Dreams come true

Quote from a little 6 yr old camper:


"This is a dream come true.  I have dreamed about this moment my entire life!"
















Loretta the natural horseman clear communication/visible results

Pony for Lease

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Dear Equine Enthusiast,    I apologize in advance for sending so many emails this month.  It is a very busy time with many important things I feel you should know. I have been presented with the opportunity to take on a lovely pony.  (Where's my t-shirt when I need it? I do not need another horse, I do not need another horse, I do not need another horse.)  She is a 13.3h mare that has been there and done that.  She is a lot like Piero in the way that she can do and will put up with anything.  The thing is, I cannot afford to take her, unless she is leased.  I am willing to half lease her to 2 people, even 1/3 lease her to 3.  I would like to know if any of you would even be interested in discussing this.  It is a good step before ownership, or simply to build your connection with a special pony.    :O)  Please give me a call or shoot me an email to express your interest.  Thank you! Sincerely, Loretta Arey 20/20 Horsemanship

Loretta the natural horseman clear communication/visible results

July Newsletter

July Supplemental Issue In This Issue Horses as Healers Did you know???? Book of the Month American Assoc. Horsemanship Safety 20/20 Horsemanship The Natural Horseman Blog

Greetings! A few quick things that were left out of the last newsletter........ Sincerely, Loretta Arey 20/20 Horsemanship Horses as Healers Students Benefit from the Spiritual side of things Many people feel a calling to the horse and for years it seems rather unexplainable.  They just want to be around them.  For the smell, the beauty, their aura.  Often there is an underlying reason we have those feelings.  Spending some time one on one with a horse can help those reasons surface, along with an open mind.  Just simply stroking the horse, listening to your inner guidance can bring you many insights.  I once learned that the lessons I was learning with and from my horse, were also lessons I needed to apply in my entire life. In today's world we are very busy and look for immediate results.  The horse lives in the NOW.  They do not fret about yesterday nor do they worry about tomorrow.  When we can be with the horse in the moment despite what else is going on in our lives, we can learn to give the best of ourselves to him, and in turn it is a gift to us.  Did You Know? We have a tack swap!  I am collecting your (or your child's) used riding gear and will pass it on to a student in need. Professional Western horsemen ride with a balanced seat-the same as I teach? I will be hosting a clinic on discovering your horse's pain points and how to help him.  More info to follow. We will be having a party for Stryker and you are invited!  Details to follow. My 13yr old daughter will babysit while you take a lesson!  $10 an hour for one child $15 for two. Book of the Month Centered Riding by Sally Swift Sally Swift is the pioneer of the balanced seat.  She offers insightful ways help the student attain the desired balance.  Miss Swift also does an outstanding job of connecting the mind and body.  In an effort to ride centered, we need not only be physically centered on the horse, but centered within our own bodies and within our minds.  There are many tips and visual aids to help with that also. The techniques in the book serve a rider well, especially when used during a warm up under saddle.  I urge all of my students to pick up a copy of Centered Riding.  The drawings of our skeletal system alone make it worth a trip to the library or book store.   Available Openings Mondays @5:30pm Tuesdays @6pm Thursdays @5pm  About Us I truly enjoy teaching and learning from each and every one of you.  Thank you for allowing me to serve you.

Loretta the natural horseman clear communication/visible results

2400 years ago-riding off the seat

2400 Years Experience Teaches Correct Seat a Must
by
Jan Dawson
President, AAHS
[reproduced from Caution:Horses, Vol. 4, No. 4, Winter 1999]

As I sit here at my desk writing the last "Harmony" of the millennium I wait for a profound inspiration, something to match the Y2K frenzy all around me. The same theme keeps coming back to mind. Our history with horses is over two millennia long. If we read the earliest Greek horse volumes we see nothing surprising, nothing that would not fit in with today’s better training. Even in today’s industry, few people will say that a horse can be finished in any discipline in less than five years, and that is if all goes well. Yet the market, both book and video, is filled with offer of the quick fix. I still believe that the quickest fix is the classical fix.

Before I get letters from half of the Western riders in the country let me explain, first, about Western riding. The first horned saddles belonged to the Californios and their vaquero counterparts in Mexico. Working cattle "a’horseback", as Ray Hunt says, began in the West and went East. So where did they learn? It had to be in Mexico but from whom. Maybe the vaqueros but then who taught them? Where did those wonderfully trained horses come from?

The truth may cause a bad day in Black Rock but it all stems from the Spanish dressage school. Remember that on the Iberian peninsula they have worked cattle from horses for centuries. They have fought bulls from horses. They have fought wars from horses. I would suggest that if there were a quick fix we would have found it by now.

In the cavalry if a man’s horse went lame it might well mean his death. If he killed his horse he likely was not issued another unless he was under threat of capture or some other mission warranting extreme sacrifice when his horse went down. I have met some cavalry officers who fought with their horses in W.W.II. One of these men credits a horse for saving his life three times. These men are the most respectful horsemen I have ever seen.

On the old ranches, the cowboy who injured or used up horse after horse was not well thought of and finally would have been either fired or given another job not involving horses. Many bosses did not give even a second chance.

The point I would like to make is this. At the most sophisticated levels of riding where the horse and rider seem to be moving as one it cannot be doubted that the horse is responding principally to the rider’s seat. This is as true of reiners and top western pleasure riders as to dressage riders. The relationship is such that the rider may say, "All I have to do is think canter and Blaze does it."  (italics added by Loretta Arey)   Imagine if that applied to speed, turns, changes of gaits, all of it.

Would you believe that the Grand Prix Dressage test used to require half to be ridden one handed?  Think about it. If you have your gun and saber drawn that leaves basically your seat to control your horse and if you don’t get it done, you will be left on the battlefield.

But look at what we see so many places - instead of training we see the spur ‘n jerk method of horsemanship. And like I said, the roots of Western were classical and refined.

So where do we place the blame? Quite frankly I place it on the old Hollywood movies which not only originated the "Show’em Whose Boss" school of riding but can also be credited with the beginning of the idea that we all get up after a fall.

In good riding, in any discipline, the seat is everything and on the best of days this is an extremely dangerous sport. We are more likely to get hurt on our horses than we would be to get injured from skydiving or bungee jumping.

Having the good balanced seat improves our horses and makes us safer - so why do so many try to avoid what is an inevitable part of quality riding? Anyone can learn to have a good seat - yes, anyone - but no one can ride effectively without it.

The best part is that the horse is born with the responses built in - it just takes practice to train him to ignore the rider. And you can bet that the same rider who systematically "trains" his horse not to respond will thump on him later for not responding or for making a mistake.

My wish for the Millenium - humane riding in which the rider listens to his horse and teaches the horse to listen to him by softening when the horse responds.

The seat is the most important part. We teach the rider to sit, to utilize the aids, and finally to listen to his horse. That is basically all there is.

Your position-his response

A horse’s response can never be better than the rider’s aids, and the rider’s aids can only be as good as her seat. The correct position of the rider is what makes the aids clear.


Mary Ann Grant