Equi-libre

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Athena – Equi-libre Horses’ Saddle Horse

Happy New Year!

Equi-libre Horses has lots of exciting things in store for this year! One of which is the introduction of ‘Athena’, our saddle horse.

I am so excited about this new addition to ELH’s teaching tool box!

Athena is going to allow us to significantly break down the individual components of actually riding our horses, but without the worry of needing to focus on the training of our horses at the same time.

We will be able to dissect the finer details and explore them in terms of rider balance, spinal alignment, engagement of our cores, finding tiny releases in our bodies, rein mechanics, the correct use of -R and much, much more.

Athena is available for bookings for individual lessons, clinic and demonstration days as well as workshops.

For more information or to request her presence at a lesson or clinic, please email us on jo@equi-libre.co.uk

Jo Hughes

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Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Xmas Card 2011

Christmas is very nearly upon us and the year’s end is drawing near, so where exactly has 2011 gone!?  

Looking Back

It has been such an incredible year for Equi-libre Horses, I have been very hectic with a fully booked diary of lessons, clinics and workshops. I have thoroughly enjoyed every moment of it and continue to be blown away by the progress that all of my clients have made.

It’s been such a joy to meet so many wonderful people and horses; to have seen these partnerships grow so beautifully has been a true privilege.

Looking Forward 

We have so many exciting things in store for 2012! Clinics, workshops, demo’s, talks and some fabulous news to share too!

I am just so humbled by the incredible support that Equi-libre Horses has had thus far.

Thank you all so very, very much indeed! I can’t wait to see everyone’s progress in 2012!

In the meantime, we hope you and all your animals have a very happy and healthy Christmas and New Year.

Jo, Chris, Dancer and Norman

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Horse Agility Accredited Trainer (HAAT)

Equi-libre Horses is delighted to announce that Jo Hughes has received her full accreditation as a Horse Agility Trainer (HAAT)

As such, Jo is now available to teach and train Horse Agility as well as run and judge competitions.

Jo can bring her Horse Agility course to your yard for a training and competition day. Horses and handlers do not need to have any prior experience with Horse Agility to take part, just come along for a day full of fun, laughter and trust building with your horse.

Jo can also bring one or two of her obstacles for private lessons. Please get in touch if this is of interest.

What is Horse Agility?

Horse Agility is a discipline and internationally competitive sport in which horse and handler, both on foot, navigate a course of obstacles while focusing on clear communication and positive horsemanship.

All horses and ponies can join in Horse Agility whether they are ridden or not in other competitions, they just need to be in good physical condition.

Everyone can join in – children and adults of all ages, fitness levels and ability, the people do the training, the horse does most of the energetic bit!

The Horse Agility Club’s primary aim is to bring together people who have been practicing horse agility worldwide and support those who would like to become part of a competitive arm to develop it as a well organized, structured and standardized sport.

The Club now has over 400 members in  the UK alone with overseas membership growing, 40 registered instructors and over 450 horses registered as Agility Horses.

Horse Agility is not just about playing with horses, it strengthens the bond between horse and handler without the use of gadgets or quick fixes. The eventual aim of Horse Agility is for the horse to run completely free of any restraint, directed round a course of obstacles by the handler.

For more information on Horse Agility in Great Britain, click here 

To see Jo’s Horse Agility Portfolio, click here

For more information email Jo on jo@equi-libre.co.uk

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Q & A – Why Would You Leave Me?

Why Would You Leave Me (WWYLM)?

I am often asked questions about the various exercises (or games) beautifully created by Alexandra Kurland to enable us to teach our horses physical and emotional balance via Clicker Training. All of these games will apply to us at some stage during our Clicker Training journey towards lightness and balance, so I thought I’d share some of the questions I’ve been asked about them and the answers with which I responded. I hope they are useful to you.

Question

Having watched you and Dancer working without the lead rope but just the position of your arms, body and intent… I am feeling already that it would be able to work easier with my horse without the incumberance of the rope at liberty. However, I know that I need to have the rope slide in effect for a million reasons, not least because this transfers to the ridden work.

Does one therefore get to the point where WWYLM can be done with or without the rope – that they are merely 2 cues for the same thing? And as such when up on board, the rein cue just becomes the third cue as it were?

Equi-libre Horses Answer

WWYLM starts out by teaching your horse to walk with you on a slack rope – no pulling, forging ahead, or lagging behind. Once the horse is doing this consistently, we can move on to asking the horse to bend slightly around us. We need to have the rope here in order to have precision…teensy bend to start, building over time as the horse understands and is able physically to offer more and more bend. As with all of this work, it’s a continually evolving process. There is no ‘end’.

I was asking Dancer for more lift upwards through her withers as well as the bend around me. This is because she finds it much easier to fall out through her outside shoulder as she offers me more bend. Without the rope it’s difficult to be specific with our ‘asks’ and to build them slowly as the horse gets better and stronger.

Communication

I was using the rope to communicate information to her…if she stayed in the correct bend and balance, lifting up through the base of her neck I didn’t need it. So we use the rope to help guide them towards the right answer initially and as a refining tool as we begin to change the criteria within the exercise over time.

Once they understand any one criterion, we don’t necessarily need the rope any more because they are offering us the behaviour we have taught them and so it stays loose.

However, we also need the rope mechanics and the understanding that these provide the horses with later on as well because WWYLM leads on to 3 Flip 3 and Hip-Shoulder-Shoulder as a natural progression. And of course the rope mechanics also transfer seamlessly from the ground to ridden as well.

The rope mechanics provide valuable information to the horse and as such the rope becomes a communication tool they value very highly indeed. With consistent rope handling skills we help to set them up for success. Once they understand what it is we are asking them, via the rope, we no longer need such loud cues. At this point, we may then wish to change the criterion so as to sculpt and refine the exercise in question onwards towards excellence.
 
Rope handling is not just about the feel or pressure and release on their head. There are many other secondary elements which also become part of a cue, such as body language, hand placement and intent.

Rope mechanics teach the horse the fine detail of a cue and so eventually we don’t necessarily need the rope in our hands to apply that cue. We do however need to be aware of what our bodies are doing, and where our intent lies. If we can become aware enough, the intricate detail of each cue becomes so deeply understood by both our horses and ourselves that these other elements within the cue, such as the accompanying set of body movements and intent, results in the same behaviour but without needing the rope. And so we begin to be able to dance at liberty.

Socio-awareness

Horses are amazingly socio-aware creatures – their ability to read such tiny intent of body language is mind blowing. If we can help them to find the right answer with consistent, informative communication via the rope, which also allows us to use our body and mind in a balanced and structured way, we can inevitably fade out the rope cue and rely solely on body language.

Progress towards liberty

Liberty comes later, when you and he are dancing together so lightly that you don’t really need the rope anymore. Both horse and handler know the ‘game’ so well that they literally float with each other just on body and mind connections, all of which originated from rope mechanics.

3 Flip 3 pops out from WWYLM and this requires 3 successive jaw releases which give access to the spine via the rope. By the 3rd jaw release we should have access to the hip and this then begins the set up for lateral work…engagement of the inside hind…balance and the beginnings of collection. So, you can begin to see that we also need the rope as we peel back the layers of the onion which are to come later.

We have to teach them to understand communication via the rope so that they can become as light as a feather.

Dance partners

Think of a dance partner…it’s a necessary tool to be able to touch one’s partner so as to communicate back and forth and provide a two-way flow of information when the duo are learning something new together. They need to practice with this feel to be able to perfect the ebb and flow of energy to dance gracefully and ultra lightly in balance. At a later stage, they could if they so wished, dance together without the need to be in contact, since by this time the routine has become a fully classically conditioned response. They both know how much ground is covered by the other with each step, where to place their feet and the flow and dynamic movement which enables them to glide as one just happens without much conscious thought from either party.

Jo’s enthusiastic and supportive coaching style is facilitated through one-2-one lessons, group clinics and workshops taught throughout the UK. If you would like to learn more about WWYLM or would like to explore the possibility of organising a clinic or lesson day in your area, please contact us on jo@equi-libre.co.uk

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Clinic in Cambridgeshire with Dr Helen Spence

Learn all about rewarding horse training with Dr Helen Spence!

A clinic at West Wratting Park Stud, Cambridgeshire on Sunday 25th September 2011.

  • Would you like to strengthen the bond between you & your horse?
  • Would you like to train in a way that increases your horse’s calmness & confidence, yet at the same time improves responsiveness & lightness?
  • Have you always wanted to use more reward when training your horse?
  • Have you ever felt that you are being pushed to use more pressure than you would wish when working with your horse?
  • Do you have a horse that is nervous & spooky or sluggish & ‘switched off’?
  • Do you have a young horse that has lots to learn?
  • Do you have an old horse that has seen it all before & is bored with schooling?
  • Do you like the idea of training in a way that is both gentle & safe for you & your horse?
  • Do you want to have a horse that looks forward to being trained so much that they gallop to the gate to see you?

If the answer to any of these questions is yes then this is the clinic for you & your horse!!!

Equi-libre Horses is organising a one day clinic with Dr Helen Spence of www.helenspencehorsesense.co.uk. Places are limited to ensure everyone gets as much learning time as possible from the day. There are approx. 5 horse places as well as spectator places.

We are lucky to be able to have a really nice small group and so everyone, including the spectators, will be very much actively involved in the day in terms of the demonstrations, practical exercises, theory discussions and question and answer sessions.

The morning will focus on an introduction to Helen’s philosophy and background, theory and practical exercises with everyone getting involved and will most likely include some short demos with the horses and their owners.

Helen will then follow on to the lessons with each horse and owner, we should have enough time to have 2 of these each throughout the day.

Dr Helen Spence

Helen Spence has a PhD in horse behaviour & a degree in psychology. She teaches riding & lectures in horse behaviour to postgraduate level, runs clinics for horse owners & equine professionals & offers advice on behaviour problems. Helen also has a deep understanding of classical riding and makes use of clicker training as well as her in-depth scientific knowledge in equine behaviour.

Helen’s way of working is a gentle, positive approach to horsemanship which improves the relationship & understanding between horse & rider through application of psychological theories, understanding of horse behaviour & ethology, natural horsemanship & classical riding principles. Helen specialises in training using positive reinforcement and the clicker.

This approach will be of use to everyone from novice to expert, but is particularly useful for young horses, the more nervous horse & rider or horses that are lacking motivation & enjoyment in their work. It is also incredibly valuable for those working with horses for a living, in particular those working with youngsters.

Using the clicker as an aid to training horses has exploded in popularity in recent years. Rightly so, since it is a fantastic way of working. However, just like any other training tool, it is not a magic wand, and is only as effective as the hand that holds it. In order to become a good trainer using the clicker you should be prepared to take the time to learn the science of the clicker (in other words the theory and the practical skills), which you can then marry with the art and understanding of correct and safe biomechanics within the training of the horse. You often hear people refer to ‘clicker training’ as a method in it’s own right. Helen prefers not to take that approach. To Helen, there is good, bad and mediocre training, regardless of the method taught, and she prefers to educate people to improve their overall training skills, so that they can then understand all the different methods out there, and choose to work in a way that they feel is ethical and effective. Almost more important is the posture, the movement and the positioning of the spine which we reinforce the horse for. This requires experience and understanding of the principles of classical equitation in order that the horse is rewarded for correct posture and movement.

If this clinic would be of interest to you, please do get in touch on jo@equi-libre.co.uk

Jo Hughes

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Equi-libre Horses Coaching

Equi-libre Horses philosophy is to empower both horses and their owners with knowledge so they can become ethical and effective trainers themselves. We want to share what we have learnt in order to help others and their horses achieve a kinder, healthier and happier means of working together.

Clicker Training

Clicker training taps into Behavioural Science and allows understanding of working ‘with’ rather than ‘against’ how we and our animals learn. Combining this ‘science’ with classical dressage principles of balance and lightness, produces some of the most divine, dynamic movement I have ever seen in a horse.

This understanding allows the communications between horses and humans to reach phenomenal levels. Ultimately, clicker training establishes and improves the relationships between owners and their much loved animals through develeloping mutual trust and friendship at its core.

Jo Hughes – Experience and Continued Professional Development

Jo has a degree in Psychology and has been a qualified BHS Instructor for over 10 years. She is committed to continuous research and learning through hands-on training with other professionals, reading and, of course, learning from the horses themselves. Jo’s Continued Professional Development (CPD) is of paramount importance. Alongside attendance at Alexandra Kurland horse training clinics in the UK each year and ongoing training with an array of other classical trainers and equine behaviour specialists, Jo also undertakes CPD with the BHS on a regular basis.

Jo has dedicated her life to the exploration and understanding of many different styles of equitation and horsemanship methods. Her journey has led her down numerous paths in search of the truest and most ethical means of achieving lightness and balance.

The main purpose of Classical Equitation training is to preserve the horse’s soundness and happiness, while developing them systematically according to time-honoured principles based on biomechanics and equine psychology. Jo couples this knowledge (and its real understanding of how the horse is put together both morphologically and psychologically) with the science of behavioural psychology.

Jo’s enthusiastic and supportive coaching style is facilitated through one-2-one lessons, group clinics and workshops taught throughout the UK. Jo also offers a uniquely tailored consultancy service via video and email to enable progress with training and ongoing support between lessons. Jo is also able to offer more detailed and structured support towards specific training goals through helping to create individual shaping plans as part of client’s training programmes.

If you would like to enquire about any of the different services or coaching formats which Equi-libre Horses offer or would like to explore the possibility of organising a clinic or lesson day in your area, please contact us on jo@equi-libre.co.uk

 

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T’ai Chi Rope Handling Workshop in Cambridgeshire

Balance That Clicks!
Balance that Clicks!

Date: Saturday 10th September

Emotional and physical balance through tranquility and freedom for humans

Equi-libre Horses is hosting a T’ai Chi Rope Handling get together in the beautiful outbuildings of an 800 year old manor house overlooking the river Cam.

We will begin the day by watching Alexandra Kurland’s Lesson 7 DVD – T’ai Chi Rope Handling, followed by discussion and then hands on practice as we play with how it feels to be ‘the human’ and ‘the horse’ on each end of the rope.

Explore your balance – emotionally and physically

What better a way to relax than to allow the beauty of our historic surroundings to free ourselves into emotional and meditative balance. We can then explore our physical T’ai Chi balance and experiment with finding our core (or inner corset as it is often known in Pilates).

We will ask questions such as how exactly do these micro differences change our balance and posture and how does that feel to our horses? Our human partners can give us this verbal feedback as we experiment with these tiny balance shifts.

The surroundings in which this class will be held are historic, tranquil, harmonistic and beautiful with oodles of natural light yet with full access to state-of-the-art modern technology including large plasma screen, kitchen facilities and sofas.

If you would be interested in attending please email me at jo@equi-libre.co.uk

Happy Clicking

Jo Hughes

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Clicker Clinic ‘Aha Moment’ No. 1 – Part 4

Alexandra Kurland Clinic – June 2011

Balance That Clicks!

Balance That Clicks!

‘Aha Moment’ No. 1 – Balance = Connection = Balance

Part 4 – Telephone Calls

When referring to the leadrope or rein as a means of two-way communication between horse and human, Alexandra uses the wonderful analogy of a telephone call. If we view the rope as a telephone, we pick up the phone and dial someone in the hope that they pick up at the other end. We do exactly the same thing with the rope. It’s a physical connection between us and the horses and can provide such awesome levels of information flowing both ways. As we slide our hand up the rope, we are effectively dialling up to see if our horses are there. What happens at this point provides us with valuable information as to their emotional and physical state at that moment in time. Do they pick up their end and say ‘hello’ in an attentive way, or do they continue to have a conversation with someone else in the room with them? Perhaps they may even ignore the phone call completely, because last time we called, we were clipped and tight-lipped and didn’t really have any interest in allowing a conversation to flow once they had picked up?! In which case, they may have even have hung up on us! 

It’s really quite an eye opener; are we picking a fight or being rude to our horses without being at all conscious of it? Are we truly released as we slide up that rope? What happens if we slide up to find that our horse picks up the phone yet their focus isn’t entirely on us. What do we do? Do we get louder? Or perhaps try shouting at them to get their attention, which will probably result in us tensing up through our fingers, wrists, elbows and shoulders and using our muscles to push and shove? Perhaps that tension may run further through our body still – our back becoming rigid as we tighten in anticipation of our horse’s shoulder which may be about to come towards us and knock us off our feet?

We know our horses are not truly listening to us, they are still focussed on the lion in the corner of the school, so 600kg of horse could be just about to come our way! We may think we are relaxed, have slid up that rope to the upturned snap, set up our Tai Chi wall and are just waiting for our horse to pick up that phone. But in those moments, are we actually truly balanced over our feet, our bodies in complete skeletal alignment? How about your jaw. I bet it’s tight! Now have a look at your knuckles…and I bet they are clenched and white too! Have you rotated your shoulder joint and stepped under and into your elbow thereby aligning your skeleton in a powerfully balanced way? Or are you instead leaning your entire body weight, pushing into your Tai Chi wall? If your knuckles are white and clenched, it’s highly likely you are pushing into the horse, who is leaning right back on you! 

All this tension is information to the horse and being on the receiving end of that tension through the ‘human horse’ exercises allows us to experience how it feels. I felt claustrophobic, forced and I found myself leaning and pushing back on that pressure; it was almost antagonistic; certainly not positive, helpful, consistent, soft or supportive. I found that I needed to meet the pressure with the same levels as was being applied by my handler.

Comparing this to how I felt when my handler was in beautiful balance over her feet – relaxed, soft fingers and elbows, a released, tension-free body, stepping balanced into those bone rotations – well, this was just mind blowingly different! I was still in soft, fluid balance, and that balance could be altered if necessary in any direction from the handler’s micro movements coming from the trunk of their body, not their wrists or arms with force and push. These alterations were soft, and helpful, leaving me with a feeling of being encapsulated by warmth and contentment, a bit like someone was embracing me in a gentle, re-balancing hug. I stayed loose. I genuinely wanted to follow the direction suggested by my handler, alter my balance, release my jaw, lift my shoulder and move it in the direction asked.

Why not sign up to receive notification of new blogs from Equi-libre Horses? The next blog will be Part 5 of ‘Aha Moment’ No. 1 – Balance = Connection = Balance

Happy Clicking!

Jo

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Clicker Clinic ‘Aha Moment’ No. 1 – Part 3

Alexandra Kurland Clinic – June 2011 

Balance That Clicks!

Balance That Clicks!

‘Aha Moment’ No. 1 – Balance = Connection = Balance

Part 3 – True strength is not brute force: Bone Rotations

I am so well aware of the power of releasing ourselves within our own bodies to find a relaxed and balanced spine, since the philosophy of what and how I teach is fundamentally about correct biomechanics in both horse and rider. I also incorporate many other body alignment practices for humans within my coaching, such as Pilates, Yoga, Tai Chi and the Alexander technique.  In fact, so much of Dancer’s training over the past year and a half has been able to progress towards better balance, elevation, rhythm and lightness, all from just exploring my own balance and releasing areas of tension which in turn filtered down the leadrope/rein to her.

However, what I realised during the clinic was just how seriously ‘micro’ this balance really is, and therefore how linked it is, from moment to moment, to our own emotional state, as well as those of our horses. Whilst changing details on a ‘macro’ level will result in some amazing effects, in order to really experience how powerful and strong yet gentle and soft we can be with our bodies, we need to delve further into Tai Chi principles and exercises including understanding the bone rotations within Alexandra’s Tai Chi rope mechanics. 

As we experimented with human horses, we and our human partners exclaimed at the changes in our postural strength when we incorporated these bone rotations. They allow us to stay fully centred, balanced and strong yet still soft in our fingers and wrists. We immediately felt softly, comfortably guided and supported rather than pushed, shoved or blocked. An onlooker might not even have noticed when a handler had rotated their bones effectively as compared to when they hadn’t, yet the human horse on the receiving end remarked of an entirely different feel.

There is something very akin to the martial art, Aikido, in this work, where the energy within the horse isn’t blocked or stopped, but rather non-confrontationally but powerfully redirected. Its seriously powerful stuff!

Via the human horse experiences I had during the Yorkshire clinic, I was able to polish and refine what I said to my human horse partner through the rope, exploring how I could be softer, lighter, less rigid and less braced to keep the lines of communication open and allow the conversation to flow back and forth. This was all done whilst maintaining the ultimate postural strength required in case my partner ‘spooked’ or their weight came towards me. And it was all achieved via the Tai Chi balance, the bone rotations, the micro releases using the leadrope and the balance on the point of contact – the lead snap.

Emotional tension affects everything!

I haven’t really touched upon the emotional balance of either horse or human here as much as I would like, but it goes without saying that it is a huge element within this topic. The emotional balance of both us and our horses plays an enormous part as to why we end up in a tense and unbalanced state within our bodies. Fear and adrenaline immediately cause both parties to tighten up, ready for action or ready to flee. Interestingly, it’s exactly at this point that we need to find those bone rotations, micro releases, let go of those tensions and free ourselves into that wonderfully supportive yet powerful balance. It is our rope handling skills that will help us to do this. So… next time either your or your horse’s energy levels rise, check in with the colour of your knuckles, the tightness of your hands and fingers, the rigidity and tension in your wrists. This work takes so much practice as we train our bodies to release rather than tighten. However, but it really does pay off. Experimenting and exploring our bodies with human partners really does help us help our horses.

Why not sign up to receive notification of new blogs from Equi-libre Horses? The next blog will be Part 4 of ‘Aha Moment’ No. 1 – Balance = Connection = Balance

Happy Clicking!

Jo