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Stallions-» |
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Offspring-» |
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INDEX |
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**
See Our Sales List of Purebred Arabians** |
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• Training |
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• Breeding |
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LESLIE HAMMEL-TURK Leslie Hammel-Turk has been working
professionally with horses for over 30 years. Leslie earned Riding Instructor
and Riding Master Certificates from Meredith Manor in 1977. Since then, she
has dedicated herself to mastering the traditions of the true horsemen of the
world by using the horse as teacher to strive for a centaur-like union. While
respecting tradition, Leslie is forging a unique style of horsemanship, that
integrates contributions from her human teachers, including Tom Dorrance, Ray Hunt, Mary Wanless,
and Dr. Deb Bennett. |
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The highest
levels of riding require a partnership of both an advanced horse and rider. This
horse will have training to enhance its natural physical strength and
suppleness; willingness and energy to perform; and thoughtful instruction to
promote the attention, confidence, and skill necessary to execute the requested
tasks. The human partner must understand how a horse thinks, learns,
communicates, and interacts within its herd environment; how nature intended
the horse to function; and how to use their own body as an instrument of
communication with the horse. When all aspects meld, they form a communion
between horse and rider that is the basis for achieving the highest
performance, and having a safe and enjoyable riding experience. Leslie Hammel-Turk's riding instruction stresses control of the
rider's body and sensitivity to the horse's body language. Because every time
you ride it is another piece of the developing relationship between you and
your horse, we feel that "Every time you ride, you are training the horse
- good or bad".
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TRAINING The education of a horse begins at birth. From the
moment a foal hits the ground it enters a period of intense education. The
foal immediately begins learning to stand, walk, find the udder, nurse, lay
down, follow mom, to name but a few of the tasks he will need to learn in
order to survive his first day. In fact, within the first week of life, he
has learned the rudiments of every maneuver needed throughout life including
those desired by a rider. This period is a beautiful illustration of how the
horse is a creature that mindfully adapts and adjusts to changing situations. This is the basis of our work with horses, being
careful to recognize that horses are thinking creatures, that only become
reacting creatures when they feel threatened. We strive to present the
training horse with non-threatening situations that are the most productive
learning environments. As in relationships with people, we find it important
not to force our demands on the horse, but instead to communicate our wishes
so that they become the horses' idea. To accomplish this, we use the horses'
own sophisticated means of communication, involving body language, facial
expressions, and eye contact, and the natural hierarchical structure of the
herd that all horses understand. We are seeking to become the most important
and dominant member of the horse's herd, so our work begins when our foals
are only 30 minutes old. In this way they are introduced to humans at a time
when the new becomes the familiar. When done with sensitivity and tactful
persuasion, even with older and mature horses, the horse understands and
feels comfortable with his position in the horse/human relationship and
becomes a willing partner rather than a reactive problem. |
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CLINICS AND
INSTRUCTION WITH LESLIE HAMMEL-TURK
Are you are a
rider who has watched the clinician work your horse, only to return home
without the necessary tools to be able to replicate the results? Give yourself
the opportunity to work with an instructor who uses a holistic approach to
reveal the specific feel that remove the blocks to higher horsemanship. Leslie Hammel-Turk has developed an instructional program that
addresses the three areas of knowledge that are integral to higher horsemanship
(See Drawing).
PURPOSEFUL AND DYNAMIC USE OF THE RIDER'S BODY. Use your body in a very
specific way to eliminate your need to brace against the horse's power. The
best riders have the body awareness not only to enable profound communication
with the horse, but also to avoid interference with the horse. The feel and the
balance of riding are integral to higher horsemanship.
FUNCTION OF THE HORSE. Learn how nature intends the horse to function. This allows the rider to achieve high levels of control while avoiding harm to the horse. A horse that is in pain is an unwilling partner, whereas a horse that works in a balanced fashion will happily unlock its inherent natural abilities.
PSYCHOLOGY OF THE HORSE. Approach the horse from its own
perspective, and you will be astonished by how much can be accomplished from
the horse's own ideas. Everything that you want from your horse is already
there. Our profound lack of understanding of these wonderful creatures is the
basis of all of our problems with our horses. The timing and balance of our
communication with the horse is what creates the understanding of what we
expect from our partners.
As the rider
gains knowledge in each of the areas they begin to be able to operate in the
areas represented by the intersecting areas of the circles. True horsemanship
may begin when all three areas of expertise begin to blend and the rider
operates at the intersection of all three circles. At that point the rider has
the necessary tools to make successes out of "problems" and find the
true simplicity of horsemanship.
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Stallions-» |
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Offspring-» |
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For more information, we can be reached at:
Leslie Hammel-Turk
Turk Arabians
P.O. Box 1366
Las Vegas, New Mexico
87701
505-454-8073