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Post by susan56horse on Oct 28, 2009 22:14:12 GMT 1
once again amazing demo at myerscough,the heart rate moniter was very interesting
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Post by Kelly Marks on Oct 29, 2009 15:50:36 GMT 1
Thank you so much for the lovely comments (so far!) Let's not forget the unsung heroes are the owners though. It takes a lot of courage to go in front of an audience and admit you have a problem and would like help - and if people stopped being willing to do that we wouldn't have nearly such interesting educational demonstrations. So just a point re. "I wonder how many people buy a Dually but don't really make the effort to learn how to use it properly?" I know the lady with the gorgeous grey tricky loader and she has made enormous efforts in every way to do the best for her horses (as we all do here!) But it has to be said he was a very big horse and so nice in every other way that she just needed a few 'tweaks' to help her get the job perfect - and that's what we keep Monty aroung for! I'm looking forward to meeting more of you at future demos. Love Kelly xx
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Post by beanymare on Oct 30, 2009 11:35:48 GMT 1
Ooops, that was me re dually! You're quite right, not knowing the circs I shouldn't criticise and actually I didnt really mean it about her per se, but more related to the on-mike discussion between you and Monty re practicising with 25 quiet horses to master use of the Dually (and other methods.
I've heard lots of people say "oh I've tried a Dually/Join Up/horse whispering etc and it doesn't work" - when of course it does work, it is just about getting it right. Which is why the Horse and Country TV stuff is so great, and Monty's new Equus course on-line
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lindsas
Advanced Poster
Novice Poster
Posts: 263
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Post by lindsas on Nov 8, 2009 13:37:47 GMT 1
Went to Towerlands last night and it was great fun. Loved the demos, as usual, but particularly loved Kelly and Pie's Trec demo, and the standing still bit. I reckon most people there were thinking "my horse would NEVER stand still like that", but when Kelly explained how to train a horse to do it "there is lots of Stand still, no, stand, no stand, which can go on for quite some time", I bet a lot of people began thinking that may be it wasn't out of their reach. She manages to explain things in a way that makes you feel that she has been in exactly the same situation as you and if she can do it, so can you.
Loved the heart monitor stuff, very interesting, particularly as when Monty is jerking on the line and it looks quite harsh, the monitor is definitely showing that the horse is not upset by it. And I loved Monty riding that gorgeous quarter horse.
Also, glad it wasn't too "American" which I have found a bit in the past, and there was lots of humour too. I thought it was a really good mix of remedial horse demo and riding. Would have liked to have taken the beautiful Andalucian home ;D.
Oh, and Penelope could do with working on her position a bit ;D!
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Post by rj on Nov 9, 2009 10:24:50 GMT 1
Will come back a bit later with 'first-time-helper' feedback at Towerlands, but just wanted to say it was a brilliant and utterly exhausting 'day'! Great to meet all the other helpers, RA's and team, & see so many people there all being entranced and fascinated for the whole evening. I seem to remember that years before, and before I was an IH member the private audiences were very much more 'intimate' affairs. There would probably have been around 30-50 perhaps in the members seating area. I know there were around 200 on Saturday so that's pretty good going! For my friend Jen, it was a double first - helping and attending a demo - and she was absolutely awed and thrilled. I think she'll be on here soon so won't embarass her!! We stayed up til 3am, exhausted but far too buzzy to go to bed. Back to work now, must keep awake zzzzzzzzzzzzzz
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Post by Kelly Marks on Nov 9, 2009 15:05:30 GMT 1
Many thanks to our fantastic helpers - RJ you're a great helper and very welcome anytime! Look at this fantastic email we got from Towerlands, it came out of the blue and we were given permission to share it - how lovely! :- Dear Kelly and Team,
Please can I just say what a breath of fresh air your event was compared to most we have here at Towerlands.
Your team were professional, polite, helpful and very low maintenance!
Your spectators were also well mannered, respectful of our venue and obviously very keen to lean and improve.
We have had a real run of abusive behaviour, vandalism at a level that would shock you, appalling horsemanship both ridden and on the ground, and our facilities have been left resembling a tip.
You have always been a delight to host, and maybe we had been taking you a little bit for granted! A few recent shows have highlight just how professional and mannered you all are, to both the venue and your horses.
Good luck with the tour and know you are always very welcome here.
Michele and all at Towerlands Park
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Post by rj on Nov 9, 2009 16:09:40 GMT 1
Wow - & I was worried because we didn't know what to do with all the rubbish at the end, so we had to leave it piled neatly in the arena!! What a fantastic endorsement of all your hard work. Thanks for the compliment Kelly, and I did so enjoy it, just wish I was 20 years younger. Mr Roberts puts me to shame with his energy and he's 15 years older than me :-(
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Post by portiabuzz on Nov 9, 2009 16:43:17 GMT 1
thats lovely to hear....CANT WAIT UNTIL SATURDAY!!
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Post by geeup on Nov 9, 2009 21:22:34 GMT 1
like Rj I was shocked at the amount of rubbish left behind, glad we cleared some up now. I met Michelle a couple of years ago when we won a competition, she was lovely. Fab demo, loved the leTrec, and form those who I actually new in the huge audience, was it 800? people, the message is reaching further. 4 from our pony club, including another demo helper, and a friend from work who was suprised she enjoyed it. It had given her food for thought. ABif you come on line, it was lovely to talk with you and hear your stories, and meeting everyone else, Rj, Delboy and AbbeyB(thnaks for the e-mail), plus everone else who I didn't learn the names of but enjoyed your company. And thanks for Monty and Kelly and our new Dually (daughter was right about the size ), it works fantasticaly and bulshy pony is already behaving himself, with only 15mins training form duaghter hes not put a foot wrong in two days and now walks beside me even when i do the gates, hes so much calmer generally as well.
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indigo
Grand Prix Poster
Posts: 1,242
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Post by indigo on Nov 10, 2009 19:34:15 GMT 1
Well I have been to 4 Demos as a watcher and one as a helper and I have to say that they just keep getting better. I was at Towerlands and thought it was the best yet!!! I brought a horsey friend who new of Monty but hadn't really looked into IH and she was really impressed and entertained. I thought it was all brilliant, as usual, the trec, gorgeous Copy, the heart rate monitors. All fascinating. Can't wait for the published results of the science trials either.
I also booked my weekend down at the Mendip so very excited about that.
I have to say I was a bit shocked by people in the stands leaving rubbish around their seats even when the nearest bins were within arms reach, some people are such thoughtless slobs!
I think I enjoyed it extra esp. much because I won my tickets in a DG contest, what better prize could you want??? Brilliant, thankyou so much to Monty and Kelly and all the team and helpers who make it work! xxx
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Post by mandal on Nov 10, 2009 19:40:05 GMT 1
Wow Kelly what a fab letter to receive!! Well done all!
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Post by blackmagic on Nov 15, 2009 12:40:31 GMT 1
I went to see the demo last night. I have admired Monty and his methods since we first heard of him in the 90's and all I can say is wow! If only more people were like him the world would be a better place!
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Post by Catrin on Nov 15, 2009 15:02:22 GMT 1
Well YHL crowned the achievements of the tour. Tim Stockdale ran over by fifteen minutes, yet Kelly came in at 6.31pm, only one minute late. The IH team got the arena cleared, waited while it was rolled and still got everything in place in 46 minutes; they do miracles in motion. The audience of twelve hundred were in good spirits, even though many had got up early, travelled hundreds of miles and had a hard day's horse shopping behind them. I spoke to a couple from the Netherlands and three ladies from Cork, just there to see Monty. I have never seem so many RAs in one place at one time. There were stand helpers revising for MRPCH exams as they served and so many people who'd been students or helpers on courses we'd helped at, that Grayson and I felt we were at a reunion. The demo was different from usual. Adrien was cheerful about not being needed: no starters or unrideable horses, did a bit of leading, folding, unwrapping and bag shaking instead; left the poo picking to the new boy Luke. There was a 'spooky horse' with a heart monitor. How calm he became with Monty leading, heart rate down to 44 and he was walking past that scary tarpaulin! His owner started to sound like Victor Meldrew - in an elated way, not a grumpy one! Two loaders: Kelly did one in a trailer, Monty did the "I am totally unflappable, but you still won't get me in a lorry - I have a plan" one. Monty had a plan too - for the first time ever, it was a failure. Fortunately Kelly had trained him well and he showed his plan B and C very quickly. Plan A involved a Join-Up: little spotted pony had read the book, "Okay, let's cut to the best bit, the one that always brings a tear to your eye. I'll just follow you around and the audience'll go Aaah!" Big audience, small pony, huge Aaah. Still Monty thought 'maybe a little Join-Up' and Adrien needs to feel wanted, so we'll try the bag. Little spotted pony said, "Oh, that's a cute bag-on-a-stick, oh sorry, you want me to walk away" but he'd also got the Gentling Your Spooky Horse DVD, "Okay, I've walked away, but I'm not going to run, so let's cut to the best bit, the one where the pony just stands there feeling chuffed because he's trained the bag to go away," so Monty tickled the pony and made the audience laugh and the little spotted pony, said, "Okay let's get to the serious stuff, show me the lorry." He walked to the lorry fine, heart rate really low, he put his front feet on the ramp and the audience gasped, he was going to go in, but little spotted pony could stretch his nose up the ramp and keep his back legs far away from it and he could still keep his heart in the fifties and he could stay out of the lorry! With some clever use of pressure and release, Monty got the pony to move: he put his back feet a bit nearer, round the side of the ramp. Then he caught a glimpse of Adrien and two men edging along the lorry with a round pen panel each, so he moved his feet back again. Of course then he saw Linda and her two man round-pen-panel team on the other side and thought, "Sod the buggers with their panels, I'm going in the lorry." And the rest we've seen before … Monty and Kelly did the ridden rountine they have used this tour, so much fun and showed what can be achievable if you approach it right. A gentleman in the interval had asked Monty for tips on getting his horse to stand at the mounting block, Monty replied that he had been training Copy to do that, so he'd show him in the demo. A simple and effective demonstration of how he got Copy to approach the block and stand, and a great thing that people could take home and try. Then it was the big horse that most of us had never seen before. He was going to try some of Pie's Trec obstacles. War Horse, Joey moved like a real horse, 'breathed' like one and even flicked his ears to listen to Monty. It was the most amazing experience to watch. He sniffed the ball in the L shape, then flicked it out, exactly like Pie did. He got on the bridge and stood quietly as it tipped. Unfortunately, he wouldn't have got any points, Joey got too excited and trotted off, but Pie, who had trained him well, could understand how he felt. Pie came up to stand by Joey - it looks like a horse, it moves like a horse, it smells like three humans - Copy thought he'd keep his distance. It was a great night and no chairs to collect, or litter to pick at the end - an early get away, but not before we'd had a thank you speech from Monty and bucks fizz and cake from Copy's owners. Joey meets Pie: Joey meets Copy: Someone moved the horse that just Joined-Up with Monty, so they could cut the cake:
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silversnaffles
Olympic Poster
'We should not be defining, merely deducing'
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Post by silversnaffles on Nov 15, 2009 22:01:24 GMT 1
All I can say is it was fantastic. I've read all the books and articles, followed Kelly and Pie's progress to the pro-am trec comp and watched youtube clips but seeing them 'in the flesh' was just so wonderful It's now given me a lot to aim for, although I'm not convinced my ex-trotter and I will ever manage the amazing flying changes!! War horse was gorgeous too, the music nearly made me cry (how soft am I?!) Where do I book tickets for the next tour??! x x x
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Post by portiabuzz on Nov 16, 2009 12:11:57 GMT 1
Well i just wanted to say what an amazing time i had a YH live! Although i didn't get to meet Kelly, i got Monty's 'my hands to yours' book signed and got to say hello. Thanks to Catrin for the full report, which is everything i wanted to say, so echo all of her words!
I took my mum and her partner and we were all moved and couldn't stop talking about it all the way home. I cant wait to go to another tour date as this was only my second, and my first time seeing Monty.
I was so impressed by everyone's hard work in putting it together so would defiantly like to come as a helper on another tour next year. Copy and Pie were stars and it was lovely to see them being ridden to such a high standard (as usual!). I also got to book my OH some time at Mendip as a surprise birthday prezzie! He's never ridden before but said if he was going to be it would be western...(hope he doesn't see this.....!)
Does anyone know where Banksy was though?? I would have loved to see a starter but there's always next year!
Thanks to all involved, we had a fantastic time!
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