Alys's Essays

Bernie’s Gaited Horse Clinic: Thinking outside the Box, err Arena – January 2, 2009
I attended Bernie Willis’s Gaited Horse Clinic in June, four months ago. Most recently, Fran Bundtzen, our newsletter editor, asked me to write an article about the three-day event. The question that I’ve since been mulling over has been, what did I learn? Something that I learned in graduate school was reaffirmed after the clinic. This is that learning is not always an instantaneous process; we often internalize, and then in specific instances, rely on recall. Rather than fret about what I don’t know, I’m working under the assumption that my job while in a given situation is simply to relax and internalize whatever I can, well knowing that later, what I’ve learned will come into play. Read whole essay

A Tale of Two Clinics: Part II: Seventy-Five Twenty-Five: More than a Theory
I live in Alaska, so the TTeam Connections newsletter, is a lifeline for me. The articles reaffirm what I already know, and also provide much-needed insights. The most timely article ever was Robyn Hood’s article “Seventy Five –Twenty Five. (Volume 10, issue 3, July-September, 2008). Early on in her article, Robyn cites Susan-Faulkner March who writes, “The idea of 75-25 refers to a concept that F.M. Alexander calls “First Pupil, Second Pupil.” Mr. Alexander . . . came to the realization that if he used his own body well when teaching lessons, his pupil’s bodies were more able to release and rebalance.” In other words, a direct correlation can be made between our animals’ actions and reactions and our own physical and mental states of being. Furthermore, the 75-25 ratio indicates that we’ll see major differences in our own, and our animal’s behavior if we are more self-attentive. Read whole essay

Wound care, Physiology, and Management - 12/8/08
In November, 2007 I noticed that Siggi, our three-year old Icelandic gelding, had a half dollar-sized bite at the shoulder/neckline. I paid little attention to this supposedly minor wound because our older gelding, Tinni, was suffering from what turned out to be pneumonia. Our veterinarian, Dr. Sandi Farris, did a farm call and put Tinni on antibiotics. As an aside, I asked her if she’d take a look at Siggi. Her concerned expression indicated that the area in question needed immediate attention. Dr. Farris instructed me to clean the wound once or twice daily with Betadine, put antibiotic cream on it, and keep her informed as to how it was coming along. Read whole essay.