Yorkley, Forest of Dean
Thursday 21st March 2002
HORSE WHISPERER'S DEMONSTRATION
An audience of a hundred and fifty people watched Romany Horse Whisperer Ray Smith's
talk/demonstration at the Forest of Dean Equestrian Centre, Yorkley. (Ray attended to Kaan in Week 4 of the Ride.)
After a warm-up session mixing flexibility exercises with rider "centring", a form of
meditation, Ray went on to demonstrate how to get and keep a horse's attention and trust
by leading exercises, the Romany alternative to the "round pen" method of training. Equine
participants were Seamus, a pony rescued by the Horses and Ponies Protection Association
from ill-treatment which had caused a phobia about having his feet touched; and Storm, a
Welsh Cob with a tendency towards aggressive and threatening behaviour.
Highlight of the evening was a demonstration of "mind riding", where Ray prompted the
rider to influence the horse's direction and behaviour through the subtle movements
induced by intense concentration. The subject here was Lesley Dunn's beautiful grey Arab
stallion Chatanz, a Grade I stallion and racehorse, a champion himself and both the progeny
and the sire of champions.
"How To Whisper a Teenager" provided a comic interlude before the interval, and the
evening was formally concluded with drawing the raffle, kindly sponsored by Hartpury
College. However, nearly half the audience stayed to watch Ray finish off his own evening's
work by showing how to give equine massage and flex joints to improve the suppleness of
older horses.
Photograph and
press boards in the restaurant gave a record of the Ride, and the Odyssey website was also
on display upstairs.
The night raised over £1000 for Odyssey funds
