The Mane Event

I had very mixed emotions and thoughts about attending the Mane Event at Heritage Park on Saturday, October 22^nd, 2011.  I have been raised in a very traditional Indo-Canadian home, and horses certainly were not a part of that.  I have had very minimal exposure and interaction with them, and am embarrassed to confess...I have never even sat on or rode a horse.   I was also not sure on the connection between horses and curriculum and pedagogy, and thought many times…how is this day going to be productive being away from the class, when we only have 5 weeks left until the end of this course?

To prepare myself for the event, I needed to get a better understanding of what our “field trip” entailed.   I previewed the event at http://www.maneeventexpo.com/, and began looking forward to The Trainer’s Challenge, and appreciate the various teaching styles the trainers would be using.  I began looking forward to the day, and became very open to what I would be experiencing and seeing.  I was trying to relate what I would be seeing, and its application to my profession.  In my role in leadership, sometimes the creation and establishment of an authentic trusting relationship is not able to be established, as there never seems to be enough time.

In the Trainer’s Challenge, three Trainers will have 4 – one hour segments (spread over 3 days), and be judged on the following:  10% on the horse, 60% on the trainer’s ability to train the horse, and 30% on the trainer’s ability to educate the attendees, and at the end of the third day, the horse and trainer will have to complete a course.  We had the opportunity to witness the morning training session held on the second day.  The progression of the trust between the horse and trainer was unbelievable, considering they had only one hour of training the evening before. 

Steve Rother  (www.horseteacher.com)  is a true performer.  His presentation and performance certainly display his many years of experience and knowledge.  Initially, I found his training method (hitting the horse) difficult to watch, as my only experience with training an animal has been with dogs, and definitely saw some parallels between training a dog and a horse.  Because Steve was being evaluated on his ability to educate the attendees, I appreciated the information he was sharing with the audience.  I was amazed at how he progressed with his horse, and how much the horse trusted him.

Kade Mills (http:/kademillshorsemanship.jimdo.com) practices his father’s “training thru trust” program.   This program is built around clear communication with the horse.  I was fascinated at Kade’s “quiet” approach with the horse, and appreciated how the horse sensed his trainer’s style and mannerism, and reciprocated the same way.  As I observed Kade’s technique, I was amazed at how the horse was responding to Kade’s quiet approach, as well as how energy between the two worked.  It was remarkable to watch Kade simply read his horse’s behaviour...stamping of the foot, shaking of the head, dancing sideways, turning of the ears…and decide on how much to proceed with the training.

On reflection, I think it would have been amazing to have had the opportunity to watch all four training sessions that Steve Rother and Kade Mills were going to complete, as a part of the Training Challenge.  I am very appreciative of the opportunity of getting to watch the 2 - one hour sessions, as it certainly provided an opportunity that I would not have ever had a chance to experience.

Jonathan Field’s (http://www.jonathanfield.net) teaching is based on thinking the way a horse thinks, which keeps the horse interested in the trainer, and allowing the trainer to gain the ultimate relationship with a horse.

Jonathan wrote about the Mane Event on his Facebook that morning, “What a day yesterday here at the Mane Event. The theme that came through in my clinics was to develop a connection and gain the leadership without losing our horses desire to be with us so we can achieve what we want.”   He so simply states what is just unbelievable to watch…developing a connection, gaining the leadership, and achieving what we want.  On his website, Jonathan speaks about teaching to think the way a horse thinks, and how to keep the horse interested in the trainer, allowing the trainer to gain access to something very special - the ultimate relationship with a horse. 

The Mane Event has been a phenomenal, truly enlightening learning experience for me.  As I sat and watched the horses’ gallop, trot, and run with such grace, I am still amazed at what energetic, spirited, powerful, playful, beautiful animals they are.   I am very appreciative and thankful of the insight I have gained about myself and how I interact.  I am now aware that time has so little to do with the trusting relationship that is being developed, and I am now going to be very aware of the energy I am emitting, even if the interactions are very short.