I really wanted to write to you to thank you so much for all you have done for me and Barnaby.
It is amazing to look back to the time we first met you and I was an emotional wreck with a horse who scared me. He would constantly spook and take off with me whether in the 'safe' confines of our school or out hacking. He seemed to be terrified of almost everything. The sound of a horsebox starting up or heavy rain on his stable roof was enough to send him piaffing and head shaking for an hour. Loading was a no-no, unless I wanted to see how high he could get without falling over backwards.
I'm so glad I turned to Natural Horsemanship. During my first 3 days of training with you I began to understand what Barnaby needed from me and got the tools to be able to make it happen. I was learning to become an effective leader. You pointed out the key failing in our partnership, that Barnaby believed I was lower down in the herd order than him which meant when he and I were together he was in charge or, effectively, alone. Disastrous for a fearful horse.
Playing the 7 Games ensured that I controlled his direction and speed, that his feet moved before mine and taught him to respect my space. Now I was acting like a horse who was higher up in the pecking order. I learnt to be consistent and fair in my leadership and he relaxed so much. Lots of squeeze game, building up (higher, narrower obstacles) slowly over the weeks overcame his claustrophobic tendencies until he was brave enough to load onto a trailer calmly. More days with you, borrowing the gorgeous Morgan to learn some spook busting, hacking out tips, and I was ready to start hacking out on Barnaby again. That went more smoothly than I could ever have imagined, now that we had respect and trust. I also have to give a mention to Gavin Schofield who worked his Cranio-Sacral magic on Barnaby, as you said he would, overcoming a back problem which resolved an issue he had with working on the left rein.
It's been a gradual process but this last month especially I've reaped the rewards as we travelled Barnaby to the coast, walked him into the sea and cantered along the beach! A dream come true and unthinkable from the point we started from. So once again, thank you so much from a confident pony and his happy Mum!
Caroline and Barnaby, Hertfordshire