Posture and your horse’s emotions.

 Posture and your horse’s emotions.

 

This exercise is "one step" We ask the horse to take 1 step and pause holding correct off the forehand posture

Howdy Friends!

Posture is more important than training. When your horse’s posture and improper body carriage make it difficult, or impossible, for her to complete a requested task, that causes stress in the horse. Stress quickly transforms into balking, refusal, resentment, and finally chips away at the horse’s willingness and emotions. Not to mention their bond with their human. Especially when the human then resorts to mechanical devices to force the horse’s compliance – forcing the horse to push through stiffness and pain. As the horse’s emotions wither, the more the distant the bond. For this reason, I vigorously promote, and teach, simple to learn exercises I learned from my mentor Diane Sept, that we can do to perfect our horses’ posture and maintain correct and healthy body carriage – For the sake of horses emotions everywhere, and their bond with their humans. Sadly, widespread in the equine industry is the image, and acceptance of, incorrect and even painful posture, as correct. If you love your horse, if you want to excel at any equine activity, and have an honest bond with your horse, you’ll focus on correct, soft posture. Nothing you can do for your horse will make as much a difference in health, emotion and bonding. Feel free to contact me for help. (I’ll be doing a series of 4 clinics at Belmead Riding Club this year)~

 Gitty Up, Dutch.

All these exercises are in my book "It's for the Horses" find it here www.itsforthehorses.com  

"Horses Taught Me Emotional Writing, and Seeing"

Howdy Friends!

An editor once told me I am an emotional writer. She explained it was easy to "feel" the emotions of my characters, and indeed my story. Many of the reviews on Amazon about my novel We'll Have The Summer, have commented on being able to feel the emotions of Mary and Sam, and all the characters.

Kessy's emotions run deep.

One negative I do get is that I don't describe my characters physically often, or deeply enough. And that is true. I don't invest a lot of words on that. I don't really see my characters as what they are as much as who they are. I drop hints as I feel and see them, enough so that the reader can see and understand them, but their aura that is them is what I really see and guides me in my description.

It's the same way, and always has been, for horses with me. I never really notice conformation; I would make a lousy judge! I see them, and their aura as who they are, their emotions, attitudes and personalities. I may not even notice if they have one white sock or three, or none. Physical characteristics are so much less important to me than the spirit. And that's how I write.

Horses taught me to see their spirit and who they are, not what they are. That's how they talk to me. That's what they taught me, and that's how I write. And of course that's how I see people, too. Who they are, not what they are. I see their spirit, aura, personalities, emotions, and that's how I remember—and write.

Here is one of my all time favorite character descriptions I ever wrote for Anaba in my novel We'll Have The Summer.  "First, Sam removed Bullet’s saddle and bridle then turned him free to pick at the wiry grass. Then he simply folded his legs and squatted next to the fire, facing the old Navajo. He sucked a deep breath from the pipe handed him, held the rank smoke long enough to burn his mouth, puckered his lips, and allowed it to drift out. Sam looked across the fire at his dear friend and studied the faded shirt covering shoulders made uneven by the many years, and the deeply furrowed skin sagging around Anaba’s still keen eyes. Such a man was Anaba, that it was necessary to study his worn-out body closely to notice the wear of it. The spirit living in those rich black eyes created a cloaking aura which prevented all but the most determined examiner from seeing the toll the years had taken on the mortal Navajo. But even in the quickest glance, that vibrant spirit was abundantly obvious."

I thank my teachers, horses I've met, for showing me how to be an emotional writer.

Gitty Up, Dutch Henry

What About Horses' Emotions

Howdy Folks,
 

I'm often asked about how I feel about horses' emotions. Surely horses don't have emotions on the same level as humans, some folks say. Some say to try to project human emotions on horses is folly, foolish. Some say we simply want to believe horses feel emotions like we do. Some folks don't even think about it.

Kessy edits my stories with love.

Are emotions the same as caring, connection, bonding, or even the ever popular, joining up? I believe you can't have any of those without emotions, and we all know our horses care about us, bond with us, and yes, join up.

What about respect? Some will ask. To gain respect from a horse we must first give it. Isn't that the same as with our human peers?

What about love? Can they love us the same as a person can love us? What would be so wrong about accepting and believing that a horse can love a human as deeply as they can another horse, or we can another human? When I'm gone a few days doing clinics, Kessy nickers and loves on me when I get back something silly. Robbie says if I'm gone more than 2 days she even gets pouty. When I get home I want to get right into the house to Robbie as soon as I park our geriatric Tahoe, but Kessy will carry on so much I often need to hug her first! Then she'll follow right to the back door!

For a long time Kessy had a fear of circles, from things in her past. So for a long time, months, we did this important spine limbering exercise in a straight line. Now she has the confidence to walk slowly in any size circle.

Oh their just acting that way because they're trained, or looking to you for food, or any other of the many standard explanations of how horses act and react. When I watch Lesson and Therapy Horses gently teach and heal, I see a blanket of love and emotion guiding every step.

Emotions play a huge part relationships. Any relationship. Human to human or horse to human. In relationships with my horses over the years I not only considered what they required when learning new things, but also their emotions while learning too. In the time I spent rehabilitating horses I noticed a wide range of emotions – from fear, to mistrust, to need, to shut down, too confusion, to seeking advice and leadership. Rebuilding their confidence meant understanding their emotions, on a level equal to mine. And it meant seeing them as equals. I really dislike the, "You gotta be in charge" theme. If we're equals we can achieve cooperation, support, loyalty and love. In true partnerships, partners do things for each other because they want to, not because they're "trained" to … I see Kessy as my equal.

Kessy stands like a statue for me to mount & dismount. It is difficult for me to dismount but her understanding of that, and our emotional bond, guides her in helping me.

I'm not a trainer but in all things, I believe love, honor, respect and understanding and feeling emotions make any relationship strong, lasting and sterling. Including a relationship with horses. Sure training is important too, of course. But I submit understanding and honoring the emotions of the horse makes training smoother and more lasting. And actually I'm not even fond of the word, "training." I like education or teaching better.

We'd been out fooling with some exercises, and I had to sit down. Whenever I do this Kessy stands with me. What's more, she'll offer her neck for me to use to pull myself up.

In my heart I believe if a lot more folks projected human emotions on horses … A lot fewer horses would suffer.

Just lovin'

So go ahead, project your emotions onto your horse, and remember to let hers, touch your heart, and guide your hand as you teach, and learn together, too.

Gitty Up ~ Dutch Henry

Suddenly – Don't Use in Writing or Horsemanship

Howdy Folks,

 

I often think about, and write about, how living and working, or playing and learning with our horses, and writing have so many similarities. Such as my blog, "Horses and Writing, Similar POVs?" And "Building Confidence in a Horse and Building a Character in a Novel." Another time I wrote about "It's About Who They Are, not What They Are," this one is my favorites.

The other day I was reading a writer's blog about the overuse of the word, "suddenly" in a manuscript. Every word she said was exactly correct, and I'd hoped she would say more. I've always found the word "suddenly" to be a speed bump in a story or novel. Instead of propelling me with the action as the writer intends, it stops me dead in my reading tracks. Pushes me away. In fact most "ly" words have that effect on me. If the author replaces the "ly" word with the action she's trying to portray, we readers can be drawn in and feel the action. Instead of "hearing" about it. "Suddenly" for me is the worst of the "ly" words.

Here's a brief example. "Suddenly she burst into tears." Not much there, even if we knew why she had to cry. How about something like, "She needed to see him again. Where was he? Why can't she find him? Sucking short breaths she tried to be strong, but her burning eyes flooded, tears streamed down her face."

I've always found when I'm editing and re-writing if I re-write scenes or sentences with "ly" words the scene embraces me more. Adds depth, meaning and emotions. Yes it will add words, but I suggest they are words that build emotions and connection with the reader. And as writers aren't they the two most important things? Emotions and connection.

Kessy and me sharing a moment

In our relationship with our horses "emotions and connection" are most important as well. If we do anything, "suddenly" it's more than a speed bump to our horse. It's a "failure to communicate." And as "authors" of the moment, it's our job to "re-write the scene."

If we replace that "ly" word, or action, with a more descriptive series of words and actions our horse will follow us, feel the emotion, and the connection. And our relationship will deepen.

It makes no sense to the horse when we bark commands, jerk on the lead rope, or wave our hands and arms. Sure we get a reaction, and that's just what it is, a reaction. It's not a connection. It's best, even if the horse is making a mistake to follow through that mistake, see where it takes you, then build on it. Write the scene with easy to embrace description.

Engage your imagination, your intuitiveness, let your horse help write the scene in a way that embraces both of you. It'll add words, but those words make all the difference.

Gitty Up ~ Dutch Henry