SAIIER Annual Report 2014-2015: Natural Horsemanship program

My Nation project		Nature’s Theatre
Natural Horsemanship program

Introduction

This one-year Natural Activity::Horsemanship program of Entity::Evergreen Horses had the aim of helping Auroville children rediscover the best way to be with horses. During the program we learned how to achieve success without force, partnership without dominance, teamwork without fear, willingness without intimidation and harmony without coercion. As well as riding classes the program included theory of horse behavior, which was a great tool for the children to advance in their Horse-Man-Ship, and to understand themselves more deeply.

Description of project

From July 2014 to April 2015 we held 3 different types of horsemanship sessions weekly. The first type was for practical exercises, in which we followed the Parelli method Levels 1 and 2 which teach children firstly about ground safety and secondly about how to get a horse mentally and emotionally ready to learn and work together with a human. We used exercises based on the Parelli 7 Games which are games that horses play in nature. Subsequently we used these games to more specific purposes (working with tasks, obstacles, gymkhanas, etc.) in order to develop the children's coordination, body language, awareness of their energy and state of mind, and finally develop their organizational skills, teamwork and ultimately leadership.

The second type of session was for theory of Horse-Man-Ship where we went more deeply into what governs the horse in nature, understanding the different scale values that the horse and human have. Working with the book Horse-Man-Ship Theory we learned how to tap into our best potential to develop the horse and ourselves.

The third type of session was an open platform for everyone to explore what they learned in class, and be free to experiment, make mistakes, learn from the horses and improve their communication skills.

We had a total of 9 children from the age of 12 to 16 attending this course, and a total of 25 kids attending other classes (beginner and intermediate) where these topics were explored but in a less formal way (as it would have been too much information for their age group).

The program was supported by the Parelli Foundation, USA, which donated educational materials in view of the work done this year in Auroville, and by Carmen Zulauf - 5* Master Instructor (based in Switzerland) who coached the teachers and who has offered continued guidance.

Parelli Savvy Times
The Natural Horsemanship program and the Evergreen Horses project at large were featured in the “Parelli Savvy Times”, an international magazine focusing on Natural Horsemanship and the Parelli Method. This was great exposure for the initiative, which wants to offer this special form of education in Auroville and also to bring the concept of natural horsemanship to others in India.



Download article as PDF

Outcomes

The kids came to understand that there is much more to do with a horse than riding! They experienced that communication is two or more individuals understanding and sharing the same ideas, and that as humans we can develop the skill-set to help horses to become more calm, brave, connected, and ultimately willing to spend time with humans. During this learning process the horses acted as mirrors through which the children discovered things about themselves, both physically, in body language and in how the horse would react to each movement, and emotionally, in understanding how to deal with fear, frustration and anger.

A lot of technical aspects of horse riding and training were taught as well, starting with horse care and including how to help a horse stay calm and connected. We put a lot of energy into understanding how to troubleshoot problems, and into giving the students the necessary strategies to be successful with horses by themselves without needing constant guidance.

The curriculum was reported in detail for each class and each achievement. We had 3 written assessments to evaluate how much was learned, and we had 4 practical assessments which were partly filmed and given to the children so that they could see themselves objectively and solve any issues if there were any.

Future direction

This year was the first time that Parelli Natural Horse-Man-Ship was so extensively studied by a group of people in India. So by pioneering this kind of work we collected a lot of data and feedback on how to plan our schedule for next year, where to put more energy, and where we might have started to soon and might need to revise the curriculum. This work of feedback and reflection helped us as teachers develop our skills exponentially, as the year’s work confronted us with questions, practical problems, and troubleshooting needs that helped us understand how to be more effective in teaching complex concepts to this particular age group.

This research work of Evergreen Horses will continue as next year the students will enter the next phase of learning. This year was the foundation for future classes which will be more complex and technical.

Conclusion

The Natural Horsemanship program created a community of young individuals who share the same passion, and who are now able to support each other taking advantage of their best qualities. We were able to plant a “seed” that goes beyond the skill of “not falling off a horse” – of individuals who are more able to self-analyze and transform some of the negative aspects of human qualities into something more neutral. This practice enables students to continue developing three important ingredients when working with horses: Love, Language and Leadership. Such introspection enables them to be more successful with horses and in other aspects of life.