from www.sayahda.com/cyc3.html.   my  other power animals
are the panther, hawk, wolf, and turtle...(enjoy and embrace yours)...
the feral qualities, and appetite for living  we live with are  a life well
worth the freedoms they afford...I love you all...sol...




THE HORSE


The horse symbolizes freedom and the power that
 comes with being free...their spirit for freedom is a
fire that burns within them...

Those with this medicine can be fiercely independant
and have little tolerance for anything or anyone that limits
 their free expression...This characteristic can create
challenges in relationships of all kinds, especially
co-dependant ones...Those with this totem are teachers
 to their partners, friends, and family showing them how to
 stand solid within themselves...Individuals who choose to
be involved with a horse person do so because the need
for self-impowerment is strong...They seek the horse and
 the power it holds rather than the horse seeking them...


Because horse medicine people hold the energy of power
their leadership and teaching skills are usually in demand...
Intuitive and wise they make excellant therapists...They enjoy
helping others but feel as if there is no one to lead or teach them...
If people become too dependant they will respond like a bucking
 bronco...Personal relationships often lack emotional or mental
nourishment especially in the earlier years of life...To
compensate for this they are forced to go within and strengthen
 their bond with spirit...This bond provides them with the
nourishment needed to evolve their soul while staying
grounded in the earth experience...


Horses give their riders the safety of speed and the promise
of adventure...The horse carried people and their belongings
into new uncharted territory and the challenges it held...
If horse has come to you, you are being offered a gift of
 safe movement...Is there somewhere that you want or need
 to go?  Horse can help you get there, wether the place is
physical or spiritual...Is there a new venture you want to
undertake?  Call on horse to help you create it...Are there
 challenges in front of you that you don't want to deal with? 
If so, the horse asks you to awaken your inner power
and move forward with courage...


Before this continent became so populated, it was
 well suited to the mustang...They had adapted
themselves to live in harsh environments on diets
that wouldn't sustain most horses...However, their
 need for freedom made them unsuited to a country
whose people seem compelled to control and dominate
everything...Because of this the mustang is just about gone...


When the horse, either wild or domestic, appears in your life
the following questions should be asked...Are you pushing
boundaries that are going to cause severe repercussions? 
Are you trying in your need to be free, to not play by the rules ? 
If so, this may not be a bad thing, but learn the lesson of
mustang, there can be a high price to pay for freedom...

The  Easiest  And  The  Hardest



The easiest thing to do as a person is to sit back and criticize...
The hardest is to learn how to listen, I mean really listen..
.not just wait for the next person to come up for air...


I have a really really hard time having someone stupider
than me tell me what to do...I still remember  my 2nd grade
 teacher telling me to do something everyone else was doing,
and me saying it was stupid..

Then I found out somethings people wanted me to "train" their
horses was for a purpose that was beyond stupid...it was to
impose some bodies opinions onto another person onto the
horse...And calling something a job, and I'm supposed to "listen"
to them was impossible...I have certain standards I've always
 had toward animals, and that is simply mutual respect...So of
course, I'd get fired, or I'd leave and someone else would happily
fill the job, because some people need that kind of approval...Thers
always somebody...So after I fought the world, I had to start really
listening...Not to what they told me, but to what wasn't being
said...which is their concerns, and their pleasures...Most of
 which is to feed their image...Theres people that would
rather be acknowledged for their belt buckle, or boots, or their
control over the horse rather than to actually apply theirselves
to listen to the horse, no matter what they wore, or didn't wear...

Then what they learned the first year of horses, they're more
 than happy to impose their new-found knowledge to tell others,
then criticize those who don't follow them...some people repeat
 their first year forty times, then they tell others they have forty
years of experience, when really they have only repeated the
first year forty times...Its junior high school all over again...

And so I moved to the mountains and managed a few ranches
where I specialized working with stallions, mares, and their babies...
At one place near Sedona, I apprenticed for a year, and after that
 year found another place where I stayed for 2 and a half years...

After the year apprenticeship, I was packing up, the owner came
 out and handed me a real nice letter of recommendation...
Then the woman who was the manager came out and she
recommended I go back to college and give up horses...When
I asked why, she said I wasn't tough enough on the horses.
Fortunately, I decided not to listen to her, thats also when I realized
 its not the hat you weare, or the style you choose, or your image,
or the differences between men & women...
Its about power, and the abuse of power...

At the next ranch, the owner was gone most of the time, and
showed up every 2 - 3 months for a few weekends ...The rest of
the time I learned, and re-learned lessons about how to observe,
and to listen...to the time of day, the cycle of seasons, the horses
inter-weaving, the birds, the flow...of course I knew it since my
up-bringing, tho as an adult there is a continuem...

If you take any situation, and wait 5 minutes, you can really listen
 to whats taking place, whats around you...its better than that
 loose word "awareness"...its "being alert"...

Its from these moments you learn that you can learn some
 things from people, and that even tho they  could be our
 teachers, they have their limitations, and yes , we can learn
 from them, we should take what we need, and desregard
 the rest...Before we end up criticizing those who don't do
something that fits an image someone else tells us we're supposed to see..


Moving beyond people, those 5 minutes can teach us what would
 the horses do, or the dogs, or other people, for what they are...
When we put people on a pedastal for some truth, its easy to listen
that we're all human, and we have feet of clay...And when it comes
 to listening, we have to reconcile the listening that is actually
 taking place, outside of us, and also our inner dialogue...


The easiest thing in the world to do is to sit back and criticize...
the hardest thing is to listen, I mean, really listen...


(c) by Sol Spitz

A  SURVEY  QUESTION


Lately , I've been taking a survey...theres a few reasons for this...
one of which is that it makes me improve the way I speak, it
has to be understandable, and make sense...a lot of things
make sense to me, and sometimes I am an audience of one,
tho when it comes to working with animals and people, clarity counts...

The other reason for my survey, is that, I have to actively listen,
and I found out I actually enjoy it, sometimes, and in the context
 of the survey I ask further...its a 6 question survey, for dogs, or horses,
and I tell people it takes 35 seconds, tho usually people end
up talking longer...

The first question is How do you feel about dogs, or
 How do you feel about horses...

Its meant to be a no-brain question, it also opens people
 up to the next few questions...

About 99% of dog people say "love them"
a lot of horse people start similar, then look
away for a few seconds before answering...


Theres a real good reason for this,
dogs usually go in-doors with us and are steady companions,
and happen to "BE" around us...

with horses, people actually have to make an effort to
go outside, and think about what to "DO...

part of my approach to horse understanding
for the 21st century, is to get people to think
about "Be-ing" with their horses first, and then get to the "DO-ing"
part...most people noe concentrate on the DO aspect, and
most horses don't even want to be around them, except for food, and
supposed-ly some security...

which creates a lot of problems, thats why I have to "re-train" resentful
horses, there are too many trainers and not enough teachers ( thats another blog)...

If the horse likes BE-ing with you, then the DO-ing is much easier for all...



(c) by Sol Spitz

I specialize in patterns of behavior with animals...

A longer version is: I specialize in patterns of behavior
                                                            as a series of events
                                                             involving balance...

Everything alive that moves learns by do-ing...

and Every animal is intelligent, according to their nature,
                                                    circumstances, and experiences...

If a horse/dog/ person/ ?...    does something once, they'll probably do it again,
                                                    done twice, a pattern is developing,
                                                    done thrice, a habit is set...

Most trainers of animals tend to go after the habit, which sets up a conflict,
because by then the animal starts defending their position ( people too ),

I tend to look at the atmosphere of the patterns, and build fresh habits,
thats why by the time i see most horses and dogs that they're mistrustful and resentful of their experiences with people...too many trainers, and not enough teachers...


(c) by Sol Spitz

"TEACHERS"  AND  "TRAINERS"


I really enjoy spending time with baby animals, part of it is
 letting them develop,as their nature dictates age appropraiately,
and the other part is setting parameters so they have an understanding
of life...their parents do it all the time, just as I would like to
see parents insist to their children that restaurants aren't
playgrounds, the playground is the time and place for play,
and other places require paying attention...

TRAINING implies physical conditioning, much like
sports, when I was younger I was active in soccer and baseball
and some other physical areas...a good coach knows when and how
much pressure to increase or decrease, tho they all have their
individual style...Often times with animals, if it becomes a sensory
over-load some people tend to think that they are
       "trying" to get away with something....what we should
        look at is "what are they trying to get AWAY from...

the second part is that their survival impulse has kicked into gear
making them feel defensive...some trainers don't care and they'll make
some stupid remark about the dumb animal...fire that trainer...

Motion is important, animal learn by do-ing,
tho remeber, keep in mind the EMOTION of the MOTION...

thats what their experiences are made of, too many defensive experiences
and the animals confidence leaves...



(c) by Sol Spitz

I expect animals    (dogs/ horses here)    to use the brains
they are born with...lets add people to this...

Animals are intelligent according to
   their nature,
   their circumstances, and
   their experiences...

With people, horses and dogs theres a understanding that 
comes into play in a dance that involves the motion,
an elegance, and at times  we're reaching for that spot...thats
why there are so many "styles"...

I expect animals to use the brains they're born with,
to think about where their feet are, and its expected of
me, as the teacher, to allow them to learn successfully...

I build up their cofidence using co-ordination excercises...
Since animals are always practicing skills- for- real - life
with each other (play time) then they can learn in similar ways that
I call " Skills - Oriented - Learning" as taught by Sol Spitz...

Everyone here can apply skills in ther individual style with their animals
Its called FEEL,

for further reading "True Horsemanship Through Feel" by Bill Dorrance
                              and "True Unity" by Tom Dorrance

I spent time with Tom Dorrance 20 years ago, he was 78 and I was
33 ... "An Approach to Horse Understanding For the 21st Century"
           by Sol Spitz, is dedicated to what was passed thru him to me,
           and its my responsibility to hand it off to others...if you can't afford it
           or you need clarification, call anyway, best regards, Sol...

THREE  SECRETS  OF  ANIMAL UNDERSTANDING   (c) by Sol Spitz



The skeletal system gives the animal form,

without it we would be a blob of jello...

What moves the skeletal system is the muscular

system, which is supported by

heart, lungs, and other organs,   

what influences  all these is the nervous system which

runs down the spine, down to the feet,...the brain being

the "headquarters"...if you want to influence the mind  you have to have access...to the mind.


To open the mind  there are three really simple things to remember...



(1) scratch them where they can't reach, (2)  leave before they leave, (3) quit before they quit


In other words, get their attention, and don't over-stay your welcome...




Hers a story...

I apprenticed at this place in Sedona, in 1983, I agreed to stay for a year, and they had quarter horse broodmares, who lived in Flagstaff...evry 2 months during part of the year, they'd bring down 6 mares and their babies, my "job" was to halter the babies and prepare THEM FOR AUCTION....THAT YEAR WAS A MILESTONE AMONG MANY, NOW i LOOK AT BUYING AND SELLING AND AUCTIONS AS SLAVERY...its repulsive, and very sad to the horses...

anyway the mares were resentful and suspicious, the manager told me evryday i had to bring them in and every morning let them out, I was to hold a bucket of grain and the halter behind my back and "trick" the horses into being compliant...the horses would look at me, I'd look at them...thats when i thought to myself horses are smart, and people are really fucking idiots, and people have the nerve to tell other people how to do stupid things...

anyway in Arizona flies like o land on the horses and you could see the horses being frustrated, so I dropped the halter and walked toward the horses back, most people go for the horses head so this was already new to the horse, establishing a new pattern of behavior...I wiped their back with my hand, itched them for a minute, and then went away about ten feet, looking away...it didn't take long for  the mare to want another rub...the idea is to not overstay your welcome...it works ...try it sometime...

INVITED   CLAUSTROPHOBIA   RELEASED          (c) by Sol Spitz



What are you waiting for, when is it the right time,

when are the circumstances there,  what are the

opportunities arriving,  are the planets in alignment,

is the weather right,  is the laundry done,  are you well fed,

are you hungry enough to want more,  and more,  and more...



Is freedom another word for selfishness & greed...

Is the right bed and a correct shower your terms for surrender...

Are you mistaking activity for accomplishment,

collapsing physically & emotionally is not yielding to surrender,

its temporary defeat by despair... the urgency brought by

temporary shelter  in security & being taken care of...

something seductive about being offered comfort & relief from

your anxieties...whats the rush...the invited claustrophobia...



the breathing of a captive animal who has closed the door,

we've stolen from ourselves,  the free will,  the choices offered

of the spirit, can you hear the call...take advantage of the opportunity as it

presents itself in the moment...receive your own permission...

the path is the one under your feet,  one foot in front of the other......

   BEING  TRUE  TO  YOURSELF         (c) by Sol Spitz




Animals know, and animals know when you know,

and animals know when you don't know...   You

can lie to yourself, you can lie to others, you can steal

from yourself...and there comes that moment when you

have to see yourself, and the walls all fall down...

Animals, especially the ones that are around us

have a tough time because they read our inconsistancies

and when people try to assert power over them they have a

hard time giving someone those "keys to the wheels"...

Yhey have to be sure that you can get them from here to there

and back again....




There comes a time in a persons life when they have

to see their selves, and you can't run anymore...

Theres no where else to go...You're caught up, with yourself...

You can run and run, what you're running from, you're running toward...



Is it power over, or power with - when you stop trying to
 
outrun yourself, there is to be found a deeper place, a

vibrancy of your own self - there from birth, your own  brilliance -

and you un-fold what is waiting to be discovered...its you

and what you allow, an opportunity waiting to happen...


Animals know, and animals know when you don't know ---

MY  PURPOSE   ---   THE  HORSE  AS  A  METAPHOR   (c) by Sol Spitz



I'm not writing this to change the world, I am

not a martyr who is going to carry the weight

of the world on my shoulders, it is not my

burden, I didn't create it...

                               *   *   *   *   *   *


I'm not writing to change peoples mind, I am

not going to argue and start controversy to proove

anything or to debate to see who is louder...There are horse owners

who have already made up their minds, with

their fossilized ideas, and one day they will all be dead...

                               *   *   *   *   *   *


I'm here to add, not take away - its up to you to make decisions...

                               *   *   *   *   *   *  


I'm here for the innovators, for the curious, and for those who
 
want to go deeper and further...for those that need some hints

of a better way...I'm here for that also,

                               *   *   *   *   *   *

I'm here for those who are looking for more
 
information, some because they're looking for something

they're not sure of but know its out there.  I'm here to share insight
 
because the cliches and sayings, styles and images, aren't giving
 
what some of us want, and aren't giving the horse the respect they deserve...

                                 *   *   *   *   *   *  

I'm here for the innovators who have a sense of a better way,

a hint at what could be...I'm here for those who want to leave

what is already known, and would like a fresher approach...

I'm here for those who want to go beyond style and image,

and want a relationship with their horse that is unique to them...

                             *   *   *   *   *   *

I'm here for those without horses...who want to float the terrain,

with eyes on the bottom of their feet...

                               *   *   *   *   *   *


I'm here for those who the horse is a metaphor for the unconcious,

and the promise of the freedom for those who are given hints

and are ready to be carried to newer horizons   -------

                               *   *   *   *   *   *


I'm here for insight...to discoveries, and to un-cover

for ourselves...wherever our hearts and minds take us,

without waiting for some one elses permission...

                              *   *   *   *   *   *


I'm here to tell you experts and authorities know what they know,

but there is so much more that they don't know, and they shouldn't

expect us to inherit their bad habits of self - ignorance...

     
                                 *   *   *   *   *   *


I'm here to tell you to give yourself permission to explore,

the adventure of discoveries, and the joy of learning, the joy of motion...

                                  *   *   *   *   *   *



I'm here for the future, not the past that hasn't worked,

that which belongs left behind...and that includes every

religion that has blood on its hands, they're dragging us

down, and its time to cut them off, and stop making excuses for them...

stop making excuses  for those who use strength, without sensitivity,

they've already told you thru their actions that they don't care...


                                 *   *   *   *   *   *


We are children of the future, life is for the living,

Nurture, live by example...kindness matters, compassion matters,

you are all the horse has...stand for them and for the horse inside of you...

The only true evolution is in spirit   ---There is revolution in how we walk ------

There is beauty and grace in the fury of the moment, and in the forces of nature ------


                                    *   *   *   *   *   *     Sol   *   *   *   *   *   *

(written when I was 12, to the spirit in human form,)
  who I was to meet   ------   she knows who she is

         



                       LIFE  LEAF


For whatever happens today,

there is always a tomorrow in which to say,

Yesterday I remember when

We knew each other then...

Touch me upon the secret,

that where I go - the feeling will surely follow   ------



(c) by Sol Spitz

( this is part of a correspondance I had with zaadz friend Elea on my other site )
   It started when I saw a phrase she has on her profile "let us all be silent for a while" ...


        ON   STILLNESS



its busy world we live in, many more are taking than are giving...

its a noisy world we live in...

We have to filter so much, and with animals, who have senses
 
that are more acute than ours have  to try to come to terms

with our impositions...and then they have to make sense of what

we say compared to our actions...



Sometimes you'll hear birds making sounds to their selves,

People that need to talk all the time remind me of birds , except
 
worse, they always have a need to fill in the silence with words...

some things are better left unsaid, somethings are better un-explained...



When I spend time with horses, I notice that when they're resentful

of people, they also can't be still because its never been offered,
 
because people are noisy with their words, and their motions...

you'll also see these people always going to the horses faces...

Two things to remember, unless horses understand when

to go and when to stay , in relation to us then doubt tells
 
them to move...its funny how people say they love their horse and

at the same time they're restraining the horse ,and snuggling ...

horses aren't cats or dogs or stuffed animals... thats not a sign of

affection for horses, you'll notice when horses are relaxed they stand head- to - tail

swatting flies, and also they have a 360 degree view for safety from predators...



When I am asked to re-train horses, one of peoples concerns is the horse won't

satnd still when they try to get on, and the horse won't stand when they are on the horse..

so I teach people to be STILL...



This is easy...just put your hand on the saddle area and be still...

Just be...most people cannot keep their fingers from moving,

its like they have to fuck with something, and in this case its the horse,

  just be still...   when people  learn to be still, and the horse breathes

up into their hand and relaxes,then a change in the pattern has occured...




Anyway, Elea and I were discussing kids...and the problem with a class
 
roomful that sometimes occurs...so I had two suggestions...




(1) is to have them stand and hold their arms like wings, have

them breath from the bottom of the spine to the top of their head, and

when it gets to their shoulders, open the wings wide...hold the breathe deeply

and then let the breathe out and relax the wings , and tilt  the

head forward as they relax   ......after three times  a change occurs,



and


(2)   have them tilt their  fore - head ( where the 3rd eye is) toward you

       and, also, tilt your head toward them ( distance doesn't matter )

      and have them look you in the eyes, and you look in their eyes,

      and tell them they can say anything  they want, without words, or

     making a sound   ---  


  ( some of you will know what is taking place  here )

                        (c) by Sol Spitz

BIRTH  OF  A  HORSE                  (c) by Sol Spitz






                                       When a mare has a baby,

the next day she stands alert   ---and announces with a loud whinny, 

to the world,  " this is my baby, and one will be a horse ", the
 
other horses answer her back, in welcome  -  and the baby belongs with the herd   ---

and then they trot off and the mare starts teaching the baby horse ways,
 
                                               and horse time ---




(c) by Sol Spitz

A  BEAUTIFUL  PHOTO THAT  WILL  NEVER BE  REPEATED        (c) by Sol Spitz


In northern California, an hour north of San Francico, along the coast,

 I managed a ranch that had 10 babies born

that year, one of which is my stallion , EchoEcho ..the horse on my business card....



Every day I would check the horses trying to  guess their estimated

time of arrival... nature is on its own clock, and I never argue with nature...

Every morning I would wake up, and in the fog,  would get the morning hay...



As i started to go into the pasture, I noticed none of the horses were

waiting like they usually do, and I thought a fence got knocked

down and they went somewhere...


I started to go in the field, there was a hill, and as I went over the rise,

in the fog was the entire herd in a circle, some of which were looking in, and

some were facing out,making sure of safety, and the herd leader was running

around the circle...


I went in and a mare was having a baby ... I stood, grateful for a unique moment

that very few will ever witness, there was no way

I was going to pretend to be busy like most people... it was their moment---

and the sounds were of the fog, the breathing of the herd,
 
and the hoofbeats of some of them stamping their feet...




It was a moment of infinity, and I was glad to enjoy the moment,

and now you know why I feel fierce in my passion  - with  - the power of the horse ---

                                                                                                                                                       Sol

THE  PHOTO  IS  A  PASSING  GLANCE           (c) by Sol Spitz



The photo is a passing glance, a refelection,

Light takes place of words, a combination of possibilities -

The blend of the image, and the attitude,

The will to exist, the beauty of the creative spirit -

The need for a creative, an emotional outlet is as strong as

The heartbeat that flows thru our veins,

That connects us to all that is alive -



The portrait, as a poem,

Not to capture a restless spirit -

Shimmery in nature, elusive by design, given to us as hints -

An image, stirs the senses, compels, a dichotomy,

An impulse of attraction & distance, the photo as a metaphor,

A moment in time, without a need for words -



The photo is a passing glance

Of bundles of energy in a physical world

Who are given to the elements -

A trace of elegance, the intensity of breathing,

An imprint of the individual,

A passing glance, you know who you are   ------

         DOG      SURVEY


The past month, or so, I've been taking a survey of dogs, usually at dog parks or hiking trails such as Runyan Park in L.A.


(1) How do you feel about dogs...

(2) Do you remember your first attraction to dogs...

(3) what attracted you to your particular dog(s)...

(4) where do you go for information about dog behavior...

(5) what is your most inportant issue regarding dog behavior...

(6) are there aspects of your dogs behavior you would like to see improve...



The first question is designed to be open very quickly, while
 the second takes us to the past and the third thru sixth bring us to the present...


this information will be part of my presentations and future
articles...you're welcome to mail me a message regarding these,

best regards...Sol

                     HORSE  SURVEY    (c) by Sol Spitz



(1) how do you feel about horses...

(2) when did you first become attracted to horses...

(3) what attracted you to your particular horse(s)...

(4) Do you see you and your horse as a team...

(5) where do you go for information regarding horse behavior and "training"..

(6) are there aspects of your horses behavior you would like to see improve...

These questions are designed to (1) open with the obvious
 and then lead to the particular,

and also including the 4th by seeing the horse as a team,
(power with, rather than power over)

My future horse presentations with horse people is to emphasize
that if the  " Be-ing" part is there, then the DO-ing is part of it...

the horses I have to Re-train don't even want to be with people,
and that needs to change, we are in the 21st century and its time to act like it

For the past thousands of years horses were used and
abused for war, transportation and agriculture...

the past 100 years horses were used and abused mostly for entertainment...

now, in the 21st century there is a shift where people would like to move

beyond style and image for a deeper connection, I'm glad to be here at this junction

I'd like you to message me with answers to the survey, or any other comments..
this survey will be part of future articles, and also in my presentations.

best regards, Sol