Have A Good Question?

This is your chance to be involved in my next video (and still maintain anonymity… lol) and win a FREE autographed copy of my book. Exactly what does this involve? Well, let me tell you!

I want you to ask me a question… but not just any question. Only the BEST QUESTION asked that is appropriate to what I am hoping to demonstrate will do (and win the prize!). So, to adequately prepare you to submit a potentially win-worthy question, here are some guidelines :

• The question should provide as many details as possible.
• The topic of your question should revolve around the horse (as opposed to your riding ability/balance/position).
• The question should highlight a problem you are having (like “my horse refuses to change leads”), rather than how to accomplish a goal (like “how do I teach my horse to change leads”).

Prize Package :

• FREE Autographed Copy of my book, “Centered Self, Centered Horse : A Simple Guide to Horsemanship“!
• Your question will be used in my next Core Workshop video, demonstrating how to use critical thinking to problem solve!
• Be the first to be notified (via email) of the said video’s release online!

To submit your question by email Click Here
To submit your question through comment… scroll down (all comments are moderated before being posted, so no submissions will be posted publicly).

Thanks everyone!

You guessed it, Monday has rolled around and marks another ‘the day after AIR Radio Channel’s Online Radio Broadcast!’ If you happened to miss the live show, never fear! You can listen to this Sunday’s show, and all our previous shows, online still.

• Link : Lazy – Sensitive : Horses & Humans

Have an idea for a radio show topic, or a horse/equestrian related question you would like to have addressed? Let us know your thoughts and we may choose your idea to discuss on our next show!

It seems as though my contribution to my own blog has become slated to (hopefully) impermanent sporadic moments of free flowing ideas. In all truth, it has been used primarily as a mouth piece for my new online radio show. So, I figured that since I had a few moments I would at least add *something*… which is going to consist of one of my other interests – creative and poetic writing.

Never fear, I will be hosting my next radio show March 1, so be sure to tune in. And, don’t forget you can also call in as a guest, and if you pre-register on the site before the show you can also add to it’s flair by chatting along with us and even posting video and image media. A truly interactive experience!

Link : AIR Radio Channel

Random Wholly Whole Ness (written 02/10/2009)

Oh your breeze, drift my way please, every second of every deez.
Yes, yes it is mine part of mind.
I’ve even bought a bit of it just to remind.
Even if after all remembering is just much to much too kind.

I’ve grasped back into my hand, that week long bliss, of which I was much amiss in the missing of that kiss. I laugh thinking now, skipping in my rhyme of time trapped blind ness, mess. And happy ness, mess. Giggle.

Take my hand and feel the energy spin, through and through, like my soul is touching you. Always eyes, always looking, without looking, without gazing, without opening my lids or blinking. But tears still escape, I am not closed off from you, never, ever. For goodness sake, see this space?

Week won, or one, the one needed to be won. It was justified by the tide of perusive and wholly conclusive conductivity between two persons of lide. Yes it’s real, I made it up.

Wanting, not needing, desiring, holding, grasping, cradling. a dedication inside of knowing without the knowing that everyone else wants or thinks they need.

Bucolic Sleeplessness (written 02/17/2009)

good morning sunshine, do you know who makes the Star shine? after some decline it now sublime. runaway mind, stopped by a kitty napping indignantly upon a lap divine, a lap now wine, a lap all mine. would one dare label asinine?.. altruistically of heaven rhyme, to pair one line to ultimate crime, shut out the light. even hemmingway found himself a sweeter kind before departing although less a grace for me. sigh melodious pause in time. and they do turn left to no chance of Fates to forget about but by way of bravery in bucolic charm. somehow i was time to disarm…

What? You’ve never heard of a wooden horse? A wooden horse for adults? Well, it’s true!

No lie, these wooden horses are built not only for adults, but for some serious equestrians. Want to build up or maintain your physical fitness through those not so endearing winter months or when your own horse is laid up with an injury? How about practicing posting, sitting the canter, handling the reins, riding like a jockey and more without putting your horse through the process like a guinea pig? This wooden horse was built to handle it all!

Frankie Lovato, Jr., who invented and builds the wooden horses, has also supported Therapeutic Riding Programs by donating whenever possible. They use his wooden horses with much success during all seasons! In the October 2008 Horses Magazine he was spotlighted with the following article.

“My name is Frank Lovato and I am a retired professional jockey. Over my 25 year career, I rode in over 15,000 races and had 1,680 winners. What may be even more interesting is that I build horses for people to ride indoors! I named them the Equicizer and they are playing a very serious role in many people’s lives. Maybe you are you thinking, “Why in the world would anyone want or need a mechanical horse for in their home?” You may be surprised to learn why and who is riding off into the sunset right in their own living rooms these days.”

Read the rest of this article and more about Frankie Lovato, Jr. and his Wooden Horses!

Even Craig Cameron has gotten in on the action, showing off the various uses of the Equicizer! Watch the video below, or subscribe to the Equicizer’s YouTube Channel!

Time is running down, the clock is ticking, and there remains but two weeks before the ASPIRE Therapeutic Riding Benefit, “Dances With Horses” in Waterloo, Iowa. Which reminds me today that I need to get my horse his traveling papers…

All deadlines aside, I wanted to make an update on how the project is progressing. My dress, which I’ve mentioned previously, is beginning to make it’s appearance in the world. We’ve been doing daily fittings as we slowly construct and create it. While it is based upon a high-fashion dress by Emanual Ungaro, it will have it’s own variations and unique qualities, the least of which being that we had to make adjustments so it doesn’t get caught up on the back of the saddle.

I thought it might be a bit more entertaining if everyone could see some behind the scenes…

And for some more visual… me and *Tanjobi playing with some ideas for our ride, of course the final ride choreography will only be revealed after the event.

This is a new clip that I put together recently. If you like it let me know, pass it around, share it with friends and horsie-fam. More to follow soon…

More Horse Videos From Erica K. Frei

I was perusing the Olympic website looking for show times for the Equestrian games… when I spotted this video and gave a chuckle. Good to see a horse so personable and who has such a relationship with his rider! I hope everyone is looking forward to the games as much as I am…

Watch The Video

Nothing like some deadline to put a fire under my feet. I have a ride coming up, October 4, just 4 days before my birthday – which is always an auspicious time for me. It is the ASPIRE Therapeutic Riding Program Benefit Ride in Waterloo, Iowa. I have a 10 minute slot in which to ride to music of my choosing and do whatever fancies my taste, and it has been requested that I do so using one of my Bashkir Curly horses…

For the interest of safety, and attractive and entertaining outcome, I have chosen my former stallion turned exceptional gelding, *Y.S. Tanjobi. A little bit about Jobi… I bought him back in 2000 as a 2 year old stallion from Trish Rosborough of Yanagi Stables in Ontario, Canada. We stood him as a stallion until 2004 when I opted to get out of breeding horses and focus more closely on riding and training. I entertained thoughts of selling him as a stallion, but in the end couldn’t part ways with him and gelded him for my own riding horse instead. I have never for a moment regretted it!

The original photos from *Tanjobi’s for sale ad as a long yearling which stole my heart.

Jobi sired 9 foals as a stallion. *Y.S. Kinyobi was out of his first foal crop and is now successfully standing stud for Trish Rosborough. I personally held onto his last two foals, *Truman Obi and *Theodore Obi, who are now coming 4 years old this fall.

Jobi also got the chance to spend a year with me in Seattle, WA studying French Classical Dressage. Aside from that, Jobi has been shown at several of the Bashkir Curly breed shows, in a few open shows, and used to help represent the breed at the Midwest Horse Fair every year in Madison, Wisconsin. For the most part over the last couple of years his main responsibility has only been to long-distance trail riding with me and my Paint gelding, Scout. But alas, the ‘performance’ ring calls again!

Preparation

I’ve had to think a lot about what exactly I want to do for this ride. It has been a while since I’ve had to put anything together of this nature, so I have probably taken more weeks to get an idea than I would have hoped to. Now it’s just to pull it together. So let’s look at the skeleton of what I have figured out so far.

Outline Idea

I have 10 minutes approximately in the arena. It might not seem like that much time, but in some ways it can be an eternity when performing in the arena. Not to mention working just the right music into that time frame. Originally I had the idea to swap costumes throughout the ride. Come in as one famous person, and through a clever system of layering costumes I could move through a myriad of different characters by removing those layers. While I still like this idea, the amount of time I have to put together that many costumes and have the act down solid… I’m thinking that I should simplify.

Plan two was to ride in as one famous character – preferably a female, with a long skirt, and have a ‘goody bag’ of sorts tucked under the edge of the skirt that I can pull props out of and play along with the first song I have picked out. I’m liking this idea better, not only because it will take less time to put together props than it will to make costumes, but I will already be in costume for the second song in my play list.

The second half of my ride I am planning to ride to Wild Horses by Alicia Keys & Adam Levine, with me as the lady, and my steed decked out with a chestedo (chest tuxedo).

Practice Makes Perfect

So now, where am I with practice? Well, there are certain elements that I want my pony to perform that I would like to hammer down more solidly. Most notably, a lay down at the second refrain of the second song. Jobi lays down very nice, but I would like for it to become a bit more instantaneous rather than him hanging for a second or two checking out the scenery (or the ‘bed’). There are other portions, including several rears and some tight canter circles in hand, that I would also like to smooth out. They are nice, and one could hardly complain, but I do try to prepare well…

I also like to believe that Mr. Jobi likes to prepare, so with that I though perhaps a nod to his patient preparation and waiting in the tie stalls.

Our first day of practice consisted of working in hand on canter departs and canter to halt transitions into rearing and back to canter. We also laid down several times and then proceeded to some nice canter work under saddle. The majority of the riding portion will be with Jobi at the canter, since much of it will be my acting ‘skills’ (or lack thereof… haha), coupled with some spicy tricks on his part.

All in all, a good first day. More to follow!

It always excites me to get feedback on what I’ve written or am teaching, not so much to stroke the ego, but to know that it is making a difference in people’s lives – that I am connecting with them. With that said, I got this wonderful review on my book “Centered Self, Centered Horse” just before Memorial Day weekend.

“Hi Everyone,

I just wanted to tell you all that I bought a copy of Erica’s new book, and I loved it. I don’t know how she got 60 years of insight in so few years. It’s an awesome book about horses, but just as awesome about people.

It’s not a training or instructional book. It’s more like a Bill Dorrance or Ray Hunt book about feel. That’s why I think it’s so extraordinary that it’s written by someone so young.

Anyway, it gets my highest recommendation. If you want to read a really cool book (that you really do need to read over and over again to remind yourself about what’s important about horses and yourself in living with horses and
people), order a copy. yesterday!!!!!

Terry”

Thank you Terry!
You can order your very own copy today through my Online Store, or through Amazon.com.

Come swiftly, or slowly. Come towards me when you are ready. I will stand, I will wait, I will be ready in every moment.

Turn left or turn right, stay straight ahead if you like. I am centered, I am balanced, I am ready in every moment.

Jump ahead or turn around, step straight forward, step straight back. I care little which way you should go, for I will be ready in this moment.

The horse in his infinite patience has but to ask us for ours in return, but do we listen? That is the meditation, we listen, we become still and silent. We leave the door open for the wind to tousle, or the curtains drawn for the sun to shine inward. Meditation is not the thought, but leaving the thought behind. Isn’t that what we long for in our time with the horse? To leave the thoughts behind of tomorrow, of yesterday, of the stresses, of the worries, of all those fears that keep us locked to the ground or stuck in our own path? That the horse could set us free, and yet we find new problems arise in that hope.

We find fears with the horse. He moves too fast or too slowly. He turns the wrong way or doesn’t turn at all. We want him to be caught easily, when he runs away rampantly. He bucks when we want an easy ride, or pulls back in the cross-ties. Perhaps we want to be successful in competition, while our horse refuses to polish just the way we want?

So today, let’s take just a moment for Meditation Upon the Horse. Let’s take this one time we have with our horse today to listen, to be still in our mind and set aside all of the thoughts outside of the arena. To let go of those that are not connected to the horse, and then let go of those connected to the horse. To be truly in the moment, without thought, with only action as needed. To find a sense of curiosity – not borne out of theories, ideas, concepts, logic or any other thought-based origin, but simply out the desire to try it and observe what happens.

When we catch our horse, what happens when we stop and count to ten, when we resume walking towards him we move slower – in half speed. As though time has slowed to a crawl and we can move no faster than a snail. Not out of hesitation in the step, but out of controlled slowness, intentional. What happens when we speak softly, not out of concern that we may spook the horse with our voice, but rather to establish the connection with him, to begin the relationship. To ring the telephone and then listen for the response on the other line. To listen.

When we groom, to be so involved in every small step. The curiosity of a child in the way the brush must feel upon his coat, or the curry against the grain. The hoof pick as it picks at every nook and cranny. The way the saddle sets upon the horse’s back, to be present with every step. To take what has become automatic and turn it to manual. To relearn what we’ve learned. To find the nuances in the ordinary.

When we ride the horse, discover what it is to move to and from, left and right, up and down, like a dance. One step forward and two back, turn slightly, one step forward and two back. To pick a rhythm, a beat, a dance step of sorts and play with it. Pick a rhythm in four-time, or perhaps a waltz in three-time. Feel your seat in the saddle, your legs how they hang beneath, the touch of your calf to the side of the horse. The gentle swing with each step, or the up and forwards movement in the trot. The lovely flow in canter. To be present, to listen, to be curious, to rediscover. To ultimately be thoughtless, to observe.

That is the meditation. To be present. To honor every step. We can meditate while seated on the ground in a quiet field, and we can meditate upon the horse while cantering through the same field. Meditation can be taken with us, it is not a ritual but a state of mind, or mindlessness. Of leaving thought behind and in that thoughtlessness moving beyond the very thought you’ve let go of.

Meditation also takes practice. It is not gained all at once. You could escape to a monastery in the mountains and find meditation there, but you can also practice it every day in small ways without giving up your life and commitments. Washing dishes with presence, being consumed by the rag against the plates, forks, etc, without thoughts bound up in the action. It will come in small pieces, which over time create periods of thoughtless meditation. This can grow into continuous meditation, with a presence of mind to every action and interaction you have.

Why this impacts the horse is that often our thoughts can interfere with what we ultimately want with the horse – a connection which bring joy and happiness. Anything we attach on top of that is extra – i.e. winning a blue ribbon, gaining a certain level of skill, performing a difficult maneuver, going for a trail ride, etc. Underneath all of that, we are driven by the pursuit of happiness. If we thought the outcome of riding horses would bring us pain, injury, unhappiness, frustration, sadness, fear, etc – we would move on to another activity. We can become distracted in our thoughts from finding this joy and happiness, and by letting go of the thoughts we are able to move back to our original intent, making every interaction with the horse not only a success, but one with un-contained enthusiasm along with it!

So it’s icy out and I have work tonight so no time to play with the ponies. I figured I would post something written over the course of this fall. It was largely inspired by a Neuromuscular Therapy course I was attending, and also from the previous understanding I’ve had of the horse. Something to inspire the mind, I hope. Enjoy!

“Horses As A Whole – Ramblings”

…The horse world is not the only field where we dissect and divide into specialties, sub-specialties and a myriad of categories. Our entire modern civilization functions in just the same way. We look at our bodies as being suitable for this separation – if our shoulder hurts we do not link a connection to our feet with the pain.

For this reason, I propose a whole horse approach. I can believe that when the horse is healthy on the whole, that there is no reason he would resist, be inattentive, lethargic, anxious, aggressive, fearful, etc. These are the symptoms of a larger picture, which is often ignored or misunderstood. Too many “impossibilities” are proposed when it comes to the horse as a whole. When the horse has low energy, he is labeled as being lazy, dull, or disinterested. The question then becomes, “why?” What is it that is causing the low energy state?

Can the horse have similar tail bone injury issues as humans? What about their hyoid[1|2] bone(they do not have one)? If the nervous system is upset, the whole of the horse would feel it. Where then will the compensations show? How their diet is involved, for an animal made to eat grasses, but is fed grains? Gluten intolerance? What about chemical additives in grains, and even hay or pasture?

The horse’s craniosacral [1] rhythm? Connection between fixed organs, their inability for free visceral[1] pulse, and certain types of colic? More people are becoming aware of liver and kidney overload with feed. Mesentary[1] work? Physical imbalances in the horse? Poor muscle tone, poor posture? The violent force of rectal palpation, and it’s connection with difficult breeding, births, or behavior changes in mares? Behavior changes in mare in connection with the birth process? Sacrum alignment? What about the bone plates of the horse’s skull, do they also have a Sphenoid bone[1]? Fox cerebri? Cranial alignment, postural assessment? Changes in hooves caused by postural imbalances or compensations?

What are the top no-no’s when it comes to working with horses?

• No pulling – on the reins, on the halter, etc… leading into…
• No denting. The horse must be respected, we cannot change them by taking or giving, only by influencing them by our presence and actions. Note.. I don’t say “interactions” – let’s stay on the outside.
• Stronger does not mean faster. Strong legs do not mean go, they mean stop. Strong aids do not inspire the horse to intelligent responses, only reactions.
• Better out than in (I like that), if the horse is to react to something, always encourage an external response. Internal ‘stuffing’ causes disease – mental, emotional, physical.
• Never contain, compression creates pressure, that can be released either slowly like a pressure cooker, or suddenly – explosive.
• Resistance is a warning sign – moving past resistance damages. This is on all levels, physically the body breaks, mentally the mind breaks, emotionally the heart breaks.

• Pulling – what does pulling inspire? Give what we get, if we pull we get pulling in response. If we give, we are given to in response.
• Denting – if we dent we damage. Do we want to ride and train damaged horses?
• Strength – as above, give lightness, get lightness. We can never be as strong as the horse, so why try?
• Externalizing/Internalizing – when energy is compressed, it becomes pressurized and either explodes outwards or damages the container holding it together. If the horse’s body is used to contain this energy, the energy will either carry the body in an explosive manner, or damage the external structures holding it together.
• Resistance – falls along with the category of Denting. Resistance warns us that we are on the edge of denting. When we don’t explore with intelligent touch, our nerves never have a chance to warn us that we have met resistance until we’ve already moved into or past it. Careful, light exploration sensitizes our nerves, building our ability to recognize when we’ve met resistance and back off before denting the horse.

General : Force –

Force, a relative term, is so overused in today’s training of the horse. They are pushed, pulled, whipped, cranked, yanked, yelled at, kicked and in general, overstimulated.

According to Ardnt’s Nueurological Law ( Rudolph Arndt, German Psychiatrist, 1835-1900), “Weak stimuli excites physiological activity, moderately strong ones favor it, strong ones retard it, and very strong ones arrest it.” So, from weak to very strong, as the stimulation is increased, the physiological response decreases with the intensity applied. This is why strong force causes a horse to shut down, rather than exciting them into intelligent actions.

The proposed system of NAIS (national animal identification system) has ruffled the feathers of many equestrians, not merely from the standpoint of more paperwork, hassle and headache. It is important to understand how this can affect all equestrians from basic health care of their animals to competitions and travel. Do you know the implementation plan in your state? If not, below are many resources to get you started. Get involved, have an opinion and speak your mind!

	NoNAIS.org — Protect Traditional Rights To Farm
	USDA NAIS — Official Government Site