Addendum on Horse Brains

[dancinghorse]

Joni had an interesting story to tell today.  Apparently there was a study in which famous horse-training master Linda Tellington-Jones (she of the TTEAM method of patterning behavior) was EKG'ed while working on a horse, also hooked up to electrodes.  The horse was a basket case to start, but as the session went on, his brain waves began to match hers exactly.

The lesson was that we have to impose our mental calm on the horse no matter how frazzled he may be.  If we aren't calm, we have to maintain two levels of awareness: the scared primate gibbering away beneath the surface, and the totally calm alpha horse on top.  The horse should only be able to sense the latter.

Them as knows martial arts can get this concept--it's about centering and focus.

The thing about Pook and Camilla is...they're projecting empaths.  They can force their brain waves on whoever is within about a twenty-foot radius, which means that if they're panicking, so is everybody else within reach.  They are very powerful and very focused and correspondingly difficult because while the average horse just gets freaky, these two make you freaky.

I can never get off my guard with them.  Whatever I'm feeling when I'm working with them might not be what I'm really feeling--it's coming from them.

Then again, this means that if I can sort out who's thinking what, I can plug in really solidly, get them calmed down, and get a level of focus that's like nothing else. 

But oy, sometimes they give me a headache.

Comments

[raithen.livejournal.com]

ok, that is more helpful than you can know.... I think I just figured something out about why Joey can scare me like no other horse.

oh -- and since you mention it, Linda Tellington Jones' sister, Robyn Hood lives less than an hour from me. I haven't done a clinic there yet, but I expect I shall one day. Their facility is lovely -- i looked at a saddle they had for sale once.

[dancinghorse.livejournal.com]

The trick is to figure out when the emotions are yours and when they're the horse's. Important trick, that. Also, tricky.

Linda TJ is a bit Out There on some things, but her basic patterning work is amazing.

[jonquil.livejournal.com]

> The lesson was that we have to impose our mental calm on the horse no matter how frazzled he may be. If we aren't calm, we have to maintain two levels of awareness: the scared primate gibbering away beneath the surface, and the totally calm alpha horse on top. The horse should only be able to sense the latter.

That's deep. I wonder if the discipline works with other humans?

[dancinghorse.livejournal.com]

That's deep. I wonder if the discipline works with other humans?

It works in the classroom, for sure.

[miintikwa.livejournal.com]

When I was a Nervous Beginning Rider, my teacher put me on this highly empathic older school-horse that she usually used for the special needs children. Being empathic myself, it only took me about four lessons to figure out that Hope was amazingly empathic, and amazingly calm. After that, anytime I was stressed out and could get to the farm, I'd go hang with Hope for about 20 minutes. It never failed to make me feel better.

I recently found out she passed on at the ripe old age of 27, and I'm sad. But I'm also really grateful, because she taught me more about finding that inner calm than any other- person or animal.

But yeah- sometimes, especially with the younger 'omigod, am I doing this right' horses, it's much harder to tell if it's you or them wondering that!

--K

[dancinghorse.livejournal.com]

Horses have a tremendously calming effect on me in general. Among Lipps, Pluto boys seem to have a lock on Calm Vibes--especially the geldings. They stand there and radiate at you.

If they're well-adjusted, happy, and well fed, horses are wonderfully mellow and good-natured animals. And they can project that in your direction.

[miintikwa.livejournal.com]

I would love a chance to find a farm with Lipps to learn to ride around. It just is so what I know would be so relaxing and fun for me. I miss horses a lot.

But yes, you're very right. You could always tell which of the school horses was being overworked, because they'd stop projecting that calm.

[dancinghorse.livejournal.com]

Lipps can be weird if you're used to normal horses--they have a way of interacting that isn't quite like anything else.

If you're ever in Tucson.......

[miintikwa.livejournal.com]

Are they similar to Andalusians or Fresians? Because I know both of those breeds are a little different to interact with, and I loved the Fresian I had the honor of being around. He was amazing (and also the first stallion I'd ever been around that wasn't... er... stallion-y). The Andalusian I took lessons on was just awesome, too. She was SO responsive, and if I gave her the wrong cue, she let me know.

And, if I'm ever fortunate enough to get out to anywhere in Arizona, I will definitely let you know, and make a concerted effort to get to Tucson! :)

[hippoiathanatoi.livejournal.com]

Fascinating. :) Even though it seems as if it has always been an accepted fact that horses, like most animals, are very good at picking up on your emotions, its very interesting to see this kind of proof of it.

I've never really thought about the opposite - that horses could project their emotions on humans - but when considering it I realize that I have certainly experienced it.

Something to think about, for sure.

[dancinghorse.livejournal.com]

It sure doesn't sound much like the sort of "wisdom" many of us were taught, does it? Horses are dumb animals, you have to teach them everything, teaching often involves force, and you have to "show them who's boss." Any of which, aimed at a Lipp or any other highly intelligent, well-socialized equine, can get you in serious trouble.

[hippoiathanatoi.livejournal.com]

The basic failure is, I suspect, often a case of people not getting how you really get an animal to respect you. You do need that respect, or the animal gets the upper hand, but a lot of people don't seem to realize that the 'shortcuts' to respect (such as using force) will never get them _real_ respect since those methods always involve not respecting the animal.

[dancinghorse.livejournal.com]

Ayup. But doing it right takes time and effort, and involves a level of humility that too many trainers won't stoop to.

Trainer arrogance is a soapbox of mine. It takes a fair amount of ego to set yourself up as a pro (trainer, writer, whatever), but the really good pro learns to appreciate her own limitations--and is willing to learn and be flexible.

Pooka/Camilla brains

[kladruber1.livejournal.com]

Ok, well this explains why things feel so different with those two when I visit. It also explains what Alex does to lots of people, when they get scared around him. I see this. Hmm...lots to contemplate.

Re: Pooka/Camilla brains

[dancinghorse.livejournal.com]

Alex has it for sure. He was lovely to me--but I took one look and thought, "Family!"

Pook and Camilla are intensely focused horses. They're also very strong mentally. The others are, too, but those two have a couple of extra notches on the dial.

[sfmarty.livejournal.com]

Apparantly Dolphins are very good at this too. I read somewhere that you can put an emotional wreck in with Dolphins and the (usually children) calm right down. Dolphins have been used to work with retarded childred as well.

[dancinghorse.livejournal.com]

Really? That is seriously cool. I love dolphins.

I was thinking, you know, Lipps move in air the way dolphins move through water. The intelligence level is comparable, too.