Silence Speaks More - Kelly Adams

08/21/2024

Kelly Adams here. Thank you folks for all the nice comments on our house. We are getting closer to finishing this project and it has has been very interesting. We have tried to incorporate all the things we've learned over the years into this house. This is the 4th home building project we've tackled and the first that is entirely our design.

Regardless of what we thought we wanted the house has told us exactly what to do next. It has been truly amazing how the project has unfolded. At each phase what came to be was not what we imagined it would look like. Over and over we have hit a wall and had to wait for the house to reveal the next step. The term "Not time yet" has become a regular occurrence and the next thing we know the plan becomes clear.

Throughout the building process the intention of a warm, safe, loving space has been built in as well. Each person that visits we watch them relax as they walk in the door. Yes, Intentions can be built in. Too many people forget that.

We're looking forward to getting back outside this fall and working on the landscaping and barn area. We also have a very nice greenhouse that has been sitting in the box for a year and see how that area unfolds.

We are still up in the air about selling and traveling when it is all done. A good relator could be in the picture next spring. Again thank you all for your comments and appreciation. Visitors are always welcome!!

03/21/2021

A very talented 2 yr old I'm working with.

01/27/2021

Harmony and Partnership - The Elusive HOW TO
Into the Saddle

Into the saddle and REPETION is essential. All cues and body positions for both horse and rider must be muscle memory automatic. A Shaolin Priest once said “I am not afraid of the 10,000 moves my opponent has practiced once. I am afraid of the 1 move that my opponent has practiced 10,000 times. To be a master of anything it takes doing it 10,000 times. 10,000 circles, 10,000 jogs up the center line, 10,000 halts. Each movement must be automatic muscle memory for both you and your horse.

Not all of this needs to be done in a ring. Get out on the trail or in the field and PLAY there. Here miles are important. While building that PARTNERSHIP, build STRENGTH and STAMINA in you both. Every before and after picture is the same. The before picture is a lazy, disinterested horse with dull eyes moving through their dreary day with no interest whatsoever. The after picture shows a strong, confident, capable horse doing a job they love with a PARTNER they wouldn’t trade for the world. Let your horse learn to go to the letter. Let them listen to the caller and put words to the pictures in their mind. Allow them to do their part and respect their contribution. You will be rewarded beyond anything you ever dreamed possible.

The amazing thing about all this REPETION is that your horse will develop the art of following your cues when you think them. You’ll find yourself moving less, adjusting less, and spending more time working within the connection with your partner than actively cueing your horse. If you have never heard the words move your cue from your foot to your calf, to your thigh, hear them now.

By all means discipline has its place as well. Some days we just don’t want to play, your horse feels the same. When a mistake is made first look to yourself. Has the lesson been taught completely? Are there parts that my horse doesn’t understand? If all that is well in hand discipline is required but only for that instance. Reprimand once and move on. Never ever met out more discipline than the mistake requires. We all push the line but never want to hear about it over and over. Lack of respect will last far longer And is far more difficult to overcome than a quick jab to get their mind back on track. Let it go and get back to work.

By putting in the HOURS and MILES building a real RELATIONSHIP and PARTNERSHIP with your horse from the ground up you will achieve 9s and 10s in Harmony and tests that FLOW Like Water with incredible scores. The PARTNERSHIP you cultivate will take you to heights you will never dream possible. Coming out of a test with tears in your eyes because of a connection you never dreamed possible. A PARTNER that would take you to the end of the earth and jump if you ask. To me there is nothing more rewarding.

Remember your horses are like teenagers with no peer pressure or access to social media. They don't worry about what your thinking.
They don't need a friend. They need a mentor and partner that will set boundaries and bring out the best in them. Horses weren't put on earth to stand in a pasture and be a horse. They love their jobs and love to do them well. Just like us all, they want to be acknowledged for their hard work and contribution. They will develop a different relationship with each person in their world.

Good Luck, Work Hard, and above all Have FUN. This is so much bigger than 9's and 10's on your tests. Take this step and your world will never be the same. Guaranteed. See you in the ring!!

01/16/2021

In so many posts the question comes from the point of the rider. "What can I do?", "What technique can I use?", How can I MAKE my scores better?". The answers come back related to the rider's point of view. After all we'll just MAKE them better.

The ART of Western Dressage or with any Equine Discipline, the focus really needs to be to the horse and how you, the Rider, can help the TEAM to work better.

You and your horse are a team. Each team should seek harmony first and the scores will follow. Ride your horse to your best ability while growing your skills and competence. Your horse knows naturally how how to do everything you will ever ask of them. God gave them the ability and the intelligence. It is your responsibility to learn to work within THEIR gifts. After thousands of miles and wet saddle blankets you will both flow through the movements with muscle memory, just thinking and it is done.

The key from the beginning is to relax into your saddle and build strength and connection. If you can't feel your horse you will never be able to connect and being a team is impossible.

Before you begin every ride sit a minute in your saddle, take a deep relaxing breath, exhale and clear your mind, smile and go to work. The same at the beginning of each test. Clear your mind and smile. Your scores will follow - Guaranteed.

01/11/2021

Harmony and Partnership - The elusive HOW TO - Where to Start

This series of posts will not give you the proper EXCERCISES necessary to achieve Harmony. As long as you consider your horse as being no better than a motorcycle with a brain that you have to coerce into doing what you want while you put each of their body parts into the proper position, Harmony will be as elusive as the wind.

This current attitude of horses and horse training is the result of the last 30 and more years of making cookie cutter show horses that have to fit an exact model in order to place. They have been made with pain and fear and if you look into their eyes there is nothing there. There in lies the biggest problem today. People have to relearn allowing horses to move as god intended while looking into their horse’s eyes and see the thinking, caring, individual that lies within.

If you are truly interested in achieving Harmony and Partnership with your horse it takes MILES, TIME, REPETITION and a true RESPECT of the individual those eyes you can look into and see your soul. Without these 4 things a 10 in harmony will be impossible. Harmony is the RELATIONSHIP you develop with your horse. That RELATIONSHIP is what makes a PARTNERSHIP possible. Without mutual RESPECT that special PARTNERSHIP that leads to HARMONY is impossible.

Before we even go into the barn take a look at your life. How are your relationships? Your horse is a mirror to how you interact in your own life. At one clinic we did one lady was having nothing but trouble with her horse from the minute she entered the arena. Total lack of attention much less respect. Within 5 minutes I walked up to her and asked her how her life was. She said she hated her job, her boyfriend was a jerk, and her whole life sucked. 6 months later that same lady attended another clinic. She and her horse were really clicking and working together, again, from the minute she entered the arena. There was attention and respect from them both. I asked her how her life was now. She had quit her job and found one much better, dumped her boyfriend, and bought a condo of her own. She was feeling confident and secure and her horse’s interaction with her reflected the difference in her life. Something to think about.

Please spend the next week looking at your life and the partnerships you have. Look from the space of respect. Find the person that you do respect. What is different about that relationship? What does the respect in that relationship bring to your life?

Partnerships are not built with specific exercises or pat set in stone techniques. They are built over time and nurtured to become a living entity in it's own right. How is your horse treating you?? Are you satisfied with your life or does it suck?? Harmony begins with you.

In the next post in this series we will enter the barn and look towards building your ultimate partnership with your horse and incredible harmony in your tests.

12/21/2020

Thank you everyone that has supported us this past year with our videos and posts. We have tried to say in our posts that the gifts we have are learned through our experiences and these life lessons are important to share with others. In our lives the one thing that we have loved the most has been our relationship with horses and the unique lessons that can be learned from their honesty and majesty. Cowboys (and cowgirls) are not necessarily people who own horses but have a truly unique frame of mind. In 2021 we will be spreading the lessons we have learned from these truly incredible animals and hope that you will share this journey with us. Heidi and I would like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and incredible 2021. Thank you kindly for listening to this old Cowboy. Talk to you in the new year.

08/23/2020

An Hour A Day!!

08/22/2020

This was so much fun to work on. Check it out!!

This short video will give you a general overview of Western Dressage, including examples of training levels and other classes available.

07/07/2020

Introductory Level Test 1 - The beginning of the most incredible Journey you will ever take!!

Introductory Level Test 1

This test is the beginning of your Western Dressage Journey. Remember in the beginning your horse will not understand what is being asked of them. Please Be Patient. Remember when you first started riding. You understood very little of what you were told to do and were always making mistakes. Your horse is exactly the same. Don't expect perfection or high marks in the beginning. This is a process and a journey and you both have many miles to go.

Partnerships start here. Keep your horse between your legs and ground yourself into their center of gravity. Look directly at the letter you are riding towards and don't worry about some meandering. Your horse has never seen letters before. They have no idea at this point how important they will become. They will learn and get better. Use your legs more then your reins. Every time you pick up a rein you take your horses head out of the game.

Corners are about a 6 meter bend depending on the size of your horse. Don't ever go into a corner so deep that your horse has to slow down or struggle. On the other side don't be so far out that it looks like you are doing a circle. I have heard so many instructors tell their students in the beginning to make a big bend and they will "FIX" it later. How confused were you when you were told one thing and when you thought you had it down they told you no - your not doing it right. Also on your score sheet you got bad marks for your corners. Don't ever leave the easy points in the ring.

Circle Bends are HUGE. Spend lot's of time getting those bends right. I like to use flour or lime and draw out the circles. You will need 20, 15, and 10 meter circles. Keep the flour 1 meter smaller (from the center use 9 meters for 20, 7 meters for 15, and 4 meters for 10. This way you can see the circle and go "around" it. You can see your horses neck bend into the circle. AND you don't have to keep redoing your flour! Do thousands of these circles until it is automatic which bend you "set" and the motion is set into muscle memory for you both. If you leave a letter with the proper bend you can't help but come out in the right place. I Promise!

Repetition is very important. 10,000 times makes a champion. Each maneuver must become muscle memory for you both. Be consistent from the beginning. Don't ever "Fix It Later". You never want to pay for the same real estate twice.

Most Important is to enjoy the Journey. This the beginning of the most incredible partnership of your life. Pay attention to what your horse is telling you. Are they confused and don't understand what your asking? Look to yourself first. Are you being a good instructor or are you rushing through the lessons and expecting them to keep up? You know that never works, And Never Ever Leave The Easy Points In The Ring!!

05/25/2020

Quit Poking your horses!!