Whiskey; Romantic Notion

Whiskey is always pleased to see me. I feel honoured, and appreciate this more than I can express in words. Every day, because Whiskey greets me with such love, I am more loving as a result. His unconditional delight of me, inspires me in return to shine my love wherever it may be directed. And so the day unfolds. If you meet me, and we have a warm exchange, smiles, I show compassion, I help you and you feel good in my company, know it started each day with Whiskey...

Lexi learns to be a Horseman

Lexi has been visiting me on occasion since she was 3, and her first ride on a horse was one of our herd. Lexi's mum is a strong advocate, as am I, for animals as friends not slaves, and learns with me also. Lexi is fortunate, and experiences friendship and joy with horses. Lexi, and her peers are the leading edge of Horse-Human relationships, and will inherit a world of equality and love, rather than the place of abuse we found when we got here.

I really don't like kids being lifted onto horses and led around as if the horse were a sideshow ride. Lexi has been playing with horses since she was born, and learning to treat them as equals. When Lexi gets on I assist her, but she asks the horse to assist her too. We spent some time this day at the gate Lexi climbed, and asking Whiskey to get closer as she had difficulty reaching the saddle from her position on the gate. When astride Whiskey, we played to ensure she was able to keep a conversation going with him (children's minds wander), and asked Whiskey if he was willing to fulfill Lexi's desires with her, such as walking to different objects, changing direction etc. Note Lexi has no reins, and no need to complicate her ability to learn to be a real Horseman if she learns to think they are necessary. Can you see how I am able to guide Lexi in her life learning? Even When distracted by Katelyn ( a working student here at Heartland) and the camera, Whiskey can cling to my contained, focussed energy, rather than all manner of behaviours that would possibly harm Lexi or himself.

Here Lexi wanted to play with the obstacles, when Whiskey drifted in attention, Lexi learns it is necessary to get it back before she makes any requests, otherwise she will grow up like the rest of us, learning to ask a disconnected horse, and when it doesn't respond, an increase in pressure, to a kick, is administered. That would be treating the horse like a slave, and is a controlling behaviour, unnatural to us, originating in fear. Lexi is using her voice, "Whiskey," and getting the balance right with the odd tap. Like any small child, Lexi can sometimes overdo the tap! Her challnge is she listens to adults instructing her, rather than the very horse she is astride, and becoming one with. I try to keep my interference to a minimum, and we have mastered keeping mum quieter! I also don't want to punish Lexi for over-zealous tapping, as the horse will let her know how much is too much, and their conversation that is real, experiential, is so much more valuable than any words I can confuse her with.

Lexi likes to talk, and I listen and we can include Whiskey in the conversation. We are always thinking about what would Lexi or Whiskey like to do next, then we get focussed as a team so that it happens right away. More discussions. Team meetings are great! Rex joins in too, and Whiskey was happy to oblige, and rewarded. His reward is the harmony he feels when in our company, a very attractive thing, good feelings. Treats occasionally too.  

Lexi worked hard to fulfill this aim. Whiskey didn't automatically assume she wanted him to mount the pallet, because her attempts to listen to some advice from me, and her natural tendency to look around the environment for stimulating things to look at caused her communication with Whiskey to be fuzzy. I encouraged her to tune-in, and we have been playing games in lessons about focussing on an intent until the horse tunes in to your overwhelming emanation, and fulfils your request. Of course for Lexi, who's only 4, remember, I just repeat the games of look at ... and we get there, over and over, so she understands how to focus, and manifest. Eventually Lexi bounced her horse friend around the pallet until she'd had enough experience at not getting what she wanted, to clear her thoughts and posture enough to start focussing on what she really wanted, and Whiskey obliged.

Lexi knows she doesn't get to sit on horses unless she is relating with them first. As a four year old, Lexi cannot be expected to remember the endless words poured at her every day instructing her to "do this, don't do that..." and so on. I don't teach this way anymore, anyway. Instead we have some simple concepts to stick with, the horse is not a toy, nor obligated to make you happy. If you play with him you will feel happy, and he will feel happy too, in your reflected joy, if not his own. As the teacher I watch these two interact, and if Lexi is vulnerable at any point I can intervene if necessary. When I can sense the two are in closer harmony, permission is granted for Lexi to sit on Whiskey, and we can add to her experiences as she learns and grows.

This is the moment mum thinks "pick up the dragging rope," but I know Whiskey won't tread on it, or her, and don't want to interfere in the building harmony by trying to prevent disharmony. If I intervene, I'll spoil the moment. I can't teach a child to know a dragging rope is cumbersome and potentially dangerous by repeating in an ever increasing tone of fear, "DON'T..." I can allow her to learn with a horse who is friendly and trustworthy, caring and befriended, that there are easier ways to play.

Sometimes we include mum in the team. Mum is very important! I must explain to mum what Lexi is learning, as I realise what she is learning, and my reasons for the decisions we make at each point, such as a choice to ignore the over-zealous tapping to get Whiskeys' attention. This day my intuition told me so much good was coming about in Lexi from learning to focus and harmonise with Whiskey, which has been the work of several lessons, that we could introduce the lessons about sensitivity to tapping later. It's not like Lexi has been given a piece of metal attached to the horses teeth and gums, or a whip, or a frightened, controlling attitude. Whiskey is cool with the taps and bumps. He got worse from his mother...

Lexi has learned to ask Whiskey to increase his energy to trot by eminating the feeling as she gets the desire. Of course that means I have to feel this emanation for now too, and save money on gym membership... 

Lexi is slowly learning to rise trot. There is no rush, she doesn't hurt Whiskey. We play with the concept like a dance, one-two, one-two.

And we dance off into the distance. Want to join us? 

Rex; Canine Division of The Heart of Horsemanship

The herd at Heartland need fly protection at this time of year. Losing their veils often, Rex, their guardian, my right-hand-man, retrieves the discarded veils. Discomfort banished. Thank you Rex!



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Sea Horses

Karen set up a surprise for her friend Louise, who became our friend too. Louise has, in her words, "Always dreamed of riding a horse at the beach, just like this." We LOVE that we are co-creators in her experience, that Louise held her dream until Karen, Whiskey, Bach, Bo, Katelyn, Rex & I could be a part of the reality. I trust that all I have experienced and believed, to have the relationship I do with these magical horses, is exactly what Louise imagined could be, and this day we all met, aligned and shared someone's dream. Thank you for dreaming.

Yes, Bachelor Boy is unrestrained in this photograph, when I trust the environmental conditions are good (i.e. people sharing the beach with me are self-contained, no frightened horses with them) I always allow my herd to enjoy the beach as they would enjoy their paddock; free. I started a conversation on-line about this, and many lovely people engaged with me and shared their fears, large or small, about loose horses on the beach or elsewhere. You may join the conversation here; Facebook/Horsemanship 

I ask why a horse-loving person would not want an experience like the one Louise manifested and co-created?

The key person involved in connecting us with Louise, Karen, brought her horse along for the adventure, and after some time passed where my horses were free and clearly revelling in the experience, Karen asked whether I thought her horse could be released from his halter and lead rope too. Yes didn't just come from my lips, I had been holding the image of Bo being allowed to experience the freedom of the beach in my mind for some time when our herd had started to harmonise, and the essence of trust and familiarity was all-pervading. Bo shared my imagining, and Karen found herself a partner in the desire. 

In the past I have closely controlled loose horse situations. I may have ensured a closed beach, a trained horse, a pile of feed, for example. In my past I believed the desire of a horse to be with us was created by training, conditioning and bribery. My belief that such an experience was a trick reveals the fear I held that horses would not choose a human, have no desire to relate to a human, and further, I believed I would not be worthy of their company were they set free. And so it was. The experiences were good-looking but anxiety-laden. 

That is not true for me any more. So how did Bo respond when Karen slipped his halter? 

A horse is a horse! Bo, upon realising the restraint was gone, simply ran in joy. His wake caught Whiskey for a few moments, who cantered too, before thoughts such as "Bo doesn't even know where he is heading," and "The herd are not running with us," came to him, and so he turned and returned to the rest of us. I'd be lying if I didn't confess that for a few moments Karen didn't feel the fear of the unknown, and looked to me. I knew, and I repeated the statement, "he will come back."

There was once a popular saying, in the time of flower-power, so before generation Y, 

"If you love someone, set them free. If they come back, they're yours. If they don't, they never were." 

What does that have to do with the myriad disasters ahead of that galloping horse? I know you wonder. And indeed, the horse is galloping towards an industrial complex, machinery, pollution, people at work, some slaves to a system. Roads, vehicles, noise... 

Bo needed to see for himself. Bo needed to run like his instinct told him, and when he'd seen enough, he could choose what he wanted based upon the choices he saw. And when he returned Whiskey glanced at him, further along the journey as he is, as if to mutter, 

"What were you thinking?" 

From the paddock...

All of the lessons horses have shared with me have been experienced in their environment. Sometimes the heart of what we shared came to me later, when alone or meditating on the experience, but most often these days, the herd are so brilliant at communicating, "Eureka" happens outside.

Blogger enables posts from a mobile device. I appreciate this, as I can share our discoveries as they occur. Brilliant!

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Welcome to The Heart of Horsemanship Project

Jayne and her herd will share much of their journey here. 

Horsemanship is relationship. The vessel by which horses and humans experience life together; experience love, joy and contrast. 

Here we will share the heart of the threads connecting our species, and we will inspire you. 

Jayne has a herd of four horses who are her family - Cedar, Heart of Burgundy, mother of Presence of Heart. Bachelor Boy, a twenty years young Australian Quarterhorse, and Romantic Notion; Whiskey, a tri-coloured Pinto gelding. The herd welcome and educate horses and people every day. They have a Twitter account twitter.com/JaynesHerd and a Page on Facebook facebook.com/JaynesHerd that you may "Like." Jayne uses Twitter too, to share events.  

Jaynes Herd

Our project, The Heart of Horsemanship, started life as a book in the late 1990's. 

As a teacher Jayne is asked many questions, but the most frequent request was "please write a book, so that I may study your horsemanship." 

Jayne began her book, and over the years has published articles, tales, blogs and micro-blogs, video's, tests and curriculum for professionals. Jaynes' reasons for not producing a book have been many and varied - too much travelling, not enough time, always evolving, and so on, however since Jayne recognised the reason she loved horses so completely was because they inspired in her to journey to her heart, with passion, to her source and her purpose, she began to call "The Book" "The Heart of Horsemanship." The reams of notes remained unpublished. 

Jayne has engaged with thousands of people all over the world since she joined the World Wide Web in 1999. Within days Jayne wrote advice on forums, later YouTube, and within a few short years received an invitation from a former University colleague to join a new site called Facebook. Jayne has been able to successfully micro-blog about her life as a teacher, a lover of art, a thinker and creator, whilst still working with people and horses full-time. In 2010 Jayne decided "The Heart of Horsemanship" was no longer a book, but a project. A project with hundreds of contributors, human and animal. A creation evolving daily, definitely enhanced by sharing. Participation is the heart of the journey with a horse. Experiencing, feeling, growing. 

Join us, the herd, the co-creators and the online community as we live at the heart of horsemanship.