Off on an intelligent path – Part 5 – Goodbye already?!

The last 2 days of the course were a complete blur, time flies and all that.  A small part of me was really excited about the week coming to an end, getting back to the real world and putting everything I had learned into practise.  But, a much larger part of me wanted to dig my heals in, grab the nearest door-frame and refuse to leave. 

The focus shifted slightly on Thursday and Friday.  The days weren’t quite as packed as the previous three which gave us a bit of time to reflect.

Each of us had a session of our choosing on Thursday and I chose to do some more halter/leading work.  What I thought was going to be a session on how I could lead a horse a bit better turned into a very philosophical lesson about myself and my whole approach to horsemanship.  My instructor, Julia, made me think of everything I do and how it effects the one on the other end of the lead rope.  She taught me that you can be gentle without being soft and you can be firm without being harsh but also, how forgiving a horse can be if you get it wrong from time to time.  I came away from that session feeling like I could do anything…I also learnt how to lead a horse a bit better too.

Friday was as bitter-sweet a day as you might expect.  We all had our final Join-ups of the week and were told about other courses which I wanted to sign myself up for right away but had to remind myself that annual leave and money are finite things, so I’ll have to pace myself. 

I couldn’t quite believe the week had come to an end, I’d learnt so much but also felt that I’d only scratched the surface and before I knew it, it was time to say goodbye actually I hope it’s more ‘see you soon’.

Massive thanks to Kelly Marks and the Intelligent Horsemanship team and of course The Loveliness.

I think the world of everyone in this photo and I’m sure that they’ll all go on to do great things.

Off on an Intelligent path (Part 1)

I arrived at the farm feeling fairly nervous.  That tipping point of excited/nervous where you can’t wait for what’s about to happen but you’re still about to walk into a room full of people who you don’t know.  Well, the nerves disappeared pretty much as soon as I walked in, I don’t think I’ve ever been smiled at by a room of strangers before, it’s a good feeling (which, yes, means I was one of the last to arrive).

I was spending the week at Hartsop Farm in Oxfordshire for the Intelligent Horsemanship 5 Day Foundation Course.  Last October I had been to see a  demonstration by Monty Roberts on Join-up and left with my mind sufficiently blown.  I was also lucky enough to meet Kelly Marks (One of Monty Roberts’ first students and founder of Intelligent Horsemanship).  We talked about other horse trainers, she signed my book, which embarrassingly wasn’t one of hers, and finally mentioned a course that they run.  And the seed was planted… “Could I really learn how to do THAT?”

The 5-year-old me went into overdrive and I convinced myself that this is what I had to do.  I didn’t need a lot of convincing.  I aimed at one of the courses in June or July to give myself plenty of time to save up, but with a cash injection thanks to my parents and Christmas aligning, I seemed to be ahead of target.  I couldn’t wait anymore so I booked myself a weeks holiday at the end of May and signed myself up.  I really don’t like wishing time away, but I couldn’t wait and the following weeks duly passed and before I knew it, I found myself pointing at my luggage saying things out loud to make sure I had everything.  

Clothes - Check, Wash bag - Check, Suitable Footwear - Check, Hard Hat - Check, Feeling that this week will change everything - CHECK...