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Glad to be horse-savy but wish I were tech-savy, too!!!
Thank you!
on Monday, April 22, 2013
I am a terrific fan of Linda Kohanov’s writing. Her most well-known text, The Tao of Equus,* deeply inspired me when I first read it back in 2006. I was going through a tumultuous personal time – profound and heart-numbing grief – and my mother brought The Tao of Equus back from some bargain book sale. Reading it, I was reminded about how important horses once were in my life, how comforting I found their presence. This led to a nagging thought in the back of my mind “get yourself back to horses and riding!” which led to volunteering at High Hopes Therapeutic Riding, which led to certifying as a PATH Intl. Instructor, which led to, really, healing and the channeling of my grief into a newfound sense of purpose.
When I finished reading it, I wrote this note on the last page: "This is what I've always known. It's what I can do and have to do. I'm grateful to have read this book."
When I finished reading it, I wrote this note on the last page: "This is what I've always known. It's what I can do and have to do. I'm grateful to have read this book."
Formally, Kohanov’s ideas relate most directly to practices of Equine Facilitated Psychotherapy, but really she coaches (and writes about) a hybrid practice of horsemanship, spiritual practice, emotional resonance with animals and people, and interpretation of myths and symbols. It sounds complex – it is!
At the deepest level, her methods are informed by the “non-predatory wisdom” of horses, which she knows as sentient beings capable of the deepest forms of emotional connection, communication and teaching. Kohanov makes a point in Tao of Equus of distinguishing her work from therapeutic riding (the adapted teaching of horsemanship/ riding skills to individuals with disabilities) and hippotherapy (the utilization of the horse’s movement to achieve therapeutic goals). However, I think Kohanov’s practices and beliefs are deeply relevant to anyone who engages in therapeutic or healing practices with horses or other animals: at the essence of her texts, Kohanov asks us to listen to and learn from our animal partners as well as to respect them as individuals with diverse gifts to offer.
Kohanov’s latest text, The Power of the Herd,* could really be appreciated by anyone who has ever been in a leadership position (and I believe all teachers are leaders!) or aspired to one. It’s a complex text. She explores: (1) The successes and challenges of great leaders throughout history (i.e. George Washington) and the remarkable influence that horses and horsemanship had in the lives of many of these leaders; (2) Leadership dynamics among horses – how they are really much more complex than there just being an ‘alpha’ horse – and what we can learn from them; (3) Her own experiences, positive and negative, as the visionary leader of Eponaquest Worldwide; and (4) She details “The Twelve ‘Power of the Herd’ Guiding Principles,” which give insight to applying leadership lessons learned from horses to interpersonal communications. I read it on my Nook and feel like it’s a book I need to read again in a print version. It’s the kind of text you want to write all over, highlight. Pages should be dog-eared. A few question marks in the margins and maybe even tears smudging some ink! There’s much to learn from this text and I see so much potential for Kohanov’s ideas about leadership, based on the non-predatory wisdom of the herd, to help those of us who work in EAAT centers to collaborate most effectively. She makes the simple but profound point: “Horses demand a balance of strength and sensitivity” (109). This is exactly the balance that I seek in my daily work with horses and individuals with special needs. From reading Kohanov’s texts, I realize how important it is to try to bring this balance to all of my human interactions, not just with people who happen to be my students. Her book contains fabulous insight about how to attain this balance.
I am eager to read it for a second time!*The Power of theHerd: A Non-predatory Approach to Social Intelligence, Leadership, andInnovation. Novato, CA: New World Library, 2013.
*The Toa of Equus: A Woman’s Journey of Healing & Transformation through the Way of the Horse. Novato, CA: New World Library, 2001.
on Saturday, April 13, 2013
A friend of mine has been diligently preparing for PATHIntl. Registered Level Certification for over a year. She’s worked on her riding (bought a horse!), interned full time at a well-known center and participated in trainings. She is hoping to certify in 2013 and has certainly put in the time, effort and dedication of a professional.
An accident – not horse related – has left her with broken bones and she finds herself “down & out” – not medically cleared for riding or teaching! I had a similar, though less severe, experience when I began my Instructor Internship at Manes & Motions Therapeutic Riding. I had gall bladder surgery and was unable to lift for 6 – 8 weeks. I told my doctor this was inconvenient due to my internship/ new profession. He shrugged and said, “Well, no one likes to be down and out.”
How true.So, I want to give my friend something to do while she recovers! I hope this “something” will motivate and inspire her to pick up her instructor training once her recovery is complete! In general, hands-on, arena time is the single most important factor in preparing to teach riders safely and effectively. However, if that arena time is not practical, there’s still a lot you can do to work on your knowledge base and improve your eye for teaching. If I had 6 – 8 weeks of “non-horse” time coming my way, but I still wanted to prepare for Instructor Certification, I would read and study. PATH Intl. provides Instructors in Training with a suggested reading list (and it’s a good one!), but I am also going to make my own list:
6 Ways to Prepare for Instructor Certification while Lying on Your Couch:1. READSally Swift’s Centered Riding and really study balanced seat riding position. Swift’s text is filled with imagery, metaphor and illustrations that benefit riders who are trying to achieve positional alignment and effective aids. It’s really a text that you need to study as well as just read. Take notes, write in the margins, try to picture riders you have worked with and how you could apply these concepts to your teaching. Then, go on the internet and watch some riding videos that anyone(I mean Joe Smoe and it can be any discipline) has posted. Analyze. How does the rider’s position compare to your understanding of Sally’s descriptions?
2. READ over the PATH Intl. criteria for Instructor Certification and identify your areas of weakness (we all have them!). Find legitimate websites, magazines or books that you can read to increase your knowledge in these areas. For me, this meant reading the most current edition of Giffin and Gore’s Horse Owner’s Veterinary Handbook, cover to cover. It is boring and technical, but provided me with more in-depth knowledge about the health and management of horses.
3. STUDYtask analysis. The best therapeutic riding instructors have internalized the “whats, hows and whys” of basic riding skills. My favorite classic books for task analysis are Cherry Hill’s 101 ArenaExercises for Horse & Rider and TheUnited States Pony Club Manual of Horsemanship, D Level by Susan E. Harris. A more recent favorite is Hollie H. McNeil’s 40 Fundamentals of English Riding. I love McNeil’s text because it provides a concise description of each of the “40 Fundamentals” but then also includes a DVD, broken into 40 sections, to demonstrate and further describe each of these skills. I think the best way to use McNeil’s book is to read, study and watch one skill a day for 40 days. (It sounds slightly biblical and I guess for those of us who worship the horse, it is.)
4. STUDY disability knowledge. I would use the PATH Intl. list of Precautions & Contraindications (on-line copy free to members) and take a condition-a-day to study, understand and research on legitimate websites.
5. TEACH. Again, go to the internet and search for riding videos. Find riders of all levels. Search different skills. Then, turn your computer to mute and watch the video. “Teach” the rider! And yes, I mean talk out loud, in your biggest “instructor voice” and tell this person-you-will-never-meet how to ride the movement they are working on or how to improve their position or aids. (This is obviously best done in the privacy of one’s own home while the rest of the family is at work...) You can practice finding your words, analyzing a rider and projecting your voice, all while sitting in an easy chair. (This may sound crazy, I know, but “virtual” practicing like this is becoming a more and more common way of training athletes, performers and people working on all kinds of skill development.)
6. REFLECT.Being “down & out” gives you time to think about your goals, define your next steps and really look at what is most important to you about the Instructor Training process you’ve engaged in. If you are inclined to read horse-oriented materials that have to do with self-reflection and personal improvement, I recommend Linda Kohanov’s TheTao of Equus (and all her subsequent books) and Kathleen Lindley’s In the Company of Horses. Both include anecdotes and techniques related to the emotional side of being around horses and the way that horses enhance our lives. Increasing my own understanding of the horse’s sentience has always been part of my intention in working with horses; bringing awareness of the horse’s power as motivator, teacher and friend to my students has also become increasingly important to me.
If that doesn’t fill 6 – 8 weeks of couch-time, I don’t know what will! My friend, I hope you feel better and are riding and teaching again soon! Thank you for letting me write about this on my blog. In your case, you are recovering from injury but many Instructors in Training have other reasons for not being able to be at the barn as much as they’d like (work, children, financial considerations). While I can’t stress enough how crucial hands-on, extensive barn/arena time is to preparation, there are also practical and important ways to prepare, study and train from home. Hope this list inspires someone!
on Friday, April 5, 2013
Horseman Mark Rashid writes:
...it is the horse that allows us the opportunity to listen to that beating heart, to feel the ebb and flow, and ultimately, to get back in touch with the spirit that is harmony...
(Nature in Horsemanship, Skyhorse Publishing, pg. 205-06).
March was a crazy month for me, mainly because the hard drive on my laptop crashed. This led to several weeks of drawn out repairs (ordering a system restore disk, waiting for technicians to fix it, finding out my hard drive was so far gone that all data was lost, re-downloading all my programs/ data onto new hard drive). Then, all this downloading led to exceeding our data limit (bill to come...), so I have been trying to minimize on-line time. I'm still not really caught up from this month of technical difficulties. In short, I've realized how extremely dependent I have become on my laptop: like many, my professional and social life rely on Internet connection and, as a writer, my laptop is also essential to my daily writing/ editing/ brainstorming/ researching routine.
I found it disorienting to not have this connection/ access. I was less productive, grouchy and restless. I also started to make other absent-minded mistakes (lost my keys for two days).
I have never really consider myself a "tech-dependent" person, but I certainly am! I've realized I am now totally dependent on my computer for what I consider "normal" daily life. I would now rate my laptop as more essential than a working oven (lived without one for the past six months), a television (gone without for years at a time), and probably even items of personal hygiene like a toothbrush (you can always improvise).
As of today, I think I am totally reconnected: functional computer, Office 2013 installed, and the first day of a new month of our nearly unlimited data plan (which we've never even come close to exceeding in the past). This feels so good! Writing life begin again!
So - is this a long, drawn out explanation for why I have not been blogging? YES! It is also, though, a personal confession of how much technology now influences my thinking, communicating and ability to function. I just hadn't realized!
If there is a connection to horses in all this (and for me there almost always is!), it has to do with the fact that they (thankfully!) can't log in. Facebook will never be an option for communicating with horses (OK, never say never, but highly unlikely). Social media is wonderful and plays a big role in my life now, but I am ever-grateful for the more intuitive, personal, nonverbal, non-image-based communication skills that I practice with horses and try to instill in my riding students on a daily basis.
I can no longer deny my dependence on (and affection for) on-line communications, but I don't want all the communicating in my life to be based on clicking a link or typing a short, quip-y comment. I want to understand and practice a level of communication that involves listening from my heart, processing in my gut and relaying my intentions with empathy, presence and clear signals. Working with horses is the perfect opportunity for practicing nuanced communication skills.
(I can now report with certainty that the Technical Services Staff at our local Staples would benefit from practicing some of these deeper interpersonal/ communication skills, which interacting with hard drives and system restore disks apparently does not foster...)
It's a grounding and authentic experience to communicate with horses, whether on the ground or in the saddle. As my own life becomes more and more technology-dependant, I am thankful that keeping horses in my life requires me to practice deeper level communication skills. I echo Mark Rashid's perfectly chosen words: the horse "allows us the opportunity to listen to that beating heart."
Because my laptop may have a lot to offer, but it does not have that!
...it is the horse that allows us the opportunity to listen to that beating heart, to feel the ebb and flow, and ultimately, to get back in touch with the spirit that is harmony...
(Nature in Horsemanship, Skyhorse Publishing, pg. 205-06).
March was a crazy month for me, mainly because the hard drive on my laptop crashed. This led to several weeks of drawn out repairs (ordering a system restore disk, waiting for technicians to fix it, finding out my hard drive was so far gone that all data was lost, re-downloading all my programs/ data onto new hard drive). Then, all this downloading led to exceeding our data limit (bill to come...), so I have been trying to minimize on-line time. I'm still not really caught up from this month of technical difficulties. In short, I've realized how extremely dependent I have become on my laptop: like many, my professional and social life rely on Internet connection and, as a writer, my laptop is also essential to my daily writing/ editing/ brainstorming/ researching routine.
I found it disorienting to not have this connection/ access. I was less productive, grouchy and restless. I also started to make other absent-minded mistakes (lost my keys for two days).
I have never really consider myself a "tech-dependent" person, but I certainly am! I've realized I am now totally dependent on my computer for what I consider "normal" daily life. I would now rate my laptop as more essential than a working oven (lived without one for the past six months), a television (gone without for years at a time), and probably even items of personal hygiene like a toothbrush (you can always improvise).
As of today, I think I am totally reconnected: functional computer, Office 2013 installed, and the first day of a new month of our nearly unlimited data plan (which we've never even come close to exceeding in the past). This feels so good! Writing life begin again!
So - is this a long, drawn out explanation for why I have not been blogging? YES! It is also, though, a personal confession of how much technology now influences my thinking, communicating and ability to function. I just hadn't realized!
If there is a connection to horses in all this (and for me there almost always is!), it has to do with the fact that they (thankfully!) can't log in. Facebook will never be an option for communicating with horses (OK, never say never, but highly unlikely). Social media is wonderful and plays a big role in my life now, but I am ever-grateful for the more intuitive, personal, nonverbal, non-image-based communication skills that I practice with horses and try to instill in my riding students on a daily basis.
I can no longer deny my dependence on (and affection for) on-line communications, but I don't want all the communicating in my life to be based on clicking a link or typing a short, quip-y comment. I want to understand and practice a level of communication that involves listening from my heart, processing in my gut and relaying my intentions with empathy, presence and clear signals. Working with horses is the perfect opportunity for practicing nuanced communication skills.
(I can now report with certainty that the Technical Services Staff at our local Staples would benefit from practicing some of these deeper interpersonal/ communication skills, which interacting with hard drives and system restore disks apparently does not foster...)
It's a grounding and authentic experience to communicate with horses, whether on the ground or in the saddle. As my own life becomes more and more technology-dependant, I am thankful that keeping horses in my life requires me to practice deeper level communication skills. I echo Mark Rashid's perfectly chosen words: the horse "allows us the opportunity to listen to that beating heart."
Because my laptop may have a lot to offer, but it does not have that!
on Saturday, March 16, 2013
Though I work with horses at least five days a week, it's not so often that I actually do "barn work" - cleaning stalls, sweeping aisles, dropping grain and refilling water buckets. For the past several years, I've been fortunate to teach at EAAT facilities where this work is done by paid barn staff, who are assisted by wonderful volunteers. Most of the time, I show up as this work is being finished, and teach.
However, this weekend, a friend is out of town and asked if I'd feed her horses and tend her barn. Horse care is hard work (I don't want to downplay that!) and doing it well requires knowledge, training and skill. Caring for my friend's horses this weekend, I have been reminded there are also many pleasures of barn work.
There is something rewarding about being the first person in the barn in the morning, the horses waking up to your footfalls, beginning to nicker or paw for their feed. There is something rhythmic about scooping and dropping grain, then going about the tasks of removing blankets, dressing turn out boots, fly-spraying. There is the slight adrenaline rush of turning out very large and energetic animals who are especially eager to greet a still-damp pasture on a quiet, sunny morning.
Finally, there is definitely something meditative about cleaning stalls - the slow and careful act of removing piles and pieces of manure, sweeping up the pee spot, spreading the bedding. It is a great time for thinking: just enough physicality to distract you from your problems, not so physically difficult as to be unpleasant. There is the wonderful smell of barn dust, settling over your hair and clothing.
Of course, I recognize that this is the glorified version of morning barn work. I don't do it often, so it feels special and fun. But I was grateful to be reminded of the pleasures of being in a barn and not asking the horses to work. Just taking care of them, appreciating and hopefully meeting their needs. I've missed that!
However, this weekend, a friend is out of town and asked if I'd feed her horses and tend her barn. Horse care is hard work (I don't want to downplay that!) and doing it well requires knowledge, training and skill. Caring for my friend's horses this weekend, I have been reminded there are also many pleasures of barn work.
There is something rewarding about being the first person in the barn in the morning, the horses waking up to your footfalls, beginning to nicker or paw for their feed. There is something rhythmic about scooping and dropping grain, then going about the tasks of removing blankets, dressing turn out boots, fly-spraying. There is the slight adrenaline rush of turning out very large and energetic animals who are especially eager to greet a still-damp pasture on a quiet, sunny morning.
Finally, there is definitely something meditative about cleaning stalls - the slow and careful act of removing piles and pieces of manure, sweeping up the pee spot, spreading the bedding. It is a great time for thinking: just enough physicality to distract you from your problems, not so physically difficult as to be unpleasant. There is the wonderful smell of barn dust, settling over your hair and clothing.
Of course, I recognize that this is the glorified version of morning barn work. I don't do it often, so it feels special and fun. But I was grateful to be reminded of the pleasures of being in a barn and not asking the horses to work. Just taking care of them, appreciating and hopefully meeting their needs. I've missed that!
on Saturday, March 2, 2013
In Quiet: The Power of the Introvert in a World that Can't Stop Talking, author Susan Cain claims that to discover your larger purpose in life, you should "...think back to what you loved to do when you were a child." About five years ago, I went through significant career change, and my therapist also asked: "What did you love best when you were a child or adolescent?" My answer: horses, horses, horses!
I recently went through some old pictures, and realized I was destined from a very young age to become a horseback riding instructor. Here they are!
(1) That's me leading (age 13), Kris riding. I like how Kris is smiling at the camera, but I am completely focused on Sudora (our first horse). I also like my jeans (where did those come from???) and the fact I'm wearing my helmet - ready to hop on at any moment if needed!
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(3) This is my first official riding student - MH - on our wonderful Quarter Horse cross gelding, Al (Yes, it was the mid-90s and yes, Al was short for Aladdin... our "diamond in the rough"... making this the first and last time I will name a horse after a Disney character). MH went to many shows with us and rode in the Lead Line division, winning blue more than once. (I'm proud to say she was often the only competitor who could post! Plus, what a cute pair they were!) That's me leading - not sure if you can see my face clearly enough to realize how seriously I was taking her (our?) success. But little MH looks pretty serious, too!
I recently went through some old pictures, and realized I was destined from a very young age to become a horseback riding instructor. Here they are!
(1) That's me leading (age 13), Kris riding. I like how Kris is smiling at the camera, but I am completely focused on Sudora (our first horse). I also like my jeans (where did those come from???) and the fact I'm wearing my helmet - ready to hop on at any moment if needed!
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(2) One year later! Sudora and I are at the Southern Rhode Island 4-H Horse Show. You can see how unlike in the first picture, where I am racing to keep up with Sudora, here she is focused on me and walking in step with me. This concept - keeping a horse attuned through the use of intention, specific body language and personal energy- is the essential skill that we train Volunteer Horse Handlers in therapeutic riding/ EAAT. Somewhere between age 13 and age 14, I learned it well - from my spunky Morgan mare Sudora. She was a great teacher and it's an important skill to have when working with horses (maybe the most important)!
(3) This is my first official riding student - MH - on our wonderful Quarter Horse cross gelding, Al (Yes, it was the mid-90s and yes, Al was short for Aladdin... our "diamond in the rough"... making this the first and last time I will name a horse after a Disney character). MH went to many shows with us and rode in the Lead Line division, winning blue more than once. (I'm proud to say she was often the only competitor who could post! Plus, what a cute pair they were!) That's me leading - not sure if you can see my face clearly enough to realize how seriously I was taking her (our?) success. But little MH looks pretty serious, too!
So, in my case anyway, Susan Cain's advice proved true. I loved horses as a young teen, and as an adult I become unhappy if I have to go even a few days without being around them. Cain lists two other principles for finding one's important life projects: (1)"pay attention to the work you gravitate towards" and (2)"pay attention to what you envy." Although I only read Cain's book recently, I see how these concepts were also relevant when I was exploring what I most wanted to do with my professional life.
on Friday, March 1, 2013
This rainy week, I read (and loved!) Amy Julia Becker's memoir a good and perfect gift: Faith, Expectations and a Little Girl Named Penny (Bethany House, 2011). Becker writes honestly and poignantly about the life-altering experience of first time motherhood, made more complex when just after delivery, she learns her newborn, Penny, has Down syndrome.
Becker's reflections on the diagnosis and on parenting a child with special needs were eye-opening to me, even though I spend lots of time interacting with people with special needs and their families! For parents, the experience of having a child with special needs is surely as unique as their individual children; however, I'm so grateful for the general insight I gained from reading Becker's sensitive, honest portrayal of parenting her daughter. I think it brought me a shade closer to understanding, a deeper empathy and heightened awareness of parenting in general and specifically of children with special needs.
Two of my favorite points from Becker's text:
It's such a strange, humbling feeling to realize that one has imposed limits on someone because of preconceived notions related to a disability: one feels so foolish but also so very pleasantly surprised. I have experienced this as a teacher for people with special needs (and am glad to say it has broadened my heart, mind and awareness!). Becker presents this experience (of being pleasantly surprised and learning from it!) from the perspective of a parent, and it's a viewpoint so personal and intimate that one feels honored to be included as a reader.
Fair warning, Amy Julia Becker writes from a decidedly Christian perspective (and Bethany House is a Christian publisher). However, while Becker's faith is on every page, I never found it stifling or overbearing, despite being of a more "generic" spiritual persuasion myself at this time. Becker is down-to-earth and comfortable in her spirituality: it is central to her life and she shares it as open-heartedly as she does her experience of being Penny's mom. I have a feeling she would say the two are inseparable.
A wonderful read, especially for anyone who loves, teaches or cares for a person with special needs and abilities!
Becker's reflections on the diagnosis and on parenting a child with special needs were eye-opening to me, even though I spend lots of time interacting with people with special needs and their families! For parents, the experience of having a child with special needs is surely as unique as their individual children; however, I'm so grateful for the general insight I gained from reading Becker's sensitive, honest portrayal of parenting her daughter. I think it brought me a shade closer to understanding, a deeper empathy and heightened awareness of parenting in general and specifically of children with special needs.
Two of my favorite points from Becker's text:
- "Can she [Penny] live a full life without ever solving a quadratic equation? Without ever reading Dostoyevsky? I'm pretty sure she can. Can I live a full life without learning to cherish and welcome those in this world who are different from me? I'm pretty sure I can't." (123)
- I attended a conference where we heard a child development specialist speak about "responsive parenting." He said most parents of kids with disabilities focused on their child's weaknesses. Instead we should try to identify Penny's strengths and help her grow into those strengths... [this way] we would recognize how capable she really was." (158)
It's such a strange, humbling feeling to realize that one has imposed limits on someone because of preconceived notions related to a disability: one feels so foolish but also so very pleasantly surprised. I have experienced this as a teacher for people with special needs (and am glad to say it has broadened my heart, mind and awareness!). Becker presents this experience (of being pleasantly surprised and learning from it!) from the perspective of a parent, and it's a viewpoint so personal and intimate that one feels honored to be included as a reader.
Fair warning, Amy Julia Becker writes from a decidedly Christian perspective (and Bethany House is a Christian publisher). However, while Becker's faith is on every page, I never found it stifling or overbearing, despite being of a more "generic" spiritual persuasion myself at this time. Becker is down-to-earth and comfortable in her spirituality: it is central to her life and she shares it as open-heartedly as she does her experience of being Penny's mom. I have a feeling she would say the two are inseparable.
A wonderful read, especially for anyone who loves, teaches or cares for a person with special needs and abilities!
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