Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Welcome to The Tao of Horsemanship Blog!



Approach vs Technique...

There are a lot of techniques for working with horses out there, and technique is important. You've got to have tools in your toolbox! A barn doesn't get built with your intention, you have to use your tools to bring your intention into being. But knowing when and how to use each tool will have a lot of impact on your end result! With horses it's even more complicated, because a board is a board, and a saw is a saw, but a horse - well they are all different. No one technique is going to bring the same results with every horse. How it is used is what makes the difference.

Most people teach technique - but when it comes down to it, it is the way that technique is applied that can make or break us with our horses. When we work with our horses, there is so much finesse involved. Caroline speaks of knowing "when to be, where to be, and why" and to "work with the horse that presents itself". Learning when, where, and why is the beginnings of the tao of horsemanship. Those are the true gems that we, as students of the horse are seeking, to learn to be better at communicating and partnering with our horses.

In this video, Caroline describes how she defines the difference between approach and technique, and how she combines the two when working with horses, and teaching others.

We'd love to hear your responses!

2 comments:

  1. Wonderful -- As someone who has been to one of your clinics and is intending to do more -- what a gift you are -- let me share with others - during my first and only clinic so far -- I cried at least 3 times -- the 1st when I discovered I was actually stressing my horse out -( he is so sensitive and only wanted to please me) -- yet I wasn't breathing -- and he felt it. The 2nd - when I was asking him to join with me and let me get on his back -- he moved into the mounting block and leaned in and stood perfectly still while I got on his back -- my intention was there and he was there--- most amazing!! The 3rd time I cried was as I was driving home after 3 days -- didn't want to leave.

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  2. Caroline - you've taken us to new heights in our connections with our horse friends. This week I was in lessons on driving - with horses I had never met before - but all of your lessons made my experience richer. I took the time to get connected - to make my intentions clear and offer an open heart and mind. I'm sure others in the class thought I was a total nutcase at the outset, but I had the best results.

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