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Whole Horse Power

WHOLE HORSE POWER
63 Longbow Ln
Wimberley, TX 78676

The other day I was talking with a student about her horse’s behavior, which she found

mystifying.

The horses had been in the barn for several days, due to cold rainy

weather, and

today she had come

to get her horse out for exercise. “I took Isadora out

to the round pen and

longed her for a little while

and she was very laid back” she said.

“you know, she just kind of

trotted around la-de-da, so after a

few minutes I went

ahead and took her to the covered arena

and rode. She was ok until she saw a

horse

out in one of the round pens. Then she began to

act like she wanted to buck and act

crazy. I

tried to ride her through it, but she just kept on

acting like rodeo was on her

mind, so I finally got off,

took her back to the round pen and

longed her.” She went on

“Well, she just exploded and bucked

and bucked and cantered

around. What do you

think made her do that after she was so laid back

when I gave her an

opportunity to

play in the beginning.?”

Finding balance in the saddle is a lifelong quest for many. As a rider, there is no skill more

important than learning to sit in perfect balance. As I’ve said before, with great balance you will

find confidence and harmony, but all the confidence in the world won’t get you to harmony

without excellent balance.

In my presentations of the TTEAM system of training and therapy I am repeatedly confronted

by the perception that it is ‘fluff”; unnecessary, time consuming , nebulous , touchy -feely stuff

that is fine for people who have a backyard horse and lots of time on their hands, but not

practical for the rest of us who have busy lives. It may be worthwhile for the real ‘problem

horse”, but unnecessary for the performance horse or the horse who is “going OK”.

Articles by Penny Stone