I’m tagged! Better do something about it so here are five things you didn’t know about me:
- My first article in the Arab Horse Society News/Yearbook was published this month, I love seeing my name in print, sad I know… Only available in paper version I’m afraid so no link.
- I’ve helped gut and skin an impala – being Swedish and very down to earth, you can’t be sentimenal about these things, it was part of a game ranger safari we did a few years ago. We also had to scare away some hungry hyenas who ware trying to creep up on us while sleeping under the stars in a dried up riverbed. They came to about 2 metres away and we ended up throwing stones at them!
- I’ve been married for 11 years, a fact that I’m very proud of! And no, I’m not old….
- I very nearly started my own ‘sandwich gateaux‘ business earlier this year. It’s a great Swedish concept and I’m sure it would go down well here in the UK. But I’m happy that I took the freelance route instead.
- I’m trying to read all Agatha Christie books – I’m probably about nearly two thirds through them. I love a good old-fashioned detective story. Nothing better during a wet and stormy winter day than to sit down in the sofa with a cup of tea, piece of toast with marmalade and a Poirot!
That’s me – now, let’s see who to tag… Bridlepath maybe?
We had another NH session this week. It has really got me thinking about my horse and I’m not sure what he’s trying to tell me this time.
We have been doing NH sessions for about nine months now. Any normal horse would be up to a pretty high level and good standard both on the ground an in ridden work if they had all the practice that we do, which is five to six days a week when the weather is ok and about four times a week now in winter. Most horses would be doing collective and refinement work by now, being able to use those moves and methods to improve on whatever you want to do, be it dressage, showing, jumping etc. Something that happened on Wed proved to me that we’re still on the basic level, and you know, I’m not sure we’ll ever progress from there.
I just read an excellent comment by Ray Hunt:
As time goes on, all the little things will fall into line. A lot of times, it is darkest before the dawn. Sometimes the horse might get a little worse before it gets better. We should be adjusting to fit the horse. Fix it up and let it work. You can’t make it happen and you can’t put a time limit on it. Sometimes the slower you go, the faster you learn.
Horses don’t have any awareness about time. For them, everything can take as much or as little time as it needs. This is why we, impatient humans who are conditioned into performing tasks and activities to certain timelines and deadlines, have to rethink our approach and become much more patient. I always thought I was a patient person (stop laughing all you who have worked with me in the past) when working with animals. Maybe I’m not, maybe it’s something I need to work on. Maybe Shah is telling us we’re not patient enough with him and he needs more time.
Or maybe he’s just bored. Or maybe he’s obstinate, or maybe the mistreatment he suffered from people on the ground was so severe that he’s decided he will never let another person tell him what to do, regardless of who that person is. My brain is ticking, my thoughts rush around everywhere, I wish I had a real expert by my side. Sue is very good but even she was stumped this week. Where do we go from here, I really don’t know.
If you want to get some insight into NH you must read this article, When Worlds Collide. It’s absolutely excellent. By the way, I’ve just ordered Mark Rashid’s DVD, Finding the Try, which is going to be very interesting, I’ll let you know about it once I receive it and have some time to watch all three hours of it!
Me and Mush 