Road to Partnership


When I think back on the horses that have most affected my life, two in particular come to mind. The first was a Thoroughbred mare named Clare Court. I first met Clare about twenty years ago, when I was in my mid-teens. My parents bought Clare and hoped to make her a foundation broodmare for our small breeding facility in Maryland. Clare was a proven producer of good racing stock. She was well-conformed and had many good years ahead of her. The only problem was that she hated people. As I got to know Clare, I realized a strange thing. The mare didn't know how to be touched. She was willing to let you touch her, groom her, handle her, but it was always with a threatening look or with gnashed teeth and ears laid back. It was a great stress for her to allow someone into her space. I had never seen a horse act quite this way before. It was during this time that I learned my first type of massage, TTOUCH, from Linda Tellington-Jones. After my instruction I worked with Clare and quickly began to see a remarkable improvement in her attitude. She began to relax around people, maybe for the first time in her life. She realized that a person could give her feelings of comfort and ease without wanting anything in return. It was a revelation to us both. The next horse that profoundly affected me, and my outlook on horses and training, is my current horse, a Thoroughbred gelding named Prospero's Magic. Magic came into my life nine years ago. I bought him from a dressage trainer and schooled with him at the trainer's stable for several years. The trainer was a strict disciplinarian and very tough on his horses. If they didn't respond promptly and correctly they were hit, sometimes hard. Sometimes repeatedly. The idea behind it was that horses are big and can harm us if they misbehave, therefore, they had better obey, now! But Magic broke down mentally under this cruel regime. He learned to do every acrobatic thing he could think of, either to avoid doing something wrong or to get out of his work so that nothing could go wrong. He had turned off his mind and the only thing he was willing to do was fight or shiver in terror. In seeking a solution for his behavioral problems a light suddenly flashed in my mind. I realized that Magic was fighting for his life and his sanity. If that sounds severe, it was, to him. I knew that if I was going to help him heal and win back his fragile trust I was going to have to find a new way to do things. A way that included him, a way that made sense to him using simple concepts and body language at a pace he could accommodate (horses, after all, are not part of the information age). Today, because of trust, touch and understanding, Magic is a calm and well-adjusted horse. The result of my many years of experiences with horses is "Partnership Awareness," my program to help horses and riders work together smoothly through communication and mutual trust. I hope you'll let me show you how Partnership Awareness can benefit you and your horse.

Click here for special Partnership Awareness exercises that you can do today!