Horsemanship Unlocked

Running a boarding stable is not for the weak. An around the clock job catering to the needs of both humans and horses takes organization, discipline, business skills, leadership, and compassion... to name a few. Join me in a chat with barn manager and eventing trainer, Lindsay Barrack, as she gives us tips and secrets from her experience of running Mahan Farm, a 113 acre facility in Tallahassee, FL.

www.mahanfarm.com

In this podcast episode I share some stories, tips, and experiences throughout my years of hauling horses across the country. From emergency kits, stress reduction, to booking overnight stops, here are some of my hard earned life lessons from a decade of living and traveling on the road with horses.

Have you ever wondered what it is like to work on a ranch out west? The days are as long as the trails you blaze but the sights and the sounds of nature make it all worth it. Join me as I interview KT Schramm on her adventures as a ranch wrangler. Starting as an English rider in the midwest, KT shares the insights and secrets of working at dude ranches. Oh, and did I mention that she has beautiful photos to prove it! Check out her photography business at

www.theframedequestrian.com

What are the standards for horse training? Who oversees putting them together? In this free market economy, anyone can say or produce anything, and that’s precisely what has been going on. We may be driven by results, but at what costs was it to get there? Horses cannot speak to us, but if you pay close enough attention and listen you may start to question what you hear. Using scientific based methodology there is a “Why” behind the “How”. Based on psychology, cognition, and ethology these formulas are based on measurable and replicable studies straight from the horse. Veronica goes through the ISES’s “First Principles of Horse Training” giving examples of the material.

ISES Website

https://www.equitationscience.com/

Being the light will cast shadows on the darkness. There is no light without darkness. You don't know what "right" is without the contrast of "wrong" yet some things aren't so black and white. There are wolves in sheeps clothing among us in the horse world. One of those is the man versus beast mentality. How attached are you to a certain outcome that you find yourself riding aggressively? Maybe you know others that do this but they are generally well intended. Exploring your emotions while working with horses involves some inner soul searching. Helping yourself helps others, and helping others helps yourself. What are you aware of? Where does your money and energy go? Here are some dark truths of the horse industry and how you can put your money and energy to shed more light in the darkness.

Cited in this episode:

The Horse Crucified and Risen by Alexander Nevzorov

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0737080606816679

allseatedinabarn.com

canadianhorsedefencecoalition.org

horseshit.ca

Running away with the circus is not always as fun or glamorous as it may seem, but is it an adventure? Absolutely! Join Veronica Painter and Lindsay Barrack while they discuss their experiences performing and living on the road with a trailer full of girls, dogs, and horses. Sit back and relax as they tell their wild tales of caravan mishaps, side of the road failures, and circus lot life.

Join Kelsey of Helicon Horsemanship and Veronica of Horsemanship Unlocked as they discuss their perspectives and personal experiences around the topic of  when to end a training session. How long should one ride their horse? Is there a time frame standard set as a good stopping point? Or a feeling? Veronica and Kelsey discuss the recommended amount of time a for equine learning but also dive into what is best strategy for the mental and emotional fitness of both horse and rider. Sometimes knowing when to end a session is also knowing when to pass on engagement. The old saying still stands, "you can't help others unless you help yourself first." The collective is going through some deep changes that are affecting us on both a global and personal level. Knowing when to just be with your horse versus training will be your best judgement to savor the relationship. 

What is the underlying motivation for your work with horses? Is it coming from a controlling place or a communicative place? Join Veronica Painter and Kelsey Welter of Helicon Horsemanship as they discuss the ebb and flow of working with horses from a one way controlling street versus a two way communication stand point. We discuss various personal stories and evolution regarding the surrender of control in both horsemanship and in life. Kelsey and Veronica approach the matter with both a religious and astrological perspective on control. Forgiveness and grace are both matters of the heart that will take your journey through horsemanship to a higher vibrational level and universal love.

Are you planning on starting a business? Do you want to work in the equine industry? Are you attempting to blaze your own trail but don't know where to start? Do you have an idea you want to get off of the ground? Or do you just need some leadership motivation? On this episode I meet with Scott Taylor, an equine farrier, former bull rider and rodeo clown, and multi-business entrepreneur. With a knack for helping people, Scott feeds us insight and tips for surviving with the changing tides in both industry and economy, keys to network and resource expansion, and how to maintain the proper mindset for reaching your goals. 

For more information on Scott Taylor's Fireside Chats, check out Scott's YouTube channel with the link below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NlPa3UOA4SM&feature=share&fbclid=IwAR1kNEgEJahKZ6runWB0x9UfLQ1S2H-GakUduYPcdVq822aU2HRCTVYE6uw

While recent studies have shown us that horses do not form attachment bonds to humans, most horse owners would argue that there is something there, something abstract that exists within their relationship with their horses. In this episode I cover the range of human and horse emotions. There is a key emotion that humans can unlock from their equine partner to ensure a successful and rewarding mutually beneficial partnership between man and beast. The skills required to unlocking this emotions have been the base line goal of horsemanship dating back to 350 BC. Understanding and appreciating a horse's emotional response to humans may just be what drives the tradition and beauty of the art of horsemanship. 

Lastly, at the end of the episode I reveal some exciting news about our up and coming project underway, Horsemanship at Home! 

Horses' attachment to humans is a hot topic in the media due to a study conducted by Sweden’s Linköping University. The results of this study conclude that horses do not form attachment bonds to specific humans. Here is a quick review of the psychological analysis of common human reactions to this study as well as an explanation and examples to validate the results of this study. Mindful consciousness is the ability to recognize when the ego does not allow for new information to change our opinions or emotions that we are attached to. The ability to think critically will allow horsemen to better understand their horses, their reactions to their horses, and their relationship with their horses. 

To review the article, check out the link provided below.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-8909547/Horses-DONT-form-attachment-bonds-owners-study-finds.html

Kelsey Welter of Helicon Horsemanship joins us in this episode and shares some of her horsemanship journeys and experiences. From starting in southern Wisconsin's 4-H organizations, traveling to Portugal and Golega for the National Lusitano Horse Fair, to her cross country internships with horsemanship master Dominique Barbier, Kelsey gives listeners insight into the philosophy of French Classical Dressage. Kelsey's school of enlightened horsemanship is open for students and horses in the Midwest region of the United States.

For more information about Kelsey and Helicon Horsemanship, check out https://www.heliconhorsemanship.com/

In work, sports, and yes, circus arts, we often use props or equipment. Trucks, tractors, bows and arrows, high wires, juggling clubs, and trampolines. With these tools, humans are able to do some amazing things, defying the odds, exceeding expectations, and testing the limits. This is what circus arts are all about. Now what does this look like for someone who's "prop" has a mind of its own. Horses have their own natural design, way of thinking, and reasons for existing. Horsemanship is defined as the horse and human relationship. When working with animals, it is not just about installing something or object manipulation. It is about defining and maintaining a relationship with another being, one of a different species. In this podcast, I outline what you as a student of horsemanship would like your relationship with your horse to look like. This exercise will also be eye-opening when outlining the human responsibilities in the partnership. 

Beatrice Scescke joins us this week to swap circus stories of her experiences with Big Apple Circus's six horse liberty act and a mixed animal act and menagerie on Circus Royal in Switzerland. Beatrice currently resides in Chicago with her horses on her urban farm. Giving back to her community through animal assisted public outreach is her passion.  Goat yoga, pony rides, and horse tarot are some examples of how Beatrice and her team give back to their community. Chicago Rewilding Society offers both therapeutic and rare opportunities for people living in the city of Chicago. 

Check out www.chicagorewildingsociety.org for more information on this 501c3 non-profit organization dedicated to promote peace, neighborhood camaraderie, and community building by bringing plants and animals to the west side of Chicago. 

Tune in this week to hear how scientific research greatly contributes to a successful training regimen for horses. The ability to question methodology is an important critical thinking skill. Curiosity and the search for credible information lead me down the path towards a research based understanding of how the horse thinks, functions, and how we as humans can create and maintain a working and loving partnership. This episode introduces listeners to the work of well renounced researcher, Temple Grandin.  A woman with Autism who, like a prey animal, thinks in pictures. Temple dedicated her work and her life to enhancing the design of humane slaughterhouses, primarily for cattle. Horses, like cattle, also think in pictures, are nonverbal, and contain no inner monologue. Understanding the cognitive functions of the horse can assist horse owners, riders, and trainers with trauma and fearful behaviors. In this episode we go through examples of that these concepts may look like in horsemanship. 

For more information and research, check out www.templegrandin.com 

Mounted archer Emily Kamp joins us this week to explain the history, competition, and training techniques required for the sport of equestrian mounted archery. Emily started as a local 4-H enthusiast and then worked towards becoming a top notch archer. Her journey lead her into the  equestrian circus world specifically in Cossack riding. Today Emily tells her story of running away with the circus, some of her experiences traveling and working on the road with horses, and the daily routine care for our equine partners. Join us as we describe what it takes to live the circus lifestyle.