More Horsewhispering stuff!

Hello, hope all is well in your world. All is good in mine, have had some interesting and exciting times with Jim and Youri. I went down to Jim on Wednesday and as it was yet again raining we decided to do some body work on Youri in the great indoors. This was in the form of the Linda Tellington-Jones TT touch. Among Jims many other talents (I've been paid handsomely to say this!!) Jim is also a practitioner in this method. In Lindas words "the intent of the TT touch is to activate the function of the cells and awaken cellular intelligence and by doing so offers a positive approach to training, improving performance and health of the horse. The TT touch helps to release tension and increase body awareness". It was great to see the different reactions from Youri, when Jim worked on his head Youri kept trying to bite Jim and then as Jim worked down Youris body, Youri would lower his head and lick and chew and he looked really chilled out. I am looking forward to being able to work on Youri and looking for changes.

I went back to Ballyteague on Saturday and we went for a hack, Jim and the 3 dogs, Max, Sally and Peggy and Youri and I. It was pretty windy and the longer we were out the worse it got, we have this block we can do, it is normally pretty quiet traffic wise and not far from home, we get to a stretch of road where we have ditches on the left and a canal on the right. Youri knew we were on the home stretch and upped his pace a little, I was a little ahead of Jim when we met more traffic and we stopped and Youri started to get a little uptight. We carried on and the next thing Peggy came running out from a farmyard with a duck in her mouth and was making for the canal, Jim let a roar and she dropped the duck and it went into the canal still in one piece. A jeep came up behind us and I turned Youri to face it and get him to the side of the road, he wasn't impressed and swung round and his hind legs went into the ditch, he slipped a bit but got his balance and we were back on hard ground. We got over that hurdle and the next thing, Sally decided to jump into the canal to chase the swans. I carried on and just as we reached the corner for home, there was a swan waddling away in the middle of the road with a car beeping at its bum, Youri jumped when he saw it but fair play to him he didn't panic, I got Youri out of the way and Jim caught up with me and got me off and left me holding Youri while he set off to fish Sally out of the canal (Sally is quite old has been fished out on previous occasions as she wasn't able to make it up the bank). Just as Jim headed back to get her, thankfully there was Sally trotting towards him. Jim gave me a leg up and believe it or not we all made it home alive, very wet but alive. Very well done to Jim for dealing with all of us in a calm and confident way. I was also very impressed with Youri who was a pretty cool dude.

Had to throw in another Paralympic Pic!!

Hello again I hope your all well. I am just writing because I guess I am excited about whats happening with Youri. Yesterday Youri and I went out for a hack with Jim and his three dogs and we had a good day. The wind was howling and believe it or not it was raining and here I was feeling pretty cool about being on my horse. I realised I had worked so hard and pushed Youri to the limits to get to the Paralympics, and while we did everything to ensure Youris physical fitness for the job I never dealt with (or took notice of) what was going on between his ears, if truth be told, I didn't know how. I used to spend hours sitting in my buggy in a field at Kevins place with Youri without knowing how to interact with him and I got pretty tired of nothing happening and it felt like he didn't know me at all and so I stopped spending time and just concentrated on working him. After the Paralypmics I wanted to sell him because I just kept getting frustrated and pissed off with him and I hated feeling that way. I don't believe he's a bad horse, he has plenty of character and is a cheeky little you know what at the best of times but sometimes, well actually a lot of times, it felt like he was a lost soul and just didn't know how to be. Youri has been with Jim probably two months now and Jim has opened up a new world (a world I only dreamt of) for us. Jim is teaching me (slowly cause I am a slow learner!!!) and Youri how to communicate, how to manage on the ground, how to know when Youri is happy and relaxed and soft and how take control of his feet rather than the other way round! I think it will take time but I also believe I owe my little man for giving me the best experience of my life in Hong Kong and for teaching me how to ride. The pictures below show Jim working with Youri and getting me involved in the learning process.

Life after the Paralympics

Hi Guys, its been a while, well its been that long that I forgot my username and password to get on to my blog!! The week after I got home from Beijing I headed off to the National Championships to do the para class, didn't do very well. Youri was great in the warm up and not so great when we went into the arena. I had great fun anyway and partied the weekend away. Ruth and Sue took Youri up for me and I towed my brothers caravan to stay in which was grand. On the way home my sat nav brought me through every little back road and I ended up with a puncture in the middle of nowhere, I was going to ring home but I had no idea where I was. There was what looked like a pretty new van in a ditch where I pulled up and a few minutes later a car stopped with 3 men who had come to rescue the van (it had been stolen while they were in the pub!). They very kindly changed my tyre and gave me directions to get off the mountain. They said I was very lucky as the road I was on was rarely used. Thanks boys.

Well I made it in one piece and got back to Arklow and started the big move home. I put Youri out to grass at Helens and moved back to my little pad in Armagh. Youri went out and joined 3 mares and it took him all of 24 hours to turn them into his bitches, he could be seen every day herding them round the field. Youri had about 6 weeks off and then I started to bring him in at night as he had pretty bad mud rash on all four legs. It all turned into a nightmare as Youri reared and bucked when I went to bring him in and in the stable he was climbing the walls and I was afraid to go into him. I did bring in Helens mare Misty to keep him company but that didn't help.

Finally desperate and not knowing how to manage I rang a gentleman called Jim Fogarty, I met Jim at Nialls and at the Nationals. Jim is a Horsewhisperer/Gentleing specialist who said that I could call him if I needed help. A week after I spoke to Jim, he very kindly called up and took my little man away. Youri is still with Jim and is much happier than I have seen him in a while!! Jim worked with him on the ground and did join up and other exercises including desensitising as Youri can be quite sharp at times. Last weekend we went for our first hack on the road and he was a super boy and it was great to ride and not be under pressure to perform. The plan is to get Youri going willingly forward and in a good way. A huge thanks to Jim and if you ever need help with a horse Jims the man. You can find lots more info at http://www.horsewhisperingireland.com/.