December 2009 ~ Rider Horsemanship Newsletter

What’s New?
Rider Horsemanship, Inc.’s NEW location!

Rider Horsemanship has moved into their new location, just outside York, PA. Our new property hosts an array of exciting opportunities for every rider, every level. You can get a glimpse of this gorgeously maintained property from the following photos.

Our training facility offers everything from young horse training to finishing, foundation work, trail riding, private lessons and clinics. We have added to our training programs to include long distance coaching to winter maintenance for your horse. Please see our list of NEW 2010 programs below.

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GREAT X-mas gift for ONLY $25! Caroline is one of the authors of this series and writes a heart-felt, touching story of her way back into horses and into the life of her wonderful little Arab, Legend.

Horse as Teacher
Path to Relationship

Co-author, Caroline Rider

"The collaborative authors in the Horse as Teacher series have done it again! The appeal of these stories from persistent, patient women who both teach and learn with the help of horses, is in their authentic voices. Listening to and allowing the expression of the healing gifts horses offer through relationship deepens awareness and develops consciousness. This collection of stories offers us the opportunity to step into that world and experience what horses can teach us about relationship. Be ready to see relationships in a while new way!" ~ Barbara Rector, Director, Adventures in Awareness

Book is NOW available to purchase at: www.riderhorsemanship.com

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NEW Horsemanship Programs being offered January 2010!

Rider Horsemanship, Inc. will be offering a host of new opportunities for horse and human growth. Here is a “short” list of what we will be able to offer beginning in the New Year (2010): CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS >

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NEW Horsemanship DVD’s!

Rider Horsemanship, Inc. will be offering a NEW series of instructional DVD’s that will delve into their Tao of Horsemanship™ Training DVD’s as well as other areas of your horsemanship.

We have received fabulous feedback from those who have purchased one, or all three, of our Tao of Horsemanship™ DVD’s. Many of you want to learn more about Caroline’s amazing way with horses, especially her relationship with her herd. We anticipated this, creating the first series as an informational package, designed to create awareness about an easier, more simplified and natural way to be and work with horses. We now will delve deeper into each DVD, offering a more comprehensive breakdown of Caroline’s approach within each exercise. You will find the following 3 sequels available at Timonium’s 2010 Horse World Expo!

CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS >

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This Month’s Topic of Interest:
“Understanding the Semantics of Horses”

What are semantics and how do they relate to horses? I’ve included a definition from Wikipedia (right sidebar of this page). I will also explain semantics, in my own words, as it relates to what I’ve observed, and experienced, over the years being and working with both horses and humans.

Semantics simply put is language, body language. Body language expressed in the most minute and subtle ways, such as; facial expressions (eyes, muzzle, ears), stances, posture, muscling (tight and/or relaxed). We can also break it down to include the study of proxemics, which is defined as…

“…the ability to distinguish in animal body language between flight distance (run boundary), critical distance (attack boundary) and personal distance (distance separating members of non-species) and social distance (intraspecies communication distance).” German zoologist, Heini Hediger

So, let’s get back to reading and understanding the hundreds of subtle ways horses communicate through body language. This is so important as it is the basis to forming deep bonding experiences and loyal friendships with our equine friends. When I talk about “connection” I am referring to the ability to read and understand body language from our horses, which is so important in the horse world, as they communicate all the time through subtle gestures.

Not only do we need to pay attention to our horse, we also need to ask them to pay attention to us, with two ears and two eyes. When our horses are paying attention, they are connected. This level of body language is what I refer to as the foundation, for we cannot expect them to “do” anything if they aren’t paying attention and mentally engaged. So, here we are at a very fundamental level yet one that is the foundation of great oneness and partnership. Where we go from here is up to us. We can begin to obtain connection from our horses, observe subtle nuances of body gestures from them and further become aware of how our body gestures and posture can influence the horse...so easily.

If you want to learn more about reading, understanding & then communicating requests to our horses through body language, and movement, please check out my 1st Tao of Horsemanship DVD” Round Penning Approach: Transformative Practices for Awakening Unity, Partnership and Harmony Between You and Your Horse. This dvd is an introduction into bringing more awareness within you, your mind and your actions. It then focuses on helping you identify the following so that you can create a language between you and your horse: where you need to be for your horse (emotionally and physically); when you are needed (timing) and then understanding why you are there (building your “know” or confidence)…vs questioning it.

To encapsulate the many nuances of connection, communication and semantics between horses and humans, please visit my YouTube video titled consensualpartnership, specifically the caption the reads “connection and communication”: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f63kARVm2Us. This clip demonstrates me riding my Arab with no reins while leading my other 3 horses through the pasture, with horses running and interfering. There is total partnership and unity as each is connected to me and each other. I then ride him to the gate where I ask my Arab to help me unlock and open the gate while I ask my other 3 horses to wait patiently until I am ready for them to walk through…one-by-one. Watch closely as you will see my horses’ eyes on me waiting for me to signal to them what I want. When I want them to come through, I look at them and think “come through” and then embody my intention. This is just one of many clips that demonstrate the subtle communication and clear connection that we all can achieve.