enlightened horsemanship through touch

In Do No Harm: The Vow of Ahimsa, I wrote about the vow to do no harm and compassionate horsemanship as a perfect marriage of intention.

Just as the interspecies connection between mankind and animals is fertile ground for abuse, it is also the perfect venue for allowing “man” to be “kind.” I hope the field of horsemanship is ready to accept the message that it can be part of a larger movement, and that the larger movement can inform its growth with greater meaning. That this movement is based on ages-old traditions makes it more meaningful to me as a Buddhist. Yet, judging from the enormous popularity of Deepak Chopra’s modern Ahimsa Vow movement, it has wider appeal. Take a look at I Take the Vow.com.

One of the main components of the horsemanship I like to write about is Tellington TTouch, a gentle, non-dominant training and bodywork method based on communication through touch, taught all around the world. When I found this site tonight I felt that the compassionate horsemanship of Tellington TTouch and the Ahimsa Vow were meant to be lived together.

TAKE THE VOW>Taking any vow is a solemn affair. Please consider viewing the materials on the site. How this applies to the most basic relationships in life should be obvious. How it applies in our dealings with our horses is sometimes less so, especially in the face of ingrained habits of riding and training. Consider this:

The only thing that interferes with my learning is my education.

–Albert Einstein

Billie of Camera Obscura said something in a comment yesterday that made me think hard about the way we become accustomed to doing things. It’s not that we don’t question “the way it’s always been done.” But learning involves taking a new perspective. Habit does not encourage new perspectives.

This will take some very close examination, but I’m interested to know what you all think of some of the issues we face as horse people from the perspective of doing no harm.

Every year in February, Tellington TTouch offers a TTouch for You and Your Horse training in Kona, Hawaii, the home of Linda Tellington-Jones.  This is a great opportunity for the horse lovers of Hawaii, for whom the daunting prospect of traveling to the mainland to attend a training poses many obstacles. However, attending this training poses an equal number of obstacles for those who live in the continental United States but who would like to attend.  It’s worth it!

Every TTouch training is different, owing to many factors: instructors’ personalities and teaching methods differ; varying locations and amenities offer challenges and benefits; and the folks who attend as well as their animals direct the tone and feeling of each training.  The Hawaii training is unique in that there are constants: the beautiful sunny weather, the outdoor facility, the instructor (Linda herself), and the extracurricular activities, and, most importantly, the omnipresent sense of Aloha that suffuses the week’s proceedings with an extra dose of positivity.

Aloha is not merely a hokey greeting reminiscent of Tiki culture ¹. As used by Hawaiians, the term aloha refers to the qualities of affection, love, peace, and compassion.  Someone can be said to have or show aloha in the way they treat others; whether family, friend, neighbor, or stranger.  In its daily expression, aloha is remarkably similar to Linda’s TTouch gift, Remember Your Perfection.  Thus the opportunity to study TTouch in an environment where its message of mutual respect and compassion is not only unconditionally supported but also practiced deliberately is both fitting and a gift in itself.

2007’s TTouch For You and Your Horse training was a life-altering event for me. I learned more in this training than at any other, perhaps because the pervasive sense of acceptance on the Big Island allowed a greater opening to new concepts and skills.

For Kama’aina², who may not have had the chance to attend a training on the mainland, there is a 20% discount off the training tuition, with the added benefit of lodging discounts provided by most area hotels. Big Island residents can travel from home.  Island residents, like others who live in isolated areas, lack exposure to the styles of horsemanship and attitudes of riders and trainers elsewhere.  This training provides a great “coffee shop” atmosphere to exchange thoughts and concerns from many points of view.

Those wishing to travel from the mainland may be deterred by the cost of airfare and lodging.  A little digging and a few visits to discount travel websites reveals a variety of affordable airfare options.  Add to those the benefit of earlybird registration and traveling to Hawaii for a Tellington TTouch training is not as financially irresponsible as you may have thought. I chose to look upon this trip as a combined vacation and learning experience.  Several of those in attendance had brought their families along to play during the day, transforming the week into a family vacation.

Every day for a week I met at Linda’s home with more than a dozen other people interested in learning what TTouch means.  We talked and practiced and learned in the mornings, and then went to nearby Horseplay Ranch in Honka’a to practice most afternoons.  The horses we met were a fascinating bunch of specimens, raging from high performance dressage and reining horses to chunky grumpy lesson ponies.  The range of personalities as well as behavioral and physical issues they presented allowed us to apply what we learned in the morning under the watchful eye and helpful hands of Linda and several experienced TTouch instructors.

Since this training incorporates TTouch for You, we worked in the mornings at Linda’s lovely Keauhou home on the application of TTouch for humans. Theory and history of TTouch is never a dry proposition when Linda is teaching it.  Her stories of the old days and her travels and the animals and people she has met make for entertaining learning.  Practicing on one another (sometimes at poolside), we enjoyed the opportunity to make friends with people we otherwise would never have met, while learning skills to ease common physical problems shared by many.  I left each day feeling as refreshed as if I had been to a spa, invigorated by contact with new people, and loaded with new skills.  In fact, some of those folks I met have become friends.  We look forward to meeting when traveling, and coordinate our attendance at trainings worldwide.

At night, those who wished saw the sights and enjoyed Kona nightlife.  This year, I am thrilled to invite you to dinner and dancing at Bongo Ben’s for authentic ukulele and string music, and to Huggo’s “On the Rocks” for some bare-feet-in-the-sand cocktails. Some folks went to dinner, or dancing, or night diving and snorkeling, visiting the famous Keauhou Manta Rays. This is a magical scene with snorkelers holding hands in a reverent circle on the surface of the dark ocean.  A bright underwater light attracts a curious and balletic Manta Ray, who glides silently beneath them, sometimes swimming up to greet them.

It would be a shame to come all this way and spend all your time in a training, no matter how wonderful it is. Since the Big Island of Hawaii has such a diverse array of microclimates and terrain, Linda arranges day trips and evening outings during the training for more than a taste of what this paradise has to offer.

In 2007, we took a trip to Na’alapa Stables in Kohala to ride across the shimmering silver green grass of the windy hills of North Hawaii.  Even novice riders had a great time walking through the cool mists as a welcome antidote to the bright sun of Kona.

The group also went to an amazing dinner show under the moon and stars at the seaside. Kamaiha‘o: Wondrous Myths of Hawaii’s beautiful local dancers and singers acted out the ancient creation myths of the isles of Hawaii while we dined on traditional Hawaiian food.

Aloha isn’t the exclusive province of humans. All of the earth’s creatures share its spirit, as we experienced on the trip we took out of Honokohau Harbor on Uhane Nui O’Nai’a (Great Spirit of the Dolphin) with Sunlight on Water’s captain Michael (“China”) Yee and his wife Melainah.  This daylong dolphin and whale watching boat ride and swimming experience commences with a stunning old-fashioned Hawaiian ceremony in the harbor.  Completely devoid of the ubiquitous tourist hokum, China’s touching words invoke the Great Spirit of the Dolphin to protect us on our visit to the ocean.  The trip out of the harbor also took us into close contact with whales passing by the island, including some babies with their mothers.  For this alone the trip was perfect.  Later, as we eased ourselves into warm, crystal clear water, and were surrounded by singing, leaping dolphins, the day took on mystical overtones.

The unique structure of the Hawaiian TTouch for You and Your Horse is a wonderful learning journey for folks whose daily lifestyles include horses, as well as for those who admire them but have never interacted with them. Afternoon time at Horseplay Ranch provides the opportunity for as much or as little horse contact as novices would like.  I notice, however, that “newbies” end up TTouching and leading horses through the Playground for Higher Learning with the same enthusiasm as the old hands.

TTouch founder and president Linda Tellington-Jones says, “For those who have never been around horses before and are simply ‘called’ by the spirit of the horse, or if you’ve been riding for years and want new ways of connecting and communicating with your equine friend, the Hawiian workshop will lead you to new levels of connecting with horses. almost unimaginable. The magic of TTouch, an effective language without words, and the journaling we do as a group are absolutely remarkable tools in connecting with horses in an entirely new way. When we journal with the horse, we ask the horse what it is they would like to tell us — how we can experience a deeper connection with them. We also explore the gifts that horses bring to our lives — those gifts that we don’t normally listen to and recognize.

In the riding session participants close their eyes (they’re supported by helpers) while sitting on the horse bareback and walking through the Playground for Higher Learning. This gives them an opportunity to experience a new physical, mental and emotional sense of balance. The result is a very deep connection with the spirit of the horse in a way that most people have never experienced.

Considering the current state on our planet, TTouch can be invaluable for you and your horse.  In two or three minutes of self-applied TTouch Heart Hugs, Mouth and Ear TTouches, you can experience relief and release those feelings of uncertainty, trauma or stress and make your lives healthier, more productive, and happier.  You will discover that the same TTouches that you will learn for yourself and your family or clients are just as valuable for your horses.

¹ Tiki culture refers to a 20th-century theme used inPolynesian-style restaurants and clubs originally in the United States and then, to a lesser degree, around the world. Although inspired in part by Tiki carvings and mythology, the connection is loose and stylistic (Wikipedia).

² Kama’aina refers to those who live full-time in Hawaii.

This article originally appeared in Keeping in TTouch, the Tellington TTouch enewsletter.

Click HERE to read TTouches for Colic by Marie Hoffman of On Eagle’s Wings Equine Center, LLC. This is an excellent article.

There are literally thousands of case studies as well as anecdotal reports of Tellington TTouch Ear Work and Belly Lifts that have saved the lives of horses, beginning with the seminal event in which Linda Tellington-Jones first used Ear Work to save the life of her colicking endurance mare, Bint Gulida. If you are interested in reading this story, let me know by responding in the comments. I will ask Linda to report it here.

I should start carrying rubber gloves in my glove compartment. I am a veritable magnet for accidents and sudden serious illness. I’m posting this not to invade the privacy of the lady I helped yesterday but to alert you to the fact that you don’t have to feel helpless in the face of an accident or sudden illness, wishing in vain that there were a doctor or nurse present. There is something YOU can do to help.

Just yesterday I was returning to Linda’s house after going to the post office when I turned a corner in my car to see a horrible moped accident. A tourist, wearing just a bicycle helmet, careened at top speed (maybe 35 mph?) into the curb to avoid an oncoming car and crashed in a most spectacular way. Off came the helmet, with predictable results.

I was the second out of my car, handing my cell with 911 pre-dialed to a recent arrival who would otherwise have been a rubbernecker.

After assessing her condition and the degree of her consciousness and severity of her wounds, I was able to delegate tasks to her husband (a very cool customer considering) and others such as holding tourniquets and pressure, and get to work while we waited (ten minutes or more!) for the ambulance.

My nursing background enabled me to help in ways that a lot of people who want to help in situations like this dare not offer. But in the end, it was not education or specialized training that saved this woman’s life. Tellington TTouch Ear Work has been proven time and again to prevent accident victims and those suffering from severe sudden illness from going into shock. It did not let me down yesterday. I was able to prevent this gravely injured woman from going into shock and possibly dying from it before she received EMT assistance.

The ear has been used as a mirror of the whole body in the application of acupuncture for many centuries. Working the ear in many modalities is a time-proven method of affecting the autonomic nervous system.

Here is what to do:

If possible, sit at the head of the victim. If it’s not possible, get as close as you can to be able to grasp their ears, one in each hand. This sounds funny, but I assure you, it’s not.
Grasp the ears between thumb and fingers with enough contact or pressure to be able move them away from the head.

Make a TTouch Circle with one or two fingers (depending on the size of the ear and your access), sliding the finger to stroke the ear. You will be making a total of four circles and strokes per ear. Begin at the lobe with the thumb posterior and still. The index finger is anterior (in the front). Make the TTouch Circle with the index finger, folding the index finger as you stroke the ear in an upward direction. Repeat the motion a second time, beginning at the entrance to the ear canal, again making a gentle TTouch Circle with the index finger in motion and the thumb in back to stabilize. Make the third TTouch Circle about 1/4 inch higher now, again stroking upward and outward. The fourth TTouch Circle is identical, covering the rest of the ear, being very careful to complete the fold at the upper margin of the ear. *

NB: Depending on your angle you will have your thumb behind the ear and fingers in front, or vice versa. It does not matter.

In cases of shock, or to prevent imminent shock, move rapidly, so that the entire circle and stroke takes about 2 seconds.

Continue until and even after rescue has arrived. If you can, accompany the victim in the ambulance and into the ER until they are stabilized.

Most EMTs and ER doctors are unaware of this complementary care technique and you may be the one to save the victim’s life. As you may know, shock kills. Often it is shock that kills rather than the wounds or illness, which might not be life-threatening. This is the fourth time I have used this simple technique to either save a life or to intervene in a medical emergency. And I’m just one person. There are literally thousands of case histories of the application of this work from around the world.

I hope you don’t ever need it, but it’s a good skill to have.

There’s a lot more to the story, but suffice it to say that it was a long day, there was a lot of laundry to be done afterwards, and I have a bit of my own road rash to deal with. Ruby Beagle was very put out indeed after being asked to wait in the car during the incident and to accompany me as we followed up. She got a biscuit. I got a cup of tea. ANd I hope that the lady who had the accident will eventually get to go back on a cruise ship and go home without permanent injury.

* from TTouch for Healthcare: The Health Professional’s Guide to Tellington TTouch by M. Cecelia Wendler, RN, PhD, CCRN and Linda Tellington-Jones

© 2009 enlightened horsemanship through touch and Kim Cox Carneal

Rachel Allen, TTouch P1, and Linda Tellington-Jones at La Fonda Hotel in Santa Fe, NM

The church bells of the neighboring Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi serenaded our conference with regular chimes, a melody that has been heard in downtown Santa Fe continuously since 1887. From the deck outside our conference room a statue of the Saint could be seen gracing the church entrance. In the type of synchronicity that seems commonplace with TTouch, St Francis of Assisi is historically known as the patron saint of animals. I believe we all felt his presence as our conference delved deeply into the realm of compassion for and communication with animals. Read more…

You clip the lunge line to his face and send him away. A flick of the whip or the rope and off he goes. Short time, long time, whatever, he walks, trots or canters in a circle. Your purpose for this exercise is clear in your mind: exercise, smooth transitions, an attempt at calming, lameness detection, etc. His understanding of the point of lungeing? ZERO.

Mounted or on the ground, you tug gently on the lead rope in the direction of his withers to ask for flexion to the left and then to the right. You practice this each and every time before you ride. Sometimes it’s a part of all the groundwork you do each day. A routine. It’s good horsemanship. You have a clear intention of what you want to achieve: a quick and soft yield of the head. Your horse’s attention. You have his attention al lright. But do you know what is in his mind? I wonder if it’s this:

I learned what you want in this flexion thing in a few tries. I don’t understand why I have to do it over and over. It’s boring. If we don’t do something new pretty soon, I’m going to find something else on my own. Oh hey, look what I can do…!

Serpentines.

Backing up on the ground.

20 meter circles at the walk and trot.

Lead changes.

Trotting over cavaletti.

Sliding stops and spins.

Most of what we ask our horses to do on a daily basis is not as inherently harmful as dressage practice with rollkur. Yielding the head and trotting in 20 meter circles can’t physically hurt a horse unless he has health problems or injuries.

It can be harmful in other ways, however, as Frédéric Pignon says,

What people do not appreciate is that every time a horse submits to pressure, whether subtle or overt, he is diminished. Probably the great majority of people who achieve their own ends by making their horse submit are not even aware of what they have done. It is a sad fact that a horse can be made to do many things by breaking his will. If he can be persuaded to give his assent freely and pleasurably rather than give into man’s pressure or clever techniques, he is not diminished.

In Do We Really Know What We Do?, I posted the quote above also. I don’t believe we can contemplate what Frédéric was telling us enough. Horses who cannot find meaning in what they do are sour. They “misbehave.” They go lame. What we often do not realize is that it’s our fault.

Each and every time we as ordinary riders, just like the stars of the horse world, ask our horses to repeat an action they have already learned, or to do something contrary to their nature as horses, we are asking for a kind of submission, “making” him do things that make no sense to him. Most of horseback riding is not natural to horses, to be sure.
Horseback riding and training require a certain amount of repetition. This is irrefutable. But how much is enough? How can we be sure that our horses’ activities have clear and valid meaning for them?

One way is to change the way in which they are rewarded for producing the desired behavior. The pleasure of spending time with us is a reward for social animals like horses. We don’t always have time, but making time within our riding and training schedules to add a few extra moments of just being together with no goal in mind, and using this as a reward/positive reinforcement adds meaning to the tasks we ask horses to do.

Another way is to increase the amount of physical contact we have with our horses. Not the kind with the whip or with the leg. The kind where you both are on the ground and your hands are on the horse. Touch is a miracle communicator because horses are sensory creatures. Like us, touch in equine life is an important part of the establishment of social hierarchies and family interaction. The reward of human touch is powerful for such tactile animals. You’ve seen a horse with a metaphorical sign reading, “will work for food,” but most of them also will work for touch.

Do what comes naturally to your horse. An Icelandic Horse is bred for moving out across country. Their minds are not suited to riding in circles in arenas. If you are going to ask them to work in confined spaces at tasks they don’t inherently understand, make sure they get to do what they do understand, on a daily basis. Ride out, at speed!
Likewise, a Percheron is not built for, nor does he have the mindset for, the rapid changes in tempo and rhythm of dressage. Don’t even try it! I’m not suggesting that owners of Percherons take up hauling logs instead of riding. But perhaps long rides in the country are a better option for the health and sanity of the horse.
The much-abused Thoroughbred also comes to mind. OTTBs just aren’t constitutionally suited to a great many of the jobs we give them. Sure, they are in plentiful supply. They are inexpensive and easily replaceable. But consider suitability for your desired activity first. And if it’s just impossible to match breed to discipline, make sure you keep in mind my suggestions above for keeping your horse sane: avoid mindless repetition of meaningless tasks, give plenty of downtime in your company, and make sure to touch touch touch! I have one further suggestion for helping your horse find meaning in his working life.

The best way to ensure that horses find meaning in what they do is to change things up. On a routine basis. Yes, we will have to put considerable thought into this.

Non-habitual movements, like those described by Moshe Feldenkrais, capture the horse’s attention in a way that habitual actions do not. When practiced in a relaxed atmosphere without provoking typical fear responses, any new activity involving all four feet, the head or tail, or the back or belly engages the horse’s mind in a new way. Expanding the horse’s body image through new and different (non-habitual) movement sequences brings attention to parts of his body he might not be fully aware of (we all know those horses who forget they have hind feet and leave them parked out, for example). Asking a horse to do new things allows you to become more aware of their habitual neuromuscular patterns and rigidities as well because you are seeing them in a new way. You can then expand his options for new ways of moving and living his life more fully and comfortably, not to mention with greater ease of performance.

The Tellington TTouch Method™ has a variety of ground work and ridden exercises called the Playground for Higher Learning . Through brainwave studies, it has been shown that working on the activities in the Playground activates both hemispheres of the equine brain and calms the sympathetic nervous system, the part that excites the flight reaction so common in horses when they don’t understand what is being asked of them. The opportunities for learning are increased greatly. It is interesting to note that when navigating corners in the labyrinth, a horse’s BETA brainwaves are activated. They are actually thinking logically while working in the Playground for higher learning.

Why get excited about a horse thinking? When lungeing or repeating the activities we might need endless practice at, horses turn off their brains. They get sour and sometimes they get angry. A sour, angry horse who is merely becoming fitter as a result of all this mindless exercise is not the horse we want. This does them a profound disservice and does not further our goals.

Guiding a horse deliberately and gently through non-habitual paths while in close physical contact is the very essence of mindful horsemanship. The bonus is that it’s fun!

It’s easy to make any of the items in the Playground for Higher Learning. You can use the stuff you have lying around the barn or purchase it cheaply. It’s not heavy and can be set up and then moved out of the way to ride by one person in minutes. Here are some examples of what you might want to include.

The Zig Zag

The Tractor Tire

The Labyrinth

The Fan, or Star

The Triangle

These tools are not your typical obstacle course. They are not intended to be negotiated at speed, or as objects for desensitization. Rather the object is to practice focus and self-control, and to increase flexibility, body awareness, balance, coordination, and confidence. Increased patience is a wonderful side effect of working in the Playground. You can immediately see the benefits of working youngsters here.

It is beyond the scope of this post to describe how to use each of these obstacles. I suggest that you visit the Tellington TTouch website to read about them in more detail or get a book or video. Better yet, take a training so that you can practice with a horse before trying yourself. The TTouch methods of leading a horse through these obstacles is an integral part of the exercises. Last week in Bodega Bay, California, horses worked in these obstacles, and on a plywood platform raised 6 inches off the ground, in addition to walking through a gradually-built path of straw bales with people standing on them, eventually holding bright pool noodles in an arch over the horse. I saw striking changes in these horses in a short time–just four days of work two hours a day. These horses ranged from a youngster aged three (not yet mounted) to an elder aged 23 (unrideable due to past neglect and possible abuse), to a Grand Prix dressage horse with impeccable training and manners.

Horses’ capacity for learning and engagement with their human handlers never ends. It is our responsibility to meet them more than halfway by providing the opportunity to do so.

I’m not suggesting that we all drop our favorite equestrian disciplines in favor of turning our horses out into a field and visiting them daily with a carrot, a massage and a turn in the Playground. Though that would be excellent. We have horses so we can do things with them. Balance is absolutely necessary. It takes skillful means to strike and hold that balance. It isn’t easy, and it takes more time than grabbing the horse from the stall or field, scraping off the dirt, slapping on tack and circling the arena 50 times.

Rather than seeking yields (submission), we might instead seek cooperation, fun and learning with these tools, which will allow us to pursue our personal horseback riding and training goals without completely eradicating the soul of the horse. In this, we can all learn from Frédéric Pignon and Linda Tellington-Jones, whose mutual goal is to uphold the sanctity of the horse.

The California Tellington TTouch Training for Horses is finished… and new adventures begin tomorrow.

Tonight I pack to prepare for a super-seekrit mystery side trip. I’m not sure if I’ll be allowed to blog about it for a while, but if I’m given permission, you’ll be the first to know.

This has been a fantastic week of horses and people (all women, it turned out) at Skyhorse Ranch in Sonoma County, California. The range of types of horses we got to work with and their needs was broad and fascinating. I fell in love with a young gentleman sporthorse named Kai, whom I look forward to telling you all about in a later post.

We also had the pleasure of working with Octango, the Grand Prix mount of dressage star Barbi Breen-Gurley, who is so engaging and eager to learn, even at this stage in her illustrious career. I’ve never gotten my mitts on so nice a horse before, or had the privilege of seeing so talented a partnership in action, all without force, dominance or over-collection or overflexion. Octango is as sound mentally and emotionally as he is physcially. What a thrill!

At times I felt as if I’d spent the entire week running backward in deep footing with a videocam in my hands (watch those cavaletti!). But this is not true. Though my primary role was to observe, I did a lot of bodywork and groundwork (the teachers will tell you, “not enough!”), and was able to get in touch with horses again on a more intimate level than I have since I was hurt about a year ago.

When I saw the first horse I was afraid I would burst into tears for wanting to bury my face in his neck and breathe him in. That’s how much I have missed horses. Being the “official witness” in this training also meant I got to sneak in secret nuzzles and whispered chats while the others were working. Horses just love conspiratorial affection.

I saw some amazing transformations in horses again at this training–things you would think impossible if you haven’t seen the ground and body work of TTouch. After seeing this work again this year, I now wonder how other clinicians film those “before and after” bits in their videos. What is the interval between the “before” and “after?” How many takes were required? I got some interesting video showing striking changes in behavior and carriage that occurred in just a couple of hours. Sometimes in a couple of minutes. No special effects, no lungeing, no coercion.

It was nice to be reminded in a concrete way that what I have been talking about on this blog actually does occur, sometimes with surprising speed an grace. Many horses went back to their paddocks after a morning or afternoon session with expressions of calm satisfaction on their faces to match those of their people.

So far, all good news from Virginia: things go well for my daughter.

I’d better go pack, because tomorrow I have to leave my beloved Caroline’s place in Sonoma for more learning, more fun and then a return to my badly-missed pets!

I’m delighted to be typing in bed, sleepover-style in a room at LaFonda on the Square, shared with biologist, zoologist, Feldenkrias Practitioner and Pet Food Chef Elinor Silverstein. Unfortunately, labeling Elinor any of those things does no justice whatsoever to her enormous body of knowledge. I’m here to learn from Elinor and many others who contribute to the world of Tellington Touch through their own work.

No time to run down the impressive list of experts on the schedule–I have to sleep some time! I think for me the most interesting will be Elinor’s neurology-based work. You can be sure I will report on that.

I’m on my way to Santa Fe, NM to the TTouch CELLebration, so you will all have to suffer a little more TTouch than usual for the upcoming weeks. Here’s some good stuff.

Click here to visit the Horse Hero Site

You will have to log in to view Sarah Fisher’s video. It might be worth it to create an account, whether you intend to return or not. There is some pretty interesting stuff there. Most of the content, with the notable exception of Sarah Fisher, is very traditional. The video format is really nice–you get access to major movers and shakers in a very intimate way.

Here’s the blurb about Sarah’s video:

Behaviourist Sarah Fisher, demonstrates the art of riding without a bridle using the veteran mare Sage and her owner Corine. Starting with both a bridle and a neck ring (plus the ‘wand’), Sarah ensures Corine has brakes and horse and rider are feeling safe and secure. When the bridle comes off Corine demonstrates all paces and jumps! The mare moves freely and enjoys herself. Sarah says riding without a bridle is addictive. It’s useful for older horses, horses that fall out through the shoulder, tilt their head or are jammed at the poll. Riders improve their posture, balance and confidence. Sarah gets Horse Hero’s Fiona Price to join in the fun too!