2006 Clinic in Washington State
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My
horse - Fred - and I attended the September 2006 WA clinic with Julie,
and it was terrific!
I have seen other horsemanship demos and been impressed momentarily by those who can take an untrained horse and in a few hours be standing on the horse, cracking a whip. But afterward I always thought So What? What do you really do with that? And, I was a little uncomfortable with the feeling it gave me.
Enter Julie Carpenter. Julie focuses on creating a trust and connection so that by choice the horses thought is focused on you and the horse learns that you are the safest, clearest, kindest place to be. Julie teaches you how to be your horse's lead mare, ensuring your horse is focused on your every move but is working with you by choice instead of just submission. Julie teaches you how to create a willing partnership. She emphasizes the importance of letting your horse search to find the right answer. She also emphasizes the importance of saying thank you in a way that the horse understands.
The three days of liberty work, groundwork and saddle time focused on learning how to get my horses thought, attention and cooperation. I learned how to read the horses movement, to use just a little action, see if that works, if not use more; always focusing on using as little as possible and giving the horse the time to search and find the right answer. Julie also works on a riders seat, connecting the rein to the feet and disengaging the hind end when needed. By the end of the clinic we all had our horses working with us and for us in ways they never had before.
If you are saying What do you really do with that? I can only tell you that I have seen a difference. My horse is more responsive to my seat, more willing to give me his effort, happier to go out and he seems more settled and relaxed in everything we do together. And I have changed. It has given me more confidence so I am clearer in my intent and actions. It has given me tools to work with to build a stronger, safer and sensitive partnership with my horse. I am looking forward to continuing to learn with Julie and I can't wait until she returns next year.
-Jennifer
