During the last 30 days, the Waterhole Rituals pranced to Canada and later crossed the Atlantic to dance their way through Denmark and England. Participants came from far and wide, with some traveling through as many as seven countries to attend. Old friendships were renewed, new ones were created, and most importantly of all, humans and horses were magically transformed!

I have the great fortune in life of doing what I love. For me, there is simply nothing more rewarding than empowering people to become the “just” leaders their horses deserve. Carolyn Resnick’s method of relating to horses is amazing and attracts equally fascinating people as well. The latest three clinics were “mountain-high” experiences for me. As always, it was my intention to teach with passion, understanding, and genuine love for the people and horses in attendance.

In each of these clinics the focus was on connection, not performance. There is such a huge difference between these two concepts, yet they are often mistaken for the same thing. People often assume if a horse performs adequately, he must like what he is doing. Sometimes, nothing could be further from the truth. As we demonstrated in these clinics, remove the tack, make a request, and you may be surprised at what you get (or don’t get) from your horse. The difference between connection and performance quickly becomes self-evident!

I worked with many horses during these clinics and, of course, no two horses were alike. Each required a different “dose” of the Waterhole Rituals along with a healthy measure of intuition. To effectively train horses, one must constantly read their actions to pick up on the subtle cues which reveal their innermost desires, feelings, fears, etc. Working a horse at liberty allows him freedom of expression in that he ALWAYS has a choice. The relationship which develops from this process never fails to amaze me, especially when you consider the hardships that some of these magnificent animals have had to overcome. In as little as three days, horses which had been deemed aggressive became respectful, dominant horses became good followers of their new leaders, and shy horses became more confident. Most importantly, these miraculous transformations occurred at liberty, in a free environment, without the use of tack, force, or restraint. Several participants stated that this was the first time they truly felt a connection with their horses. The Waterhole Rituals never cease to amaze me!

I would like to give a special thanks to all of the horses and humans who participated in these three clinics. Also, I congratulate Barb Finwick in Canada, Kira Holms in Denmark, and Jayne Forster in England for being such fabulous hosts. None of it would have been possible without their efforts.

Lastly, I would like to share a comment made by an insightful woman named Pippa. She said, “I have left a lot of clinics in tears for the manner in which horses were misunderstood and mistreated, but this time I am leaving with tears of JOY because of how the horses were understood and treated in such a positive manner.” This validation sums up the reason why I teach Carolyn’s method with such on-going passion. Thank you Pippa for your kind comment!

There are still a few spots available for The Waterhole Ritual Clinic at my farm in North Carolina.

I invite all participants to comment on my blog of their experience.

Thank you for reading my blog and have a great rest of the week.

Linda

The Waterhole Rituals Dance in 3 Countries