Coffee Clutch with Dutch Henry: 2015-11-29

Tuesday, December 1, 2015

"Waltz With Your Horse"

Howdy Friends,

I like to talk to people who care about horses.

People who truly care, not for what the horse can do for them, but for how being with a horse can enrich their lives, and therefore they strive to do everything with their horse—for their horse.

People who put their horse first, the horse’s point of view, they ask “what’s in it for the horse,” and strive to see their relationship from the horse’s perspective. For those folks ribbons, winning, controlling and being boss are unimportant. It is the horse’s true contentment, health and well being that come first. And the magical thing about that approach, and horse and person relationship, is those folks win the most ribbons, have the most fun—and the least problems, health issues and relationship issues.

This past weekend I was in heaven conducting a clinic in northern VA with a group of folks who really do put their horses first. That’s why they came to my “It’s for the Horses” clinic, for their horses. They didn’t come to learn to “teach their horses to, do this or that,” they came to learn how to “give to their horses.” Because each of them understood how much their horses mean to them. They understood how much their horses give to them.

Their wanting to be there for their horses was abundantly obvious in the way each of them wanted to master every exercise before moving on. They wanted to know they got it; they wanted to see the change in their horses. They sought the softness, the healthy posture, the healthy body carriage.

They noticed as their own movements changed from a Quick-Step to a Viennese Waltz. Their horses noticed too. They soon realized that their horses noticed and thanked them. They loved and commented on the fact that they saw their horses changing. I loved seeing them change, the horses and their people.

I’ve done a lot of clinics, and I’ve loved meeting all those many horses and people. I live to see, and help create the changes in horses—and their people. It’s my passion. The wonderful people I had the pleasure of being with this weekend were among the most caring it’s ever been my privilege to work with, and their horses showed it. I was truly in heaven.

I love to be with people who care about horses.

If you’d like to participate in a Dutch Henry “It’s for the Horses” clinic and Waltz With Your Horse ... please email me dutchhenry@hughes.net

Gitty Up, Dutch Henry

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Welcome to the Coffee Clutch

Welcome to the Coffee Clutch, a happy place to visit. I write uplifting stories about a wide variety of subjects from horses to birds and nature, to love and family and friends. Sometimes I'll post excerpts from stories I've written for Equine Publications. Sometimes I'll post about writing itself. Coffee Clutch got its name because I often write while enjoying my morning coffee in the barn with my mare Kessy, and all our critters. Join us here for fun conversation and stories I promise will make you feel good.

It's For The Horses

This is not a book about riding, or training horses. It is a book on my thoughts, ideas and suggestions on how folks might find the joy in doing things for the horse, with the horses’ point of view as the leading guide. My hope is to help as many people as possible learn to hear the horse, feel their spirit, and in that way help horses everywhere. Over the years I’ve met and worked with remarkable people and horses who taught me about their feelings, their joys, their sadness, and their spirit. As a horse advocate everything I do is from the horse’s perspective, including this little book. Every story, idea, suggestion and thought on these pages will be to suggest and share thoughts and ideas on how to maximize a relationship between horse and human—from the horse’s point of view.

Tom Named by Horse

The only man ever to offer Tom respect is Red Cloud. The only woman to give him love is Red Cloud’s granddaughter. Struggling with his own personal demons, Tom finds himself wedged between honoring that friendship and staying true to the depths of his conscience. Amid a backdrop of tumultuous social upheaval, he finds nothing prepared him, the woman he loves or Chief Red Cloud, for the changes about to thunder into their lives, sweeping them helplessly into the tides of human conflict and historical drama. Available on Amazon.

From The Banks OF Little Bear Creek

The Tom Named by Horse Saga continues. Three years after the death of Tall Dog, Tom Named By Horse and Soft Cloud have turned the little soddy, the lands granted them by Red Cloud, and the lean-to barn into a thriving horse ranch, fulfilling Tom’s dream. The Plains Indians Wars, or Red Cloud’s war, is mostly behind them, and the lands have had their transformation as Red Cloud’s vision had warned years earlier. Trailing horses from the ranch to Denver city has become an annual event for Tom, Buck and the rest, and this is the story of that trail. In the spirit of a good old John Wayne movie, vengeance, cattle and horse thieves, a dirty sheriff and corrupt mayor, and a wedding make this year’s drive a ride you’ll want to tag along on.