tteam connections - Tellington TTouch Training

TELLINGTON TTOUCH TRAINING
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Volume 13 Issue 1
January-March 2011
From Linda’s desk
Inside this issue:
Science of Applied
Behaviour Analysis
History & Uses of
Saddle Saavy
THE TELLINGTON LABYRINTH
1983 was the year that two of the
most popular horse magazines in the United
States, Equus and Practical Horsemen, introduced the Tellington Method with major articles and cover stories. That year I received
fascinating feedback from happy horsewomen
who had taken the magazine out to the barn
and simply followed the directions from the
photographs. I chuckle as I write this at the
memory of Bobbie Lieberman, then editor of
Equus Magazine, first being very resistant to
the idea that horses could learn how to learn
from work on the body or that there could be
anything new to be learned about working
horses from the ground. At that time classical
longeing for English riders and round-pen
work for western riders was all that anyone
knew.
There was so much interest in this new concept
that Equus Magazine published the first little
booklet entitled “Tellington Equine Awareness
Method” that sold countless copies. Twenty
years later Bobbie Lieberman co-authored with
me “The Ultimate Horse Training and Behavior Book for the 21st Century”.
It’s remarkable how the work has spread
around the world and in Germany there is now
an official competition with ground exercises
that are inspired by this idea of preparing
horses from the ground to be safe and cooperative under saddle.
TTouch on Feral Cat
Heart Hugs - To reduce
stress
Photo: This overhead shot shows the shape
of the basic labyrinth.. Linda is leading a horse
through in the ‘Dancing Cobra’ an exercise
unique to Tellington TTouch Training.
The first new idea for working a horse from
the ground was the Labyrinth. It just seems
impossible that such a simple concept could
so hugely effect the mental, physical and emotional balance of a horse; can enhance learning and cooperation rather than submission,
and be so interesting to horses. We’ve actually
seen horses who where loose in an arena, take
themselves through the labyrinth, sniffing the
poles, and clearly being interested!! What is
that about??? There is so much we do not yet
understand and so much to learn.
What Inspired the Tellington Labyrinth?
The Tellington Labyrinth for horses is formed
by laying six poles, each 10 to 12 feet long, on
the ground in an architectural pattern unique
to the Tellington TTouch® Method. This
form was developed for horses in 1975 during
the first summer of my four-year Feldenkrais
6-7
8-10
11-12
13
Gucci’s Story`
14-17
Warm up with Ear
Stroked
18-19
Start Right – Haltering A
Foal without Trauma
20-25
From Robyn’s Desk
25
Remedies for Excessive
Barking
26-28
Workshop dates
29-32
TTEAM-USA
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[email protected]
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Vernon, B.C. V1B 3E8
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Training taught at the Humanistic Psychology Institute in
San Francisco, California.
On the second day of the training, 63 eager students were
lying on the floor being guided through an “Awareness
Through Movement” exercise when Dr. Feldenkrais made a
statement that made my ears prick up and set me on a path
that would change my work with horses and ultimately all
animals. To paraphrase, he said, “It’s possible for a human
to learn in one experience, without constant repetition, by
moving the body in gentle non-habitual ways that activate
unused neural pathways to the brain, increasing human potential for learning.”
Mission Statement
Animal Ambassadors International is an educational organization
dedicated to sharing the Tellington TTouch® philosophy and techniques in order to develop a deeper understanding of animals and
ourselves, and to heal our relationships with each other, nature and
the environment.
TTEAM Philosophy
•
To honour the role of animals as our teachers.
•
To bring awareness to the importance of animals in our lives.
•
To encourage harmony, cooperation and trust between humans
and animals amongst humans.
•
To recognize the individual learning process of every human
and animal.
•
To respect each animal as an individual.
•
To teach interspecies communication through the TTouch
•
To work with animals using understanding instead of dominance.
Founder
Editor & Publisher
Linda Tellington-Jones
Robyn Hood
Contributing Writers
Sue Falkner-March
Kaaren Jordan
Marty McGee Bennett
Jenn Merritt
Mandy Pretty
Sandy Rakowitz
Nancy Yamin
I remember thinking, as clearly as if it happened last week,
“If non-habitual movements can enhance the learning ability of a human, it must be true for a horse.” My immediate
thought was, “How could I move a horse in ways that
would activate unused neural pathways to the brain, enhancing a horse’s ability to ‘learn how to learn’ and actually
enjoy the process of learning?”
Over the ensuing weeks that summer, I often worked with
horses after class exploring gentle movements a horse could
not do itself, searching for ways to enhance the animal’s
ability to learn without the widely-accepted use of force,
dominance or repetitive exercises.
A Bit of Background
On a historical note, I had been doing massage on our sport
horses since 1961, using a form of equine massage I had
learned from my American Grandfather, Will Caywood. He
had learned it from Russian Gypsies in Moscow in 1903
where he was under contract to ride horses belonging to a
Thoroughbred breeder from Graz, Austria. My grandfather
stayed on in Russia after his contract was up and became a
trainer. In 1905 he won the title of leading trainer at the
Moscow Hippodrome with 87 wins that season. He attributed his success to his form of Gypsy massage, and he also
told us that he never entered a horse in a race unless the
horse “told him” it was feeling fit enough to win!
Editorial & Subscription Office:
5435 Rochdell Rd.
Vernon, B.C. V1B 3E8
Ph: 1 800– 255-2336 (P.S.T.)
Fax: 1 250 545-9116
Email: [email protected]
In 1961 my grandfather visited me and my first husband,
Wentworth Tellington, at our Hemet Thoroughbred Farm in
California and introduced us to this Gypsy form of equine
massage. Including much of what we learned from my
grandfather, in 1965 Went and I wrote a book, Massage and
Physical Therapy for the Athletic Horse, which we believe
to be the first book on equine massage available in the
United States. It was first co-published by the Arabian
Horse Journal, and later published by Doubleday & Co. in
1972 as a chapter in our next book, Endurance and Competitive Trail Riding.
TTEAM Connections is published quarterly.
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Reproduction of any materials without written permission from the
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I must take a moment here to acknowledge Went Tellington
and how his brilliance has inspired me. In many ways, his
influence guided me in becoming the person I am today. I
was so young when I met Went, a mere 15 years of age, so
having him sweep me along and present to me an entirely
new way of thinking and learning was an extraordinary
Copyright Linda Tellington-Jones 2011
Printed in Canada on Recycled Paper
TTEAM Connections
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possibilities, bolstered by what we were discovering with these
‘non-habitual’ movements.
building block for my life. Went was 20 years older than I, and
graduated in the last Cavalry Class at Norwich University the
year I was born. His classical cavalry background with horses,
combined with the excellent education I had received from Alice Greaves-Metherall at Briercrest Stables in Edmonton, Alberta as I was growing up, certainly gave me a unique foundation.
Let me tell you a bit about Roger. Roger Russell is a very creative person with a brilliant mind; he had even won a national
science award in high school. He wasn’t a horse person, but his
extraordinary ingenuity and inventiveness prompted him to try
all sorts of things. Having this opportunity to explore and brainstorm with other people, like Roger, is how so much of the information that comes to me has been birthed.
So you can see that the idea of searching for new ways to train
and apply bodywork to horses was not new to me as I lay on the
floor at the Humanistic Psychology Institute being guided by
Moshe Feldenkrais through these initial “Awareness Through
Movements”. I had been working with horses professionally for
more than 15 years. Along with Went Tellington, I had been the
co-founder and co-director of the Pacific Coast Equestrian Research Farm and School of Horsemanship since the mid-1960s.
We created a Research Farm newsletter with subscribers in 20
countries. From 1964 to 1974, our 9-month residential School
of Horsemanship attracted students from 9 countries and from
all over the United States. I had had my hands on countless
horses while evaluating them as a North American Trail Ride
judge, and had trained and competed in the U.S. and Canada
extensively in hunter/jumper classes and three-day events, as
well as setting a record in 100-mile endurance riding that lasted
for 6 years.
Back to the labyrinth! In the arena at that farm in Woodside
were a number of jump poles. I cannot remember exactly how
the idea initially took form, but the fact remains that on that day
Roger and I laid out the form of labyrinth that we now use, and
began leading a horse through it. From that moment, the results
of using the labyrinth have continued to expand; what I have
experienced with horses in the labyrinth is nothing short of remarkable.
Over the years we’ve found that after just a few times through
the Labyrinth, the horse was able to pay attention in a new way
and achieve the mental, physical and emotional balance that
makes for a safe, happy and healthy individual.
Influencing Behaviors in the Labyrinth
New Discoveries
By using the variety of leading positions that are an integral
part of the Tellington Method, some of the behaviors you can
influence with just two 5-minute sessions in the Labyrinth include a horse who won’t stand still, ignores many of your cues,
is high-headed or ewe-necked, unfocused, and sometimes
downright dangerous under saddle or from the ground.
For 10 years I had found massage to be clearly helpful for
speeding up recovery time of our competitive horses, but it
never crossed my mind that work on a horse’s body, or movement exercises from the ground (without a rider to control the
horse), could enhance their ability to learn, or that the horse
would actually enjoy the process.
Also integral to the leading positions in the Labyrinth are asking the horse to keep his head high or low, doing a half-walk,
take two steps and stop, shift to one of the basic ‘dance’ steps,
etc. All of these different ways of working in the Labyrinth can
affect the behavior of the horse.
During that first summer of my Feldenkrais training in 1975, I
explored different ways of moving horses’ bodies with movements they could not do themselves. I saw remarkable changes
in several horses and it was exciting to explore creative ways of
training and relating to horses in a way that they seemed to enjoy as much as I did.
Another exciting aspect of the Labyrinth is that it works for all
disciplines. For instance, a cutting horse needs to learn how to
go slowly and carefully into a herd of cows with its head low.
You can easily teach a horse this approach and focus in a Labyrinth and it only takes a minimal amount of time compared to
any other exercise to show the horse what it feels like to have
the posture and balance to walk quietly into a herd of cattle
carrying a rider.
I remember the first success I had with these “non-habitual
movements” was with a mare who was hard to catch. After one
45-minute session of gently moving her body in ways she could
not do herself, she began coming freely out of the pasture to the
person she had habitually run away from.
You can also get jumpers much more balanced and coordinated
by doing this ground work in the Labyrinth. For trail horses, we
know that Labyrinth exercises get them listening to the rider,
and they’re able to make choices that will keep them and the
rider safe. We’ve also found the Labyrinth to be useful for a
veterinarian to assess a horse’s movements, balance, posture,
and range of motion.
The Evolution of the Tellington Labyrinth
The form of this Tellington Labyrinth was inspired one day
during my on-going Feldenkrais training while working with a
polo horse at a stable in Woodside, an hour south of San Francisco, California. Along with my friend, Roger Russell, who
was also in the Feldenkrais training, we were considering new
possibilities for creating non-habitual movements that would
allow a horse to learn without the interference of a rider on its
back. We played around with a number of ideas, trying several
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When horses are worked in a Labyrinth, they start to think instead of just react to things. One of our goals with the Tellington Method is to actually increase a horse’s ability to ‘adapt to
new situations,’ which is one definition of intelligence. Ultimately we do not want the horse to submit, but rather to be able
to think, feel safe and cooperate rather than “obey”.
Changes in Relationship
Working a horse in the Labyrinth from the ground to start with
(before being ridden), can make a difference in the relationship
of the horse and rider. After a session in the Labyrinth and before the rider gets in the saddle, the horse is interested and listening. With Labyrinth work, you can save as much as 30 minutes of warm-up time with an excited horse before putting a
foot in the stirrup. Instead of riding at the trot or lunging in circles to theoretically work the horse down (oftentimes these attempts just get the horse more excited, fit, and anxious), if you
take him in the Labyrinth in-hand and do some exercises, you’ll
find that the horse will be calmer, more focused, and have a
feeling of self-control and awareness. It’s been scientifically
proven that you learn more from slow movements than from
anything that tires you.
Bring on the Dogs!
Although the Tellington Labyrinth was first developed for use
with horses, we now use it consistently for Tellington Training
For Dogs. It’s remarkably effective in getting a dog to focus,
listen, and cooperate. In the Labyrinth, one of the basic results
is that it teaches the animal to ‘learn how to learn’ without force
and through cooperation. The dog learns to enjoy the process as
much as the person who’s teaching the animal. The corners of
the labyrinth help dogs learn to bend through the body which
helps overcoming reactivity and improved performance in dog
sports.
These leading exercises in the Labyrinth include a half walk,
getting the horse to take a few short shortened steps, stop, lower
the head, and come forward. This is an exercise called the
‘Dancing Cobra’ where the horse learns self-control and with
just a few sessions a bond develops between horse and rider
like nothing else that we’ve ever seen.
What About Humans?
What we’ve also discovered that hyperactive kids love to pretend they’re a horse or a dog with amazing results. When children have experienced that feeling of calmness and mental and
physical balance that they get from playing the role of a horse
or a dog in the Labyrinth, they’ll voluntarily take themselves
through the Labyrinth when they begin to feel a loss of control.
The results are a sense of calmness, awareness, and self-control.
A full description of these positions and others can be found in
the books, “Getting in TTouch with Your Horse” and “The Ultimate Horse Training and Behavior Book,” both of which can
be found at www.TTouch.com.
Influencing the Mind
We’ve also found the Labyrinth useful for people in wheelchairs, resulting in focus and calmness. In a number of dramatic
cases people have chosen to take themselves everyday in their
wheelchairs through a Labyrinth (oftentimes painted on a driveway or concrete surface). One of our TTouch For You triumphs
was a man with Multiple Sclerosis who found that the Labyrinth made such a difference to him that he painted one on his
garage floor so that in the winter he could still propel himself
mindfully in his wheelchair through the Labyrinth.
One of the fascinating aspects of the Labyrinth is the discovery
we made in 1984 with Anna Wise, then the director of the BioFeedback Institute of Boulder, Colorado. We worked with a
small number of horses by hooking up electrodes to a horse’s
head which were then attached to a remote “Mind Mirror.” This
Mind Mirror measured the animal’s brainwave activity. Much
to our wonder and excitement, we discovered that when a horse
took a few steps around the corners in the Labyrinth there was
an activation of the beta brainwaves. What are beta brainwaves? These are the brainwaves that humans use for logical
thinking. We haven’t done this Mind Mirror experiment with
enough horses to come to the conclusion that this beta brainwave activation is always the case, but we were absolutely fascinated when we saw this brain activity as the horses were being led around the turns through the Labyrinth. On an equally
interesting note, we did not get the beta brainwave activity
when the horses were being led on a straight line. Anna Wise
wrote about this study on pages 213 to 215 in her book, The
High Performance Mind.
36 Years Later . . .
Since my sister Robyn Hood began publishing the TTouch
Newsletter in 1984 there have been many fascinating cases recorded about the use of the Tellington Labyrinth. If you have a
Labyrinth story please share it with us so we can pass it along
to others. The path of discovery and the continued sharing of
information can benefit many animals and their human companions.
The form of the Tellington Labyrinth differs from the classical
spiral labyrinth. When I enter a classical spiral labyrinth it gives
me the feeling of being in an altered/alpha state, and that’s what
others also report. Our form of Labyrinth, with the combination with straight lanes and angled turns typically get people
and animals more focused – a form of relaxed awareness.
TTEAM Connections
Aloha and Heart Hugs,
Linda
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Jan-Mar 2011
Photo 4: The labyrinth is very effective with dogs. In this photo
Linda and Robyn are helping a dog reactive dog become more
comfortable while on leash.
Photo 1; Using the labyrinth at the starting young horse clinic at
Bitterroot Ranch to help teach horses to balance, focus, move in
a contained space and learn to bend around corners.
Photo 5: After watching the horses go through the labyrinth
this chicken came into the arena and walked it herself.
Various labyrinth configurations
Photo 2: Kirsten is using the Dingo to help the horse move
around the corners in a balanced, mindful way.
Basic labyrinth - encourages
four turns. Generally the distance between the poles is 4’,
if a horse is having trouble
with the corners make it
wider.
Photo 3: Riding through the labyrinth using the neck ring. The
rider uses the neck ring and her body to bend around the corners. You may have to make the labyrinth wider when first doing this exercise under saddle.
TTEAM Connections
You can also vary it by
adding more turns.
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This is another variation of the
labyrinth with fewer turns.
Jan-Mar 2011
TTEAM, Camelidynamics, Alpacas and
The Science of Applied Behavioral Analysis
By Marty McGee Bennett
Camelid Instructor, Bend, Oregon
Author’s note: You can teach an old dog new tricks!
In this particular case I am the old dog. I began my work with
animal training in the 1970’s in college, studying animal behavior. I graduated from the University of Georgia with an
interdisciplinary degree in the subject. This degree was to
serve as the jumping off point for a career in veterinary medicine. Luckily I discovered (by flunking physics) that I was better suited to the study of behavior than medicine.
and that is what is relevant to our interaction with them.
Learning to Operationalize Behavior
One of the most powerful lessons I gained from my studies in
applied behavior analysis is how crucial it is to focus on the
behavior instead of our human interpretation of the behavior.
When I field questions about behavioral problems, owners want
to create explanations for the problem… complicated stories
about how the animal was raised, how he was treated by other
animals or whether or not he was abused by humans. These
stories are full of labels -- words like obnoxious, dominant,
stubborn, happy, sad, lonely -- that we use to describe what we
think is going on. Labels are problematic for a couple of reasons:
Once I began working with camelids and after discovering Linda Tellington-Jones and her innovative approach to
educating animals, I found the both the inspiration and the answers to my questions in her work--TTEAM and TTouch. I
came to believe that the science of behavior was interesting but
limiting when it came to working with domestic barnyard livestock and companion animals. Last year, one of my Camelidynamics students, Dr. Susan Brown, a veterinarian and camelid
owner, reintroduced me to the science of Applied Behavior
Analysis. I have now come full circle back to the science.
1) Labels give us a false understanding of the problem when we
have only just given it a name
Based on Dr. Brown’s recommendation, I recently
completed a course for animal training professionals, “Living
and Learning with Animals” taught by Susan Friedman, PhD,
from Utah State University. Dr. Friedman’s academic work is
in the area of child psychology but a personal interest in parrots brought her to the world of animal training to share learning theory and applied behavior analysis with animal teachers.
I am relieved and pleased to find out that what I learned from
my work in TTEAM and the TTouch and have been teaching,
these many years, is completely supported by the science of
applied behavioral analysis (ABA). After finishing Dr. Friedman’s course I came away with a different way of seeing the
work that I do. I also have an increased understanding of learning theory and applied behavior analysis that will shape my
work going forward.
2) Labels create self-fulfilling prophecies causing the owner, to
get what they expect. Additionally these labels are often
handed down to the next owner trapping the animal in a box not
of his own making.
3) Our interpretation or misinterpretation of the label can lead
us down the wrong path when we try to change the behaviorperpetuating ineffective and unfair training methodologies like
“I’ll show him who’s boss!”
We could all take a lesson from Sergeant Friday of Dragnet,
whose famous line was, “Just the facts ma’am.” Focusing on
the behavior, changes the description from: “my alpaca is
happy,” to: “my alpaca is quiet, is ruminating and doesn’t offer
to get up when I walk close by,” or from: “my baby alpaca is
friendly or loves me,” to: “my baby alpaca runs up to me in the
field and presses his body against mine.”
Join a conversation about animal training and you will inevitably hear folks argue about whether or not animals can think. As
it turns out, the entire animal kingdom, from bacteria to Bactrian camels, learns. Learning is defined as a behavior change
as a result of experience. Recent studies reported in the journal
Science have shown that even simple organisms such as bacteria are capable of pretty sophisticated “associative learning” for
example, using temperature as a cue to prepare for upcoming
danger. It follows then that whether or not animals think really
depends on which definition you choose for the word think.
Only the animals really know whether they think or don’t think,
and does it really matter? Animals learn from their experience,
TTEAM Connections
Describing the behavior itself and not what we think the behavior means is called operationalizing it. Developing the discipline to think and speak this way will help you solve, and more
importantly, prevent behavioral problems.
For example, labeling an animal as “dominant” is a common
practice in our industry. In fact, as an industry we have gone
one better and created a super label, the Berserk Male Syndrome. This label makes it seem as if the alpaca was either
born with this malady or caught the problem like a cold. Someone hearing about an animal with the Berserk Male Syndrome
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Jan-Mar 2011
the animal and changing your behavior if possible. I get that we
must manage our animals and there are times when our alpacas
want us to go away and that is just not possible, however it is
amazing to me how often it IS possible to simply stop pushing
the spit button or the kick button or the kush button, and so on.
Of course, if you are going to avoid pushing these buttons, it is
really useful to know where they are—identifying the antecedent stimulus will tell you.
might easily assume that humans had nothing to do with it.
Many years ago I offered a different take on the Berserk Male
Syndrome. I proposed we call it the Novice Handler Syndrome
instead. “Friendly” baby alpacas that run up to you in the field
and lean on you might seem pretty innocuous. But a 200-pound
alpaca charging up to you at full tilt and “leaning” on you without slowing down is a big problem. Encouraging behavior in a
young alpaca that will become inappropriate simply because of
the ultimate size of the adult animal has nothing to do with love
or dominance. Novice handlers do not have the prior experience
to understand that what looks like a pretty light in the distance
is really the headlight of an oncoming train.
I can remember many years ago working with an alpaca owner
who described the alpaca that he brought to the workshop as a
“terrible spitter.” As I stood inside the catch pen this seemingly
cooperative and placid alpaca watched me with interest as I
quizzed the owner about the spitting. I asked, “What are you
doing just before she spits at you?” He replied, “Well, usually I
am picking little bits of straw out of her fleece.” Before I could
stop myself, I replied, “Why don’t you just not do that?” My
reply was genuine but sounded flippant, even to me. Far from
being annoyed the owner very graciously said, “You know, I
hadn’t thought of that!” We then discussed 1) Whether or not it
was really necessary to pick things out of the wool 2) when it
was necessary to remove debris from the fleece, as in show
preparation, were there other ways to accomplish the same
thing with less drama. As it turned out there were many options
to change the behavior. Most importantly the owner looked at
the alpaca with a new awareness… and didn’t see an unreasonable alpaca that was a “terrible spitter” but an animal that was
behaving in a way that worked for her, for perfectly logical
reasons.
The A-B-C’s of Behavior
Animals behave for a reason. They respond to a cue in the environment, try a particular behavior and if the outcome of the
behavior serves a useful purpose, the behavior is repeated. This
complex web of behavior can be simplified by using a process
called the A-B-C’s of behavior. Each behavioral interaction is
made up of three elements:
A=the antecedent-- the stimulus or event that immediately precedes a behavior and sets the occasion for or signals the behavior
B= the behavior
C=the consequence-- an event that influences the future
strength of the behavior it immediately follows.
Dr. Susan Friedman, PhD, puts it this way, “The cause of behavior is found in contexts, not in animals. Behavior never occurs in a vacuum or sprays out of animals like water from a
broken showerhead. There are always conditions on which behavior depends.”
Dr. Susan Friedman www.behaviorworks.org
Dr. Susan Brown www.behaviorconnection.com
The good news is that as animal caretakers we have considerable control over the environment in which our animals find
themselves and we have control over our own behavior giving
us considerable influence over both the antecedent stimulus and
the consequences of a behavior.
Marty McGee Bennett lives in Bend, Oregon and is a regular contributor to the newsletter. She teaches workshops
for camelids all over the world.
www.camelidynamics.com
To use the A-B-C’s of behavior to understand and change a
problematic behavior requires that you first decide on a target
behavior. For example “my alpaca runs over, sticks his nose in
my face and spits” describes a whole string of behaviors. Once
you have decided on the smallest meaningful unit of behavior,
which in this case might be, “my alpaca spits,” then you can
observe its occurrence and determine what the animal gains
from the behavior--the consequences and then note what is happening immediately beforehand-- its antecedent stimulus, the
stimulus that signals what behavior will be reinforced now.
TTEAM Connections Subscription Renewals
If you want to check the expiration date of your subscription
look on the envelope label when you receive the newsletter.
I send out renewal notices with the newsletters as we do the
publishing and fulfillment from our home office.
In a herd environment, the consequence of spitting is that the
thing being spat at usually goes way. The “something” might
be, among other things, the unwanted advances of a male alpaca, a herd mate that is encroaching on food or a pesky baby
that is being weaned. Why does your alpaca spit at you? The
short answer is probably to make you go away. You can avoid
being spat on by understanding the effect of your behavior on
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If you think a mistake has been made please email me at
[email protected] or call 1-800 255-2336 (8:00 a.m.– 6:00
p.m. P.S.T - west coast)
Thanks, Robyn
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Jan-Mar 2011
SADDLE SAVVY" ..an on going series of articles geared to help you
understand how to select the appropriate saddle for you & your horse.
by Kaaren Jordan
www.kaarenjordan.com
perfect place where Lilly is free fed hay and kept in a large pasture all the time. Lilly is much happier with her new situation
although it took a bit of time to adjust to being barefoot on
harder ground with more small rocks.
The following is a case study with pictures, analysis, and suggestions of possible treed & treeless saddles with accessories
that are the best choices for both horse & rider.
HISTORY
SADDLE HISTORY
Lilly & Helen have had a challenging time finding saddles that
fit them both because in Greece there are only a few choices
and fewer knowledgeable saddle fitters even for treed saddles.
Lilly is a 17 yo. Hannoverian/Trakehner cross mare. She is
nearly 16 hands and lightly built with a sensitive disposition.
Lilly loves to jump and excelled in 3 Day Eventing in Germany
before she was imported to Greece. She has an abuse background as well as a tendency towards developing ulcers, having
a difficult time keeping weight on. Lilly is a sensitive mare
with a higher flight instinct, but takes good care of her person
Helen.
From 2003-2006 they both enjoyed a 17.5" Kiefer GP with
deep knee & thigh blocks which worked well for Helen's long
thigh & need for a more secure saddle. Lilly did really well in
this saddle. As Helen's riding ability progressed, she wanted a
saddle that would allow her to move her pelvis & legs more
freely. So Helen sold the Kiefer & began trying other options. None worked as well for Lilly. Finally, Helen settled on
a Zaldi, Kent 17.5" dressage model at her trainer's suggestion,
but the saddle did not sit level on Lilly. The flap was too
straight for Helen pushing her legs back with the stirrup bars
also being hung too far back to ride in a balanced position. Combine this with the saddle sitting pommel low and you
have a recipe for disaster. The end result was Helen struggling
to keep her pelvis from being tipped forward , trying to keep
her legs from flying back. Even though the veterinarian who
checked Lilly's back could find no issues, Helen could feel
Lilly's discomfort which manifested in her not moving forward
freely.
She came to Helen in 2003 with Helen being an entry level beginning rider. Lilly is also Helen's first horse. It was noted by
Helen's first veterinarian that Lilly had a slightly crooked pelvis . Despite chiropractic, this tendency persists.
Helen is in her 30's is 5'9" tall weighing about 140 lbs. She has
an inseam close to 34" with a proportionately long thigh. Helen
has a narrow pelvis for her size and is not very flexible, so prefers a narrow twist. She has a tendency to ride off to the right
which is also the same as Lilly's crooked pelvis. Helen has low
back and some right knee issues which have been helped somewhat by ongoing Pilates exercises.
In hindsight, Lilly's back began to atrophy over the 4 years
since the Keifer was sold as evidenced in the comparison shot
from 2004 & the recent pictures.
Lilly & Helen live in Greece enjoying a Mediterranean climate. They mostly ride for pleasure doing a mix of flatwork,
ground poles and some lateral work in a nicely footed ring 5-6
days a week for 1 hour with some excursions out on nearby
roads for a change as weather permits.
Helen's trainer tried his Devoucoux close contact saddle on
Lilly in April of 2010 even though the seat felt too shallow for
Helen's safety needs. Lilly moved better than she had for
years. This prompted Helen to search again, but she could not
find a treed saddle she felt comfortable in that Lilly liked. A
friend from abroad suggested Helen try a Freeform dressage treeless saddle. Lilly likes this saddle, but unfortunately it
is too wide for Helen's pelvis & is a dressage model which does
not suit her long thigh.
When they find a saddle that suits them both, they will begin
low level dressage maybe jumping some low cavelletti's to
satisy Lilly's love of jumping.
Until June of this year, Lilly was kept stalled 24/7 because this
is the way most pleasure & show horses are kept in Greece near
the cities. As Helen's knowledge grew, she began searching for
a safe place for Lilly to be kept in pasture. A few years ago,
Helen removed Lilly's shoes . She did well being in a stall &
ridden in a sand arena. Finally 6 months ago, Helen found the
TTEAM Connections
Helen is a member of a treeless chat group that I post on & contacted me for advice on where to go from here.
8
Jan-Mar 2011
Photo above: taken in 2004 and show a very different, more
muscled, topline along her back.
Photo above: Lilly has a medium high whither and is a little
croup high with a low spot just behind her withers. There is
also some convexity in the lumbar/sacral area. She has a nicely
placed girth line and shoulder which will allow a saddle to stay
in optimal positioning.
Even though the Freeform dressage model sits level on Lilly &
is a good length for her back, the width is too wide for Helen
with flaps that are too straight for her long thighs. Helen is not
comfortable & always feels as if she has to tuck her pelvis under to avoid feeling arched in her lower back. Helen does not
look like she is able to settle into a pelvic neutral position with
this saddle. Being able to just "drop" easily into a pelvic neutral position is crucial to being able to establish a centered connection with your horse in movement. When the saddle/horse
is too wide for the rider's hip joint & pelvis, strain will manifest
for the rider in the sacral-iliac joints as well as in the lumbosacral joint making the rider feel pitched forward or back depending on the habitual holding pattern... even with a level saddle.
Photos above: From these views you will see that she now has a
prominent spine & "A" frame pitch to her back from side to
side. You can see the prominence of her sacrum more clearly
here. You can not easily see Lilly's crooked pelvis from these
shots but can see some of the asymmetry projected into the
shoulder area.
One important point to notice is that the rear edge of this saddle
sits beyond where the pad ends. This has a potential for creating edge pressure & friction over time. It is ideal to have the
contour of the saddle pad extend all around 1 1/2-2". Too little
margin can create edge pressure & too much pad extending
beyond the saddle in any direction can increase the possibility
of shifting pads, "fishtailing", and of course friction. especially
in the gaited breeds with more lateral movement in their backs/
loin areas.
Photo top of next column: It is interesting to see the differences in Lilly's topline from the 2004 shot to now. Even though
Lilly is 6 years older and now 17 yo, she is by no means
aged. Since this 2004 shot shows the back muscling Lilly is
capable of developing, with appropriate ground work, riding,
and a well fitting saddle, it is very possible Lilly can get close
to this again.
TTEAM Connections
9
Jan-Mar 2011
LILLY'S ASSETS
*A cooperative , caring attitude.
*Takes good care of Helen both on the ground & under saddle
*Nicely placed girth line & shoulders for seating a saddle
*Good back length
local chamomile, let her eat as much as she would like, maybe
hand grazing her where it is plentiful if it does not grow in her
pasture. Chamomile is a lovely herb that helps calm the nervous system and helps balance the digestion especially in horses
and humans who are more high strung.
LILLY'S CHALLENGES
* Her now "A" framed back with prominent spine
* Her croup high conformation
*Crooked pelvis with some lumbar convexity
*Medium high withers with a dip just behind where they end
7) If Lilly still shows foot soreness when hacking out on the
roads, consider trying some front protective hoof boots. Lilly
has a round foot shape, so may do well with the Cavallo Simple
Boot or the Old Mac. Ease of application is important for
Helen so she does not hurt her back.
8) In all the pictures Helen sent me of Lilly under saddle, the
pads/layers of pads were shorter than the saddle. To avoid any
potential for edge pressure all pads (even layers of padding) are
best fitted with 1 1/2-2" margin around the entire outline of the
saddle. If you are layering, stagger where the layers end to
avoid a thick edge. Neither treed nor treeless saddles should sit
on or over the edges of padding systems.
HELEN'S ASSETS
*An appropriate height/weight match for Lilly's size
*Engages in appropriate activities/frequency/ ride time
lengths for Lilly that they both enjoy
*Listens to Lilly's needs & is her advocate
*Is willing to explore new ideas in horse keeping, riding, saddle
fitting even though they go against the norm where she lives
*Is working on her structural issues concurrently with working
on Lilly's
TREED SADDLES & PADDING CHOICES
Either GP or GPD flap to suit Helen's long thigh with adjustable stirrup bars. Since Kiefer's worked well for Lilly in the
past, trying to find a model with less knee/thigh blocks for
Helen's comfort would be a good place to start. Albion saddles
or a used Lauriche with a warmblood tree may also be possibilities.
HELEN'S CHALLENGES
*Has structural projects & habitual movement patterns that reenforce Lilly's patterns & structural issues.
* Needs a narrow twist
*Does not have access to a lot of choices for equine body work/
newer thought riding
My preference would be to select a tree that would accommodate a full insert saddlepad (AKA pocket pads) with 100% wool
bottom like Skito or Mattes and a non slip type top with a high
whither cut. The optimal foam selection would be 1/2" open
cell foam or Prolite foam to provide some shock absorption for
both Helen & Lilly. Make sure that the entire pad contour is
similar shape to the saddle with 1 1/2-2" around all edges. A
front lift shim would also be needed to level the saddle. The
thickness would be determined by how much the saddlefitter
could add to the flocking in the front 1/4-1/3 of the saddle panels. Balance saddles makes a great 1/2" Prolite pad that has an
1/4" front lift built into the pad. This pad can be layered over a
Griffin Numed high whither cut 100% wool bottom pad.
TREELESS SADDLE CHOICES
Startrek is the only brand of treeless saddles that is a possibility
because of Lilly's "A" frame/higher withered conformation and
Helen's need for a secure saddle with a narrower twist. The
Delfin is more traditional in appearance and the Comfort would
be possibilities.
GENERAL RECOMMENDATIONS & COMMENTS
1) For Helen to keep a regular Pilates practice going and to
explore some Feldenkrais CD's for at home. Many of my clients find Eileen Bachy Rita's CD set "Feldenkrais At Home
very helpful in habitual movement re-patterning.
2) Look into incorporating some TTEAM ground & bodywork
as well as Connected Riding books/tapes.
3) Ongoing bodywork/equine chiropractic to help Lilly find a
new balance in her body.
4) Try using a bareback pad over a special Skito insert padding
system (with 3/4" foam and a front lift shim) as an interim until
an appropriate saddle is found and then as an alternate saddling
possibility from just riding in a saddle. The Christ sheepskin
bareback pad or Skito high whither cut bareback pad with 3/4"
foam are favorites with my clients. Both have billets so you
can use a central elastic self centering girth or double ended
elastic girth for both horse comfort and enhanced stability.
A high whither cut Skito pad in the appropriate Startrek pattern/100% Wool bottom with non slip strips on a cotton top
would work well with either of the above . A 1/2" firm
foam with a full front tapered shim would be a nice choice .
5) Try some Hilton Herbs probiotics & Hilton digestive balancing herbs to help Lilly absorb nutrients more efficiently. Make
sure to have both a white salt block & a Himalayan salt chunk
out so she has a choice to balance her minerals & sodium.
BAREBACK PAD CHOICES
As an alternate riding choice, a Christ bareback pad over either
the treed saddle pad or treeless saddle pad with 3/4" open cell
foam cut to fit the pad would be very comfy for both Helen &
Lilly.
6) In the Spring add some fresh dandelion greens on a daily
basis to clear the liver and since Lilly loves the free growing
TTEAM Connections
10
Jan-Mar 2011
GIRTH CHOICES
For optimal horse comfort and enhanced lateral stability, a central elastic/self centering girth is my recommendation. Reactor
panel & Sensation make lovely girths. If the latter can not be
found in Lilly's size, then a double ended elastic girth such as a
Pro-choice or Albion girth would be the next best choice.
Kaaren is available for both phone & in person saddles fit consultations/troubleshooting as well as
teaching "Saddle Savvy" classes. For more information call: (805)245-9908 (PST).
* My recommendation is to always try any saddle for at least 10
days before you buy, preferably having an equine chiropractor
or bodyworker come in before the trial period & towards the
end of the demo period for input. In Helen's situation, she may
not be able to do this because of the shipping charges it would
entail.
Kaaren has written a booklet on saddle fit and in
order to support a greener way of life, "Saddle
Savvy" is only available as an ebooklet at:
http://kaarenjordan.com/ .
HAPPY TRAILS,
Kaaren
By Nancy Yamin P1 Eugene, OR
TTouch on Feral Cats
heart and my home. As I got out a wand I showed Cathy how
we wrap the ace bandage around the end so that it looks like a
corn dog. I explained how this becomes an
extension of our hands and allows us to
make our first contact with the cats at a distance where everyone feels safe. Cathy
liked this idea and commented how it was a
nice big area to touch the cats with and was
soft and seemed much safer than using the
end of the wand without anything on it. I
also grabbed a bag of really tasty treats then
off we went, into the first enclosure of three
feral cats.
Once a month I hold a meeting that is advertised through
Meetup.com where we talk about and practice one TTouch concept. Members are encouraged to share
their related experiences on that topic,
and afterwards we have a question and
discussion session and then socialize.
We will often have members who are
experienced in other modalities share
for 15 minutes or so about their area of
expertise as a way of introducing people
to new ideas. These have included
HeartMath®, Healing Touch for Animals® and Essential Oils. It is a fun
group and a great way to spread the
word about TTouch to the community.
At our November TTouch Meetup a member named Cathy
was asking about which TTouches I would recommend for 6
little feral cats that she had recently acquired. She said they are
around 7 months old and have resided in two separate pens at
her home for two weeks. So far she had only been able to touch
one of them. Cathy’s goal was to get them into crates in the
next couple of weeks, get them fixed, and then re-homed as
barn cats. I started to tell her about intention, the wand , the
corn dog and some other ideas, but realized I probably sounded
like a crazy woman and asked if it would be okay if I worked
with them and would show her some things that I hoped might
help them get used to humans.
At first glance the enclosure seemed
empty. The cats were hiding as far away as possible. Cathy and
I sat on stools and we just chatted. I didn’t want to make too
many invasions into their space at once. As we chatted, I
dropped some treats into their food bowl and scattered a few
near where they were hiding. I broke the treats up first so that
the smell would be fresher and sure to carry. Cathy said she
didn’t think they would eat them and I agreed but said that was
okay, I just wanted the cats to know that we were bringing them
something extra special. We sat facing each other on low stools
and avoided any direct eye contact with the cats while I
showed Cathy on the side of her leg how we would stoke the
cats with the wand and could even do some circular motions
with it on their sides and backs.
When we got to Cathy’s house we were greeted by a host of
cats in the driveway and the garage, and all were curious to see
what I had in the car. As I gathered some equipment I explained
to Cathy that I was not as confident working with feral cats as I
was with dogs, and asked her to please let me know if I was
doing anything she felt was not right. My experience with feral
cats is limited to one cat that ended up working her way into my
We were now ready to start working with cats. I didn’t have
any idea as to how they would respond, so I started out really
slowly. At first I just stroked the ground in front of one of the
cats. I stroked the ground from near the cat in a direction away
from her. Then I moved the wand towards the side of her body.
At the first touch on her side with the wand she flew out of her
hiding place and dove under a cat bed. I made a decision to do a
TTEAM Connections
11
Jan-Mar 2011
I am really impressed with what happened yesterday. When
I went in last night I talked softly to them. Sandy (white and
gray cat) was under the cat bed and so I touched her and she
humped her back up to feel the touch. I touched both the black
one and the little gray one – they were both in their hidey holes.
In the other enclosure I touched all of them – they were huddled
up in the square cat tree. They let me touch them without running.
little more than I would have with house cats that had clients
with them, as most likely the only opportunity these cats would
have to learn to trust people was in these next two weeks. I
thought if I could just do one or two circular touches on them,
they might start to see that humans were okay. I know the
magic of the circles and how they release fear and tension, and I
believe in TTouch work. The topic of our November Meetup
that morning had been “Just Do the Work”, so I reached over
and did two Lying Leopard TTouches through the cat bed.
Really it just looked like a bed with a lump under it, and I was
doing the circles on the lump. I just did two circular touches
and then let her process this for a few moments. Then I did two
more and she stuck her little nose out from under the bed. I did
two more with her like that and then stopped. That was six
touches on a feral cat through a bed and I thought this was
great! Then Cathy just reached right over past me and petted
this cat under her chin for quite a few moments -WOW!
This morning all three of the cats in Sandy’s enclosure were
out and not hiding. I was able to touch the black one and
Sandy ran under the bed and humped her back up for me to
touch her – she even looked out at me. The little gray one
stayed out but didn’t want to be touched. In the other condo
they were all in the square cat tree and the white and gray one
scattered but the little darker tabby just sat there and let me
pick it up. It was huddled up but stayed in my arms until I totally opened my arms up and them s/he jumped out. I sense a
calmer atmosphere when I go in now. I am going in again to
feed and scoop and will see how they do.
It went pretty much the same for the other five cats. It
worked to our advantage that the cats were in a small enclosed
area and could not get away. We made our first contact with
the wand, sometimes was just stroking the ground in front of a
hiding cat to help get them used to seeing the wand move towards them. Then I would do some circles with the wand on the
ground in front of the cats hiding place. I would stroke the cat
along its side if that was what we could reach. Then moving our
hand closer down the wand and eventually touching the cats
with the backs of our hand. Each cat probably had only a few
moments of TTouch apiece, but we moved slowly, gave frequent breaks, and only touched each one for a moment at time.
When we stopped working in the second enclosure, two of the
cats from the first pen were out in the open eating the treats we
had left and were rubbing against each other and rolling on their
backs, looking very much like normal house cats. Their eyes
were softer and their body posture looked relaxed. One of them
even came over and took treats from me through the chain link.
Cathy said she had never seen them out in the open when they
could see her. I felt as if this experience was truly a TTouch
miracle for those six cats and was once again in awe about this
work.
Monday morning they were a little calmer than originally
but will need the reassurance of the padded stick that it is OK
for me to touch them.”
And a few weeks later:
“The 5 remaining cats (one got adopted) are an interesting
group. The gray tabby with white legs and the black/gray tabby
with white legs are the friendliest now. The gray one is really
friendly and could be a pet. The black is fairly friendly but
needs more work and the other 2 still just tolerate me. I haven’t
given up on any of them yet.”
A quick summary of what we did and the techniques we used:
- Set our Intention & used lots of Visualization
- Kept our voices soft, whispering, soothing and praising the
cats
- Treats placed in their bowls and on the ground, and had our
hands smell of treats
Here is what Cathy wrote to me a few days later:
- No direct eye contact at first- used soft eyes, averted gazes
and looked away
“I took on 6 feral kittens about 6 – 8 months old after their rescuer was killed. They haven’t had much socialization and are
really nervous. I have 2 outdoor heated enclosures that each
house 3 of the cats. Until Saturday I have only been able to
touch 1 of the cats. Nancy and I spent about 20 to 30 minutes
in each enclosure touching the cats or the ground in front of
them with a long stick with an ace bandage wrapped on the
tip. It was amazing to see the transformation with most of the
cats. In enclosure 1 there is a white and gray cat who races
around the enclosure when scared – she ended up letting us pet
her through a cat bed – she was hiding but pushed her back
into my hand for touch. We also had treats and when we left
her enclosure and went into the other one she came to the front
of the enclosure and let Nancy feed her treats through the
fence.
- Body sideways to the cats and kept low, moving slowly
- Wand with corn dog end used, first just stroking the ground
on front of the cat, then along the cat’s side, then between
the shoulder blades and down the back if possible
- Moved hand closer towards the end of the wand with each
stoke
- First TTouch done using the back of the hand
- One or two TTouches at a time, then a little break and very
short sessions
Nancy Yamin www.muttsbetter.com
TTEAM Connections
12
Jan-Mar 2011
Tellington TTouch Heart Hugs:
Reducing Stress
Feeling stressed, grumpy, unable to focus?
Heart Hugs are something you can do – anytime, anywhere, for any reason from soothing, calming, re-balancing, uplifting and focusing.
These gentle circular ‘hugs’ take just a few minutes of your time. And, they are free.
Enhancing Your Heart Hugs --- Before, during or after your
Heart Hugs you can;
Feeling the need for change, but not always sure how to create
it? Directing our intentions and aligning ourselves for change,
we can use the discomfort of feeling grumpy and stressed to
carry us further and faster into the changes we desire and to
create the live we seek. This includes the needed internal
changes that are necessary to create the outside changes.
•
Add some essential oils to your hands and heart like Gratitude Essential oil, Joy, Live With Passion or any other essential
oil that will help strengthen your prayer, intention and the sense
you want to create. For more information on essential oils go to
http://www.youngliving.com/oneheartsr
Use the Heart Hugs with the steps below to assist meditations
and to help you harness and direct your energy to propel you
forward boldly into this New Year.
•
Send Prayers for forgiveness, humility or courage
Heart Tip: Heart Hugs are something you can do for yourself–
anytime, anywhere - a gift you can give to yourself over and
over.
•
Find gratitude for your blessings
•
Use at the beginning and end of your meditations
Take a walk through a labyrinth and use heart hugs as you enter
to help set your intention before you begin your labyrinth walking meditation.
Heart Hug* Steps Primer: Notice how you are feeling physically, mentally, emotionally before you begin. Make a note so
you have a frame of reference for after you try these out.
Favored TTouch --- Heart Hugs were the favorite Tellington
TTouch in our group for people who had experienced traumatic
brain injuries and in many other classes. Everyone found them
to be consistently calming and centering.
Step 1: Place one hand over the other, palms face down on the
center of your chest.
Step 2: Visualize the face of a clock under your palms, on your
chest. Six o’clock is at the bottom of the circle towards the
ground.
And, In an informal study created to look at the effects of Heart
Hugs, a calming and balancing of all brain wave patterns were
consistently found through EEG assessments while people used
this simple circular method of touch over their heart region.
Step 3: Beginning with your hands at six o’clock, gently move
the skin in a full circle plus an additional quarter circle. You are
gently moving the skin under your palms, in a circle from 6
o’clock, around to 9 o’clock, 12, around to 3 o’clock, continuing around to 6 o’clock and then keep going around another
quarter to 9 o’clock.
Check out the studies; www.ttouch.com/researchStudies.shtml
What are the Cautions & Side Effects of Heart Hugs?
The area you move under your hands is not very big, so the
clock is pretty small, maybe an inch in diameter. In other
words, you are making a pretty small circular movement overall.
Step 4: Pause with your hands here. Let yourself take in a few
deep slow breaths while pausing with your hands over the center of your chest, over your heart region.
Feeling Better!
•
Reducing Stress!
•
Enhanced Focus!
•
Feeling less grumpy!
Empowering yourself!
Use this simple technique to reduce stress, anxiety, balance
emotions, feel empowered and nurture yourself in just a few
minutes a day –
Step 5: Repeat Steps 1-4 a few times. As you begin the circle,
take in a breath and slowly as you finish the circle.
----use as many times in a day as you need.
* Heart Hugs were created by Linda Tellington-Jones. Find
out more about TTouch for people and animals by going to
www.TTouch.com
You cannot overdose on Heart Hugs!
Now notice how you’re feeling once again. How is it different
than before you used the circular touch, the Heart Hugs?
TTEAM Connections
•
Sandy Rakowitz - Eq P2, CA P1
www.onehearthealingcenter.com
13
Jan-Mar 2011
Gucci’s Story
By Sue Falkner-March - TTEAM Equine P2 &
Connected Riding Practitioner
Canmore, AB
--slow and “sticky” to lead
--very braced in neck, shoulders and ribs
--never stood square, even at liberty
--stood very close behind –very weak
looking
--about 10 days into the work I realized
that Gucci had “sticky stifles”—he
would briefly lock in his stifles as he
moved and occasionally lock up more
severely –this appeared to alarm him—
possibly painful.
When I first saw Gucci, his new
owner was skillfully ground driving him
up the road of our riding club grounds.
My initial impression was: “Oh
dear—he resembles a keg of dynamite
about to explode.” Gucci did just that,
about 2 seconds later, with a huge sideways spook at an imagined ghost in the
trees.
Several weeks later Gucci’s
owner, Amy Nelson, approached me, wondering if TTeam could help, as she was running out of ideas to
calm him.
*Refer to last page for definition of “sticky stifles”
General impression of Gucci:
Gucci was a 5 year old Arabian gelding that had been
through 2 homes, previous to Amy. He had been offered to
Amy for free. She tried him out in an indoor arena and he went
okay so she took him. She later discovered that he was very
nervous and explosive outside.
--He was very fearful and lacking in confidence
--He displayed the usual body tension and posture related to
this mental state
--He liked people, but was a bit uncertain of their intention
--he was “shut down” mentally, when he wasn’t exploding.
After coming off of him several times, she enlisted the
help of Carys Richards. Carys has a background of competitive
trail riding and exercise rider at the race track. She was now
starting a few young horses at our riding club. Carys had a good
understanding of Centered and some Connected Riding, as she
had taken many riding lessons from me as a teen. She is a
skilled and unflappable rider.
How much could we help Gucci? I wasn’t certain, so we “Just
did the work”
TTouch:
In the beginning he could not accept much TTouch
except the tail work. As he progressed we could do more. It
really helped him release and be more aware of his body.
Amy recounted that the first time Carys mounted
Gucci, he exploded the moment her seat was in the saddle. He
spooked and whirled leaving Carys on the ground. Carys remounted and rode for several minutes, then, a noise startled him
and he unseated her again. Definitely not a safe sounding situation.
TTEAM Groundwork:
--Dingo and head lowering really helped him move more
freely forward
--Body wraps: We were creative with ace wraps, to bring
awareness to different parts of his body, particularly his
neck. If we could help him release his neck he could move
forward more easily and be less afraid.
I told Amy I thought TTeam and Connected Riding
tools could help calm Gucci and improve his confidence.
Amy was keen to try and Carys was interested to learn
more as well
--“Homing pigeon” helped him with forwardness and confidence
Observations:
--Playground for higher learning was helpful for balance,
self confidence and body awareness
Posture and movement patterns:
--high headed
--often pulled nose in towards chest when near people, which
created lots of neck tension
--overdeveloped muscles at top of neck
--dropped tight back
--moved with hind legs trailing out behind body
TTEAM Connections
--Plastic work:
He was extremely fearful-we chunked down the work
with food and a confident horse for him to follow and observe. Once he was confident doing the plastic, his general
trust and confidence improved dramatically.
14
Jan-Mar 2011
--Chest line driving really helped him be more forward
moving with a relaxed topline and in better balance.
Photo above: Using Caterpillar, up Gucci’s neck, while being
led in the Homing Pigeon helps him release from the base of the
neck to encourage him to lower his head.
Photos above: By ‘chunking down’ the steps of going between
and then over plastic in a relaxed manner Gucci gained confidence.
In the top photo, Gucci’s ears are out to the side as he steps
between the plastic.
Photo above: Sue encouraging Gucci to go out on one line - it is
difficult for him to maintain connection to the line but he is staying out on the line and starting to lower his head.
Connected Riding Ground Work:
We integrated this work into our TTeam ground work sessions and saw big improvements in free forward movement
and posture.
“Walk-Abouts
--As well as working in the ring, with the “playground”, we
always spent some time leading Gucci around the club
grounds, often in “Homing Pigeon” during our sessions.
Photo above: Repeating the exercise, this time with the saddle,
to change the context of the exercise. This could then be done
with a rider.
TTEAM Connections
--We did S-turns and connected ground work to release
bracing and encourage forward movement.
15
Jan-Mar 2011
He was ready to wear his tack. He showed no concern with
this, so on to mounting.
“Chunking down” Mounting:
--Gucci showed extreme concern to a person on a mounting block. With a little bit of food offered as he stood next
to the mounting block, he soon overcame his concern.
--Next Carys would mount and dismount a few times, from
both sides, with bits of food offered to help keep Gucci
settled. The food always had an immediate calming and
refocusing influence.
--After several calm mounting sessions it was time to
move. Gucci went for a short walk in a quiet, calm frame
of mind.
Photo: Leading him out of the arena while wearing the saddle,
with the body wrap over top, helps him gain confidence.
--We spent about 5 sessions walking Gucci around the
club, with Carys mounted. She used Connected Riding
tools to keep him free and forward moving. Amy and I led
in “homing pigeon” at first (with a sliding line on one side
for quick release if needed) We would do a bit of Connected Riding ground work as we walked. We helped balance Gucci down the hills and into his halts with the
wands.
--Soon Gucci was down to one person leading, then just a
person next to him with no lead.
Photo above: After leading him out with a rider he progressed
to a person just walking beside him. He has a promise wrap
and balance rein to help keep him connected and in balance.
--We encouraged a long, energetic steps behind with a gentle tap of the wand on his gaskin, paired with the verbal cue
“step, step”. Soon he was responding often to just the verbal cue.
--Down hills we rebalanced him with the wand.
--Our riding club is a busy place, so our walks gave Gucci
lots of exposure to new sites, while the work helped him
take them in calmly.
Now Gucci was showing a high level of calmness and confidence in a variety of situations. His posture mirrored this
calm attitude. His confidence grew as his movement pattern became more forward and swinging.
TTEAM Connections
Photo above: Riding alone Carys using rein stroking combined
with the balance rein to help him maintain his balance going
down hills.
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Jan-Mar 2011
--He was tentative in these first rides and a bit more
“looky”, but gained confidence with each ride. Carys was
constantly using her Connected Riding tools to keep
“recycling” the relaxation response these tools created.
You could see that he struggled a bit with coordinating his
body with the weight of a rider. Soon he looked stronger
and more organized.
Due to his extremely sensitive and green nature, plus
his stifle issues, Gucci will need consistent work and understanding on his way to becoming a seasoned riding
horse. An assessment and some strengthening exercises for
his stifle related muscles, from a physiotherapist, might be
very helpful as well.
--Next we introduced his quiet paddock mate as a buddy
horse.
When we began working with Gucci, I was not sure
how much we could help him. I was uncertain whether
conformation and possible soundness issues would limit
his improvement.
--Then a few short trots up gentle hills around the club.
His progress far exceeded my expectations. He
changed from an extremely fearful and reactive horse into
a trusting, calm and focused one.
Once again I was amazed by how incredibly effective
the TTeam work and Connected Riding tools were.
--Now he was ready for his first trail ride. I was close at
hand on foot as back-up, but he was a star!
--By his second trail ride he was keen to lead and very curious about his surroundings. He was definitely enjoying
himself!
Gucci’s progress--mentally and physically-- really was
a testimony to the phrase “Just do the work—and trust in
the process”
Carys put it perfectly, when she jokingly wailed “Our
baby is gone!”
In a “perfect world”, Gucci would have benefited
greatly from 3 more months of consistent riding with Carys
(because of her understanding of Connected Riding principles). Slowly introducing more trot and canter as he gained
strength and balance, then helping him achieve self carriage, would have been optimum, but this was not a practical option at the time.
Gucci had not been a “quick fix”. At this point we had
been working with him every 3 or 4 days for about 2 and a
half months. We let him tell us, by his comfort level, when
he was ready to move on to a new step. Each step came
more rapidly as his foundation of trust and confidence increased.
At this point I headed out of town for a month to teach and
holiday.
I have emailed Gucci’s breeder and hope to share
some of what helped him, with her.
Carys rode Gucci a few more times on the trail and he
went quietly and without incident.
I am happy knowing that TTeam work and Connected Riding tools have given this lovely, sensitive young
horse, a layer of learning that should significantly increase
the odds of him having a happy, comfortable and productive life.
Amy began to ride Gucci as well and he went very well for
her too.
Then Amy’s life became very full with a new job. She
could only ride Gucci sporadically, which was not ideal for
a green horse or for keeping his stifles functioning well.
*Definition of “sticky” or locking stifles: Upward fixation of the patella: An intermittent locking of the joint. In
the most serious cases the joint is completely locked such
that the leg is extended backwards and the horse can only
drag his leg forward without being able to flex the stifle
joint. More often the locking occurs only briefly during
locomotion resulting in a jerking to the gait when the stifle
joint goes from extension to flexion during motion. The
locking can be painful. (Gucci showed the latter symptoms)
Amy had an unfortunate incident on the trail where Gucci
bucked and unseated her. From her description of the incident, I suspect the bucking was a reaction to a stuck stifle
and the fear and discomfort it caused him.
Amy decided riding Gucci was too risky, given her circumstances. I agreed and felt he needed a home where he
could be ridden frequently, to keep his stifles functioning
comfortably. His greenness and sensitive nature would
need to be considered when finding a compatible owner.
Luckily, Amy had found Gucci’s breeder. The breeder
had lost track of Gucci’s whereabouts, after his original
purchase and was concerned for his welfare. She was
happy to take Gucci back.
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Jan-Mar 2011
Chilled: Warm Up Body Temperature
with Tellington TTouch Ear Strokes
By Sandy Rakowitz, Eq P2, CA P1
www.onehearthealingcenter.com
Have you ever felt chilled, so cold that you
were shivering and shaking? If at home it is
easy to pile on the blankets and drink some
hot tea to help warm up but what else can you
do to help your body regulate its temperature?
Perhaps you have been in a situation where
extra blankets, a hot water bottle and hot tea or
soup help or you didn’t have access to more
blankets and hot drinks?
The amount of pressure I used was as if I were
stroking a rose petal. Too hard and I would
tear the petal and hurt my dad’s ear, too soft
and I’d hardly be able to feel the petal and
would just tickle his ear which can be very
annoying!
What about during the summer or after vigorous exercise, have you ever found it hard to
cool off? Or had a fever spiking and felt like
you were burning up? To cool off you can take a cold bath or
shower, drink a cold beverage or soak your feet in ice. What
happens if you don’t have access to these things to bring your
body temperature down or they don’t work?
I repeated the four strokes on each ear about 4
or 5 times before switching to the other ear.
Frequency
Usually I find that after just a few minutes of
using these Ear Strokes the body temperature usually kicks
back into a more comfortable range but that did not happen
with my dad. Even though he was still shaking, he said it was
beginning to slow down and he was starting to feel better, then
he began shaking and shivering increased again.
I was concerned and thought it might be a reaction to the medication. I noted that the phone was nearby and thought to myself
that if his temperature didn’t start rising very soon we would
need to seek medical attention.
What Are Ear Strokes*?
Ear Strokes can be the answer. They help the body to selfregulate its own temperature, up or down as needed.
If you are too hot then Ear Strokes help the body to regulate
down to a more normal range.
As I continued to use the Ear Strokes sequences on each ear it
came to mind that the top of the ear is a point for shock and that
by stroking the top of the ear each time I was helping to prevent him from going into shock. Eventually the shaking
stopped and he got very relaxed and began dosing off. Ear
Slides feel great and are very relaxing!
If you have chills and are too cold and use Ear Strokes, then the
ability for your body to regulate your body temperature up into
a more normal range kicks in.
Recently while I was visiting my parents, my dad was ill, had
an infection and was taking some medication. He became very
chilled was shivering and his teeth were chattering even though
he was lying in bed under an electric blanket with the heat
turned up.
Signs to Look For
I used the Strokes for about 10 – 15 minutes on my dad’s ears
before his face and ears both had better color to them. These
are usually signs that someone will begin to feel warmer
soon. I was relieved to start seeing these signs! I took a break
when my mom came in to check on him. After about 30 minutes, he said he didn’t have any more chills and was feeling
warmer.
I asked if I could use Ear Strokes. I told my parents that it can
help regulate body temperature and often you can warm up
when using them. My dad shakily nodded yes. I noted right
away that his ears felt cool though not cold. I felt it was a good
sign that his ears were not ice cold!
Later that night he began spiking a fever. He began to alternately have chills, and then feel hot. His temperature went up
to 101.5 even though earlier in the day, after the ear slides, it
was 99.1.
Here is How I Used the Ear Strokes
I used four strokes in four different locations along the ear,
starting at the bottom of the lobe, then a quarter of the way up
the ear, then in the upper quarter of the ear, and finally the tiptop of the ear.
I asked him again if I could do some Ear Strokes. He gave me
a blank look - I think because I had used them to warm him up
before! So I explained that these slides worked either if your
temperature is too low or too high, they help the body selfregulate into a more normal range. Once again he nodded
yes. This time, his ears were quite warm to touch. After only
about 5 minutes of using the strokes his body temperature began to even out. The chills stopped and his fever came down,
his face and ears had better color and his ears cooled off to a
I began stroking the bottom of the left ear lobe between my fore
finger and thumb, stroking from the inside of the lobe outward
towards the edge. I stroked in a northeast direction or towards 2
or 3 o’clock.
Pressure
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Jan-Mar 2011
more normal temperature.
river, Ear Strokes were the saving grace.
I showed my friend how to do the strokes and they brought her
back from shivering cold with blue lips to a comfortable body
temperature while her lips turned pink again. Wow! She’d
warm up and stop using the strokes. After another 10 minutes
or so floating downriver her teeth would start chattering and
shortly after her lips began turning shades of blue. So she’d
start another round of strokes along her ears and warm up
again.
I stepped out to do a
few things in the
other room. My mom
hadn’t realized that I
had been doing the
strokes and came and
told me his fever was
down. I could tell she
was relieved. I told
her I had done more
strokes and explained
to her that it helped to
bring body temperature into a normal range whether it was high
or low. She was pleased and we all felt relieved! His body
temperature stayed within a pretty good range not getting too
hot or too cold all night too.
I use these ear strokes all the time if I am outside and get too
cold or hot, anytime of the year. After riding horses or dancing
in the Virginia heat with high humidity in the summers they
help me cool off. They have also become a regular part of our
routine with my horses and dogs to help them cool
off. Through the winter, I always check my elder horse’s
ears. When they feel cool or cold I spend an extra 5-10 minutes
and use Ear Strokes until he warms up. He LOVES his Ear
Strokes!
Later after everyone was settled, my brother and mother asked
me to show them how to do the ear strokes. I coached my mom
through the sequence, amount of pressure, frequency, and signs
to look for. They both commented that they could visibly see
how my dad's shaking would quiet every time I used the
strokes. We all talked about how amazing it was that these
seemingly simple strokes along your ears could warm you up so
dramatically from shivering and shaking and cool you down
when too hot!
Once when I was out of town, my then 27 yr. old horse began
to show signs of colic. My house sitter called me and I walked
her through doing Ear Strokes over the phone. He perked back
up after about 20 minutes. His pulse and respiration returned to
normal and all seemed fine. It turned out that this was a prelude to some sluggishness in his digestive system and we began
a series of acupuncture with him in addition to his ear strokes
and other TTouches as his regular senior maintenance.
Precautions
Precautions
Two days later my dad had significant chills again followed by
a fever a few hours later. This time, it took almost an hour for
his body temperature to begin to normalize. Not a good sign.
Two days later my dad again developed significant chills followed by fever a few hours later. This time, it took almost an
hour of Ear Strokes for his body temperature to begin to normalize. Not a good sign.
The Ear Strokes were incredibly helpful to make him more
comfortable. But, whenever in doubt and if symptoms persist
or worsen, this is the time to seek medical attention. In this
case, the symptoms were a prelude to some other medical conditions that were beginning to show up. And he did need and
get medical assistance. He is now on the mend and while I was
there, continued to ask for ear strokes. And he has been doing
them for himself as well!
The Ear Strokes were incredibly helpful to make him more
comfortable but, whenever in doubt and if symptoms persist or
worsen, it is the time to seek medical attention. In this case, the
symptoms were a prelude to other medical conditions that were
beginning to show up and he did need and get medical assistance. He is now on the mend and while I was there, continued
to ask for ear strokes. He has now been doing them for himself
as well!
I think everyone should know how to do Ear Strokes as they are
an amazingly helpful first aid tool. You never know when they
may come in handy for regulating body temperature, to help
prevent shock or for a soothing relaxing treat. I sure was glad
that I knew how to do them with my dad!
Other Uses for Ear Strokes
Ear strokes have gotten me, my family, friends and many animals out of some pretty dicey conditions over the years; while
waiting for the vet or rescue squad, averting bad bellyaches,
hypothermia, freezing temperatures, overheating, and
shock. Ear strokes have been our saving grace.
Ear Strokes are a great first aid tool you can carry around with
you wherever you go and use anytime.
Editor’s Note: Ear strokes are useful with any animal to help in
stressful situations and are never intended to replace medical or
veterinary care. People who feel nauseated while flying, driving in the car or on a boat are helped with ear strokes. They are
easy to do and can make a huge difference. Thanks for sharing
your experiences Sandy.
I have used it on a tubing trip down a river when the weather
turned cold and a friend began shivering and her lips began to
turn a distinct and scary shade of blue. We had no cell phones,
no food, no extra clothes, no rescue squad nearby and no other
way to warm up. With at least another hour or so to get down
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Jan-Mar 2011
Start Right -
By Mandy Pretty P2 & Connected
Riding Practitioner
Haltering a Foal without Trauma
www.intouchwithyourhorse.com
dam. Having a small, safe space is incredibly important when
initially working with a foal. The ideal space is a square or
rectangle and is not so big that the foal can get moving quickly
and mindlessly. How you position yourself in the enclosure is
very important. Always try to give the foal a way to leave,
rather then try and corner them. This will help them feel safe
and have some semblance of choice in the matter.
Anyone that has ever worked with an unhandled foal knows
how rewarding and beneficial the initial sessions are. They’d
also know how much these first impressions dictate a foal’s
reaction to handling later in life. For decades, the Tellington
TTouch Method has gently, easily, and effectively given foals
their first education, setting them up for a lifetime of successful
interactions with humans. By keeping a few basic principles in
mind, you can easily, safely, and effectively give a foal the start
it needs to become a well adjusted, willing partner.
In the Tellington TTouch the link between posture and behaviour has always been incredibly important. While posture can
be helped or hindered by human contact, there is also an element of the animal’s natural tendency. This tendency can certainly be affected by positive human interaction for the better.
This possibility for change was evident at the 20th Annual Starting Young Horse Clinic in June of 2010 in Wyoming.
The Bitterroot Ranch has been home to this workshop for over
two decades. Over this time Arabian horses that have been
bred at the ranch are started and initially prepared for their future job as dude horses. This year, Linda Tellington-Jones’
sister Robyn Hood, used one of their 3 week old, unhandled
foals to demonstrate how we go about making first contact with
foals.
Photo above: Once the mare and foal have had a moment to
settle in the pen, Robyn makes initial contact with the foal. To
do this, Robyn uses one or two of the four foot dressage whips
we call “wands”. The “wands” are stiff but flexible and create
an extension of the handler’s arm, providing a safer feeling of
distance for the unhandled animal. With the “wands” Robyn
gently, but firmly, strokes the filly down the front of her chest,
along her back, and her rear end. The wand helps to connect
and ground the filly to her body, be familiarized to being
touched, and become comfortable with Robyn’s proximity
without feeling threatened. Robyn is careful to stroke the filly a
few times and then stop, pausing to give the filly a chance to
integrate and acknowledge what she is experiencing, rather than
just putting up with it.
The Spanish Arabian filly came into the enclosed area very
apprehensive about the large group of people and unfamiliar
surroundings. Her head was high, and the muscles along the
underside of her neck were bulging, while her back was
dropped. A tendency for high headedness and a tightening of
the back is already a very strong tension pattern for this filly.
We quietly guided the filly into an 8x8 catch pen along with her
Photo 1: As the filly comes into the yard you can see she already has a posture that is high-headed creating tightness
through the base of the neck and along her back. This is a great
time to start to change this pattern.
TTEAM Connections
Photo 3: After letting the filly become comfortable with the
flexible end of the wand, Robyn starts to do small circles with
the button end of the wand, all along the filly’s body. This
brings Robyn closer to the filly without becoming threatening
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and gives the filly the feeling of the mindful TTouch circles.
As with the stroking, Robyn is sure to pause and check in with
the filly as she works along her body.
Robyn backs off and gives the filly a chance to move away,
nurse, and look around at all of the surrounding spectators. She
quietly nurses and explores the catch pen.
Photo 6: With the filly relatively comfortable with being
touched, Robyn moves onto the next step of handling foals, the
use of the “Body Rope”. The “Body Rope” is a variation of a
figure eight rope, with a light snap on one end, and a ring tied
into the line 1/3 of the way down. The snap and ring allow for
easy application and ensures that the loop around the neck will
not tighten. To apply the rope, Robyn simply slides the snap
end over the filly’s withers, and quietly picks it up from underneath her neck. She snaps the end to the ring, making a loop
around the neck, not too tight, not too loose. The rope should
sit just above the point of the shoulder with the ring and snap
sitting on one side of the withers.
Photo 4: After a few minutes Robyn approaches her again, this
time with her hand. Allowing the filly to be right next to her
dam, Robyn uses the back of her hand to gently make contact.
The back of the hand is much less threatening that the palm of
the hand, and is a good way to start when approaching any animal that you do not know or when touching areas that may be
sensitive to the animal. As with the wands, Robyn is sure to
stop what she is doing and pause every so often, letting the filly
know that the contact will stop. It does not take long before the
filly is very accepting of Robyn’s touch all along her body and
neck.
With this loop Robyn can contain the filly with a slight steady
at the base of her neck, without putting pressure on her head,
which would panic a horse unfamiliar with containment. It is
important to note that Robyn thinks of “containing’ the filly
rather than “restraining” her. This front loop will be how
Robyn will teach the filly to halt and steady herself through her
entire body, shifting her weight off of the forehand. A light
signal at the base of the neck can also activate the “seeking reflex” which encourages the base of the neck to release, lengthening the top-line.
Photo 5: The filly moved to the other side of her mother &
then Robyn does a few TTouches on her rear end.
TTEAM Connections
Photo 7: For the second part of the “Body Rope”, Robyn takes
the tail end of the rope and loops it around the hindquarters of
the filly, tying the end through the ring in a quick release knot.
The rope should sit in the gaskin and be loose enough so when
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Jan-Mar 2011
Robyn places the “Catch Rope” around her neck. The “Catch
Rope” looks like a mini version of the “Body Rope” in a lighter
material, with a smaller snap and ring. Again the snap and ring
are meant for ease of use and to avoid any tightening effect
around the head. ( In addition to haltering foals for the first
time, “Catch Ropes” can be invaluable to use with hard to catch
horses, horses that are difficult to bridle, or in situations that
require a swap of tack out in the open.) With the “Catch Rope”
around the neck, along with the “Body Rope”, Robyn once
again guides the filly around the enclosure. The loop around
her neck starts to familiarize her with a light signal around her
poll and neck, without it being uncomfortable or feeling like a
restraint.
the foal walks it does not put back ward pressure on the neck.
This second part to the “Body Rope” is an excellent tool to help
move a foal quietly, through their body, back to front. It is also
an invaluable tool to connect a horse to their entire body, as
well as teach them to be very comfortable with ropes and movement around their hindquarters.
Before Robyn attempts to put anything on the filly’s head, she
wanted to be sure that the filly was comfortable with being
touched all around her face.
When Robyn made initial contact with her hand, and touched
the filly’s body and neck, she did not proceed to touch her head
as small signs told her that it would be too much for the filly at
that moment. Her eye changed slightly, her ears tensed, and her
respiration quickened. By reading these very subtle signs and
not pushing the filly’s comfort zone at that time, Robyn actually
increased the filly’s trust by respecting these small signals. For
any horse it can be incredibly beneficial to recognize and respect their “whispers” of anxiety or apprehension rather than
waiting for them to “shout” at us when they have had enough or
are uncomfortable with something. This does not mean that
Robyn will simply skirt around the apprehension or ignore it; it
simply means that she takes a different tact, and is sure to break
the process into small steps.
Photo 8: Now that the filly is wearing the complete “Body
Rope”, Robyn can use a signal on the back loop to help her
move forward, and then steady her to halt with a signal at the
base of her neck, with the front loop. Doing just a few steps at
a time, quietly, helps to teach the filly how to move in balance,
without dropping her back or raising her head and falling on the
forehand.
Once again, after a few minutes of guiding the filly around the
catch pen, Robyn leaves her to have a moment to integrate.
Obviously content about the situation, the filly goes back to her
dam and nurses for a few moments. When she has had enough
she looks to Robyn and seems interested in her without being
fearful.
Were this not a demonstration, or if the filly seemed distressed,
Robyn would have probably stopped there. With our own foals
we prefer to do several 10 minutes sessions over a day rather
than one long one. This filly did not seem stressed by the process and the entire session lasted just over 20 minutes so Robyn
proceeded in demonstrating several handling steps.
Photo 10: Robyn begins at the shoulder and works up the
filly’s neck, finding the places she most enjoys being touched
or scratched. As she works slowly towards the head, the filly
closes her eyes and lowers her head. Now that the filly has had
more interaction with Robyn, she is not so concerned about
having her head and face touched. Robyn strokes her ears, a
great way to release tension in the poll, an area typically sensitive in high headed horses. The filly responds with signs of
relaxation and seems to enjoy herself. Robyn then moves all
around her face and head, touching both the left and right sides,
working her way down to the mouth.
Photo 9: Once the filly starts looking at Robyn she seems much
more relaxed and accepting about the interaction.
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Jan-Mar 2011
Photo 15: Robyn is
starting mouthwork
using her thumb to
gently move the filly’s
lower lip and make
small circles on the
inside of the lip. She
then moved to her upper lip.
Photo 11: Using the Chimp TTouch (back of knuckles) is less
invasive, the rope around her neck is loose and the filly is acknowledging Robyn.
The mouth is very closely linked to the Limbic system, the
controller of emotion in the brain. Horses that are hard to
catch, disinterested in people, aloof, and fractious, can all benefit from several intermittent sessions of mouth work. If a horse
is emotional or tense, they will often be apprehensive about
being touched around the mouth. To be able to touch the filly’s
mouth, Robyn uses the back of her hand all around the muzzle,
stopping to pause and breathe consistently. In no time Robyn is
able to touch her all around and in her mouth, gently rubbing
the front of her gums with her fingers. When haltering foals for
the first time it is extremely important to have them comfortable with contact all around their nose, muzzle, and mouth.
Many foals are hyper sensitive to touch in these areas, and if
haltered without this preparation, can become habituated to
throwing their heads up when their nose touches the halter.
Photo 16 : Since so many young
horses are initially unbalanced for the
farrier, Robyn wanted to start to give
the filly an idea of what would be
expected of her. While quietly wearing the “Body Rope”, Robyn worked
with the filly’s feet. Robyn began by
gently squeezing the tendon sheath,
right below the knee, on the filly’s
right fore. She squeezes once and
waits, giving the filly the chance to
respond, instead of berating her with
mindless signals.
Photo 12 & 13: Continuing to use TTouches around the poll
and around the ears the filly’s eyes have softened and her eyes
start to close as her ears are stroked.
Photo 14: Stroking the
nostrils helps the filly
get familiar with being
handled everywhere. It
is done gently, just a
few times. Our aim is
to teach acceptance because it is a pleasant
experience rather than
to desensitize
TTEAM Connections
Photo 17: Robyn asks for the
leg on the opposite side that
she is standing so that she does
not accidentally pull the filly
towards her. In addition, asking for the leg on the opposite
side that you are standing helps
to teach horses to shift their weight laterally. The filly responds
perfectly to Robyn’s signal and she quietly picks up her leg.
Initially Robyn does not ask for her to keep her leg up, just to
pick it up and put it down. Once the filly seems balanced,
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for getting her used to wearing something of substance on her
head. It is important to recognize how much weight there actually is in a halter and lead, especially one with a heavy lead
shank. When choosing a set up for your foal, it is useful to
place the halter around the back of your neck with the lead rope
attached, so you can get a clear idea what it will feel like for
your foal. This question of weight is the reason we always use
very light snaps, for all of our horses. With a heavy snap you
cannot lessen the pressure on the poll, only add to it, which
often triggers the opposition reflex.
Robyn will ask her to hold it up for a moment, never holding
the foot. This is repeated with all 4 feet, and the filly is completely quiet (there is no one at her head) and responsive. Putting a “Body Rope” on a horse the first few times they are
trimmed is an excellent way to help horses stay in balance and
have a positive experience with their feet.
Photo 18: Asking for a hind
foot - with no pressure on her
head she is able to stand in
balance. Robyn just asks for
a foot, so the filly will learn
to shift her weight to pick it
up, and then put it back down.
Photo 21 & 22: Robyn mindfully slides the halter over the
filly’s nose and buckles the crown piece. She repeats this a few
times, again to be sure that the filly is comfortable with the
process. The filly does not react to being haltered but she is not
shut down or frozen either. Her acceptance of the process is
largely due to the fact that Robyn took the time to prepare her
for having something on her head. Too often foals have halters
slapped or wrestled on because they are small and can be easily
over powered. Giving a foal this first impression teaches them
acceptance rather than resignation in regards to human interactions.
Photo 19 & 20: Now that the filly was comfortable with being
touched all around her muzzle area Robyn can add the second
piece of the “Catch Rope”, Robyn loops the tail end through the
ring, making a nose band. This second loop can be made as
large as possible so that foals can get used to the idea of something going over their nose, without it being too constrictive or
small. Because she was so prepared to touch around her muzzle, the filly hardly blinks an eye when Robyn places the second loop over her nose. Robyn removes, and replaces the
“Catch Rope” several times to be sure that the filly is actually
okay with the process. Horses are often “okay” with a new
experience or stimuli the first time, just because they did not
know what to expect, and were taken by surprise. The level of
acceptance the second, third, or fourth time you do something is
a much more telling indicator about how the experience really
was for the horse.
As a final lesson, Robyn takes the tail end of the “Catch Rope”
and loops it through the side hardware of the halter. The sliding
loop of the rope means that there is not a “fixed” line. This
creates a more supple and subtle feel for the horse and help to
reduce any opposition. Attaching the line to the side of the
hardware, rather than the bottom, means that there is less down
ward pressure on the poll, reducing the horse’s reflexive instinct to raise the head and drop the back. Additionally it is
easier to make a clear lateral signal, with the line attached from
the side, without inadvertently tipping the horse’s head.
Robyn still uses the “Body Rope” for most of the signal at this
point, and is simply allowing the filly to get used to having the
weight of the halter and lines on her head. Throughout this
entire process, Robyn has been extremely aware of using her
entire body to influence the filly, rather than just her arms or
hands. This creates a much clearer, smoothly cue, and practically compels the filly to move with her.
With the filly comfortable with the “Catch Rope” Robyn is
ready to add the actual foal halter. The only halter available in
the moment was too large for the foal’s size however it worked
TTEAM Connections
24
Jan-Mar 2011
From Robyn’s Desk
Photo 23: Attaching a
light lead line to the
side ring on the halter
will make it easier to
encourage the filly to
come forward without
raising her head. Instead it will encourage
her to come forward
with her head down.
As usual I am rushing to finish this
issue of the newsletter before leaving
to teach a workshop. I was lucky enough to spend two
weeks in Hawaii with Linda assisting at the TTouch for You
and TTouch for You and Your Dog workshops which put
me behind my planned timetable.
I spent the latter half of 2010 teaching in Australia and taking part in Equitana Asia in Melbourne. Peggy Cummings
and I had a booth together combining TTouch and Connected Riding. We each gave demonstrations and did one
together on the last day. Our booth was very busy. Trisha
Wren came from New Zealand and my daughter, Mandy
Pretty were there to help balance people on the saddle stand
and show them how to do TTouch.
Satisfied that the filly has happily had enough input, Robyn
removes the halter, “Catch Rope”, and “Body Rope”, giving
the filly full freedom to leave. The filly’s reaction is to engage with Robyn, sniffing her, with a genuine curiosity and
interest. The horse’s reaction is always the best gauge of how
a session really went. A horse that wants to stay with you and
engage with you, even when they have the complete choice to
leave, is usually a horse that enjoyed the lesson.
One of the demos I did focused on bodywraps for horse and
rider. Afterwards at our booth we wrapped people with
many issues ranging from back pain due to walking around
the expo; hip replacements, etc. One woman, who was a
vet, came to the booth and said she had seen my demo two
years prior and had been using the wraps on horses ever
since with good success. She is an upper level dressage
rider and has a problem with one calf being two centimeters
more developed than the other. No one has been able to help
her figure out why, nor help to change it. I put a wrap on
one side of her body, shoulder to foot, and asked her to walk
around the booth. She walked the length of the booth,
turned right and came back. She said, in amazement, that
normally she never makes a right turn, even if it means
bumping into someone and yet, without thinking, she turned
right while wearing the wrap. I put the other side of the
wrap on her and within a few minutes she realized that there
was a specific part of her back where she felt tightness.
While still wearing the wrap Peggy balanced her on the saddle stand and helped her find her ‘neutral pelvis’ and where
she had been compensating which was likely causing the
overuse of one side of her body. She spent about 40 minutes with us, wearing the wrap, in the booth and was very
surprised and pleased to feel so much more comfortable
when she left the booth.
The catch pen was opened and the filly’s dam was lead out.
The filly sniffed around the pen, and then quietly walked out,
with a noticeably lower, softer neck, that looked inches
longer. She confidently looked around at the 2 dozen spectators and walked past un-fazed. Following her dam at some
distance, the filly calmly walked along side her breeder, back
to the open pastures. This was a striking contrast to the skittish, high-headed filly that had entered the enclosure less than
30 minutes prior.
This was just one example of big changes in body comfort
that people experienced wearing the wraps so I am in process of putting together booklets on ‘how to’ use the wraps
for people, horses and dogs & other animals. They should
be complete in the next month. If you have any experiences
you would like to share please email me.
The ease and progress made in this one short session clearly
demonstrated how a little goes and long way, and how slowing down the process, and chunking down the steps, actually
gets you a lot further, in less time.
You can see a picture video of Haltering A Foal without
Trauma www.youtube.com/TellingtonTTouch
TTEAM Connections
Stay in touch,
Robyn
25
Jan-Mar 2011
The Tellington TTouch Method:
Simple Remedies for Excessive Barking
By Jenn Merritt TTouch CA P1
Chapel Hill, NC
Excessive barking is one of the most common behavioral complaints that I hear from clients about their dogs. Barking to
excess takes many forms, from simple attention-seeking barking to alert barking, to compulsive barking due to lack of stimulation or extreme stress. Resolving barking issues can be a simple or complex process depending on the circumstances involved. Regardless of the root cause of the barking issue, there
are several techniques from the Tellington TTouch Method that
can be helpful in effectively resolving excessive barking.
same meridian running from the base of the tail, up the dorsal
midline, and ending inside the mouth, can influence behavior.
“One of the several Traditional Chinese Medical (TCM) indications for the use of all three of these GV points (GV 26, GV 27,
and GV 28) is ‘mental disorders.’ So from a TCM point of
view, massaging this area would have an effect on behavior.
Also, the end points of meridians are considered especially potent. It is well documented that stimulating acupuncture points
causes a release of endorphins which have a calming, opiate
effect on the brain”.
The Tellington TTouch Method is a gentle approach for influencing behavior, health and performance with bodywork, body
wraps, and balanced movement exercises. TTouch can easily
be used in conjunction with other non-invasive, reward-based
methods and behavioral modification, thus enhancing and accelerating treatment for excessive barking in just a few minutes
a day. Unlike other methods, TTouch directly addresses some
of the key issues that contribute to a variety of forms of excessive barking, such as chronic stress and tension in the mouth
and muzzle. TTouch can also empower clients to practice the
techniques anytime and anywhere to positively influence their
dog’s behavior. I will most often talk clients through the steps
of these simple touches and techniques, building on the trust
that is already established between the dog and their person.
With TTouch, one does not need extensive knowledge of acupressure point locations to reap the benefits of mouthwork.
You simply need to introduce mouthwork at your dog’s pace.
For many dogs, having human fingers in their mouths occurs
only during veterinary exams or while being given medications.
In addition, a dog’s mouth is an area that many people aren’t
necessarily comfortable with touching. Therefore learning and
accepting TTouch mouthwork can be a process for the dog and
their person. It is important to take things slowly and work the
dog’s mouth in short sessions, perhaps only a few minutes at a
time.
First, position yourself next to the dog, not looming over him,
facing the same direction as he is. Have a glass of room temperature water nearby so that you can dip your fingers in the
water. This will allow your fingers to slide easily in the mouth
and over the gums and teeth, even if the dog is nervous dog and
has a dry mouth.
Mouthwork
Obviously, the first area on the dog’s body that is related to
barking is the mouth. It is not unusual to discover that dogs
who bark excessively can be highly destructive chewers, be
very mouthy with people, and also have issues with whining.
These same dogs are often reluctant to have their mouths and
muzzles touched, a good indication that this is an area where
they are holding tension. A series of soothing TTouches on the
mouth, called mouthwork, not only brings awareness to and
releases tension from the mouth, contributing to reduction of
barking, but can also positively influence the dog’s overall
emotional state.
It is interesting to note that there are several key acupressure
points in the mouth. GV26 (Governing Vessel 26), in between
the upper lip and gums, influences the central nervous system.
CV24 (Conception Vessel 24), on the lower lip, regulates the
peripheral nervous system. The peripheral nervous system
includes the divisions of sympathetic (fight/flight responses)
and parasympathetic (relaxed, resting state) and can greatly
influence how a dog responds to his environment. This may
explain why TTouch mouthwork not only calms the body, but
also the mind, rebalancing the dog’s emotional state.
Holistic veterinarian and Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist Dr.
Doug Knueven explains how these specific points, all along the
TTEAM Connections
Photo 1: Start by cradling the dog’s head in one hand and gently using your other hand to stroke the dog’s muzzle, sliding the
skin of the dog’s lips back (Photo #1/Mouthslide on Bernie).
26
Jan-Mar 2011
TTEAM Equine Workshops - 2011
Location
Dates
Clinician
Type of Workshop
Contact
Austin, Tx
Mar 10-12
Penny Stone &
Debby Davies
TTEAM & Connected Riding
Penny Stone [email protected]
Essen, Germany
Mar 12-20
LTJ
Demonstration at Equitana
Www.equitana.de
Bath, England
Mar 15-20
RH
6 Day TTEAM training
[email protected]
South Africa
Mar 24-28
LTJ
5 Day TTEAM training
[email protected]
Fort Saskatchewan, Mar 26-27
AB
Mar 28-29
Sue FalknerMarch
TTEAM with Connected & Centered
Riding clinics & lesson day
Colleen DeVry
[email protected]
Lakeview Heights,
BC
Apr 9-10
Mandy Pretty
TTEAM Connect
[email protected]
Germany
Apr 16
LTJ
Xenophon Seminar
Ingvil Schirling [email protected]
Netherlands
Apr 16-20
Debby Potts
5 day TTEAM
Monique enCorn [email protected]
Germany
April 19-21
LTJ
Advanced Horse, Dog, TT4U
Bibi Degn 49 2682 8886 www.tteam.de
Italy
Apr 23-25
LTJ
TTEAM Training
Silvia & Mossimo Da Re [email protected]
Vernon, BC
Apr 23-24
Robyn Hood
TT for You & Your Horse
Cdn Office 1 800 255-2336 www.ttouch.ca
Red Deer, AB
Apr 29-May 1
Robyn Hood
Mane Event Expo—booth & demos
www.maneeventexpo.com
Whitehorse, YK
May 6-9
Mandy Pretty
Connected Riding & TTouch
Violet van Hess [email protected]
Austria
May 13-15
LTJ
TTEAM training
www.lfi.at
Naniamo, BC
May 13-16
Mandy Pretty
Connected Riding & TTouch
Dean [email protected]
Australia
May
Robyn Hood
5 Day TTEAM Training
www.ttouchaustralia.com.au
Ridgefield WA
Jun 4-5
Mandy Pretty
TTEAM Connect
Linda Eddy
Buckley, WA
Jun 4 & 5
Debby Potts
1 Day Horse workshop / 1 day Private Friendly Horse Acres (360) 825-3628 friendsessions
[email protected]
Dubois, WY
Jun 13-18
Robyn Hood
6 Day Starting Young Horses
US Office 1 800 854-8326
[email protected]
Vernon, B.C.
Jun 24-27
Mandy Pretty
TTEAM Connect with Icelandics
Cdn Office 1 800 255-2336 www.ttouch.ca
Lamy, NM
Jun 24-26
LTJ
TTEAM training
US Office 1 800 854-8326
[email protected]
Vernon, B.C.
July 16-17
Mandy Pretty
TTEAM Connect Riding
Cdn Office 1 800 255-2336 www.ttouch.ca
Vernon, B.C.
July 24-29
Robyn Hood
Starting Young Horses w/ TTouch
Cdn Office 1 800 255-2336 www.ttouch.ca
Vernon, B.C.
Aug 6-11
Robyn Hood
6 Day TTEAM Connect
Cdn Office 1 800 255-2336 www.ttouch.ca
Italy
Sept 2-6
LTJ
5 Day TTEAM Training
Silvia & Mossimo Da Re [email protected]
TTEAM Connections
27
Jan-Mar 2011
an effect on the dog’s entire body. And additional acupressure
points CV1 and GV1 are located just below the base of the tail5.
Body wraps can be applied prior to known barking triggers,
such as the arrival of visitors coming into the home. Pressure
wraps, like the Thundershirt, are easy for clients and provide a
custom fit.
Tailwork can be done while the dog is standing or lying down
for a few moments each day. It can be easily done on tails of
different lengths and types, from natural bobtails, docked or
amputated tails, curled tails, and long tails with flowing hair.
Case Study: Elli and Emma
Elli and Emma are two year-old female Shih tzus that bark nonstop when visitors are in their home. They become more reactive as visitors move from the foyer into the home. Both dogs
typically refuse food as their arousal levels heighten. If a visitor attempts to relax and sits on the couch, both dogs will jump
onto the couch and bark directly in the visitor’s face until he or
she leaves. Elli and Emma’s owners have managed the dogs by
putting them into another room when guests were expected.
They simply wanted their dogs to be able to greet and interact
with visitors in a calmer way with reduced barking. It was obvious that Elli and Emma were unable to calm themselves once
the reactions began and the non-stop barking became selfreinforcing. I also saw that one dog’s arousal fed into the other
dog. We needed a technique that could be used on both dogs at
the same time. Wrapping each dog in a Thundershirt created an
immediate change in posture and attitude. Their bodies relaxed,
their hyperactive movements slowed, as did their respiration
rates. Not only was barking reduced, but both dogs approached
visitors and accepted petting. I also suggested mouthwork and
tailwork on both dogs before visitors were expected, to reduce
arousal levels and set both dogs up for long-term success. You
can see before and after video of Elli and Emma at: www.
Thundershirt.com/#barking
There are three touches that encompass tailwork: touches
around the base of the tail, circling the tail, and a gentle tail
pull.
Start by making
circular touches
all around the
base of the tail
with your fingertips. Next, using
one hand as a support on the dog’s
side, gently take
hold of the tail
near the base with
your other hand.
Slowly rotate the
tail clockwise,
then counterclockwise (Photo #7/
Circling Bernie’s
Tail).
In conclusion, the Tellington TTouch method complements
behavioral modification and reward-based training techniques
for reducing excessive barking. Adding TTouch mouthwork,
tailwork and body wraps can enhance your work with challenging barking-related situations. For more information, Linda
Tellington-Jones offers several books and videos available at
www.ttouch.com and there are two TTouch channels on YouTube with useful demonstrations: http://www.youtube.com/
user/TellingtonTTouch and http://www.youtube.com/user/
bluedogcc.
Then, gently pull
the tail, pause,
and slowly release. (Photos #8
and #9/Tail pull
on Bernie)
Jenn Merritt, CPDT-KA, is a Tellington TTouch Companion
Animal Practitioner and owner of Blue Dog Creature Coaching
in Efland, NC. She presented “Tellington TTouch in the Canine Classroom” and “Training Canine Companions for Lifelong Partnership with Autistic Children” at the 2009 APDT
Conference in Oakland, CA. She can be contacted at
[email protected].
Body Wraps
Lastly, TTouch body wraps or pressure wraps such as the Thundershirt can be another technique that reduces barking and overall arousal4. Body wraps are non-restrictive lengths of fabric in
a figure eight configuration around the chest, shoulders, and
abdomen. Application of body wraps can assist in shifting a
dog from over-reacting to their environment or stimuli to being
able to better process information and learn new behaviors.
TTEAM Connections
This article first appeared in the A.P.D.T. Chronicle
and is reprinted with permission www.apdt.com
28
Jan-Mar 2011
TTouch For Companion Animals - Workshops 2011
Location
Dates
Clinician
Type of Workshop
Contact
Prescott, AZ
Feb 26-27
Sage Lewis
2 day TTouch for dogs
Sage Lewis 612 817-4473
Bloomington, MN
Mar 5-6
Sage Lewis
2 day TTouch training
www.botcmn.org
Sage Lewis 612 817-4473
www.DancingPorcupine.com
Pittsfield, MA
Mar 6
Leea Foran
Intro TTouch for dogs at Pittsfield Veterinary Hospital
Leea foran 413 445-8843
[email protected]
Bath, England
Mar 7-12
Mar 23-28
Robyn Hood
TTouch for Comp Animal - Practitioner
training
Tilley Farm 01761 471 182
[email protected]
Oakland, CA
Mar 13-18
Kathy Cascade
Foundation & ongoing Practitioner
Training
US Office 1 800 854-8326
[email protected]
Montreal, QC
Mar 18-20
Lucie Leclerc
Foundation & ongoing Practitioner - in
French
Lucie Lecerc [email protected]
Cobourg, ON
Mar 25-27
Apr 22-24
Lucie Leclerc
Introduction workshop - offered in two 3 day segments
Cdn Office 1 800 255-2336 www.ttouch.ca
Chapel Hill, NC
Mar 26-31
Kathy Cascade
Foundation & ongoing Practitioner
Training
US Office 1 800 854-8326
[email protected]
Joburg, South Africa
Mar 31-Apr 5
LTJ
Intro & ongoing training
Eugenie Chopin [email protected]
Portland, OR
Apr 2-3
Debby Potts &n
Lauren McCall
TTouch for Dog
Mitsi 503 538-4241 [email protected]
Cedar Rapids, IA
Apr 2-3
Sage Lewis
2 Day TTouch for dogs
www.pawsitivepawsacademy.com
Sage Lewis 612 817-4473
www.DancingPorcupine.com
Switzerland
Apr 8-13
Debby Potts
Intro & ongoing Practitioner training
Lisa Leicht [email protected]
Austin, TX
Apr 9-14
Lucie Leclerc
Foundation & ongoing Practitioner
Training
US Office 1 800 854-8326
[email protected]
Bloomington, MN
Apr 12-17
Kathy Cascade
Foundation & ongoing Practitioner
Training
US Office 1 800 854-8326
[email protected]
Vernon, B.C.
Apr 16-17
Robyn Hood
2-day TTouch workshop with dogs
Cdn Office 1 800 255-2336 www.ttouch.ca
Germany
April 19-21
LTJ
Advanced Horse, Dog, TT4U
Bibi Degn 49 2682 8886 www.tteam.de
Portland, OR
May 1-6
Kathy Cascade
Foundation & ongoing Practitioner
Training
US Office 1 800 854-8326
[email protected]
Singapore
May 9-13
Robyn Hood
Intro to Practitioner Training
[email protected]
Omaha, NE
May 14-15
Sage Lewis
1 day TTouch & 1 day Private sessions
www.goodKarmadogcenter.com
Sage Lewis 612 817-4473
www.DancingPorcupine.com
Huntsville, AL
May 14-19
Kathy Cascade
Foundation & ongoing Practitioner
Training
US Office 1 800 854-8326
[email protected]
Worcester, MA
May 15 &
Oct 23
Leea Foran
1 day TTouch for dogs
Lisa Rudig 866 352-9409
Italy
May 17-22
May 24-26
Debby Potts
Intro & ongoing Practitioner training
Advanced Training Comp Animals
Valeria Boissier [email protected]
TTEAM Connections
29
Jan-Mar 2011
TTouch For Companion Animals - Workshops 2011 continued
Location
Dates
Clinician
Type of Workshop
Contact
Melbourne, VIC
May 18-22
Robyn Hood
Intro & ongoing Practitioner training
Tim Munro
Rockville, MD
May 28-Jun2
LTJ
Foundation & ongoing Practitioner
Training
US Office 1 800 854-8326
[email protected]
Santa Fe, NM
June 9-14
LTJ
Foundation & ongoing Practitioner
Training
US Office 1 800 854-8326
[email protected]
Van Buren, AR
Jul 11-12
Kathy Cascade
TTouch to help your dog become calm Mary Gilbreth 479 474-1825
& confident
[email protected]
Bloomington, MN
July 9-14
EJ Eaton
Foundation & ongoing Practitioner
Training
Vernon, BC
July 7-12
Kathy Cascade & Intro & ongoing Practitioner Training
Robyn Hood
Cdn Office 1 800 255-2336 www.ttouch.ca
Vernon, B.C.
July 15-17
Robyn Hood &
Kathy Cascade
Advanced Training for Practitioners
Cdn Office 1 800 255-2336 www.ttouch.ca
Seattle, WA
Jul 16
Lori Stevens
TTouch for dogs
www.ahimsadogtraining.com
Rupert, QC (near
Ottawa)
July 23-29
Edie Jane Eaton
Intro & ongoing Practitioner Training
Cdn Office 1 800 255-2336 www.ttouch.ca
Calgary, AB
Aug 13-18
Kathy Cascade
Intro & ongoing Practitioner Training
Cdn Office 1 800 255-2336 www.ttouch.ca
Italy
Sept 16-21
Robyn Hood
Intro & ongoing Practitioner Training
Valeria Boissier [email protected]
Rockville, MD
Sept 17-22
Kathy Cascade
Foundation & ongoing Practitioner
Training
US Office 1 800 854-8326
[email protected]
Bath, England
Sept 17-22
Edie Jane Eaton
Intro & ongoing Practitioner training
Tilley Farm 01761 471 182
www.tteamttouch.co.uk
Germany
Sept 27-Oct 2 LTJ & Debby
Potts
Intro & ongoing Practitioner training
Bibi Degn
South Africa
Oct 13-18
Oct 21-26
Edie Jane Eaton
Intro & ongoing Practitioner training
Eugenie Chopin [email protected]
Switzerland
Oct 10-15
Debby Potts
Intro & ongoing Practitioner training
Lisa Leicht [email protected]
Kanab, UT
Oct 10-15
Lucie Leclerc
Intro & ongoing Practitioner training
US Office 1 800 854-8326
[email protected]
Rupert, QC (near
Ottawa)
Oct 29-Nov 3 Kathy Cascade
Intro & ongoing Practitioner Training
Cdn Office 1 800 255-2336 www.ttouch.ca
Chapel Hill, NC
Nov 5-10
Kathy Cascade
Foundation & ongoing Practitioner
Training
US Office 1 800 854-8326
[email protected]
Portland, OR
Nov 6-11
Edie Jane Eaton
Foundation & ongoing Practitioner
Training
US Office 1 800 854-8326
[email protected]
Bloomington, MN
Nov 9-14
Lucie Leclerc
Foundation & ongoing Practitioner
Training
US Office 1 800 854-8326
[email protected]
Austin, TX
Nov 15-20
LTJ
Foundation & ongoing Practitioner
Training
US Office 1 800 854-8326
[email protected]
Sydney, Melbourne Australia
Nov - Dec
Robyn Hood
Companion Animal Prac workshops
Www.ttouchaustralia.com.au or
www.ttouch.ca
TTEAM Connections
30
US Office 1 800 854-8326
[email protected]
Jan-Mar 2011
TTEAM Equine Workshops - 2011
Location
Dates
Clinician
Type of Workshop
Contact
Bath, England
Sept 9-14
Edie Jane Eaton
TTEAM Training
Tilley Farm 01761 471 182
www.tteamttouch.co.uk
Elkhart Lake, WI
Sept 9-11
Carol O’Donnell Improving Performance with TTEAM
Wilson
Reken, Germany
Sept 17
LTJ
Demonstration at Reken
FS Reitzentrum Reken
[email protected]
Germany
Sept 20-25
LTJ
6 Day TTEAM Training
Bibi Degn 49 2682 8886 www.tteam.de
Germany
Oct 3-5
Debby Potts
3 day Advanced Training
Bibi Degn 49 2682 8886 www.tteam.de
South Africa
Oct 6-10
Edie Jane Eaton
5 day TTEAM Training
Eugenie Chopin
Italy
Oct 13-16
LTJ
Expo Cavallia - demos
Www.cavalliamilano.it
Sydney, Australia Nov 10-13
Robyn Hood
Equitana Asia - booth & demos
Sydney, CanNov - Dec
berra, Perth Australia
Robyn Hood
TTEAM horse workshops
Lynn Hrlevich 262 285-4679 [email protected]
Www.ttouchaustralia.com.au or
www.ttouch.ca
TTouch For You - 2011
Germany
April 19-21
LTJ
Advanced Horse, Dog, TT4U
Bibi Degn 49 2682 8886 www.tteam.de
Germany
May 17-22
LTJ
TTouch for You
Tanja Lasser www.tteamoffice.at
Silver Springs,
MD
Jun 4-5
LTJ
TTouch for You
US Office 1 800 854-8326
[email protected]
Bay Area, CA
Jun 30-Jul 3
LTJ
TTouch for You
US Office 1 800 854-8326
[email protected]
Minnesota
Nov 4-6
LTJ
TTouch for You
US Office 1 800 854-8326
[email protected]
Websites & Online Stores - U.S. www.ttouch.com
Canadian Website www.ttouch.ca
Canada Post Publication Mail
Agreement #40038796
TTEAM Training
5435 Rochdell Road
Vernon, B.C. V1B 3E8
TTEAM Connections
31
Jan-Mar 2011
gum line at the front of the mouth where there are acupuncture
points associated with nervous system function
Photo 2: After several strokes, use the pads of your fingers to
make small circular touches along the outside of the mouth on
the skin of the lips
Photo 5: You can also position one hand under the muzzle and
slide the fingers up into the opposite side of the mouth. If your
dog resists or pulls away, allow him to move away. Try some
circular touches on other, safer areas of the body, moving back
to the muzzle and mouth when he relaxes.
Another technique to address
tension in the mouth is the use
of a face wrap. A face wrap
is a non-restrictive, figure
eight loop of elastic that rests
lightly on the dog’s muzzle
and around the back of the
head (Photo #6/Royal in the
face wrap).
The dog can bark, and eat and drink easily, but the elastic gives
the dog sensations and feedback each time he opens his mouth
to bark. Face wraps can reduce tension in the face and mouth
and bring a new sense of awareness. Not unlike the calming
effect that many dogs experience while wearing a head harness,
the face wrap is positioned to provide gentle pressure to several
acupressure points below the dog’s eyes and ears. A face wrap
is applied for short periods of time when barking is most likely
to occur and should only be used when the dog is under supervision. The face wrap is also a useful tool for preparing a dog
for a head harness.
Tailwork
Perhaps surprisingly, the other specific area of the dog’s body
where we can effectively use TTouch to reduce barking is the
tail. The tail is useful for providing information about a dog’s
emotional state, but it can also be used to change that state.
Specific TTouches on the tail, called tailwork, can be very useful for reducing reactivity, diffusing fears, and addressing other
issues that contribute to excessive barking. Many times if we
calm the tail, we can also calm the nervous or excited dog.
Since the tail is an extension of the spine, relaxing it can have
Photo 3 & 4: Dip your fingers in the water and slide your fingers into the mouth, applying slow, circular touches with the
tips of your fingers to the entire gum line. Pay particular attention to the areas above (upper jaw) and below (lower jaw) the
TTEAM Connections
32
Jan-Mar 2011