2010

2009

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SUNDAY, JANUARY 17, 2010

What Do YOU Think???

Owing Heartwood, where we have a lot of fun with our horses, lay a solid foundation and find them great new homes, is an amazing opportunity. Not only do we get to do what we love and meet great, like-minded horsepeople, but we get to experience many different horses. And what a gift that is for developing our horsemanship!

Because we are not currently blessed with an indoor arena or good weather, we are spending a lot of time this winter researching different horsemanship methods. Yes, that means that we get to read horsemanship books and watch horsemanship DVDs while on the clock. What could be better?!

Our goal is not just to further our own horsemanship, but also to outline a horse development strategy. In the spring, we plan to hire a student to come in and work with us. So far, since Anna and my philosophies are pretty parallel, we haven't laid out our exact program - that is, what we do, step by step, with our horses. But since we are bringing a student into the mix, in order to reduce the number of gaps and ensure that our horses have that real foundation, an written game plan seems like a good idea.

Anna and I have both always been very open-minded and explored many different avenues of horsemanship. We like to sort through information, take what we feel is relevant and in line with our philosophy and leave the rest. We love seeing the different methods out there and incorporating different techniques into our training as we find them.

Sometimes I wonder if it would be better to just stick with one program, but most of the time I'm pretty happy to take note of the similarities and differences in the approaches out there and use what makes sense to me.

So what do I want your input on? I want to know the one thing you have found most beneficial to you and your horse. Is there an exercise that you find indispensable? A technique? A game? Why?

As a 'collector' of horsemanship information, I'm hoping for some really neat ideas to try out!

POSTED BY CELENA AT 8:17 PM      2 COMMENTS     POST A COMMENT
CATEGORIES: ANNA, APPLYING NH, ASPIRING HORSEMAN, DEVELOPING HORSES, LAYING THE FOUNDATION, NATURAL HORSEMANSHIP EXERCISES, NATURAL HORSEMANSHIP PHILOSOPHIES, NATURAL HORSEMANSHIP TECHNIQUES

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2009

The Pursuit of Unconscious Competence

I didn’t come up with the idea of the pursuit of unconscious competence and the steps involved in getting there on my own. One of my mentors passed on this pearl of wisdom, and I think of it often. Like everyone who’s passionate about what they do, we horsepeople want to attain a level of ‘unconscious competence’ in all areas of our horsemanship.

Think about something that you know how to do so well, you don’t have to think about it – like typing or driving. In fact, if someone asked you where the ‘a’ key on the keyboard or the brake in your car is, you’d probably have to think about it. You have developed muscle memory and habit; your body knows what to do, and it requires very little thought to complete the task. This is unconscious competence.

Unfortunately, the road to unconscious competence in horsemanship is often a bumpy one, involving many mistakes and many, many hours. Most people who get into horses start at unconscious incompetence, for a little while, at least – and many people never leave. They have no idea just how incompetent they are with horses. And if you’re not aware that you are incompetent at something, it’s hard to improve. There is no progress, no forward momentum. After all, you can do everything already! (Or so you think.)

Getting to the next stage of conscious incompetence is a great achievement. Even though it’s an uncomfortable, awkward and often frustrating place, being there is great! You know that you’re doing something – some days it may feel like everything! – wrong, which generally makes you want to improve. Moving on to this second stage is vital if you are serious about horsemanship – or anything else. It motivates you to seek answers – read, watch DVDs, attend clinics, talk to people. By being aware of your own shortcomings, you are inspired to improve.

Conscious competence comes next – you are competent at the task, but you haven’t formed the habits yet. At this point, your body still needs your mind to reason things out, to walk it through the steps. But you’re getting it. Things are making sense, things are working. You are having more and more fun every day.

And then comes the sought-after state of unconscious competence. You know where any one of your gelding’s feet are at any given time. You know just what your mare needs to work through her anxiety. Your timing is exact. You don’t have to think about it; you just know. Unconscious competence is what the horsemasters have achieved.

Once you break free of unconscious incompetence, you will quickly find that you are consciously competent at many things, but may also be consciously incompetent in many areas. It’s okay – everyone who ever got anywhere in their horsemanship had to go through the conscious incompetence stage. Persevere, play around with things and ask for support when you need it.

I have a lot of conscious incompetencies – and one of my greatest fears (right up there with bees and small children) is that I’m still unconsciously incompetent in some areas. It can be hard to break free of your own assumptions, and I find that having people to talk to about ideas and problems is invaluable. I also have many conscious competences and a few good basic skills that I don’t have to think about anymore.

What about you?

POSTED BY CELENA AT 7:50 PM      0 COMMENTS     POST A COMMENT
CATEGORIES: ASPIRING HORSEMAN, HORSEPEOPLE - A BREED OF OUR OWN, UNCONSCIOUS COMPETENCE

THURSDAY, JULY 9, 2009

Learning Horse

I love playing around with new horses and watching their expression when they realize that I understand at least some of what they are 'saying'. I can never get tired of that surprised expression of shock that a human is not acting how humans normally act. "You look like a person," they say to me. "Why don’t you act like one? Are you part horse? Why do you look so funny?"

Okay, maybe I am anthropomorphizing the horses a bit! But I'm sure that any of you who have learned to read and respond to horses' body language in a non-predatory way know what I mean. Their attitudes change. They are suddenly more interested; they pay closer attention to you. They respond as though intrigued by this human who doesn’t seem as human as the people who handled them before.

I love that look, that interest. It makes me forget about the time and just play, experimenting with things, figuring out what works for that individual horse and establishing a relationship based on mutual understanding. It often makes me late getting home to relieve the babysitter!

Sometimes I wonder how I was so blind to horses' body language, back before I really got involved with natural horsemanship. Oh sure, I knew to watch out when their ears were laid back and could tell when they were tense, but I have since learned that is only the tip of the iceberg. Besides, it isn’t just the ability to read horses that is important – it’s also the ability to respond appropriately.

I'm not a horseman yet – sometimes my timing is all wrong and I know that I don't always respond the right way. It makes me feel bad that my horses have to put up with my clumsiness and lack of wisdom. But it also makes me appreciate how lucky we are that horses are so forgiving, that they allow us the time to learn and make mistakes even though they don't know how hard we are trying to be better partners.

I love horses. And because of that, I love natural horsemanship.

POSTED BY CELENA AT 7:22 PM      0 COMMENTS     POST A COMMENT
CATEGORIES: ASPIRING HORSEMAN, BODY LANGUAGE