“At first the horse needs to start to understand that there is a little meaning there. He won’t see the purpose yet, but later he will begin to see the purpose. Then, when you go to reach for him, he knows what to do. He is planning ahead. The horse can be exploring all kinds of avenues of escape, but …
Almost Perfect
“That was almost perfect!” Linda Parelli always says that after having a lesson with Walter Zettl, she would feel so good about what she achieved and proud. Mr. Zettl would just smile and say, “That was almost perfect!” Never did, or does, Linda receive that 100% praise (even though Mr. Zettl telling you your work is almost perfect is quite the …
The Pyramids
What is your foundation when working with animals? What do is your priority? The ideal pyramid, for me, would be the one on the right: a big block of Happy holding up the rest and allowing me to build upon it. And technically both pyramids have the same things layered on top of each other. The difference lies in how …
What We Know
“It is what we know already that often prevents us from learning” ~Claude Bernard Perhaps you started with horses with a traditional, perhaps a dressage, back ground. Or you grew up treating your dogs rough and tough the way you saw others treat them to “make them submit”. Perhaps it was the exact opposite and you have learned to never …
Animal Yoga
Balance. Flexibility. Endurance. A strong center. Control of your body. I need as much of that as I can get my hands on! It helps with our horsemanship and work with all animals, too. Actually, we’re lost without it! We expect our animals to be all of those things (balanced, flexible, fit, centered…), but we need to be, as well! …
Inspiration…
Sometimes we need a little inspirational kick to get us back on track. I found this great TedTalk video today. It’s not originally about animals, but I actually find it to be about every aspect of life! Especially since a key point in this man’s speech is repetition, inspiration (inspiring yourself) and moving forward with confidence. How can that not …
“Chimpanzee” Movie
A+! 5*! I watched the movie “Chimpanzee” yesterday and can’t recommend it highly enough. Super filming and a (true) story line that made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. I watched it in german, but even the translation was done well!! The whole time I couldn’t stop imagining the film team running through the jungle, filming these chimpanzees and …
Balance Matters
Animals live in the moment. Their minds are not fogged up with past experiences or with what might happen! Humans are consumed with negative possibilities and excuses for their dog’s behavior. I have been guilty of this, I’ll admit… but I’m working on it! Every dog walker with an aggressive, hyper, barking (misbehaved, etc) dog (if not embarrassed into silence), …
Humanima’s Booklist: The Elephant Whisperer
Finally, another great (fantastic, wonderful, heartfelt, gorgeous) book! The Elephant Whisperer: My Life with the Herd in the African Wild… I got this as an audiobook and was hooked immediately! There can’t possibly be a better plot line than one about a man, a new wildlife reservation owner in Africa, who gets asked to rescue a herd of elephants – saving …
Good Choices
“As a rider, you must slowly & methodically show your horse what is appropriate. You also have to discourage what is inappropriate, not by making the inappropriate impossible, but by making it difficult so that he horse himself chooses appropriate behavior. You can’t choose it for him; you can only make it difficult for him to make the wrong choices.” …