INSPIRING HORSES
A big thank you to Louise Campbell for putting this video together of Helium. He was such a great example of what I aspire to achieve with all horses.
That is to INSPIRE horses to want to participate and have them be playful, joyful and exuberant. Helium transformed from a very ordinary moving and ordinary looking wild bronc who was destined for the doggers (kill pen) or the rodeo, into this magnificent being who became a loyal friend and great teacher for me.
Inspiring horses is the opposite of forcing, coercing or pressuring them. When they are inspired their spirit is magnified and expressed. They just light up. It is the opposite of breaking, suppressing or diminishing their spirit causing them to shut down
This inspired state leads horses to start using their bodies with better biomechanics and athleticism. The basis for inspiring horses is TRUE CONNECTION (meaning without force), FEEL, COMMUNICATION, ENERGETIC AWARENESS AND ACTIVATION, STILLNESS, PRESENCE, LOVE, COMPASSION, CARING, UNDERSTANDING, KNOWLEDGE, JOYFULNESS AND PLAYFULNESS
One of the things that I most proud of about liberty with Helium is that I NEVER in any of his training used the whip with any force or pressure to get him to be so lightning fast. It is all just a game. The whip is used simply like if I was playing tag with a young child. If you tagged a child hard they wouldn’t want to play anymore but playing tag with without trying to tag isn’t much fun either, so you just gently touch them. The other thing the whip does, in how I use it, is create a feeling of energy and movement. It is the creation of playful energy inside me that excites Helium and inspires him to play. Just like the energy of horses in the herd ignites play in the rest of the herd. Then I have to have the knowledge of how his body needs to operate to time all the moves so that he is in balance and set up for the moves. If I get the timing wrong he will feel unbalanced and it won’t feel good to him and it won’t feel like fun.
It’s an incredible feeling to work with horses when they are inspired. I made many mistakes along the way in learning how to inspire horses and I apologize to the horses that had to put up with those mistakes. But the good news is that I can now teach others so they don't have to make so many mistakes or take so long to get there. That means horses can have a better deal
Horses become inspired when we cause them to FEEL GOOD mentally, emotionally, physically and spiritually. Unfortunately most horse training inadvertently causes horses to feel bad because it is based on causing them to feel uncomfortable when they do the wrong thing or until they do what you want. This doesn't inspire horses.
If you would like this level of connection, inspiration and enthusiasm with your horse, I can show you how. Sign up on the website and be notified of upcoming courses both in person and online and also to receive both educational and inspirational communications from me. www.melfleming.com