Horsemanship Program

About Helmets

Before you Get On any Horse

The ABC's of Having a Supple Trail Horse

Brochure

Confidence Ride

Price List

A Word About Natural Horsemanship:

Natural horsemanship seems to be a popular term in the horse world these days, intriguing to some and intimidating to others. Really, it’s quite simple: the ability to enter a horse’s world and think and move in ways that communicate positively to them. This idea can be applied to many species with which we share our lives and this world. For instance:

Natural dogmanship: Watch Animal Planet and National Geographic for tips on how to think like a dog. You will learn what a dog’s priorities are—what certain body language and sounds mean and, most importantly, how to become the “alpha” in your dog’s life.

Natural catmanship: Understanding the domestic cat’s attitudes and habits has long been a source of humor, but much can be learned from the subtle ways in which felines create willing servants out of their otherwise assertive owners.

Natural livestockmanship: Read the books of Temple Grandin ( Thinking in Pictures, Animals Make Us Human, Animals in Translation) to understand the importance of caring for pets and livestock humanely and with an eye to reducing the agony that meat animals in particular endure during their short and purpose-driven lives.

To learn natural horsemanship, you need to start with the psychology of prey animals and understand what is important to them.

“Eyes in front, born to hunt.

Eyes on the side, born to hide.”

Or, in the horse’s case, born to startle, jump, and flee the area. To help a horse overcome their natural instinct to flee is to make a horse safer to ride. How do we do this? By accepting the limitations of a horse’s world (they cannot understand the limitations of our world) and offering them what they need and seek:

Safety...comfort...companionship...play

“A horse doesn’t care how much you know until he knows how much you care.” –Tom Dorrance via Pat Parelli

If you take some time with your new, old, or borrowed horse, you will notice the things that are important to him or her. As you learn more about natural horsemanship, you will learn a language with which you can draw the horse to you as a leader draws followers.

Some horses may have great skepticism about what it is you offer and will require even greater patience on your part. They may balk, walk away, or become dominating. When faced with this skepticism, resolve to

• Relax
• Breath
• Observe any emotions you feel
• Put a smile on your lips
• Keep offering the relationship
• Think of the “Bigger Picture”

Being able to relax and see this “bigger picture” is what will distinguish you as a true and sensitive leader and partner, rather than just another predator coming out of the bushes.

Establishing a relationship on the ground, through simple games and activities, forms a bond that will help you in the saddle.

"Lessons that start with ground skills & an understanding of horse psychology can help make you safer in the saddle.” –Bonnie Ebsen Jackson ARIA-certified Instructor . For lesson schedule and pricing, see brochure above.

About Helmets “When I was young…”

When I was young, helmets weren’t used for riding unless you were competing English and jumping events. So it was that many youngsters fell or were thrown off their horses as I was and suffered untold brain trauma. With the advent of neuroscience, the public has been educated about just how injuries sustained in childhood activities—be they football, wrestling, motocross, or equestrian—can affect cognitive skills and even contribute to mood disorders.

One event in particular stands out for me: I was eleven and had been riding my mustang mare for nearly a year, feeding her grain to help her gain weight after being in an emaciated condition in the wild. We were cantering—bareback—over some large mounds of manure at the boarding stable where I kept her and suddenly she was airborne in series of rodeo bucks. I was airborne as well, finally coming to land on the soft ground with my head just missing a cement block. A few inches more would have meant a life-changing, perhaps life-ending accident. As it was, even though I blacked out for a few moments, I walked away from the crash otherwise uninjured. The fall was kept a secret; I knew that I could never tell my parents or my horse might “go away.” I’ve gotten to spend a lifetime wondering how that lucky but unprotected fall and others may have impacted my mental processes.

I hold no illusions that wearing a helmet would have prevented me from going off the horse or that a helmet would have prevented me from breaking my neck, back, ribs, or limbs in the fall. I simply know that neuroscience has proven the value of head protection in falls related to riding, snow skiing, cycling, and any other sport where your skull could come in contact with a hard surface.

Wearing a helmet doesn’t lull me into a sense of false security any more than wearing a seat belt does in a car. Both can be argued to be “uncomfortable” and a nuisance. Helmets can be an additional expensive. However, just as we purchase cars with safety features and insurance policies for what we hope never happens, we need to consider the costs of not doing so.

My favorite comment about helmet wear came when I was riding a frisky 4-year-old gelding through a state park in the 1990s. By then, my helmet was a firm fixture on most rides, thanks to the discovery of the sport of Endurance. A hatless gentleman in a large cycling group asked me, “What’s with the salad bowl on your head, lady?” The group got a good laugh from his reference. I smiled back and said, “I guess I just value my brains more than you value yours,” then trotted off still grinning.

BOTTOM LINE: As an instructor, I consider helmets mandatory for students under 10 for riding and groundwork; under 18 years while riding. Those students over 18 get to make their own, hopefully informed, decisions. Helmets in all sizes are available at T.H.E. Ranch for student use.

Helmet Purchase Recommendations:

Tipperary (Sportage) http://www.freedomrider.com/helmt7.html