The Art of Natural Dressage

Working with the Horse's Initiative
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PostPosted: Wed Jun 15, 2011 3:09 pm 
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Hi all,
I have been presented with a fantastic opportunity to work with a wonderful dance teacher, who, over the last thirty years, has developed a program for teaching autistic children through integrated dance and other arts. She's now turning her program into a school, and it's going to be here, on our property! (Actually, in my house.. :roll: so as of next month I don't have a home and I need to build myself a new one.. but that's another story.)

Next month, she and her teachers will run a couple of two day summer camps, aimed mainly at children on the autism spectrum, between the ages of five and twelve. There will be a two hour "horse activity" component in the camps! Featuring, tadah! Footprint and the gang!

After discussion on what they were wanting, I've suggested that the theme be "Being a Horse".
I will work with the the teachers before the camps, and will run them through a program of -observing horses
- moving like horse
-thinking like horse
-dreaming like horses
-seeing the world like horses.

I will prepare a short video for them to show the children on the first day, and they will guide the kids through some preparation activities. I've suggested that rather than give the kids information about horses, they simply show them images, then use dance, movement and art to encourage the children to "be horses" and learn from the inside out. I hope that this might also turn into a valuable "insight" tool into the children themselves, and encourage self expression. I'm also VERY interested to find out what these kids can understand from a horses perspective, without being "fed".

On the second day, the children will come here to be with the horses for two hours. At this point we're not planning riding, and I'm mentally preparing activities that involve taking the ideas and movements that the kids (and teachers) explored on the first day, and try them again with horses as extra participants. I hope we will be able to facilitate some spontaneous movement and "dance" between horses and humans, based just on their immediate perceptions of each other, and their expressions of themselves. Very exciting!

I'm thrilled that Lin Laoshi, the venerable teacher, has said she will dance with a horse, if her feeling is right for it. (She has a special tree that she dances with in a park and this tree is the most beautiful, healthy vibrant tree in the city!)

I'm hoping that some of you might have some suggestions for me of videos of horses in all their different natural aspects, or people moving in harmony with horses, that you think might be perfect for facilitating "Being a Horse" :)
Any other comments or ideas welcome also!

Thanks
Sue

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I have not sought the horse of bits, bridles, saddles and shackles,
But the horse of the wind, the horse of freedom, the horse of the dream. [Robert Vavra]


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PostPosted: Thu Jun 16, 2011 9:05 am 
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That sounds wonderful! Please keep us updated on this one!

The first thing that came into my mind was the movie "The Black Stallion". Especially these parts:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f1ihzkEFwqE (more interesting at the end)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NG_di8VNcrY
There is some exceptional cinematography in there. The scene filmed from underwater for example. But I guess you all know this film anyway...

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PostPosted: Thu Jun 16, 2011 1:45 pm 
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That is so great, Sue! :)

Unfortunately I don't have many film suggestions at the moment, only Erika with her 3 horses going for a walk and maybe Brenda in the snowy forest with Lucy and Jack. But I will try to find more as soon as I have some time.

Just wanted to wish you the very, very best for this project. You will create something wonderful, I am sure. :f:


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PostPosted: Sun Jun 19, 2011 4:05 am 
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Oh, wow! This is an amazing project, Sue!

The movie that popped into my head is White Mane -- about the Camargue horses:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0044518/

Some exquisite footage...

(And I'm assuming that you know The Horse Boy -- about a family who took their autistic son to Mongolia to try to find him a cure -- I haven't watched it yet. This is a reminder that I need to!)

Good luck and please keep us posted -- this sounds just amazing.

xoxo
L.

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PostPosted: Wed Jun 22, 2011 3:25 pm 
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This will maybe not help you much, but it is very nice to do with children
http://youtu.be/no3JHugE6QM
the others have the same ideas about movies as i had.


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PostPosted: Mon Jun 27, 2011 5:35 am 
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Thanks everyone for the support and suggestions! :f:

I ran my first "orientation" workshop for the teachers, parents, supporters yesterday. 25 people in my living room! 75% of the workshop was theory, and no-horse practice, and 25% out with the horses. Felt it was easier to do well that way, with a large group of excited complete newbies, and language difficulties. I stayed up till 3 am the night before, inspired to create a flip-sheet interactive presentation to get them started on examining their preconceptions of what is a horse, and then looking at the realities, matching them together, and then blending that into instruction on safety issues, culminating in a discussion of what our role is in creating safety for the children. It was REAlLY successful!!!! "Oh, you're really a teacher!!" :D :D :D YES! Funnily enough, I am! :D My friends Jacki and Blacki were invaluable in their role, presenting much of the material first hand in chinese for them, and then translating when I felt the need to opine! It's wonderful to have people that I can trust to talk about ways of being and relating and understanding horses, who really understand me, and what we're doing here, so I don't have to agonize over what they're saying, trying to understand with my limited chinese, and jump in and correct misconceptions. HUGE thankyou to Jacki and Blacki for being wonderful horse people, wonderful supporters and wonderful friends!


Re videos!


Leigh, you must watch The Horseboy! Very interesting. I'm told that globally, now, one in 108 children in developed countries are born with some form of autism! We need to find a way of opening our society to them.

I hadn't seen the Camargue film before. I downloaded it and drooled over the beauty! Stunning cinematography!!!!

The story itself is pretty corny, the "horse behaviour" not at all accurate :funny: , and the wild horses often reacting to the camera or chase, so not much "natural" behaviour and movement.. but OOOOOOOOHHHHHH so beautiful! Thanks! This will be watched and rewatched!!

For the kids, I think The Black Stallion is more useful, because, although trained and choreographed, it shows the horse's natural response to humans fairly accurately. This is a good model of how to befriend a horse, imo. And it's so joyous and free! Volker, I watched this movie when I was 13 when it first came out.. (you see, I'm a bit older than you! ;) ) and it connected right in with my own dreams and fantasies. It's never let go of me! Finding this path with my horses again, as an adult, has connected me back to "the boy" in me again.
I've found a perfect video that someone has made of the highlights from part 4 and 5. Thanks!

Romy, I only have ten minutes or so, and my idea is to first introduce children to the horse itself, rather than to what people DO with horses. These are children who do not have horse lore and imagery in their culture, so their reactions to the horses will be very pure, innocent and fresh. I'm very interested to find out what comes from them, without too much input. Particularly because of the unique way that many autistic people have of connecting with animals directly, their emotions and thoughts. I'm making an exception with the "the boy" in the black stallion, because it shows the boy and horse responding naturally to each other, in freedom, rather than prescribed actions we do with a horse, like leading, (even when that leading is so free and beautiful as shown in your suggestion.) (well that's my excuse anyway! :green: )
Later, if the same children come back for future sessions, I will probably begin to introduce them to images of what other people do with horses.

Inge, your movie gave me a great laugh! I hadn't seen this before! Great stuff! I won't show it to the children, but I did show it to the teachers etc, because they also had the idea of letting the children make "hobby horses" on the first day, that the children can "ride" and play with. Their 'artists in residence" are thinking now of using noodles for that project. Thanks! Very timely!

I chose two more movies to suggest to the teachers for the children to watch.

One is clips from "The Silver Brumby" movie. (Once again, something from my childhood.. I'd read the whole series by the time I was nine I think! :green: Before I had a horse. These books were all told from the wild horse's perspective. Funny remembering back now, and realizing that these were the things that helped to shape me. Seems I owe thanks to some people!
The Brumby clip, I've just chosen for it's excellent filming of horses, being horses, in the wild. Lots of great movement, walking, trotting, cantering, jumping, doing family things, quite unaware of the camera on them.

And finally, because it's a dance school, this little bit from Appassionata.
When I watched this closely, I could see the huge smile on the dancer's face, reciprocated in the horse. And three distinct ways of achieving movement with horses. There is some straight out R+ Carrot work in there, which the horse responds to in typical CT form. There is some "natural horsemanship" type directed movement, where she uses her flower wand very subtly to direct him (but he seems to be responding to very joyously, as if he's been CT trained, not forced.) and there is some "play" where the horse is encouraged to express himself very freely in chase and mock attack. Pretty cool. All fairly subtle.


black stallion deluxe http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1Vfkz_Dzds
Brumbys http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kpQ-bCWL9IQ
Appassionata http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-CGESdnm0k


I also showed the teachers some interactions with horses.
I showed them this one of Robin Gates (Carolyn Resnick protege)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AQV6HwnO ... r_embedded
And interestingly they didn't like it. Said it looked too controlled. Didn't like the look of the long stick and rope. They felt that the horses response was motivated by threat. These are not "horse people" ... most have never touched a live horse.

However, they did like this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5KxTVcJ8jdM

And they loved this old clip of our very own Claire, playing with Brodie:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5XFEIzftJU

Thanks everyone, I'll let you know how the "camps" go.

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I have not sought the horse of bits, bridles, saddles and shackles,

But the horse of the wind, the horse of freedom, the horse of the dream. [Robert Vavra]


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PostPosted: Tue Jun 28, 2011 1:23 pm 
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windhorsesue wrote:
Romy, I only have ten minutes or so, and my idea is to first introduce children to the horse itself, rather than to what people DO with horses. These are children who do not have horse lore and imagery in their culture, so their reactions to the horses will be very pure, innocent and fresh. I'm very interested to find out what comes from them, without too much input. Particularly because of the unique way that many autistic people have of connecting with animals directly, their emotions and thoughts. I'm making an exception with the "the boy" in the black stallion, because it shows the boy and horse responding naturally to each other, in freedom, rather than prescribed actions we do with a horse, like leading, (even when that leading is so free and beautiful as shown in your suggestion.)


Ah, I see. Although I know where you live, I did not even think of the possibility that for these children a horse isn't just a normal animal that they have seen hundreds of times before. Wow, can I be egocentric in my perspective on things. :blush:

Then maybe one of the videos of the forest boyz would be something for them?

Good luck with the camp! :)


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PostPosted: Tue Jun 28, 2011 2:59 pm 
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:funny: Romy, I know, it's hard even for me to really comprehend it, and I LIVE here. Most everyone here hasn't EVER actually seen a live horse. And they don't see them on tv, or read books about them, or see them in advertising, or have a cousins in the country who have one. Horses are more strange and foreign to them than a lion or a giraffe ... because lions get onto animal planet and into school books. :funny: When we had our cow, many visitors said, very uncertainly, "that, horse, looks, different.. to the other ones..."

Oh YES! I'd forgotten about the Forest Boyz. Brilliant suggestion. Horses being horses in a domestic situation. Perfect!
Thanks.

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I have not sought the horse of bits, bridles, saddles and shackles,

But the horse of the wind, the horse of freedom, the horse of the dream. [Robert Vavra]


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PostPosted: Wed Jun 29, 2011 4:49 pm 
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Quote:
I also showed the teachers some interactions with horses.
I showed them this one of Robin Gates (Carolyn Resnick protege)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AQV6HwnO ... r_embedded
And interestingly they didn't like it. Said it looked too controlled. Didn't like the look of the long stick and rope. They felt that the horses response was motivated by threat. These are not "horse people" ... most have never touched a live horse.

However, they did like this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5KxTVcJ8jdM


wow, so good that they see it so clear at the first time. i am impressed.
Please write more about your experiences during the camp. It sounds good and lot of interesting reactions of the children.

I believe there is somewere on this forum i thougth it was going about hide and seek moments.
That i had placed a nice film about hide and seek games with horses. I think this one is also funny to see.
And kids will reconise themselves in it i think.
jeee...i whish i could remember the movie were i had placed it.

Edit- :D you use it for the teachers?? whooaa that would be a nice class if they do it :funny: o great


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