A LIGHTER LOOK AT LESLIE DESMOND AND HER CLINIC
SCORE HILL, HADDINGTON, SCOTLAND, 2-5 MAY 2002
or
IF I HAD A SCANNER I WOULD HAVE DRAWN A CARTOON AND SENT IT.
"Are you turning down the horse's life force in order to be confident to ride him?" The lady asking this rather direct question was dressed in well worn tan leather chaps, a couple of jackets, some twisted scarves round her neck to ward of the advances of a mere Scottish brawl (wind), and sunglasses to ward of the rays of the sun and perhaps more wind.
The bright sun, a rare occurrence in these parts, was something we were all going to be grateful for, but would not compare to the 'attitude of gratitude' we all came to feel for the remarkable Leslie Desmond, horsemanship person extraordinaire.
I recognized her immediately of course. I'm good at things like that. Ha
I'd seen photos of her in the 'True horsemanship Through Feel' book she deftly assisted the late Bill Dorrance to put together and published in 1999, a 'feel bible' for many and any.
In one photo she struck a striking pose grinning from under one of those 10-gallon hat jobs that people in this country generally only see in cartoons.
At Score Hill, home of Centaur Clinics, Leslie wasn't hard to spot. For those of direct Scottish background and foreground, - "Yew couldnae miss hur." She stood out like a lighthouse beacon. Although not a tall gal she packed a huge presence in a very slim and lithe looking frame. However her head attire was different than I expected, or any one else for that matter and made sighting her even more interesting, even if you had to be on a higher hill to do so.......
Hiding the top of her head, but from which a mane of blond hair flowed down her back, was a mauve/pink beret. I wondered then what had happened to the 10-gallon hat. I had wanted to try it on. However a story about a green-horn venturing out with a 10-gallon hat full of grain into a herd of mules to catch one, and, was never seen again made me wonder if she'd given her hat to that poor forsaken soon-long-gone guy. The beret was perched tight round her brow line, the top looking as if it had been inflated not slanted to the side as the green equivalent guys would wear. I did not have the opportunity to ask her if she was supporting any Scottish ties or just had an interest in hot air ballooning.
As she asked this particular question about honouring the life force of the horse I felt my bum issue forth an involuntary wriggle. Sure I did. So why was I wiggling????
Why was I here at this clinic in fact?
I knew why......obvious.... I did really.
There was no getting away from it. Why should I want to anyway.
It was OK. I didn't need to judge. I just needed to open up and allow in what I'd prayed for. Only I knew what it was. Here was the desire to manifest manifesting.
Perhaps those along from me were wriggling the same as me and each having their own realizations.
I knew some people would eventually be so taken aback by LD's honesty that they would have a wriggle now and then until they wriggled into surrender somewhere along the line.
I'm sure her question brought forward 'early clinic' thought forms from the group like;- "Its ok for you! I've seen your web site and I KNOW.......................................YOU ride in spaces so big that they swallow stars." and "Hey have you ever seen a tree, fence or road in your lifetime as you are passing through?".......... Do you know how small Scotland is in comparison to your back yard?"
By the time we were re-adjusting and saying 'Howdy' to Leslie's first innuendoes of how best we could improve our communications and influences on behalf of ourselves and our equine friends;............... how we could change our potential from the misdirected, misguided and obscure-implemented ways of how we might be living our life;......................... how our life interpretations influenced the way we either conditioned, unconditioned, confused and totally goof-balled our equines -our horses/ponies -
I have to say (breathe, breathe) we all had come to the conclusion that we just loved her already and what she was offering to show us.
Phrases such as "It works until it doesn't" and "teach him about what you mean about what you do" and "get his feet moving 'cause he won't step on his lips" and "he's giving you the hairy eye" or "he's sure about being unsure", I knew didn't relate to my relationship to my human partner in life but to the cartoonist they were bliss, bliss, bliss.
However, to the clinic group, once we had sieved our way through the Leslie Desmond Phrase at Hand Book and realized it wasn't a 'Relationship/Sex Manual' (which you cannot find on her web site by the way only - By Being There at a Clinic) it furthered us into a different perspective of understanding.
Most frequently used verbiage was BREATHE, THOUGHT, INTENT, CLARITY and "get those withers up and that horse on its feet". I've been practising this latter phrase on my partner but he insists he doesn't understand what I mean.
His loss.
Leslie showed the group, no proved it, how our horses mirror and reflect the emotional baggage we may be carrying and/or portraying. In most cases the horses magnified it. When we stepped on ourselves they did it bigger and better, when we worried they crapped themselves.... and so on. I do have to say that connecting a visual of horse crap to human crap is still of confusion to me!! The other way round does feel easier.
Life lessons varied, surfaced and played themselves out in the midst of the most extraordinary circumstances. For instance there was the time when 6 horses were all in the round pen rounding each other up amongst some squaring each other off.
As the horses were zooming around, oh, here and there, one of the clinic participants (actually the organizer - now known as 'T' 'brave one') had been invited into the round pen by Leslie so as to talk to her horse (who was milling around at speed as horses sometimes do) and encourage/ask the lovely filly to decide she would like to be focused and calm to be caught and petted for her effort. As 'T' 'brave one' plastered herself against the wall the conversation turned to a 'procrappinator' (procrastinator) of the past who had been responsible for millions of babies being refused natural maternal love - ie - shut crying in dark rooms with-holding them from the arms of someone soothing and loving - hey their mum!!!!!???
As one of the clinic auditors mentioned the name 'Dr Spock' another stood up and began to deliver the history and results of the effects to her life after her mother read Spock and denounced her initial labour of love because she believed in a book written by a guy with no uterus who also had no idea that a 'cap' was not something you placed on your head.
Leslie spouted out a very wise learning phrase which was to have a huge impact on us all.
(censored!)
This proved very helpful indeed, particularly to 'T' 'brave one'
As the 2nd syllable was uttered 'T' lifted her left arm rapidly, fluckering a headcollar and lead rope in hand towards a herd of horse's rumps and noses, as if swatting off a wee fly flying by.
I was so impressed by 'T' brave ones' now 'flucker woman's' quick response and understanding of Desmonds phrasiology that I employ her to tutor me and my horsies on a regular basis.
Leslie Desmond reached many souls.
We sensed that a shift within ourselves was on the horizon.
It was either that or we were going to blame the breeders, all previous owners, trainers, feeders, friends of those and their friends.
No judgement and seeking the best potential we can discover in our life from within knowing all the knowledge we need was contained within were the keys shown for us to gain our freedom from our assorted crap.
Shift Happens!
Let's face it. Once you give a little push within your self who knows what can happen.??
And that is what has come to be for us all.
And it is all happening NOW.
Love and blessings, Sal
