The Art of Natural Dressage

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PostPosted: Fri Mar 06, 2015 1:30 pm 

Joined: Fri Mar 06, 2015 10:20 am
Posts: 14
Hi there,

may I introduce you to Leni, my 4,5 yrs old mare:


Image

She lives with me for exactly one year, and I try to learn to communicate with her.

I found here through Romy. :-)
I think, I will read a lot here the next days and will not write too much, but if you have any questions, please, just ask, and I am happy to answer.

Ah, about myself:
I am 36 yrs old, female, and Leni is my first horse. My journey with horses began 24 years ago, but I started THINKING only about 6 years ago. Since then it seems to me as if I learn every day and my horse-world changes from year to year. I slowly open my eyes and ears and am keen to know where this way leads me to.


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PostPosted: Fri Mar 06, 2015 1:35 pm 
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Location: Dresden, Germany
Keshia, how wonderful that you have found us! Actually, I have been waiting for you. :)

I hope that you will find something that is interesting for you in the forum. If you have any questions, just ask. If you are wondering where to start reading, we have a Links to threads collection. And of course the diaries are a great source of inspiration as well - for me, anyway.

Oh, and here's some welcome flowers: :giveflower:


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PostPosted: Fri Mar 06, 2015 2:06 pm 

Joined: Fri Mar 06, 2015 10:20 am
Posts: 14
Thank you, Romy!

I have found this forum a couple of months ago. But as I say: I am on a path of which I have no idea where it will lead me to. I feel as if I am experimenting with different methods, feelings and philosophys. I like so many things other people do with their horses. However, I am always sceptical. :roll:

But the more I read here (I started with Frodurs diary, because it's a fascinating horse: young, wild, and a mixture of Haflinger and a wild race, just like Leni. :D ) the more I feel really happy to benefit of all your experiences.


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PostPosted: Fri Mar 06, 2015 6:06 pm 

Joined: Sun Apr 07, 2013 11:22 am
Posts: 211
Welcome here :f:

When I came here first, I have read hours and hours in the different threads and diaries. Sooo much information!


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PostPosted: Fri Mar 06, 2015 6:26 pm 
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Keshia wrote:
I have found this forum a couple of months ago. But as I say: I am on a path of which I have no idea where it will lead me to. I feel as if I am experimenting with different methods, feelings and philosophys. I like so many things other people do with their horses. However, I am always sceptical. :roll:


I think this is so interesting, because I am the total opposite. Rationally, I know that I am constantly changing in my interests, the particular activities with my horses and my ways of setting my focus on different themes in the horse-human interaction. Next year I will do things differently than I am doing them now. But I don't feel this. I always feel like I am exactly at the right place, exactly where I want to be. That flow is something that happens completely outside my awareness.

jaz wrote:
When I came here first, I have read hours and hours in the different threads and diaries. Sooo much information!


I am really happy that I have been here almost from the start. Among the first 2000 posts there are some that I did not read, but since August 2007 I have read every post ever made in this forum. I sometimes wonder how it must be for newcomers who are confronted with everything at once. That's part of the reason why we have the Links to threads and the Special posts, but still... I guess it's much easier when you have co-developed with the forum.


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PostPosted: Fri Mar 06, 2015 10:15 pm 

Joined: Fri Mar 06, 2015 10:20 am
Posts: 14
Romy wrote:
I think this is so interesting, because I am the total opposite. Rationally, I know that I am constantly changing in my interests, the particular activities with my horses and my ways of setting my focus on different themes in the horse-human interaction. Next year I will do things differently than I am doing them now. But I don't feel this. I always feel like I am exactly at the right place, exactly where I want to be. That flow is something that happens completely outside my awareness.




There are two different dimensions in which I feel. There ist a general dimension, the macro-level so to say. There I sometimes feel a bit restless, overwhelmed, or overwrought by so many ideas and impressions. I want to experience so many different things. I want to train the horse, I want to play with her, I want to teach her tricks, I want to go on a walk with her, I want to ride her, I want to try out different methods, and last but not least I want to understand her, make her feel happy with me.
Then there ist a micro-level. This level ist my at-the-moment-feeling when I am with Leni. This ist the moment when I am totally filled with the moment. I just do things then, and mostly they feel right.

In the last 6 years many things concerning horses have fully changed for me. I think, when I open a diary here, it will be my diary - cause Leni has hers in the RW forum. I think I will want to reflect my own way.
For me it was a high speed in which I learned in the last years. And now, with Leni, everything's happening and changing even faster. (I need the what-did-I-miss-smiley :funny: )

At the moment I feel a bit caught between two stools. On the one hand there is so much old "knowledge". Training a horse, educate it, "break" it (I don't like the english word for making the horse to accept me on its back). On the other hand, I enjoy time with my pony so much and she's so nice and I want her to be happy to be with me. I want to lose some of the pressure. But I am also convinced that it is important for her to have enough excercise (well, she's norwegian, loves to eat evertime and everything and could lose some weight...) and to walk in a way that makes it easier for her to carry me one day.

So, I try to combine both. But I am not certain how to do it. :D

jaz wrote:
Welcome here :f:

When I came here first, I have read hours and hours in the different threads and diaries. Sooo much information!


Hi jaz :-) I also stumpled over your diary, but then I couldn't read further because I had to go to work. But I will read it later, cause I followed the discussion in the RW forum and am interested in the reactions you got in this forum. I think, it is the best example to combine two things: Fun, motivation, team-work AND healthy movement of the horse. But before I tell you my opinion about the video, I will read here in your diary. :-)


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PostPosted: Fri Mar 06, 2015 10:40 pm 
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Keshia wrote:
There are two different dimensions in which I feel. There ist a general dimension, the macro-level so to say. There I sometimes feel a bit restless, overwhelmed, or overwrought by so many ideas and impressions. I want to experience so many different things. I want to train the horse, I want to play with her, I want to teach her tricks, I want to go on a walk with her, I want to ride her, I want to try out different methods, and last but not least I want to understand her, make her feel happy with me.


Ah, I see. That macro-level is not so well-developed in me. First, not in general, because it is a recurrent theme I have in my life, that I don't really have any goals. In the meantime I have learned that this is quite hard to accept for some people, because you are supposed to have something to strive for. I never had, because all my life I was taught that you can take almost any situation and turn it into something you like. The flip side of this is that the need to create one or the other situation, or the seriousness of wanting to do that, somehow gets lost. That is, if I take your examples from above, the one in which I want to train the horse and play with the horse and go for walks, I feel more like "Well, I can do any of them today, so what do you want, dear horsie? The other one we will do tomorrow" And then perhaps tomorrow comes and perhaps it doesn't.

The second reason why that macro-level is under-developed in me is that I have four horses. Thus, if Baca needs me to stay very close to the pasture with him for now - fine, I can go for six-hours-walks with Titum. If Titum moves like a little princess but with no power - fine, I have Summy who is the personification of power. If Summy is not so creative in inventing exercises - fine, I have Pia who is the most creative pony I have ever met... and so on. Now someone could say that this is a bad excuse, because actually you are supposed to do a balanced program with every horse, and it should be possible to do everything with every horse. But then I am asking myself why that should be the case. In humans, it's completely normal that some are construction workers, some are nurses, some are artists and some are professors. So why would I want my horses to be everything at the same time?

Keshia wrote:
I think, when I open a diary here, it will be my diary - cause Leni has hers in the RW forum. I think I will want to reflect my own way.


I am so much looking forward to that! :)


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PostPosted: Fri Mar 06, 2015 11:51 pm 

Joined: Sun Apr 07, 2013 11:22 am
Posts: 211
Keshia wrote:
and am interested in the reactions you got in this forum

Actually the discussion here about that went along less in my own diary than in Yoginis :)

I also look forward to your diary :yes:


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PostPosted: Sat Mar 07, 2015 10:10 am 

Joined: Fri Mar 06, 2015 10:20 am
Posts: 14
Romy wrote:

The second reason why that macro-level is under-developed in me is that I have four horses. Thus, if Baca needs me to stay very close to the pasture with him for now - fine, I can go for six-hours-walks with Titum. If Titum moves like a little princess but with no power - fine, I have Summy who is the personification of power. If Summy is not so creative in inventing exercises - fine, I have Pia who is the most creative pony I have ever met... and so on. Now someone could say that this is a bad excuse, because actually you are supposed to do a balanced program with every horse, and it should be possible to do everything with every horse. But then I am asking myself why that should be the case. In humans, it's completely normal that some are construction workers, some are nurses, some are artists and some are professors. So why would I want my horses to be everything at the same time?



About the goals:
I usually have only a few goals in life. But I want to do so many things and sometimes cannot decide, what I want first. I want to learn to play the guitar, write a book, learn another language, read so many things, study once more, etc. But I cannot start them all at the same time, because I wouldn't do anything properly.

I agree: My horse doesn't need to be everything at the same time. For now, she's young, she has to be teenager. I try out many exercises with her, cause I want to see what she likes and what she dislikes. I anticipate that she likes exercises which are difficult for the first time.
E.g. she doesn't like the pedestal too much. It's way too simple.
But she loves the work with bars although she sometimes stumbles. I see it in her expression, she is eager to work with me and looks so proud, when she trots over the bars.

But I have the goal to keep her healthy, not too fat, and I want to show her how to move so that she can carry me one day.

Thank you both for your interest! And thank you jaz for your advice to look in Yoginis diary. ;-)


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PostPosted: Sat Mar 07, 2015 6:38 pm 
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Welcome Keshia! :f:

Your introduction already sounds very interesting - looking forward to your diary ;)

I wish I could lose a bit of that macro-level thinking... it still happens to me that I feel bad when I go to my horse and just hang out with him, doing nothing in particular. I have a bad conscience then and I'm not even completely sure why :ieks:. Crazy isn't it?

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PostPosted: Sat Mar 07, 2015 9:01 pm 

Joined: Fri Mar 06, 2015 10:20 am
Posts: 14
No! It's not crazy at all.
I know this feeling so well. I think most of us (horse-people) have in mind that a horse should be trained. It is not enough just to be with the horse. Even playing or groundwork is not enough. A horse needs a saddle and a rider.
I know that in many stables people gossip about others who don't ride regularily. Even I know the weekly questions: "How's riding with Leni?" after I have mounted her for the first time. (It was in my old stable, in the current one everybody is fine with ones own horse, everybody wants to have fun with their horse, some are interested in others and some are not, it's like paradise.)
Well, and I think that it really is important for me to look after Leni that she does her excercises to keep her healthy. She lives in a quite big area, but I don't think it's big enough. This ist the point what my bad conscience is about when I just hang around with my pony doing some tricks.
However, the other point is the goals. :roll: And this is ridiculous. I have a bad conscience every time I think I should have taught her more than I have done so far. But who judges that?

It's just hard to let these obsolete thoughts leave ones mind. I don't know if our subconscious mind thinks everything that we heard or lerned first must be right so we stick on it?

By the way: I love Vienna! My husband travels to Vienna every two months or so (work), and sometimes I go with him for a weekend. His brother lives there with his wife, too. I have been there in October and two times in December, this year I'll try out the summer. :sun:


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PostPosted: Sat Mar 07, 2015 10:50 pm 

Joined: Fri Mar 06, 2015 10:20 am
Posts: 14
Keshia wrote:
It is not enough just to be with the horse. Even playing or groundwork is not enough. A horse needs a saddle and a rider.


Just read it again and wasn't sure if it's clear that these sentences are meant ironical.


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PostPosted: Sun Mar 08, 2015 8:10 am 
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Joined: Thu Sep 12, 2013 9:51 am
Posts: 693
Location: Germany
Welcome here Keshi. Nice that you found this place. :f:
To me it was very clear that this was meant ironically.
The theme is very interesting.
It is indeed so difficult to walk new or other than normal ways with a horse and stop getting entangled with the good old knowledge. I am struggling as well every now and then. But I think it is the best way I ever did walk....
So I am very much looking for your diary.
Greetings, Dani


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PostPosted: Sun Mar 08, 2015 10:20 pm 

Joined: Fri Mar 06, 2015 10:20 am
Posts: 14
Thank you Yogini :f:
Yesterday, I read a lot in your diary. Very interesting, and you've got a wonderful horse.
Currently I am hopping around in the threads here. I stumbled over the funny Clicker-Game where people tried to mimick animals together with the horse. Great idea. :funny:

Ok, I think, I will start a diary now, because I see there are so many interesting themes to be discussed, this thread is not the right place for all of them.

Thank you all for your welcome :giveflower:


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PostPosted: Sun Mar 08, 2015 11:04 pm 

Joined: Fri Mar 06, 2015 10:20 am
Posts: 14
Edit:

I will start one tomorrow. Got sticked to all the interesting diaries and had to read. :roll: Besides I have no idea how to entitle the diary. :funny:


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