Nothing Less Than This

Here at Ravenseyrie, a multitude of alternative approaches to horsemanship (and life in general) present themselves on a regular basis. Partly, I think this "alternative" life is stimulated by physically dwelling in a rugged, remote wilderness area - but also it is influenced by the predilections and choices Kevin and I have incorporated into our philosophy of "beingness". Our intentions, coupled with the setting of Ravenseyrie, constitutes a symbiotic relationship which manifests itself as a continual sensory and psychological evolution shared by us and the animals, plants and elements, one and all.

This is my excuse for my habit of breaking with tradition and engaging in seemingly "risky" behavior.

Tuesday, after our evening meal, the pups and I hiked out to the northwest sector where the herd was plucking at the emerging eats in the "Scanty Field". I brought nothing with me...no basket of brushes, no camera and no treats. (Any hiker carrying horse cookies is soon roughly mobbed by the herd, so I only feed treats in certain settings.) My intention was simply to enjoy the mellowness of the evening and bid a good evening to each equine individual.

I could see that Doll had already regarded me visually and was fixing to send out a magnetic vibration to hook me into giving her a finger currying and massage. I didn't want to be employed as a personal groom this night and refrained from making eye-contact with the draft mule and walked with quick determination on a diagonal trajectory taking me away from her...but it was too late! She'd cleverly walked with equally quick determination in such a way that an interception was imminent. Just at the point of nearly colliding, her heart magnet altered my intention and instead of stepping around and breezing right on by her, I stopped briefly and told her that if she wanted a massage that badly, I'd meet up with her at a large boulder that was some fifty feet away. I pointed it out and then turned my back to her and briskly walked to the rock and stepped up on it. Doll came straight over and positioned herself just right and invited me aboard. I slipped on to her back and began an earnest session of "mounted itches".

The sun was low and warm, and slightly blinding. The herd grazed in an aura of late day light. An idea emerged in my mind, and though I had never done such a thing with Doll before, I decided the night was magic enough that the idea should be acted upon. Using my focused intention and appropriate body positioning, I invited Doll to turn to the right and take us over to another rock some thirty feet away. You aren't the least bit surprised, are you, that Doll did exactly what I suggested? Can you imagine the sensation of this type of communication and willing participation between two disparate beings? We did several variations of this playful exercise interspersed with intense rewards of itches and massages. It was for me a much headier experience than any of my first place winnings at dressage competitions so many years ago with Mistral.

Once again, I am convinced that for myself, being with horses (or mules) should be nothing less than this.

Last evening we had an engagement in town - so rare a thing, and so filled with conflicting emotion. It was another lovely spring evening - we've waited SO long for spring warmth, I didn't want to go to town! I wanted to be out with the dogs and the horses and the birds and the rocks. Kevin agreed I had just enough time for a quick walk before changing clothes and attending the viewing of a documentary being presented by the Manitoulin Community Food Network.*

Off the pups and I went, my camera bag slung over my shoulder, my walking stick assisting me in negotiating the uneven terrain hastily, yet safely. The herd was again in the "Scanty Field" and I thought I could quickly snap a few photos and then head back to the house.

The same thing happened this night as the prior one! Doll and her heart magnet...me with a camera to record how these strange communications transpire.


I walked to the rock and stood upon it. Doll came over
and positioned herself just right.
But before I committed myself to sliding aboard, I noticed that a handful of horses were interested this evening in what Doll and I were up to.
It's one thing to ride completely tackless in the big wide open when the other herd members are preoccupied--but when they are converging upon you with youthful curiosity, it seemed prudent to refrain from taking Doll up on her offer.
It was a good thing I didn't mount up, in short order, Bella feigned a nip to Doll's rump and sent her scurrying away.
Then Altamiro came over to scrutinize me.

And Animado, especially wanted to try out the feeling of getting itches with the human standing on the rock.


And what of Doll? She had walked over to where I had left my walking stick leaning on a nearby rock, and mouthed it briefly before wandering off to graze.

It was just as well - after all, with a commitment to be elsewhere, enjoying the liberty riding with Doll would take me into a timeless realm and I'd surely disappoint Kevin by not returning when promised. After taking my few photos, I hustled back to the house, just in time.

So what does "nothing less than this" mean?

I'll answer this question in detail in my next journal entry.
___
*Note: The link to the website of the Manitoulin Community Food Network is made possible thanks to the dogged-brillance of my sometimes geeky husband, Kevin Droski, who taught himself how to make web pages and the MCFN is his first effort. What a man!

An Article by Imke Spilker

After careful consideration, my friend, Kris, and Imke Spilker have decided that it would be a nice treat for readers of the Journal of Ravenseyrie to have opportunity to read in full the article I quoted from in the entry titled, More on Empowered Horses. (Click here for the first entry on the Empowered Horses book.) The article you'll be reading today was first published in the October 1997 issue of Freizeit im Sattel. We are ever closer (days?) to receiving ordered copies of the Trafalgar Square edition of Empowered Horses. In the meantime, thanks to the thoughtful generosity of Imke and Kris, we can sample a bit of how Imke relates with horses through this dated, yet timeless article. Thank you, Kris and Imke, for this opportunity! (If readers would like to discuss this article, I'd be happy to open up our comments section for this, please feel free to leave your impressions, questions, etc.)


How communication develops body awareness
The Horse Too is Allowed to Say “No”
by Imke Spilker
Translated by Kristina McCormack

In keeping horses, the trend is unmistakable: we give our horses more freedom because we have learned that it does them good. We give them an open stall or a paddock, and, with others of their kind, they can decide when and why and where to go, in which activities around them they will participate and whether they would rather withdraw. In the project: Communicating With Horses Imke Spilker carries this principle of free choice over into the foundation-building ground work. The horses may always decide whether and how they would like to participate. Does that sound strange? Read on to discover how and why this works, and how it affects horses and people.

Anyone who has worked intensively with animals over a long period of time notices that they have a very good sense for what is right for them. So why is it that this realization is so totally ignored when it comes to the training and physical development of horses? Why do we have to force them to do what is good for them, or should be, according to human conviction? I want to be with horses, to experience things together, and to do something for them to help them in their physical development. Our horses here know that. When they see us coming (carrying tack, for example) they all gather at the entrance to the fenced-in but always open riding arena, fighting to see who gets to go first. Their participation happens entirely of their own free will – they can at any time leave the arena via an exit passage that is never closed off. The horses are fascinated by this kind of work, as we are. No one gives them instructions about what has to be done – they have equal rights. Instead of the orders or demands of a strict hierarchy, they are met with fun, acknowledgment, and empowerment. So there are no “lazy” horses – because someone who comes of his own free will and works out of his own interest in the subject is highly motivated. How does this happen?


What benefits, motivates
You begin with those things that a horse clearly likes and finds pleasant, food for example, or scratching. I observe a horse very closely and think about how I can do a little something to make him happy. That can vary widely – for example, some horses view treats as bribery. And, no horse will piaffe in exchange for snacks. In the end the only motivation is that the horses realize that it is good for them to work this way. It helps them and they are possessed by the good feelings that ensue. Then it is more likely that you will have to temper their enthusiasm because they simply do not want to stop working (for those situations we have a consolation prize?).

Lord and Master, or Friend?
Horses must be dominated, according to conventional wisdom. When that does not happen, chaos ensues and a human being is hopelessly at the mercy of his horse. This is a macho-myth that is very helpful to people of a certain psychological profile. But, for others it is not. Many people have become very insecure because of this myth – simply because they actually like their horses. For them, questions like this arise: Do I have to enforce my will, even though I may be the one making a mistake? Must I be lord and master when I would rather be friend? May I be affectionate with my horse, may I let him nuzzle and “groom” me? Many people do not feel right autocratically laying claim to the “alpha” position. They are sensitive to the arrogance that lies behind this, they sense the ignorance – and the danger that ensues from such behavior…For these people the position of the horse in our project is more fitting. Kim, for example, has been part of the project for a couple of years. He was one of those Haflingers that everyone saw as too stupid, too lazy, too clumsy, stubborn...and he was handled accordingly. Kim believed this himself. He became white eyed, high headed, pulled people down, and tumbled off an embankment…just what you’d expect from a mixture of mountain draft with Arabian bloodlines. But he is actually not like that (no horse is), and today he knows it. He has come to very precisely know his strengths, his body’s power, and his hindquarters, and he carries himself even into piaffe like an Iberian. Playfully he unfolds his power, perfectly masters his body, and knows exactly what he is doing. In the photo (below) Kim has, through looks and gentle nudges, invited the person, whom he likes and has known for a while, to come into the arena and play with him. For the person this is all still relatively new, but he joins in the running simply because Kim has invited him. They are having great fun, experiencing unconditional trust and perfect harmony with one another. At the same time, Kim indicates with his “listening within” ear position that he is very much in himself, focused on his own body. His transformation into a sensitive and supple athlete is based on the increased trust in himself.

How lightly the rather massive Kim moves on his hindquarters – a bending of the haunches that he perfected on his own. He has become very agile, and very aware of his body.

A moment of quiet intimacy: when things become too wild for a person the horses sense it immediately and contain themselves.

Intuition, Not Rigid Methods
No one here just tacks up and leaps onto a horse’s back, rather we first come together with the horse on the ground, on the same level. Riding without the horse first clearly inviting, does not interest us. How the work proceeds depends entirely on the horse. There are no recipes, and it can be different each time, because both horse and person are individuals who are constantly changing. Our basic requirement is to be open when we approach the horse, and to like him exactly as he is. It is shocking how rarely one encounters that liking in practice, particularly among “professionals.” Bad intentions are attributed to the horses, they are handled as though they are deliberately dangerous, everything becomes an issue of respect, which is beaten in, and in the end one arrives at what the horses already have in excess: fear. Our inner attitude toward the horse is enormously important. We have all had the experience of someone treating us unjustly and with great mistrust. At some point we actually behave just as expected, confirming the prejudgment in retrospect. This influence can be positive, too. We can empower each other in our positive qualities. That is actually what we do with the horses here, or they with us…depending on the point of view. That is why the horses gladly participate in the work, why they come by to show themselves off, present their physical talents and develop them further. Fitness and physical development are quintessentially in their self-interest. Horses have only their bodies with which to express themselves, and they do that with enthusiasm.

Self-responsibility Required

Taking responsibility for themselves is a quality that is thoroughly driven out of horses from their youth on. They are not allowed to have an opinion, rather, they are supposed to obey. The more naturally they grow up and are kept, the more familiar they will be with self-responsibility. The example of Ole, a young Norwegian gelding makes this clear. At first he is still shy, does not want to do anything wrong, is a bit afraid. This makes him heavy-headed like many horses of his type. But, after 15 minutes of “communication” he begins to feel strong and self-confident. His movements become rhythmic and powerful and graceful. How? He was given no task to do, but discovered, through the human being, that he is doing nothing wrong and that the person finds him good. Through this sort of affirmation and acknowledgement a horse continuously develops himself further and the level of his work continuously rises. The horse offers exercises of his own accord even to the level of high school once he has gotten that far. Ole would rarely move as he does on the photo by himself. He needs us for that. In the work together, however, the development of the horses rapidly gains a surprising dynamic of it own.
Between these first two photos fifteen minutes passed which we spent together in the riding arena. Ole is here for the first time, and shy and insecure at the beginning. He gains more self-confidence just from the praise and affirmation of the human being, and it is mirrored immediately in the way he carries himself.
Icelandic stallion Toppur shows us how something like this looks at a much higher level. His measured rhythmic jumps in an uphill canter show a baroque exercise. The Galopade demands a very focused use of his haunches. Toppur masters this demanding exercise completely independently, without being disturbed with constant corrections. He remains wholly centered because he can keep his attention on himself instead of on the instructions of the human being.

Baroque elegance in Icelandic: Toppur is perfectly collected and balanced, totally focused on his body. Movement this expressive and in self-carriage is only possible because both horse and person desire it.

Help with Disabilities
This work in dialog is particularly suited to horses with physical or psychic(emotional/mental/spiritual) afflictions. “Untalented”, resigned, broken-down horses immediately sense the difference (unconditional acceptance from the human being) and quickly change for the positive as they internalize what they have learned and take it further. So, more and more they help and train themselves. It is admirable how deliberately and with how much energy handicapped horses in particular apply themselves. A physically damaged horse must always determine for himself the content and degree of difficulty of his exercise program. How else can I be sure that I am not over-facing or tormenting him?

Alternating Roles
To come to an understanding with communicative horses, the person must absolutely not be an “expert.” On the contrary, a “newbie” is more open, giving the horses space comes easier to him. The horses are happy to teach us and enjoy that role. A prerequisite is that the person has learned to pay attention to his partner, the horse, and respect his wishes. The horses sense whether or not a basis of mutuality exists. Once it is established, both parties can develop their sensitivity, to themselves and to the other. Intuitive understanding functions (only) in both directions. Naturally, we are asked whether this kind of interaction can become dangerous for the human being. Horses are by nature peaceful beings who do not make victims of weaker ones, and who scrupulously avoid deliberately hurting someone. Danger exists when the person applies pressure and force, and the horse can no longer retreat from the situation. A horse who has the possibility of walking away, whose needs for peace and space are respected, will harm no one. A game into which the horse is pressured is no longer one (even if the person is amused by it). On the other hand, without force or threat, even the most strenuous exercises can be playfully easy for the horse. One must learn to let go, and one must think from the horse’s perspective – that is all too gladly forgotten about. To me there is nothing safer than communicating with horses in this way -- anything else strikes me as too dangerous. I do not like battles because someone always has to lose. The message that comes across when we communicate with one another depends to a large degree on how we say something. That applies to communication with horses as well. A horse must be able to say “no” at any time and have the freedom to leave, and then we human beings must design our work in such away that the horse truly benefits by it.

In the conventional perception whips are negative to both people and horses – instruments for hitting and punishment. Horses connect them with certain experiences. That is why it can be so exciting for them to confront whips. A parallel example: It is fun for children to be thrown into the air… in part because of the threat of falling. But this is a game only as long the child himself wants the excitement and feels protected and safe. If his feelings are not precisely observed and respected, the game falls apart and becomes trauma. Our horses sometimes “conquer” the whips so thoroughly that we have a great deal of wear and tear – the whips are bitten, trampled, and crushed.

Once again, here are just a few links to where EMPOWERED HORSES by Imke Spilker can be purchased.
From the publisher
From Amazon.ca
From Amazon.com
(Amazon.com says the book will be in stock on 17April09!)

A Walk in Two Realms

This past Sunday, the morning was stiff from temperatures dropping below freezing. The pups and I decided to see if the snow down the bluff was firm enough to support our weight. It was! So, down the bluff we went, exploring our way to the lake shore.


Ravenseyrie is situated on the East Bluff of Gore Bay with a half mile of "frontage" on the North Channel of Lake Huron. This bluff, aprroximately 300 feet high is comprised of limestone and dolostone with exoskeleton sections of the Niagara Escarpment playing hide and seek with the forest. The bluff's edge running along northwest sector of Ravenseyrie falls away rather acutely, but a bit more north central, the retreating ancient lake levels have carved terraces into the bluff, making it possible for the prior inhabitants to cut a crude road that bends and curves its way down to the lake shore. There are several somewhat steep hills between each terraced level. The terraced areas are quite narrow except for the third one down, which has a curious swath of boulder ladened open space which Kevin and I call "the Grotto". The Grotto collects a pool of water that dries up in mid-summer. Right now, this pool is quite pronounced with the spring melt water.


We continue our descent, marveling at just how deep the snow is on the road, and yet it falls away here and there and even has rivers of melt adjacent to it.


After several more hills and turns of the road, we are at the bottom of the bluff with the North Channel spread out in front of us, just beyond the edge of the forest.


Amazingly, the edge of the shoreline is open water! It's only a matter of a week or so now before the lake begins breaking up in earnest.


How grand it is to be down on the beach again! The dogs enjoy walking the rocky beach as much as I do.


But wait...I'm seeing only Ganja, Tobacco and Shelagh in this photo...where's Maeb? "Maaayebb! Where are you?" Oh no! Look where Maeb is:


Thankfully, the water is shallow underneath that untrustworthy ice, but just the same, I called Maeb back to the safety of the shore. We resumed our shore line explorations.


It happens in my fanciful world that when I am out exploring I am drawn down one path or another by the whim of some inner prodding. When I follow the direction I am being called to, I am always rewarded with a gift of some sort; a feather, a bone, a fossil, a special rock, etc. Here you see my first "gift feather" of the season.


Tobacco wants to continue to walk all the way to the end of the property line, but I'm thinking we'd better head on back up the bluff before the blissful sun softens the snow and we find ourselves sinking deep with every step.


We take one more long, admiring look at the lake then turn back to the bluff.


Making our way back up, the depth of the snow on the road is more easily seen.


Back at the Grotto, I take a few more photos.


Then we pause on our way up one of the hills. On the left is a tiny creek of run off water, making delightful trickling music.


Always the investigator, Maeb takes a closer look and laps up some of this melt water.


Soon we are at the bottom of the last hill going up.


Here there is an excellent cross-section view of the formation of the top land.


You can see it is not the type of landscape that supports rich, deep top soil, but it is an excellent base for prairie grasses.

And now we are back on top! What a different world it is here!


As we cross the big wide open to get back to the house, it really feels as if we have just taken a walk in two realms...one still under the mantle of deep snow, and the other now fully exposed, soon to awaken with new growth.


Though the horses have begun grazing again, we are still supplementing with hay. My calendar from last year notes that some good grazing was to be had by April 17th and so we cut out morning hay rations. By April 22nd, we stopped feeding hay altogether. It will be interesting to see when we begin to taper back on feeding hay this year. So far, we are still feeding typical portions and they continue to come back and clean up the hay, in between grazing on tiny green shoots of fresh grass.


In between grazing and napping, there is a lot of play taking place now that the landscape isn't covered in ice-topped snow.


And if this co-mingling of two magical realms weren't inspiring enough...the return of the Sandhill Cranes has now caught up with the return of the Canada Geese.


The promise of good things fills the atmosphere here at Ravenseyrie--I hope it is the same where you are.