SPEAKING HORSE: Rescue Horse Birthday Party

Speaking Horse Class is a Friendly Trails Horse Rescue and Sanctuary community event.

Experienced horse folks and greenhorns interested in our rescue are equally welcome. We began this class as ongoing education for our volunteers, and it has become a community offering. Held at one of our facilities (Woodacre or southern Petaluma on the 101 freeway) we generally meet the 4th Saturday of each month from 9:30-11:00 am. RSVP (through registration here) is required. Co-sponsored by Alane Freund, LMFT, and Heart and Mind Equine.

Each month the class is centered on a holistic horse keeping theme, understanding herd dynamics, horse care, or horse training and how it relates to our human journey.
Picture this: You really want your family member to remember to do something, let's call it unloading the dishwasher (insert your own scenario here, and please bring it to class as an example.)

For one person in the family, it's usually second nature to notice the dishwasher has been run and is full of clean dishes ready to be put away. For the rest of the family, it probably takes a request, a reminder, or maybe lots of nagging--possibly every single time. If you request, remind, and nag every time, you become trapped in a non-effective pattern. You might become frustrated, angry, or even completely fed up. Perhaps that takes you down the spiral of overwhelm with all those unpleasant emotions. But while you were ramping up, someone started to unload the dishwasher-- you didn't even notice, and maybe you are so worked up that you can't stop complaining, but it's time to RELEASE the pressure. The reward for your housemate, partner, or kid who responded is to stop nagging.
In the herd, it's never the "good boy, the you did it," or even the carrot. It's the RELEASE. When you stop asking, they know they got the right answer to your request. It's magic.
Picture this: You are holding a rope attached to a horse, and you pull on it hoping they will come toward you. They take a step in your direction. Do you keep pulling or drop the rope? If you keep pulling, the rope or halter pulls on their head, causing some pressure or maybe even pain... they must be doing something wrong, they think, so they stop and try something else, maybe planting their 1000 pound body in place, turning or walking away, or lowering their head for a bit of grass. If moving toward you doesn't get the horse a release from the pressure, moving toward must not be what you want. They try something else. They think, that human is still nagging and doesn't really know what they want.
Picture this: You are swinging the end of your rope at the horse to ask for a step away from you (as we did in our Drive or Draw class.) The swinging rope is a request to drive them away. The horse steps away but you keep swinging the rope at them. What's a horse to think? You are mean and aggressive... you want them to run away and stay away... BUT they are attached to you by a rope or contained by a fence. They can't keep moving away from you indefinitely. So you once again are nagging them, and they can't tell what the right answer is to your request to step away.
How do you say, "YOU GOT IT! YES! That's just what I wanted!"? Whether it's a family member or a horse, you STOP, RELAX, BREATHE, and ALLOW. Humans, as predators, this is not natural for you, it takes lots of practice.
RELEASE will transform your horse training and all of your human relationships. Let's experiment, practice, and learn.

Highly sensitive people, parents, and teachers might especially benefit from this class as well as horse owners/riders who hope to improve their relationships with their equine partners. (Though this work is great for dogs as well, your dogs are not welcome at our horse rescue due to liability and distraction concerns.)

Come and experience the magic of working with horses firsthand. Get ready to roll up your sleeves, get your hands dirty, and connect with these majestic creatures. Whether you're a seasoned equestrian or just starting out, there's something for everyone at our Speaking Horse classes. Don't miss out on this exciting chance to bond with horses and fellow horse lovers. We can't wait to see you there!
Children 9 and older are welcome with adult participation and supervision (and legal guardian signed liability release). Youth 15 and older may attend with a signed parental permission form. We meet in a pasture which has uneven ground and slippery gravel. For these reasons, it is difficult to accommodate participants with limited mobility. (In some cases we are able to offer limited in-place, chair-based tasks, as well as onsite parking, so we invite those with limited mobility to reach out to learn more. Please call to RSVP 415-203-6600, first come, first served.)
Holistic horse keeping methods and perspectives form the primary vision for our rescue. This class is a fundraiser for the nonprofit horse rescue, so please donate what you can, either here or at the class. Directions sent upon registration. This is a volunteer orientation as well. It is an opportunity to meet our herd, both horses and humans, and find out if you might like to get involved. All registration fees are donations to support the rescue herd.

Host or Publisher Alane Freund