Empathy Though The Eyes Of A Horse

Empathy Through The Eyes Of A Horse

　

Horses mean different things to different people. To some they are a means to an end as in moving the herd or winning the blue. To others they are the stress relievers and blood pressure reducers. And yet to others they are their best friend and in some cases their reason for living. And at different seasons of my life, horses have been all of these things to me.

I have met all of these types of people in my 20 years of teaching human and horse how to communicate to each other. For the “means to an end person” I have tried to teach empathy and team work with realistic expectations. For the “stress relievers” I have tried to teach them to breath and simplify their lives. And to move with the horse through gentle slow steps. And to the ones that see the horse as their “friend and their reason for living” I strive to show them the world through the eyes of the horse. Because the horse does not know what day it is. The horse does not know what man made holiday it is that you are spending alone with them. The horse does not know that you just lost your marriage, job, house or loved one. The horse just knows that it’s another peaceful day where they eat and play and want to be with you. Another day when we effortlessly try to understand each other as best as human and horse can. Through trust and careful observations we learn the language of each other’s souls. We show our strengths and weaknesses. We define our boundaries and limits. And we love and respect each other.

I’ve never really felt ownership of my horses but more like a friendship with responsibilities for their health and welfare. Through the relationships I have developed with the multitude of horses that I’ve had the pleasure of training and living with, I have learned to see the good in all people. To recognize pain and sorrow. To see through the stiff upper lip. To hear and feel fear in others. To truly know what empathy is. And I owe that gift to the horse. The ultimate teacher in my life and I hope and pray I have to opportunity to put you with a horse so that your life can be as rich as mine has been.

www.rakkanonline.com

 

Learning to Ride Horses is a JOURNEY Not an EVENT

Sharon Preston Horsemanship

Learning to Ride Horses is a JOURNEY Not an EVENT

I opened Rakkan Equestrian Center here in Bend Oregon in April of  1998. Pronounced “Rock On”, Rakkan is the Japanese word for optimism. Since then I have had the wonderful opportunity to teach close to 2000 Central Oregonians how to ride and care for horses. I’ve also trained my fair share of breeds of horses in a 20 year career as a professional trainer and another 20 years prior as an amateur and trainers assistant . My students range in ages from 6 - 85 who take weekly lessons on their own horses or on one of my fantastic string of schooling horses that range from National Champion Dressage horses to seasoned ranch roping horses. Through horsemanship I have developed a unique program that focus on teaching character element skills to the very young riders. My students learn to communicate on a level the horses can recognize, thus taking the students outside of themselves in an altruistic way. I teach my students to continue to work safely within that guideline to respect the horse’s way of thinking. I hone there riding skills and help them become more proficient at handling these magnificent creatures. 

I help them to take the focus away from just winning a blue ribbon towards the process of learning with reality based information. The goal can still be to go into the show ring and win the blue ribbon, but the process of preparing also focuses on the reality of how the performance turned out. The amazing feelings about dreaming of the blue ribbon should not be denied, however, the action steps and effort that has to go into reaching that goal cannot be ignored. It is in the process that they grow as a team with their horse. The work an the money spent at the barn by a student with their horse is the only way to manifest their dreams.

Communication with the horse cannot be replaced by the trainer, coach or instructor. The student has to do the work. A lot of families go to buy a horse and see the seller ride the horse for them and think they can instantly take that horse home and ride it just as it was shown. Often they lack the understanding regarding the process the seller went through to create the harmony demonstrated at the time of the sale. They think they can just take it home, pay a trainer to ride it for them, and meet their goal of winning a blue ribbon in 6 months or so at the next big show. The new owner often thinks that magic will “just happen” and doesn’t put out the effort. The learning and bonding process is where it all happens. The magic happens in the work. The love affair happens in the everyday effort the rider puts forth. That’s where harmony and teamwork are created resulting in the reward of a satisfying ride or at times that blue ribbon.

The next time you observe someone else doing really well at what you are passionate about, just realize all the work and time that went into the manifestation of their talents. I see so many families expecting instant gratification. They don’t realize that putting this extreme stress on a premature outcome of the winning or being the best can dampen character building attributes.

The true pay off is in the journey. I teach in building blocks of easily digestible information to successfully bring the student into a positive awareness of accomplishment. This builds a hunger for more positive outcomes from their efforts. They learn to approach the horse with a comprehension beyond words. They learn to develop empathy for and compassion towards the horses way of going. I focus on teaching students to discern the horses negative behaviors and to correct on an equal plane according to the horse’s mind set. Learning the training steps that a horse goes through in his lifetime gives my students a point of reference to go back to that the horse remembers and comprehends. With this knowledge both horse and rider move forward in a mutually successful capacity.
Failure to make progress is just another opportunity to improve. When it comes to horses, perfect practice makes perfect. Horses learn from rewards for correct responses through intensely repetitive suggestion. So perseverance is a must. Along this journey of the process lies great opportunity for character development for the student. Without character the blue ribbon can become the enemy of dreams. I use the horse to help develop trust, respect, responsibility, fairness and caring in my students.

Through natural consequences within highly structured training these character elements are perfected. I passionately believe that my unique methods give the opportunity for personal growth. With a safe and well-maintained facility o highly trained horses a student can realize their dreams, and have a whole lot of fun in the process.

 Join me, Sharon Preston Horsemanship
“Where empowerment replaces fear and knowledge creates options.
Learn to ride horses and unlock your inner strength.”

Sharon Preston Horsemanship

Passion and Restraint

Goals in life are what keeps us going every day. The desire to get fit, eat right, be to work on time, do our very best at all we do so that we may be successful.

Horses are this way too. They too have goals every day to eat and do their best to survive.

We all need motivation to do all of these things. Horses are motivated by hunger, thirst and the need to be free. They also are very social and want to be close to their herd mates and even to you.

Motivation to attain these goals comes from two places. External motivation and internal motivation.

External motivation comes from a place of consequence and risk. We follow the rules with “restraint” for fear of the consequence. But sometimes the risk is worth the consequence. We usually bounce up really close to the consequence especially when our needs are not being met or that we feel we are being slighted in any way. Both horse and human have a strong desire to be free and will sometimes break the rules and risk consequence in an attempt to alleviate some of the constraints that life has put upon us or that we have put upon ourselves. Horses fear the relationship with you will lose balance if they buck or bit you and they know through correct training what the consequence of their actions could mean. We both become very creative in ways of excuses, resistance and deeds to bounce around this box that our external motivation puts us in. Our actions within this box may not be genuine but they serve the greater good. Albeit law, health, community, providing for your family and even your religion, these are all necessary for the good of society and maintaining balanced relationships within.

Internal motivation comes from a place of “passion” and desire. The intense unrelenting want of something will drive both horse and human to extraordinary feats. Our minds will create actions that feel as if they are coming from the very depths of our souls. They will come to us in dreams, in places of beauty, in the smell of the seasons, from the sound of a child laughing, from the look of a majestic horse standing free and wild in the Ochoco National Forests of Oregon. Internal motivation is powerful and lasting. We feed this with the multitudes of actions to feel the rush of adrenalin and to manifest our desires. We go off course in an attempt to try new avenues towards our goal only to find that we needed to stay on our own true path. But we gather knowledge all along the way which enables us to make educated decisions with laser precision the next time. We learn, we get better and we press on. We are driven to succeed from our hearts with the love coming forth from it.

Horses are not heartless. They too have passion and love in their hearts. They will share it with you if you learn to speak their language. They can help you find your true path. They can bring out the best of you through the relationship you forge with them. Fears will come up in you you’d long forgotten about or didn’t even know you had. Communication errors and the lack to respond appropriately to bad or good behavior from the horse will definitely help you to become a better team leader, parent, teacher and friend. Your awareness in all areas will be heightened just by being around these magnificent creatures we call HORSE.

　

Learning all about horses is a great adventure. It is a process and not an event. Enjoy the process from wherever you are, whatever level you stand today. Move forward with passion and restraint. Success is just around the corner on the path that you have made for yourself through the multitude of action steps you‘ve taken to manifest your dreams.

Join me, Sharon Preston Horsemanship

“Where empowerment replaces fear and knowledge creates options.

Learn to ride horses and unlock your inner strength.”

Welcome to Sharon Preston’s blog series for the beginner horse enthusiasts called “Horses Have Opinions Too”.

Thank you for joining the thousands of beginner equestrians that have learned to make the horse their partner with Sharon Preston’s proven coaching and training techniques. Rest assured you will be riding like a pro in no time as Sharon has been teaching these methods with outstanding results for 20 years.

You love adventure right? Change your vantage point and change your life. Put your foot in the stirrup, swing a leg over and take a seat on your next adventure with Sharon Preston.

　

Hello everyone!

Since this is the first in a series of 10 blogs for the beginner equestrian I find it imperative that we start with:

Predator vs. Prey

Horses are solid hoofed prey animals. They are hunted and eaten. There are also cloven hoofed prey animals which are goats, sheep, deer, elk, cows etc. All of these hoofed prey animals are flight animals. Hoofed prey animals also lack muscle below the hock and knee. It is all bone, ligaments and tendons. If they get injured in these areas they have a high propensity for infection as circulation is poor which prohibits white blood cells from combating infection. Take special care if your horse is wounded below the hock or knee. Call a veterinarian for evaluation and possibly start antibiotics as a prophylactic for infection. Instinctually they know their lower legs are vulnerable. If they get injured here it could mean trouble. They would much rather run away from danger than turn and fight it. Some horses have a bigger flight response than others. Knowing how your horse and YOU handle fear will determine not only if the horse is suited for you but are you confident enough for your horse. I will discuss “Thinking Through Fear” in a later blog.

Horses brains are the size of an avocado. They are not known for their overwhelming abundance of intelligence. They can however, be taught fairly complicated instructions from you, on a level they understand, with hundreds if not thousands of consistent repetitions and reward. I will discuss “Release is Reward” in a later blog. For the most part their food source is at their feet. So a hunting strategy such as a feral cat would need to survive is not necessary for the horse. Their brains are not as complicated as a cats and certainly no where near the capability of a humans.

　

　



Three Things a Horse Thinks About

1. Food food food food and did I mention FOOD! A horse has a small stomach. It empties out quickly. They are meant to graze all day long. Their TDN’s, Total Digestible Nutrients, that they can actually get out of their food source is poor. We measure our food in Calories etc. Predators eat foods that are rich in nutrients which allows them to go days between meals. You are a predator and horses know this. They eat grasses and legumes. Grain is actually a man made feed as they don’t eat them naturally in the wild. A lot of things that we eat can actually kill a horse. Rhubarb for example is poison to a horse. Ask before you ever feed your horse table scraps. It could be deadly. Horses produce stomach acid all day long. Our stomachs produce acid when we smell food cooking or we see that yummy dinner commercial on TV. The bottom 1/3 of their stomach is covered with a thick layer of lining that is the color of the palm of your hand. This lining can handle stomach acid that sits in their stomachs. The top 2/3’s of their stomachs are the color of oxblood leather or a dried red rose pedal. This portion of the stomach can not tolerate the acid and horses can and do get ulcers often. We put them in stalls or paddocks and feed them twice a day leaving them with painful empty stomachs. We get them out to ride them and after a few minutes of them trotting around they are grumpy because the acid is splashing up onto their sensitive parts of their stomachs. Some horses are flawed in that their stomachs don’t actually have a solid 1/3 covered by this tough lining but in fact they only have a small patch. These horses can generally be grumpy at feeding time, or the type that never wants to stop eating and will get obese and possibly develop laminitis or heaven forbid actually founder. I will go into these subjects in a later blog. Choose to ride your horse about an hour and a half after feeding for best results. If you board your horse be sure to ask what their feeding schedule is so you may work around it. Also, when hauling horses be sure to bring hay for them to nibble on when you get to your destination or every 3 to 4 hours. So you can see why horses are so driven to eat.

2. Water. Horses drink 10 to 12 gallons of water per day. They also need salt available at all times. The choice between a mineral block and plain white salt will depend on the amount of supplements you are giving your horse in the form of grain and/or vitamins. Consult your veterinarian.

3. WHAT WAS THAT?? Horses are always aware of the potential danger around them. Even if it is a garden hose or a bag blowing in the wind they will think it may be out to get them. Always think ahead by removing any obstacles that may potentially scare your horse BEFORE you even pick up your halter to go get him. Horses like things in the same place all the time. Anything new in their familiar daily surroundings could startle them. They have their “animal” turned all the way up. We live in our safe houses. Going from our safe cars to our safe work places. We tend not to spend enough time outside. This can dull our senses. My suggestion to you is to go outside and feel, see and hear everything going on around you. Which way is the wind coming from? Judging by it’s bark, is that dog in your neighborhood alarmed, angry or lonely? What vibrations if any do you feel in the ground? Learn to turn your “animal” all the way up because I guarantee you your horse’s is never turned down.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this blog. Join me again here at Sharon Preston’s “Horses Have Opinions Too” where empowerment replaces fear and knowledge creates options. Learn to ride horses and unlock your inner strength.