Chapter 34 - The Caroline Group

Use this section for any discussion specifically related to the chapters posted online of the unfolding biography, "Defying Gravity: The Parallel Universe of T. Townsend Brown
Paul S.
Sr. Rabbit Chaser
Posts: 1361
Joined: Thu Mar 17, 2005 1:11 pm
Location: Psych Ward

Horse Sense

Post by Paul S. »

Lisa,

Linda Brown has heard your plea, and asked me to post this reply ASAP. So here goes:

- - - - - - -

Lisa,

I could sense how very important all of this is to you and I want you to know that I more than understand.

How to deal with Blinker? I could give you all kinds of horsemanship and horsetraining tips but thats not where you need to be with this horse. You said it yourself, he flat doesn't like you. He doesn't like his life, and even a girl crying in his mane is not going to reach him because you and he are NOT partners.

So. Your Dad is going to think I am nuts. But this is what you need to do. Find a place that has a good arena that you can use at night. Put very few floodlights on. Just enough so that you can sort of see your way around. If you don't know how to ride bareback yet, learn. Then go out there with that horse .... turn some music on that goes with the beat of his trot, or lope or whatever you are working on..... and ride. Ride. Ride. Ride. Ride. Only you, the horse, the music, the darkness. No company other than someone who is your safety from a big distance. No saddle. If you can get away with it .... just a halter. Where is he going to go? You can ride as fast as he can run away! If he runs, let him! He's big!. He needs this. His soul has been so confined all of his life, the expectations on him. And this horse KNOWS this. (I am sure that your Dad probably paid at least your colledge tuition, right? on this one horse. So I know that there is a big investment here.)

But Blinker is your horse and you can do this. Ride to the music. Every night. If it takes you all summer. NOTHING ELSE. NO RIDES IN THE COUNTRY WITH YOUR GIRLFRIENDS, NO RIDES IN THE SUNLIGHT. NOTHING. JUST YOU AND HIM IN THE DARK.

When the TWO of you are actually having FUN out there in the darkness ..... write to me again for stage two!

Its up to you Lisa and I know that you can do this. My Best to you always ... Linda

- - - - - - -

Now, what I know about horses would not form a thin layer on the bottom of a small thimble.... but that sure sounds like "horse sense" to me. Let the horse be a horse for once in its life. It will be forever grateful -- and maybe your partner for life.

Others here will be staying tuned -- let us know how it turns out for you.

Good luck,

--PS
Paul Schatzkin
aka "The Perfesser"
"At some point we have to deal with the facts, not what we want to believe is true." -- Jack Bauer
Victoria Steele
Mysterious Redhead
Posts: 930
Joined: Mon Feb 20, 2006 7:06 am

better advice

Post by Victoria Steele »

Lisa,

I am so glad that Lindas message reached you before the message that I was getting ready to send! There is real magic going on here because I realize now that my advice would have been TOTALLY wrong here. I was going to suggest that you and your Dad find a really good local trainer and work with him/her.

But thats not what this is all about , is it? That thought struck me as I was reading Lindas response and Linda knows this, doesn't she?

Mark do you see what has happened here? Do you see how important riding in the dark is for your daughter? This whole thing IS NOT ABOUT THE HORSE.

Victoria
Victoria Steele
Mysterious Redhead
Posts: 930
Joined: Mon Feb 20, 2006 7:06 am

riding in the dark

Post by Victoria Steele »

Mark and Lisa and Linda Brown,

I just wanted to say that I have really, REALLY enjoyed the interaction that I have experienced between all of you (and I am including others in this forum too ... Paul and Elizabeth, Trickfox, Twigsnapper, everybody I have at the moment skipped over. Realizing after reading one whole thread in another part of this forum that we seem to be all here for a reason and I am not sure its entirely about this book that Paul is writing.

Trying to capture what I am feeling right now is hard. Its more of a sense of something. And when I captured a little about that same feeling when it came to the horse in the dark I realized that ITS NOT ABOUT THE HORSE ....... ITS NOT REALLY ABOUT THE BOOK, IS IT?

MAYBE THE ONLY ONE HERE WHO REALLY UNDERSTANDS ME AT THIS POINT IS LINDA BROWN AND SO THIS MESSAGE IS REALLY FOR YOU..... You can see all of this, can't you? We are all caught up in some kind of river that is sweeping all of us along .... and you know that, don't you?

We are all involved in this book, but is that why we are ACTUALLY interacting the way we are. Its like we have been working on a problem ..... or .... some force has been working on us ..... and we are like Lisas horse ..... we have been difficult and stubborn and dangerous .... yet there is this entity that, Like Lisa, seems to love us enough to do whatever it takes to get us to understand where we are and WHAT we are. And maybe this exercise, this being out in the dark together is all part of it?????

And the thing that most entrances me is ........ I think that Linda has known all of this all along. So in that way .... she is exactly like her Dad, isn't she ...... aren't you, sorry Linda, I'll get off this kick because I think that I am probably making you slightly uncomfortable here but somehow I just needed to say that. I just want everybody to know that this experience has been completely unexpected for me.

I came into this forum with both guns loaded. I was going to uncover this , whoever he seemed to be, this Paul character, who was going to write ANOTHER RIDICULOUS BOOK .... like Moores or Vassilatos (hey guys, you know your books are fluff....) but instead I got drawn into something so special I can not even describe it.

So operating on overdrive and needing this vacation, obviously, I just wait now for the next installment of this wonder that Paul is calling his book. Its just much more than that. I just wanted to put my two cents in. Victoria
Victoria Steele
Mysterious Redhead
Posts: 930
Joined: Mon Feb 20, 2006 7:06 am

no show sheen

Post by Victoria Steele »

Oh Lisa,

As I said, my earlier message, after seeing Lindas to you, I now recognize that I was getting set to give you the wrong advice. She is one thousand times more qualified here than I am to give you the advice that you need. But can I add a couple of just side points?

Don't use Show Sheen on your horse anymore, if you are riding bareback.I know that you probably are accustomed to using it or some other similar product but better put it away now!

I could never match Linda on a horse but I think I know just a little about riding bareback on a semi wild pony. No show sheen. I did that once ... (I never rode with a saddle if I could avoid it ).... my pony reared at something and I slid off him like coming down a greased pole!

And I think that Linda will agree with me ..... before you get on that big horse in the dark .... how about letting him run free for awhile? That way he can jump and buck and get it out of his system while you are NOT on his back and he doesn't have to even consider your requests.

Like Paul said .... its good that he gets to be a horse for awhile.

You probably already do that so I am just reminding you of something you already know, and you are most likely doing the teenage thing right now, like I used to do, and rolling your eyes at me and thinking " But I KNOW THAT!"

And Mark. Its a special parent who goes so far to help a little girl reach her dreams. Victoria
Mark Culpepper
The Dean
Posts: 655
Joined: Sun Feb 19, 2006 6:02 am

riding in the moonlight

Post by Mark Culpepper »

Paul,

Can you relay this message to Linda for me please.

Well, I have been doing what you asked and you know, I think it is working!

I have been taking him out in this arena, which we actually have where I keep my horses. Actually some people ride at night in the summer so sometimes I have to wait for arena time. But the people have been really nice once I explained what I was trying to do. Course I got alot of advise about going to a professional trainer and not even attempting to do what you suggested. I told everybody I was going to try this first and if I failed at it I would do what they suggested. They were all sure I was going to fail.

And the first couple of times I wondered. But then something sort of strange happened. He got real bold with me, tried to buck but I kept his head up and just let him lope. Then he decided that he was going to run away so I remembered what you said. Around and around and around we went! Then when he decided he had decided he had galloped enough I kept him going ..... around and around and around ..... and then without even picking up on my reins (actually lead lines snapped to his halter) I just sat on my pockets and he slowed right down to a walk and then halted! I told him what a good boy he was and then we spent the rest of the time just walking quietly, cooling off.

Last night I showed Dad what we were doing so far. I asked Blinker to go off at a nice lope and then just quietly said whoa ....."He stopped!!!!!. Stood there quietly waiting to see what else we would do. He actually had his ears up. Great game. Anyway! Now we are playing in the moonlight! I see some change already. And I am riding bareback with no bridle! This is wonderful. My Dad says that I am supposed to thank you very much and I do! Lisa
Paul S.
Sr. Rabbit Chaser
Posts: 1361
Joined: Thu Mar 17, 2005 1:11 pm
Location: Psych Ward

Reply from Linda B

Post by Paul S. »

Lisa, Linda asks me to pass this message on to you:

- - - -

Lisa!

Congratulations! This is your first baby step. At least now he is listening to you! Good! But DO NOT think that you can just saddle him up and go back out there like the old days. He is not ready. You have much more work to do.

If you take him out now chances are he will remember what he has learned but in times of stress he will fall right back in that hole in his training. You have to take one step at a time and not go forward to the next until you are sure that he totally has that under his horsie belt.

So he stops for you. Good! Now always remind him of that in the lesson that you are going to continue. You move ahead with new material but then always refer to what agreement the two of you have made with each other. Right now he is willing to stop when you ask him. Good. whatever you do now .... always include plenty of halts.

Do you know what "leg yielding" is? If not ask a dressage rider there. What you need to do now is develop lessons where you first are walking ....( leg yielding across the arena.) Just the halter lead lines. Do that both sides at a walk....... and then we will talk more.

Leg yield, leg yeild.... then release and tell him to halt. Enjoy the moonlight, tell him what a good boy he is .... leg yeild the other side ...... halt .... what a good boy.! Keep his mind busy and on you. After a few more lessons tell me how he is doing. NOTHING BUT THIS ....... leg yeild, halt ..... at a walk ..... leg yield .... halt ... no faster than a walk.

Tell me how he does. Now I am asking you .... what are you doing here? There is a method to this. Do you see it?

My best to you,

Linda
Paul Schatzkin
aka "The Perfesser"
"At some point we have to deal with the facts, not what we want to believe is true." -- Jack Bauer
ladygrady
Junior Birdman
Posts: 164
Joined: Fri Jun 09, 2006 4:59 pm
Location: Boston

tell us more?

Post by ladygrady »

I just reread this whole thread and am enchanted with this horse story and you Lisa. Can you write back on this thread and tell us how you are doing with your horse now? I think your Dad mentioned in another thread recently that things were working out but I had forgotten what a neat story it was until I found this thread. But the last message was nearly a year ago. What are you and " Blinker " doing now?

I rode quite a bit when I was your age and had similar experiences. I think that you must be a fine rider because you think about what you are doing and having Linda Brown as your mentor has to be really special.

My experience was in buying a thoroughbred "off the track". I was fifteen, as in love with horses as I think you are (but the horse was way beyond my capabilities.) He didn't learn his lessons well on the track and I didn't know how to reach him, so I couldn't teach him what he needed to learn. I always felt badly about that because I had to sell him and I never did find out what his fate was.

Congratulations Mark for being a young horsewomans Dad. There have to be special awards for what you do! grady
grinder
Senior Officer
Posts: 694
Joined: Wed Apr 05, 2006 6:20 am

links

Post by grinder »

I almost missed this revisit to stuff we have talked about before! Thanks grady!

Paul was getting ready to go to Utah for the funeral of Mrs. Farnsworth (over a year ago!) How can that be? This forum is its own tiime machine. You get involved and time just disappears under your feet!

Memorial Day, and of course a day that is especially full of emotion to me. I am not alone of course. How many of us out there have that folded flag in its case?

To me its a bittersweet time because I never really got to know my Dad. I have seen some pictures and I have asked of course. and remember some moments with him ... just moments that seem frozen in my mind.

My Mom is gone now but she never spoke of him if she could avoid it. So digging for information there just didn't work.Now I wonder if it was the pain and anger that I was seeing OR maybe she just couldn't say anything.

Divorce seems to be so easy for some of my friends, even with kids and the kids SEEM so grown up about it. But speaking from my experience that just isn't as easy as people try to make it look.

I guess I got drawn into this story when I read one of those first chapters Paul, when Linda Brown was pleading with her Father not to go and asking " Don't Mother and I mean anything to you?" That sort of hit home because thats the question I have asked . What could possibly have been worth it? Whatever it was I need to be able to see it too. Like he must have.

I am not sure I have found my answer yet but I appreciate the good company. And I have the feeling that this is a place where maybe I can reach some sort of answer to that question.

Adding this. Leaving for a Memorial service as part of a "Rolling Thunder" deal. I look at all these bikes and I think how much Dr. Brown would have liked this, I think! grinder
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