I just had a very interesting experience with my horse and the lady who owns the stable where I board my Icelandic. Stjarni had a problem with his ears. Two vets were not really sure what it was. It looked like the horse was allergic to something and it broke out in sores in his ears. The first vet sedated him to be able to have a good look into the horses ears. Then he suggested to us to give the horse twice a day medication for his ears. We tried first to hold him and tie him down, but Stjarni was just scared. We put a towel over his eyes, for him not to see what we were up to, but it just got worse. And after the second day the stable owner Beth did something I never thought would work. She is a very strong Parelli member, that means no tying, no halter how I am used to. She just moved the horse in the corner of the barn hall way and ask me not to hold him. Then she moved her hands very slowly up his neck toward his ears. When she touched his ears he moved away but she stayed right with him, calm and quietly and as soon as she had the medication in his ear he stood still. It worried me and I told her at least to put a helmet on for both of us to be safe when he shook his head from side to side in the beginning. And I was not suppose to hold him. Well, from day to day he was standing better and when the vet came after ten days to look at him and wanted to sedate him again, Beth said: you don't have to ! And the vet could not believe how the horse was standing still.
Now this is not only because my horse is an Iclandic, they are just easy to handle. It is also the body language of the handler and that reminded me of the lessons with Monty and Florian which I very much enjoy to watch. Since then I pay a lot of attention to my own movements and I am amazed how the horse picks this up. Stjarni ' s ears are good now and I keep working his ears and try to overcome my fear when he starts to move away. The horse picks up my emotion and when I am confident in what I want to do, he is fine. I am in this "Parelli " stable and have picked up some good moves, but I still very much use Monty's methods which I have done for the past twenty years. I am glad that there are more people now who train horses without violence.
Hiltrud