You can apply this Integration Exercise to any affirmation.  Just state in a positive way the aspect that you’d like to embody.  (Do not say:  I won’t be so judgmental about my body anymore.  Do say:  I accept my body with love and gratitude, and experience harmony and health each day.)

More example affirmations:

I love and care for my body more and more each day.

I am grateful for the blessings that surround me, and I am worthy.

I have a wonderful relationship with my horse, and she thrives on my appreciation of her.

My skills and knowledge about being with horses are growing each day, and the journey of discovery is a joyful path.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Saik2zJ7hfY[/youtube]

If you are interested in more of this, a book called Smart Moves – Why Learning Is Not All In Your Head by Carla Hannaford, Phd. may be of interest to you.    Also, Dr. Joe Dispenza, who gained recognition for his part in the film “What the Bleep Do We Know?” has some very inspiring and empowering material about his study of the mind-body connection,  and how we can change our habitual brain patterns and improve our lives.  Click here and look under “Evolve Your Brain TV then choose “Media Library ” for  some of his free educational audio and video clips

My horse Rainy has been giving riding lessons to young children (ages 2 through 6) and she seems to enjoy it.  She takes such good care of the kids, moving in a careful and quiet manner.    I wouldn’t trust many horses with a young child on their back, but Rainy is so in tune with my body language and understands her job so well, that she makes a very trustworthy lesson horse.

Children come with a parent or nanny who stays through the lesson.   No one is rushed; sometimes a child feels very shy at first when meeting a real live horse up close for the first time, no matter how many days on end they have been begging for the lesson.   Soon bravery and

curiosity come and it is wonderful to see a child’s confidence and abilities grow,  in one session and over the course of a few weeks.

Learning to lead Rainy, stop her, and back her up builds a child's confidence.

Riding lessons are mainly about developing balance and confidence on the horse.  Your child learns how to tell Rainy to walk, trot (when

they are ready), and stop.   The saddle has a comfortable “grab handle” which is easy for kids to find.

This 6 year old has just gotten on. It is her first time on a horse.

Riding without a saddle! Everyone is having a good time.

Children also learn about grooming, picking hooves clean, and parts of the bridle and saddle.

I have been equally amazed to see a child’s confidence grow over a period of weekly lessons, as I have to see how much my horse Rainy loves these kids.  One day a particular student and her grandmother arrived early and were on the side of the pasture on a hill calling to Rainy.  Rainy saw who it was and started walking over to greet the little girl.  People who know horses understand how special it is when a horse stops eating and walks away from their herd mates to come and greet you!

Showing me her "ice cream cone" hands!

A child learns better balance and can sit the trot more easily without using the stirrups.

I’m so grateful for my young riding enthusiasts, and for my sweet riding instructor partner, Rainy.   I feel blessed to have a horse who loves working with kids as much as I do.

Trainer Wes Licht introduces Ranger to COWS! Summer, 2008.

Here are videos that show some of my training with Ranger, a Morab Gelding whose  recognized daddy is Windmere Royal Topaz.  In this photo he’s being ridden by my recognized daddy, trainer Wes Licht.   Three years ago I trained Ranger to ride and drive. I am so blessed to work with him again for a few months as  a “tune-up” in preparation for him to find a good sale home or as a lease to the right person.

In addition to his good looks, his temperament is outstanding.  He is intelligent and loves to interact with people.

In the following video,  Ranger greets me for his training session.  Why do the horses love to see me?  Because I have carrots, of course!  I also try to be fair and reward generously during our time working together so they enjoy their job.[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4EN8iLc1DAs[/youtube]

If you have a horse that is like this (cheerful and happy to work with you every day), be sure to pay attention when they show you a grumpy mood, as they  may be trying to politely tell you that something hurts or they are not feeling well.   For that horse, I like to give them the benefit of the doubt.  Then the next day  when things are fine they seem to say, “Thanks for understanding  me.  Maybe you’re smarter than I thought!”  and then approach me as they usually do, happy to begin their session.

In the next video, Ranger shows how he practically bridles himself.  Teaching a horse to accept the bit using my trick-training methods makes bridling a fun part of his job, and easier for me.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ky4-q6_ej1M[/youtube]

I use a cat collar when riding my horses.  The video below explains where and why.  *At time of posting this video was not loading properly.  If you want, go directly to Youtube and enter search words “saralicht, Ranger, snaffle” to see this one.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9L15EmjBlho[/youtube]

Below, Ranger demonstrates the cones pattern I learned from Stacey Westfall.  You may also want to see my recent article titled “Stacey Westfall’s clover-leaf cones pattern” where I show the pattern in detail using a plastic horse and carrot cones.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8rHE7CUVO8[/youtube]

Learn timing of the leg aid by FEEL!  Ranger and I demonstrate how.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3oVYjEVpAHE[/youtube]

Ranger has been a riding horse for young students for a couple of years.  He is very tolerant and kind.  Here he accepts me riding him while I carry a noisy tarp.  There are a few steps that go into doing this, so please do not try it without professional help.  I can explain methods and demonstrate;  please call me for a session and stay on the safe side.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7ao4hxXYX8[/youtube]

This video below is a bit longer, but you can see Ranger as he was working in July.   Since then he has improved even more  in his ability to stay balanced.  The riding work I put in transferred beautifully to his driving.  In the cart, he responds to my hands and a gentle brush of the whip on his side when I want to bend him and prepare him for a turn.   He shows some nice canter transitions in this video as well.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hOeRbyrLsn4[/youtube]

And finally, You Can Lead a Horse to Water, But You Can’t Make Him Drink…..unless you have carrots and good timing! [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqQxWph2Rtg[/youtube]

EFT stands for Emotional Freedom Technique.  I’ve used EFT for years and have shared it with many people.  It still surprises me at how well it works.  It’s simple and only takes about a minute to “tap” and potentially alleviate what was bugging you.

It’s also good for healing trauma (the time when I had a horrible crash off of that giant horse in training…) and can help with emotional baggage from our childhood (my work is never good enough….)   If you’ve been living on the planet, chances are good that there is something that you can find which you’d like to be free of.

In this video I explain and demonstrate how to do it.[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7gbbVbefNo[/youtube]

The Personal Peace Process:

You can make a huge list of every thing that ever happened to you that was distressing (from childhood up to present time) and include fears and mistaken beliefs which you would like to get rid of, and then go down the list and “tap” a few of them away each day using EFT.  I did this process years ago and it was interesting to me that as I worked my way down the list some items no longer had resonance because some of the themes had already been addressed.

Enjoy the video and feel free to let me know if this works for you or if you have any questions.

Sara Licht

Why is Rowdy a “Wonderhorse?”

Rowdy knows how to bow, lie down, and sit up like a dog.  He stands tall on things and likes to improvise, making up his own new tricks.  He loves going jogging with Sara, and stays right next to her.  When Sara’s large horse “Rainy” was supposed to give a painting demo last year but was falling asleep and not in the artistic mood, Rowdy begged to have a shot at it.  He took the paintbrush in his mouth and painted, despite never having been trained to do this!

This year Rowdy was a horse participant in the Young Driver’s Camp and was so incredible with both of his talented youth drivers.  He fearlessly charged through the timed obstacle courses and took corners with speed I didn’t know he (or I ) could handle.  Driver Melinda said her barrel racing experience probably helped her when I complimented her race-car driving skills.  Driver Mackenzie did a very professional job of showing Rowdy in the Dressage class as well as the pleasure class.  Rowdy looked very proud of himself and soaked up all the attention and care that Mackenzie and Melinda gave him.

See Rowdy at the Blue Mounds parade on Sunday, September 20, 2009.  Parade begins at 11:00 am. After the parade, kids can meet Rowdy as he relaxes and eats a few bites of grass.

Rowdy’s Theme Song:    (to the tune of “I’m looking over a Four Leaf Clover”)

Sunny or cloudy,

my choice is Rowdy,

’cause he is the horse for me.

He’s got four legs and two beautiful eyes.

He’s brown and furry, and he’s just my size

and there is no way of knowin’

how far we’re goin’

when we hit the trail full stride.

I’ve got my Rowdy, and Rowdy has me,

we are best friends side by side.

What: A Clinic where you can bring your specific training questions or behavioral issues and get practical solutions.  I will be working with a few horses at the clinic and explaining it as I work.  There will a period of demonstration about some basics that you can learn to improve your relationship and safety with your horse, plus discussion and demonstration about improving communication.  Any training questions answered.  Limited spots for participants with horses; auditors welcome to bring questions and I will address, explain, and show as best I can to give you practical suggestions.

Topics to be covered: (Flexibility according to interest in particular subjects and the issues at hand. )

Gifts of the Groundwork Drill:   To establish who’s the leader, as a language tool for movement and safer manners while leading, as a precursor to easy longe-line training, and an exercise to build agility and balance in your horse.

Personal Space and leading, Join-up on the leadline.

Reward timing and the behavioral modification process (applied to standing nicely at the mounting block, getting a correct lead, etc.)

Our body position for balance and safety.

Teaching canter under saddle to a young horse.

Methods for sacking out and desensitising your horse to strange objects.

Introducing the bridle:  bridling with ease, helping your horse to understand the bit, transitioning into riding safely.

The topic or question that you would like addressed.

When: Saturday August 29, 2009   9:00am – 1:00pm

(Rain Date Sunday August 30, 2009 9:00-1:00pm)

Where: Saddleridge Stables, in Oregon, Wisconsin.

Price: Participants with horses $45.     Auditors $15.

Details: Please Register to attend, even if you are a “maybe”:  Use the Comments section below this post or call me at (608)215-5200 to apply for a spot to bring your horse and participate.  (Please describe why you’d like to bring your horse and what you hope to get from the clinic.)  Auditors please sign in as well to indicate your intention to attend, and feel free to write your questions or the topics of your so that I am prepared to cover them.   Questions that arise at the clinic  will be welcomed as well.

Please bring your own chair and sack lunch.  Refreshments provided.

Liability Release forms signed at the beginning of the clinic.  This clinic may be video taped with all rights to Sara Licht.  Helmet and gloves recommended for participants.

My Background: I’ve been training young horses to ride and drive, and helping horses get over their issues so that their owners can step in and enjoy building their relationship together more safely.  My training involves using a logical progression of  small steps to make it easier for the horse to find success and to build his confidence while I stay safe.

I’ve worked with various breeds of horses and am on about number 68 currently (I’m still a beginner), each horse being my teacher as I learn how to address their specific issues.   I’ve studied with western trainers using “natural” methods and have studied with dressage riders and trainers, and I use a combination or what seems most appropriate to the situation.  I also practice clicker training on my own horse, using this method to teach her various tricks and communicate key moments of success in her training.  I am happy to share what I’ve found to be useful in training with safety and good communication on my journey of continuous learning.

Hope to see you there and offer you something of value that you can take home and use with your own horses!

Sara Licht

(608)215-5200

email: saralicht@yahoo.com  subject line:  art&horses or horse clinic

Or write to me in the Comments section below.

This tip is thanks to my friend Benjamin, who has beautiful posture. Here I explain how I use it to remind myself during driving and riding.

In addition, remember to LOOK UP while riding, and feel what you horse is doing. Because of the survival instinct, many trainers (myself included) spend too much time looking down at the horse’s neck because we want to keep on eye on what the horse is doing. When I ride at Saddleridge Stables where we all share the arena, it provides great practice for looking up because you had better watch where you are going to prevent a crash into another rider.

Paintings by Rainy the Horse, summer 2008

This is a video clip taken while Rainy ………..and I were in Florida at Valhalla Farm this winter.  Rainy is practicing painting on her new easel, and HANDING me the paintbrush when she is through (instead of just dropping it on the ground or sometimes sending it flying through the air.) We used water for convenience and less mess during this brief practice session.

This winter I will have a DVD available which will include my clicker training workshop that we did in October 2008, plus some video of Rainy painting, and some tips on how you can use this method with your pets.  Please sign up (send your email address in the comments section) if you’d like to be notified when this is available.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SpuchiSKeVg[/youtube]

Next door at Absolutely Art you can also see the work of Mary Fiore in her show “As I See It:  Batiks and Photos.”  Live music, food, and drink provided.  Hope you can make it, these openings are a lot of fun.  The show only runs through July 31st, so come and see the work before it goes!

While you are there or on the bike path behind Atwood Avenue, check out Absolutely Art’s back wall (outside) which Sara painted last year.  Each year Absolutely Art will invite a different artist to paint a mural on their wall, so enjoy it while it lasts.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RptQ0SlCvoY[/youtube]  I began using it and have found it valuable on many levels.  I use the repetition of the same directional turns to teach green horses to move away from the leg.  They learn quickly with this exercise, and it’s fun for me too.

After my horse worked at the trot and in nice balanced turns with this drill,  I noticed that her balance and agility at the canter dramatically improved as well.  My horse also became much more attuned to the shift in my weight as I looked where I wanted to go.
Want to know more about Stacey Westfall?  click here to see her website.  Here’s an excellent video of Stacey demonstrating the cloverleaf cones pattern, and explaining some of her work:  [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-kop90Wrg8&feature=related[/youtube]If you are the diligent “trainer type” (always interested in learning more), I highly recommend Stacey’s training videos.  I’ve watched the entire set and they are very good.  Not only is she able to train horses well, she is an excellent teacher and able to explain her methods clearly.