Notes from Mark Rashid Clinic

Mark Rashid is a horse trainer and writer. I've read most of his books, which are written in a down-to-earth, story telling tone that appeals to me.  I like how Mark combines what he knows about horses, with what he knows about Aikido (a Japanese martial art), with what he knows about life.  I believe deeply that the mind/body/spirit connection is important in horsemanship, so I like to read the insights of like-minded riders and horse trainers. 

Anytime I have audited a "big name training clinic" (I've watched Buck Brannaman, Julie Goodnight and a couple of others), I always leave intrigued, but skeptical.  It's inspiring to watch masterful horsemen/women at work, but I often feel that most of the audience (perhaps self included!) take away only a superficial impression of what the trainer is doing and therefore leave with a false sense of knowledge.  (It concerns me that people go home and try what they think they saw on their own horses and then end up doing more harm then good!)  I believe it's a fault of the format of these clinics more than anything else. 

I was surprised but glad to find Mark's clinic was organized as private lessons and there were only about 10 of us auditing, so it felt a lot more personal and he was able to answer questions.  Unfortunately, due to time and distance, we were only able to watch three riders go, but I did leave with some take home messages that I will keep in mind while I ride and teach this week:

• "When I get on a horse I don't know, I try to establish with the horse the way I ride, not let the horse establish with me the way that everyone else rides him." - Mark Rashid
• Mark talked about looking for a certain feel when he rides and trains horses and said he'd call that feel "availability."  I guess that means the feeling that whatever he might ask for next, the horse is ready to do it.
• Mark also talked a little about life and living well, which I really enjoyed listening to.  He said when he's dealing with a conflict, annoyance, or really any situation, he asks himself: Is this going to be important to me in five years?  If not, he doesn't bother to give it much thought/ action/ energy. I think if I could follow this advice consistently, it would save me a lot of time and worry! 

Overall, I had a good time visiting Hickory Ridge Ranch in Rincon, Georgia (a lovely facility!) and watching Mark, who is obviously a skilled horseman and kind, authentic person, do his work!

Actually Blogging...

For months, I have been planning to start a blog about horses, teaching, riding and Equine Assisted Activities & Therapies (EAAT).  I have read books on blogging, done Internet research, surveyed successful blogs, come up with a plan and tried to define a theme slightly more concrete than just "horses and what I learn about them." 

I thought I had found the perfect name: "What Horses Teach." Then, while holiday shopping, I saw a cheesy wall calendar about horses that has almost the very same name (It's called "What Horses Teach Us"). 

I thought I would take the time to design a beautiful blog layout.  Then, I realized that is actually difficult and time consuming (and requires an eye for design, which I don't have), so instead I chose "Basic Layout" and changed the color of the title box from green to orange, which seemed a small but definitive move to make it my own. 

I promised myself I would carefully edit every entry, so that it would reflect not only my commitment to the field of EAAT, but also my background as a writer.  Then, I remembered how long it takes to carefully edit anything. 

Finally, partly inspired by a student's wonderful blog (Thanks, K!) and her dedication to updating it after her weekly riding lessons, I realized that what makes a good blog is, well, actually blogging!  So, I have decided to just start.  Without agenda or plan - I wanted to have a public forum to reflect on what I learn about horses and the work I love, and now, this blog is part of that.

And so, this is my blog: cheesy name, basic layout, proofreading errors, and finally, (coming very soon, I promise), some actual text about horses and the work I care about!