When Pie met Joey - Intelligent Horsemanship€¦ · Intelligent Horsemanship courses, he is...

Magazine for the Intelligent Horsemanship Association

WINTER 2008

www.intelligenthorsemanship.co.uk

When Pie met JoeyTreading the boards at the National Theatre

Your IH MemberChristmas gift enclosed

2 The Listening Post

Into The LensEquine Film and Photography

nlike many photographers, Simon Palmerworks with horses as well as taking pictures!Currently working his way through theIntelligent Horsemanship courses, he iscameraman on tour with Monty Roberts andKelly Marks in the UK, and specialises inEquine Natural Portrait photography.

Using gentle methods and a ‘connection’ withthe horses, he is able to capture the spirit ofthe horse, and the essence of the relationshipbetween horse and handler. A stunning photoshoot makes an ideal Christmas present andcosts from just £35! Even better, for IHmembers there is a 10% discount on allbookings made before 16th January 2009,and a 5% discount on all prints availableonline through the IH Members Shop!

“My horses seemed to feel very comfortablewith Simon around, and because of this, theywere relaxed. There was no pressure and thepictures truly show the horses’ character andrelationship with me.”BN, Devon

To find out more, visit:

www.into-the-lens.comor call Simon on 07776 135665

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3The Listening Post

Letter from Kelly

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Do you have a contribution for the Listening Post? Do phone, email or send your carrier pigeon to the IH office!

Intelligent Horsemanship Office:Address: Lethornes, Upper Lambourn, Hungerford RG17 8QP Phone: 01488 71300 Fax: 01488 73783 Email: [email protected]: www.intelligenthorsemanship.co.uk

On the cover: American Pie meets Joey, star of Warhorse created by AdrianKohler of Handspring Puppet Company

IH at Your Horse Live! Page 2

Letter from Kelly

Kelly Marks and Monty Roberts meet The BHS Page 4

Your letters Page 5

Pie at the National Theatre Page 6

Cleaning of the sheath Page 8

A good doer does not have to be fat Page 9

Questions and Answers Page 10

Fundraising 2008 Page 12

Monty’s Principles Page 13

Recipe for a perfect partnership Page 13

Autumn Tour 2008 Page 14

So your horse doesn’t want a haircut Page 16

Announcements Page 18

Your Horse Live Demonstrations Page 19

Life after the 5 day foundation course Page 20

Spotlight on RA Liz Pitman Page 22

News from RAs Page 23

Dear IH Members

It was lovely to meet somany of you at the recentdemonstrations and Iknow we gained manynew members during thetour. We’ll be workinghard over the coming yearto ensure you feel it’s thebest £20 you’ve spentsince you came intohorses! I do hope youenjoy our Christmaspresent to you. A DVDwhich includes an

interview with Monty of ‘A Year Gone By’ and ‘Behindthe Scenes on the May Masterclasses’. We wanted tofind a way to help members to get to know us better andsee how Intelligent Horsemanship is developing. You’ll seefor yourselves what exciting times these are! I’ve alsoincluded an educational section entitled ‘Clipping Essentials’.It could just as easily be entitled ‘Overcoming FearEssentials’ though, as I’ll run you through some tips andtechniques on helping horses through a real phobia tohappy acceptance.

I worked with at least 10 clipper phobic horses during theMembers Private Audiences on the last tour and only onewasn’t ready for the clippers running on his coat by theend of 30 minutes. As Monty says you have to ‘let thehorse tell you when he’s ready’. It astonishes me to thinkback to watching racehorses being clipped in my past, it was accepted practise then that they ‘had’ to have anose twitch on to have their faces done. I was even toldthat “It’s actually nice for them because it releasesendorphins”! I did think it was odd that if it was so nicewhy they never wanted to have the twitch back on again!

I hope to meet up with many of you again in 2009. Someof you in January on the Horse Psychology or Loadingcourses and many of you again at Monty’s Februarydemonstrations – what a great way to start the year!

Very Best Wishes

Kelly x

P.S. Copies of our next DVD ‘Traffic Essentials’ will soon beavailable to IH members for £15


Kelly Marks and Monty Robertsmeet the BHS

From where we were in the audience wecould see they were in agreement, we couldsee their excitement at how much they hadin common and how many views theyshared. We felt we were witnessingsomething special. Patrick Print told us thatthe BHS was not just about where the girthshould go, how the blanket should befolded, but like Intelligent Horsemanship, it was about the good of the horse.

Patrick Print was quite clear that thoseentering their BHS exams would be judgedon how well they understood the situationthey were in, not how precisely they couldfollow instructions. They needed todemonstrate understanding of their horse.

I could not help feeling that the patientwork of Monty and Kelly over the years inputting the horse first, had finally andofficially been recognised. The pair haveundoubtedly changed the landscape forhorse owners. A wider number of possibilitiesnow exist for riding and training horses as a result of their work. Tonight we felt theirpositive impact on the British Horse Society.But we also saw the BHS in a new andpositive light. What was alternative, wasmainstream if only we had been payingattention.

The idea for the evening, put together bythe Oxfordshire branch of the BHS, was to

By Penny Holley volunteer BHS Oxon and Student of Intelligent Horsemanship

listen to a discussion of what makesconfident horses and riders. Kelly, who haswritten a book on the subject, spokeeloquently about her racing days, how tobalance good sense with risk taking and thewonderful sense of achievement when shegot it all just right. Monty talked aboutlistening to your own feelings, not handingresponsibility to experts, but developingyour own connection with your horse.

Something none of us knew when we gathered tohear Monty Roberts speak, was that he had beenwaiting since 1989 for this moment. He spoke somovingly about the time he had spent with theQueen and her horses. How in her wisdom she hadasked him to take his message to the members of the British Horse Society. Now at last, on this night inOctober, nearly twenty years later, here he was. Guestof the British Horse Society Chairman Patrick Print,together with Kelly Marks, sharing the platform totalk about ‘confidence’ and raise funds for charity.

“During my time as chairman I have been trying to shed the perceptionthat there is the BHS way or the ‘wrong way’. Good horsemanship issurely about being open minded and if we see something that is better forthe horse then we must embrace it. The welfare of the horse is paramount”Patrick Print

the wonderful horse Pie how far that trustcan take you. She amazed us with her storyof the day before when Pie had been onstage at the National Theatre meeting thearticulated cast of giant puppets from thestage show War Horse. Because Kelly waswith him, Pie had stood like a rock whilethese ‘horses’ that looked and moved likehorses, but did not smell like horses,interacted with him on the stage.

The huge applause at the end of theevening showed how delighted we all were to be there. I even caught sight ofK.C. La Pierre in the audience, the wellknow American ‘father’ of equine podiatry,who told me he was in the UK to be at theHolistic Horse Show, but also for a meetingwith Monty. He was sitting next to Sam andLou Austin of the innovative Red HorseProducts. Vet to the British Olympic team,Jenny Hall was there, with her racehorsetrainer husband Kevin who had knownKelly’s dad when he was training. Theeditorial staff from Central Horse Newswere busy handing out copies of the latestedition. Others in the audience came fromriding schools, riding clubs, stud farms andprivate owners. Just under half said theyhad been to a Monty Roberts demonstrationand under half were members of the BritishHorse Society. It truly was the comingtogether of two exciting organisations.

Patrick wondered whether too muchregulation was stifling our ability to producegood and confident riders. He then tookquestions from the audience which all threecontributed answers to.

We left the evening in no doubt that Monty,for all his modesty, is one of the world’sleading horsemen. We felt privileged that heshared his vision of how we could get alongbetter with our horses. We were affected byhis charm and eloquence. He also surprisedus with his energy, humour and humanity.Very few people in the room knew that hewas foster father to more than 40 children.In many ways, he explained, children werelike horses. They need boundaries, they needkindness and love, they need a leader theycan respect and trust to make the bestdecisions for them.

Kelly, who throughout the evening gavegreat credit to Monty and all he has taughther, has shown with her relationship with

Background photo © Simon Palmer - Into-The-Lens.com

5The Listening Post

lettersYour letters

Dear Kelly and all at IH and the Listening Post.

Well what a wonderful few weeks I havehad. First I won a copy of War Horse in the Listening Post competition - thank you. To be followed later that week withenjoying the platform performance andWarhorse at the National Theatre inLondon. Wasn’t Pie amazing and Joeywasn’t bad either. Then I get to hear Kelly and Monty’s (and Patrick Print’s)inspirational words at the Oxfordshire BHS annual meeting.

Culminating with seeing Monty and Kellyand the rest of the team at Addington. So if you thought I was stalking you all -not so - just finding myself even moreinspired by that wonderful animal the horseand all those people out their who realisethey are so special to.

Many thanks

Jin Langstone

A signed copy of ‘Ask Monty’ goes to the writer of our Star letterStar letter

Dear Kelly,

Thank you and your team for a wonderfulfoundation course. It was absolutelybrilliant to spend a whole week with such a knowledgeable and helpful team.Everyone was so eager to share so manyuseful tips and experiences.

I have been on a number of courses bothwork and non-work related and neverhave I come away so captivated by all thatI had learnt. I loved every minute of it andit has changed my outlook on riding and‘riders’ for ever! I shall do my best to useall Monty’s techniques.

I am booked in for Merrist Wood inSeptember and as a helper at the Grangedemonstration in October, so in themeantime thank you all once again.

Take Care.

Cathy and Taz

Dear Listening Post,

Just had to share this experience with you.My thoroughbred mare has beendiagnosed with an old shoulder injury andalthough not in any pain she cannot beridden. As she has good conformation iswell bred and has a very loving personalitythe vet suggested I should breed from her.

When she went for AI and she had to go inthe stocks. I had practised with my longlead line and dually to which sheunderstood instantly what was being askedof her, I suddenly realised just how quickand willing she is. Anyway we got to thevets and quite rightly she looked quitedaunted at the stocks, I asked the vets andstaff to give her a few seconds (they weretrying to shoo her in at this point) theyreluctantly moved away. I used my long lineto walk into the stocks did not make eyecontact with her but asked her forward shewalked straight in. I then walked herstraight out again (at this point the vetwho has spent twenty years ArtificiallyInseminating mares, was hyper ventilating)he wanted to slam the stock doors shut. I suggested to him that as she was goingto have to go in the stocks several times for scans etc. better she totally acceptedthem now than refused to go the nexttime. I asked her in again and she wentwillingly I then slowly but positively shutthe front door. She was scanned againthree times over the next three days andeach time walked positively in with less and less adrenaline, I employed the sametactics each time.

At the end of the third day we opened thefront of the stocks to allow her out and shejust stood there resting a leg until a coupleof minutes later I asked her out (I wasnattering to a vet).

Baring in mind this is a little mare whopeople suggested I should have her shot,everyone had to agree she behavedimpeccably. Thank you so much forputting me on this brilliant journey.

Lorraine

Dear Kelly,

I just thought that I'd let you know how much your books have helped me. I am 14 and have been riding for about 3 years now, and after saving for 2years I now have my own horses. Jack, a 14.2hh Cob x Thoroughbred, and Buster, a shetland yearling. I have been interested in Intelligent Horsemanship for a while and your books have helpedme enormously to understand horses the right way.

On 4th June I took Jack to a competition at Bromyard Equestrian Centre with my momand dad and my sister who shares Jack with me. I haven’t done many shows before andthe only times I have competed I got eliminated so I wasn’t feeling very hopeful. Thenight before I re-read the chapter in Perfect Confidence about competing. It helped me somuch and on the day I wasn’t feeling too nervous, all I was hoping for was not to fall off,die, get eliminated or forget the course. I only entered the 2ft class as last time I took Jackto a show he didn’t jump at all so I didn’t want to push him. Somehow I managed a clearround, and in the jump off my time was 28.21 seconds, which I didn’t think was too bad,until after the rest of the competitors had gone my sister ran up to me and shouted ‘youwon’! I couldn’t believe it! I was so happy and I just want to thank you for giving me theconfidence to do it. After yesterday I am planning on doing a lot more shows this season.

THANKYOU! Emily and Jack


A horse, a horse, my

In 1955 Laurence Olivier released his version of Shakespeare’s Richard III,where he cried “A horse, a horse, my kingdom for a horse!”. So compellingwas that performance, and many others that Olivier became one ofEngland’s most loved actors on stage, and in film. Fast forward to 2008,Laurence Olivier has long since departed, however, in the National Theatrethere is a stage that bares his name, and right now, is playing host to oneof the most compelling horse stories around. War Horse, is the traumaticstory, seen through the eyes of Joey the warhorse. While fictional it paystribute to the millions of horses that were sacrificed in the first world war,along with millions of human lives lost on the battlefields on both sides.It’s been documented that almost 500,000 horses were lost from the UKalone, many of which were the heavier breeds such as the Clydesdale,used for pulling the guns on the battlefield.

Michael Morpurgo, wrote the book WarHorse, and now as a play, puppets areused to bring to life the extraordinarystory of Joey. However, when we say“puppets”, it really doesn’t do service tothe creations used on stage, and alsobelittles the talent of the three peoplewho work each of the horses on stage.Immense amounts of work went intocapturing the essence of a horse and itsbehaviour, and where better to getassistance, guidance, and knowledge,than with Monty Roberts. So, recentlyMonty, Kelly, and American Pie travelledto London to meet Joey, the puppeteers,and took part in a Platform afternoonperformance in front of 1100 peopleincluding some of the IntelligentHorsemanship Association members.

Pie meets Joey & Monty tries “Cutting”!The horsebox containing Piearrives at the back door of theNational Theatre, along with aselection of Kelly’s show kit.Before anything canhappen, Pie needs to bebrought into thetheatre rehearsalrooms to get him

familiarised with Joey, and his newenvironment. Needless to say, Pie took itin his stride, wandering along a corridorstacked high with strange artefacts fromprevious shows at the theatre. There is a little trepidation in the air as Kellybrings Pie to the 17 hand Joey Puppet,which stands in his “stable” motionlessand still. The puppeteers haven’t yetgiven any life to Joey, and Pie displaystypical nonchalance to the horse.

Joey is a complex character, more sothan any horse, as it takes 3 brains tocreate a living, breathing horse, and asthe puppeteers took hold of Joey, Pielooked on. Over the next hour or so,Monty, Kelly, Pie, and Joey, workedtogether to co-ordinate the rehearsalfor the platform performance. Theinteresting change that happened overthat time was that the reactions of Pieto Joey changed as the puppeteersworked their magic, and drew on theknowledge of behaviour work that theyhad been given from Monty. Pie started

reacting very different to the puppetand throughout the rehearsal

became more curious. Monty, who seemed to enjoy ever

minute of the puppet work,decided to try some cow

cutting with Joey. The grin broadenedas Monty soon discovered that Joeycould hold his own in the USchampionships!

Joey’s behaviourAnyone who has seen Warhorse will tellyou that they believe Joey to be a realhorse. Part of the power of play is thatthe tragic story is helped along by thestunning and accurate portrayal of ahorse by the puppeteers. Three peoplemanage each horse, one controls thehead, the next, breathing and frontlegs, the last, back legs and tail. Whenthe head reacts to something thebreathing quickens, and the tail moves.Simple stuff until you remember thatthree people are responsible for theactions.

Treading the boards with Pie.Getting Pie from the rehearsal room tothe stage had one more challenge inthat he had to travel up in the scenerylift! I’m sure that Pie viewed this task asa vertical horsebox. A closed room, thatmoved, the vibrations must have beensimilar to the box he travels in, Pie, yetagain demonstrated his calm nature and made the walk on stage betweenhis two flame boxes with no problemsat all.

There were 1100 people in the theatreto hear and see the platformperformance that created another first,the first live horse on the stage of theOlivier Theatre. Monty spent 15 minutestalking with the audience, and revelledin the atmosphere. Kelly then led Pieonto the stage, and with introductionsover, proceeded to work through aselection of the tour show from Octoberlast year. The ball, the bridge, and theflags! At this stage, the audience thenfell quiet, as did the rest of us, when asingle spotlight picked out Joey making

Words and photos by Simon Palmer

77The Listening Post

kingdom for a horse!

his way towards the front of the stage.Let the fun begin! Monty directed withKelly a strangely surreal visual version of“Anything you can do, I can do better”with Pie and Joey exchanging tasks. Pieperformed apple stretches, so did Joey.Pie balanced on the bridge, and so didJoey, Pie side passed, and so did Joey!

The audience was then given the chance to ask questions of all involved. Craigthe puppeteer in charge of Joey’s headadmitted he had a phobia of horses, butstood close to Pie and appeared morenervous of the questions. Pie stillwanted to play, and while talk wasgoing on, decided to give a Flemenresponse much to the amusement ofeveryone, and even though Joeycouldn’t perform the same lip curlingmovement, the head a neck mimickedthe action perfectly!

All too quickly the afternoon came toan end. For Pie it was time to go home,however, for the majority of the team, an evening with Joey was in store.

A warhorse, a warhorse… my kingdom for a warhorse!

Here’s what you had to say!Dear Kelly

Just wanted to say a HUGE thank you for organizing tickets for War Horse. It was an absolutely stunning performance and we thoroughly enjoyed it although I have to say I blubbed almost from beginning to end!! Very stirring stuff and well

worth the trip down from Derbyshire to see it.

We also really enjoyed seeing you, Monty and Pie in the afternoon. Pie is amazing how he takes everything in his stride – if ever anyone needs proof of whether Monty’s

and your methods work, they need look no further than him! Sally

You did warn me! - And I did have trouble defending my eyeliner from a cascade of tears. WHAT A FANTASTIC SHOW!!!

I’ve wanted to see the show for quite a while, after having heard an excellent review on Radio 4. But as usual, hadn’t ‘planted any seeds’ and was disappointed when

I looked to see that it was sold out. Couldn’t believe my luck when I saw the offer in‘Listening Post’ - not only was the date a day before my birthday but there was the

3pm slot with Monty and you too!!! Alison

Hi Kelly

Just wanted to say thank you again for such a lovely afternoon and evening yesterday!

Pie was a star as always and the evening performance was breath taking!! I loved it and was very glad I brought tissues. Hilary

Joey the Warhorse was created by Adrian Kohler of the Handspring Puppet Company


Cleaning of the sheath is a simpleprocedure, however some horses can bepretty defensive about you handling their‘jewels’! Safety is a very important factorand in these circumstances the procedurecould be carried out during sedation; it canbe a good idea to think about tying it inwith some scheduled dentistry or a visitfrom the vet.

Body work, such as the Equine Touch, couldbe a very useful pre-required procedure, asmany geldings ‘drop down’ as they relaxduring the body work. This is great time tocheck the penis for dirt or the bean.

Before you begin, ensure you look at theanatomy structure, so you know what youare looking for and where to check for thebean. The equine sheath (prepuce) ispeculiar in being thrown into additionalfolds that allows for the considerablelengthening of the penis during erection.

The non-hairy skin of the sheath containssweat and sebaceous (oil) glands, whichtogether with dead cells, smegma, secretionsfrom glands and urine are what form the‘bean’. This bean can sometimes have acheesy consistency, but often can be hard asa stone and reach the size of a largechestnut. The ‘bean’ is usually locatedaround the urethral orifice (central fossa)which opens on the free ending of the peniscalled glans. Some smaller beans can be alsohidden inside the urethral sinus, which issmaller space within the central fossa.

When cleaning the sheath, you will needgloves, a large syringe, warm water (nothot!) and cleanser (do not use antibacterialsoap, as the sheath has a normal populationof healthy bacteria keeping the localenvironment in balance).

Position yourself at the horse’s side andensure you have a good handler at thehorse’s head. Run your hand carefully overhis belly towards the sheath and observe forany signs of ‘threatening’ to kick you e.g.lifting the leg, swishing the tail or movingaway from you.

I suggest that you start cleaning and checkfor any ‘beans’ when the horse dropsdown. To check for the beans you will needto hold the free part of the penis in yourhand. Be careful as some horses really donot like this! (I had a couple of geldings,both with visible swelling in the sheath areaand discomfort, that did not allow me totouch that area at all. The veterinarian wasable to clean the sheath after mild sedation.In both cases there were HUGE beanspresent, which had already caused somelocal inflammation).

If the horse is fine and you can hold theglands penis, try to gently ‘open’ the areaon top of the penis. The smegma is usuallyformed into a bean, and sometimes it justfalls out, but many times you have to runyour thumbs gently around the urethra,scooping any of the soapy material out ofthe pocket. This could be very unpleasantfor some horses, so be careful and observefor any signs of discomfort.

Inside the deep pocket is also a smallsecond opening into the urethral sinus,where some additional beans can belocated; if the horse allows you to, checkthere as well.

If the horse will tolerate it, put dilutedcleanser on your gloved hand and reach upto his sheath to clean it. You can also usethe big syringe to get enough warm solutionto where it is needed. Massage gently theinside of the sheath and around the shaft ofthe penis to release any build-up of dirt.Rinse the sheath with clean warm water towash away any residual cleanser or dirt.Ideally this procedure should be done every6 months, but at least once a year.

Take a look at this bean that was takenfrom of one of the geldings at the lastInstructors’ Clinic in Texas. During the clinicit was noted that a gelding called Amarettohad not dropped and what was showinglooked rather swollen - but he would notallow anyone to touch it. A very braveInstructor dodged flying hooves to find ahuge bean lurking (broken in two in thephotograph) – no wonder this horse wasnot a happy horse.

Cleaning of the sheathBy MV Dr Ivana Ruddock, The Equine Touch Foundation Inc.As we travel the world and teach the Equine Touch classes we have found thatcleaning a gelding or stallion’s sheath is not as common a routine as it should be.In some countries, horse owners understand the importance of this ‘hygiene’, asexcessive accumulation of the ‘smegma’ (a thick, often dark, smelly material with a soapy consistency) in the pocket around the urethra can cause discomfort andsometimes a disturbance to the flow of urine. Presence of the hard ‘bean’ or‘stone’ (as this built-up mass is often called) can also be the cause of unspecifichind leg lameness (due to discomfort) or even colic (due to obstruction of theurethra making urination very difficult).

Ivana Ruddock is one of the co-foundersof the Equine Touch Foundation Inc.Ivana trained as a vet in the CzechRepublic and now travels the worldteaching the Equine Touch with herhusband Jock Ruddock. More details can be found at:www.theequinetouch.com

9The Listening Post

By Susan Swann

I think it is because we think they look ok,we think we’re doing everything we can orwe think that is what they should look like.What does it take to make us change ourmindset to what is Fat NOT Fit?

Here’s my diary...

17th May: Attended a World HorseWelfare weighbridge road show with myhorse, Flynn, a 10 year old Irish Draught. I listened to their talk on horse welfare andtheir true picture of the overweight horseand then I had my horse weighed. Hugereality check! Flynn is FAT and at 681Kgs is100Kgs more than he should be or I’dexpected. Learned how to truly ConditionScore my horse.

18th May: Bought and fitted a muzzle. I’dalways thought that the grass wasn’t longenough for me to use it on him. I struggledto keep the muzzle on as Flynn found waysto remove it.

28th May: Flynn came in footy.

30th May: He has raised digital pulse and Ilearn that he has Low Grade Laminitis (LGL).Alarm bells ringing - if I don’t act now it willbe full blown laminitis. For 3 days he wasstabled full time on hay that had beensoaked for 24 hours to leach out as muchsugar as possible but retain the proteinswhich all horses need; starving him couldbring on stress laminitis or colic Flynn wassound in the arena or with Solemate padstaped on to his feet for support. The vet’sadvice was to continue working him; theincrease in circulation would help to get ridof toxins and aid his weight reduction.

“A Good Doer Doesnot have to be FAT!”

How many of us fully recognisea fat pony or horse? How manyof us see overweight horsesand ponies every day andsimply do nothing or don’teven think they look fat!

1st June: The raised pulse had gone but Icould not be complacent.

2nd June: Flynn went into a very smallrestricted area, in his muzzle. I had beentold sugars in grass are lower at night. Inthe day time he came back into the stableto his soaked hay. The only addition wasMag Ox supplement. He continued to beworked; either long lined or ridden in thearena. I was dying to put the Dodson andHorrell weigh tape around him that we’dbeen given as part of the road showPackage.

7th June: Yes he was losing weight! A lossof 10Kgs and a great incentive to continue.

The grass was all gone now in the restrictedarea so I decided to see if he could eat hayin his muzzle, and threw some down on theground. Amazingly he sucked it up likespaghetti! He could go out at night andtrickle feed on soaked hay wearing hismuzzle. In the daytime he came in tosoaked hay un-muzzled. Every day he was ridden.

21st June: He has lost 25Kgs!!! That’smore than the weight of a bag of feed.Imagine carrying that kind of excess. Theother liveries came to watch this horse thatcould eat soaked hay through his muzzle.They found him amusing but also notedhow much he had improved.

He was moving better and when looseschooled he would happily canter aroundbucking and having the time of his life.

July 7th: I decided to try himback out on restricted grazingwith his muzzle on so that hecould have some horsecompany. He then tested mewith ways to remove the muzzle, ruin the muzzle,test out a new muzzle, andbreak the new muzzle.Eventually the area could beextended to a reasonable sizebut very limited in grass qualityand quantity. Then he began to test the electric fence instead!

July 18th: With all of his breakouts, I wondered whether hewould have lost any weight atall but now he had lost a totalof more than 50Kgs, theequivalent of two bags of horsefeed or an eight stone humanbeing sitting on him constantly

24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days ayear. Now he was down to 632Kgs.

August 14th: Total loss over 60Kgs.

I look at past pictures of Flynn and see notjust a fat Flynn but a gross Flynn. I am soproud of how he looks now. His fly rug nowgapes, his saddle is too wide and his girth istoo long (so I shrank it in the wash andtumble dried it!)

Our journey will continue and I will notallow him to gain that much weight everagain. Our management of the Good Doerhas changed for good: NO apples, NOcarrots, NO pears, NO Polos. For clickerwork I will use his supplement as treats. Hewill be on limited grass or well soaked hayand supplements. Dodson and Horrell saythat he should only have Equibites fed atrate of 1 x 50Kgs of body weight. In thewinter he will not be cosseted, he will beclipped and have a rug to keep off worst ofthe elements but not be over-rugged andhe may even live out 24/7. I must rememberthat he is a horse and they are supposed togo through winter using their excess bodyfat to keep warm. They are supposed tocome though the winter and enter springlean! It is what nature designed them to do,according to World Horse Welfare, we comealong and kill them with kindness.

Laminitis is rife now in this country and yetit is unheard of in wild horses. If we wanthealthy horses we need to re-consider howwe manage them for their best welfarewithin our domestic situations.

Q&A


Ask the Experts

Monty Roberts

Q: My 6 year old thoroughbred mare is9 weeks in foal. She has all of a suddendeveloped a phobia to havinginjections. This is a real problem as she has to have at least three morebefore she foals down. Is there a wayto de-sensitise her or because pain isinvolved can this not be done?

A: The fear of needles and syringes isapparent throughout the world of horsesand children too. Pain is not the real issueshere, that is to say pain that would comefrom the needle. From the needle we getfear and the anticipation of pain because of the tiny sharp sting that is felt only as the needle enters the tissues of the horse in question.

Children see a strange person dressed inunusual clothing and then feel the sting ofthe needle, put together it results in theproduction of greater fear. As the child getsolder, rationalises the need for injection, the fear of pain subsides and is replacedwith a realisation that there is generally nopain at all.

Horses remain children... There is norealisation on the part of the horse that theinjection is good for them, so we need toutilize distractibility in order to remove thefear so that they can tolerate any minor painthat might be associated with an injection.

If we take the time to school the horse tothe Dually Halter so that they understandfleeing is not an option, we have madegreat progress in solving this problem. Withthe Dually Halter in place, if we give ourhorse a bath we tend to create a situationthat might cause some fear, but then wework through it. With the horse still wet,

if we dry out our subject we are beginningto stimulate with a scary object and then,through repetition, generate a familiaritywith the machine that will settle the horseand cause acceptance.

After our equine is accepting of a hair dryer,one should begin to introduce the sight of a syringe without a needle. The syringeshould be moved in such a way that isfollows the flow of the air. Massage thehorse with the syringe with air flowingaround it. The sound and the feel of the air will distract our subject to the extentthat they become quite reasonable aboutthe activity. One might borrow a whitesmock from the Vet or even put it on afriend of our unfamiliar to the horse andrepeat the process.

Adding the smell of alcohol to the area willincrease the familiarity with those thingsveterinarians bring to the scenario. Onceyou have all of these elements well in place,and a complete acceptance by your horse,then call the vet, ask him or her to give theinjection and do it right into the flow of air.Unless your animal is one of the phobic,extremely violent actors, against the needle,you will probably find that you have solvedthe problem at that point.

If your horse is phobic and ballistic, strikingout at people or trying to savage them withhis teeth, then I suggest the same processbut with a set of stocks (an examinationchute) available so that the horse would behard pressed to injure anybody or himself.This type of horse might take significantlylonger than one that is simply frightened ofneedles but not dangerous. It is advisable totrain incrementally so that you take babysteps, increasing your request slow enoughso that you are safe at all times.

Photo © Simon Palmer - Into-The-Lens.com


Q&ATen Questions to ask your vet about Box RestAdvice from IH Recommended Associate Nicole Goldingfor Gloucestershire and South Wales

Q4: What are the risks if I decide to gowith box rest?

You’d expect your vet to flag up issues suchas getting cast and colic. Gastric ulcerscould be an issue if the horse ends up goingfor long periods without food, and there’salways concern about stable “vices” such ascrib-biting or weaving. Weaving on aninjured leg is probably not ideal! There’s alsothe potential for respiratory problems, andinfection if there is a wound site.

Q5: What are the risks if I decide not tobox rest?

The most obvious concerns would be thatthe injury fails to heal, or begins healingand is damaged again, or infection enters awound site. If there is a dressing, it’spotentially harder to keep on if the horse isout and about.

Q6: If I decided against box rest, whatwould be the next best thing?

The vet might look at your yard and be ableto suggest something clever. If you knowthat your horse is likely to be quiet in asmall turnout area as long as he can seesome other horses, suggest this to the vet.They might say “if you could guarantee thatyour horse wouldn’t charge around thatwould be a great solution.” Of course, thereare no guarantees, but it might be a moreintelligent risk than going for box rest if youknow your horse won’t cope with it.

Q7: Is there a critical period that’s moreimportant than the others?

It might be that, in the case of an injury, thefirst few days are of paramount importance.Therefore if you can achieve immobilisationthen, the prognosis for overall recovery ismuch better, but that after that criticalperiod, the benefits of box rest go down incomparison to carefully managed exerciseand turnout. The same might also be trueof an infection, and keeping the site cleanbefore the wound area closes over is vital.

Q8: Is there anything else I can do tospeed up recovery, and also assess thehealing process along the way?

You want to know how things are progressingin case a change of management might beindicated, and in the case of injury anultrasound to assess healing might be useful.

Q:9 What would you do if this wereyour horse?

This is maybe a slightly unfair question, asthe vet probably feels duty bound to offeryou what they consider to be the safestoption for your horse. The question below isa bit of a mouthful, but might give you aclearer idea of where the vet is coming from.

Q10: Is there a possibility you wouldadvise a client to do somethingdifferent to what you might doyourself, since as a professional youwould be confident to take the riskwith your own horse, but would beuncomfortable advising someone elseto do the same, in case there wereadverse consequences?

The vet might agree and say “I would hateto give you risky advice, and at the momentthe generally agreed approach is x, but as aprofessional and knowing what I’m lookingfor, I might consider y if it were my horse. Inany case, it’s your choice, and you have tobe happy with what you decide.”

If you do decide that box rest is the bestway forward for your horse, there’s plenty ofinformation out there about how to make itless stressful for your horse, including theuse of toys (just check these wouldn’t becounterproductive to recovery), mirrors, etc.Just take care to monitor your horse andhow he’s coping, and don’t forget you canalways ask your vet to reassess the situationon a regular basis. In the meantime, thereare lots of lovely things you can do to helpyour horse, like massage and Equine Touch,which could help make a very difficult timemore bearable.

For information on Nicole's popular ridingclinics go to www.whisperingback.co.uk

“OK. He’ll need about 12 weeks of boxrest now, and then we’ll see how thattendon is healing”. Whatever theproblem, there are some questions youshould ask before your vet drives away.

Q1: Is it really necessary?

Hopefully, this question will invite carefulexplanation of the pros and cons of box restand a description of what specifically is tobe achieved. If this detail isn’t forthcoming,you’ll have to ask more questions.

Q2: What is the purpose of box rest?

If it’s to keep the area clean, then turnout ina school or a non-muddy paddock might bethe answer. Most stables are not exactlysterile environments!

If it’s to reduce strain on something like atendon injury, what type of loading is itparticularly important to avoid? Is it speedor tight turns that are a problem? The vethas an image of a horse standing quietly ina stable doing nothing. If you know thatyour horse is likely to be literally climbingthe walls and cantering in a 12 foot circle, it might be worth mentioning this. A largerbarn or a small turnout area may be better!

Q3: Are there any recent studies on theeffectiveness of this treatment?

It’s likely you’ll be hitting the Internet to findout more about your horse’s condition andwhether there are proven alternativetreatments, but it would help if your vetwere able to point you in the rightdirection. It’s not that you’re challengingyour vet and his or her judgment, you’rejust finding out whether the guidelines theyare following are current. Bed rest used tobe recommended for back pain in humans,but it’s now considered counter-productive.There is support for the opinion that boxrest can cause more problems for the horse,and it would be worth checking to seewhether they might apply in your situation.


Fundraising 2008Charity ridearound BritainBy Laura MiddlemissHello to everyone reading the Listening Post.

My name is Laura and as well as being anIH member I frequent the Discussion Groupof the IH website. The DG members havecome up with an idea for an event togenerate funding for the two charities weare all supporting this year, the Lambournbranch of Riding for the Disabled and theLluest Horse and Pony Trust.

There were several suggestions around thetheme of ‘Ride Round Britain’ including arelay from one end of the mainland to theother. This may be for a year or two hencebut we do want to treat ourselves as wetreat our horses, start off gently and buildthe basics before we go galloping off alongthe beach!

So the format we feel is manageable forthis year is that each area arrangessponsored rides, all to take place on theweekend of 2nd & 3rd May 2009. This canbe several separate individuals, teams of

friends or yards, riding out for a hack, publunch, days ride and getting sponsored. It could even be a longer distance trek by afew people, or a combination of the two.

The link to Round Britain... Well thecircumference of the British mainland is11072.76 miles (round up to 11073 shallwe). If we could all get £1 a milesponsorship and aim to ride that manycombined miles, well what a total thatwould be! Is it manageable?? I think mostdefinitely. There are nearly 60 areas. If eacharea gets 20 riders and each rider does 10miles or laps of the paddock then that’smore than the target, we really will haveridden round Britain! Several membersalready anticipate higher mileages and thehigher populated areas can balance the lesspopulated areas so this is just a rough guide.

We would like to see as many people takingpart as possible. Little ones doing laps ofthe paddock on a lead rein, bigger onesgoing for a hack and those old enough todo so maybe doing pub rides (that is mesorted !) or traversing mountains if they sowish. As long as it’s fun and it’s sponsored.

At the moment this fundraiser is DG led,these area events are not at this momentlinked to IH directly.

Each area has a named organiser whohopefully links up with other DG membersin the area and they decide what format ofsponsored riding event best suits their area.Myself and my ‘advisor’ Lorraine canorganise centrally sponsor forms, rosettesand information that lets all participants beaware of what’s happening in other areas.

If you would like to take part as an areaorganiser or as a rider please either visit the forum on the website:www.intelligentHorsemanship.co.ukand select ‘Discussion Group’ from themenu, or write, phone or text me. I canput you in touch with others in your area.

Thank you

Contact Laura Middlemiss at6 Stretton Close, Hereford HR4 0QN Tel: 07779 918605

1.Please email your friends with thedemonstration details from our website.

2.Please pin up Monty tour leaflets/posters,available via the discussion group and theIH Office

3. If you would like extra leaflets just contactthe office on 01488 71300 or [email protected] and we’ll send youbig posters or leaflets. You can alsodownload them from our website on theDemonstrations page. You can then pinthem up EVERYWHERE local riding club,saddlers, feed stores, livery yards, showcentres, doctors surgery, bus stops, trafficlights…

4.Don’t forget to tell your local gossip andswear her to secrecy!

If you have any other ideas to get the wordout – do get in touch!

Come and help us on the day!You know you want to!

We love (and appreciate) IH memberscoming to help us at demonstrations.There’s quite a band of loyal helpers thatturn up to a range of demos now but if

Don’t whisper – Shout!Help make sure everyone knows about Monty’s February tour!

you’ve never tried it before, don’t be shy,everyone is friendly and you’ll soon feel part of the team. It’s a great opportunity to experience what goes on ‘behind thescenes’ and so next time you hearsomething crazy like ‘all the horses aretrained beforehand’ or ‘they only chose the easy ones’ you can give your first handreport of what really happens as the ownersand horses arrive!

We ask that our helpers arrive at 1pm at thevenue for a round pen meeting with Kelly, Ian Vandenberghe and the head of shopping.The fitter ones among you volunteer to setthe round pen, unload boxes from the lorryor set up the shopping area or chairs. In theevening you could be helping on the door,the car parking, the shopping stand or at andexit point.

We ask that helpers stay to help packeverything up and your evening shouldfinish by 12 midnight. Yes, hard work butfun! Listed helpers will receive a token giftfor all their hard work. If you are interestedin helping, please [email protected] or call the IH Officeon 01488 71300

We really appreciate all your hardworkand received many compliments like theglowing feedback below.

I have just returned home from youdemonstration at Myerscough today 9November. I just wanted to say what anabsolute joy the whole event was and I amsure you get this all the time but it was, asalways, inspirational. I took some friendsthis time who hadn't been before. Justwatching their transfixed faces and thediscussions it caused on the way homemade the day complete. I don't know if it’syour staff that help with the books andmerchandise but if it is they were wonderful- so helpful and with (rarely seen I think)great humour and happiness. If they areyour staff please pass on their attitude wasmuch appreciated. So not an enquiry just athank you for bringing us this demo.

Needless to say this demo means I can’twait for the next!

Thank you, Rachel Chapman

THANK YOU TO ALL OUR 2008 HELPERS!


I have been using your Dually Halter sincepurchasing it around February 2008 and am positively delighted with it. It truly is the most all-purpose halter on the market. It automatically gives the mildest correctionnecessary to stop unwanted behavior whileinstantly rewarding compliance.

It occurred to me after working with it one day that it whispered correction andshouted praise. That, and the fact that youremails often contain parallels to us humans,created an ‘Epiphany’ for me. I decided thatinstead of shouting when angry andwhispering when praising others, I woulddo the exact opposite: I would whisperwhen angry and shout praise.

There is no way I can tell you what adifference that has made in my life andthose around me!

One of my neighbour's children frequentlyforgot to close the gate to the pasture with

Utensils1 Riding Hat1 Diary with Pen1 Safe Place to Work1 Dually Headcollar1 Long Lead Rope (12ft minimum)A Pair of Sturdy BootsA Pair of Trusted Gloves

Ingredients1 Horse1 Human1 Plan (Several spare Plans)1 Focus1 Consistency1 Time & Timing 1 Positive Walk1 Peripheral Vision1 Good AttitudeA Bundle of FunA Bucket Load of Positive Reinforcement

Preparation & MethodThis is rather like a good white sauce,once you have mastered it, it willbecome the base on which everythingelse will stand.

1: Dress for Success - Put your SturdyBoots & Riding Hat on and have yourGloves in your pocket.

Monty’s PrinciplesThe Horse Sense for People Column

Whisper Correction and Shout PraiseBy Nancy Troutman Swanton

the obvious result being that the horseswould get loose. When I whispered to herthat she had just left the gate open –instead of the usual excuses andexplanations I got an apology and that itwould never happen again. It was, in fact,the last time she ever forgot to close thegate! Equally dramatic was her absolutedelight at me shouting across the parkinglot to her parents and for the whole worldto hear that I could trust and rely on herand never had to check gates behind herbecause she always closed them.

Another child did an exceptional job ofcleaning her horse's stall – but not on aregular basis. I whispered to her that itneeded to be raked at least once per dayand it became rare that the stall was notraked daily. I saw her and her parentscoming into the barn one morning andpurposely climbed on top the of hay so Icould shout to her parents that the farrier

had found no hoof problems this timebecause of her excellent care. It was aSaturday so there were a number of peoplearound to hear this well earned praise. Her face glowed like a floodlight.

These are only two small examples of theextraordinary results that I have seen. Just as you have pointed out that adrenalineprevents the horse from learning, I havelearned that causing a person to becomedefensive prevents them from learning.Shouting when angry always causes adefensive response. Whispering means thata person must be quiet and actively listen tohear what you are saying.

I am at a total loss on how to thank youenough for teaching me how to be gentle,with horses as well as with people. I amstrongly of the opinion now that beinggentle is not a sign of weakness but ofgreat power.

2: Have Your Plan -No where you are inyour training andwhere you would liketo aim for-rememberbite size chunks can beeasier to digest forboth yourself and yourhorse-incrementallearning.

3: Check your Safe Working Area - Havethis set up and ready for you to work, withany obstacles you may need through thesession close to hand.

4: With your Plan ready - Add some goodattitude, peripheral vision and take yourselfsomewhere to get focused– close your eyesand visualise working through your planwith your horse.

5: Pick up your Dually and Long Rope -Open up your Dually to the largest nosespace position possible-head to your horse.

6: On reaching your horse allow timefor a stroke and a chat before offeringthe Dually up to his head - Politely placethe Dually on and secure it at the correctheight-gently tighten up the nose and jowlbuckles so the Dually is a snug fit-attach

your rope to either training ring or ringunder jowl-Pop your Gloves on-haveanother nice stroke before walking off.

7: Heading to your safe place to workwith peripheral vision and a positivewalk - Work through your Plan-Listening toyour Horse with all of your Senses-PositivelyReinforcing your horses efforts - both of youhaving a bundle of Fun.

8: Take your horse back to his livingarea - Tell him how clever he is - gentlyremove the Dually and stroke him beforebacking out of his space

9: Tell yourself how well you have bothdone and note it all down in your diary

Note: Attention to Detail and Preparationare vital for recipes to stand the best chanceof rising to success.

Stand back and Admire theFruits of your Labour.

Recipe for a Perfect PartnershipBy IH Recommended Associate Sandra Williams


Dear Monty and Kelly

Just would like to say a BIG THANK -YOU for all your helpand support at Towerlands. I had Kaseem the Chestnut Arabwho had a loading and unloading problem. Well I wasamazed by what Monty did for me and Kaseem as he is now a different horse, his happy to walk in and WALK out thetrailer without jumping from the top to get out.

The whole night was an amazing experience and I’ve neverseen my horse go into horse box in under 30 seconds, I wasgob smacked!!!

So from me and Kaseem, a big thank-you!

Just a quick thank you for putting on a fantastic show atTowerlands with Monty and Kelly. It's the first time I have seen either of them and cannot tell you howimpressed I was. I am an older lady returning to horsesafter 21 years and so much has changed, I was scepticalabout these methods but how wonderful it all was. I willmost definitely being finding out as much information as possible.

Thank you all very, very much for opening my eyes to this.

Ann

Hi Kelly and Monty

I just wanted to say a BIG BIG thank you for using Scarlet, the appaloosa, in the demo. As you may have guessed this meant an awful lot to me.

I believe that violence is not justified at any time and unfortunately I did have a hard childhood as my mother was older and unable to cope with another child at 44. This meant that I became her 'kicking block' both verballyand physically. Just watching you both at work and listening to you helped memore than you will ever know. I hope that you will now understand why it is soimportant to me that my baby has the best start possible. What you have startedI will now try and continue! We used the Dually as soon as I had bought it andit even helped on Saturday night when she planted her feet and decided not togo in the stable at home. I just made her go back and asked her to walk in andit worked straight away.

Once again thank you very much! I will keep in touch via the forum on the weband I hope to see you in a demo, or you never know on a course, very soon.

With thanks.

Autumn Tour

Dear Kelly and Monty,

Thank you both and all your team for the amazingexperience I had at your demonstration at The Grange EC in Devon.

Everyone there made us feel extremely welcome and at ease. I have worked continuouslywith Dane for two years, often feeling that little progress was made, due to his extremelynervous disposition. Although you did not decide to use Dane in the demonstration, I feltextremely grateful that you and Monty took over an hour working with Dane.

Thanks to this hour it is the first time in an age that I have felt we had a breakthrough withDane, mainly because it has given me a way forward with him.

All your help and advice has helped us realise that despite the pressures of traditional methodsto “get on and ride” it is ok to get it right on the ground first!

I just thought it was important to thank you all, and let you know that the experience has hada profound effect on us, and hopefully all the horses we deal with in future, especially Dane.

Many Thanks, Laura MacLucas


Dear Monty, Kelly and all the IH team!

I am writing to say a huge thank you to you all. Storm and I were lucky enough to come along to the World Horse Welfare centre in Norfolk and join you all to be in with a chance of Storm being started by Monty in the demo.

We were made to feel very welcome throughout the day – you were all very friendly, helpful andprofessional. Although Storm was not picked to be used in the demo, you still took the time tohave a session with him and let him experience his first rider! I would like to thank Adrian andRosie for doing such a good job. Storm was started the best possible way and it was very exciting(and emotional!) to watch.

Thank you once again and the very best wishes to IH for the future!

Susie and Storm

2008

Brilliant! I was at Gleneagles last night and that wee girlcouldn’t stop crying after Kelly loaded her horse then had the girl do it! she had riddenhome from things before as horse wouldn’t load, or took 4hrs! Tob (On the DG)

I went to the Hadlow demo and itwas amazing. I took my brother andniece for the first time and they wereamazed so much so that my 11yrold niece is now a new member. I also took a friend of my mothersand she cried all the way throughit, she found the whole experienceincredible.

This was my third time at one of Monty’s demos and each timeI learn something new.

Jackie (On the DG)

On tour with Monty and KellyTo tour with Monty and Kelly is an immenseprivilege. Travelling the length and breadthof the UK, watching Monty and Kelly worktheir ‘magic’ with so many different horses,is a learning experience not to be missed,and I am pleased to have had theopportunity. This Autumn I was luckyenough, as a Chartered Physiotherapist andEquine Body Worker, to physically assesseach of the horses used in Monty’sdemonstrations. Clearly, the physical well-being of the horse is essential if his trainingis to be successful and a bond of trust to begained. Even Joey, the puppet horse in ‘WarHorse’ at the National Theatre was in needof physiotherapy, and I treated one of thepuppeteers for shin splints!

Many of the horse owners on tour wereunsure how to find a ‘back person’ theycould trust. ACPAT is the Association ofChartered Physiotherapists in AnimalTherapy, and all Category A members areChartered Physiotherapists in the humanfield who have undergone further training totreat animals. To find a qualified, fullyinsured Chartered Physiotherapist to workwith your horse (or dog!), visit www.acpat.org.

Sue Brown (www.holistichorsehelp.com)

Hi Kelly and team,

Just a quick line to thank you so much toeveryone at Hadlow on Saturday September27th for helping with my gorgeous handful!!

Everyone was so friendly and helpful, it was atruly magical day and I can honestly say I willnot be parting with my boy now and am verykeen to work with him the 'IntelligentHorsemanship' way.

Thank you all so much!

Caasius and Nicky


Below are some suggestions of how to help your horse overcome his phobia of the clippers.

Some of the reasons why you mightclip your horse:

• To prevent your horse overheating duringexercise, and therefore reduce stress onhis cardiovascular system.

• To speed up the cooling down processfollowing exercise, making your horsemore comfortable.

• For ease of grooming and appearance –it’s always nice to have a smart lookinghorse.

• To conserve energy by reducing sweating,and hence improve performance.

Safety

As always, safety is of prime importance.The more relaxed that your horse is aboutthe clippers, the more confident you can bethat you can stay safe.

Introduce the clippers gradually, using someor all of the suggestions below as anintroduction. It may takedays or weeks for yourhorse to becomeaccustomed to theclippers, depending on hisreason for disliking them.

When the time comes toclip your horse, choose aquiet day when you haveplenty of time spare.Make sure that you haveappropriate clothing andsafe boots, and that yourhorse is clean and dry.Don’t try to clip him forthe first time the weekbefore an important show – accept that youmay not complete the entire clip on yourfirst attempt! The welfare of your horse isalways more important than whether hishairstyle fits the latest fashion!

Where do I start?

If your horse is worried about the clippers,chances are he’ll be worried about otherstrange sensations on his skin. Dependingon the severity of the phobia, and your skillbase, you may want to work with theclippers straight away, or you may want towork through some slightly less complexphobias first in order to make the clippingissue easier to deal with. It’s important toremember that your horse has a reason tobe scared of the clippers. Either he doesn’tunderstand what they are, in which case his

So your horse doesn’t want By IH Recommended Associate Sue Brown

Whilst a long, thick coat is greatprotection from the elements

during the cold wet winter, it doesn’t always suit the

lifestyle of the ridden horse.Clipping your horse is the simple

solution, but it’s not always asimple process! Whilst most

horses will accept the clippers ina relaxed fashion, others object

to the noise and the feel.Techniques to overcome this

range from avoiding the trickyareas, through twitching the

horse, to sedation from the vet.

protective instincts will kick in. Or theclippers (or something associated withthem) have caused him pain in some way in the past. Most horses who are introducedto clipping in a calm and gentle fashion,with understanding and patience, veryquickly come to accept the strange noiseand sensation. Horses are by naturepeaceful animals, their survival is dependenton them being able to conserve energy, andthey will not fight without (in their mind, atleast!) good reason.

So if we look at a phobia of clipping fromthe point of view of the horse’s protectiveinstinct kicking in and causing his ‘difficultbehaviour’, we can use techniques to helphim to overcome his fear. Similar techniquesare used successfully throughout our workwith horses – we are asking our horse toaccept something that his instincts tell himto fear.

The Research

In 1999, research showed that over 2 weeks, fear of clippers could be reducedby allowing the horse to listen to the soundof the clippers whilst he was eating.

More recent research lookedat ways of helping horses toaccept the unacceptable.The effects of 3 differenttraining methods wereassessed, with the‘unacceptable’ being a sheetof nylon moving nearbywhilst the horse was eating.Each horse was let into apen that had feed in atrough in the middle; a sheet of nylon was at the side of the arena. A person standing on the

outside of the pen was able to lift the nylonby pulling on a rope that was attached tothe nylon. The end goal was for the horseto show a minimal behavioural reaction tothe nylon being lifted.

The ‘habituation’ method consisted of thenylon being lifted once during each trainingsession, whilst the horse was feeding fromthe trough. The ‘desensitisation’ methodconsisted of the nylon being lifted onlyhalfway initially, and at a slower speed, until the horse was showing a minimalbehavioural reaction, only then was thenylon moved further and faster. The‘counter-conditioning’ method involvedfeeding the horse from a piece of nylonsimilar to that which was being moved. This was placed next to the original nylon,until the horse was able to accept the nylon

Don’t try to cliphim for the firsttime the weekbefore an importantshow – accept thatyou may notcomplete the entireclip on your firstattempt!


a haircut

• As before, with your hand moving overyour horses skin

• The feel of the clippers (switched on) heldstill on your horses skin

• As before, with the clippers moving in thedirection of the hair

• If traditional clippers are too much foryour horse to cope with initially, try any orall of the above using cordless clippers(which are generally quieter), or even abattery razor

Use advance and retreat techniques

A predator will never approach and thenretreat. So if the ‘scary object’ goes awayagain when the horse is standing still, thatcan be taken as a signal that it is not apredator. Move the object (feather duster,clippers, etc) towards the horse (rememberingthat learning happens more quickly if youmove slowly at first) until the horse isaccepting the slower movement, before youspeed up. Look for signs that he is reachingthe edge of his ‘comfort zone’ – he mightraise his head, tense his muscles, twitch hisear, look as though he is about to moveaway. Hold the object just at the edge ofthe horse’s comfort zone (if he moves, youwent too far) for around 3 seconds, thentake it away again (behind your back out ofsight works best). Repeat, and gradually thecomfort zone will move closer and closer toyour end goal. The edge of the comfortzone varies hugely from horse to horse, it’simportant to treat your horse as anindividual and work within his boundaries.

Good timing is all-important

Releasing the pressure, or retreating theobject, lets the horse know that he hasdone the right thing. So it’s important to

Releasing the pressure, or retreating the object, lets the horse know that he has done the right thing.

retreat when he is standing still, rather thanwhen he is moving. If he is moving awayfrom you fast, then you misjudged the‘comfort zone’, so you need to take thingsback a bit and look more closely at thesignals your horse is using to communicatewith you. If he just fidgets a step or two,move with him so that the object stays atthe same distance from him, and retreatonce he stops and stands still.

Conclusion

Taking the time to get the initial trainingright pays dividends through the years.Often our horses can only communicatewith us through what we interpret as ‘badbehaviour’, so it is up to us to invest in theknowledge and skill to understand them.

moving, he was then encouraged to feedonce again from the middle of the pen.

Results showed that the horses trainedusing the ‘desensitisation’ method showedfewer flight responses, needed fewertraining sessions, and were more likely toachieve the end result (minimal behaviouralreaction to the nylon moving at the side of the pen whilst they fed from the troughin the middle of the pen) than the othergroups.

How can I use desensitisation to help myhorse overcome his fear of the clippers?

Using an incremental approach will allowyour horse to accept what you’re asking of him in a calm and relaxed fashion, and the training process will be a pleasantexperience.

Start by breaking down the end goalinto smaller pieces

End goal:

• To clip your horse while he stands calmly

Some suggested smaller pieces:

• Unusual objects touching the horse’s skin(for example, you may work with afeather duster, a plastic bag, a bottle witha few pebbles rattling in the bottom)

• The noise of the clippers in the vicinity ofthe horse

• The noise of the clippers graduallymoving closer to the horse

• The clippers switched on, held in onehand where the horse can’t see them,while your other hand strokes your horse

• As above, with the clippers where yourhorse can see them

• The feel of the clippers (switched off) heldstill against the horses skin

• As above, with the clippers moving overthe horses skin

• Using a hair dryer (the cordless ones areideal for this) on your horses coat, toallow him to combine noise and unusualsensation without discomfort

• The feel of the clippers (switched on)against the back of your hand, whilst yourhand is held still against your horses skin


Intelligent Horsemanship at Your Horse Live! By IH student Sophie Warren-Smith

The 5 P’s - Perfect Planning PreventsPoor Performance!

I have known Recommended Associate (RA)Sandra Williams for nearly 6 years nowhaving met her through IH. When she rangme earlier in the year and told me that Kellyhad sent an email out looking for volunteersto run an Intelligent Horsemanship stand atYour Horse Live, I jumped at the chance!Having had previous experience of tradefairs I felt that I could actually be useful (!)and was really excited as it was the firsttime IH had had a stand at your Horse Live.To top it all - Monty & Kelly were joining uson the Friday to do two demo’s as part ofthe shows ‘Natural Horsemanship Day’.

Ideas started flowing between Sandra and Iand as they were developing a sense ofexcitement began to grow, our aim wassimple - to create a professional lookingstand that was friendly and approachable,and above all else, one that would raise theIH and RA profile to help more horses andowners create a better relationship witheach other.

Sandra really wanted to keep continuitybetween the fantastic new website and IHidentity in general so asked the team in the

office if we could have the R.A Map fromthe website to co-ordinate into colouredareas which should make it easier to locateyour nearest R.A. Plenty of e-mails betweenSandra and Katie Gormley the IH CreativeExtraordinaire resulted in some greatgiveaway sheets and two eye catching pullup posters.

Before we knew it, the weekend was uponus and armed with all the stand gear plusnecessary essentials of crisps and chocolateSandra, her husband Martin, RA GarryBosworth and I arranged to meet at thestand for setting up on the Thursdayevening. Our first test of setting up arrivedin the shape of our stand being used bysomeone else! A few swift phone calls laterand normality resumed. As anyone who hasdone Join Up will know, you need greatmultitasking skills - this came in handy aswe were also co-ordinating the arrival ofthree of the 4 bad loaders that were due inat the same time!

Show Time!

Having been given our impressive VIP passes(though to my great disappointment I wasnever asked to show it - darn it!) the showbegan early on the Friday morning. It started

gently enough, Ann-Marie Marek and RAsZoe Chipman and Sue Brown helping outon the stand. The moment the firstIntelligent Horsemanship demo finished anorganised chaos fell upon us not helped bythe fact that our hi-tech GPS hand heldcredit card machine decided to go to sleep!But we soon got the hang of the oldfashioned and ever reliable manual versionand we were away, the response wasoutstanding and with Monty & Kelly signingon the stand afterwards and people askingthe RAs for advice we were swamped!

With a short breather and a quick sarnie wewere more prepared after the second demoand it was fantastic to hear great feedbackfrom all who were watching. Later in theafternoon, after saying bye to Monty andKelly as they were off up to Lancashire tocomplete the last two dates of Monty'stour, we had a stand tidy up and reflectedon what a fantastic day it had been.Saturday and Sunday were equally asrewarding with many people who had notbeen able to talk to RAs on the Friday dueto large numbers kindly coming to visit thestand again.

Sandra and I would like to thank RAs ZoeChipman, Garry Bosworth, Sue Brown,Rosie Jones and Sally Hamilton for all theirhelp, and a special thank you to Monty andKelly for letting us loose with the stand!Behind the scenes were Martin Williams,Julia Fisher, Ann-Marie Marek, KatieGormley, Charles Graylen, Simon Palmer,Brenda Whelehan, Louise Austin, JuliaBradford and Oliver Wilson, none of theabove would have been possible to achievewithout good communication andteamwork.


Your Horse Live DemonstrationsBy Kelly Marks

The 4 bad loaders were:Sprite: A 14.2hh, 12 year old part Hackneymare. Sprite had to be hacked to the demosome 25 miles. The last time they had triedto load her the owner had landed up inhospital with a broken finger. Generally theyhad only managed to get her to the bottomof the ramp and then she’d ‘refuse tobudge’. Sprite was worked with by IHRecommended Associate Garry Bosworthfrom Lincolnshire.

Hero: A 15.2hh, Dutch Warmblood, greygelding. Hero had had 2 falls in the lorrythat his present owner knew of and nowabsolutely refused to load in a lorry. Theyhad tried every method they could think ofbut any form or pressure would have himrearing and he would eat from the lorryramp but not put foot in it. They had foundthey could load him with a blindfold on butwas getting progressively more difficult toload with a blindfold on and that wascarrying it’s own dangers. Hero waspartnered with IH Student, Charles Graylen.

Maverick: We received the information thatMaverick was an 18hh, ‘coloured hairybeast’, part shire and would just run awaywhen you went to load unless you had in achifney (a severe mouthpiece sometimesworn to lead difficult stallions) in which caseyou could generally get him in after aperiod of time. Being the biggest horse wethought it appropriate to pair him with the smallest our Buckinghamshire IHRecommended Associate, Sandra Williams!

Charlie: A grey, 16.2 Warmblood x IrishDraft. His main problem was bolting and

getting loose if you tried to lead himanywhere he didn’t want to go. He hadrecently broken a handler’s elbow when heran away and dragged them. His ownercould prevent him running away if he worea chifney but he would still plant his feet forextended periods and not move whentrying to load. Oxfordshire IHRecommended Associate Rosie Jonesworked with Charlie.

In the morning 35 minute time slot Montymentored Charles and Hero while I watchedwith teacherly pride as Sandra worked withMaverick. After Join Up, horses andhandlers negotiated a series of obstacles toassist their confidence and manageabilitybefore approaching the horsebox.

The ‘L’ shape, bright white tarpaulin(Maverick was particularly suspicious!) A wooden bridge to walk over and someround pen panels set up as a narrow walkway (a particular issue for Hero whoshowed ‘into pressure’ tendencies and wasquite uncomfortable with this for a while).

In the afternoon RA Garry Bosworth workedwith Sprite and RA Rosie Jones with Charlie.Needless to say all the horses loaded happilyinto the horsebox after 35 minutes.Charlie’s owner was particularly shocked

‘I can’t believe it’s the same horse!’ Sheexclaimed after Rosie walked in the lorryand Charlie followed, completely loose,behind her.

All the owners loaded their horses as partof the demonstration and after thedemonstration 3 of the horses loadedhappily back in their own transport.Although Sprite loaded into her trailer sheclearly wasn’t comfortable in there so themagnificent team led by student Charlesvolunteered to drive her back in the Oakleyhorse box which she clearly felt more fittedher star status*.

*IH readers will know that this is a clearcase of anthropomorphism but purely forthe purposes of being lighted hearted – forwhatever reason Sprite needed more spaceto feel safe.

Feedback from an Owner

Dear All the Lovely People at IH, I’m justwriting to let you know how Hero and Iare getting on! Hero appeared last weekat Your Horse live as a problem loader.The IH team did a brilliant job with him(and me! ) and were extremely calm andprofessional. Hero did object to loadingbut thanks to the kindness and patienceof student Charles he soon walked onwithout issue. It’s 5 days on and I’vepracticed loading twice at home. Thefirst time (Sunday morning) was prettymuch a repeat of the demo, it took 45minutes and 2 rears but he loaded 3times without a problem. Today, heloaded within 5 minutes, the 2nd time I pointed him at the ramp and he thenwent to walk on a further 5 times like itwas nothing. He was completely relaxedand happy. We will continue to practiceour groundwork and loading for theforeseeable future but I cannot thank theIH team enough for your absolutelybrilliant work and giving *me* theconfidence to deal with this rather scaryissue. So, thanks once again and pleasepass this on to Monty and Kelly, and theIH team.

Mel Howard.

Big Well Done to RAs Rosie Jones, Sandra Williams,Garry Bosworth and Student Charles Graylen, alsobig thank to RA Julia Fisher and Ann-Marie Marekfor their support with the horse organisation. We could never have pulled off this ambitiousproject of getting 4 bad loaders to one eventwithout the determination and tenacity of LouAustin and Your Horse Live organisers JustineHarding and Julie Brown were terrific.

After a wonderful evening at the Animal Health Trust Awards dinner in London on the Thursday evening, Monty and I arrived bright and early at Stoneleigh forthe Your Horse Live meeting with our fabulous team. We had no concerns aboutlack of sleep because our trusted representatives were doing all the work for us!


Life after the 5 day ...or rather, should I say, the life-changing 5

By IH Student Bindy Harper

Trigger

From the age of about nine until I went away to university, I was very fortunate in that I spent most of my spare time ridingand caring for my own pony. Like many young girls, I loved mypony and when I thought the whole world was against me, I coulddepend on him 100%. I used to just sit in his stable or drape myselfalong his back as he was grazing in the field, telling him aboutthings that were going on in my head. Even then it never seemedright to me to force a horse to do anything.

My Intelligent Horsemanship journey startedin October 2007. My mother had boughttickets for me to see ‘Monty Rides Again’ at Hartpury College. I can honestly say Ihave never been so inspired and moved byanything before. I should perhaps add formy husband’s benefit, except for mywedding day! Although I spent much of thedemonstration in tears, I felt a flame ignitewithin me and I can still hear Monty’s wordsfrom that night ringing in my ears: ‘ this isnot magic; this is real; this can be learned’.And so I booked myself onto the 5 dayfoundation course.

The course itself was everything I’d hoped itto be, and more. I left Hartsop Farm at theend of the week even more certain that Ihad taken the first step on a new journey. I couldn’t wait to return home to practiseeverything I had learnt with my team. Let me introduce you to them:

Alfie, Trigger and Paddy

These guys are proving to be great teachers.They each have their subtle differences thatare essential for learning to deal withvarying characters, dispositions andsituations but for the first few weeks aftermy course I simply practised all of the basicprinciples and methods that I had learned.

About six weeks ago we were joined byanother member to our team:

Dommitt

I fell in love with Dom at Hartsop Farm. He was there for training whilst I was on my course and it wasn’t until I expressedthe fact that I was smitten to Rosie Jones(R.A.) that she informed me that he was infact looking for a new home. Well the rest,as they say, is history. He is a very gentleand loving horse, however he haschallenged me a little bit further than theothers. He is very sensitive and anxious andso far I have found myself dealing withthree different scenarios with him where

I have had to apply the principles learnt andtry to adapt them ‘intelligently’ to suit Domand the particular issues at hand. It is theseexperiences that I want to share to showhow we can apply the IntelligentHorsemanship methods and differentmindset learnt, even after just the stage 1 foundation week, with successful results.

The first of these issues is anxiety aboutbeing separated from his friends. I waswarned about this before taking him on -‘he’ll jump anything from a standstill if he isleft on his own’! Well, the ‘anything’ waspretty much smack on! He’s jumped this...

...and this

Alfie

Dommitt

Paddy


foundation course...day foundation course

...and this

This was clearly something that neededaddressing, but how? I had in my mind thathe had recently changed his home andprobably needed time to settle in but alsohe has a history of jumping out anyway andso this worried, anxious behaviour wasmaybe partly his nature. As I saw it I hadtwo choices: try to set up a scenario wherehe would graze separately from the others,thereby getting him used to being moreindependent, or let him be a part of theherd and manage the comings and goingsat home by never moving him first or lastand putting him somewhere safe (theroundpen) when taking the others away topony club events.

My initial gut instinct was to separate himbut I knew unless I had six foot fencing allround him, he would simply hop over theboundary. I needed to do this gradually, bydegrees, almost so that he wouldn’t noticeit had happened. I divided our paddock upinto three sections with electric fencing; the left hand strip containing Alfie andTrigger and the middle and right handstrips, with a three foot gap in the electricfencing, containing Paddy and Dom. At times I noticed that Dom and Paddywere on the same side of the fencing but atother times they were on opposite sides -Dom didn't seem to mind this. After a fewdays with this set-up I turned them out asnormal and kept an eye on where Paddyand Dom were in relation to each other. As they wandered onto opposite sides ofthe fencing, I sauntered out and closed up the gap. Dom didn’t seem to mind – I couldn’t believe it! A huge step forwardfor him.

The second issue for Dommitt was when itcame to worming him. He simply flew tothe back of his stable when I nonchalantlywent in carrying the dreaded syringe. Beingtotally honest, before the 5 day course, I would have put a head collar on him andgone ahead with the worming regardless of him throwing his head up in the air andtrying to get away - but just those 5 daysstarted to change my thinking - I thought tomyself that it didn't matter if he was

wormed today or in a few days time - so allI did was stroke him down his neck with thesyringe, using the same technique with theworming syringe as we are taught with theplastic bags on a stick - taking it away whenhe stood still - gradually the strokes movedonto his cheek and finished down to thecorner of his mouth and I left it at that forthe first day. It only took two more of thosesessions to get the worming job done andalthough on the third day he momentarilyjerked his head up when the paste wassquirted into his mouth, the process wastotally stress-free and at no time did I forcehim to accept the syringe.

Finally clipping! This was the biggestchallenge of the lot and so I have saved itto last. Dom was simply terrified of clippers.The first time I switched them on, hebacked off from me with such a look in hiseye as if I had got some weapon of death inmy hands. I knew that this was going totake a lot of time, patience and trust. As Dom had already spent some time atHartsop Farm, he was obviously listening to the dually halter very well but I did gothrough the process of a couple of join-upsand some schooling to the dually just to askhim to listen to me and follow me.

I proceeded to do a lot of de-sensitisingwith the plastic bags on a stick. He foundthis pretty spooky but soon settled downonce he realised that standing still resultedin the bags going away. I was quickly ableto rustle them all over his body, even upbetween his ears and down over his face. I decided to then try some small clippers,

quieter and with less vibration than my bigshearing clippers. At first, he backed off butI continued to advance towards him and assoon as the clippers made contact with himhe stood still and so I took them away. We quickly made good progress. The bigclippers were a different story. The amountof vibration and noise made the othersseem pathetic and as soon as I turned themon I knew I was not going to be able tomake contact with him without putting myown safety at risk. I had to think ofsomething different. How could I increasethe noise and amount of vibration moregradually from the small to the largeclippers? I don’t know why they came intomy head (probably because three out of myfour children are boys and I am constantlysurrounded by smelly ones!) but I suddenlythought of rugby socks! I gathered as manyas I could find and layered them one afteranother over the clippers. They certainlyseemed to dull down the noise and vibrationa little but was it going to be enough? I switched them on. As before, Dom backedoff but using pressure on the dually hestopped and let me approach. Amazingly heallowed me to make contact! I stroked himonly about half a dozen times, taking themaway each time as he stood still, beforefinishing that session – he had done so well.

Next session I did only about two minuteswith the plastic bags, again used the smallclippers and then on to the large clipperscovered with rugby socks. Gradually myplan was to peel off the layers of socks oneby one but I did not manage to this sessionas he was still only just accepting them.

It took two weeks but eventually he‘accepted’ the big clippers and I was able toactually clip him. He is still not completelyrelaxed – I can see by his muscles that hebraces himself as the clippers approach but he copes with it. I am so proud of him!One point to note – I had to take care to notlet the clippers run for too long when coveredin layers of socks for risk of them overheating.

I am so very thankful that I came acrossIntelligent Horsemanship. Without the skillsthat I am starting to learn, none of thiswould have been possible. So much of what Monty and Kelly say is constantlycirculating in my head but probably the onething that has helped me most with Dom is‘incremental learning’. I have had to workwith Dom one step at a time. Softly softly,step by step, building gradually on eachsession. Thank you Kelly, Linda, Ian, Rosie,Sandra and everyone else at Hartsop Farmand see you soon!

CHECK OUT KELLY’S HORSE PSYCHOLOGY COURSES IN JANUARY! Go to www.IntelligentHorsemanship.co.uk or call 01488 71300

The Listening Post22

SpotlightSpotlight on Recommended Associate (RA)Listening Post meets Liz Pitman

LP: How did you get into horses (howlong ago etc)?

Liz: I was one of those little girls whodreamed of ponies but never had thechance to have one. The only time I wasallowed on a horse as a child was at the ageof 4. My sister was old enough for a lessonat the park where my grandparents had acaravan. I was too young to be allowed toride but as a special treat was told I could siton Dapple Grey Charlie when he was takenback to his field. In my eyes, he was at least16hh, but in reality was probably more like13hh. Anyway, someone legged me up, butno one had mentioned about stopping inthe middle. I came straight off the other side!

So much for horses until I was about 30when a boyfriend at the time bought me 10 lessons at the local (awful!) riding schoolin Belgium where I lived at the time. There Ilearned so much about how not to ride andit also there that I found my first horse, thelovely Noblesse. From then on, my childhooddreams fleetingly touched reality beforebecoming an all out passion and addiction.Then, about 11 years ago, I went to aMonty demo, and the rest, as they say...

LP: What's important to you when yousee an owner and their horse for thefirst time?

Liz: What I think we have to bear in mind isthat, for many owners, calling out an RA is a matter of last resort. Although I think thatmore and more people are seeing the benefitof groundwork training as a part of theirgeneral equestrian education, morecommonly we are called out because theowner is at the end of their tether. The firstthing I try to do, then, is reassure. I know itfeels like the end of the world, but it isn't.Interestingly, once the reassurance that all isnot lost sinks, the owner will so often be ableto do what their worry was blocking before.

LP: What does a typical R.A. day looklike for you?

Liz: What is a typical day?? I only do onecall out per day as my rescue ponies athome and other work such as IH Kidsdeserve proper attention too. Like myponies, though, I work well without routine,so each day is what it brings and the onlything I know is that by the end of it I willhave done something worthwhile andenjoyed it. Now that's not a bad thing to be able to say about a typical day!

LP: What would be the first piece ofadvice you would give someone lookingat buying/ loaning their first horse?

Liz: Don't buy out of pity! I'm seeing anincreasing number of novice owners whohave seen a sad face at the dealer's yard or sales and unwittingly bought moreproblems than they know how to cope with.The docile set of ribs soon turns into themix of energetic issues that are possibly thereason they are in that state in the firstplace. Don't get me wrong, it is verylaudible to want to help, and I'm the first tohelp rescues, but only if you are equippedto do so. If you're not, then just listen toyour head a bit more.

LP: Is there a favourite type of horsework you enjoy and why?

Liz: When I started training to be an RA, it never occured to me how much therelationship between horse and owner isthe key to happiness for both. Those caseswhere that relationship has failed completely,where both are terrified of each other, butwhere trust and understanding can be rebuilthave to be the most rewarding for me. To take a client from tears of distress to tearsof joy, and to see a corresponding changein the horse, is the best feeling I know.

LP: If you could change one thing in the world of horses what would it be,and why?

Liz: Unsurprisingly as I run IH Kids, I wouldlove for all children to learn to understandtheir ponies better and for them to learnhow to achieve a willing partnership withoutthose pink sparkly whips that tack shopslove to stock in the most prominent places.That for me is the way to make the world abetter place for the horses of the future.

IH Kids makes me really hopeful. We havesome great members who are workingreally hard at their rosettes, and some ofthe thought and ideas our members emailus about are way beyond what I hadexpected. It's definitely an area I would liketo develop more in the future.

LP: What does 2009 hold for you?

Liz: 2009 is looking exciting already. I've gotsome fantastic on-going clients with somebeautiful horses, and who knows what newones the year will bring. As well as that, a client and I are planning to host a seriesof clinics and courses, such as Sue Brown’smassage course and Hilary Vernon’s bittingclinic. I might even add a demo of my own.I'm also hoping that the Essex supportgroup, mainly run through the DG, willdevelop to make Essex one of the bestcounties to be a horse in!

To join IH Kids for FREE email:[email protected]

What is an Intelligent HorsemanshipRecommended Associate (RA)?

Intelligent Horsemanship RecommendedAssociates are specialists in training andunderstanding horses, ponies, both youngand ‘horses with problems’. They haveundergone an intensive programme oftraining and exams to achieve this statusand are the only people IntelligentHorsemanship Ltd recommend to assist withthe training of other peoples horses.

Using established principles of psychologyand equine behaviour together with yearsof experience this way of training hasbecome increasingly popular. Sympatheticto both horses and people ourRecommended Associates have helpedhorses and horse owners achieve a betterunderstanding and achieve their fullpotential all around the world.

Whether you have a young foal or weanlingthat needs handling; a horse that needssaddling, long-reining, backing; a horsewho won’t shoe, catch, load, clip, needsschooling, hacking out, or anything else youcan think of, one of our RecommendedAssociates can provide you with a solutionto get you heading in the right direction.

The Listening Post 23

RA Cara Kimber is jetting off to Australia for a bit of an adventure. She can still becontacted on her email:[email protected]

Best of Luck to Cara from everyone at IHand The Listening Post.

News from RAs

Off to OZ!

Stop Press! HORSE HELP IN AND AROUND STAFFORDIntelligent Horsemanship RecommendedAssociate and Chartered PhysiotherapistSue Brown and her partner SimonPalmer (Into The Lens Equine Film andPhotography) are relocating to Stafford.

A Recommended Associate since 1998,Sue has supported IntelligentHorsemanship since the very beginning.Dedicated to ongoing professionaldevelopment (or as some people put it– an eternal student!), Sue hascontinued on to qualify as a CharteredPhysiotherapist and Equine BodyWorker. She works freelance, assessingand treating horses with physical orbehavioural issues, and working withtheir handlers to solve any problems orprovide ongoing support.

Simon has a gift for capturing thenature and spirit of the horse throughhis filming and photography work, andhas supported Monty and Kelly on touras cameraman for the past 3 years.Specialising in ‘natural portrait sessions’,he will visit you and your horse at homeor at a competition, putting you at easeso you feel relaxed during the photoshoot, with stunning pictures to choosefrom afterwards.

To find more information visit Sue at:www.holistichorsehelp.comor Simon at: www.into-the-lens.com

Photo © Simon Palmer - Into-The-Lens.com

Congratulations!To RA Emma Haliburton and her husbandon the birth of their son Albert James bornSeptember 2nd 2008 weighing 9lbs 1oz.We understand Albert is already out andabout helping mum teach!

Best wishes and congratulations to all threeof you from everyone at IntelligentHorsemanship.

Wish you were here...

Wish you were here...

Ask Monty!‘Ask Monty’ is a forum for site visitors topose various questions to Monty forconsideration. One is chosen by Monty eachweek, and his answer is published in theAsk Monty and emailed to you. Monty’smission is to leave the world a better placethan he found it for horses and for peopletoo. Test yourself each week as hechallenges you to answer the questionunder ‘Monty’s Challenge’. Sign up toreceive the free E-Newsletter and WeeklyQ&A directly in your inbox. To sign up visit:www.montyroberts.com/ju_ask_monty.html

Photography CompetitionWin Tim Flach’s brilliant newphotography book ‘Equus’A professional photographer for 25 years, Tim Flachhas a unique affinity for capturing the spirit andlikeness of animals with his camera. His new book,Equus is an exquisite study and photographictribute to a valiant species. And we have 1 copy to be won.

How to enterWe love seeing pictures of member’s horses so this competition is a bit of a treat for ustoo! To enter please email a photo of your horse to: [email protected] by January31st 2009. All files must be between 1Mb and 2Mb. We may even be printing some ofthem with articles in future issues so get snapping!

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