December 2024

It has been a couple of months since my last website blog. The end of the year is upon us and I wanted to take the opportunity to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. The year has been a very busy one and since I returned from the U.K. I have felt like I was chasing my tail catching up on things, that is not necessarily a bad thing either. I was also wanting to thank everyone for their continued support and friendship. To be around people who are genuinely wanting to continue to improve themselves and their horsemanship is very satisfying.

Next year is shaping up as a busy one as well, the U.K. schedule is already on the website as are the dates for Western Australia. There is a home course planned for early next year as well, the date will be up on the website shortly. We continue to have horses in for starting with the last two horses for the year due to go home on Thursday. I have included a horsemanship article below, happy reading.

Confidence / Rapport

When people watch, participate or become involved with horses, it can be for a variety of reasons. I guess, I would hope that one of those reasons would be that there is a love of horses.

When you look at horsemanship, from the outside. You may ask, why would you want to throw your lead rope over the horses back, rub them with a flag, lead them backwards with their tail. lead them forwards with a rope around the front leg, straddle a pole on the ground, mount from the fence. Ride them with a flag.

There can be a variety of reasons and answers for the above. When you look at things from the horses perspective and understand their self preservation needs and how strong this can be at times, that goes along way to answering the above.

I am not sure that you can have a horse distrust you on the ground, but trust you in the saddle or vice versa. You may get along a little better in one situation or the other. Gaining a horse’s confidence, and developing a rapport with some horses, particularly where the self preservation is really strong is not going to happen in 30 or 60 days. It is going to take a lot longer. With some horses, until you have their confidence and a level of trust on the ground, they are not going to allow you to strap a saddle to their backs and clamber on up.

For the many that commit to this road, it is not a straight one , there are many bends. Your horse now gives you a nicker or calls out to you and that horse a year or so ago would be at the back of the stable or yard and be hard to catch etc, that is a gold medal. Many things will be gained from the road of experience.

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and a happy and safe New Year. I look forward to seeing you in 2025.