3/30/2013- On my final days in California I thought I would share some about my trip, some things I’ve learned and what lies ahead. It has been a great trip for personal time, personal growth, catching up with old friends, making new ones, doing some riding, teaching and some good old fashioned slacking off.
I had a few horses in development and enjoyed figuring out the puzzle of what each horse needed to advance to the next level. A big part of horse development is understanding sequence. Knowing how to break down things into as many little steps as possible so that you can release your way to the goal. Another idea I encourage you to think about is that it may be the release that teaches but it is also the relief that follows that is extremely important. Think about being in the car for four hours after a few cups of coffee and the feeling of relief that comes once you make that rest area. That rest area sure seems a lot sweeter at that point then the five you passed earlier thinking “Ah no need, I am not that uncomfortable to want to change what I am doing.” It is discomfort that causes change. Mental and physical discomfort can cause change. Horses can get themselves in a lather from mental strain as well as physical exertion. Neither one is bad for them but it sure is great when we can have a puzzle seem as easy as 1+1.
In an effort to better myself I took on a few puzzles for myself to figure out. I put myself in an learning situation while visiting a friend who is a acrobat and stuntman in LA. He is one of my oldest friends, Kyle DesChamps, and he started teaching me to do handstands, vaulting over obstacles, lache bars, backflips and front flips, basic partner lifts and balancing a partner. I got to spend time with some people that are at the top of their field performing in movies and Cirque Du Soleil’s shows in Las Vegas. The upside down thing has always made me nervous and is something that has been on my list to get better at. It was fun to put my knowledge of sequence and breaking things down to something none horse related and it helped me to be able to ask good questions while learning what to do with my body to learn these new skills. It was also good to feel the discomfort that came while learning new things and feeling funny trying it in front of people that were better at it than me. It helped put me in my students shoes so I can be more understanding to how they may feel in a clinic or lesson. To relate this experience to horsemanship, if you teach your horse to be a super learner and puzzle solver they start to figure out things on their own and begin to own skills versus having to be told what to do all the time. Train the brain and the body will follow. Mind, Flexion, Weight, Feet. Sound familiar?
I am excited to take these new skills and put it to a purpose with my horses and it gives me new motivation for things to learn and practice. Another big thing that I have been reminded of on this trip is going with the flow and how things become easier when you are with the flow and how we need to be able to turn loose too, like we ask our horses to do. I was supposed to be back east by now and enjoying spending my 30th birthday with my family. However, Thunder Truck, as I call it, decided it would like to have a new engine before the trip. Not quite what I had in mind but when I turned loose to the situation and opened up to the opportunities that came of the situation, I have got to learn and experience a LOT of new things. I also got to help some fabulous Parelli students in the LA area and miss out on some cold weather.
With everything just about back in order so I can get back to my scheduled events and travel plans I look forward to spending April and part of May in Illinois. I will be teaching some Workshops and a round of “Biernbaum Bootcamp” as we have been calling it. It is a lesson package that gives you a discounted rate on lessons and helps you commit to a big block of learning for you and your horse. I will have some horses in development as well and my favorite part of what I do, I get to see the progress of all my students!!!
Thank you to everyone that has made this trip an AMAZING experience!! I have gained some wonderful friends, family and life experience. If you are ever in California check out the Rancho Ruiz in Gilroy, CA and say hello to my California mom Deb Timms and her husband Craig who took great care of me. If you get a free night watch Cirque Du Soleil’s “Worlds Away” staring my friend Erica Linz and there is a great extra on the Blue Ray, a “Day in the Life” with more of my buddies Kyle and Pierre-Luc.
I hope to see all of you sooner rather than later!
Jake