Appreciation from the Wild Horse Sanctuary

Dear Anna,

 

I am so thankful that we found each other thru a DVD that you mailed to us 2 years ago.  Sarah Lockwood (one of your certified trainers) did an amazing job of getting us together. I learned so much in this 7-day Reach Out to Horses course about the horses and myself that this has changed me forever. I cannot begin to put into words how much it meant to me to see some of our really difficult wild mustangs reach out to us!  That has forever changed their lives and now they can build on trusting their two-legged partners. They allowed people to come into their space and trust us. All of us students gave these horses an amazing foundation at the pace the horse would accept and we all accomplished our goals in the end. Our success story is Cookie, a cute mustang, who was lucky enough to have worked with all of the students that week. She went to an amazing supporter of The Wild Horse Sanctuary, Barbara Webb. The other horses are still waiting on their life partners. We are enthusiastically looking forward to next year’s 7-day ROTH course at The Wild Horse Sanctuary in Shingletown, CA. I cannot only highly recommend this course to everybody, I would strongly suggest it to any horse lover wanting to take their knowledge to the next level.  You will learn so much about yourself and the horses that you will be a different person after this course for life. On behalf of our mustangs Spice, Dodger Dan, Gypsy, Crystal, Aisha, Ayla, Owen, Cookie and Dutch, we would like to thank you and all of the students who made a difference in their lives and gave them an amazing foundation.  Many lives were changed for the better in your week here.

 

Liz Juenke,

 

Saddle Horse Manager at the Wild Horse Sanctuary

My ROTH Trainer’s Path–“When the Student Is Ready, the Teacher Appears”

I can’t say that I remember signing up for Anna’s newsletters… but I was receiving them.  I remember opening one and feeling like the timing was perfect. The content spoke to me and offered something I could participate in from home, a webinar series on Holistic Horsemanship. This felt serendipitous, having recently become more involved with horses again. My mom and I loved the webinars, but I soon realized that I wanted and needed more in person — hands on experience with these methodologies. So, I went to Colorado to take the 2.5-day intro clinic and I loved it.

I grew up riding horses back east. My grandmother enrolled me in riding lessons every summer as a young girl. Gymkana, jumping, vaulting, trail rides and more. I loved the horses and my teacher.

Upon graduating from college with a BA in Documentary Studies and Photography, I moved to upstate New York and cared for my grandmother for 7 years.  After she passed, I moved back to Placitas, New Mexico. There I was immersed in and introduced to a whole new world of wild horses. They were literally in my back yard. I photographed the mustangs, also known here as “wild” or “free-roaming” horses, every time our paths crossed.  It felt powerful and special to connect with them as my dog and I enjoyed our walks on the BLM land behind my home. I learned more about the bizarre and intense issues spawned by these community horses.

Two mares were hit and killed in the Placitas village after seeking water during an intense drought, and this prompted me to become involved. I began documenting the wild ones as well as the horses that had recently been rounded up. No longer “free-roaming,” they were transitioning to a life of domestication — confined, engaging in day-to-day interaction with humans, getting microchipped by the livestock board, trailered, moved, vetted, etc. I used all of my tools to support their transition, particularly an energy healing modality called Crystalline Consciousness Technique™.

The grey stallion that was rounded up with his remaining mares was the first to get gelded. He was still very wild, not touched or haltered. The approach was to squeeze him in a secure area to heavily sedate him — enough to have him gelded, vaccinated, and his hoofs trimmed. Long story short, he was given too many drugs and had a hard time recovering from the sedation.  Everything went wrong, and in the end he had to be shot. This was quite a traumatizing experience, and very heartbreaking. It impacted me hugely, and I vowed that I would do everything in my power to prevent something like that from happening again. It was clear to me that the mustangs would have to be handled, haltered, and gentled to some extent prior to getting gelded in order to ensure that the procedure be safe, with minimal trauma and not life threatening.

Anna and ROTH were exactly what I needed. The Universe lined it all up. I have embraced the ROTH program and the education, experience and support its offered me as I learn and grow in my journey adopting, raising, and gentling Placitas Mustangs.

Anna likes to say I did her course backwards. I started with the Untouched Horse Clinic before the Foundation Course because that was my primary focus. I’m grateful that I did, but I also realized that I was lacking skills and training that the foundation course covered. I attended the 3-day Liberty clinic which blew my mind as it introduced me to a whole new world with horses. I continued with ROTH, taking the Foundation courses (1 and 3) and graduating in Fall, 2015.

I was granted the opportunity to take the Untouched Horse clinic one more time after doing part of the foundation and filling in the holes in my training. I enrolled in the Foal Gentling Clinic, and against my better judgement adopted my allocated foal because all the signs I received indicated that it was meant to be. I completed the Colt Starting Clinic, rumored to be the hardest. Indeed, it surprised me with a few firsts. I was kicked on day 1, and by the end of the week rode my first “baby”, a horse named Hopi. I then signed the contract and committed to the trainer’s program. Last month, I completed the NEW Simple Solutions Clinic and it exceeded my expectations. I loved everything about it. As I write this I am working on compiling my 20 case studies, done over the past few years, to submit for the Trainers Exams next month at Zumas Rescue Ranch in Colorado. My highlight is starting my own mustang Friendly, now five years old, under saddle with my ROTH sister Liv from Denmark for our Colt Start case study. What an exciting and fulfilling experience for us all! Friendly was also my first horse gelded (when he was 2) after the passing of the grey stallion. I was nervous, so I took my time and made sure he was haltered and ready and that I had a vet team I could trust.

My mom and I now have two dozen mustangs (after all the babies were born). They are our world, and have been for the past 3 years. We have received funding assistance from Animal Protection New Mexico, and have gelded three of our colts thus far — all free from complications.

Studying with ROTH has empowered me on many levels. Understanding the psychology and nature of the horse, and using it to support them in a trust-based partnership resonates with me on a core level. I trust that I was ready and that the perfect teacher, Anna, was placed in my path to help me and the horses I was adopting and raising. The timing was perfect to support a journey I never would have predicted. I believe completing the trainer’s exams will be a jump start for creating my own business as I move forward using all of my tools — holistic horsemanship, energy healing, essential oils and a deep desire to make a difference in the lives of humans and horses!

Clea Hall

Victory for Wild Horses in Wyoming!

Dear Friends;

On the heels of winning a victory for Oregon wild horse mares, threatened by dangerous sterilization surgery, comes yet another win for the wild ones. The U.S. Court of Appeals Tenth Circuit upheld a lower court’s dismissal of a lawsuit filed by the State of Wyoming against the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) seeking the removal of hundreds of wild horses from public lands across the state including mustangs from the Stewart Creek Herd.  

Ironically, Quinn and I were visiting the Stewart Creek mustangs with Lynn Hanson, my friend and fellow wild horse advocate, when our attorneys learned of this second victory. Being out here with these beautiful, family and freedom loving icons of the West reminds me of why we fight. Their home is over 230,000 acres of sagebrush valleys and windswept rims along the Continental Divide. (below-Lynn shoots GK filming)

The first time I saw the colorful Stewart Creek wild horses, it was the dead of winter. Ann Evans and I were driving from Riverton to Rawlins, and we were thrilled to see a family band just a short distance from highway 287/789, about 20 miles north of town. 

Winters are bitter and long in Stewart Creek. The foals above didn’t seem to mind. We saw this lone mustang in his huge home during our winter drive-by. He, too, was not far from the main highway. I imagine his friends were just out of sight below him.

When I left Stewart Creek a few days ago, there was a colorful group of five bachelor stallions only 100 yards or so off the highway. It was grand to see them in nearly the same place as the winter ones.  We encourage you to try your hand at finding them. If you have a high clearance vehicle, you can enter the range on a number of sandy roads.

Take your binoculars to verify that these often distant dots are real wild mustangs!

Happy Trails!

Ginger Kathrens
For more on Cloud and the world of the Mustangs across the U.S. follow the link:

The Cloud Foundation

 

 

BLM Director Announces No Killing of Wild Horses in Captivity

Points to TCF/AWHPC Lawsuit as reason for Halting Wild Mare Sterilization

WASHINGTON, DC – (September 15, 2016) – Yesterday, BLM head, Neil Kornze announced that the BLM was not accepting the recommendation from their National Advisory Board to destroy wild horses in holding and to offer wild horses that had been passed over for adoption for sale without limitation.  “This recommendation met a firestorm of outrage across the country and caused our phones to ring off the hook,” states Ginger Kathrens, Humane Advocate on the Advisory Board and Volunteer Executive Director of The Cloud Foundation (TCF), the sole dissenting vote to the board’s recommendation.

Prior to the Sept meeting TCF learned that the BLM decided to drop Wild Mare Sterilization Research Experiments in which wild mares (and fillies as young as 8 months) would be surgically sterilized. BLM Director Kornze indirectly referenced the TCF and AWHPC lawsuit requesting to be present to view and record the sterilization procedures, as the reason the experiments in Oregon were cancelled.

Other lawsuits and thousands of emails, letters and phone calls from concerned Americans played a significant part in bringing a halt to the experiments as well as halting the recommendation to destroy captive wild horses.

Kathrens warns, “this does not mean the horses in holding and on the range are out of trouble.”  Kathrens recalls the documents that came to her office in late 2008 revealing  BLM Secret Meetings in which the agency discussed how many horses could be killed each year and how many psychologists would be needed to counsel BLM employees asked to kill healthy wild horses.     In June, Kathrens was asked to speak before the House Sub-Committee on Federal Lands.   “It was clear that the Western congressional representatives had no interest in hearing what I had to say,” she states. “They wanted the horses gone, and Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming purred that euthanasia of thousands of captive wild horses would be such ‘a lovely way to die,’ Kathrens states.

When asked, “where do we go from here?” Kathrens replied, “it is imperative that we continue to speak up, encouraging BLM to use humane tools to limit births in our wild horse herds. The ultimate goal is limiting reproduction to natural mortality. And to reduce the number of wild horses held in short term corrals, we should return these non-reproducing geldings and mares to available BLM lands designated for wild horse use, but where no wild horses currently live.”

This victory is due to thousands of advocates and concerned Americans’ expressing outrage and presenting a united voice for the wild horses.

LINKS:

BLM DirectorAnnounces No Killing of Wild Horses in Holding 

 BLM won’t euthanize wild horses it cannot adopt — Kornze

Lawsuit Filed toUphold Right to Observe Controversial Wild Horse Sterilization Experiments

Republican Led SubCommittee on Federal Lands

Mare SterilizationResearch EA

BLM Secret Meetings2008 

 

Media Contact:

Paula Todd King

The Cloud Foundation

843-592-0720

paula@thecloudfoundation.org

BLM Votes to Euthanize 40,000 Mustangs

BLM ADVISORY BOARD JUST VOTED TO RECOMMEND EUTHANIZATION OF ALL UNADOPTABLE HORSES IN LONG TERM HOLDING. This is in hopes that Washington DC will wake up and give more money to BLM.
GINGER WAS THE ONLY PERSON ON THE BOARD TO VOTE “NO.”
Send your civil, thoughtful comments to the Adv. Board at this email address. Back up Ginger’s thoughtful, civil manner please:
whbadvisoryboard@blm.gov

 

Wild Horse and Burro Advocacy

—Ms. June Sewing
Executive Director
National Mustang Association
mustangs@infowest.com

Public Interest 
Ms. Jennifer Sall
jen.sall@gmail.com 

Public Interest
Mr. Fred T. Woehl, Jr.
prtfred@gmail.com

Wild Horse and Burro Research 
Dr. Sue M. McDonnell, Ph. D.
suemcd@vet.upenn.edu

Livestock Management 
Mr. Steven W. Yardley
steven.leslieyardley@yahoo.com

Natural Resources Management 
Dr. Robert E. Cope, DVM
cowdoc75@hotmail.com

Wildlife Management

Mr. Ben Masters
benmasters@unbrandedthefilm.com

Veterinary Medicine 
Dr. Julie Weikel, DVM
jweikeldvm@yahoo.com

 

Kathrens to Present Humane and Economically Sustainable Solutions to BLM’s Beleaguered Wild Horse and Burro Program

 

 WASHINGTON, DC (Tues, June 22, 2016) – Ginger Kathrens, Founder and Volunteer Executive Director of The Cloud Foundation has documented and advocated for wild horse herds for over 22 years.  Known as the Jane Goodall of wild horses, Kathrens’ documentation of Cloud the Wild Stallion represents the only continuing chronicle of a wild animal from birth in our hemisphere.   At the invitation of Representative Raul Grijalva, (D-AZ) she will testify before the House Subcommittee on Federal Lands oversight hearing entitled, “Challenges and Potential Solutions for BLM’s Wild Horse and Burro Program,” Wednesday, June 22, 2016 at 2:30 pm (Eastern Time) in Room 1334 Longworth House Office Building.

On May  11, 2016 the BLM issued a Press Release titled  “WildHorses and Burros on Public Rangelands Now 2.5 greater than when the 1971 law was passed,”  bemoaning problems which they themselves have created.  Instead of embracing realistic management strategies, the BLM and some western politicians have attempted to derail the 1971 Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act (Wild Horse Act) aimed at protecting wild horses on public lands.

For over 20 years the BLM has had reasonable, cost effective and humane ways to maintain healthy populations of wild horses and burros on their legally designated homes on the range in the form of the fertility vaccine PZP.   Dr. John Turner wrote: “. . . the consequent cost of one un-prevented foal is many times greater than a PZP-22 dose in terms of capture, processing and adoption (estimates > $ 2K) or lifelong warehousing (estimates up to $ 10K). A forty-thousand-dollar cost savings to the taxpayer on each treat/retreat mare is significant.”

Instead, BLM has chosen to ignore solid recommendations by Equine Professionals, The National Academies of Science and thousands if not millions of comments by the public recommending rational strategies and economically sustainable solutions to manage wild horse and burro populations “on the range” rather than continue inhumane and costly helicopter roundups and holding.

Prior to the hearing, Tom McClintock, Committee Chairman, released a memo describing the BLM’s program policy.  Kathrens commented, “BLM alternatives are not humane and do not consider the welfare of a species protected by a unanimously passed act of Congress.”

BLM’s proposed solutions, deadly sterilization experiments on wild mares (some as young as 8 months of age), have met with public outcry not only against the BLM but also Oregon State University for expenditures of taxpayer dollars to finance surgical experiments, which have little practical application unless the death of mares is acceptable.

Kathrens, Humane Advocate on BLM’s National Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board, will offer well-thought out solutions and outline problems with the BLM’s current strategies.  “Overpopulation of wild horses and burros on public lands has been alleged by the BLM and passed on without question by media for years,” Kathrens states. “However the BLM manages the population of most herd management areas at levels far below the population required for genetic viability (150-200 animals). In her testimony Kathrens states, “BLM has so marginalized wild horses that the majority of herds are too small to meet even minimal standards to ensure their genetic viability…  It is obvious that one solution to warehousing wild horses and burros in costly short-term holding is a reexamination of appropriate management levels (AMLs) and a fairer allocation of available forage between wild horses and livestock.”

By establishing appropriate management levels at ridiculously low numbers, the BLM declares a huge overpopulation of wild horses and burros.  However, when you look at BLM’s Wild Horse and Burro statistics closely it is easy to see that the problem lies in the herd size BLM wants to manage.  Several examples are shocking.  The Montezuma Peaks herd in Nevada on nearly 78,000 acres is managed at a population of 2-4 horses, therefore the current population of 64 horses is represented as 1600% over AML.  BLM’s manipulation of numbers has been so successful over the years as to dupe the American Public and the media into believing that western public lands are overrun with wild horses and burros.  And their “estimated” population numbers based on 20% annual reproduction has perpetuated a “sky is falling” mentality and rhetoric aimed at destroying thousands of wild horses across the west.

Rangeland Degradation by wild horses has been grossly overstated by the BLM to cover up years of livestock overgrazing. In 1990 the GAO reported: “BLM’S decisions on how many wild horses to remove from federal rangelands have not been based on direct evidence that existing wild populations exceed what the range can support. While wild horses are routinely removed. Livestock grazing frequently remains unchanged or increased after the removal of wild horses, increasing the degradation of public lands.”

A Peer review of BLM Rangeland Health Assessments states, “As of 2012, based on the records PEER received from the BLM… the agency claims that 10,480 allotments have not met standards (55% of total allotment area), and that 16% of allotments (29% of total allotment area) have failed standards due to livestock grazing.

“We have at our disposal humane and economically sustainable ways to manage wild horses on the range,” states Kathrens, “if only the BLM will agree to pursue a different path.”  The Cloud Foundation and many other organizations have offered volunteer assistance to the BLM to make management of wild horses and burros on the range a reality. “It is high time the BLM perform their legal mandate to protect wild horses on public lands.”

The Preamble of the unanimously passed Wild Horse Act concludes, the wild free-roaming horse and burro “are to be considered … as an integral part of the natural system of public lands.”

The opportunity for the head of a wild horse advocate organization to testify before a congressional oversight hearing is historic.  “Constituents concerned for the welfare of publicly owned wild horses and burros are tired of being ignored by the BLM and their congressional representatives,” Kathrens concludes. She continues, “Wishes of the American people are not being taken into consideration.  There are far more cost effective and humane measures for managing wild horses on public lands than those under consideration by the BLM.”

###

LINKS:

Written Testimony, Ginger Kathrens

Wild Horses and Burros on Public Rangelnds Now 2.5 timesGreater than When the 1971 Law Was Passed.

Tom McClintock Hearing Memo

Live Streaming of Oversight Hearing

Mare Sterilization Research EA

1990 GAO Report “Improvements neededin Federal Wild Horse Program” (see Appendix 1)

Peer Report, “The BLM Grazing Data,” 

The Cloud Foundation

BLM Wild Horse and Burro PopulationStatistics 

1971 Wild Free Roaming Horses andBurros Act 

“Using Science to Improve the Wild Horse and Burro Program,” NAS Report 

Media Contact:

 

Paula Todd King

The Cloud Foundation

843-592-0720

paula@thecloudfoundation.org

 

The Cloud Foundation (TCF) is a Colorado based 501(c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to the protection and preservation of wild horses and burros on our western public lands.

—

Paula Todd King

paula@thecloudfoundation.org

Communications Director

The Cloud Foundation

843-592-0720

Side effects of ROTH classes:

 

Picture a being created to roam the highlands, to travel in a family band, each having their place, their role… Yet there she was, locked in a small stall like a chute, forced to carry foal after foal, year after year without once seeing green grass, the mountains, the sun, or feeling the breeze. Let alone enjoying time with the baby! Is she broken inside? Or does she manage to just endure what’s happening to her? What about the little ones, conceived for no other purpose than to keep the mare pregnant? What does the foal suffer with such a burdened start in life? Most them end up in slaughter,  but a few lucky ones get rescued by people who understand the tragedy and are willing to interfere. Equine Voices in Arizona is one of those sanctuaries that now harbors a good number of gentle giants that escaped the PREMARIN (PMU) industry in Canada.

One of that herd was a beautiful gray gelding. He was rescued by Karen Pomroy of Equine Voices as a six month old in a larger group together with his mother. For the next nine years he spent a quiet life in a pen with a handful of older PMU females. Although he was the most impressive by size, his gentle nature was no match for the mare’s distinct determination, probably fostered by years of not having a voice at all.

Reach out to Horses (ROTH) chose this rescue for the Holistic Horsemanship Certification course. The gentle gelding named Kodiak Raja was on the list of horses that got a student assigned for some daily attention. His history included a vague story of some early training attempts gone horribly wrong with him escaping through a fence in panic and a human getting hurt. He had not experienced much training after that. The approach was thus very cautious especially because the horses were in a large pen together during the sessions.

Kodi showed little interest in being the object of a human’s attention but he was very polite and stood as much as he could until he walked away apologetically. Ropes were not his friends. An introduction to the horseman’s rope exploring the whole body was pretty much the culmination of the first week of class.

A rumor started murmuring that he would be a great candidate for a new home. It is likely redundant to point out to the readership of this newsletter that Anna Twinney (the founder of ROTH and instructor of the class) has a special gift in matching horses to students. Kodi went home in the heart of the assigned student and became part of the student’s story. Before the second half of the class started several months later, the family decided to apply for adoption with the owner of the rescue.

During the second part of the class the daily program with Kodi included grooming and work with the emotion code by Dr. Nelson. Kodi was still very reserved but politely allowed to be approached. He was not integrated into actual class work because he was not ready or trained to even be led to the “classroom”.

In the meantime, the paper side of the adoption procedure was completed. The class was over and it was up to the rescue owner and the student to get to the actual transfer. Because of Kodi’s history and his lack of training, there was worry regarding the trailer loading. Would he bolt? Hurt himself or bystanders? After a lot of consideration, one of the rescue’s regular trainers proclaimed that she would be able to load him into a trailer. A date was set and the future owners headed South early on a Tuesday morning for a five-hour ride. It was exciting! At Equine Voices the trailer was backed up to the stall where Kodi was waiting. He did not seem too concerned as he easily glanced over the tall wall at the preparations.

The trainer took over, opened a door to the outside world where fence panels led to the trailer entrance. She went into the stall and softly coaxed Kodi to move towards the opening. Nobody else moved. For about three minutes he explored alternatives: move left, move right, look for another gate… Then he stepped outside. He hesitated for a moment and approached the trailer. Both front feet went up and the trailer floor made a hollow sound. His head was now really high in this position. He bent his neck and looked back over the fence at his mom and the rest of the ladies he had spent all these years with. Then he straightened up and walked calmly inside the dark, shaky box. Helpers quickly closed the trailer doors but there was no need to hurry. He had made up his mind, he knew.

Considering his history and his experience, it is astonishing how sure his demeanor was to leave his herd behind.

A discussion erupted in the truck on the way home regarding the name. Should he get a new name now that he was headed for a new life? The decision was made to call this beautiful tall man Odin Olaf Kodi Raja.

The trip was uneventful. Judging from the quiet behind the truck, he was not particularly agitated in the trailer. At his new home the trailer was backed up to a gate that led into a corral. He walked towards the open doors and then almost fell down because he had forgotten that there was a step up into the trailer and now there was a step down. He immediately headed straight for his new family on the other side of the fence. This is an eclectic mix of rescued drafts, nervous gaited horses, BLM mustangs, and a laid back BLM burro. All together a group of nine, waiting for number ten. He respectfully offered his nose over the fence for greetings. Then he was herded into his new stall next to everybody, including a clan of alpacas. Not all horses are fond of these funny looking creatures but he wanted to say hi to them as well and stuck his head fearlessly and friendly over the fence for some mutual sniffing. A great start!

This does not seem to be the same horse that I had gotten to know at Equine Voices. He always comes up to the fence when anybody shows up. He loves attention and sticks his head into my chest for scratches around the ears. He is also very vocal and whinnies with a heartwarming bluesy voice at his new equine family, as well as at humans. He is majestic yet gentle, very friendly but still polite and not pushy. Training has started slowly with more rope work and halters. He now follows willingly on a lead into the round pen where the first sessions are going very well. He is definitely very smart and the concept of learning is no problem for him. At this point he would rather just hang out with his humans and snuggle rather than having to “work” but I am sure becoming proud of his achievements will make him look forward to lessons as much as we do. I can imagine slowly moseying through the desert on this gorgeous gray that has a magnificent soul that makes his impressively sized body seem like a tiny box.

We have yet to find his trigger points to know exactly what to work on. The plan is to have him enjoy the rest of his long life with this new family, with learning, with essential oils, with games, with good food, with good care, and above all with a purpose! You are all welcome to come and visit to meet him at our ranch. It is worth a trip.

The humble new parents.

 

Photos:

Kodi(left) at Equine Voices: Odin1

Odin (formerly Kodi) first time meeting his new family: Odin2

Odin looking good in the morning: Odin3

Odin and his new friend, BLM burro Zavorine, enjoying a Sunday afternoon at the slow feeder. He is very Buddhist when it comes to standing his ground. Especially my low pecking order horses take great pleasure in chasing him around. Zafi is the only one that just won’t waste energy with pecking order games. So for now it’s the two until he learns to manage the pesky little Paso Finos. We are practicing that whenever I am around to keep an eye on things. Carolina

 

 

Animal Communicator, Anna Twinney, Gives Voice to Wild Mustang Living in Captivity

White Stallion Ranch sponsored the adoption of a wild mustang on January 8^th to participate in Arizona’s Extreme Mustang Makeover.  JP Dyal had 104 days to train a horse captured from a band of Mustangs in Nevada and trucked to a BLM holding facility in Arizona, where he lived for the next 3 years.

The horse was randomly assigned from the holding pens on adoption day.  For the first few days he stood in the round pen surrounded by ranch activity, calmly taking it all in.  Each night, JP would sleep in the round pen on a cot which bonded them quickly. JP named him Chance, saying “this is his second chance at a good life.”

It was immediately apparent that Chance was a very unusual horse. JP started his training on day 2 and Chance responded well to everything that was asked of him. He was willing and trusting and you could actually see him processing information.

Anna Twinney, an internationally respected Animal Communicator offers workshops at White Stallion Ranch. We asked if she would communicate with Chance; to ask if he was comfortable in his new life or if he was missing his band and his freedom on the open range. We also wanted to know if there was anything we could do to shape his future, make his life with usbetter and somehow make up for the trauma caused by humans.

What follows is a summary of the communication between Chance and Anna as she shared it with us in real time via telephone:

JP, Carol and Susanne sit in Carol’s office at the speaker phone, Anna is on the line and explains briefly what to expect as she reaches out to Chance and begins her communication with him.  The line goes silent, we wait, and 10 minutes pass slowly as we wonder if we are still connected.  Anna begins speaking very quickly; we click on the recorder and start taking notes.   The session lasts 1 hour and 11 minutes; apparently Chance is quite willing to share his thoughts. 

Anna begins by describing images as they come to her; she refers to them as Chance showing himself and his surroundings. She speaks quickly and is not looking for validation – it is more like a stream of consciousness:

Chance indicates that the number 3 is significant – the last three years, which we know he spent in captivity, she sees images of the holding pens, the surrounding area as well as the men who work in the pens. We asked about his life in the wild and he shows her the open range,his early years in the band, his memories of being a bachelor, she sees that he did not run in a typical group of bachelors, he traveled alone.

Chance categorized his life in 3 chapters:

1. living in the wild  –   a chapter of freedom and learning and growing
2. holding pens – 3 years waiting, no learning, no shelter, no freedom
3. being handed to JP –  he feels he  “found his person” 

He takes life in stride and accepts each chapter for what it is, he adapts and sees life as the glass is full and overflowing, he wants to be JP’s horse for life,he enjoys the partnership, he is insightful and he appreciates JP.  He doesn’t have any baggage and he hasn’t allowed his past to shape his future – he is only interested in what the future holds. 

 He does not blame or dislike humans for what happened to him.

Anna describes in great detail the entire training processJP has taken him through.His training was very fast and he is very accepting of what JP asks of him, he works very hard to process it and understand it.

He shows riding in the desert, the ranch rodeo, trailering and practicingmounted shooting, he indicates that he is aware of the upcoming competition,  and he has overheard conversations  that he may not be coming home with JP  after the competition.

He is not being broken, he is being started – his spirit has not been broken, he sees JP as his master and he is willing to partner with him.  He will do whatever JP asks of him on the day of the event.  He comprehends the dilemma – the better they perform, the higher his price will go, he knows JP wants to show him off and demonstrate his training skills, but it will push the bids up ~ making it harder for JP to buy him and bring him home.

JP asks if he would like to be a performance horse (Mounted Shooting) and he shows Anna that he doesn’t really want to, he envisions them riding together but not performing – it looks more like they are wrangling or leading rides.

JP asks why Chance is so trusting, and Anna says it is in his DNA, he is able to put his past completely behind him and move forward with full trust and willingness.

In closing, Anna notes that no matter what the future holds for Chance, he will excel at whatever is asked of him, because he will adapt to any circumstances.

While it is clear that Chance is no ordinary horse, it’s a valuable lesson to learn that wild horses do not all fit neatly into a category any more than domesticated horses. There are good and bad, willing and stubborn in both cases, and we are sincerely amazed at the incredible little Mustang we received from the BLM.   If you or anyone you know is considering an adoption we strongly encourage you to give one of these magnificent horses a “chance.”

For further information on consultations, webinars and the animal communication ranch retreat with Anna in November 2016 visit reachouttohorses.com

CONTACT: Susanne Walsh, White Stallion Ranch, Tucson, AZ
info@whitestallion.com ~ 520-297-0252

10 Years of Gentling Wild Horses with ROTH!

Imagine being pulled out of your home, away from your family and friends and taken to an unknown place where you are introduced to foreigners who do not speak your language. This is exactly what these symbols of freedom so often experience. By understanding and attuning to these magnificent creatures, and seeing the world through their eyes, you will begin to master their language. You will learn how to socialize them, create trust & value in a relationship and identify their motivation & learning styles. This class is ideal for those who have recently fostered or adopted untouched horses and can be arranged in your area.

Immerse yourself in a 7-day workshop. This is a unique opportunity to observe wild horses in their natural habitat. You will begin to understand non-verbal communication with the natural world, be introduced to herd dynamics and develop a bond through building a trust-based relationship. The young horses being socialized in this clinic have come to the class through various rescue situations. They have shown a natural desire to relate to humans. To make their futures less traumatic for veterinary care, foster homes etc, these young horses will be your teachers.

Follow the link to sign up today!

http://www.reachouttohorses.com/training.html#gentling

 

The Evolution of a Dream: It’s Not Easy Being Different!

For Immediate Release | March 5, 2016

Contact: Vincent Mancarella | info@reachouttohorses.com | 
303-642-7341

The Evolution of a Dream: It’s not easy being different 

Brand new to the market, Horse LifeStyle is easily summed up as Hulu or Netflix for horse people. Recently, world renowned horse whisperer Anna Twinney was included in their impressive arsenal of content. As the founder of Reach Out to Horses, Anna developed her own gentle methods for communication with horses that establishes a respectful partnership rather than a forceful dictatorship. Anna’s instructional videos are now available on the new internet based platform. 

As Horse Lifestyle prepared for their world-wide launch … Anna grew incredibly excited for both the access to programming for people all over the world and for the fact that her message could now be seen far and wide.”I always knew education was the answer to being part of the global solution,” Anna said. 

Anna’s story begins twenty years ago as an intention to take a sabbatical from her career in the British Police force to further her education about horses and learn the art of horse whispering to bring it back home to the UK. Her goal was to share what she learned to enhance her fellow officer’s experience with the public and visa versa; she felt this unique experience would equip her to help officers enhance their “bedside manner”. Her sabbatical turned into a journey of discovery with many sacrifices but ultimately, Anna gained understanding and joy beyond anything she’d ever imagined. 

Several years ago, during a high growth period in Anna’s career, some of the most recognizable clinicians in the horse industry began producing TV shows for small cable channels with a small (for television) but heavily niched horse-loving audience. It quickly became popular for well known and would-be horsemen and women to, at least, aspire to produce a show. 

Long before TV for horse people was popular practice, Anna and her husband and business partner Vincent Mancarella had been documenting all of Anna’s workshops. They chronicled the lessons and recorded the outstanding experiences that teaching all over the world brought into their lives. 

While Anna traveled and documented, teaching hundreds of people face to face, the trend to become a horse trainer / television producer grew in size and scope. More channels popped up to air these 30 minute segments that instructed viewers in rudimentary techniques for topics to give viewers everything from baby steps to a basic understanding of horsemanship to detailed techniques for all disciplines. 

Anna knew her methods are different and comprehensive. Her approach is “wholistic” (whole horse) and all about understanding the language of the horse. Her perspective is unique and language based. Her study of wild horses has been intensive and her understanding of minuet changes in body language is as intriguing as it is a proverbial key to unlock understanding between horse and human. Vin and Anna would have loved a television show, too. The overall goal is always to spread the message for the betterment of horses everywhere. 

Kermit the Frog told us years ago “It’s not easy being green”. It’s also not easy to have a methodology that’s often in contrast to your colleagues. In the land of cowboys or trainers who train horses and not people, Anna with her British accent, her sunny smile and commanding presence, is a lot like Kermit. 

The competition for advertisers interested in the target-market dense but still somewhat small audience these shows drew, was intense; it was a new format in an industry known to be slow to adapt to change. Vin and Anna just believed their time would come. They knew their efforts were best left to continuing to travel and teach people, hands on. They continued to document, produce DVDs, webinars and to show up at barns and event centers all over the world to share the messages of energy healing, animal communication and holistic horsemanship. 

Today, to learn Anna’s perspective, unique observations and remarkable techniques you need not subscribe to a particular cable provider and you can join her lectures in places all over the world in the comfort of your own living room or even on your smart phone. Anna had a dream to share a message and thanks to the evolution of that dream (and technology), her message can now, very literally, be heard by millions. 

To learn more about Anna Twinney and Reach Out to Horses visit the website at ReachOutToHorses.com 

 

http://www.ReachOuttoHorses.com

http://www.HorseLifestyle.TV