Thank you so much Sharon Wilsie!
I read this book and was awake and excited, i flew to this clinic all the way to seattle, although i don´t really like flying very much, after this clinic i knew this is something really really big, but felt unsure how to integrate all this into my daily work with the horses. Now i´m back home for some month and i start to realize w h a t a huge gift sharon´s horsespeak is ! I don´t have to think about how to integrate it in everyday life with horses. It just happens. There is no way „back“
I want to point out that we are talking about something absolutely „natural“, the humans learn the language horses communicate with, it´s nothing „esoterical“ or so. We unlearned to watch closely and take care oft he signs. Sharon´s merit ( verdienst) is to write all this down ( in a very lucidly / clear and loving, humorous way) a n d give us a way to answer them, like a horse would do.
This affects the whole ( every day ) work with horses so deeply :
-Starting with things like catching a horse, putting a halter on, picking up a hoof and a lot more of this staff. There are so many things we can pay attention to, that change so much for the horse, and make everything easier for both sights !
-Next thing ground work : i adopted a lot oft the „academic art of riding“ groundwork, it´s logical, they work in small steps, they put the horse in balance, no stressful wagging ( wedeln) with a „stick“ or rope, and also no side reins….but even this high quality ground work became very much „upgraded“ through my new knowledge concerning body language, breathing and mirroring, it´s just amazing!! Juhu!
-Certainly one of the most sensitive points in a life of a horse is getting started. Sharon said, most oft he horses never accepted to be ridden, they just tolerate it to a certain point, this is the reason why so many accidents happen. With sharons horsespeak we have the possibility to ask the horse whether it is ok to be saddled or ridden, or…we can see the small tiny signs they show us, „ no, i´m worried“, or „it´s okay for me“…
My general connection to horses changed so extremely!
My relationship to brilhante, my own horse became much deeper. We never hat a bad relationship, we liked each other but didn´t u n d e r s t a n d the way we do now. He never went away when i came to fetch him from the pasture, he turned his head an i didn´t get what he wanted to show. Now i have the possibility to talk to him, he ( nearly) always comes to me, even on this big wonderful pasture, even away from his best friend and the herd, that is so important for him. He has much fun to snort ( schnauben?) with me, sometimes we have some kind of „snorting concerts“, the other day one of his friends came over and wanted to be part of this…smile
I had some very beautiful experiences „after sharon“, but certainly the most touching has been :
a young unridden mare, she was stressed in the round pen when trying to make the first groundwork steps with her, even it happend in a kind way, she wanted to get out of there. I took her in the round pen and tried to talk to her „sharon way“ … in the evening i was told that this mare in the afternoon has tried to break i n t o the round pen when another horse was worked there…isn´t that just incredible??? That change, with just one ( not very experienced) horse speak??
She wanted to have more of this- so do I !