Focus On the Emotional

We continue to have warm temperatures here, but they are accompanied by thick fog. The photo above was from yesterday, after it cleared. 

I saw this today on FB from a trainer I follow. She summed up what I have been doing all week with Tumbleweed. I took a step back and concentrated on the emotional, rather than the physical.

It seemed to me a better use of my time to help him settle into a relaxed mind and energy, rather than having emotional conversations about leaving the herd.

For example, here he is upon leaving the herd. Head high, hyper-vigilant. My first trainer, the one who starts them, allows her horses to work it out standing tied waiting for their turn. They stand tied for a good part of the day and find relaxation on their own  

That’s not really possible for me, so I use TTouch to get him there faster. A session takes around 45 minutes. I work on face, ears, mouth, neck, back, legs, and tail.

I continue to try bladder meridian, too, which has helped many of my other horses, but it doesn’t do much for Tweed. I’ve been able to get a couple of releases, and when I do, I stand back and let him have a moment. But he’s mostly kind of bored with it.

When he’s fully relaxed, we go exploring, walking wherever the wind blows us. 

The bodywork has made all the difference in his herd bound stuff. It’s nonexistent when we take the time to connect, or as in Sacred Spaces, find “communion.”  

I want him to know I have his best interest at heart. A good leader should inspire that level of trust. By listening to his energy, and addressing the underlying causes, I am saying, “you’re safe with me.”  If we can come out of winter with just that, it will change everything about our partnership.