The Mane Event

Although a bit skeptical at first, I knew this field trip would not disappoint.

With my scant experience with horses, I was curious to see what this event was all about.

During the first 'horsemanship trainers challenge', I was a little bit taken aback at first when Steve Rother pulled out his whip and began striking Toby to make him run around the pen. But soon enough, his obvious expertise in horse training put me at ease. It amazed me to see how quickly the horse was able to determine what Steve wanted him to do. I really liked how Steve vocalized to the audience what exactly his non-verbal methods were in communicating with Toby. I almost felt like he had read the readings that Stephen emailed us when he mentioned words like "finding the flow" or "rythm" with the horse. I really felt like I got a good understanding of the physical cues and trust building that is required when training horses. It also amazed me how important it was for the trainers to releasenthe strain on the horses as soon as the horses responded to what the trainers wanted them to do. I never realized how intuitive horses are and how their herd mentality aids in building a relationship with their trainer. I really liked how Steve emphasized the importance of trust and how by being strict and persistent, would in the long run benefit the horse.

I thought that the second trainer, Cade Mills took more of a nurturing approach when training his horse, "Walkabout" was it? It was very evident that he was not a veteran like Steve Rother. Although it seemed to take him longer to get the horse to learn his commands, I think he was just as effective, but in a more loving and caring way. He was always concerned with the horse being at ease whereas Steve seemed more concerned with helping the horse help him, as he said "let me help you, help me."

Jonathan Fields blew me away, seeing the connections he has been able to build with his horses. I was taken aback by the level of synchrony he could create with his horse. I loved how when he liberated them, as soon as he made that eye contact and certain mannerism, the horses new to come to him. I was also impressed by how he stressed the importance of a horse knowing when to follow cues, and not be super sensitive to any gesture.

As a teacher, I see much value in these non-verbal cues and being able to set the tone in class by a simple gaze, or body posture, or the hint of a smile. I also see much value in a simple touch of the shoulder when engaging with students, and that simple human touch can alleviate stress in a student. Mimicry is a good tool in language learning in terms of pronunciation and tone when speaking.

Overall, this was a good experience, one that I may have never experienced if it weren't for this HEALing journey.