Roundpen Rally Reflections

by Mary Kay Adams, Equine Teacher

It was a beautiful early autumn day on September 16, 2007, when I held my third roundpen Rally here at EquiNine Training Facility in Weeks Mills. The rallies have been successful with people bringing interesting questions about their horses' behaviors and how their lack of clear communication has been creating problems in their relationship with their horses. In each rally three hours of demonstrations in the roundpen provided problem solving techniques, and taught equestrians how to communicate with their horses by gaining control of their horses' minds rather than controlling them physically.

Some of the questions came up repeatedly at the rallies, such as, "My horse walks all over me. How do I get him to pay attention to me and not everything else around us?" Or, "My horse is really hard to bridle. How do I get him to accept the bit better?" And, "How can I stop my horse from bolting when he sees the halter in my hand?" And commenting that, "My horse is so nervous. No matter how much I sack him out he never seems to relax. I never feel completely safe handling or riding him."

I listened to all the questions and comments and gave feedback about how the horses think and how the roundpen theory is important to understand because it isn't the pen itself that trains the horse, it is what is happening in the roundpen that gets results. All of the rally participants took away ideas about how to gain control of their horses without using physical force or fear, and how they could enjoy positive communication with their horses rather than anticipating frustration. They also understood that running the horse around the roundpen until it is exhausted isn't what roundpenning means.

Here is a comment from one of my repeat spectators:

"People left the rallies with hope. They asked questions about horse behaviors that they'd been putting up with for years and couldn't stop. Mary Kay gave easy-to-follow instructions and demonstrations; and I'm sure the people went home just like I did and followed her advice. Mary Kay trained my horse. I left him off on a Saturday. He was a handful, and was head shy, unpredictable, and jittery. When she told me to come see him four days later, I looked into the roundpen and saw a horse that looked like mine, but simply couldn't be him. He actually stood with a hat on his head while she rattled a jug of pebbles hear him and threw a tarp around him. Before that I couldn't get him past even large solid stones on the trail without spooking. Everything scared him. I knew that something amazing had happened to my horse. Now it was time for me to learn so I attended the rallies." Jan, from Winslow, ME.

I thank those who have attended the rallies so far, and I am excited to have the opportunity to teach others so they may have a positive relationship every time they interact with their horse.

A Maine Equine & Canine Training Facility

Roundpen Rally Reflections