I want to make it clear that I am not a TTEAM practitioner. I have friends who are and my understanding of Linda Tellington-Jones' work comes from working with them, my work with Peggy Cummings and I have taken TTEAM clinics. That said, I can't imagine working with any horse without employing Linda's life changing methods.
In order to gain Jillie’s trust and establish myself as a predictable and considerate companion, I employed a number of TTouch and TTEAM techniques, including mouth work, front leg circles, and Abalone touches, like the ones I had to use that first day in order to be able to touch Jillie’s right side, that are used to calm reactive horses and improve acceptance of touch over large areas of the body.
In order to gain Jillie’s trust and establish myself as a predictable and considerate companion, I employed a number of TTouch and TTEAM techniques, including mouth work, front leg circles, and Abalone touches, like the ones I had to use that first day in order to be able to touch Jillie’s right side, that are used to calm reactive horses and improve acceptance of touch over large areas of the body.
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Front leg circles, executed by slowly and carefully drawing circles in the air with the toe just barely clearing the ground, are used to improve balance and relax shoulder, neck and back muscles. This exercise also offers young or unbalanced horses a chance to practice balancing on three legs, which is useful for hoof trimming.
When I first began doing leg circles with Jillie, the circles she was able to do were no bigger than a nickel in diameter and the toe ratcheted its way around the circle in a rough, awkward way. I did just a few circles each direction on both front legs two or three times a day and was pleased as the size and ease or motion improved steadily. I could feel the movement travel clear up into the shoulders and Jillie began to enjoy the exercise.
I also stroked her with the “wand,” a stiff, fiberglass dressage whip that delivers a firm, comforting touch, stroking over, under, and across her body and legs to introduce the wand as an extension of my hand. In leading, the wand offers useful aids to indicate direction of travel, establish boundaries of personal space, and determine pace by speeding up or slowing down the pace as needed.
When I first began doing leg circles with Jillie, the circles she was able to do were no bigger than a nickel in diameter and the toe ratcheted its way around the circle in a rough, awkward way. I did just a few circles each direction on both front legs two or three times a day and was pleased as the size and ease or motion improved steadily. I could feel the movement travel clear up into the shoulders and Jillie began to enjoy the exercise.
I also stroked her with the “wand,” a stiff, fiberglass dressage whip that delivers a firm, comforting touch, stroking over, under, and across her body and legs to introduce the wand as an extension of my hand. In leading, the wand offers useful aids to indicate direction of travel, establish boundaries of personal space, and determine pace by speeding up or slowing down the pace as needed.
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