Wednesday, July 28, 2021

 Cavaletti exercises are a fabulous opportunity for horses of all ages and levels to get in some gymnastic work. It develops a better awareness or coordination,, placement of feet, conditioning and strengthening muscles. It heightens rhythm and suppleness. Thank you Bailey and Kaley for demonstrating today. With Katherine Barbarite of Whispering Hooves





Wednesday, July 24, 2019

"A B C's of Partnership Building Horsemanship"
"Communicating in a Language they Understand"
Natural Horsemanship or Natural Communication, to the language they understand, is key here. Although nothing is natural for horses and human together, for a moment lets place ourselves in their shoes.
We are two legged, skinny, smell funny and are very much cluttered mentally. Why is it that go on demanding such ridiculous feet's and get frustrated because they are being "obstinate". I disagree with the accusation, because the answer is quite simple, they just don't understand. They are very forgiving by trying and giving to you all the time. Lets face it without us in the picture they can jump over lumber and streams. Flying lead changes and slide stops to avoid the mare. They side step laterally to play with a stick with another horse. Turn on the forehand and haunches when getting out of dodge. Drive off each other to establish leadership. Collect because they show off for to another stallion. Spanish walk and pawing to display for the mare in heat. These are all natural behaviors however we get involved , with instant gratification and think we have discovered the wheel. What makes my exercises so special is communicating in a language they have ben speaking for over 50 million years. Emphasis on timing, thought is the ultimate goal from the prospective of the horse.
Everything that is done on the ground, will not only make sense in the saddle but set the horse up for success. Work that is done on the ground not only elevates your safety, but will assure not to miscommunicate in other areas with your relationship with your equine partner, the amazing Horse!
By Katherine Barbarite of Whispering Hooves
www.whisperinghooves.com

Friday, July 19, 2019

Leadership
"To lead or not to lead"
The ability to have constant calm confidence is what you want to establish in becoming the nurturing leader. With that, the horse will look for you and want to be with you. Limit fustration and fear and be part of the relationship sharing their world. You first need to achieve the assurance of trust and communication. Black or white, either you lead or they do, can be identified when asking for something from your horse and they chose to do something else. Stick with your original ask repeating until they understand you are the leader. Once established, they will relax and be soft. It's because of life preservation that do what they do.
By Katherine Barbarite of Whispering Hooves
Www.whisperinghooves.com

Tuesday, May 21, 2019

Whispering Hooves: Descentizing and Confidence Building In a natural ...

Whispering Hooves: Descentizing and Confidence Building In a natural ...: Descentizing and Confidence Building In a natural or domesticated setting, each horse will respond differently to touch, sight, smell, so...
Descentizing and Confidence Building
In a natural or domesticated setting, each horse will respond differently to touch, sight, smell, sound and no two the same. The natural instinct or natural "flee", are what protected horses throughout the years while being in the wild.
Described many ways such as fear or and obstinate horse, it's because of their " life preservation", that is why horses do what they do.
Now the safest time to be creative and have fun with your partner is to set up for success on the ground, so allow your imagination to run. It's a wonderful way to heighten the trust level between you and your horse in a safe way.
By: Katherine Barbarite of Whispering Hooves
Www.whisperinghooves.com

Wednesday, April 17, 2019

Horse Hooves

Taking care of Horses Hooves.

If you choose to trim Naturally ( as nature intended) or place shoes on you horse, its valued information to understand the structure, from picture below, to decide what's best for your horse. All trim actions not only effect the hoof but bad trimming can effect the leg all the way up the skeletal and will impact and impede the mechanics. 


By; Katherine Barbarite of Whispering Hooves
Www.whisperinghooves.com

Monday, February 4, 2019

PTSD
Have you said to yourself “Holy cow, my horse is crazy right out of the blue”?
Has it become down right dangerous to ride, and do not know when its coming?
Over the years I have worked with hundreds of traumatized horses, most of whom have suffered so much emotional and mental trauma some form or another. The amount of stress endured during the traumatic event affects the release of certain hormones that are responsible for creating the "flight or fight" response to stress. When horses have endured a very traumatic experience and are exposed to chronic stress, their normal feedback system (healthy release of adrenaline, chemicals) breaks down, just as ours does, leading them to experience PTSD.
The hippocampus, a horseshoe-shaped structure, is part of the limbic centre and is involved in several bodily functions including storing and retrieval of new memories and emotional responses. During a traumatic event, both Adrenaline and Cortisol are released into the body to prepare us for fight or flight. They are necessary for our survival. However, if these hormones remain in high concentration over an extended period, they become toxic to the hippocampus, damaging and destroying cells, proven in MRI-brain scans.
Horses suffering from PTSD have endured so much stress and constant adrenaline, they remain in a chemically-induced state of self-preservation where both Adrenaline and Cortisol are released in large amounts. This is damaging on a chemical and emotional level. Neurologically the horse continues to release hormones that “trigger” them into constant fight and flight. This leaves them emotionally unbalanced as they cannot differentiate between what’s really happening and what has triggered a memory. When this occurs, the horse becomes hyper-vigilant, distrustful, unreachable. The encouraging thing is you can. Simply back off and help your horse overcome this debilitating neurological disorder with certain exercises. With a lot of time, understanding and patience, that do NOT encourage pain or fear.
by: Katherine Barbarite of Whispering Hooves
www.whisperinghooves.com