The Art of Natural Dressage

I am thinking to qualify as a Ttouch pratitioner and I would appreciate some opinions on whether or not it is compatible with AND philosophies.

I have booked into a 6 day Ttouch clinic in May so I can have information to make a decision. (8 days away from my Freckle! And my dogs! AARRGGHH! )

If there are parts of Ttouch that is against AND philosophy I would like to hear it, so I can avoid being accidently moved "off track."

Mostly, at this time, I am interested in the massage techniques of Ttouch. Also I know there is no Ttouch practitioner in Natal. So perhaps I can make a living?

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Glen Grobler

Words that soak into your ears are whispered...not yelled. Anon

How do I put a poll here? I treid but it didn't work

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Glen Grobler



Words that soak into your ears are whispered...not yelled. Anon

Hy

THis is weird, I thought the same thing. Because I have heard great things about it and thought to follow an education on it. But I still have to find a location where they give it.
We can study together then

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I wish I knew your world

Tanja,

It seems that you and I think alike on many things

I wish I knew more about Ttouch so I could decide if I want to qualify - but that's why I am going to a clinic.

I have read the info on their website here, but most of it is about dogs not horses!

Anyway, we will see ...

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Glen Grobler



Words that soak into your ears are whispered...not yelled. Anon

I have her Book it is called in dutch "gedrag en training van paarden"
It is very usefull, the methode is explained very well and you can do try it on your own. But follow a clinic is maybe some better because you can do it with someone who know how it works.

Hi Inge

I found a site where they give a 3 year education. But it is in the Netherlands. I tried to click on the 3 year education info, but that part of the site doesn't work. I'll check on it later again
Regards

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I wish I knew your world

I'm in no way an expert on Ttouch, but Linda Tellington-Jones does have a lot of neat concepts. Her massage exercises, stretches, and "body building" exercises (things like using a body wrap on the horse to help develop roundness and relaxation) for the horses are very intriguing, and, at least in the book I have, she is very clear about how and where to do those exercises. The "basic" Ttouch works absolute wonders on calming our Aussie down, and the horses enjoy the various massage exercises too.

I don't really know anything about her riding (although I do believe the horses in the "program" eventually are ridden in just a cordeo) but she also has lots of leading exercises. She does often use a chain or rope over the nose, which I'm not so keyed up about, but she very clearly demonstrates many leading positions, body language positions, and whip positions to help the horse through the various obstacles. I think that is very intriguing, as I tend to get "stuck" in one spot by my horse, and her exercises would help me to move around and explain better to my horse what I’m asking.

Not to mention her names for the exercises are really cool… I mean, what sounds cooler than "Dolphin Flickering Through the Waves", and "Journey of the Homing Pigeon"?

[Edited for a ridiculous spelling mistake...!]

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"Do you give the horse his strength?"
~Job 39:19a

www.cambriahorsemanship.com

I just re-read your original post, Glen, and realized I kind of replied to the wrong thing... I was just talking about what I knew about TTouch, not about how it correlates to AND. Whoops, sorry! I'm sure you know far more about TTouch than I do!

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"Do you give the horse his strength?"
~Job 39:19a

www.cambriahorsemanship.com

Anything that is for the benefit of the horse - both mentally and physically, can only be good!

If Ttouch can lead you to a closer relationship with a horse, and further your knowledge of horses...wow...I'd go for it!

I am not that knowledgeable about Ttouch, but I have only ever heard good things about it. Linda Tellington Jones does use bits, but the method of massage must surely be a wonderful thing to learn.

http://www.lindatellingtonjones.com/

I doubt it - I know nothing about Ttouch except what I've read on-line which isn't much at all!



With names like that there must be a lot of good in her knowledge!



That's the stuff that attracted me, and I'm very curious about what else she has to offer ...

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Glen Grobler



Words that soak into your ears are whispered...not yelled. Anon

Karen,

I'm glad to hear there's little or no "negative" out there about Ttouch. So often something looks really good on the surface, and after you get into it it goes sour.

It's very new in SA, so it's good that you all at AND have more knowledge.

I hope that it is positive and gentle, and that I can "study" and qualify, particularly about the massage. That must be such a fantastic way to increase bonding!

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Glen Grobler



Words that soak into your ears are whispered...not yelled. Anon

Maybe you can add an explanation about this method into the research material section when you have learned it? I guess that Titum wouldn´t be fond of it, because he doesn´t really like to be touched, but Summy would surely appreciate it if I learned a little bit of that.

Of course I will. Romy. I'm going to try take pics and videos too.

The clinic I've booked into is in May, which feels so very far away!

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Glen Grobler



Words that soak into your ears are whispered...not yelled. Anon

I actually spoke to and with Linda Tellington-Jones this morning (as well as Jocelyn - which was perhaps more lovely!)

While I didn't fully understand everything she said, because she was sometimes suggesting which of her techniques might assist certain horses and I am clueless about what those techniques are, I did get a strong impression that she is very sincere, caring, warm-hearted and knowledgeable about mental and physical needs of horses in particular and animals in general.

Many times she deplored the use of harsh training methods, and "work" that causes pain. Without her actually saying the words, I felt that she is very saddened by the plight of the many "misunderstood" animals that share our world, and determined to change what she can for them.

She took the time to try very hard to teach us one particular way to "touch" our horses. She said it will activate those brain-waves which are associated to calming and learning.

I hope to "try" this on Freckles soon, and will report the results.

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Glen Grobler



Words that soak into your ears are whispered...not yelled. Anon

Hi Glen,

So glad to hear you are learning more about TTouch. I bought Linda's first book about 15 years ago, and it has helped me over the years. I wouldn't say I am any kind of expert in her methods but I have worked with a couple of her trainers over the years. It can be espaecially helpful with horses that are touchy or sensitive in certain areas. So Romy, you might find that it would be very helpful for a horse like Titam. I know Bo has a couple spots on her body she is very finicky about having touched but if I take a minute and do some of the touch's on her it helps her to be less reactive.
Anyways, there is my two cents, for what it's worth.i think that Carrie has a little training in this? Carrie,am I correct?
Look forward to hear about what you learn.

Leah