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"Bill’s book ["True Horsemanship Through Feel", by Bill Dorrance and
Leslie Desmond] makes so much more sense after seeing how we are working with my
horse." a student and first time horse-owner told me after her first few
lessons. "My horse is getting so clear in his understanding now, compared with
pressure/release used before. It’s very exciting!" It is:
it touches and lifts the spirit to see how the horse opens his mind and his try.
The Art of Riding: Horsemanship Through
Feel and Release
Offering true feel means to bring your full presence,
sureness and clarity to the moment with
your horse. Horses are masterful readers of body language and intention –
they have to be, to survive as the hunted in the wild. Horses constantly “read”
us, and respond in the moment to how we present ourselves. The response we get
from our horse will mirror what we offer from the inside, because this is the
true feel the horse operates from in his natural state.
We decide to 'own' a horse and ask
him to accommodate our ideas on what we would like to be doing. It is up to us
to offer our horses a meaningful connection based on respect
and trust. Otherwise, why would he put energy into offering
us his best?
And then there is the holy grail of
lightness... Horses all have it, just look at them in
the pasture. We can only expect lightness under saddle if we preserve his
natural balance and 'life' - by shaping the kind of life you see when he frolics
out in the field, not dulling that life. This is achieved through lightness in
our riding and meaningful flow between horse and rider through feel, with
variety of activity and purpose.
As we understand and build in these
ingredients of true feel, we see how it touches the horse's whole being. He’s
sure, he’s proud, he knows he is safe and he sees value in your partnership. In this state of mind,
he is freed to offer all he has without hesitation or brace. This is the hallmark of working with true feel through
just “release”,
without the pressure. It is about horses performing with heart.
Why The “Art” of Riding?
The Art of Riding is about:
- the art of reading
horses
- the art of offering sureness with quality
- the art of refining
skills progressively
- the art of relaxing and having fun!
- THE ART OF DEVELOPING FEEL, through RELEASE
Working with horses through 'Feel' depends on our ability to be present in
the moment, with a clear mind and open senses. Thinking about being
with horses as an art form opens the mind to the spirit of a wonderful
creature, and reconnects us to our own natural senses, that are so often
dampened in the hustle and bustle of life.
Enjoy your journey!
Karen
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