Sarah
Kreutzer
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The
Women Who Listen To Horses
Dealing
with nervous, remedial or thoroughly misunderstood horses
is all part of a normal day for Sarah Kreutzer, Debbie Reilly
and Maya Horsey - three Monty Roberts Certified instructors
who have brought the legendary horseman's non-abusive methods
of communication home from California to the UK.
Sharing
Monty's vision to make the world a better place for horses
is a passion that drives each one of them and they work tirelessly
to create an environment in which people can not only listen
to their horses, but also treat them with respect.
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Instead
of a traditional relationship based on domination and submission,
a two-way channel of communication is established, with both horse
and rider speaking the same language - Equus.
Because
Monty Roberts and his proteges, of whom there are only 16 in the
world, are often called 'horsewhisperers' many people wrongly assume
that they spend their time talking quietly into animal's ears.
Maya & Debbie |
"This
name comes from something Monty once said," explains
Debbie. " 'A good trainer can hear a horse speak, a great
trainer can hear a horse whisper'."
"A
trained eye can 'hear a horse through tiny, subtle movements
such as the twitch of an ear, the flaring of a nostril or
tightly drawn-up facial muscles," she continues.
"
By the time a horse is rearing, biting or bucking, it is literally
screaming out for help,"
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Sarah,
Debbie and Maya's belief that non-abusive methods can benefit every
horse has been backed up time and again by an extensive catalogue
of success stories. Their credits include helping a race horse to
develop from also-ran to winner, restoring the confidence of horses
that would spook in traffic, tackling remedial problems, ironing
out long established traits, training point-to-pointers and hunters
and starting numerous young horses.
"It's
amazing," says Sarah "How many people think their horse
is being just plain awkward. In the wild, horses have to get along
in herds, so to be awkward is really not in their nature.
"Getting
to the bottom of a problem involves us checking out a horse's environment
and looking at root causes. A horse that is bucking may be telling
us that its saddle is uncomfortable or that there is a problem with
its teeth."
One
of the most remarkable things about the Monty Roberts' method is
the close bond that develops between human and horse. Instead of
dashing off after a tiring session in the round pen, a training
coral, often used by Monty, the horse would rather spend time with
its task-master.
"Most
horses who have been worked in the traditional manner cannot wait
to get back to the field or stable," says Maya."The horses
we deal with will often walk over and nuzzle us."
Sarah,
Debbie and Maya each trained and worked with Monty Roberts at his
ranch in California where they were also instrumental in developing
and writing the certified courses offered by his organisation.On
their return to the UK they have each established their own business
while maintaining close links with Flag Is Up!
Their
geographical bases - Sarah Kreutzer in North Yorkshire and Debbie
Reilly and Maya Horsey in Hampshire and Dorset ensure that Monty
Roberts is accessible to everyone.
Please
follow the links below to learn more about each instructor:
Sarah Kreutzer
Debbie Reilly
Maya Horsey
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Visit
the Monty Roberts Learning Centre on Stand No. 53 at the British
Equine Event, 2nd & 3rd November 2002 |
.http://www.learningtolisten.co.uk/
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