May 15, 2008

Caroline Rider Natural Horsemanship Newsletter

Welcome Rider Natural Horsemanship’s Apprentices, Emma Cruse and Chelsey Rodgers.

Emma Cruse began her journey here at Rider’s Crossing, Natural Horsemanship in January 2008 under the personal mentorship of Caroline Rider and her horses. She is pictured here with one of Caroline’s top horses, Sundance.

Chelsey Rodgers will be joining our team in June. Welcome Chelsey!

Emma writes about her experience

“My apprenticeship with Caroline Rider began in January of 2008. I found Caroline online when looking for Natural Horsemanship practitioners in my home state of Maryland. I had come to a point in my life in the summer of 2007 where I asked myself, “if I could do anything with my life, what would it be?” Immediately I thought of horses. Not the traditional riding and training methods I’d experienced as a child at different English riding barns, but something that spoke to my soul, that was whispered in the old movies I grew up loving such as Black Beauty and The Black Stallion. Until the year prior to this time in 2007 I had believed those sorts of relationships with horses were only things from stories, but after seeing the cirque du sole show Cavalia, a show whose trainers use Natural Horsemanship techniques to achieve the most beautiful level of dancing and play with their horses imaginable, I knew it was possible…..”

To read more about Emma’s experience, please click here:

What’s NEW?
“Exploring the Potential of Connection with Our Horse’s”
What is connection?

Connection means acquiring mental engagement from your horse. You cannot achieve connection without first acquiring a horse’s mind (or mental engagement). Connection is also twofold and relates to both what we “feel” in our hands and what we “feel” in our hearts. Let’s look at our hearts first. For me, connecting with a horse starts in their eyes, the way they softly look at me. This softness also travels through their body, causing a horse to relax. A horse won’t relax with you, let alone become mentally engaged (connection), if they don’t trust you. And to take the term trust even deeper, a horse won’t trust you if they’re survival needs are not met, such as feeling safe and comfortable.

To read more about connection, please click here.