Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Sensitive Horses Need Sensitive Humans

I spent the afternoon cleaning my room and painting while Blue Level two Parelli DVDs played. So, I had high quality and paying attention to tiny details at the forefront of my thinking when I went out to do chores.

Ginger is VERY sensitive and easily becomes physically uncomfortable at the slightest pressure or noise. I had to fill her water bucket in her stall. I took all the time I needed to do a lot of retreating and re-approach. When she would start weaving or go to the corner, I would lightly tap the hose on the wall. I stopped as soon as she stopped weaving, stopped shrinking away. But I did not do that until quite a way through basic retreat and waiting. I was very sensitive to my energy and where I was looking. It was difficult to look away and still see her because outside of my glasses, my peripheral vision is super blurry. To keep looking away and know what she was doing, I had to sense her energy.
When I was done, Ginger was a changed horse, though she was still too emotional to eat. I went to her door and sat down with my back to her. Shortly after, she came up behind me and blew, then began eating.
It was really cool to watch her follow the hierarchy of needs from safety to food!

Natural Horsewoman Out.

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About Me

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I am a young horsewoman with a million things on my mind. I have been a student of the horse all my life. As a little girl, I had a desire to understand horses on deeper levels. I believed that there was no such thing as a bad horse, and I believed that all horses were beautiful. One might say that I was a naive child, but I guess I don't have an excuse anymore, because I still believe all of that, and Parelli Natural Horsemanship is helping expand on this perspective.

What We Are Currently Playing With

  • Moving Close Circles at Liberty
  • Soft, Balanced Canter on 45' Line
  • Zone 5 Driving