Tuning In
Today I have been preparing to met with a client to review the learning outcomes from a session with the horses. I have been marking up all the photos so that they can refer back to them to deepen the learning and, as ever, I am intrigued to see all the many different ways people can work effectively with each other and the horses. The horses teach us so quickly that, just like people, what works with one may not work with another and so participants soon learn to expand their range of styles.
Susie enjoying a massage from a young client
It’s not just in learning situations either. I had a lovely day on Monday with sacro cranial osteopath Joanna Legard who is interested in the possibility of doing more of this work with horses. Joanna offered Chelsea some treatment which she accepted very happily and was soon totally relaxed and loving Joanna’s sensitive touch. We then moved to Susie and Joanna offered her some treatment too. Susie was not at all interested and just continued to eat. Her favourite form of treatment is a massage and so when we offered her that instead she was much more interested. I explained to Joanna that this was not about her ability to treat Susie – but simply Susie’s preference.
In all cases, the horses respond with honesty and and also with grace about what works and what doesn’t. There is no criticism and no judgement – just clear feedback. It’s such a great lesson for all of us. We all know what works best for us and can learn from the horses how to say so firmly yet gracefully – and we can also learn from them how to flex our style so that we have the best chance of interacting effectively with everyone we meet.
A special pat for Chelsea
Yesterday afternoon I watched my regular red horse speaks partner Sue get ready to hack out her new young horse for the first time. She lunged him before carefully mounting and set off with her son as mounted escort on her older horse Tom. She’s a very experienced horsewoman but I could see that she was nonetheless a little anxious about this adventure, even although the horse had gone well for her in the arena.
As I watched her get ready to leave, I remembered my first solo hack with Chelsea and was very glad no-one had told me it was not very sensible to ride out alone on a horse you didn’t know very well (especially in the days before mobile phones)! I had met Chelsea a couple of days before and ridden her out with others the previous day and she had been very good (it was actually the ONLY time she was ever good in company!!) and, as my sole riding ambition was to ride out on my own, it seemed logical to me that I should see whether she was willing to do this – so off we went. Admittedly Chelsea was nearly seven and not exactly a baby but she had only just arrived at the yard and was still a bit unsettled. We had a magical time – the first of many happy hours spent together just by ourselves over all kinds of terrain and in all weathers. As I tucked her up last night, I gave her a special pat and thanked her for looking after me on that very first solo hack. . Knowing what I know now, that was much more down to her than anything to do with my riding skills. There was a big helping of “ignorance is bliss” on my part too – in this case definitely a good thing! She always did take care of me too. Even at first when she was spooky and her brakes were not very reliable, I never felt unsafe. Even when I fell off her, as I did a couple of time, she just came back to me and waited for me to remount.
Although she’s retired from riding, I’m sure the partnership we built up out and about still helps us as we work together with our clients and I hope that her memories of our riding adventures are as sweet as mine. I also hope Sue has as much fun with her new horse and they too establish a lasting bond.
Stepping Up to Leadership
We often talk about “Stepping Up” – but what does it take to “Step Up” and how does it feel? At one of our recent workshops, we were able to give our clients that experience – thanks to some clever horses who had been circus trained and were happy to share their learning.
How much effort did it take to Step Up?
How did it feel to have taken that step?
Just as the horses had probably taken some time to achieve mastery at stepping up, so our clients also enjoyed having time to develop their skills, ready to put it into practice back at work.
(Thanks to Ann Romberg for her great photos – and to Ali and Storm. We were working at Special Horses for Special Children where the horses usually work with children with autism)
In the Spotlight
We are delighted to be collaborating with “Winning with Horsepower” and to be their company “in the spotlight” this month. http://www.winningwithhorsepower.org/component/content/article/23-eal-spotlight/195-mays-spotlight
Winning with Horsepower are promoting learning with horses at the American Society for Training and Development’s International Conference in Florida in May. http://www.astd.org/content/conferences/international/ Aswell as having a stand, they are also doing a demonstration with horses during the event!
It’s great to see this work out there at conferences such as this and we wish Eileen and her team all the best!
One Year On
It’s almost exactly a year since Chelsea injured her tendon. Watching her cantering in the field after I turned her out this morning and then having a roll and getting up, confidently placing her weight on the injured leg, it was hard to believe what a serious injury she had. Of course the tendon will always be fragile, but she is sound and happy and would seem to have forgotten about it – which is a good lesson for me when I try to keep her wrapped up in cotton wool!
It seems a very good moment to say thanks once again to everyone who contributed to her recovery – my good friend Sue who bandaged her twice daily for many weeks and to all those how sent Reiki and healing (you have nearly convinced my vet that it works!). Thanks too to all those who shared their own stories of how horses can recover from tendon injuries and so kept me hopeful. You were right – horses can and do heal themselves when given the time and support to do so.
Chelsea is 21 and I hope she will live for many years yet – so thanks again to everyone who has helped her on her way.
Northern Lights Education Conference 2011
The Northern Lights Education Conference 2011 is being held in Findhorn on 20th and 21st May. The theme this year is “Embodied Wisdom” and the red horse speaks is delighted to be doing a demonstration with the Findhorn ponies on 21st.
As ever, it will be an inspiring and thought-provoking event – and everyone who is interested in learning is welcome.
For more details and the full programme, please visit http://www.northernlightsteachers.org/
Join us in Somerset
The red horse speaks is delighted to be running another event in association with Ali Stewart and Co at a beautiful venue in Somerset.
12th May: Learning with the horses: This is open to all and is specially valuable for entrepreneurs, business owners and everyone else who would like to increase their self awareness, leadership and ability to adapt and connect with others.
13th May: Coach Like a Horse: This is for those people who have already experienced one of our programmes and who would like to be able to coach as effectively as the horses! It is suitable for people who are professional coaches and those who take a coaching approach to their leadership/management role. Ideal for getting faster results for your staff and clients!
I am delighted to have Ann Romberg from wisdomhorse coaching in Minnesota, USA as my co-facilitator.
Each day costs £250.00 (plus VAT). To book your place, contact Beth@theredhorsespeaks.com
Taking it in turn
Chelsea is out today for the first time in about 11 months. She sustained a serious tendon injury in April last year and although it has healed well and she has been well enough go out for some time, the ground has been too wet, muddy or covered in snow to allow her to be turned out safely without risking further injury.
She is fenced into a small corner of the field so that she does not do “too much too soon.” I have been making several trips out to make sure that all is well. At first while Susie, Katie and Annie were away up near the top of their field Bluebell stayed near Chelsea, grazing contentedly and keeping her company. Now it’s Katie’s turn and she is grazing near Chelsea.
I’m sure they are glad to have Chelsea out near them again – and she is certainly delighted to be out – but I also sense that they are taking care of her too and making sure she is not left by herself. I’ll continue to go out from time to time and check that all is well but it would seem that the herd has everything in hand without any help from me. I really should have known it would be so!
Laughter – the best medicine
Patch - laughter dog
Patch has been here for about three weeks now and I am noticing how much he has lifted my spirits – just by making me laugh.
Patch loves life and is enthusiastic about everything – especially the start of a new day. When I go down to the kitchen each morning, I am greeted by a whole wagging body. Not just a tail – but every bit of him from his nose right to the tip of his tail. He sits still just long enough for me to put his collar on and then bounces out into the garden as if it is a whole new experience to be savoured. What has been in the garden since last night? Where did they go? Are there more twigs to play with? Without fail I have to laugh at his antics as he runs around and then dashes back to me, inviting me to play too.
It puts a spring in my step and I too am ready and full of enthusiasm for the day ahead. There is plenty of research evidence that shows that laughter is good for us – gets rid of stiffness, puts more oxygen into our system and so on, if you need the evidence to convince you to try. So why not just see who or what can make you laugh first thing in the morning and send you off with a spring in your step? You’ll be amazed at the difference – and it’s free!
Who needs words?
As I was mucking out this morning, I heard a strange noise coming from the direction of the mares’ field. I went out to see Katie gently knocking the concrete cistern cover on the water trough. On going to inspect, I realised that the trough needed to be topped up. Due to ice damage over the winter, I’m having to operate the ballcock manually to prevent the trough overflowing whilst waiting for the plumber to come and fix it. What touched me the most was that Katie, being the biggest one, could easily reach the water in the trough but it was just out of reach for Bluebell and Annie – so Katie was attracting my attention to help her mum and sister. As the trough was filling, she stood back and watched contentedly as the other two drank.
Horses can teach us so much about community and working together. They depend on that for survival in the wild. They are also much more intelligent that they are given credit for. Katie clearly saw a problem and decided to do something about it. I usually do the trough after I’ve mucked out but they obviously wanted to drink right then – so Katie summoned help. The plumber is coming today so hopefully the problem will be solved but I will also check the trough in the evening as well as the morning in this dry spell of weather just to be sure.
