Exmoor ponies and Hojita Verde!

You can buy and download Hojita Verde at https://reubendarlingkhan.bandcamp.com/track/hojita-verde 

I've created an approx 4 minute and a 2 minute version of the Exmoor ponies and Hojita Verde. The longer version gives more examples of their Herd Recall. It's important for me to emphasise that these ponies aren't 'herded'. So no one is behind them, making them move. They are coming to my call. This is what I love about their energy and connection - and it's evolving all the time. Something that has absorbed my learning and training, way beyond working individual ponies on a rope. 

My book Wild Herd Whispering explores how I was faced with the daunting situation, a few years ago, of taking on many more Exmoor ponies than we'd planned. Having to step in to literally save lives - across a range of situations from orphan foals to the entire crop of foals in a moorland situation. The result has been the creation of a large herd of Exmoor ponies from a range of moorland herds. 

How can I possibly individually train them? How can I maintain my training to top level in showing and liberty/agility to win championships? The answer is, I can't. And that reality has caused me to change direction, put my competitive side on hold and look to the herd for inspiration and guidance on how we can progress their development and an enriching life. 

The result has been the most incredible, ongoing education with the herd regarding learning about herd energy and dynamics and building a relationship with the ponies based on two-way communication - where they often respond as a huge herd. This brings incredible interactions and ongoing inter-herd learning. With the ponies having to evolve many relationships and live within a complex herd infrastructure that includes multiple males, females, young stock and previous working stallions. 

In these two short films, you'll see some glimpses of the  energy and responses between the herd and me, and within the herd This is an ongoing, huge learning curve which has literally exploded my views and perceptions of what 'horse training' is all about.  It's amazing and reinforces my long held view, that the best equine teachers are the ponies themselves. 

I hope you enjoy these two short films and Reuben Darling Khan's wonderful  music.