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GIFT CERTIFICATES AVAILABLE!
Purchase by clicking on PayPal link below.
Make a horse lovers dreams come true!
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Sherry is a member of
*NE Horse Council
*USEF (US Equestrian
Federation)
*EAGALA (Equine Assisted
Growth & Learning Assoc.
*Parelli Savvy Club
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"Sandhills Horse Sense"
is devoted to promoting
relationships and
choices that lead to
a positive future.
Sherry is now an
EAGALA Certified
Horse Professional
working in conjunction
with Melissa Dearmont &
Mid-West Country Clinic
L.E.A.D.
"Leadership through
Equine Assited
Development"
will help you with
building relationships,
problem solving,
attitudes & behaviors,
conflict & stress,
responsibilities,
positive choices,
and much more.
Individual sessions by appointment!
Classes & Retreats adapted to families or groups are
also offered .
Call 1-866-757-3853
1-402-684-2908
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For this months newsletter scroll down the page.
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Sherry & Cisco
Having a great time!
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You can now register and pay for our services on-line!
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Trail Ride Preparation Mini clinic with FREE TRAIL RIDE
available at Sherry's House most every Tuesday starting again next spring.
Also upon special request any open weekend or day Sherry is home.
Only accepting 4-6 riders. It only takes two to make a day of it, so Call a friend now and join in the FUN!
Call 308-730-2150 for more details.
Make plans to attend this spring. Starting April 1, 2008
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GIFT CERTIFICATES NOW AVAILABLE ON-LINE
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JANUARY NEWSLETTER "Straightness" A Theme for 2008 Riding Goals
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Dear Horse lovers,
In the January newsletter I usually write about goals, but since I already wrote about having a theme for your 2008 goals in last months newsletter I have chosen a new topic. If you missed the newsletter on goals last month you can still read it on my website or blog. My 2008 theme is “Be Approachable, Be Accessible and Make it Applicable”.
This is the first winter in the last 4 years the snow has been perfect in NE for cross country skiing. The normal 6 foot high drifts and patches of bare ground caused by 60 mph winds are no where to be found in my pastures this winter, so I have taken advantage of the perfect conditions by skiing almost everyday. Last January in the goals newsletter I suggested if you can’t ride your horse because of winter weather to start an exercise program in order to get in shape for spring riding. Well this was my thought behind skiing this winter, although it has led me to some new discoveries about "riding with straightness".
In addition to skiing, riding horses in the snow, and working on my book, I have been studying “straightness” in the horse. Ray Hunt is the first one who inspired me to think hard on this subject. This is also a topic that Bill Dorrance repeats in almost every chapter of his book “True Horsemanship Through Feel”. “Straightness” is a theme for one of my 2008 riding goals, because according to these men it is “everything”.
Now I will go back to explain how skiing has helped me discover more about “straightness”. As I was skiing on 2 inches of new snow this morning all of my old tracks had disappeared so I was breaking new trails. I stopped for a moment to catch my breath and my eye was caught by the tall prairie grasses sticking up above the snow glistening in the early morning sunshine. It was as if there was glitter sprinkled everywhere. When I turned to catch a 360 view of all the beauty I was surprised to see how crooked my trail in the snow was. This observation led me to a series of experiments on "focus and straightness.
My first intention was to ski to the North West gate of the pasture as straight as I could. So I set my focus on one of the gate posts. But to my dismay my tracks had veered to the right. The next time I had two focal points aligned. This gave me a near focus and a far one to help keep me in line. Then I imagined that I had a string attached to my belly button and I was being reeled in by the far focal point which happened to be a big round bale in the next field quite a distance away. When I arrived at the near focal point, a post, my focus was still on the far one and when I turned around to see my tracks, they were much straighter. But it was not good enough yet, because I could still see little bobbles of crookedness in the tracks.
I started to wonder what had caused these little bobbles of crookedness, so I went back to ski in the exact same tracks. As I was doing this I concentrated on how the ground felt and what my body was doing at these points of crookedness in the path. I discovered I was leaning to the right each time the path had a bobble, therefore causing me to drift right. I also noticed my stride was longer with my right leg than with my left leg. I also felt more strength in my left arm which pushes me forward with the ski pole as my right leg glides forward. Bottom line, I was using one side of my body more than the other.
Hang in there with me I am going to get to how this relates to riding a horse with straightness. The next part of the experiment involved skiing with my eyes closed. I know it sounds crazy, but this is when I really started to make progress because I was better able to feel the imbalance in my body. I picked a point much closer than I had been using, closed my eyes, and bravely began my journey. When I opened my eyes I was shocked by how far I had missed the point. And you guessed it I was to the right of the object. I tried it again with a new object, same results.
The next time I closed my eyes and concentrated on skiing to the left of the object a little, and to my amazement I was on target. Wow, I had to try that again. But this time I was off to the left of the object even more. I had overcompensated and when I arrived I fell down for the first time this year. Falling was a result of over leaning the other way which not only caused me to miss the target again but to loose my balance.
I thought to myself, "I have to concentrate on keeping my body from leaning either way, make my strides equal, and put equal amounts of pressure in my poles". Plus I thought about my core again. I imagined I was being pulled from my belly button with a string to the object. Yahoo, this time I arrived on target with perfection with my eyes closed and it was the straightest path in the snow I had made, plus I felt strong and balanced.
If you haven’t figured out by now how this relates to riding a horse with straightness, I will try to explain it. But before I do, I challenge you to do the above exercise in the snow. You don’t have to ski, just try it walking with your eyes closed to an object and see how straight you are. Then try riding your horse at a walk in the snow and see how straight you can make the trails. You can even ride with your eyes closed a short ways. You will be amazed at the results. I have been doing this with my horse, plus seeing if we can go in the exact same trail over and over. I thought it would be easy, but I found out I still have plenty of room for improvement.
For those of you who have been to one of my camps, clinics or lessons you know I talk a lot about focus. And you often hear me say things like “don’t look at your horse’s ears, they won’t fall off”, or “quit looking at the ground, look ahead at something”. This is one of the keys in helping a horse stay straight. I noticed when I looked at the ground while skiing the more crooked my path was and the further out in front of me I focused, having two objects aligned with my core being drawn to the far one the straighter my path was.
A horse will go where his brain is focused. Whenever his brain and feet are working together the horse will move forward with willing straightness. However if his brain or focus is going in a different direction than where you are trying to get his feet to go his anxiety level will increase along with his crookedness. It is our job as a good leader to set it up so the easiest thing for the horse to do is focus on following our guidance. Without a strong focus of our own our guidance is meaningless to the horse.
If we get the horse focused in the direction we are pointing him and our focus is a strong support, the next thing we must be careful of is the straightness in our own body. Ask yourself these questions:
Did I saddle my horse so the saddle is balanced in the middle of the horse?
Am I sitting straight in the center of the horse?
Am I on my balance point?
Am I aware of the core of my body and where it is directing us?
Does my seat have a forward feel in it?
Are my hands presenting equality on the reins?
Am I presenting a forward feel with the reins?
Are my legs wrapped around the horse with balance?
Is there the same amount of weight in each stirrup?
Is one of my stirrups more forward than the other, or are they the same?
If we become aware of our own "straightness" first it will be easier to develop "straightness in the horse". I will save more about“how to help the horse with straightness” for a future newsletter after you have had an opportunity to experiment with your own "focus and straightness" by answering some of the above questions.
If you sign up for one of my camps or clinics in 2008 you will get some live feedback about the harmony of straightness between you and your horse. It is one of the riding themes I will be studying, sharing with others and working on myself in 2008. If Ray Hunt and Bill Dorrance say “straightness is everything” then it deserves our unbiased attention.
Happy Trails,
Sherry Jarvis
"Horsemen share knowledge. Showmen hide it in a corner and go home." -- AQHA Judge Dale Livingston
NEW - GIFT CERTIFICATES AVAILABLE ON-LINE.
What a great present for a horse lover!
A horsemanship Camp on a working cattle ranch in the beautiful sandhills of central NE.
Click on the PayPal Button on the left side of this page to purchase one for a friend or loved one.
JOIN A STUDY GROUP THIS WINTER!
In addition to the many clinics and lessons we will continue offering throughout the winter, we have formed some study groups for those interested in getting together to support and encourage one another on their horsemanship journey.
There are several women in the Lincoln, Broken Bow and Grand Island areas who have already started meeting on a regular basis in order to advance even quicker and stay motivated toward excellence with horses.
We would like to see other groups popping up in other areas. I have a lot of students in the Omaha area also, so if you are interested in starting or joining a study group call Sherry 308-730-2150.
The Lincoln group will do two dates a month so that if you miss one you can make the other.
The first or second week of the month will be on a weekday and the third or fourth week of the month will be on a weekend.
For now the locations change because sometimes we meet at a person's house to watch DVDs,
and other times we will meet at an arena to ride.
The Central NE Group will meet one month in Broken Bow and the next month in either Ord or Burwell.
There is another group forming in Grand Island meeting on Mondays at Painted Horse Hills.
So Please call ahead of time if you want to attend.
Here are the tentative dates set for the study groups. :
Jan. 8 Lincoln, NE (Horse Play or DVD’s depends on weather)
Jan. 13 Broken Bow, NE (DVD's at Corey's house)
Jan. 26-27 Lincoln, NE (Sherry will be at BKT Arena for Private lessons & Mini clinic, providing the weather is good for travel)
Jan. 31 Broken Bow (Riding at County Indoor Arena)
More dates are availabe in 2008 go to the schedule page.
STUDY GROUP GUIDELINES
These study groups are not exclusive, meaning we want to encourage people to come who may not be familiar with "natural horsemanship". We don't want this to be a club where only the "chosen few enlightened ones" can join, however we also don't want this to turn into a place where people bring problem horses expecting free lessons and a quick fix. If you have a problem horse please seek the support of a professional trainer like Sherry.
These groups are meant for students to express and show what they have learned with each other. It is a day of sharing creative ideas and free expression.
In order to encourage people who have never taken a lesson from Sherry to attend we respectfully ask that the first time you attend you do so as an observer only. This way you will have a more objective view of what it is all about by not having to attend to a horse. You will get a better sense of the expression and techniques of natural horsemanship.
Of course if the study group is watching DVDs that day instead of playing with their horses, then anyone is encouraged to attend whether they have taken a lesson from Sherry or not. It doesn't even matter whether you have a horse yet, maybe you are just thinking about getting one, then by all means come and learn.
Please always call before coming 308-730-2150
NEW KENT FEED SPONSORSHIP IN 2008
After carefully testing quality feeds this past year, Sherry has decided to be an influencer for Kent Feeds.
She is feeding Dynasty Pro with some amazing results on Cisco her horse who was diagnosed with EPM this past summer.
Preregister for one of Sherry's Camps or Clinics in 2008 and have a chance at WINNING a FREE bag of Dynasty Pro. Go to the REGISTRATION PAGE to discover more and also find out about Early Bird Discounts.
REGISTER AND PAY YOUR DEPOSITS FOR OUR SERVICES ON-LINE. Go to ON-LINE REGISTRATION and sign up for a camp, clinic or private lesson today and reach your 2007 horsemanship goals.
SCHOLARSHIPS available for Youth Camps at Calamus Outfitters Ranch.
Go to REQUEST SCHOLARSHIPfor a registration form.
SPONSOR A YOUTH PROGRAM
If you would like to sponsor a scholarship for a youth to attend a horsemanship camp you can donate to the scholarship fund
at SCHOLARSHIP FUND
Read 2008 Camp diaries and reports on
Sherry's BLOG
Start making your 2008 summer plans now!
It's not too early to Sign up for a 2008 Confident/Leadership Camp
Dates are now available go to the Schedule page for more information.
Registration forms are available on the Registration page
NEW Cowboy/Cowgirl Horsemanship & Cattle Drive Camp offered May 30-June 2, 2008
at Calamus Outfitters Ranch, Burwell, NE
This is a new style camp we are offering because of requests from men who would like to be able to attend our camps.
The first day will be a group horsemanship lesson with ground work in the morning and riding in the afternoon.
The second day will be more ground work and horsemanship riding skills in the morning with a group trail ride in the afternoon.
The third day will be the cattle drive.(No experience is necessary, you should be able to at least trot your horse with control and confidence)
The fourth day will be set aside for free time, more trail, riding, scheduled private or semi-private lessons with Sherry, tanking, fishing, swimming, or whatever means of relaxation and fun you prefer.
Special Rates available for married couples
There will be a limited number of participants, so sign up early to reserve your spot.
MINI CLINICS WITH A THEME EVERY MONTH ALL WINTER
In conjunction with the private lesson weekends at Chance Ridge every month
we will have 2 hour mini clinics with a theme, maximum number of participants is 6,
so be sure to register in advance by e-mailing or calling Sherry 308-730-2150
REGULAR PRIVATE LESSONS from the TRAVELING TRAINER at these HOMEBASE Locations:
I will be at Chance Ridge, in Elkhorn, NE monthly all winter long:
Jan. 18-20for Private lesson, mini clinic and tournament games.
More 2008 dates are on the schedule page
(First come first serve basis, time slots always fill.)
I will try to remain as flexible as possible with scheduling.
You will need to make arrangements in advance for your time slot and keep your lesson time or trade with someone once you have reserved a certain time.
Please try to sign up as soon as possible, as I am normally full.
Cancellations will be charged.
PRIVATE -$80 (2 hour)
SEMI-PRIVATE
(2-people $130 - $65 ea.)
(3 people $165 -$55 ea.)
Extra hours negotiable.
Horses for lease $25/lesson or bring your own horse.
PACKAGE DEALS ON PRIVATE LESSONS
Buy four consecutive montly lessons and get the fifth one FREE.
Total cost is $330. Pay 1/2 ($165)upon first lesson. The other half ($165) at the 4th lesson. Fifth lesson is FREE.
**This does not include semi-private lessons, but check with me personally and we will see what we can work out. It also does not include a lease horse, arena or stall fees. Only the instruction is FREE
If there are at least three people in your area wanting private lessons and
you are only a 2 hour drive from me I will come for a day.
If it is a 3-4 hour drive I need at least 6 people.
If you are further than 4 hours we can still talk.
I have stick and will travel!
OTHER LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES THIS WINTER!
Host an EQUINE PSYCHOLOGY CLASS this winter in the warmth of your own home:
Host a LEARNING DEMONSTRATION for a 4-H group, saddle club, or group of friends:
I will bring my horses or use a problem horse from the group to give you an evening or afternoon of learning by watching. Interactions with questions and answers will be a big part of the learning environment. So for those who are always wanting to audit or are just curious about what we do in natural horsemanship this is a perfect opportunity. I promise you will learn a lot. It costs less per person than a clinic or private lesson.
"SHERRY'S BLOG" now has over 30 articles. To learn more go to Sherry's Blog
These articles are not only informative with training tips, but they are also inspirational and can motivate positive personal growth in many areas of your life.
We now have over 70 members on our Heart in Your Hand Yahoo Chat Group.
This group is dedicated to natural horsemanship students lead by Sherry & Keith Jarvis whose aim is to help both the horse and rider to become even more successful by presenting a balanced foundation from which you can build a confident, trusting, respectful relationship,without sacrificing the spirit of either the horse or the human. This is a place to share natural horsemanship philosophies and how horses change our lives including those little victories/defeats that don’t mean anything to the "normal" crowd, to have a place to celebrate/vent leadership issues, blinding flashes of the obvious, or brainstorm creative ideas! We will be able to organize natural play days, tournaments, and post information and announcements of natural horsemanship happenings.
This group is by invitation only. You are officially invited by receiving this newsletter. If you would like to join Heart in Your Hand Horsemanship's Yahoo group please e-mail Leigh the moderator at freeman@diodecom.net
FAMILY VACATION AT CALAMUS OUTFITTERS RANCH
Rent a cabin $75/night for two people $100/night for 4 people. Sleeps six maximum.
Includes a kitchen (microwave & frig), bathroom (shower only, no tub), air-conditioning, picnic table, and grill. Two bunk beds (one double, one single)
Stall is $10 a night. Bring your own hay.
Exciting new pens, arena, and round pens were built this month!
Horses must be current on all vaccinations.
Private Instruction is $25/hour at the ranch.
Lower group rates per hour, or a package deal per day.
Call to arrange your special package deal for a small group.
Lease one of my horses $25 a day.
Miles of trail riding, fishing, boating, canoeing, tanking, swimming, etc.
Lodge is available to lease for larger groups. 10-20 people $350 a night.
There are also camper RV hookups close to the Calamus Lake.
There is a small house in Burwell available to rent for only $65 per day. It has two bedrooms a bath, kitchen and living room. However it is about 15 miles from the ranch, but only 2 miles from me.
If you are interested in any of the above ideas please let me know, as the cabins do book up quickly especially during hunting season.
This opportunity is available all year because Calamus Outfitters has now built an indoor arena. There is a rental fee of $15 per person/day for the indoor arena.
Thanks for reading and hope to see you on the trail soon!
Happy Trails,
Sherry Jarvis
PS: Read monthly training tip on Sherry's BLOG or join our mailing list.
This months topic: "More on Straightness"
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Sherry Believe's in a Wholistic Program: Other services available:
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Physcial Health
Skin Care, Diet and Exercise
Sherry has been told over and over that she looks and acts much younger than she is. Those who have taken lessons with her have experienced her energy and passion.
Her secrets are eat well, exercise regularly, get plenty of sleep, don't drink or smoke, use sunscreen, wear a hat and take really good care of your skin with a dermatology tested and proven skin care system.
If you would like to find out more about the special skin care and dietary aide products that Sherry uses to stay looking young and full of energy call her at 308-730-2150 or 308-346-5663.
Sherry knows that a good horsemanship program will affect every area of your life. Staying in shape is part of it. Call Sherry to visit more about how she stays in shape for her horses. Or maybe, how her horses keep her in shape.
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Mental and Emotional Health
Sherry has been through some stressful and challenging times in her life like the rest of you.
She has bounced back through many life changes by keeping a positive outlook on life even though depression tried to take over at times. It seemed that her horses always kept her on track and so it was only natural that she wanted to share their healing powers with others.
Check out
"Sandhills Horse Sense" a program devoted to promoting relationships and
choices that lead to a positive future.
Sherry is now an EAGALA Certified Horse Professional working in conjunction
with Melissa Dearmont & Mid-West Country Clinic.
L.E.A.D. "Leadership through Equine Assited Development" will help you with building relationships, problem solving, attitudes & behaviors, conflict & stress, responsibilities, positive choices, and much more.
Right now sessions are by appointment!
Classes & Retreats are offered upon request!
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Click to join heartinyourhand
