MARK RASHID CLINIC

By Jaki Cast

To say that working with Mark Rashid was one of the most difficult & rewarding experiences of my life would be a real understatement. To say that working with Mark was the best thing that ever happened to my horse is about as accurate as can be. I am a more confident, calmer, and quieter person today than I was last week. And, it's a feeling that will stay with me.

We had such a cool group of participants that 1 can't say enough good about the folks who attended We were supportive of each other and quite interested in being there for each other over the course of the clinic. It was safe and secure and pretty remarkable to be in the company of folks who really want the best for their horses

I learned so much over the course of Mark's 4 day clinic in Texas so many things that are so hard to describe Attitude, approach, softness within..., feelings and concepts that language don't begin to touch. I learned that I had no idea how perceptive and sensitive horses are Oh, I thought I knew but then I really made the effort to find that place in myself that allowed me to give horses the credit they deserve. That place in myself that settled and got quiet for my horse I can not find the words to let ya'li know that it really is so important to be there for our horses I found that Dancer had really been searching for a way to let me know that he was pretty worried that I wouldn't hang in there with him when the going got a little tuff......and, he was right.

Mark offered me the opportunity to really be there for Dancer...a way to stop worrying so much about myself and think about my horse, Dancer's been a pretty insecure fella for a long time and MY insecurity only amplified the situation. Once I found a way to quiet myself and to let Dancer know that I wasn't going to quit him. what a difference!! Once I truly made the choice of considering my horse first, things began to soften..I began to soften .,we both got a little quieter way down deep.

Now I can sit here and say that I knew all these things, but until Mark was here, I didn't really KNOW any of it.....I didn't really FEEL it. Mark has the ability to hang in there with you and really set things up so that you find yourself searching deep down for the right thing. And, then you look up and Mark is still there after the storm I can only imagine that the horses feel the same thing

I've joked a couple of times about how I felt like I had gone thru real intensive psychotherapy over the four days, there were lots of tears shed - I'm sure Mark wondered about us Texas women at times. There were some real frustrating moments, some times when I thought I just couldn't do it, but then there were those vivid glimpses into what was possible with Dancer when I was there for him and boy, Dancer's well-being became real important to me, And, being there consistently for him became my goal. I know now that until I got myself right, I couldn't possibly try to help Dancer. And when Dancer realized that I was getting to that place inside that was reliable.., well, how 'bout that, the Dancing Horse began to relax and feel tike he could depend on me a little more

My goals with Dancer changed on a minute-by-minute basis during

Mark's visit. Did I ride Dancer? No, I didn't, but I will when Dancer tells me that he's ready, and now that I'm listening a little closer I don't figure we'll have too much trouble But, something really remarkable happened on the last day of the clinic... Mark spent a lot of time with the process of saddling Dancer on Sunday.....when Mark cinched the saddle for the first time, Dancer took some real proud steps in that round pen as if to say, "Look at me., I'm saddled and living thru it," I don't think there were too many dry eyes in the place that morning. We were all so happy that Dancer had regained his dignity,..he found a pride that had been absent for awhile Dancer is a softer & happier horse now..., and, I'm a softer & happier person.

Mark said something that really stuck with me and I hope ya'll can find some value in it, "When mules fly, you can't really blame them when they don't stay up in the air too long."

Thank you, Mark.

Peace to You & Yours~ Jaki Cast - Texas, USA

Part 2

Yesterday I posted mostly about what I hadn't accomplished with Dancer.. so, now that I'm really working on keeping myself in a positive framework I thought I'd post a bit about what I have had a part in accomplishing with Dancer.

Dancer is a horse that has been very few places in his life. The only time he spent any time away from his pasture was a trip to a barn a year ago that's the place where the saddle problem started Anyhow, Dancer had probably only been hauled a total of 5 times before this clinic came up And, when he was hauled, he was loose in a pretty roomy stock trailer - but never tied in an enclosed slant load trailer. And, Dancer sure hasn't had any exposure to indoor arenas, PA systems, heavy traffic nearby, or jets taking off across the road (the clinic was held across the road from an aviation plant) .he's lived a pretty quiet life in a pretty quiet pasture since he moved here a year and a half ago. The most adventure he got was me hand walking him on the dirt roads around here....I love those times.

Anyhow, Dancer hauled 3 days of the clinic tied in a slant load trailer, he was asked to stay in a 12 X 12 stall each day, and on Sat I even asked him to allow me to hose him down coz he had a pretty fun horsey time in the mud at home the night before,, hosed down with pretty cold water on a pretty drizzly cold morning in a place he'd never been bathed before Dancer met horses he'd never seen before, he saw and heard and smelled things that weren't a regular part of his world, and he was petted and surrounded by folks all the time.

Now, I've done lots of stuff at home in the way of exposing Dancer to different things...., flags, umbrellas, radios, slickers, guitars, mowers, bubbles, etc. But, ya never really know until you're in a new environment how things will go Well, things went pretty dad-gum well! Dancer just seemed like he'd been doing this clinic thang all his life, there were a couple of spook moments, but we stayed together and I actually got a bit of a chuckle out of Dancer a few times coz he seemed so curious about stuff around him.

And, then there was Friday,,,..Mark showed me how to lunge Dancer on a long line - then he showed me how to drive Dancer with lines,....okay, well, so I wasn't so good with those two ropes :o) But, the point is that I saw that all my hours of working and asking for that "soft feel" from Dancer just really shined! He is absolutely a horse that will yield with a thought...and, I've had everything to do with that......Dancer & I have done that together and it felt pretty good to see that my horse was so light and soft in an environment where he'd never been before.

So, I guess I just wanted ya'll to know that this clinic wasn't only about what we haven't accomplished with our horses.....it was just as much about what we HAD done along the way to prepare our horses for different aspects of their life with us Mark's clinics are as much about attitude & acceptance as anything. "When mules fly ..... ".

Peace to You & Yours-Jaki Cast - Texas, USA

Part 3

Hi all,

I've had some requests for more specific info about what took place with Dancer and the saddle at Mark Rashid's clinic. First I have to say that a clinic with Mark is more about a feeling & more about an attitude than it is about specific mechanics......or at least it was that way for me. and rm pretty sure it was that way for Dancer But, I will try to explain how vividly the change in Dancer showed up I actually reviewed the videotape from Saturday & Sunday to try to help me put a better explanation on this I saw one really small (huge) thing that I couldn't believe I had forgotten to mention in my original post More about that in a minute ....

Mark had plans to saddle Dancer on Sat, but I was out of kilter so therefore, Dancer was out of kilter. Once again, folks, I can not tell you how perceptive and sensitive these horses are to our many range of moods and mindsets.

On Saturday there was quite a bit of rider schedule rearranging soooo Dancer and I ended up going last in the day. I'm not making excuses for myself here, but I am going to try to paint a picture about how we influence our horses. Since hubby & I were the organizers, as well as. me participating in the clinic - well, my days were pretty full every day. So, when mine & Dancer's time came up at the end of Saturday, I was tired and had had all day long to think about the whole "saddle thang" to come I'm sure I was not in the best frame of mind to begin with add in the idea that saddling Dancer was the goal for that day---and, well, I began to get pretty nervous---funny thing is that I didn't really notice the effect on Dancer until he & I went into the round to start our session He was not real focused, and I know (now) that it was because I wasn't real focused

There were a couple of reasons I knew Dancer wasn't really "there" with me on Saturday. Part of it was because the long line lunge work I was doing was not "feeling right"...I wasn't getting the same softness and connection with Dancer that I had the day before. Of course, now I look back on it and I think Dancer did a pretty good job of staying as there for me as he did, considering I wasn't giving him much attention right then. In my mind the dialogue probably went something like this between Dancer and I:

Dancer: "Well, hell, I can't get her to stay in here with me so I'll just have to go where she

goes"

Me: "What's wrong with Dancer today.,."

Dancer: "Look, I'm trying, but you're not here.....are you going to leave me again?"

Me: "Oh God, Sheldon's bringing that saddle over to the fence."

Dancer: "Oh no, he's bringing that thing over here ,where is she going?? Why doesn't she realize I need her here right now"

Me: '1 just don't know if I can do this...."

Dancer: '"1 just don't know if I can do this ..."

That's just my take on it, but I figure it's pretty accurate.....makes me sad to write it down

now ... but, I learned so much from that one day

Anyhow, Mark comes into the pen and takes the line from me and begins to ask Dancer for some attention., some focus He comments that Dancer is pretty "wired" ...Mark did a great job of directing and supporting Dancer, but I have to wonder how my mindset & internal dialogue had already set the stage for that day.

Mark went over and got the pad and Dancer is standing in the round pen just "vapor locked" to the ground---brace isn't really a good description of what we all saw in Dancer. It was like knowing a volcano was going to erupt, we just didn't know when---Dancer was standing there tight and needing to blow, but not sure if anyone would be around to help with the overflow.., this all happened when Mark just made a move toward the saddle. Mark made a comment about the smell of my saddle, it's a real old saddle that we've oiled the heck out of trying to recondition Well, my frame of mind being what it was, I took Mark's comments pretty personal ... once again, I was more concerned about myself than my horse I have to interject here that Mark was NEVER rude about my saddle, it was the way I took his comments. His concern was that the smell of the saddle was bothering Dancer--- know that now.

Anyhow, it was obvious, before much longer, that Saturday was not going to be the day to get the saddle cinched on Dancer Mark did some approach & retreat stuff with the saddle and some rubbing with the pad ...he did sit the saddle up on Dancer at one point, but Mark is pretty good at knowing when a horse is ready and when they aren't So, rather than push Dancer, he stopped the process for the day.

I cried like a baby Saturday .wallowing in my own self pity really.....and then, I began to see a different light on things.....I began to look at things thru Dancer's eyes.... I began to realize that Dancer really didn't feel like anyone would stay with him while he worked thru this big hunk of leather And, well, heck - I cried some more then :o) Mark and I had a pretty good talk beside Dancer's stall that evening before we left to come home. I was just so sad that I had let Dancer down. Mark was pretty comforting in his words about the horses' ability to forgive and to move on if the human could.

Sunday dawned a new day.... Mark asked me what I thought to be a pretty significant question before he left the house that morning He asked me if the "trained' that had worked with Dancer wore a cowboy hat or a ball cap. I told him the guy had worn a black cowboy hat ---which is what Mark wore. Mark went and got his ball cap and left the house. Meanwhile, I arranged my morning so that I could have some time to myself in order to find some center within. My husband hauled Dancer to the clinic in our trailer and I stayed after everyone else left and took my time getting ready for the day. I had a pretty good outlook by the time I got to the clinic Sunday morning....I felt different about things I was looking forward rather than back.

I took Dancer to the round pen Sunday morning and he was a different horse. He was soft and ready for whatever might happen....but, then, so was I. I was there for Dancer and he knew it.

Mark went into the round pen with Dancer and commented about his not seeming "ballistic". something about seeing a "different horse"......Dancer was letting Mark know that he was ready by focusing on Mark and really wanting to know what was next, very soft and attentive are the words I will use to describe Dancer that morning. Well, I had decided to use a different saddle on Sunday. I wanted Mark to saddle Dancer with a lightweight cordura saddle. So, Mark went over to the fence and got the pad....he did a lot of rubbing and on-off work with the pad Then he did some rope work around Dancer's girth area.

Then the saddle...Mark got the saddle and real gently began to introduce Dancer to it Lots of approach & retreat lots of smelling (from Dancer, not Mark :o), lots of general consideration for Dancer's comfort zone with the saddle. Then Mark began to sit the saddle up on Dancer off & on, off & on without the pad...he started out with the off side stirrup up so that it didn't bang Dancer's side.., then Mark began to let Dancer feel the stirrup on the other side when Mark would put the saddle on. No step in the process was ignored, at no time did Mark presume that Dancer was comfortable with any part of the saddling process.

Then Mark allowed Dancer to feel the pad going on, followed shortly by the saddle going on.....Mark did this several times and Dancer began to get real soft and willing to work thru this part of his life. I think a huge part of it was because Dancer knew that Mark wouldn't leave him hanging out there in a place that was real scary for Dancer.

Just before Mark cinched Dancer up for the first time, Dancer began to take some tentative steps while wearing the saddle....Mark still right there beside him in case Dancer couldn't find his way I can honestly say that when Dancer began to move with the saddle on, folks just began to break down....it was just soooo incredibly cool! Then the really small (huge) thing happened that let me know that Dancer was really trying to find some comfort, That thing that I forgot to post.

I was standing on the outside of the round pen while Mark was working with Dancer and the saddle. Dancer began to move around with the saddle, and we were all crying, and I was thinking "Geez what a good job that Dancing Horse is doing...." Well, Dancer began to walk over to the fence where I was standing....he came right up to me as if to say, "See, I can do this and I'm still alive." It was a very emotional moment for me, but a moment that changed a lot of how I look at things with my horse now. Writing this now doesn't seem to give it the significance that was there I hope maybe Jodi or Amy can give their thoughts on this one space in time ,but, for me, it meant everything to have Dancer walk over to me wearing that saddle.

So, then Mark said he believed Dancer was ready to be cinched. He cinched the saddle up ever so slowly and Dancer took those proud steps that I talked about in my original post. Mark unsaddled Dancer and said he believed that was "progress"......I believe it was too...and, even better, I believe Dancer saw it as a big step forward.

We have lots of work ahead of us, me & Dancer, but I will try always to be there for him and put forth the great effort that he does, And, I will try to be as forgiving of myself as Dancer is.

So, that's a bit more about the saddling process with Dancer. I hope this helps those of you who wanted more details Once again, so much of what I learned with Mark was about attitude and feel and acceptance.,, I think this is one of those situations that you may not be able to fully understand unless you were there.

Peace to You & Yours-