This is my first blog, and I’m just going to share with you some things that I’m really excited about. On June 27, some friends of mine and I put on our first CPR Class/Safety For Horse People Clinic, and it was so much fun!
Janet and John Wilczak hosted the event at their beautiful Double J Ranch in Santa Ynez. In the morning, I had the pleasure to open the event with a horse demo/lecture addressing safety issues around horses and the different natural response systems in humans and equines. The horse in the pictures (
Photos: Jim McKeagan) is Sunny, Janet’s beautiful, 4-year-old quarter horse mare, who helped me illustrate some of the principles of predatorial and flight animal behaviors and interactions. I tried to make everyone look at things from the horse’s point of view so that we can look ahead, recognize and deal with potentially scary and dangerous situations in a more responsible and trustworthy manner. Great questions and interesting feed-back turned this session into a fun and insightful matter for all participants including myself.
We then had a wonderful group luncheon al fresco out on Janet’s and John’s lovely terrace where we enjoyed Janet’s delicious, home-made panini and lunch buffet. Everyone had a chance to get to know some of the other participants, the sun was shining and the freshly made lemonade and ice tea kept everyone one in good spirits for the afternoon part of the event, the Medic CPR & First Aid Class.
Photos: Jim McKeagan) is Sunny, Janet’s beautiful, 4-year-old quarter horse mare, who helped me illustrate some of the principles of predatorial and flight animal behaviors and interactions. I tried to make everyone look at things from the horse’s point of view so that we can look ahead, recognize and deal with potentially scary and dangerous situations in a more responsible and trustworthy manner. Great questions and interesting feed-back turned this session into a fun and insightful matter for all participants including myself.
We then had a wonderful group luncheon al fresco out on Janet’s and John’s lovely terrace where we enjoyed Janet’s delicious, home-made panini and lunch buffet. Everyone had a chance to get to know some of the other participants, the sun was shining and the freshly made lemonade and ice tea kept everyone one in good spirits for the afternoon part of the event, the Medic CPR & First Aid Class.
Suz Roehl and Janet Nelson, two very well-versed horse women and medical professionals, conducted the CPR class. Their hands-on knowledge of the horse world gave everyone great insights into what to do (and what not to do) in situations of accidents typically occurring in the various fields of riding and horse handling.
We had participants with various horse-related backgrounds attending, therapeutic riding instructors, hunt riders, dressage and 3-day eventers, endurance as well as pleasure/trail riders, and horse people who just wanted to broaden their horizon to be able to help their loved ones if/when needed. Everyone seemed to agree that this was one of the most fun and educational CPR classes they had attended. Everyone got their certification and went home with the good feeling of being a bit better equipped in case of a medical emergency.
Please check out some of the nice emails I received from participants after the event:
“I just wanted to say thanks again for all your work in putting together a great program on Saturday. Not only was the location fabulous, but all of the information presented was informative, extremely useful and presented in a really fun format.”
~ Wendy Wergeles, Trainer/Competitor, 3-Day-Eventing
“If I had attended your CPR/safety clinic before the worst fall of my life, I would have benefited on two counts. First, I would have known that when my horse stopped dead in his tracks, frightened by a dun-colored heifer that suddenly rose to her feet from behind a bush, I should have allowed him to look at her for just a short while. After that, I should have distracted him, let him know that I am the leader, and asked him to move. Instead, I stayed very still myself, thinking, "What a beautiful cow!" He read my stillness as fright, spun, bolted, and bucked, and I hit the ground hard.
Second, I would have known that when you have a very bad accident, you should stay still, call 911, and let experienced people get you to the hospital. Instead, I bluffed my way through the pain, got up, started leading my horse back the 3/4 mile to the barn, and suddenly felt all the hairline fractures in my knee give way to the pressure. The result was a major surgery, installation of many screws and an L-bracket to repair my shattered tibial plateau, and many more weeks on crutches than would have been the case otherwise.”
~ Lindsey Reed, Hunt-, Trail- and Dressage-Rider
“Thank you again for taking time out of your busy schedule to share your experiences. Although I had seen similar demonstrations and way back in mind somewhere I stored some of this information I don't always apply or relate my experiences with what I have heard. Being able to sit and listen to your analysis of the cause and affect of our horse's actions helped me understand some of the situations I've enountered or seen in other horses. It all makes so much sense! Everyone should take time out of their busy riding schedule to learn how to communicate and understand their horses and make more their riding time more enjoyable. Adding the CPR First aid part of your clinic was way overdue for me. It had been well over 15 years since I had taken course and I can't tell you how much more comfortable I feel now knowing that I might be able to help my fellow riders in an emergency situation. I hope to attend future clinics you have to offer.”
~ Judy Ramos, Hunt- and Trail Rider
“Thanks for a wonderful day. I really enjoyed the horsemanship clinic and am applying some of the things you shared about horse psychology to my own horse with good results. I think we will become a much better team. The CPR/1st Aid class was great & should be mandatory for all riders. I hope to attend more of your clinics.”
~ Carol Abeloe, 3-day event rider
OK, so that was so much fun that I will follow up with another safety-oriented event, a 2-part Dressage & Groundwork clinic addressing “The Nervous Rider” (Sat., October 10) and “The Spooky Horse” (Sat., October 17). For more information please go to ‘NEWS/EVENTS’ on my website and check for details.
Also, I wanted to let you know who helped me put together my lovely website: Sue Krauer, founder/owner of the webdesign firm The Art Department, www.artdepartmentsb.com, an incredibly fun, creative, open-minded, smart and talented designer and horse woman, built and started the site up with a great sense for my specific vision, philosophy and goals. If you need some help with your website design, Sue is not only brilliant in her technical and creative versatility, she is also a lot of fun and a fountain of ‘hey, how about doing it this way?” type of ideas and great suggestions.
I also want to thank Tom Baldwin, a very talented rider, friend and client of mine, who continuously supports my efforts in the horse world by artfully taking and supplying me with a wonderful range of professional-level quality photography. A lot of the photography you see on my website and promotional pieces show Tom’s great eye for horses in motion and his sense to catch those very special moments we get to share with our equine friends.
I thank you all for your interest and support. I hope to inspire more and more horse people to think and ride along the principles of “Gentle Solutions for Horses and People.” Please let me know your thoughts, questions and suggestions. I am here to share my knowledge, but I am also here to continue my lifelong journey to learn more so I can ride, train and teach better.
All my very best wishes, be well and ride with a smile!
☺
Katja Elk
www.gentlesolutionsdressage.com
katja@gentlesolutionsdressage.com
