Well, hello everybody.
I normally don’t introduce myself in forums. I normally don’t write a lot in forums, too, I prefer reading. But I really like your forum as you all seem to be very friendly, calm, open-minded people, so that I don’t have to be afraid to write something. Here we are, me, and my grey horse (or donkey, as somebody called him when he was younger and much more grey than now…)
I found this forum by chance. It’s funny, because not long ago, I decided to quit “working†with my horse as I did it before, and I started to work the AND way, before I knew that AND existed. I was browsing around in the internet, looking for something that might help me on that way, but I didn’t find anything that seemed to fit. Nevzorov Haute Ecole, very nice, but I already knew it’s far too dogmatic for me when I first visited their website (and, by the way, I thought and think, that I will never be able to do these things with my horse…). Parelli – I didn’t hear too much good things about it, a lot of “making†the horse do what you want instead of asking, hmm… no. Rai-riding seemed to be interesting, but I don’t like the idea that you don’t help your horse to become stronger before you ride…well, I’m afraid I’ll never be able to ride my horse in collection, but I think the minimum is to try it, isn’t it?
So, I started my own way (very clumsily, but happy) and then I found you.
Too funny, three days before I found the forum, I “invented†kind of the “chase-the-tiger-game†without knowing it… and, man, it helped so much!
My intention in this was to show my horse that he does not have to be afraid of plastic bags. What happened was, that he now isn’t afraid about anything I shake, rattle or squeeze around him. As if he understood this one example with the plastic bag and now knows, that nothing I bring around him, is dangerous. Well, outside, when we go for a walk, it’s still much more difficult, but there’s an improvement already.
From then, he started to come to the gate of his paddock when I call him, sometimes even galloping, and sometimes he whinnies. He always stayed close to me. It was very hard to lunge him for some days, because he didn’t want to go away from me, and I didn’t force him… but now he understood, and both works – walking/trotting with me, and walking around me (free and with lunge-line). I have so much more fun now, and I think him, too.
All this started, when I got him, so many years ago… in the beginning I worked inspired by a book by Hempfling… the problem was, that there were only explanations for groundwork, and I did not know how to do this on horseback, especially as I’m quite an unexperienced rider. So I called someone to start my horse the traditional way and nearly forgot about this alternative Hempfling stuff… but I was never happy with this, and it became worse and worse, as I tried harder and harder. Once my horse bucked me off in dressage training just after I mounted, my trainer was yelling at him (thinks bad of my horse anyway). I mounted again, and he didn’t do anything, walked around the arena… but then, when I wanted to trot, I noticed he was lame… oh my god… I felt so bad. First then I understood, why he had bucked. This was the moment, when I decided to listen to him better in the future. So, "back to the roots" now. I started to remember, why I wanted to own a horse once: to have a companion. Not for sports, not for riding. That was never important to me. I just forgot this, because everybody told me I have to ride, that's what a horse is for. If you can't ride... well... Salami.
Now everybody is making fun of me, because I don’t ride anymore, or only for a few minutes, few steps in the arena (and it hardly works – I think my horse doesn’t understand what I want, yet… but it’s nice to only sit on him, even if it’s him who decides where to go… *giggle*). If somebody knew I write in this forum, they’d bet I’ll be dead in a few weeks because my bad, ill-bred horse is going to kill me as I don’t dominate him all the time anymore.
But know what? I don’t care
(And sorry for my English, I know I have to improve that, but I really try to write as correct as I can)
Grey
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Especially as I'm in Western Germany right now, so it wouln't be too far away. I would love to come. But I can't afford it right now. 
(poor german student...).
I do not write, read or speak German at all. I think it's great that you are willing to use English at all.
I understand about you wanting to stay under the radar - I had a lot of comments about the clown and her circus horse 
That's exactly the point I was making. Of course he's really nice, and of course he has self-discipline.
