Thoughts at the end of a good week...

When I became a certified PATH Intl. Therapeutic Riding Instructor, I expected my life to change (it did, but in none of the ways I expected). I thought I would spend my days experiencing the magic of horses and helping people. I thought doing so would be mainly fun and easy.

In actuality, it is rarely easy, mostly fun and often profound. That was what I don't think I expected. I thought teaching therapeutic riding would be more of a "hobby-job," not necessarily the soul-touching, heart-wrenching, colossally inspiring, mind-body-spirit work that it actually is. I underestimated the challenge, but I also underestimated how fulfilling it can be.

Before becoming certified in 2009, I had been teaching for years in more traditional settings - classrooms and tutoring "labs." I liked teaching, but I would not often have described it as profound.

I think that was because I hadn't found my "medium." Horses, teaching riding, did that for me - I found it. I like teaching in general, but I love teaching people (with or without disabilities) about horses and riding because I feel like I am tapping into something of my own essence and sharing it with others. Because of the innate biofeedback that the horses give both me and my students, it is often profound for me in a way that teaching in the classroom was not.

There are some very hard weeks: weather is bad, students have setbacks, physical exhaustion, center politics. But for the most part, I just feel so freaking lucky - so wildly fortunate - to do what I do. 

On a good week, it might look something like this:

• The dressage lessons I've been taking to improve my own riding kick in and I have a breakthrough ride and feel great physically and spiritually.
• One of my therapeutic riding students does something that exceeds my expectations. (This week it was L. taking complete control of her horse at the walk and trot and posting her way around the large arena, when three weeks ago she wasn't yet posting the trot at all.)
• There are informal conversations around the barn, with volunteers or "able-bodied" students, where someone reveals a fear or awe they've always had for horses, how they've overcome it or tapped into respectively, and how that unique sense of empowerment carries over into daily life.
• A horse I've been working with - believed in - comes into program in a way that is meaningful and authentic for me and that honors both her nature and potential. 

On a good week, it feels like all I've ever wanted to do. On a good week, I remember that horses inspire us to be better humans.

I don't want to glorify our profession, because it's not always, well, glorious. But, I am so grateful for the chance to participate in the world of Equine Assisted Activities & Therapies because when it's good, it's good. 

Thank you email subscribers!

Thank you to those who have subscribed via email. I so appreciate your interest in my writing and support of What Horses Teach.

Blogging is new to me! I am having some trouble getting the emails to go through to subscribers, so please bear with me while I try to get that feature up and running. If you receive too many emails, contact me at kmbrittle@gmail.com or comment below and I will make immediate adjustments!

Glad to be horse-savy but wish I were tech-savy, too!!!

Thank you!

Notes from Linda Kohanov's The Power of the Herd

I am a terrific fan of Linda Kohanov’s writing. Her most well-known text, The Tao of Equus,* deeply inspired me when I first read it back in 2006. I was going through a tumultuous personal time – profound and heart-numbing grief – and my mother brought The Tao of Equus back from some bargain book sale. Reading it, I was reminded about how important horses once were in my life, how comforting I found their presence.  This led to a nagging thought in the back of my mind “get yourself back to horses and riding!” which led to volunteering at High Hopes Therapeutic Riding, which led to certifying as a PATH Intl. Instructor, which led to, really, healing and the channeling of my grief into a newfound sense of purpose.

When I finished reading it, I wrote this note on the last page: "This is what I've always known. It's what I can do and have to do. I'm grateful to have read this book."

Formally, Kohanov’s ideas relate most directly to practices of Equine Facilitated Psychotherapy, but really she coaches (and writes about) a hybrid practice of horsemanship, spiritual practice, emotional resonance with animals and people, and interpretation of myths and symbols. It sounds complex – it is!

At the deepest level, her methods are informed by the “non-predatory wisdom” of horses, which she knows as sentient beings capable of the deepest forms of emotional connection, communication and teaching.

Kohanov makes a point in Tao of Equus of distinguishing her work from therapeutic riding (the adapted teaching of horsemanship/ riding skills to individuals with disabilities) and hippotherapy (the utilization of the horse’s movement to achieve therapeutic goals). However, I think Kohanov’s practices and beliefs are deeply relevant to anyone who engages in therapeutic or healing practices with horses or other animals: at the essence of her texts, Kohanov asks us to listen to and learn from our animal partners as well as to respect them as individuals with diverse gifts to offer.

Kohanov’s latest text, The Power of the Herd,* could really be appreciated by anyone who has ever been in a leadership position (and I believe all teachers are leaders!) or aspired to one. It’s a complex text. She explores: (1) The successes and challenges of great leaders throughout history (i.e. George Washington) and the remarkable influence that horses and horsemanship had in the lives of many of these leaders; (2) Leadership dynamics among horses – how they are really much more complex than there just being an ‘alpha’ horse – and what we can learn from them; (3) Her own experiences, positive and negative, as the visionary leader of Eponaquest Worldwide; and (4) She details “The Twelve ‘Power of the Herd’ Guiding Principles,” which give insight to applying leadership lessons learned from horses to interpersonal communications.

I read it on my Nook and feel like it’s a book I need to read again in a print version. It’s the kind of text you want to write all over, highlight. Pages should be dog-eared. A few question marks in the margins and maybe even tears smudging some ink! There’s much to learn from this text and I see so much potential for Kohanov’s ideas about leadership, based on the non-predatory wisdom of the herd, to help those of us who work in EAAT centers to collaborate most effectively. She makes the simple but profound point: “Horses demand a balance of strength and sensitivity” (109). This is exactly the balance that I seek in my daily work with horses and individuals with special needs. From reading Kohanov’s texts, I realize how important it is to try to bring this balance to all of my human interactions, not just with people who happen to be my students. Her book contains fabulous insight about how to attain this balance.

I am eager to read it for a second time!

*The Power of theHerd: A Non-predatory Approach to Social Intelligence, Leadership, andInnovation. Novato, CA: New World Library, 2013.

*The Toa of Equus: A Woman’s Journey of Healing & Transformation through the Way of the Horse. Novato, CA: New World Library, 2001.

 

 

Down & Out: 6 Ways to Prepare for Instructor Certification while Lying on Your Couch

A friend of mine has been diligently preparing for PATHIntl. Registered Level Certification for over a year. She’s worked on her riding (bought a horse!), interned full time at a well-known center and participated in trainings. She is hoping to certify in 2013 and has certainly put in the time, effort and dedication of a professional.

An accident – not horse related – has left her with broken bones and she finds herself “down & out” – not medically cleared for riding or teaching! I had a similar, though less severe, experience when I began my Instructor Internship at Manes & Motions Therapeutic Riding. I had gall bladder surgery and was unable to lift for 6 – 8 weeks. I told my doctor this was inconvenient due to my internship/ new profession. He shrugged and said, “Well, no one likes to be down and out.”

How true.

So, I want to give my friend something to do while she recovers! I hope this “something” will motivate and inspire her to pick up her instructor training once her recovery is complete!  In general, hands-on, arena time is the single most important factor in preparing to teach riders safely and effectively. However, if that arena time is not practical, there’s still a lot you can do to work on your knowledge base and improve your eye for teaching. If I had 6 – 8 weeks of “non-horse” time coming my way, but I still wanted to prepare for Instructor Certification, I would read and study. PATH Intl. provides Instructors in Training with a suggested reading list (and it’s a good one!), but I am also going to make my own list:

6 Ways to Prepare for Instructor Certification while Lying on Your Couch:

1.       READ Sally Swift’s Centered Riding and really study balanced seat riding position. Swift’s text is filled with imagery, metaphor and illustrations that benefit riders who are trying to achieve positional alignment and effective aids. It’s really a text that you need to study as well as just read. Take notes, write in the margins, try to picture riders you have worked with and how you could apply these concepts to your teaching. Then, go on the internet and watch some riding videos that anyone (I mean Joe Smoe and it can be any discipline) has posted. Analyze. How does the rider’s position compare to your understanding of Sally’s descriptions? 

2.       READ over the PATH Intl. criteria for Instructor Certification and identify your areas of weakness (we all have them!). Find legitimate websites, magazines or books that you can read to increase your knowledge in these areas. For me, this meant reading the most current edition of Giffin and Gore’s Horse Owner’s Veterinary Handbook, cover to cover. It is boring and technical, but provided me with more in-depth knowledge about the health and management of horses.

3.       STUDY task analysis. The best therapeutic riding instructors have internalized the “whats, hows and whys” of basic riding skills. My favorite classic books for task analysis are Cherry Hill’s 101 ArenaExercises for Horse & Rider and TheUnited States Pony Club Manual of Horsemanship, D Level by Susan E. Harris. A more recent favorite is Hollie H. McNeil’s 40 Fundamentals of English Riding. I love McNeil’s text because it provides a concise description of each of the “40 Fundamentals” but then also includes a DVD, broken into 40 sections, to demonstrate and further describe each of these skills.  I think the best way to use McNeil’s book is to read, study and watch one skill a day for 40 days. (It sounds slightly biblical and I guess for those of us who worship the horse, it is.)

4.       STUDY disability knowledge. I would use the PATH Intl. list of Precautions & Contraindications (on-line copy free to members) and take a condition-a-day to study, understand and research on legitimate websites. 

5.       TEACH. Again, go to the internet and search for riding videos. Find riders of all levels. Search different skills. Then, turn your computer to mute and watch the video. “Teach” the rider! And yes, I mean talk out loud, in your biggest “instructor voice” and tell this person-you-will-never-meet how to ride the movement they are working on or how to improve their position or aids. (This is obviously best done in the privacy of one’s own home while the rest of the family is at work...) You can practice finding your words, analyzing a rider and projecting your voice, all while sitting in an easy chair. (This may sound crazy, I know, but “virtual” practicing like this is becoming a more and more common way of training athletes, performers and people working on all kinds of skill development.)

6.       REFLECT. Being “down & out” gives you time to think about your goals, define your next steps and really look at what is most important to you about the Instructor Training process you’ve engaged in. If you are inclined to read horse-oriented materials that have to do with self-reflection and personal improvement, I recommend Linda Kohanov’s TheTao of Equus (and all her subsequent books) and Kathleen Lindley’s In the Company of Horses. Both include anecdotes and techniques related to the emotional side of being around horses and the way that horses enhance our lives. Increasing my own understanding of the horse’s sentience has always been part of my intention in working with horses; bringing awareness of the horse’s power as motivator, teacher and friend to my students has also become increasingly important to me.

If that doesn’t fill 6 – 8 weeks of couch-time, I don’t know what will! My friend, I hope you feel better and are riding and teaching again soon! Thank you for letting me write about this on my blog. In your case, you are recovering from injury but many Instructors in Training have other reasons for not being able to be at the barn as much as they’d like (work, children, financial considerations). While I can’t stress enough how crucial hands-on, extensive barn/arena time is to preparation, there are also practical and important ways to prepare, study and train from home.  Hope this list inspires someone!

 

 

That Beating Heart

Horseman Mark Rashid writes:
...it is the horse that allows us the opportunity to listen to that beating heart, to feel the ebb and flow, and ultimately, to get back in touch with the spirit that is harmony...
(Nature in Horsemanship, Skyhorse Publishing, pg. 205-06). 

March was a crazy month for me, mainly because the hard drive on my laptop crashed. This led to several weeks of drawn out repairs (ordering a system restore disk, waiting for technicians to fix it, finding out my hard drive was so far gone that all data was lost, re-downloading all my programs/ data onto new hard drive). Then, all this downloading led to exceeding our data limit (bill to come...), so I have been trying to minimize on-line time. I'm still not really caught up from this month of technical difficulties. In short, I've realized how extremely dependent I have become on my laptop: like many, my professional and social life rely on Internet connection and, as a writer, my laptop is also essential to my daily writing/ editing/ brainstorming/ researching routine.

I found it disorienting to not have this connection/ access. I was less productive, grouchy and restless. I also started to make other absent-minded mistakes (lost my keys for two days). 

I have never really consider myself a "tech-dependent" person, but I certainly am! I've realized I am now totally dependent on my computer for what I consider "normal" daily life. I would now rate my laptop as more essential than a working oven (lived without one for the past six months), a television (gone without for years at a time), and probably even items of personal hygiene like a toothbrush (you can always improvise). 

As of today, I think I am totally reconnected: functional computer, Office 2013 installed, and the first day of a new month of our nearly unlimited data plan (which we've never even come close to exceeding in the past). This feels so good! Writing life begin again!

So - is this a long, drawn out explanation for why I have not been blogging? YES! It is also, though, a personal confession of how much technology now influences my thinking, communicating and ability to function. I just hadn't realized!

If there is a connection to horses in all this (and for me there almost always is!), it has to do with the fact that they (thankfully!) can't log in. Facebook will never be an option for communicating with horses (OK, never say never, but highly unlikely). Social media is wonderful and plays a big role in my life now, but I am ever-grateful for the more intuitive, personal, nonverbal, non-image-based communication skills that I practice with horses and try to instill in my riding students on a daily basis.

I can no longer deny my dependence on (and affection for) on-line communications, but I don't want all the communicating in my life to be based on clicking a link or typing a short, quip-y comment. I want to understand and practice a level of communication that involves listening from my heart, processing in my gut and relaying my intentions with empathy, presence and clear signals. Working with horses is the perfect opportunity for practicing nuanced communication skills. 

(I can now report with certainty that the Technical Services Staff at our local Staples would benefit from practicing some of these deeper interpersonal/ communication skills, which interacting with hard drives and system restore disks apparently does not foster...)

It's a grounding and authentic experience to communicate with horses, whether on the ground or in the saddle. As my own life becomes more and more technology-dependant, I am thankful that keeping horses in my life requires me to practice deeper level communication skills. I echo Mark Rashid's perfectly chosen words: the horse "allows us the opportunity to listen to that beating heart."

Because my laptop may have a lot to offer, but it does not have that!