This message is from: Jean Ernest <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Dagrun, check out the "Birdie theory" on Dr. Deb Bennett's Equine Studies Institute website. She has also writton a whole Book (On CD) about this,, THE BIRDIE BOOK.
http://www.equinestudies.org/Food_for_all.htm Birdie Theory: "The term "birdie" came out of a conversation several years ago between Dr. Deb and Harry Whitney. We may use it to describe or "personify" the "leading edge" of a horses attention. Attention is an energy-flow which comes out of the mind, spirit, and body, and "the birdie" is a metaphor for this. ...... the thing that goes out from a horse when he "gives" us his attention is not literally a little bird, but it can be useful to picture it as that. The birdie can be located in several places. The ideal places are: perched on the "7th Chakra" in the middle of the horses forehead (when hes tanding still); out ahead of him, yet still connected to his forehead (his eyes are sparkling and his ears are up when hes travelling along). Less ideal, but still good, is when the birdie sits on the rider or handler (this occurs when the handler helps the horses attention not to waver or "teeter"), or on a moving thing (cattle, other horses, a tire or tarp being dragged, any of which he will happily follow). When the horse has "lost his birdie," which is never a good situation, it may be that his birdie has: (1) Become separated from him in space (for example, you rode him out from the barn but the horse left his birdie on the feed bunker). (2) Been swallowed by the horse (which he will do when he feels either "sour" or sick with attendant narrowed eyes and backturned ears). (3) Gone into a "parallel world", or you might say the place where horses birdies go when they die (even though the body is still present in this world). This is the most serious of the three and if of long standing, much the most difficult to repair. The horse gets a "vacant" look in his eye, which riders and handlers MUST learn to tell from "sleepiness" or "laziness." Some perceptive folks say of a horse in this condition that he is "out of his body." The lights are on but nobodys home! Clinically, its been called "stress syndrome". Whatever you call it, once you learn to recognize it you will be much safer around horses because since the horse is not in fact dead, at some point the birdie will come back into the body, and when it does, unfortunately its liable to come back in with a big rush and bang just like when a student is abruptly woken from daydreaming by Teacher slapping desk with ruler. If the horse "comes back" with a BOOM, he may do anything like jump five feet straight up into the air, swatting with both hind hooves. The handler must be aware and be prepared to get out of the way! To the extent that the horses "birdie" is separated from his body whether in space, time, or spiritually the horse will manifest discomfort and undesirable behavior." Jean in Fairbanks, Alaska, mild and sloppy, 40 degrees F. >she was telling her students that if a horse's ears are pricked, he is just >doing his own thing, admiring the view and not paying attention to the >rider. ************************************************************ Jean Ernest Fairbanks, Alaska mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
