To communicate with a horse we must understand it’s make-up. What causes a horse to do what it does? Why do so many people love horses but also fear them? When we begin to understand the psychology of a horse then the answers to these questions begin to emerge.
A horse is a prey animal. He is programmed by Mother Nature to flee from danger. As most prey animals he is also a herd animal. By instinct he wants to be with his friends to be safe. He relies on the Alpha horse (usually a mare) for leadership. Enter the human. Humans function often with very predatory actions as we are in the predator category!
Now, we must broach this predator/prey animal barrier and prove to the horse that we can be trusted as a viable leader.
At Jandana we practise the concepts of Natural Horsemanship developing trust, leadership and respect first on the ground where communication can really begin. Building a partnering allows the horse will look to you for direction. From that moment on amazing things will begin to happen. Your horse will want to be with you. He will stop fidgeting around. He will begin to get the idea that YOU have a personal space-your confidence will soon soar!
The answer we give is: the type of saddle a rider chooses to sit in is a matter of personal choice. For comfort of the horse and the rider on the mountain trails we have chosen to use western stock saddles. You will see people at the ranch riding in a variety of saddles from jumping and dressage saddles, bareback pads to stock saddles. The saddle is the style of choice for the rider, the technique we use with the horses is natural horsemanship. Janice, Dave, Lenox and any of the boarders here at the ranch will be more than happy to discuss our philosophy with you further. We love to be asked!
If you are a dressage enthusiast you must inquire about this! Demonstrations are upon request. We love to share and inspire. Please ask.
The term "Dressage" often causes honest students of the horse to shy away from a path of learning which can be fun. "Dressage" simply means the harmonious training of the horse to develop strength, balance and grace and to BE happy doing it. The hard part for the human learner is to be able to call upon those beautiful natural movements one sees when the horse is at liberty exuding free will and exuberance. The true horseman can do this without force, manipulation and intimidation and not succumb to peer pressure, competition, fear of failure or discouragement.
So....here we are at the grass roots. BUT! We are already leaps ahead because we are students of Natural Horsemanship and WE have heart and desire to do this from the horse's point of view and WE will have fun doing it without confusing our partner too much!
Insight from Janice:
Dressage Naturally, Janice Jarvis, Jandana Ranch
I had a reflection as I was preparing for a dressage camp I was offering to some of my teen students. I was going through Karen's book and my notes at the time. I wanted to plan this camp to be fun and inspiring and to incorporate what I have learned from DN. For those of you coming from the "Dressage Traditional" world (of my past...) you will surely understand. I was developing a list for the kids for discussion similar to the tests in The DNVA modules and having a lot of fun making up that list. It was entitled , “What do you think is Dressage?” One of the answer choices was, “In classy clothes and tack, Riding a fancy moving warmblood in a show doing intricate movements. “
Then I stopped! That was me 25 years ago! I did some math. I figured that over a ten year span I had invested over enough money to have put a healthy down payment on a magnificent farm somewhere. And what did I have to show for it? Yes, a big box of dusty ribbons , some trophy's which could have been found in the thrift and blankets which have never been used because they were sooooo precious! Was my poor horse given any thanks for this?
I suppose the journey though, boosted me forward to search for something else. Many thanks to Pat Parelli, Ray Hunt, Buck Branneman,Tom Dorrance and the Natural Horsemanship movement and to discovering Karen Rholf when she was Parelli's Dressage professionals. From there, I never looked back and have spent the last 20 years helping troubled horses and confused humans. I am looking forward to the next 20 years, rickety as I may become. So, my advice to my young ones is going to be , pull off your saddles, kids, and wear your craziest onesies, dressage is about to rock!
This is Dressage! In Mother Nature’s Arena. Janice and Astron.
We invite you to come to the ranch to see how classical principles of dressage can be incorporated into Natural Horsemanship with amazing results.
“Horsemanship can be attained naturally through communication, understanding and psychology, versus mechanics, fear and intimidation.”
-Pat Parelli March 1982
www.dressagenaturally.com
www.walterzettl.net