What Is Inside The Head Of A Horse
As
you may
have figured out, horses do not seem
to speak our
language. That
is why we must learn
to adapt and speak theirs. Have
you noticed
the swivel of
their ears, the movements of their hips and
the expressions
on their
face? These things
are the way
horses communicate
with each other and us.
In
order to
understand their language first we must understand what our
body language says to them.
Waving arms
around in a desperate
attempt to get
the halter
on is sure to cause
some alarm. Running towards
them in
a pasture instead of approaching them calmly can
give them
the image of
a surprise
attack by a predator. Remember, when it comes down to
it, no
horse is bombproof so when
you are around
your horse make sure your body language is slow and
calm. Keeping yourself calm is the first step to
helping a horse remain calm.
Horses speak
with both
ends of their body - unlike us humans who speak
with only the top half.
Not only are the back and front the
ends where the signals come from
they are also the ends where injuries to humans come
from, so watch what they are telling you.
EARS BACK
Almost all horse
people know that when a horse has his/her
ears laid flat back
something is amiss. The horse
could be frightened
or in
most cases angry.
This is a time to watch both ends of the horses body carefully.
Yet
this gesture is not always dangerous. The horse could
either be listening to commands
or noises
coming from
behind or
just be resting out of boredom. As you come to know your horse you will begin to learn the
true difference.
EARS FOWARD
Not really anything to worry about right? Happy horses have their ears forward - sometimes but not
always. As a horse
directs his or
her attention to something its ears
usually follow. Also ears sticking up
high can be signs of mischief or the horse being very
alert. Good time to remind your horse you are in charge if his/her attention span flies around during your ride.
GROOMING
Most people approach
grooming as something
that just needs to be done and nothing else. In truth grooming your horse establishes a bond with you and
that horse just as a horse would bond with other horses through grooming in the wild.
If you treat a horse roughly or only do a quick once over with the brush the horse can only assume you are a
rough or harsh handler. Whereas if you spend a lot of time grooming and caring for the horse you
create a trusting bond with it.
View more
equine articles and
classifieds at -
http://www.horsegalore.com/index.php?option=com_contentShannon Margolis
Tiger Woods Can't Match the Mental Toughness of a 14 year Old Girl
What is mental toughness? Is
it being able to grind out
a good score when things aren't going so well on
the course? Or is it
the mental ability to stay strong
and committed
in spite
of distractions and
on-course circumstances?
Of course it is both of these things and
more. Yet mental toughness isn't something
you simply acquire in
the spur of
the moment or when you "think you
need it."
No, it's more of an overall mindset. A perspective on the game that allows you to tap another level
within your mental game.
Mental toughness is developed and built over
time. Once you have
a degree of mental toughness, access to it when it matters becomes easier and easier. Like
any new skill it habituates over time. An increased inner resolve that generates consistent, confident swings.
Do you have the mental toughness of a 14-year-old-girl? I don't think even Tiger does.
Seriously. Is your golfing mindset solid and committed in the many scenarios that unfold in your game?
Do you have as strong a
mind as young
MacKinzie Kline, the 14-year-old golfing phenom? She is incredibly mentally tough.
She
was born
with only three valves in her
heart and her kidney was on the wrong side of her
body. Having gone through several operations in her life, she built a toughness. She went on to qualify for the Women's Amateur
at the age of 14. She's already had three aces
and one of them was caught on film!
Yet as she continued to play she began to feel extremely short of breath. She was forced to take an
oxygen tank
with her as she played and use it between holes. Nothing would stop her from competing. Imagine
lugging an oxygen tank around the course with you and remaining focused on each shot!
Concerned, the doctors investigated
what might be causing her shortness of
breath and discovered she had a hole in her
heart which
they had missed some time
before that. So she underwent another operation.
She has a mental toughness that keeps her in her game and completely centered in each moment. Regardless of the circumstances. She has decided to play with a mindset that says, "I
determine how I feel and how I'll
perform, not the other player or
what might be happening around me." MacKinzie Kline's mindset is the epitome of what mental toughness is.
It's almost routine to watch some
frustrated whiner on the course toss his club 20 yards down the fairway after a bad shot. Or complain about all the bad breaks they get, why the bunker wasn't raked properly, how the cup wasn't cut right, and on and on. Player after player, when faced with some adversity, fold like a cheap suit and succumb to the
inertia of their own inner weakness.
And then there's this 14-year-old girl with only three valves in her heart with more
character and heart than any of us could hope to have.
Mental toughness is a state of mind that keeps your attention on each task. Each shot. Each moment. MacKinzie Kline is committed to her mental game. She is committed to herself.
She accepts complete responsibility for her
results and places no blame outside of herself for her circumstances. Amazing. Most everyone would agree she has a right to feel self pity. That doesn't happen with her for even a moment. Her diminutive stature
disguises a towering mental game giant.
She chooses how she'll experience herself on the golf
course. Knowing mental toughness is a decision. A commitment to an inner ideal that is bigger then the outcome of any one shot, or game. She chose to accept ownership of her
internal state and how she'll perform.
Tiger is unquestionably the dominant force in the game and is so mainly because of his mental toughness. Yet I would place young MacKinzie Kline along side him any day if forced to choose the mental game giants in golf.
It
sure makes our own weakness on the course
seem pathetic, doesn't it?
Wade Pearse is a Peak Performance Coach who spent 7
years applying the most advanced mental game strategies in golf with his clients and in his own game with phenomenal results. His website is
filled with mental game resources and is 100% focused on developing the inner game.
