The Bitterroot Experience
by Naomi Preston Tellington TTouch Practitioner for Horses, Level 2
TTEAM Connections Newsletter, July-September, 2011
What do these things have in common? Beautifully amazing scenery including mountain peaks and rushing rivers, majestic elk, speedy antelope, amazing horses of various breeds, meeting fabulous new friends & a TTEAM Training? Answer: The Starting Young Horse Clinic at the Bitterroot Ranch in Wyoming! Have you started your “bucket list”? You MUST put this clinic on it!
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This summer was my first trip to the Bitterroot Ranch, and it was one of the most special weeks I have spent in my lifetime. There were attendees from around the world, including Chile, Scotland, Australia, The Netherlands, Canada and, of course, the US. The participants had a wide range of experience levels, from novice to pro, but all shared the common bonds of honor and love for the horse.
The Bitterroot Ranch is nestled in a beautiful valley at the base of the Bitterroot Mountains, which still had their snowcaps in the summer. On my drive in on the dirt road, I spotted a majestic cow elk. A few more miles down the road two buck ante- lope raced in front of me across the road, taking my breath away! Lodging at the Ranch is in charming rustic cabins, with comfy beds and amazing views of the surrounding mountains. We were served three amazing meals every day, and the service was second to none! Before dinner every evening we’d gather for wine & appetizers, relaxing and discussing our day with the horses. Our group of participants from around the globe be- came fast friends!
Oh yes, the horses! We worked with several different breeds at the ranch, primarily the young Arabians, but also the Ranch’s own “Quattro” breed (Arabian/Thoroughbred/Andalusian/ Percheron, a young Mustang, and many ponies. The horses are raised on the Ranch’s 1300 acres at 7500 feet elevation and above. The horses are halter trained and handled just a bit as foals, then turned out until they are four years old. This was the 21st year of the TTEAM training, which includes starting the 4 year olds, and also working with the 5 year olds started the previous year.
The clinic participants were introduced to the various TTOUCH methods, as well as TTEAM Training including chest-line driving (ground driving), body wraps, and the various steps involved in saddling and riding the young horse.
Indus had become phobic about having his mouth touched after requiring long term oral antibiotics as a yearling. Linda is using Taming the Tiger to contain him and start making contact on his neck and face.
There were many amazing break-throughs and achievements with the horses throughout the exciting week. One of the horses was extremely sensitive in the mouth, due to a lengthy illness and having to receive antibiotics in the mouth twice daily. Linda found that a towel draped over the horse’s nose helped to enable her to touch the muzzle, through the towel.
To give him a new oral sensation we attached a piece of cotton rope to his halter and through his mouth and fed him a bit of grass.
Amazingly, after the muzzle work, the horse became more balanced through the body while being led at the walk. It’s always interesting to me to see that working only one part of the body can have such far-reaching effects on the rest of the body!
To help prepare the young horses to go under saddle, they were ground driven through a variety of obstacles. To accustom them to things above their heads, we would have two participants stand on buckets, first holding wands and eventually holding huge tree branches.
Linda let him feel the rope in his mouth as she led him, using a soft lead, over some poles.
Step by step, we increased the difficulty for the horses, enabling them to be successful.
We also drove them over plywood to simulate bridges, through the labyrinth, and other obstacles. This was done first without a saddle, and then with a saddle.
Linda put a towel over the halter and his mouth and he accepted TTouches through the towel. She was then able to put her hand under the towel and give him a bit of grain as she did a bit of work around his mouth. The exercise really helped him become more accepting of having his mouth touched.
Another standout moment at the clinic happened on the very last day, when the young horses we’d been working with all week, “graduated” and were led across a bridge over the rushing river for the first time. One by one they walked over the bridge, being led by the clinic participants.
However, one filly was reluctant to step on the bridge. Dingo was used to ask her to step forward, but without success. Time to pull out some tools from the TTEAM toolbox! A body wrap was put on, and then she was put in the Homing Pigeon leading position. She was again asked to walk forward, and did so without hesitation! Success! Most importantly, it was done without force or domination. The power of the body wrap and TTEAM training was evident to everyone!
One of the special experiences for me happened during break- fast, which I shared with Linda Tellington-Jones one morning. She related an amazing story of how the TTEAM Earwork originated long before the development of TTouch, to those of us seated with her. In the 60’s Linda owned an amazing Arabian mare named Bint Gulida. This mare excelled at endurance riding, and competed in the Tevis Cup, as well as holding the record for many years in the 100-mile Jim Shoulders ride. One day Linda went out to Bint Gulida’s pasture to find her colicing. It appeared to be a very severe colic, and Linda called the vet, thinking in her heart that she may be about to lose her dear friend. She discovered the mare’s ears were quite cold, and began stroking them. By the time the vet got there, the mare was showing fewer signs of discomfort, and appeared to be recovering!
Bint Gulida made a complete recovery, and Linda had discovered a technique with amazing and powerful results that later became an important part of the TTouch toolbox! As we now know, there are acupuncture points in the ear for every part of the body, making it possible to affect the whole animal (or person!) by working just the ears.
Linda and I had a very special treat on the drive back to the Jackson Hole airport. A car was stopped ahead of us, apparently watching some wildlife, as often happens in the Grand Teton National Park. Low and behold, there was a momma Grizzly bear and a young cub just on the side of the road. We delighted in watching the young cub scamper and play, eventually climbing up a tree! When momma decided it was time to go, she went to the base of the tree, looked up, and quickly down came baby bear.
A special thank you to the owners of the Bitterroot Ranch, Mel and Bayard Fox, their son Richard and his wife Hadley who is now in charge of working with the young horses throughout the year, and all the wranglers and staff for making my Bitterroot Experience one I will never forget!
