Leadership

I wanted to pass on some reflections on a Liberty seminar I attended this 
weekend with Robin Gates, a certified Carolyn Resnick instructor.  I took 
my five year old Paso Fino mare Maia. 
I have been with horses for over 50  years now, am a level 4 student in
Parelli, yet I am awed by what I learned from  Robin. To put it simply, Parelli
puts pressure on the horse to do something (as  light as possible) and
releases pressure when the horse makes a try. This gives  you obedience, but
since beginning exercises are on-line or in a round pen, the  horse feels that
it has no real choice in the matter.  I have often noted a  flatness in the
horse's expression, far different from the dramatic posturing  you see in
horses playing at liberty with each other. Robin establishes  leadership, asks
for movement or stillness with body language, allows the horse  to choose
to stay or go, but rewards liberally if it chooses to follow her feel, 
building a strong bond of respect, trust and a shared sense of joy and  play.   I’
d say it was the  difference between the horse having a job to do for you
or having a passion to  play with you.
When we entered the arena, Maia  was a little distracted but she synced in
with me as I walked, trotted, stopped,  backed up and turned at liberty. 
Robin observed for a bit and asked what I wanted to learn from her during  our
session.  I told her that I  wanted to be a stronger leader for Maia when
she lost confidence.  I wanted her to automatically sync in  with me, not
just when she knew the answer, but also when things fell apart. 
Her first advice was not to carry  treats.  Doing so created a false bond
and engendered a sense of  entitlement in the horse.  Frequent reward is
important to motivate the  horse, but the horse has to accept that the food is
YOUR resource, just as a  lead mare owns that best hay pile. Just like the
lead mare, you MIGHT share  with your horse, but it is your call and your
horse should be at peace with  that. Robin came in to play with Maia.  The first
thing Robin did was establish  that Robin "owned" a bucket of senior feed
next to the fence  in the arena  and that Maia could not go near that bucket
without an invitation from  Robin.  Maia tested that theory a  number of
times as Robin moved farther and farther away from that bucket before  deciding
that Robin was serious. OK, this woman is one tough lead mare.  The only
way to get to that grain is to  ask the lady politely.
Next, Robin asked Maia to come to  her.  Maia was uncertain about  whether
she wanted to have a relationship with someone who would bite her for  going
into that bucket without an invitation. She thought about that for quite a 
long time and Robin left her alone, patiently "present in the moment" with
Maia  while Maia worked out the pros and cons.  As Robin pointed out, for
there to be true choice, the horse has to be  able to leave you without having
an adverse consequence - has to be given the  time to think and truly
choose to be with you rather than away from you. 
Maia's first approach toward  Robin was small, just a couple of steps, but
it was away from the grain.  With each iteration, Maia became more 
confident that Robin was a generous leader if Maia was polite and  respectful.  The
bond between the  two strengthened and Maia became more focused, trusting
and relaxed in following  Robin's feel.  Robin rewarded Maia liberally for
making those  choices, but it was a reward freely offered, not a bribe to do
something, or a  response to Maia begging for treats.  Indeed, begging stopped
because Robin didn’t have any food on her.
I came to Robin’s clinic because  I had read and been fascinated by Carolyn
Resnick’s book, Naked Liberty and her  Waterhole Rituals DVD.  The way
Carolyn interacted freely with  horses at liberty in large spaces was what I
wanted and what had first drawn me  to natural horsemanship.  I  believed,
correctly, that this type of feel, energy and body language must be  experienced
live, rather than read about or watched on a  DVD.  
The second day of the clinic built on the first. 
One of the highlights for me was a trailer loading  exercise. It had taken
one of the participants 2 and a half hours to load her  horse in the trailer
to come to this clinic.  She was apprehensive about  how long it would take
her to load her up to take her horse home Sunday  evening.  Robin had her
start playing at liberty in the arena with the  trailer parked inside and the
door open.  At first they ignored the  trailer, then Robin had Grace walk
up to her near the trailer to talk.  No  question of asking the mare to load
up.  Indeed, if she tried to pass  Grace, they told her whoa.  After each
chat, Grace turned and walked back  to the fence to reward Namaste with a
handful of grain. Within a few iterations,  Grace and Robin were sitting on the
floor of the trailer chatting and Namaste  was sniffing the inside of the
trailer.  
Robin then haltered Namaste and casually walked up to  and into the
trailer, ignoring the mare, just examining the trailer with great  fascination. 
Namaste had some hesitation, but as Robin ignored her and was  raptly focused
on parts of the inside of the trailer, Namaste stepped up  into the trailer
with her two front feet.  Robin paused, then turned and  left the trailer
and Namaste followed her.  
Then Robin did something that made me laugh so much my  ribs ached.  She
unhaltered Namaste, turning her loose and proceeded to  ignore her.  She went
over to the bucket of grain and made a production of  pouring a cup of grain
from one bucket to another, mixing in just the right  number of carrots,
then pouring that into another bucket. Namaste would try to  sneak her nose
into the bucket and Robin would swat it away irritably - "don't  bother me
child - I'm busy with important stuff right now!"  She then  straightened out
as though she were 90 years old and started to slowly hobble  over to the
trailer, Namaste trailing behind her.  Again, Namaste tried to  herd Robin or
stick her nose in the bucket and got it swatted away.  Robin  took multiple
tries to climb into the trailer, and before she succeeded Namaste  had her
front feet in the trailer, looking back with an impatient "Hurry up and  get
in here with my food" look. Robin hobbled to the front of the trailer, 
ignoring Namaste and then made a production again, mixing her bucket of grain 
and carrots properly and before long, Namaste climbed into the trailer and 
finally was allowed to put her nose into the bucket to eat.  Robin walked  out
with one of the two buckets, followed by Namaste and went to get more 
"stuff" and again made a production about getting the mix exactly right before 
hobbling back into the trailer - again preceded by Namaste.  With the focus 
off of the mare, Namaste had nothing to resist and she knew that Robin was 
bringing a very good deal and putting it at the front of the trailer.  
Amazing to watch!
I am truly honored to have  watched this amazing lady work with Maia and
the other horses brought to the  clinic and to watch the changes her method
brought about in the horses' and  participants' understanding, focus, bond and
feel.  I choose to have a  relationship with my horse where the horse has
the right to leave me, but  chooses to stay and follow my feel, not because
he knows I can make him do so,  but because he thinks I'm the best leader he
can find and being with me is being  surrounded by joy, love and respect. 
The horse already knows how to  do everything we want him to do and he knows
how to mirror us.  Those  things come at birth, just from being a horse. 
I'm excited about  incorporating this kind of true bonding and leadership
based on choice, simple,  fluid body language and energy, mutual respect and
appreciation.  
If you have the opportunity to take a clinic  with Robin Gates, don't
hesitate.  Do it.  Your horse will thank  you.
Jackie Decker
Mystic  Ranch
4264 Beagle Road
White City, Oregon  97503
541-826-8400
www.mystic-ranch.com