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For this months newsletter scroll down the page.
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Julie & Sherry at Calamus
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INTRODUCTING CLASSES YOU WON'T WANT TO MISS
WOMEN'S CONFIDENT LEADERSHIP CAMP
And TEEN HORSEMANSHIP & LEADERSHIP CAMPS
at CALAMUS OUTFITTERS RANCH near Burwell, NE
Click on links below for dates and details.
Do you want to be even more confident?
Do you want to have even greater leadership skills?
Do you want to develop an even deeper relationship with your horse?
Do you want to be able to communicate even more effectively?
Do you want to be safer yet and have even more fun?
Then SIGN UP NOW for a camp where you will be saturated in a horse expereince which will lead you to new discoveries about your horse and yourself.
Go to See registration page for form and cost.
Only accepting 7 to 10 participants for these special camps to ensure individual instruction and special attention!
SPOTS ARE FILLING UP FAST! SO HURRY AND REGISTER!
Waiting list available!
We will be holding camps similar to this several times in 2007! So watch for more details.
Click on links below to discover how you will benefit from attending a camp.
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Hello everyone,
During the previous month I received correspondence from several people who were feeling discouraged about their horsemanship journey. One person wrote “I have been so discouraged and questioning whether I should continue in horses at all....... but then I think how much more empty and meaningless my life would be without them.”
I also had my fair share of discouragements in April, with lower numbers of participants for classes. I keep reminding myself of how far I have come, like this student who wrote “When I look back I realize how far I have come, when I look forward I am excited to know how far I have yet to go and what amazing things I will witness and experience on my journey!” I would like all of you reading this to do the same. Be easy on yourself; don't worry about keeping up with others. Remember we are each at a different place in our journey, and there will be unbelievable highs as well as lows.
I would much rather take the time it takes in order to be safe and have fun, than push the horse and myself to places that may destroy confidence and smash dreams. Have patience with yourself, and give yourself some time and credit. Respect who you are and where you are in your development. When you approach this journey with a positive, progressive and natural attitude there are no limits as to what you can do.
Allow yourself to make mistakes. Learn from them instead of letting them defeat you. Don’t look at them as a reflection of your own self worth. An expert is someone who has made a thousand mistakes and learned something from each one of them. Instead of looking for what’s wrong, look for ways to make what you’re doing work better. Remember you will continue to improve with each mistake behind you.
Embrace the stress you may occasionally encounter as a beacon of hope that you are making progress. Being a great horseman is so much about personal growth, which can be painful, with challenge, risk, and stress attached. So don’t forget to laugh and have fun. Also learn to savor each success, holding it in your memory so you can draw strength from it the next time you feel discouragement.
Have faith, trust, and perseverance that with the personal help and guidance of instruction you will prevail. Instruction can come in many forms, books, tapes, clinics, private lessons, a mentor and don’t forget your horse! Another person wrote this “A couple of years ago I emailed you after seeing you at the NE Horse Expo in Lincoln. Since then I have changed my entire approach with my three young horses, by learning more about your philosophy, by reading and studying. But mostly, by opening myself to the lessons being taught every day from my three resident teachers. I will continue to listen to my horses, be patient, explore with them, learn from them, challenge them and accept their challenges, and grow”.
Another woman wrote me about the community of support that she has found to help her overcome discouragement. “I really love that we have formed a community of people who share so much - it really helps to not be alone in the journey. Also I feel these people support me and understand what I am going through and will not judge me which puts me so much more at ease. Who could ask for more? I certainly can't!! In an atmosphere such as the one you have created for all of us, nothing but success and growth will occur!”
If you choose the natural way of horsemanship it is important to realize that not everyone will support and encourage what you do. It can sometimes be difficult to wade through free advice to determine whether it is good or not. So I gently suggest that you may want to choose your company carefully, to enhance your journey.
Search for those who also believe that developing a relationship with the horse precedes physical performance. Look for a person who is not willing to sacrifice principles or the partnership in order to reach personal goals. These are the kind of people with humility.
Humility allows us to:
· Acknowledge our ignorance
· Admit when we are wrong
· Stop worrying about what others think
· Focus on where we actually are
· See the length of the journey
· Explore future paths
· And defeat discouragement by finding satisfaction in “Who We Are”
Horses can reflect back to us “Who We Are” therefore they can change our attitude to the world around us. The important thing I have learned is that personal satisfaction does not have to come from reaching the finish line first or winning the approval of others. It comes when you know you are riding your horse as well as you are capable of at that moment in time. It is when the two of you loose your own individuality and become a single identity. You are in harmony and the energy flow between you is complete.
I agree “life would be much more empty and meaningless without a horse”.
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Now for your monthly training tip:
ESTABLISHING DOMINANCE
If a horse is defiant and domineering, they usually do not to want to go forward. To establish dominance and get rid of defiance more forward pressure establishes who is boss.
Think about the difference between establishing dominance between prey and predators.
Predators:
1. Immobilize each other (wolves, dogs, hold other down, kids play pin them and say uncle)
2. To show submission roll on back with feet in air, belly exposed.
3. See who will back down first.
4. Always trying to change the world.
Prey:
1. Forward movement is key.
2. See who can push the other forward.
3. Nip nip game or rearing and striking of stallions is to see who will turn tail first and run!
4. Receive and understand world as it is.
To control a horses mind you must first push his BUTT! Stay on top of this all the time. The way to a horses mind is through the hindquarters, not the head.
People always want to control the head. (I’m not talking about the mind, but pulling or yanking on the head with a lead or reins.) To be effective you must do the opposite or what is normal. You must control the hindquarters and quit pulling and yanking on the head. You must understand the horse perceives us as a predator when we go to the head and neck for control, because it is an easy kill zone.
Human predators want to confine or trap the horse and make him stand still to control him. (Like crossties, twitches, earing them down, etc.) A horse does not relate this to dominance. To him it is a predator about to kill him.
In order to be natural with a horse you have to learn to do the opposite of the predator world. You must control a prey animal with the butt and forward movement.
Direct the butt and the feet then the heart and mind follow.
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I am looking forward to the month of May, as I have a clinic scheduled for every weekend with many participants already signed up. In fact one class is already full and a couple of others are nearly full. So don’t miss your chance if you live in the Lincoln area, as I will be at:
Weeping Water May 13-14;
BKT Arena May 20-21;
Palmyra May 25-26:
Still Waters Ranch near Hickman on May 27-28.
I will also be near Hastings at Cottonwood Creek Stables May 6-7
And Chance Ridge in Elkhorn on June 10-11.
Don’t forget about the Summer Teen Camps, Mother Daughter Camps and Women’s Confident Leadership Camp at Calamus Outfitters near Burwell, NE. Registration deadline for some of these camps is May 31st so we can secure the lodge at the ranch.
Happy Trails,
Sherry Jarvis
PS: These camps are a great value as your lodging, meals, stalls and instruction for 3 or 4 days are all included in the fee. I recently saw a 3-day natural horsemanship clinic in Kansas City advertised for $550, which included instruction only. So if you are interested in progressing even further on your natural horsemanship journey don’t be discouraged because
quality instruction is available at an affordable price.
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DEMONSTRATION LOCATIONS!
We are looking for demonstration locations such as county fairs, equine related events, stables, horseclubs etc.
These demonstrations are a cost effective way to introduce horselovers to natural horsemanship ideas which can lead to a safer and more enjoyable relationship with your horse.
They are also inspirational and educational.
Please contact us, if you know of an excellent location for such an event.
Thanks,
Sherry
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