Gary Witheford UPDATE!

[Flighty Fillie]

All I can say is WOW!

My first morning with Gary and my bolshy, in yer face, nervous loading horse is now showing ME respect on the ground and loading no problem! I videoed the whole mornings work for those "non believers"!

My flighty chap has been wrapped up in a huge sheet of tarpaulin from poll to dock and never budged an inch.....plus it was windy! He's walked over the tarpaulin and loaded into a "scary" horsebox a dozen times all with me too, without tanking off to the other end of the earth!

I am one happy bunny and wanted to share that with everyone!

We still have a way to go but I know my lovely horse will be a better horse for it :D

[sozzie]

That's great news.
Does Gary do Parelli style training or Intelligent Horsemanship, or something completely different?
I'm getting an IH trainer to help me with my horse in a couple of weeks time (I have problems loading and with manners too).
I hope I have as much sucess as you have. :)

[Flighty Fillie]

Gary's training is not Parelli style. He has a Parelli student there at the moment whose horse bolted in the menage throwing her! It turns out the poor horse has 14 displaced vertabraes, displaced pelvis and withers! An amazing Dutch Chiropractor came out today and fixed the poor horse, which is now on box rest for 5 days before starting training.

My own horse was seen by the Chiropractor and has 4 displaced vertabraes, withers and stifles! You would never know your horse has these unless it's a bucker, rearer, kicker or bolter! The Chiropractor is also checking our saddles too. They both received ultra-sound/laser treatment and being knocked with little rubber mallets! One more treatment and they're cured!

Gary's ethos is about creating RESPECT for the owner, immitating the lead mare in the herd. It is "natural horsemanship" but different from Monty Roberts, Richard Maxwell, Heather Moffat and Kelly Marks, whom I have all of their books and seen clinics.

My horse walks 7 foot behind me and does not come into my space now, a very different story to two days ago! The horse looks to you as the leader and does not want to leave you until you give them the command with eyes/body language that they can. They are to trust you implicitly, following you over tarpaulin and into horseboxes and trailers.

If you're only over in Basingstoke, come and see Gary and the yard. He welcomes visitors and you can chat to the other owners etc. You never know, I might bump into you!!!!

Good luck