Letters of the Month

LETTER OF THE MONTH:

January 2006

Sylvia, Happy New Year to you and your family. I just wanted to share a couple of things with you. First of all - I LOVE the [EquiPedic] saddle pad [we bought from you]. Second, my horse is doing so well after one lesson with you. I got to work with him some over the break and I actually got the tarp over his head and was leading him around the round pen. He accepted it really quickly. I have seen such a difference in him. He is so much less anxious and loves to be loved on. I can't wait for our next session. I also got the round penning information off of your web site and I have read over some of it. Let me know when you will be available for another session. I know you are getting into a very busy season. I want to thank you again for your help - I'm so glad I found you before we sold this horse - He is such a wonderful friend now and I hate to think that I might have never gotten to see this side of him. It's amazing what a little love and understanding can do. It's hard to put the way I feel into words - I get so excited when I think that I might make a difference in the quality of his life, that he doesn't have to be scared that someone is going to whip or hurt him. It's just breathtaking!!!

W. H.

Radford, Virginia

LETTER OF THE MONTH:

January 2006

SYLVIA!!!!! I can't believe the progress with this horse!!! For the last few days we have been loping just a few strides, then winding down to a one-rein stop. A little more today, we loped a full circle. The way she feels under me is SOOOOO different. More relaxed and much more confident. I love it! Also, now that we are accomplishing so much so fast without the frustrations we were having before, it is like a wall was removed holding back some intimacy. Although I felt we were bonding before, I had no idea it could be like this! The volunteered affection is amazing! Also, it is as if this one-rein stop technique IS the bonding place. I know your explanation calls it a "safe place" . . . boy it really is! Everyone around just looks at me weird like, "what the hell is that girl doing?"  But like you said, the results will speak for themselves and I have learned to tune everyone out now anyway.

I know better than to assume she is "cured"  but I do know that my horse and I have the basics down to deal with any new or existing problems. I know I said it before but she really is a different horse now! Even better than the last time I said that and it seems like it is just gonna get better! Now that I am convinced this method does and will work. Everyone gave up on her and thought she was useless besides being a brood mare. It really was fate that brought us together. I am a different horsewoman because of her, and she has a rider who is taking the time. Without her I don't think I would have sought out alternative training methods and found you and natural horsemanship. It is too soon for people to believe she is changed. It is like I am the one everyone is watching in the arena. . .those guys seem to be just waiting for the ball to drop. I am convinced as long as I don't push her too far, too fast, that ball is never gonna drop. They won't see that extreme bucking behavior they have come to know in her. Thanks as usual!

LETTER OF THE MONTH:

January 2006

Thanks for a great web site with a wealth of good information. I am a relatively new horse owner, we bought my daughter's horse in August of 04.  I am now the owner of 3 more. So all together we have 4. Two Quarabs a paint and a mini.  My paint has issues, but she is a good horse and improves all the time. (There is no such thing as a microwave horse.) So many people just do not have the patience to work through the little problems is the biggest frustration I have found. Consistent responsive training and baby steps; it's amazing how they come along.

LETTER OF THE MONTH:

January 2006

Dear Sylvia, Greetings from Cyprus and a big Thank You! I have a lively young Cyprus donkey (nearly 4 yrs old ) and many of your training techniques are absolutely spot on for what he needs. I know that natural horse training is specifically for horses, but many of the issues are very alike and need to be dealt with in the same way. He responds well to clicker training but some things need to be learned in other ways and fairly quickly by the looks of things, especially "who is lead mare in our herd of two?!" Thanks again!

LETTER OF THE MONTH:

January 2006

I love your round pen exercise; it has done wonders for me and my Shetland. Thanks!

LETTER OF THE MONTH:

January 2006

I told you about Kunai before, the horse I take care of. She always was quite a spook, in fear of logs and especially ditches and plastic and like nearly every unknown thing. I have been working with her for quite a while, using your methods. I just wanted you to know that a couple of days ago I took her out on a long trail ride and tried a new route. That was quite an experience - we had to cross dozens of old overgrown and invisible ditches (which she fell into half of them), cross muddy spots and walk thru high grown grass (like 3-4 feet or so) before we came to the better trail. We went back thru a cow paddock and crossed more ditches, cantered along my favorite "running track" and finally came back thru the horse paddock where I successfully asked her not to run back home but to walk calmly. When we walked thru the middle of the paddock, we came to a muddy spot and she sank into mud up to her belly and fell on her side (and on my leg with my foot thankfully slipped out of the stirrup). But she stood up right away and waited for me to get up as well. No one was hurt and Kunai was calm as if nothing bad had happened.

The nice thing about this nearly wreck ride: since then she has changed her attitude and put more trust in me.

Yesterday, we went on a long ridge ride (about 3 hours without counting breaks) with a couple of other horses. I mostly was ahead in the group as I was the only one to know which road to take (well, not road exactly, here in PNG [New Guinea] we have mostly footpaths and old dirt roads to ride on). And Kunai was feeling perfectly comfortable leading the group - she went thru all exceptional things (like the river crossing and a high embankment, ditches, overgrown grasses) without asking suspiciously, but she went along trustfully and calmly without showing any fear.

And to think she had a hard time only months before just walking along the community roads! Now she can lead a group! At that time back then, she probably wouldn't even come that far as we went as she just would have stood there without moving. She sometimes even didn't want to leave the paddocks to go on a ride!

That is quite something to me to see this happen - and I couldn't have produced it by myself, though I was working much on gaining mutual confidence. It sometimes just happens to be the right day where the good things happen (or the bad things, like the nearly wrecks, turn into good). But, without all the months (I've had Kunai for about half a year now) of work with her and other horses, this could not have gone that well or not at all. You, Sylvia, and your products and web site and emails helped me along all the way (very patiently). Now, this also pays back when I work with other horses as I learned about them and how to help them to be better horses here in New Guinea!

I taught Kunai your program and we do these exercises every time before I get on her. Also, I trained her in round penning via your tutorial. This also is quite a great experience with her. Here, her sensible nature shows and I can direct her with just a wink of my hand or even a finger only! And she learns real fast. One more thing: I also taught her to back up like you teach, with shaking the rope very gently or even just my finger hitting the air in front of her (without touching) - and she does back up 12 feet easily after only a couple of lessons.

When I first got Kunai, she was spooking or, at best, standing like she was rooted into the ground, at "every tree" she saw. I led her thru a lot of those fearful things - patiently let her face the fearful objects, lead her to the things and calmed her down -- and didn't give up ;-)

I was waiting for the day to come when this would show in a change of attitude and it seems to have come now. It is so much more fun to ride without being afraid of getting hurt, without being afraid of her galloping away (with me on her back) and such. Trust in a horse and a human is a wonderful thing. Thank you for all your help!

LETTER OF THE MONTH:

January 2006

I know we did the right thing, bringing my new horse there to your training center for 60 days training and letting him become the type of horse he's now become. I read so many letters on your web site from people who are first time horse owners and are scared to death of their horses--that would have been me, and the horses are just exhibiting "bad" behavior because they're scared. For example, when I went to visit a potential new boarding site when we were just talking about buying my new horse, I was scared to be in the paddock with the other horses there, and the other horses were showing some aggression, feet moving type of behavior--I would have gone reluctantly to try to see, catch, or do anything else with my horse had I not brought him (and me) to you first. Now I can't wait to see him every visit, and work with him and love him. It was definitely the right decision!

LETTER OF THE MONTH:

January 2006

Hi again. I don't mean to bug you but I just wanted to tell you that I was able to calm my aggressive, spoiled yearling down for the first time with the suggestions that your web site said to do. This time he did seem to enjoy it unlike a few days before. I am hoping to try round penning him this weekend also like you teach. Thank you again for all of the help you have given me!

LETTER OF THE MONTH:

January 2006

Hi Sylvia. Just wanted to report back and let you know that your "interim" steps to socialisation (with the very fearful/aggressive horse) are working well and he is much improved. I am happy to take my time with him on this point as he clearly thinks that socialising with strangers is a "big ask" but his overall aggression levels are much lower now. He is a positive softie with me and follows me around like a dog.  But he is still very insecure with others. But he seems to be enjoying the positive attention that he is receiving for good behaviour from a select few brave souls. But he makes it quite clear who is welcome and who's not - which makes me wonder what it is that I'm missing about these people! But he certainly has a way of making his "friends" feel very special if not honoured to receive his affection. So from being the terror of the barn he's now fast becoming a favourite with a chosen few.

Interestingly, while generally folks think that we're training him to relax around people, I think that he's doing a fine job of training us all to behave in a respectful quiet manner and take into consideration his feelings and what he's clearly communicating through his body language. I'm delighted that this is also having a wonderful benefit to the other horses at the barn.

Anyway since last writing we've come a long way and we're now riding out in company and have even been out on our own on a couple of occasions without any incidents. The exercise can hardly be described as taxing; we've slowly built up to 60 minutes of walking with the occasional trot. And generally he seems to be really interested and eager to be out and about. After teaching him to one-rein stop I started taking him out and about, because he clearly associated being ridden in the arena with pain caused by his old saddle and was real stressed out about it. I just wanted him to learn to enjoy being ridden and this seems to have paid dividends and his overall fear relating to being ridden has disappeared.

Thanks for your advice, Syl, and your quick responses. It's a great source of comfort to me to know that even though you're thousands of miles away, you are still just on the end of the email. Fantastic!

Once again thank you and happy new year to you and your family. I love your web site - keep up the good work!

LETTER OF THE MONTH:

January 2006

Thank you for your advice! You are 100% correct in that I jump from A to N. I am unfortunately impatient and do not take the time to do everything very thoroughly with my horse. Today I took him out to play, just to walk around and have some fun on the ground, and I decided to lean over him. I got to the point where I could lay over him with my full weight and he didn't have a problem with it like before when he tried to buck. So maybe it was just the one experience (the bucking when trying to mount)! Once again, thanks so much and I will definitely take into consideration each and every tip here you have passed to me!

 C. S.
Internet
 

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