What's gone before...

One of the greatest gifts I have learned at Pippsway is that what has gone before need not dictate the present or the future. Every moment is an opportunity to change and improve. This applies to everything! I have seen Pip achieve what seemed impossible within 5 minutes. Obviously some fixes are a much slower process and being prepared to invest sufficient time and endeavour to them is vital. Being able to tell the difference between the two is a skill in itself!

I am 41 years old and realising that this rule applies to me too is very exciting indeed. I feel that a whole new future has opened up for me. My dog is 2 years old and yet in just a couple of weeks our relationship has changed beyond recognition! So whatever we want to change or improve both with ourselves and our horses we absolutely can. Knowing what we need to do is one thing, knowing how to achieve that is something else and that is where Pip comes in. She rehabilitates horses, owners and dogs.

When I first met Pip I thought that the horse I was looking for would be a School Master. A horse of maybe 12 to 14 years old who had been there, done that, got the T-shirt. The common thinking is that a green horse and a green rider are a recipe for disaster. No doubt they are, without the appropriate guidance and training, but then the same would apply to any partnership.

What I have learned since coming to Pippsway is that horses are so sensitive to our energy, intentions, emotions and body language that when we do not work with them on these levels they have to learn to shut down and tune out the plethora of information they are being bombarded with on a daily basis. They also have to try and discern what we actually want of them, whilst ignoring all the movements we are doing inadvertently! So whether I buy a 12 year old or a 3 year old the same rules apply. We will start at the beginning. We will achieve everything on the ground before attempting it under saddle.

What will actually be most important is how willing my horse is to learn, how receptive he is to working with energy, intention and body language. Rather than focusing solely on what he has done before I will be paying more attention to what he is interested in doing now!