Feedback

This in from a half Belgian/half Quarter horse who came for one week of ground manners:

"Skip is doing GREAT!! He and I have had some fun times already. He is a changed horse and a real pleasure to be around. We even went trail riding with some kids and he was good. HE STOOD BY THE STUMP FOR ME TO GET ON! Even when there were other horses around. Talk to you soon,

Joy"

Camp

Dear Sam,
I was not going to write anything due to the fact that I didn't get to participate as fully as I would have liked due my sprained foot and torn ligaments and heat exhaustion the last afternoon. I decided however that my perspective of camp was a little different due to the fact that I was a "tent sitter" with foot up all wrapped in ice. The light bulb moment for me was when you taught the part about making your horse a thinking horse. I am a preschool teacher by profession, and there are so many similarities between young children and horses. (Parents would not appreciate my parallel.) When children first come to school they have not necessarily been encouraged to think or had parents that modeled thinking with them. When those children are asked to do something out of their comfort zone they are fearful, cry, voice resistance and tantrum. What does a non thinking horse do in an uncomfortable situation? It becomes fearful, shows resistance and tantrums. ( Throw in the prey factor, a 1,200 pound athlete and something really ugly can happen!) I am so intrigued with the idea of a thinking horse, I'm planning to make that my focus for the next few months. I know my guy can be a thinker if I encourage and am patient in guiding his thoughts and gaining his trust so he knows he can depend on me to help him in a fearful situation.

I'd also like to send Clint a big kiss! He taught my young whipper snapper all about herd behavior. (Jax still has a few shaved spots from a well placed bite or kick! He found out who the BIGGER horse really was!)

Thank you for a great time and the little journals you gave each of us to take notes. Every time I look at it I have another idea to ponder. You have made me a thinking rider which will, no doubt, be a big bonus for my horse and our relationship.

I am hoping to return next year, providing all body parts are functional. For those of us who don't live in Arizona in the winter and really like air conditioning, could you place an order for milder temperatures?!?

Sincerely,
Maribeth

Thank you so much for having this wonderful week of eye opening lessons. The horse world is sometimes a scary place. You are such a soft spoken, gentle person with so much knowledge, patience and insight that it's just what I needed. Your love of horses is a blessing to all of us.

The camp was so much more than I expected. I learned from you, from my horse and all the other horses and from the participants. But, most of all I learned about myself. It was an experience I will never forget. Thank you for making my fears manageable, my horse happier, my future brighter and my enthusiasm unbridled!

Judy

Hi Sam,

I am at a loss to put into words what an incredible experience your full immersion camp was!! I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for everything. It was one of the most rewarding weeks I have ever spent with my horse. You have a truly amazing talent with teaching that you passed on to us at camp. You have a gift and the knowledge of understanding horses and the ability to explain what you are seeing and show us what to do about it. I completely enjoyed the entire one on one time that you gave us and the time to watch the others work with their horses. It was so fun to watch the changes in the other horses and riders as the week progressed. It was wonderful to feel the changes in my horse and myself as we progressed. You opened up my eyes to see so much more that my horse and I could accomplish. I gained the confidence and the knowledge to work with my horse in a way that I didn't ever know was possible. You were so good at explaining everything to us; if we didn't understand one way you could tell us another way. I am excited to work on everything that I learned with DeeDee. I have so many more tools to use now, thanks to your training. I feel like I am still processing all that I learned. Again, I am so very thankful for everything you did for us. I am looking forward to coming back again next year.

Jenny

Hi Sam,

I think it's taken a week to try to digest all that we learned at the immersion clinic...I guess some things needed to be processed more than once to settle into my brain. It's hard to verbalize just what all happened at the clinic but I can try. I feel like you opened my eyes to so many things, like opening a door to a whole new view of the world. I know the focus was improving our horsemanship, but the personal insights that kept occurring were such a bonus...those little "aha" moments, when suddenly you see clearly.

There was no part of the week that wasn't valuable. I felt like everything we did, from watching each other, to working individually, to working in a group, all combined beautifully to re-enforce your message. The art of it all was the way that you wove our individual requests into the daily plan and we ended up learning even more about such specifics as posting and body position. Every day was so filled with learning I didn't want the week to end. In many ways it was one of the steepest learning curves I've encountered, but at the same time, it was hands down one of the most rewarding weeks in my life. My horses are indebted to you for helping me understand them better and communicate more clearly.

Now when I ride, I'm trying to "plug in" my seat bones, have a plan, ask clearly and hold the thought...and remember to breathe.

Thanks for an amazing week, I can't wait to come back next year!

Marilyn

Trainers Answers

RE: Trust - Don't Touch Me!

I e-mailed you a question a couple of days ago about trust building with my horse.

Your answer was so right on that you must be peeking around the corner of my barn! You told me exactly what I had felt in my heart about my horse, Jax. I had talked to some other "horse knowledgeable" friends and trainers and, of course, got an array of answers, none of which "felt" right. My gelding is just tolerating me. (Boy that hurts to admit!) There have been moments of trust and even a few days of relaxed stress free rides, but nothing long lasting.

I am very interested in coming to one of your July Immersion Camps in Sandpoint. I am conversing with three friends right now about attending one of the camps. I hope we can all get on the same schedule and go! I do have a few questions that I hope you will answer for me before making application.

How far out of Sandpoint is the camp? None of us are campers and don't really want to invest in a tent...we'd rather invest in a motel with a shower! We all have ridden from an early age into our thirties, when we found we had too many children and had to take a break from riding. We have been back in the saddle for about 8 or 9 years now. We (horses included) will all be in fairly good shape by the time we arrive, but are a little nervous about the 8 to 5 schedule. Will we have breaks and time to relax for lunch? I am asking because I HAVE been to several day clinics where the trainer tried to cram three days worth of information into 8 hours, a sandwich on the run and a quick potty break! I will appreciate your reply so we can get signed up! Thanks so much for answering my trust questions with such insight. As soon as the "quicksand" dries in my round pen, I will start to work on making Jax "feel better."

Maribeth

Sam's Response:

The camps are created to be intellectually stimulating rather than physically stressful. There will be a lot of time that we will talk and discuss whatever we are focusing on. Depending on the chemistry of the group, there will be individual rides, group rides, etc. (it will not be endless hours in the saddle). Nothing will be fast paced or overwhelming -- the point of these camps is to have fun, be safe, learn and enjoy your horse!

If you are going to book a hotel, make sure you do so early. As you know it'll be tourist season and I'm not sure how fast they will book up. There is also a guest ranch around the corner, it's called "From the Heart" (www.fromtheheartranch.com - click on Stay at the Ranch) and it is less than 2.5 miles away.

There are several motels in the Wal-mart/Bonner Mall area on Highway 95 just a couple miles north of Sandpoint. There's a Motel 6 that used to be owned by someone else, so it's very nice for a Motel 6 -- Phone: (888) 782-9722. There's Monarch Inn (208) 263-1222 (http://www.inidaho.com/official.asp?ID=5919) that also can do a nice job.

From Wal-mart (which is north of Sandpoint on Hwy 95) head north on Highway 95, go approximately 2 miles to the right turn onto our street, Selle Road (look for the large blue highway sign). The Equestrian Center (TEC) is then 4.5 miles down the paved road on the left.

It takes me about 15 minutes to get to downtown Sandpoint which is several miles farther south than Wal-mart. But downtown Sandpoint has a lot of places to stay right in town. Sandpoint is a walking town with lots of small shops, art galleries and easy access to the lovely beach and mountain views. There is a bit of traffic to deal with in the summer if you stay in town.

And...don't forget...it is possible but not a promise that our shower for those camping or staying in their horse trailers on-site may be ready. TEC will have someone make a run at lunch time for those interested in Subway sandwiches. Subway and other fast food restaurants are near Wal-mart as well as Fiesta Bonita (casual sit-down).