Rupert Isaacson and His “Horse Boy Method” Meet with Claudine Pelletier-Milet, Author of RIDING ON THE AUTISM SPECTRUM

Claudine Pelletier-Milet, author of RIDING ON THE AUTISM SPECTRUM, with Rupert Isaacson, author of THE HORSE BOY.

“On one occasion, Steven was as usual carried away with the thrill of riding,” Claudine Pelletier-Milet writes in her book RIDING ON THE AUTISM SPECTRUM. “He leaped off without losing his balance and in the most agile way. He rushed up to his mother, crying out, ‘Mom!’ and they hugged each other. His mother later told me that this was the first time she had experienced such a fond embrace.”

It seemed only a matter of time before Claudine had a chance to meet and work with Rupert Isaacson, author of the international bestselling book The Horse Boy, which tells the story of his and his wife’s journey across Mongolia on horseback to find healing for their son and for themselves as a family after their son, Rowan, was diagnosed with autism at the age of two. Rupert recounts how something extraordinary happened when Rowan encountered a neighbor’s horse—a new, profound calm fell over him. Rupert saw that his distant, unreachable son had a real connection with the horse, and when he began riding with Rowan, his son began to improve remarkably.

Claudine and Steven, one of her students.

For years, Claudine, a French riding instructor, has been using equine-assisted activities and therapies (EAAT) to form and nurture lines of communication while encouraging a healthy and natural evolution of self in children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Rupert read her book RIDING ON THE AUTISM SPECTRUM and arranged to meet with her in France to discuss their common experiences, her methods, and his own Horse Boy Method, which is now being taught around the world in order to better help children with ASD. Astoundingly, today one child for every 88 born, and one boy for every 58, will be diagnosed as on the autism spectrum.

“We don’t try to teach riding as they do in regular therapeutic riding barns because autistic kids learn differently, so our program is tailored to that,” Rupert says in the December 2012 article “The Horse Boy Method” in Dressage Today magazine. “We are not an equestrian center. If a kid emerges as a rider, we go with it, otherwise we hope that we and our horses can serve them in the best way we can.”

Similarly, Claudine simply strives to use horses as a conduit to learning to exist in our loud, tactile, “real world,” which every day presents the autistic child with challenges.

“The pony carries them, rocks them, favors the acceptance of physical contact, and understands their efforts at communication,” writes Claudine in RIDING ON THE AUTISM SPECTRUM. “It helps them build up an image of themselves by causing their posture to rectify itself, and it gives them free lessons in sensory awareness with its smells, sights, and sounds. It opens them to the real world.”

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The experiences both Rupert and Claudine have shared in their books, and continue to share in their work with children and with other teachers, can go a long way to giving families and caregivers great hope for every autistic child’s future.

As always, it is the horse that gives us what we need to be strong, grow as individuals, and care for one another.

RIDING ON THE AUTISM SPECTRUM is available from the TSB online bookstore.

CLICK HERE TO ORDER

 

 

Read the December 2012  article about Rupert Isaacson and the Horse Boy Method in Dressage Today by clicking on the image below:

International Fashion Photographer Donna DeMari Brings Visual Allure to the Pages of RIDING BARRANCA, the New Book by Laura Chester

Fashion photographer Donna DeMari on her Dutch Warmblood Zwen.

Donna DeMari is an American-born, self-taught fashion photographer who began her career in Milan, Italy, and whose innate feel for natural light and shape steadily amassed an astounding list of top clients, including Anthropologie, Australian Vogue, British Elle, British Vogue, British Brides, French Cosmopolitan, French Marie Claire, Grazia, Italian Vogue, Italian Glamour, Italian Marie Claire, Laura Ashley London, L’Officiel, Macy’s, Margaret Howell, Natori, Neiman Marcus, The New York Times, O’Halloran, Pepe Jeans, Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition, Sky Magazine, Spanish Elle, Spiegal, The Observer, Target, Ralph Lauren, WWD, and many more.

In 1995 and 1996, Donna became the first woman to shoot the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition and was featured in the ABC television special “The Making of the Swimsuit Edition,” as well as in a special segment on VH1 Fashion Television, which explored her views as a female fashion photographer. She has traveled the globe while photographing top models such as Kate Moss, Tyra Banks, Heidi Klum, Naomi Campbell, Christy Turlington, and Helena Christenson.

In addition to fashion, Donna has been photographing horses for more than two decades, the result of a love affair with horses that began at the age of four. Her horse photographs were recently discovered by Ralph Lauren and are currently being displayed in RL stores around the world. Donna has also shown her work in numerous exhibitions and has had her photos published in five books, including the newest book by her close friend and (sometimes) riding partner Laura Chester: RIDING BARRANCA (CLICK HERE to download a free excerpt).

We recently had a chance to talk to Donna about her career, her love of horses, and her work with Laura Chester over the years.

TSB: Although you have spent much of your life as a fashion photographer, you have also been photographing horses for more than two decades. Are there similarities and differences in photographing human and equine subjects? Can you tell us a little about how you approach a model in couture, versus a horse at liberty in a field (for example)? What are you trying to capture in both?

Donna: I once wrote an artist statement that best answers this exact question. I wrote the following: It is a fleeting instant where reality fades and the abstract dream intercedes. A split second, which for me exposes any separation between subject and photographer. I am no longer aware of anything but the power and presence before me, losing myself in an intimate dance of passion and discovery, where the essence of the soul be it woman or horse, is momentarily released to my watching eye.

It is a dance that often begins slowly with hesitation and longing, a hunger to expose the beautiful and mystical through quiet observation and gentle encouraging. Unsure of each other, I move slowly, circling, watching, photographing. A presence that is physically non-intrusive but emotionally connected in an effort to expose the most private of moments or movements. What results can be both explosive and subtle, a photograph which, I hope, takes a step from this world into another, like a touch of magic.

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TSB: You have had a number of books published featuring your photographs. How does RIDING BARRANCA, the newest work by your friend Laura Chester, set itself apart from the other books in which you have been involved? Can you share with us a little of how you came to be part of this project?

Donna: Laura is one of my most dearest friends and we also share a very similar aesthetic. Working together in the past has always been a joyful process and a collaborative effort. Laura sought me out for our fIrst book together Holy Personal not long after we fIrst met. Sparks followed next, which combined a collection of Laura’s edgy and engaging short stories with a variety of photos I had taken while living in Europe. Amongst those were many of my horse photos never before seen.

Being best friends and working so well together, it was a natural progression as two horsewomen to collaborate together on books that celebrated our great love of horses. Thus came Eros & Equus and Heartbeat for Horses, which were both a labor of love. Laura’s editing choices and my photos were a perfect fit, and it seemed unlikely that we could top those. Then came RIDING BARRANCA, which initially was meant to be all prose and a very personal and unique interweaving of both Laura’s amazing adventures on horseback with the powerful honesty of her personal family relationships and the parallels between them. Laura’s husband Mason, a very talented photographer himself, began documenting Laura’s rides in Arizona, as well as on her many trips, with beautiful images that perfectly complemented the prose. Mason generously let me share the spotlight and I filled in with the images taken in Massachusetts and India—as well as the cover image, my most favorite photo of Laura ever!

TSB: “Place” and setting play an important part in RIDING BARRANCA. Your work in the fashion world has led you on fashion shoots all over the globe, including locations such as Thailand, Japan, Australia, Bali, and Hong Kong. What is it about the air, the energy, the light of a different “place” that you try to capture in photographs, and which Laura captures in words? What can be found when we travel to places unknown? What can be lost?

Donna: It can be summed up easily with one word—adventure. Traveling for me has always been one of my heart’s greatest pleasures and thus an easy fit. Laura and I have both been working at our crafts for decades, and yet we never have lost passion for the art we create. This passion becomes much more heightened when combined with the adrenalin rush of new and exciting visuals in far corners of the world. Especially India, which is extraordinary and overwhelming in it’s uniqueness.

TSB: You found that as you traveled and pursued your career in your early twenties that you had to, in some way, give up having horses in your life. What was it about the horse that drove you to integrate them into your existence in some little way (roaming the stables outside of Paris, for example)? What is it about the horse that draws you to him still now?

Donna on Zwen.

Donna: I have loved horses since the tender age of four when my Dad first took me for a pony ride.Very simply, I think when you have the horse bug, you have it for life. It took me forty years to finally have my own horse. Before that I rode when and if I could. And I spent wonderful days with my camera soaking up the smell of hay in stables in France and capturing images that are probably still my best.

But no moment in my life will ever compare to the first day I met my Zwen, and he became the realization of a dream I never thought to live. Zwen was 11 years old when I bought him, a magnificent Dutch Warmblood, 16.3 hands high and more horse than I had ever encountered in my life. But we were truly meant to be together, and he is all the horse I longed to have. I am blessed to have him still at age 30, although he has been retired for the last five years. He taught me everything there is to know and love about horses and riding. I love him dearly.

TSB: You have worked with Laura Chester on a number of book projects. What is it about her writing that you feel parallels the images you capture with your camera? What is it about the work you have done together that you think affects people most?

Donna: I would choose to answer this question with just a few of the many adjectives that describe Laura’s remarkable writing. She is inspired, committed, honest, passionate, modern, detailed, intelligent, funny, highly creative, a painter with words, emotional, dark and bright at the same time, curious, intimate and personal. A woman with a style all her own. One of a kind. Extraordinary. In short, an amazing storyteller. Hard not to be drawn into her work and harder still not to turn the next page.

TSB: Do you have any memories of a particular image of a horse, a drawing, painting, or photograph, that isn’t your own and that you feel captured the essence of the horse in a still frame?

Donna: I have many postcards of horses that I bought when I lived in Paris. All fabulous photographs that I collected at a time I never thought to one day have a horse of my own.

TSB: You are a dog person as well as a horse person, and recently were involved in an online project for Anthropologie, which featured your Labradors. Can you tell us a little about your dogs and why you enjoyed having them in your life? Did they make good photography subjects?

Donna: They were brothers, one black, one chocolate, and they were the loves of my life. I photographed their entire lives and wrote furiously about our life together and all the particulars of their unique and gorgeous personalities so as not to forget any detail of the love we shared after their passing—my grief all encompassing.

It was my dream to honor them in a book, and I have. It is titled Luke and Forrest: My saviors, My Salvation, just published in November by Willowcreek Press. It is my greatest accomplishment, and yes, they were beautiful…all the answers to your questions are in the pages of my book. They were everything to me. They were pure love.

TSB: If you could choose one photograph you’ve taken over the years to catch a glimpse of, or take a prolonged look at, every day, which photo would it be? Can you describe an image you might think of as a “favorite,” regardless of the subject?

Donna: I have three. One is of Luke and Forrest, a black and white image I took of them, head to head, that appears on the hardcover edition of their book. The second is a photograph a friend took of me riding my Zwen in a flowing dress, similar to the image used on the cover of Eros & Equus. The third and most dear is a photo of my mom and me at the beach many years ago.

To learn more about Donna and her work, check out this interview for Equestrian Life’s program “For the Love of Horse,” which aired on HRTV:

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RIDING BARRANCA, the new book by Laura Chester featuring photos by Donna DeMari and Mason Rose, is available now from the TSB online bookstore.

CLICK HERE TO ORDER NOW

“The counterpoint of horses and family makes Riding Barranca unusually satisfying. This intrigue, the unanswered questions, the mysterious juxtapositions, are what makes this book, to me, a work of art.” –Thomas Moore, author of Care of the Soul; Soul Mates; and A Religion of One’s Own

International Horse Agility Club Founder Vanessa Bee Flies All the Way from England to See Buck Brannaman in Colorado–And Tells Us About It!

Vanessa Bee, founder of the International Horse Agility Club, spent the weekend at the Buck Brannaman clinic in Colorado.

Vanessa Bee, founder of the International Horse Agility Club and author of THE HORSE AGILITY HANDBOOK and HORSE AGILITY: THE DVD, is in the United States beginning her North American clinic tour (see our previous post for dates and locations). Part of her reason for making the cross-Atlantic trek was to see Buck Brannaman teach, in person!

“I absolutely love the 7 CLINICS WITH BUCK BRANNAMAN DVDs and have watched them over and over,” said Vanessa when she announced her tour in February. “They are completely addictive. I am so impressed, but I do have questions…and there’s only one way to find the answers—ask the man himself! So I’m flying over from the UK to watch him work in Colorado…that’s how good I think this man is!”

Vanessa was kind enough to share some of her observations from the time she spent this past weekend at the Buck Brannaman clinic in Hayden, Colorado—it is always so interesting to hear one trainer’s observations of another! Check it out:

“We flew from England to Denver and drove over the mountains in blizzard conditions to get here, but I knew it was worth it. I had already watched the excellent 7 Clinics DVDs many times and of course had a few questions. I was hoping that by watching everything in real time I would be able to see the techniques and changes in the horse more clearly.

“Fortunately, I brought my binoculars. I know some people thought this was a bit strange, but I’m an eccentric English woman so can get away with most things! Those binoculars made all the difference—I could really see the man work, when he quit as the horse got the answer—MAGIC!

“The first day was split into two parts: The morning was Colt Starting and the afternoon was Horsemanship 1. The colts were all shapes and sizes with handlers of varying ability, so Buck had his work cut out keeping everyone moving forward. First he made sure everyone could move their horse’s feet and retain a safety bubble that the horse would respect. He gave a nice demonstration of teaching a horse where the boundary was and commented that you have to learn how much to do that says STOP!

“You have to mean it but not by being mean to the horse.

“I had my first question answered on when to use the flag and how the horse knows when it means something to him and when he has to ignore it. It’s all in the hand position, which transmits the intention of the handler. I invested in my own BB Flag, and somehow I have to get it into my suitcase for the journey home!

“At the end of the session Buck gave everyone homework: They had to practice flexion, backing up, picking the rider up from the fence, lowering the head, and putting the bridle on. And they had to practice because, as he said, he would know in the morning if they hadn’t!

“It was going to be interesting to see if all the colt starters had done their homework, and they did look pretty good as they lead their horses into the arena. Buck was warming up his horse first thing. He talked about how he was looking for ’weightlessness’ as he was working. It was quiet and precise, the way he worked. Disengaging the hind end, moving the front over, backing up just seeking the moment when there was no weight and he instantly quit.

“I used my binoculars zoomed in on every move. I don’t know how anyone could see the finer details and understand when the quit was valid without being close up. That’s why the 7 Clinics DVDs are so good. I shall certainly be studying these in even more depth on my return home.

We’re lucky to have Vanessa Bee reporting back from this fabulous Buck clinic experience!

“Buck is direct, I like that. He made a few choice comments, including: ‘If I could get my students to spend less time on ’Wastebook’ and more time with horses they’d have a stable full of bridle horses.’

“I’ve watched a lot of horse clinics and horsemen and I can tell you that Buck is the only person I’ve seen whose feet are the horse’s feet. He just moves those feet like they were their own. It’s smooth and you never feel a wince or a jar as you watch him work. His timing is fantastic.

“He was very honest and direct and I really enjoyed his style of teaching. Buck said, ‘Everything I do with a horse is incremental that’s why I’m successful with them.’ In other words, he tries never to overwhelm the horse and give him too much to think about.

“Buck told us that Ray Hunt was always saying to him: ‘Do less sooner, then you won’t need to do more later.’

“I and my binoculars are beginning to see that now.”

Thanks, Vanessa, for making it feel like we were at the clinic with you!

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You can order the 7 CLINICS WITH BUCK BRANNAMAN DVD SERIES, plus Vanessa Bee’s HORSE AGILITY HANDBOOK and HORSE AGILITY DVD at the TSB online bookstore.

CLICK HERE FOR THE BUCK BRANNAMAN DVDS

CLICK HERE FOR THE HORSE AGILITY BOOK/DVD

Did Your Horse Have the Winter Off? Dr. Renee Tucker Tells the Signs of Soreness and Unsoundness to Watch for as We Shed Out, Put the Shoes Back on, and Start Riding Again

It’s spring! We can ride again!

Having grown up riding in Vermont without the benefit of an indoor arena, it was just part of having horses that they got a sabbatical every eight months…the shoes came off, their coats and beards grew shaggy, and my tack was cleaned, oiled, and stored through the winter months. (Even if we did get on some sunny, snowy day, it was always bareback in order to benefit from the warmth of our horse’s body!)

Anyone can tell you that a few months away, lounging, sleeping, and eating to your heart’s content, can have an impact when it is time to re-enter your everyday routine of work and exercise. It can make you grumpy, you might be a little off your game, and when it comes to your fitness routine, it can make you sore or point out that three months have gone by and yes, you are indeed aging.

With a nod to all those northern riders who are now in the midst of bringing their horses back into full work after several months of leisure, I checked in with TSB author Dr. Renee Tucker, a veterinarian and certified chiropractor and acupuncturist whose book WHERE DOES MY HORSE HURT? provides horse owners hands-on “Body Checkups”—ways of determining where their horse might be sore or injured, and who best to call to fix the problem: veterinarian, chiropractor, masseuse, farrier, saddle-fitter? (When there are so many avenues to a potential cure, it is good to have some professional help picking a direction.) I asked Dr. Tucker what we should keep in mind when bringing our horses back into work in the spring, or any time after months of layoff.

Dr. Renee Tucker is author of WHERE DOES MY HORSE HURT?

“From my perspective,” says Dr. Tucker, “it is a great idea to have a chiropractor check your horse when you start back to work in the spring. Or, you could do Body Checkups yourself to discover if your horse has any body issues. Sometimes we assume because the horse wasn’t ‘working,’ during a period of time that he or she will be fine when we are ready to saddle up again. Unfortunately, that is not always the case. Many horses fall while out in the pasture, or even just slip badly, and in doing so ‘wrench’ their body out of adjustment.

“In addition, when you insist on getting horses ‘in shape’ by working them a lot, rather than making sure first that they can physically do the work, trouble can develop. Trouble in the form of pulled muscles and tendons. Even worse, your relationship with your horse can ultimately suffer because your horse needs help (he or she is sore or hurt) and you don’t understand what he or she needs.

“Every spring, I see a LOT of horses that are suddenly stiff on one side, or they can’t canter in one direction, or they just don’t want to DO anything. Here’s an example:

“I walked up to Joyce’s barn and saw her mare, Tilde, in the cross-ties. I had thought Tilde was about 8 years old, but I knew I could be wrong, as my memory is not what it used to be. (I blame it on my children!) Tilde just had that ‘old horse’ look. You know, with her head hanging down, not engaged with her surroundings, standing akimbo, and not moving much. So I figured Tilde was more like 20.

“Anyway, Joyce told me that Tilde was just not herself this spring. In the round pen, she kept her head toward the outside in both directions. Tilde was stiff all over and did not want to canter at all. Joyce said Tilde had never been like this before.

“I did a couple quick Body Checkups on Tilde’s atlas and sacrum—the two ‘anchor points’ of the spine that can give you a lot of information really quickly. Tilde’s atlas and sacrum were both ‘out’ (subluxated). So was the rest of her! I could only guess that she had slipped in the snow, ice, or mud and fallen.

“Once Tilde was adjusted, she perked right up! Her eyes focused on her surroundings and she started interacting. She changed her stance, standing square and comfortable. She even ‘looked’ loose, no longer tight and stiff. Apparently, Tilde’s body was bothering her so much, she just couldn’t deal with it and had gone ‘internal,’ as some say. And now, thankfully, she was back!

“I had been wrong to think Tilde must be about 20 years old. And now she looked like the nine-year-old she was.”

 

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“You can learn to do Body Checkups yourself,” says Dr. Tucker. “They are easy to learn and your horse will love you for it!”

You can find complete instructions for the Body Checkup for the horse’s ribs in the FREE DOWNLOAD available on the WHERE DOES MY HORSE HURT? page at the TSB online bookstore.

CLICK HERE to download the free sample chapter and Body Checkup (look for the FREE CHAPTER DOWNLOAD link in RED on the right side of the page).

Head Groom for Former Technical Advisor of the US Dressage Team Anne Gribbons Shares Her Thoughts on Learning to Hear What Our Horses Have to Say

Kristen McDonald speaks with FEI dressage judge and former Technical Advisor to the US Dressage Team Anne Gribbons.

Kristen McDonald, groom for former Technical Advisor of the US Dressage Team Anne Gribbons, grew up a member of the US Pony Club, competing in amateur eventing, dressage, and hunter shows. She began at Anne’s training facility, Knoll Dressage outside of Orlando, Florida, as a working student before working her way up to becoming Anne’s personal groom. In DRESSAGE WITH MIND, BODY & SOUL, the exciting new book from renowned animal behaviorist Linda Tellington-Jones, Kristen shares her thoughts on the role of the groom in the dressage horse’s life:

“There is an old Irish tale that depicts the island of Inishnills, where unicorns run free. Only those who believe in the magic power of the unicorns could ever be lucky enough to witness their purity and beauty, and perhaps earn their companionship. The man who acknowledges the unicorn as sacred and treats him with love and respect will have an ever-faithful friend and partner of unparalleled magnificence.

“A good partnership works both ways. Like the unicorn who devotes himself to the man who believes in his magic, the horse will willingly carry his rider safely if, in return, the rider does everything within his means to make the experience as comfortable and safe as possible.

“As riders, we must listen to the horse and learn his language, just as the horse strives to learn ours. I believe that learning to hear what the horse is telling you starts long before you are ready to get on his back.

“As a professional groom the very best advice I can give is to know your horse and his body. Not only does this ensure you catch small physical problems (strains or injuries) before they become bigger, more painful, and more expensive to deal with, but it also helps you discover the methods of handling the horse that keep him happy and sound.

“For example, the stallion I ride loves a metal curry rubbed gently but firmly all over his back. How do I know he loves it? When I begin to use the curry in slow, circular motions, he sighs, drops his head, and sticks out his nose, indicating I found ‘The Spot.’

“Another horse in my care is incredibly sensitive to any grooming. I must move really slowly, using only the softest brushes in my kit as I try to find the places he enjoys being touched before I move on to the areas that cause him anxiety—his back and underbelly. This horse is an excellent example of one who directs me to potential health problems by using body language—he now receives chiropractic treatment for his lower back, which is sometimes sore, and is on a special diet and medication for a mild tendency to develop stomach ulcers. As I am his only groom, I am very in tune to when his ailments may be flaring up: his behavior changes in his stall, on the cross-ties, and under saddle.

“When I ride, I like to use lots of praise to reward good work. I want the horse to know he has performed well so he is happy to do it again in the future. Once mounted, I always begin by giving the horse a sugar cube before he steps off. This helps teach your horse to stand still while you mount (he’s waiting for the sugar cube!), but I also have a friend who calls the practice ‘putting a quarter in’—I’m setting my horse up for an enjoyable ride by beginning with a positive moment.

“Working for Anne Gribbons has been the experience of a lifetime. She is one of my best friends, as well as my boss and trainer, because she knows that I love her horses as much as she does and will stop at nothing to care for and protect them. I feel we owe it to our horses to treat them fairly and provide for them. We expect them to grant us a ride on their back, pull a heavy load, or breed with another horse of our choosing. More often than not, they are willing and compliant to do our bidding. Only when we have attempted to learn the language of the horse can we even begin to repay him for his service and obedience.”

You can read more about grooming for optimal dressage performance in DRESSAGE WITH MIND, BODY & SOUL, which is available now from the TSB online bookstore.

CLICK HERE TO ORDER NOW

TSB Author of HORSE PROFILING Names Kentucky Derby Winner in Pre-Race Analysis for the Third Year in a Row

Orb charged to the front of the field in the final seconds of the 139th Kentucky Derby on Saturday, winning the Run for the Roses in an atmosphere that was anything but idyllic. The rainy Saturday in Lousiville, Kentucky, challenged this year’s batch of talented young Thoroughbred racehorses with a sloppy track and heavy, unsure footing. As it so often can, weather played its part in crowning the 2013 Derby champion.

In 2011, Kerry Thomas, founder of the Thomas Herding Technique and author of HORSE PROFILING: THE SECRET TO MOTIVATING EQUINE ATHLETES with Calvin Carter, named Animal Kingdom the strongest contender in the Kentucky Derby according to Kerry’s method of Patterns of Motion Analysis. In 2012, Kerry chose I’ll Have Another as his pick from another talented field. And in both years, his analysis proved true.

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Once again, in the days running up to the 2013 Kentucky Derby, Kerry studied video and results of the horses named to break from the gate on the afternoon of May 4, analyzed what he calls their “Emotional Conformation,” and noted his favorites online at Brisnet.com. Kerry explains his ideas about the importance of Emotional Conformation in the equine athlete in his book HORSE PROFILING (CLICK HERE for more information).

If you didn’t have the good luck to read Kerry’s Derby profiles before Saturday’s race, here’s an excerpt from his complete field analysis, which was available for download from Brisnet.com—check out what he had to say about the tough-it-out winner Orb, who fought through the muck to cross the finish line first, despite inexperience in bad conditions:

Thomas Herding Technique Patterns of Motion Analysis/Orb

As much as humans can feel a horse’s presence, the best way to judge a horse’s true power is to let the horses tell you. In other words, look for reactions in nearby horses.

In Orb’s maiden win last November, he defeated fellow Derby starter Revolutionary, a high-level horse in his own right. On the far turn, Revolutionary was on the rail, while Orb was out 4 or 5-wide. There was a clear recognition by Revolutionary that there was a beast-like presence on the outside that he wanted no part of (at least not at that point in his career).

Orb wasn’t showing any demonstrations of body language to influence Revolutionary or the other competitors. He was projecting his presence. That is how the highest level horses choose to communicate—with intent—not with physical bullying or any (misconstrued) classic “alpha” behavior. The fact Revolutionary could feel Orb from that distance away was significant. Orb won the race easily, and not only has he not been beaten since, he continued to grow with each race.

Orb breaks from the gate in group dynamic mode, in complete control. He uses his sense of feel very well. He knows what is going on around him, and he can mentally multi-task without burning much energy. This is an important skill to have. A horse with more singular focus ability—for example, an eye-dependent horse that must look at a stimulus to understand it—can quickly go on sensory overload and burn out emotionally in the Kentucky Derby.

Orb is a very methodical horse and can carry his energy a long way. He has a classic distance mind. In his NW1 allowance victory on January 26, Orb was in a tight spot early, and his jockey pulled him back. Orb handled it with absolutely no panic or unnecessary energy burn. It requires a mental shift to be pulled back and then re-engage, and Orb did it so smoothly.

Orb doesn’t waste any of his individual dynamic energy (the energy horses use in one-on-one battles). He turns it on when he has to pass a horse or assert dominance, but often he barely engages his power. This is not unusual. In nature, high-level horses don’t waste energy. They don’t do anything unless they have to. Orb’s allowance NW1 win was not nearly as close as the one-length physical margin indicated. From a herd dynamic standpoint, that was a 10-length win.

Again, looking at how the other horses react to Orb tells us so much. The lead horse Mountain Eagle was practically running sideways and lost all his momentum because of Orb’s powerful presence from behind. He couldn’t re-settle until Orb went by and released him. Late in the race Orb took over frontrunner Duke of the City’s space and quickly let go. Duke of the City immediately fell into adjunct mode and looked to run on Orb’s flank. He never would have passed him.

In the Fountain of Youth Stakes (G2), Orb showed the ability to advance through a field, making multiple moves (we call that stairclimbing). That skill will come in handy in the Derby. Orb showed a huge level of grit in the Florida Derby (G1). He was challenged and he responded by exerting himself with more authority than ever before. He was pushing Itsmyluckyday from behind like a snowplow. And Itsmyluckyday is no slouch. Then Orb slammed the door hard and kept going.

Orb always runs his own race. He doesn’t react to the other horses in his environment. They react to him. In all of his recent races, Orb was still operating very efficiently at the wire. That suggests from a mental/emotional standpoint, he can go further. Orb is extremely versatile. He shows no sticking points or mental weaknesses. He operates strongly in traffic or in open space. He never shows a tendency to mimic the rhythm of any other horse (weaker horses sometimes do this for comfort). Orb is above them.

Orb was challenged in different ways in each race, and he imposed his will on the other horses every time. Orb has grown every race at age three, which is pretty scary. He’s continuing to expand on his confidence and control. Orb is in the top 1% of all horses from the standpoint of emotional conformation and herd dynamics. He is our top rated horse in this year’s Kentucky Derby.

You can find out more about Kerry Thomas’ methods and how they can be used in breeding and training horses that perform optimally more consistently in the book HORSE PROFILING, available at the TSB online bookstore.

CLICK HERE TO ORDER NOW

Read more about Kerry’s Patterns of Motion Analysis in our earlier blog post HERE.

TSB Authors of HORSE PROFILING Analyze the 2013 Kentucky Derby Field

The world is revving up for the 139th Run for the Roses—that first Saturday in May when greatness is sought and horses again hold the nation’s attention for a few heart-and-ground-pounding minutes.

Last year, TSB featured author Kerry Thomas’ analysis of the 2012 Derby field, when he and his HORSE PROFILING: THE SECRET TO MOTIVATING EQUINE ATHLETES co-author Calvin Carter successfully pinpointed I’ll Have Another as a standout in the herd of competitors. Prior to that, the pair saw and named the champion potential in Animal Kingdom.

As we count down the hours until Saturday’s starting bell, we again ask Kerry and Calvin to share their thoughts on the Kentucky Derby field.

Kerry Thomas: Patterns of Motion Analysis

“There’s this guy from Pennsylvania who has picked the last two Derby winners, both longshots, and he did it in a most ingenious way,” writes Mark Coomes in his February InsiderLouisville.com article about Kerry Thomas entitled “‘Horse Whisperer’ beats handicappers, uses behavior profiling to pick last two Derby longshots.”

“He used no speed figures, no class evaluation, none of the traditional handicapping tools,” Coomes goes on. “He used behavioral profiling. That is, he examined the way horses behave during a race, and by applying hard-earned, grassroots knowledge of equine psychology, he identified the horses that possessed the mentality and temperament required to win the wild, 2-minute stampede staged at Churchill Downs on the first Saturday in May.”

“The one thing I can say about this year’s field of competitors is that I truly feel there will be some rather tenacious space battles and herd dynamic communication going on throughout the entire race,” says Kerry. “There are several horses with very closely related communication styles in the field at the top levels, and seeing how this plays out in their patterns of motion over time and distance should prove fascinating.”

You can read Kerry’s full Patterns of Motion Analysis of the 2013 Kentucky Derby field at www.brisnet.com/derby. (Scroll down and look for the link to the Thomas Herding Technique.) Here are some of the qualities he looks for when analyzing racehorses (and read more about his methods and techniques in his book HORSE PROFILING):

Behavioral Overcompensation: This occurs when one sensory avenue, either by physical limitation or psychological aberration, is overcompensated for its inefficiency by the use of another sensory avenue.

Buddying-Up: This occurs when a mid-level herd horse seeks the comfort of movement with another horse. “Buddy-up horses” are dependent on another horse for safety, direction, and rhythm of motion.

Emotional Conformation: The mental and emotional psychology of a horse that makes up who he is. It includes the way the horse communicates, interprets stimuli, as well as almost everything he actively does, including competing on the racetrack.

Group Herd Dynamic (GHD): This is a horse’s awareness of the group around him. It goes hand-in-hand with the ability to interpret multiple stimuli. A horse with a good group dynamic can see/feel the big picture and where the horse himself fits into that picture. A healthy group dynamic is integral for a horse to run well through traffic or come from far back in a race. Many horses with a strong Group Herd Dynamic will prefer to be near the back of the field early in a race in order to read the other members of the group’s intentions. They are in fact “sizing up the field” and determining where they want to go. The U.S. champion mare Zenyatta is the classic example of a horse with a big (“strong”) group dynamic (she also had a big individual dynamic, which she could turn on when needing to fight for space and pass horses).

Herd dynamic: This is a general term we use to describe a horse’s overall herd level (his Group and Individual Herd Dynamic combined).

Individual Herd Dynamic (IHD): This is the dynamic that involves just the self and a singular target. Example: A horse engages in a pace duel with one other horse, not thinking about the rest of the field, the length of the race, or anything else but that one-on-one struggle. Horses that rely too much on Individual Herd Dynamic will get lost if they have too much stimuli to interpret. Front-running horses that only run their best races when they are near the front of the herd, where there are limited stimuli, usually have a very high Individual Herd Dynamic. A high IHD is integral to being a good racehorse, but the best horses are strong in both IHD and GHD. When you’re only operating on one dynamic, it’s easier to have the rug pulled out from under you. And when things don’t go their way, individual dynamic horses tend to fall apart.

Egg: The horse’s “egg” is an invisible area of space surrounding the horse and varying in actual foot-distance from him—this is the comfort zone of space around the horse. Shaped much like an egg is shaped, with the more pointed part being forward, owing to the area of binocular vision, the “egg of comfort” is the area where stimuli are efficiently interpreted by the horse in any direction. It is directly related to the herd dynamic (that area around the horse that is managed by him—see above). Some areas of the horse’s egg can be rigid, hard-shelled, absorbing/cushiony, or soft-shelled.

Space infraction: This is when one horse infringes upon another horse’s comfort zone. Picture an invisible “egg” of space surrounding each horse (see above). The size of that egg is dependent on the individual horse. Some horses shy from space infractions, some feed off of close contact.

Principles of Adaptability: This is when physical change is necessitated by environmental conditions and stimuli. Mental interpretations of these happen prior to the physical response and are in place so a species can survive, learn, and evolve. Ultimately, associations evolve into perceptions, which precede anticipation, shortening the time between action and reaction.

Anticipatory Response: Principles of Adaptability allow associations to become perceptions, which can be seen as anticipation and leading to an anticipatory response prior to actual physically or emotionally driven stimuli. In a properly functioning sequence, this allows for learning and social/psychological growth; in an improperly functioning sequence, this allows for aberrations.

Calvin Carter: Numerical Scoring System

Since 2009, intensive study of Thoroughbred pedigrees and the late Federico Tesio, a world-renowned owner, breeder and trainer of Thoroughbred racehorses, has had a tremendous impact on how Calvin Carter, co-author of HORSE PROFILING, determines if a young colt has star potential. Calvin’s research has helped him pick the classic champions I’ll Have Another, Animal Kingdom, Pour Moi, Super Saver, Lookin At Lucky, and Summer Bird. Last year, all five horses he profiled in his Kentucky Derby blog finished in the top five.

“Like an intricate puzzle, the pedigree contains many secrets of what champions are made of,” explains Calvin, “and Tesio was the master at putting all the puzzle pieces together. In addition to pedigrees, past performances and the horse’s behavior, will to win, are also important factors I look at.

“Tesio was keenly aware of the importance of behavior in determining champion Thoroughbreds. In HORSE PROFILING, Kerry Thomas and I wrote that the horse’s Emotional Conformation, his will to win, is the final piece of the breeding puzzle.”

You can read Calvin’s Classic Champion Thoroughbred Profiles, a numerical scoring system, for the 2013 Derby field on his blog CLICK HERE.

HORSE PROFILING: THE SECRET TO MOTIVATING EQUINE ATHLETES is available now from the TSB online bookstore.

CLICK HERE TO ORDER NOW