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Sylvia
Scott's
LETTER OF THE MONTH:
May 2010
Hi Sylvia. I wanted to write to tell you what a difference your program made for us.
Last November we bought a 4 1/2-year-old thoroughbred stallion that was going to be killed because his breeder had foreclosed on his farm and could not afford/be bothered to call a vet. I could not help but take Rebell home. He had a bad case of diarrhea, and had lost a lot of weight. Proper food and a visit from the vet got him back on track. My experience with horses was limited to riding lessons when I was 12 and what I saw at the fairs my fiance took me to. In other words, I was completely green. My fiance has had a horse for nine years, but has no experience in basic training. It was clear from the beginning that Natural Horsemanship was how I wanted to train Rebell. After looking at the trainers in our immediate area here in former East Germany, I decided to do it myself, although I was unsure about my chances of success. After all, everywhere I looked and everyone I talked to told me this was a recipe for disaster. We had several books and DVDs, but all had the problem that they primarily showed the finished result. I could not figure out how to get there from where I was.
Sure enough, when Rebell had regained some of his strength, he started remembering that he was a stallion. After quite a bit of getting shoved around and getting dragged across the arena twice, I was fairly desperate and ran across your online instructions for round penning. No round pens here, so shortly after Christmas, we fenced off a piece of snow-covered pasture to make do as a round pen. The success of this exercise was immediate! At the end of the first session Rebell had completely latched on and followed me around, head down and completely relaxed. I went home that night completely elated, because I knew we'd made a huge step forward.
We then bought both your Round Pen Leadership DVD and Whispering Way™ 12-Step Total Training System DVD set and started working with them in early January. Your DVDs showed us the path in a way that we could understand, and showed us what we needed to do so the horse had a chance to understand what he was supposed to do. I quickly realized that a lot of "misbehavior" on his part was actually a result of too much pressure and a lack of clear direction on my part. As soon as I broke it down into smaller steps and gave him a chance to do something right, Rebell began to learn at an incredible pace. I also found help to so many specific, more detailed issues in your FAQ section of your web site. Whatever problem we ran across along the way, we found an answer either in the videos or on your website.
In the meantime, Rebell and I have formed a wonderful bond. He'll stand by the fence when he hears my car, and is eager for whatever we do that day. He no longer shoves me around, but slowly brings his head in low to get his forehead or his chin scratched.
We had him gelded at the end of February. People here were poking fun at us for all the ground work we were doing, and were telling us to finally get on with it and ride him. At the same time, they gave us plenty of advice about longing him before the first ride so he would be nice and tired, and doing it in a fenced in area so he could not run after he threw me off. I thought about this, then decided to ignore it, because it would have completely gone against the philosophy of all the previous training.
One evening in early April, after a walk with Rebell, we decided it was time for the rider in the saddle. No blow-up or funny behavior by Rebell. He just stood there, turning his head to see what was going on back there. All the time we had spent working up to this point had paid off; the groundwork translated into the saddle and we were slaloming through poles during the second lesson (slowly, and wobbly, but he understood what I wanted) and never fussed a bit. Now, at the end of April he'll back over poles and the tarp with the rider, and somewhere along the way he's started to follow me around and back up without a rope, just with gestures. I did not teach him this, he just does it.
Of course it all still needs refinement, but I can't believe how far we've come in the past few months. It has also been such a rewarding experience, especially with the beautiful bond we've formed. All I can say is that this is how I wished for it to be when we started.
Without your methods and help, we would not be where we are. The methods work so well, and the instructions are clear and show you what to watch for and what's important, even if you start from scratch.
Thank you!
M. V. - Lichtenstein in Saxony, Germany
LETTER OF THE MONTH:
May 2010
Hi, Sylvia. Your Q&A section of your web site is just awesome! You've already helped me with a couple of problems, mostly because you explain things so clearly and explain WHY we are doing certain things. Thanks, and looking forward to the Whispering Way™ 12-Step Total Training System DVDs [I just bought].
N. L. - Mesa, Arizona
LETTER OF THE MONTH:
May 2010
Sylvia, THANKS, for sharing your expertise and wisdom. Your Whispering Way™ 12-Step Total Training System program has really helped me plug some holes in my horses' and my working relationship...Thank you!
C. C. - Internet
LETTER OF THE MONTH:
May 2010
Dear Sylvia, Recently I was given two “unstarted” standardbred mares, 8 years and 3 years (basically a rescue mission). Whilst I ride and compete on my own horses all the time, I wanted to start these two newbies myself. I came across your website and purchased your Round Pen Leadership DVD and Whispering Way™ 12-Step Total Training System DVD set. My two students are the most quietest, well-behaved horses I own to date as I have trained them using your methods!
S. G. - Kaiwaka, Northland, New Zealand
LETTER OF THE MONTH:
May 2010
Thank you for this wonderful website!!! Thank you!!
Y. B. - Internet
LETTER OF THE MONTH:
May 2010
Hi there, I'm so grateful to you for introducing me to a way to reach my 7-year-old quarter horse gelding. What a power house he was becoming and I nurtured him on because I didn't know any better. I realized a week ago when he almost took my thumb off at feeding time, that I had created a monster. It started showing in riding when HE decided where we were going and how fast.
I stared blankly out the window the other day knowing full well it was my fault for what he had become, feeling resentful and bitter towards him, but not wanting to sell him for anything. I love him fiercely, teeth and hoove; and I knew that if I started now I could bring him back around. I just didn't have a clue how. I couldn't afford Parelli anything and Cherry Hill wasn't coming through clearly enough. Some others offered help, but I didn't want anyone else touching him. He is mine and my responsibility, what I created I must fix.
I bought him a little over a year ago from someone who didn't practice natural horsemanship on him, but who also loved him. I was too afraid of him and too stupid to assert my leadership with him. I'm as novice as they come. I turned to his previous owner for some help. She asked me if I had longed him at all. I said, "No way, I'm not getting in there with him." She told me I had to in order to establish myself as his boss. She said you may need to hit him. I knew right then it was a lost cause. There was no way I could bring myself to hit him.
He has a very sweet nature, but when he was grumpy he would let me know in a very distinct way that I was to head out. And I did, so he learned early on who the boss was and it didn't include me. :)
I tried longeing him on the lead, he crowded me with ears pinned and would not move out away from me. I would try to touch him all over and he would swing his head, ears pinned, trying to bite. When I would try to clean his hooves, he would often pull them away before I was done.
I prayed, Sylvia, with my heart, for some help that I could afford. I was pouring over books and nothing was helping. I tried alot of stupid stuff. The horse just had no respect for me at all.
Then I found you. I found your article on your web site on round penning your horse. I read, and read, took notes, studying for hours. I went over my steps in my mind. I practiced on my dog, I practiced on my son in the round pen while he rode his quad around the pen for me. I told him the cues, and it helped my confidence.
Then I brought my horse buddy in. I was not terrified, but I figured if I died today, so would he and we would both be together in heaven. I got the rope out, looked him hard in the eyes, straightened up nice and tall and square, and tossed that rope at him. He moved! He never budged for me before. Then I tossed it again, staring at him the whole time. He moved a little faster. I had him circling me and turning. He would buck at me, and try to escape, but I kept at him. Then I stopped and let my body go limp and my eyes left him. He faced me immediately. I reached and he came. I cried there with his head in my arms while he licked and chewed and rested there. We went through it a few more times and I finally established myself as his leader.
We are still working on bonding and other things. Nothing I've tried with him ever worked. Your tips and instruction sure did. Thank you so much, Sylvia. Thank you.
M. B. - Sparks, Nevada
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