WooWoo Ranch was borne out of my experience of rescuing a horse in midlife and going through the blood, sweat, tears, circuitous route and long hours of research needed to do right by him. Now well on my way to feeling like I am succeeding, I hope to use my experience to guide others down the immensely rewarding trail of heart-based connections with horses. I'll feature the trainers, methods, philosophies, events, books and art from my research that have enriched my experience and connection with Dodger in the hopes you and your horse(s) can benefit as well.
// November 11th, 2010 // No Comments » // Books, General
I read this in Mary D. Midkiff’s She Flies Without Wings: How Horses Touch a Woman’s Soul and saw myself:
I recognize the heart of a horsewoman whenever I see a:
• Taste for the natural world
• Willingness to get dirty and to sweat
• Wish to experience a sense of power
• Longing to explore new spiritual frontiers
• Desire to be transformed
• Hungry soul
// December 5th, 2009 // 1 Comment » // General
This was sent to me in email and thanks to a commenter, I learned it needs to be attributed to Julia Edward Drake and is called “A Simple Statement”. I love it.
I ride. That seems like such a simple statement. However as many women who ride know it is really a complicated matter. It has to do with power and empowerment. Being able to do things you might have once considered out of reach or ability. I have considered this as I shovel manure, fill water barrels in the cold rain, wait for the vet/farrier/electrician/hay delivery, change a tire on a horse trailer by the side of the freeway, or cool a gelding out before getting down to the business of drinking a cold beer after a long ride.
The time, the money, the effort it takes to ride calls for dedication. At least I call it dedication. Both my ex-husbands call it ‘the sickness’. It’s a sickness I’ve had since I was a small girl bouncing my model horses and dreaming of the day I would ride a real horse. Most of the women I ride with understand the meaning of ‘the sickness’. It’s not a sport. It’s not a hobby. It’s what we do and, in some ways, who we are as women and human beings.
I ride. I hook up my trailer and load my gelding. I haul to some trailhead somewhere, unload, saddle, whistle up my dog and I ride. I breathe in the air, watch the sunlight filter through the trees and savor the movement of my horse. My shoulders relax. A smile rides my sunscreen smeared face. I pull my ball cap down and let the real world fade into the tracks my horse leaves in the dust.
Time slows. Flying insects buzz loudly, looking like fairies. My gelding flicks his ears and moves down the trail. I can smell his sweat and it is perfume to my senses. Time slows. The rhythm of the walk and the movement of the leaves become my focus. My saddle creaks and the leather rein in my hand softens with the warmth.
I consider the simple statement: I ride. I think of all I do because I ride. Climb granite slabs, wade into a freezing lake, race a friend through the Manzanita all the while laughing and feeling my heart in my chest. Other days just the act of mounting and dismounting can be a real accomplishment. Still I ride, no matter how tired or how much my seat bones or any of the numerous horse related injuries hurt. I ride. And I feel better for doing so.
The beauty I’ve seen because I ride amazes me. I’ve ridden out to find lakes that remain for the most part, unseen. Caves, dark and cold beside rivers full and rolling are the scenes I see in my dreams. The Granite Stairway at Echo Summit, bald eagles on the wing and bobcats on the prowl add to the empowerment and joy in my heart.
I think of the people, mostly women, I’ve met. I consider how competent they all are. Not a weenie amongst the bunch.. We haul 40ft rigs, we back into tight spaces without clipping a tree. We set up camp. Tend the horses. We cook and keep safe. We understand and love our companions, the horse. We respect each other and those we encounter on the trail. We know that if you are out there riding, you also shovel, fill, wait and doctor. Your hands are a little rough and you travel with out makeup or hair gel. You do without to afford the ‘sickness’ and probably, when you were a small girl, you bounced a model horse while you dreamed of riding a real one.
// November 15th, 2009 // No Comments » // General, Visionaries
The more I study the various methods to approach relationships with horses, the more I see a continuum of thought in how to best do that with 1000 pound animal. Control is the priority at one end of the continuum while partnership is the priority at the other. Both ends seek respect.
Those closer to the control end put the onus on the horse to learn and behave within set human parameters; those closer to the partnership end put the onus on themselves to learn the ways and abilities of each horse before customizing the best form of partnership.
People like Klaus Ferdinand Hempfling and Carolyn Resnick, to me, are educating the horse world about the partnership end. Methods like Rollkur were established by those at the control end. There’s a huge industry in the middle based on developing gadgetry for various amounts of control. I give most horse owners the benefit of the doubt and figure they don’t even know the partnership approach is an alternative.
If asked the question, “Who would I be more likely to give my full respect and best effort to among the two approaches?” I’m real clear what my answer would be. And, it just tells me I have a lot to learn about horses.
// November 6th, 2009 // No Comments » // General
The horse world seems to be made up of a disproportionate number of women and if I were to speculate on why that is, I would have to say that women, in general, are not only much more open to the possibility of connecting with horses on an emotional level, they assume it’s going to happen. The assumption alone speeds up its occurrence.
Most men, I think, tend to view horses more as exotic vehicles with control issues. They like the challenge they present, the panache they lend, or the functionality they offer for other forms of work. Sometimes, years later, men will notice they’ve begun to think of their horses as friends. It tends to sneak up on them, while women expect it at the outset.
I think horses reflect whatever level of compatibility (and abilities) we attribute to them. They’re not that much different from children as they tend to rise, or sink, to the level of assumptions made about them.
Here’s a link that addresses not only why so many women, but why so many baby boomer women:
http://www.positivelyriding.com/OlderRiders.html
Yes! Please keep me informed!