering around the square pen (no round pens here), picking up the occasional leaf and periodically changing speed or direction.
My brain started working again, wondering what I should work on. He sent very clearly “until you can learn to release your back, soften your seat and QUIT GRABBING ME with your legs, you have no business being in charge of the lesson, let alone teaching another inexperienced horse.”

Whoa. That was hard to hear. And yet, he was right. With every unexpected change he was making, I was clenching or grabbing. And what I thought was him wandering at random was quite deliberate. He was checking my seat and balance.

With that final statement, he walked to the mounting block and halted, and would not move again.
Lesson 1 was over.

Stay tuned for lesson 2, all about stopping and lesson 3, how to turn.

November 11, 2015October 10, 2018 4 comments

conscious horsemanship horses

How to get started with liberty horse play

by November 7, 2015October 10, 2018

written by

I’ve had some folks ask me how I learned to work with my horses at liberty. Below are resources to check out and my own process of learning this new path.
Each person and horse will do this a bit differently. The core principle is universal and simple – the horse is allowed to say no.

For me, I had always dreamed of a true partnership with a horse, from the time I was a child and first read The Black Stallion by Walter Farley. I had glimmers of what was possible throughout my early riding years, mixed with a whole lot of me dominating my horse. After all, that is what is commonly taught.

Mary Summer Rain mentioned in her book Spirit Song about asking her neighbors if she could borrow a horse, then climbing on the horse bareback with no tack while the horse willingly and happily took her out for a day’s ride exploring, then brought her home again. I was intriqued by this glimmer of hope for a different way of relating.

Then I found Linda Tellington-Jones and TTEAM. I saw how my horses responded to that respectful training system, contrasted with how they responded to some popular natural horsemanship techniques (I’m skipping over bashing specific training approaches. Your horses will offer an opinion if you listen)

My very first ride without a bridle ever, on Poco, the horse that gave me whiplash bolting.

Reading the books The Tao of Equus and Riding Between The Worlds by Linda Kohanov showed me that I wasn’t alone in wanting this kind of relationship and that it was in fact possible.

After reading Linda’s books I stumbled upon (or was led?) to the conscious horsemanship school of thought. These would be the teachers like Carolyn Resnick, Linda Kohanov, Alexander Nevzorov and too many others to name.
I highly recommend visiting the site https://www.horseconscious.com/ and researching each of the advisory board members, including those mentioned above.

For me, the actual step-by-step instruction in how to start this relationship came from Carolyn Resnick’s Waterhole Rituals. I found her process easy to understand and follow, and I felt safe doing it. Every one of my horses has responded positively to the approach. I encourage you to check out her website, as she has an active blog as well as many class options. She welcomes comments on her blog, and many times helped me with applying her techniques.

If you are an Instagram fan, I suggest checking out Callie at Libertyhorsemanship101, Estella & Tanja and their horses at Nativehorses, Rhianna at Freedomofthehorse, Littlepistolannie, Katie at Willowspromise, Nora at Horsebalance, Marijke Dejong, and Matilde and Batman. There are others – these are just some of my favorites for both instruction and inspiration.

I have posted many times about bits and pieces of the process. I have written about my thoughts about this process of conscious horsemanship here and here. I laid out some simple first steps to get started, Sitting together and Walking together.

Most recently, my horses’ themselves have taken to teaching me. They present me with lessons, when and how they see fit. I can say that each lesson has been useful and perfectly timed and has improved our relationship. Jeep taught me about boundaries and personal space, Lucky has been working on my riding skills, and Salty taught me about choices and circumstances. I have not written about my riding lessons with Lucky yet. I will.

I hope this post gives you some ideas for finding your own starting point. Please comment if I can help.

November 7, 2015October 10, 2018 0 comment

conscious horsemanship

What herd do YOU run with?

by November 1, 2015October 10, 2018

written by

written by Carrie Eastman, Tabby M., Bodhi (equine) and Salty (equine)

In the past, my blog posts have usually been written by me (though I suspect a guiding hand or hoof behind many of them).
Recently, I shared an experience with Jeep, a member of the herd here at Oak Hill. Jeep took an active role in presenting the lesson and insisting that I share it with others.
Today’s post is yet another new experience for me – a group writing effort between myself, a new friend, and 2 of our horses. (I use the term “our” loosely, as really they are companions and teachers and friends not possessions. Our and possessives are just a simpler way to express who belongs to which herd)

Salty

Bodhi

This Teaching unfolded over more than a week. It all started with a personal Teaching from Tabby’s horse Bodhi. Bodhi asked that Tabby share his wisdom to all of us by extension.

To Tabby directly, Bodhi expressed: “You are addicted to your mind.” Bodhi went on to explain that people often retreat to their thoughts similarly to how an addict abuses substances as a means to avoid. Referring to humans, he shared: “Obsessive thinking (over-analyzing, daydreaming, thinking too much, etc.) creates a disconnection through numbing your Feelings as well as stifling your Intuition.” And then he went on to reiterate that Humans are not truly Present when their minds are active/racing. In addition, “people are often addicted to their perception (of reality or otherwise) created by thoughts as a means to avoid the Truth (of themselves, others or situations). It’s like getting high or drunk.”

From that, Tabby and I discerned that people may subconsciously prefer the company and safety of their own thoughts and may spend countless hours “thinking their Life away” versus actually Being and Experiencing the Magic…

More Teachings and related articles and posts began appearing in my and Tabby’s lives. Kim Walnes from The Way Of The Horse shared an article about following your passion(warning: profanity). The general theme of the article is that we don’t need to find our passion, we already have it. We have just chosen to ignore it, for a variety of reasons.

How many of you are wrestling with thoughts and feelings about how you earn your living, following your passion and/or heart, making major life changes to better support yourselves and follow your dreams? For those of us currently feeling uncomfortable or dissatisfied with our career choices, Bodhi offers this thought: and suggests that we “find the same “Connection with Self in all areas of Life, quiet our minds and Be Present with whatever task we are doing”.

This raised a question for me, which I brought up for Tabby, Bodhi and Salty to contemplate. “So what happens when you find that “Connection”, only to discover that you have used obsessive thinking and “mind-hiding” to avoid facing a situation that fits poorly with your Heart?” Tabby and I both realized that this Teaching about “over-thinking” has rippled into other discussions about careers, following our passions or True Calling and celebrating our Gifts. The horses are sending us a clear message… Are we ready to listen?

Tabby shared this quote:
“When your mind wants to bolt, but your heart hangs on, it is because you don’t know with absolute certainty what the truth is. When you waste so much time on something that you want to believe is true, you begin to overthink things. Eventually, something obvious becomes twisted into something absurd, which keeps us from believing a simpler answer. Over time, you believe your own lies and fantasies to shield yourself from hurt, when following what is logical would have been the quickest way to healing. It is through your own self-imposed delusions that you lose your perspective. The world then becomes different to you when in fact you are different. Why? Because your own ego gets in the way. Everyone wants to feel special. Everyone wants to have faith in others. Everyone wants to believe in fairy tales, happy endings and have all bad interactions with others explained. It is easier to sit in denial with your delusions and pray God will intervene, not realizing he has. He gave you commonsense and intuition, but you didn’t like how it made you feel.” – Shannon L. Alder

The horses offered further thoughts about being in denial, hiding behind obsessive thinking, staying true to your heart and calling. This is where the horses took the Teaching to a deeper level.

The horses offered a vision of the wild horse bands. In the wild, horses get herded by stallions and grouped into bands. These groups are fluid and can change daily. Wild horses find a way to co-exist and make it work. They do this without fear about how they will survive; they are Open and go with the flow. It is Life and Living moment to moment.. Embracing the present circumstances and doing the next thing. Being. Each member of the Herd is important. Salty added “what is the fuss about? Be happy. Eat. Enjoy. Repeat. Life flows, and all you need is provided if you are Open to Receive!”

Tabby and I realized that the horses were showing us how horse bands and human groups have similar lessons. Human Kindred get put into or choose to enter a herd (perhaps a job, living situation or family) that you might not like… Sometimes to fit into the Herd, we human Kindred hide who we really are. We downplay or hide our uniqueness and the gifts we bring to the world. This hiding is a choice we make individually, on a conscious or subconscious level. It is just something we might have to do to function in our world… just like how our domestic horses sometimes just have to do things to function in our world? I suspect this is a core lesson for many of us. How many of us each have unique gifts and skills, and hide them or downplay them? And how many of us are told “a regular job is not a bad thing” or “A regular job is something we have to do to function in society”? “We must play by the rules.” Different Herds have different rules. I’m going to repeat that, because this is so key to the Teaching. Different Herds have different rules. And we all have a Purpose.

What herd are you choosing to run with?

Choose your herd with care. Choose a herd that supports your dreams, embraces and values your gifts, challenges you to do more and be more. Choose courage. Let your light and gifts shine. Choose wisely. Choose consciously. Choose love.

November 1, 2015October 10, 2018 0 comment

conscious horsemanship

Exploring teamwork with Jeep and Lucky, the horses

by October 27, 2015October 10, 2018

written by

Lucky (left) and Jeep

Well, as you may have gathered from my posts, I have been exploring working with horses as thinking, conscious feeling beings with opinions of their own, and the right to say no.
This has been an interesting journey, that started with childhood dreams after watching The Black Stallion, and grew when I had my first experiences actually “hearing” the horses, and having them listen to me.

I’ve been pretty busy these last couple months with goat shows and clinics and my mom’s 80th birthday. Tonight was my first chance in a while to just hang out with the horses and catch up on some hoof trimming.

I usually trim with the horses loose in the square pen ( we don’t do round pens, which is a story for another day). I worked on Lucky’s front hooves while Jeep his roommate hung out in the same pen to watch and also spend time with his person Cody. Jeep was very curious about what I was doing, hanging over my shoulder and watching closely.

When I was done trimming, I just stood with Lucky and asked what he felt like doing. I got a very clear sense that he wanted to play a bit at liberty, and wanted Jeep to join us. I checked in with Cody, and he was getting that same sense from Jeep. OKaaayyyyy, I think we can do this. Hmm…

I asked Lucky to pick a direction and walk, using body language and picturing what I was asking for. Lucky pushed Jeep ahead of him and started circling, then passed Jeep and Jeep followed along. Just a couple circles and clearly Lucky wanted to do something more. He picked up a jog. I agreed and added my body language for jogging and off we went, Lucky leading and Jeep following. What happened next was the truly fun part. When I stopped circling and asked for a stop, Jeep rushed over to me and touched me with his nose, then Lucky came over. This had clearly turned into a version of musical chairs, with the game being which horse would see the stop cue first and get back over to touch me.

We did several rounds of this, with Jeep beating Lucky every time. He even anticipated a couple times (or maybe I gave a cue I wasn’t aware of) When I had the sense they were done, I just sat down on my heels and they both came over to hang out. Jeep was very curious and nuzzled me and wanted to share breath.

[side note: sharing breath is almost a meditation. Nose to nose, we breath together, me in and the horse out, then the other way around, sharing breath. It is an act of trust, and really forms a connection]

Tonight was the first time I got a clear sense that one horse wanted to work with me with another horse, and it was pretty amazing. I’m really excited to see what the 3 of us come up with next.

October 27, 2015October 10, 2018 0 comment

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