I thought I'd try out our discussion board with a new topic. I'm curious: For those of you who have horses, either of your own or borrowed or have horses that you're considering buying -- do you have a personal horse philosophy? If so, what does it entail?

Here are some thoughts: Since we work with horses, what are they to us? How do we care for them? What is the nature of our relationship with them?

In the realm of physical care, do you have anything special that you do with your horses? Grooming? Feeding? Shoeing? Do you tend toward more conventional horse care or do you explore more "natural" ways of taking care of your horses?

Training/Riding Disciplines: Do you ride or are you a mostly on-the-ground person? What kinds of riding do you do? Do you follow a certain school of thought on training?

Relationship: What do you get out of your personal interactions with your horses? What do you want to get out of your time with your own horses or any horse that you spend time with?

It really doesn't matter if you see your horse every day or if you borrow a horse to work with in coaching. I think we all develop ideas about who we are as individuals and in partnership with the horses in our lives. I'm interested to see what ya'll think ...

I think number 1 for me is listening to the horse inform me about what he/she needs to assure their well-being. Whenever I've had a horse (or seen someone else's) and they are exhibiting a behavior and we HAVEN'T listened to the horse, there was some kind of result that wasn't in the best interest of the horse, nor of the owner/rider. When we do listen things smooth out and everyone including the horse is happier.

When our big warm blood kept kicking his stall, the barn manager just got mad at him, hobbled him and considered him a "bad" boy. She confined him more and more. Finally, I listened to him and told her he needs less confining not more. He's a big horse and being in the 10X10 stall with a low ceiling was like locking her (the barn owner) in a small bathroom. He needed to be outside as much as possible. She didn't like it but she did it and he was a much happier horse.

*****

The hoof lifting exercise is a good one. Reading over this made me think about what I do when I clean Tansy's feet.

We've been through a lot with her feet over the past year. She's transitioned from shoes to barefoot, and it's been a Journey -- not just physically, but spiritually, in many ways. It's been about listening and respecting.

When I start, I show her the hoof pick first, even if it's just for a second. I want her to know what I'm up to. When I run my hand down her leg, I feel what she's doing physically. I listen. Is she bothered by what I'm doing? Is she interested? When I get to her hoof, I ASK her to pick it up. "Tansy, may I please have your foot?" By verbally asking, I remind myself that I want something from her so that I can do something for her. I ask permission. Usually the hoof comes up automatically, before my hand even gets to it. It's not just that she knows the drill, it's that we re-connect in partnership. Our energies mesh and we know each other's hearts.

When I'm not in the moment -- when I'm trying to clean her feet too fast or I'm mentally multi-tasking-- she lets me know by not picking up. And sometimes she turns around to look at me. You know the look. It's the one that says "I don't think so..." This only happens on the first foot, because she reminds me that I need to be here now. The art of being with a horse is about UNI-TASKING.