The Show and the Seminar

This weekend was super-busy because the entire farm at Villa Silva put on a horse show for a rather famous guest of honor names Franklin Levinson from Calorodo. Franklin is a horse whisperer and public speaker who did not receive the same amount of hype as Pat Parelli, but still works just as effectively in explaining and demonstrating natural horsemanship at farms all over the world.

On Saturday, more advanced riders and volunteers at The Silva Project were able to show their riding skills and horsemanship skills in three different dressage events throughout the day including a walk/trot course, walk/trot/canter course, and jumping course. My responsibilities were limited to walking up and down the mountainous hill to and from the riding ring with hay, saddles, horses, riders, and anything else they needed from the farm down below. Tensions were high as the volunteers readied kids and horses for their events, making sure every stirrup was in place, every girth was tightened, and ever collar was buttoned. The kids performed beautifully and glowed with excitement as their names were called to received medals and trophies as a prize for their work.Although this competitive setting makes room for nervous riders and horses, the day went smoothly save for one fall from a spooky horse. This is the first horse show that the Villa Silva has ever put on, and I can tell that it really made a difference for the riders here in terms of their relationships with their horses. The highest points of success for the children—clearing a jump, switching leads effectively—brought them closer to their horse, while the lowest points—falling off, placing last in the event—inspired a frustration that will ultimately make the children work harder with their horse to obtain an elevated goal. There’s just something about dressing up to impress judges and manning a horse with grace and patience in the most stressful situations that makes a rider stronger, and I was glad to have witnessed this growth on Saturday.
Today, Franklin Levinson gave a day-long seminar for the riders, parents, and volunteers about natural horsemanship. This type of horsemanship involves caring for a horse in a way that is empathetic to their instinctual needs, also know in more main-stream media as “horse whispering.” Franklin worked with three horses with issues at the barn: Prince, who spooks at everything; Roben, whose abusive past has given him a problem with aggression; and Shaun, a Skyrian with bad ground manners. With Prince, Franklin showed the children how to be compassionate towards that horse’s fear and how to be a good leader to the horse so that it will feel safe. With Roben, Franklin took a fortified stance as he quietly made Roben submit to his leadership so that his aggressive tendencies disappeared. And finally, with Shaun, Franklin lead the horse around and kept him entertained—communicating with him at every turn so that he never misbehaved.
Franklin emphasized that horsemanship is like a dance, in which the handler is the leader and remains empathetic with the horses desires and needs while remaining very self aware and firm in quiet leadership. As I watched these horses show signs of change—lowered heads; twitching ears; walking, trotting, and halting with the simple sound of his voice—I realized that quiet, empathetic, and compassionate leadership seems to be what works most effectively with horses, and with humans. Franklin’s seminar was not only a time for his to train these horses, but it was also a time for him to teach the children (and adults) in the audience how to lead their animals and each other.