Whisper n Thunder
The Whisper of Native American stories, the Thunder of stories that demand to be told.
The Original Horse Whisperers
Our Native Americans, the Original “Horse Whisperers”
~ Millie Chalk
What’s been labeled as the newest and most revolutionary technique in horse training over the past several decades is in fact not new at all, but instead a tradition amongst our people that has existed for hundreds of years.
We are the original “horse whisperers!”
Using the careful study of such magnificent creatures, we aligned ourselves with this noble animal in our efforts to thrive for centuries. But it has only been recently that experts in the world’s equestrian community have recognized the value in understanding the horse’s herd instincts and have adopted its ways of communication in dealing with them. What a novel concept indeed!
Learning to speak the horse’s language to request what it is we want the horse to do for us. That’s what “horse whispering” is about, using what we know and understand
about the horse’s nature to affect how he responds to us. This is something that Native Americans perfected long ago when the study of everything in nature gave them a greater ability to interact with all living creatures.
From the teachings of the famous Linda Tellington Jones who credits Native American tradition for creating her TTouch techniques (www.ttouch.com), to Sally Swift of “Centered Riding” (www.centeredriding.org) using the image of the warrior praying to the Great Spirit from his horse’s back to be the example of the perfect balance in a rider’s position, to John Lyons with his “join up” exercise implementing the horse’s natural herd instinct to bond him to his rider (www.joshlyons.com), these and others have adopted and adapted time honored practices in the development of their training programs.
We as Native Americans have a great heritage to live up to in many regards but none so noble or worthy as being exemplary horsemen and women. Winston Churchill once said; “The back of a horse is good for the inside of a man.” No doubt our ancestors believed this in that the horse was more to them than simply a beast of burden. Their beliefs imbued the horse with great spiritual power along with strength and courage, the qualities they wanted to integrate into their lives.
The point I’m trying to make is that I feel strongly that we as a people have a cultural obligation to be an example to the world as we once were when it comes to how we care for our animals in general but particularly when it comes to our horses. I believe we should make every attempt to learn as much as possible about everything that pertains to our horse’s well being both old and new and to develop a greater awareness of what it takes to be a proper steward of one of the Great Spirit’s most magnificent creations.
If you own or care for a horse you should cherish the responsibility and welcome the opportunity to have a connection mostly unchanged from what was experienced by our ancestors generations ago. Being given an equestrian experience at any level is a great privilege, one that requires humility and honor not to be trivialized or taken for granted but embraced as a marvelous gift.
To assist others in the great endeavor of caring for their horse I’ve developed a website dedicated to everyone seeking to improve their knowledge of horses. My website is: http://backyardhorseman.com
My desire for the website is that over time we will have covered every possible question, subject or technique imaginable regarding horses to better enable people everywhere to care for their sacred friends.
I also wish to make myself available to anyone with any question or concern regarding horses. My own personal email which is published on the website is; milliechalk@sbcglobal.net
Don’t hesitate to ask any question! I’ll look forward to hearing from you!
Banner Graphic: www.firstpeople.us
~ Millie Chalk
What’s been labeled as the newest and most revolutionary technique in horse training over the past several decades is in fact not new at all, but instead a tradition amongst our people that has existed for hundreds of years.
We are the original “horse whisperers!”
Using the careful study of such magnificent creatures, we aligned ourselves with this noble animal in our efforts to thrive for centuries. But it has only been recently that experts in the world’s equestrian community have recognized the value in understanding the horse’s herd instincts and have adopted its ways of communication in dealing with them. What a novel concept indeed! Learning to speak the horse’s language to request what it is we want the horse to do for us. That’s what “horse whispering” is about, using what we know and understand
about the horse’s nature to affect how he responds to us. This is something that Native Americans perfected long ago when the study of everything in nature gave them a greater ability to interact with all living creatures. From the teachings of the famous Linda Tellington Jones who credits Native American tradition for creating her TTouch techniques (www.ttouch.com), to Sally Swift of “Centered Riding” (www.centeredriding.org) using the image of the warrior praying to the Great Spirit from his horse’s back to be the example of the perfect balance in a rider’s position, to John Lyons with his “join up” exercise implementing the horse’s natural herd instinct to bond him to his rider (www.joshlyons.com), these and others have adopted and adapted time honored practices in the development of their training programs.
We as Native Americans have a great heritage to live up to in many regards but none so noble or worthy as being exemplary horsemen and women. Winston Churchill once said; “The back of a horse is good for the inside of a man.” No doubt our ancestors believed this in that the horse was more to them than simply a beast of burden. Their beliefs imbued the horse with great spiritual power along with strength and courage, the qualities they wanted to integrate into their lives.
The point I’m trying to make is that I feel strongly that we as a people have a cultural obligation to be an example to the world as we once were when it comes to how we care for our animals in general but particularly when it comes to our horses. I believe we should make every attempt to learn as much as possible about everything that pertains to our horse’s well being both old and new and to develop a greater awareness of what it takes to be a proper steward of one of the Great Spirit’s most magnificent creations.
If you own or care for a horse you should cherish the responsibility and welcome the opportunity to have a connection mostly unchanged from what was experienced by our ancestors generations ago. Being given an equestrian experience at any level is a great privilege, one that requires humility and honor not to be trivialized or taken for granted but embraced as a marvelous gift.
To assist others in the great endeavor of caring for their horse I’ve developed a website dedicated to everyone seeking to improve their knowledge of horses. My website is: http://backyardhorseman.com
My desire for the website is that over time we will have covered every possible question, subject or technique imaginable regarding horses to better enable people everywhere to care for their sacred friends.
I also wish to make myself available to anyone with any question or concern regarding horses. My own personal email which is published on the website is; milliechalk@sbcglobal.net
Don’t hesitate to ask any question! I’ll look forward to hearing from you!
Banner Graphic: www.firstpeople.us
