Heroes in the Horse World

The girls & I love to ride horses. We even enjoy mucking out the stables, because then we are at least around horses. But we also love to watch the professional horseman and horsewoman in the world. It gives us a chance to learn from watching them and to see what 'it' looks like when 'it' is done right.
One of my favorite tv shows is Horsemanship Essentials, which is the tv version of the online website for Intelligent Horsemanship. It is based off of a partnership between Monty Roberts and Kelly Marks. They work with 'troubled' horses and teach the owners how to communicate on an equine level. It is absolutely amazing to watch Monty or Kelly get a horse to 'join up' with them in such a short amount of time; then once that happens, they can then work with the horse to correct almost any problem.
Anyway, in November we got to see it all up close & personal when we visited a show outside of London. A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! They really do it all in a short amount of time, just like you see on the tv show...

This is Monty Roberts. Some people call him a Horse Whisperer... I don't know if that is a proper title, but I can tell you he has a way in that round ring with a horse.
Sample of the Round Ring that Monty or Kelly work in. We were sitting just a few feet away from the ring so we could see everything. It was awesome!

Kelly Marks autographed the books we bought and spent some time talking with the girls. On the following Monday I made a comment on her Facebook page about the show & she responded back in a personal manner, even remembering the girls. I was so impressed by her 'personal' touch.

I so enjoyed this experience & cannot wait to put it into practice with my own horses once we move back to the states.

Back in September, we all went to the Burghley Horse Trials. We enjoyed the shopping and watching the Show Jumping finals, but for the girls (especially Brittney) the highlight was meeting Mary King. She is such a nice person; I have a new respect for her after watching her interaction with so many fans & knowing that she needed to be getting ready for the Show Jumping finals. She is a class act!

You know the funny thing about the Horse Trials, when we first moved here I would go to the Horse Trials each year with the other American wives, not for the horses but for the shopping. The last two years, I have enjoyed the shopping but I have gone for the horses. Funny how time can change things...