I remember my first real equine encounter as if it were yesterday…
I was in the middle of my first ever groundwork lesson. A birthday present from Jo to her then completely non-horsey husband in an effort to help me understand why she spent so much time at the stables while I was messing around with rowing boats down at the river.
After a short human-to-human exercise to establish the basics of body language and how to wave my arms around as ‘aids’, I was let loose with the real deal. (more…)
I couldn’t wait to tell you, I’ve just come in from mowing the lawn!
“So what?”, you may ask.
Well, I know it’s maybe not that big a deal to you, but I couldn’t help noticing how much my mowing skills have improved in the last 5 weeks.
There’s some old horse wisdom that says, “it’s not how you are with horses, it’s how you are…”.
It’s an idea that has been around for a long time.
Back in the 16th Century, Antoine de Pluvinel (tutor to King Louis XIII of France) recognised how learning to work well with horses through empathy and skill helped his students in other ways. This train of thought led him to foster the creation of the first classical academies and ultimately the ‘Golden Age’ of French equitation.
Recently, Derek appeared on the Mind, Body & Relationship Maze podcast with psychologist and relationship coach Tom Mackay.
In this episode, Tom finds out how Derek came to make the leap from being a professional rowing coach to professional horseman. They also explore how building better relationships with horses can help you find more happiness and success in other areas of life too.
You can listen here: The Mind, Body & Relationship Maze Podcast