We work with our clients to determine what their goals are and develop a program that addresses the physical and emotional barriers they need to overcome.
The program consists of questionaires, interviews and evaluations. How a clients works with their horse on the ground as well as under saddle. We may also ask a client to ride one of our lesson horses if the need requires.
After the evaluation is complete a program is developed along with the client to set realistic goals and the steps needed to accomplish them. This program is continuously re-evaluated to make certain that progress is being made. This is a tough process and clients are expected to work as hard as the coaches are. It is imperative that the client focuses on their goals and follows through with their agreement to complete their assignments and maintain an open and honest relationship with their coach.
Lessons can be on the clients horse if they board at 3S-Ranch or brought for the lesson. 3S-Ranch also has lesson horses available.
History of Linda: Case Study
Linda had been riding off and on throughout her life. As a child she was like many of us who spent time riding with family, friends and neighbors. Linda was never given specific instructions on how to ride a horse. She was told get on, don’t fall off, kick to go, pull to stop.
As children do Linda and her friends made games out of pulling each other off their pony’s and making home made bridles out of twine and in general having a good time.
As Linda grew up and away from the “fun” of childhood she rode less and less frequently. Occasionally she would have an opportunity to ride with an adult friend or go to a trail riding stable. When Linda’s life changed from single to married with children she found even less time to ride.
As her children grew older and she and her husband became financially secure Linda decided it was time to reclaim the joy of her childhood and take up riding again. Unfortunately for Linda she found out that not only had it been years since she’s last ridden and her body didn’t respond quite the same, she had a whole knew problem she didn’t know she had. She was scared of getting hurt!! Worse yet, that fear had turned into a reality, she was bucked off a horse that she was told was “bomb proof”, so not only was she scared of getting hurt she suddenly realized she didn’t really know how to ride and didn’t feel safe around horses at all.
When Linda first arrived at the farm, she was slightly nervous and unsure, she said she didn’t know what she wanted to do only that she really wanted to ride again.
We went on a tour of the farm, introduced Linda to all the horses and other animals at 3S-Ranch and got to know each other a bit. I explained the philosophy of Safety, Sanity & Success that we adhere to at the ranch and Linda responded with enthusiasm. I told Linda that I admired the fact she recognized she needed help. Recognition is the first step in being open to change. With that said, Linda and I began to discuss her "POINT.” In essence what did she really want to accomplish? Linda was surprised by the question and her answer was “to ride.” Well, that was not precisely what I meant. There are steps that must be taken to get from here to there. Through a probing conversation I found out that what Linda really wanted was to be able to:
1. Catch a horse in the pasture safely
2. Groom him safely
3. Apply & use tack appropriately & safely
4. Mount & dismount safely
5. Ride in the arena safely
6. Ride around others safely
7. Go on a trail ride and feel in control and safe.
Linda obviously was worried about her safety, but she also wanted control. Since Linda did have a goal in mind we were able to format a plan that worked with her concerns. Formatting Linda’s plan in this way allowed Linda to feel part of the process. It also gave her a feeling of investing (control) in her outcome. Linda made a commitment to come to the farm twice a week for one month for lessons.
Working process:
Linda arrived ready to begin her “new/old me lessons” as she called it. Since we were beginning with catching a horse in the pasture and Linda was very nervous I decided to back track and have Linda just get used to being around one of our “quiet” older horses. As I showed Linda how to move around a horse and the correct way to become a horse’s leader she began to gain confidence and was less nervous. We practiced with a few more horses until Linda had digested the lessons. Using many horses allows someone to challenge themselves, we can all become competent around one animal, but handling different horsenalities is a great learning experience.
Every time Linda came to the farm she was encouraged to repeat the steps she had learned up to that point and then we would add another skill set. This repetition allowed Linda to fully comprehend the process we were teaching her, give her time to practice her skills and allowed her time to think and ask questions. We worked as quickly or slowly as required. By the time Linda went out to the pasture to catch her horse she was confident and smiling knowing she could handle various situations.
We then began Linda’s grooming and tacking up lessons. Once again we continually supported Linda in practicing her skills and moving forward every lesson with something new. In no time Linda was grooming, cleaning feet, saddling and bridling her horse. All the while remaining in control of his movements, reading his body language so as not to be surprised and generally learning to enjoy the feeling of being around animals she has loved all her life.
Linda had a lot of fear about getting on a horse. She was very near tears at the thought. What we did was have Linda work the horse she was to ride on the ground, while she exerted control of him on the lunge line and saw how he would react to his environment and her she began to feel she could try to mount.
For this process we did use a mounting block, although the horse was not very tall, for someone who is working through their fear it is important to have them be as comfortable physically as possible. Linda was struggling but determined to follow through with mounting the horse. Once she was aboard I told her just to sit there a moment and then get back down. Linda was so overcome she cried and was amazed that she had done it. While acknowledging her accomplishment we still needed to mount and dismount a few times. With encouragement Linda was able to walk the horse around for a few minutes. Linda felt very good about herself, although she still had residual fear, so practice and repetition was how we would work through that. Linda would need more lessons before she was ready to go out on the trail.
