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I was forty-seven when I finally fulfilled my childhood dream of owning a horse. Cowboy was a 7-year old gray Mustang. Although he was a mellow guy, I learned quickly that “Green plus green equals black and blue.” I thought I was a competent rider. Afterall, I went on trail rides through Costa Rica with my sister’s horses, no problem. Why was this so HARD? The heart-broken little girl in me was tearing her braids out, stomping her feet—"This is not how the dream is supposed to go!”
Enter Karen Musson. My friend had a horse with bolting issues, so we paired up for a session. I don’t remember the details (but I’m sure Karen does). All I know is that I said, “This is what I want.”
When she asked if I could help film at clinics, I jumped at the chance to absorb any particle she dropped my way. An advantage being behind the lens is the chance for uninterrupted focus. I learned what to look for—the eyes, the ripples, the diagonals, the braces, the releases.
Despite the hours of observation and conversation, I was still struggling when it came to my own horse. I had a few lessons with Karen, which were always insightful, inspirational and motivating. But I was averaging about one lesson every two months or more. After a large chunk of time going it alone, I got myself into an ugly place that I had no clue I was in, to the point where Mr. Easy-Going would actually run away from me. Now I was the little girl in the corner crying, ‘My pony hates me’.
To make matters worse, I had spent several years and lots of money desperately trying to find him relief for horrible skin allergies that began every March and lasted through October. How could he be so ungrateful?
That was the me I didn’t realize I had become.
Those road trips, our chats over coffee, hanging out at the barn with the herd helped me lay the foundation of trust so necessary for what had to happen next. Karen would sit me down with pen and paper, or talk me through some meditative exercises, asking hard questions. To her credit, she wouldn’t settle for my cognitive answers—they were only the surface. And I was a professional at closing off my feelings. We dug deeper, trusting there was a root that needed to come to light. Sometimes it would hit days later. Sometimes a dream or a word sparked some new epiphany. I had what some would say a “Coming to Jesus” with my own Ego, and that little 5-year-old girl. Cowboy did not deserve--and I would no longer allow—the burden of “make it all better” rest on his withers.
It was only after bringing these things into awareness—not to dwell, but to acknowledge and walk on—that the lessons could begin. We needed a new foundation with the accessible me. How to keep myself present for my horse. How to recognize and receive what he is offering. In clinics, we talk about how some horses might feel vulnerable when they “go inside.” I had the human version of it when it came to actually feeling. Cowboy was my barometer. If I shut down, he disconnected. If he shut down, I checked myself. He was so forgiving!
Groundwork revealed more insights: how my vibration or mood comes through the rope and just changing my thinking isn’t enough—I have to truly change how I feel; how a flash of self-doubt can short-circuit the connection if it doesn’t come into awareness; how some of Cowboy’s moves or habits were not based on “being lazy” or “difficult” but on improper posture or shape.
Conscientious of some bad falls I had, Karen transitioned us smoothly from emergency dismount whenever my anxiety spiked, to pony-club exercises, to bareback lessons on-line at walk, then trot. We finally had reached a point that had us independently walking around the arena together, as true, trusting partners. Those little particles started to connect within and between us. We had some beautiful moments where I truly felt love given and received.
But as the Universe would have it, those special moments would be our last together. Cowboy hid his cancer stoically until the last day. Karen was with me at the end. When we had to let Cowboy go, it was the most perfect, peaceful release one could hope for.
I truly believe that Karen’s coaching and friendship granted this gift beyond measure to Cowboy and I, and I know when the time is right, a new horse will come along, and Karen can teach us to dance.
Karen Tinsley, Ohio, USA
"I had the opportunity to see Karen work with a horse that I knew very well. The horse, normally anxiety-ridden, tense, and ill-mannered, was, when handled by Karen, engaged, quiet, and confident. As I watched her work with him, I was completely confounded I had no idea how she achieved these results with this particular horse. She was not using any pressure, wasn¹t driving him, backing him, or using any methods to train him that I was familiar with. I knew then that I needed to learn more.
I have been a trainer and riding instructor for nearly twenty years, and was trained first in classical dressage and then in natural horsemanship. I have been lucky to have learned from some talented and well-known trainers in my life. But in the year before I met Karen, my professional and personal life was in a bit of a crisis. The horses I was training were well-behaved, yes, but they were also dull and bored, tuned-out to me and my students. I had to keep adding pressure and teaching my students to use more pressure in their legs and reins to achieve results. My own horse was becoming more resistant and emotionally shut down by the day and I was growing increasingly frustrated and even angry with him. I felt like a failure like I was letting down everybody, the horses, my students and myself. I desperately wanted to do right by the horses and to coach my students in a way that made me feel proud, but I knew I needed help.
I began taking regular lessons with Karen soon after watching her work with that horse and I was sold when I saw the way my own horse responded to her. Within a few minutes, she had reached him in a way that I had never been able to. He seemed to open his heart to her and offer himself wholly. She never used pressure, never asked for more than he had to give her, and she knew exactly what he could offer. There was no resistance or brace when Karen worked with him and I saw the horse within him return.
Karen helped me to learn to apply Feel in practice, so that I could have the relationship with my horse that she showed me was possible. Karen is a kind teacher, with a clear yet thorough communication style and a way of making her students feel successful and empowered. She is intelligent and informed about so many disciplines and encourages her students to think and ask questions.
I was so impressed and impassioned by this work that I wanted to share it with all of my students. Because this method is so different from what I¹ve learned in the past, I know that it will take a long time before I am ready to teach my students correctly and completely in Feel and Release. So I invited Karen to work with my students and our barn to help all of us learn how to communicate with our horses through feel. The results have been amazing.
Thanks to Karen, we have a barn full of horses that seem more alive and engaged, but also more calm and responsive. Now, the horses seem to truly enjoy their time spent with humans and we are all learning so much. I am so grateful to have found Karen not only has she helped us create a whole new barn atmosphere, she has helped me to become a real partner to my horse. Most of all, she has given me the tools I need to feel pride once again in my work with horses and riders."
Kristen and Valentino, Ohio, USA
From what I have observed with Karen is that she is an excellent teacher. She is a brilliant communicator whom makes sure to explain any topic in an easy to comprehend way.
Her extensive knowledge of horses, and her experience with different concepts of training horses, in particular how to refine our Feel, grants her a tremendous skill set of choices to solve issues and improve others horsemanship.
I would recommend for anyone to get lessons from Karen. You will learn skills you can pass on to your family and friends, skills that don’t have an expiring date. It’s an investment for life, and truly a gift for your horses.
Ole Martin Morseth –Farrier
I am unsure what led me to attend Karen Musson’s THTF clinic last summer. I had studied dozens of trainers and rarely came across anything genuinely new. Most trainers said similar things and most trainers had similar methods, and every trainer, no matter what discipline, used the same, underlying principles of horsemanship, involving pressure and release, phases of pressure, not allowing the horse to say no, and so on. However, during the two days I was at Karen’s clinic last year, I was introduced to concepts radically unlike anything I had ever heard before, all based on using feel and release: the reward and learning moment for the horse did not rely on the release of pressure or food incentives – the feel of the interaction was the reward. I had long been on the path of eliminating pressure from my training but had little guidance beyond pure positive reinforcement training. However, at this clinic, the spark of hope was planted in me that others were traveling the same path that I was on.
Just like THTF often requires that the horse process for as long as he needs, I found that I too needed time to process what I learned at Karen’s first clinic. In a way, it was too revolutionary for me to immediately incorporate; I was not quite ready. However, this year, I was. At the beginning of the summer, I started incorporating the tiny bit I knew of feel into my horsemanship. It helped that my young mare, Maia, is highly sensitive and had had little traditional pressure training, but we still had much to learn.
This summer, I was an actual participant with Maia in Karen’s clinic. Traditionally, I audit clinics or merely watch DVD’s, finding that I learn all I need to that way, given that much training is more of the same. However, feel and release is one thing I needed to experience for myself directly, in a hands-on experience. Further, the fact that I actually attended with Maia – whom I am truthfully obstinately protective of from any method I feel would pressure her or cause friction in our relationship – is in itself a significant testament to the THTF method.
There were so many practical techniques that became far clearer to me during the three-day clinic. I will touch on just a few.
Pragmatically, the feel and release approach recognizes that pressure is present to some degree in a horse’s life. Pressure was not necessarily used to “communicate,” which is the job of feel. It was used very sparingly, to create a mental change or facilitate a one-time breakthrough. Even the most sensitive horses seemed to resonate perfectly with this use of pressure, never being offended, but actually freed by the use of it. In this way, feel and release transforms the very pressure it avoids: when THTF does use it, the horse feels released and not pressured at all.
My concept of “forward” was replaced by the concept of “life.” So often in dressage, I had been admonished to increase my horse’s “forwardness,” and yet doing so came about through more pressure and often merely increased speed. However, by learning about true “life” in the horse, I experienced a new type of forwardness I had never known. This type of life was about lightness, accessibility to the whole horse, maneuverability at the slightest notice, a true desire to work, and a completely free, released body, no matter if the horse was at a standstill or a gallop. Whereas the “forwardness” of before seemed to stem from pressure and end in more pressure, the “life” that I discovered at the clinic was a path to a released athleticism and even delight in the horse.
One concept that is the subject of much discussion in horsemanship is “space,” with people often being instructed to “take your horse’s space” or to avoid letting him “take your space.” Seeking to follow that instruction usually leads to a confrontation and/or a correction where the horse feels driven from his human. Instead, in the clinic, I was shown how a horse often simply needs to be re-educated about his perception of space; for example, if he creeps forward into your space, it may simply be that his natural sensitivity to another’s need for space has been inadvertently “dulled” through his being crowded in traditional practice handling. If we habitually crowd our horse, especially around his head, neck and shoulders, we teach him to do the same to us; before asking a horse to not crowd, we must first respect his space. This works because horses operate through reciprocal feel – they will return to you the feel you give to them. This realization transformed my work with Maia, especially at liberty, where some of our struggles became far easier to understand. Addressing her perception of space altered our relationship as well, for I could stop focusing on her, making her feel driven away, but simply play with the space around her.
Finally, my riding completely changed. In some ways, I feel that with much of what I learned traditionally in riding, I now do the opposite: release my legs and seat to go, release my inside leg to turn, release the reins to stop. Yet this transformational riding, far from being confusing, resonates perfectly with Maia, and despite only having a few rides through feel, she has begun to show the floating, feather-lightness of a far more trained horse – or, more truly, she is able to express a genuine lightness that was already there, as I discover how to preserve and release it.
Much more than just individual techniques, however, what truly gripped me from this clinic was how perfectly THTF fits into an ultimate philosophy of horsemanship, a true horsemanship. In fact, as I began to realize the many ways THTF seemed to fit the horse in every way, I began, on my own, in trying to describe it, to call it “true horsemanship.” Only afterwards did I realize the complete irony of my choice – I was simply calling it by its own name: true horsemanship through feel!
What, then, makes this “true horsemanship”?
THTF transforms liberty and bridleless work with horses. It allows for the same communication with the horse whether bridled or bridleless, on line or at liberty. With pressure and release, when there is tack, one set of communication is used (pressure on the tack), and when there is no tack, another set of communication is used (no pressure on tack). However, this causes confusion to the horse, who then has to learn two sets of cues. Liberty and bridleless work then is often unreliable, for there is not tack to back up the no-tack cues. However, THTF transforms this by having only one language, one set of communication, whether there is tack or not. It is no trouble for a horse to understand requests at liberty – without any special training – when he has always been worked on a loose line, with more float in the line – not less – asking for a behavior. It is no trouble for a horse to be bridleless when his rider has never taken up on the reins to stop or turn. This allows for only one language to ever be spoken to the horse – the language of a true horsemanship.
Also, one difficulty I had with some training methods is that they required so much explanation to the horse. There was so much to train, so many cues to learn, so many sounds to condition to, so many habits to make; honestly, it was so much work. One of the most fascinating aspects of THTF is its nature of being feel-based communication, not cue-based. There is very little you ever “train” your horse to do: the nature of feel is for the horse to do what he feels released to, based off his instinct. This transforms the horse-human relationship, for the horse does not feel that he is being “trained,” but simply communicated with. Even an utterly untouched horse could from the first moment have a working language with a human, understanding requests for even complex behaviors. This seems to be the truest horsemanship I could imagine -- communicating with the horse at the language of instinct, and what is utterly, completely natural.
With this realization about instinctive communication, I began to understand that THTF is one of the safest horsemanship methods available. Instead of relying on a behavior trained through habit and repetition – a behavior that a horse can often easily forget in a high-stress, frightening situation – THTF taps into the horse’s natural capacity to feel and respond with intelligence, whether in a calm, or reactive state. In fact, the more reactive a horse gets, the easier using THTF often becomes, for when the foundational communication is connected to those feel-based instincts, it remains available to the handler even when the horse’s instincts are heightened, instead of more easily losing the connection to a “dictionary of cues”. Working just as well with fear as with relaxation, this is true horsemanship, indeed.
THTF creates a remarkably attentive partner in the horse, a partner who will stand by his human even in the absence of phases, treats, pressure, tack, or rest . Through his understanding of your intent and feel, your willingness to accept his “no,” your helping him to feel free, he becomes a true partner who begins to anticipate what you need and even fill in for you. He has not based his relationship with you on where the rest/comfort is (learning that work is undesirable) or what the phases of pressure are trying to say (deciphering your meaning), but on the need and feel you are presenting. Is this not a true horsemanship, where the horse works to help you as much as you seek to help the horse?
A common adage among horsemen is, “the horse is never wrong.” However, I do not always see this lived out in much horsemanship, for there are always principles about horses that are assumed to need “reprogramming,” as if the horse were created wrong. The most prevalent of these principles is that the horse will push into pressure, people spending their entire training careers and building entire training methods on how to best re-program and re-condition the horse to stop doing this – but by directing that very pressure at the horse. However, is the horse truly that wrong? THTF instead acknowledges those principles, not seeing them as something to confront, but incorporating them as they are, naturally, into the method. Simply put, a horse’s natural response to pressure is to offer pressure, but the converse is also true: a horse’s natural response to release (without preceding pressure) is to offer release. This truth about horses is at the core of feel and release. Understanding the horse’s true nature seems to be a hallmark of a true horsemanship.
Finally, one of my long-term quests has been to find a horsemanship that makes riding and human interaction as wonderful for the horse as it is for the human. It seems that whatever horsemanship could do that would be the truest form of horsemanship, the most fundamental honoring of the natural horse-human bond. I believe THTF is one of the keys to this. When the horse is constantly released to perform, versus pressured, he becomes increasingly light, increasingly joyous, increasingly willing. Soon, the performance itself becomes the reward, not the promise of rest, treats, or comfort afterward. Through this, the horse learns to truly love his work and love what human interaction can do for him. THTF is a gift to the horse as much as a method for the human. Is this not the best way to be a gracious steward of our horses, using a true horsemanship that is not self-serving?
For all of these reasons – both the particular skills as well as the general principles – true horsemanship through feel has utterly transformed my horsemanship and thus changed my life. It was one of the missing links in my journey for the truest horsemanship, a horsemanship which causes as much joy for the horse as it does for the human, a horsemanship that entirely honors the natural bond between a horse and a human. In valuing that, it releases horse and human to unimaginable heights, heights which before were only legend.
But now, the legend lives.
Hannah and Maia, Texas, USA
"I just wrapped up a private coaching session with Karen Musson from The Art of Riding.
Her subtle way of changing the timing so that you are communicating directly to the horse through his feet instead of cues or pressure and release (which she explains actually sets you up so your timing is too late, forcing you to micromanage your horse) is so rewarding to experience!
In fact, your horse responds to it with willingness and pleasure. So much so that the release or "reward" is actually the feel itself! Not a release to mark a point where the horse has done what you asked. This allows you and your horse to continue in the flow without interruption.
Love this stuff!"
Tara and El Camino, Minnesota, USA
"I bought a very sensitive Andalusian who developed a dangerous bolting habit. My search for answers included attending numerous clinics from different trainers and buying a lot of DVD's. They all had one thing in common - variations of pressure and release.
Karen's methods which are inspired by Bill Dorrance's methods operate under a completely different paradigm that no one else coaches.
The feel I learned to project is of key importance to my horse. The float I keep in my rope is effective and my horse loves it. The timing and type of maneuvers used are completely unique and natural to how horses move.
Also, pressure is not used so my horse doesn't anticipate the next phase of pressure with fear.
In short my horse has stopped bolting and is tuning into my intentions more and more.
Most trainers know horses can only learn when they are calm; Karen's principles deliver calmness and connection."
Paul Wiedemann and Centano