What Your Horse's Nervous System Reveals About Trust and Liberty with Kaleigh Marie - Sponsored by Triple Crown Feeds

Dear Horse World

Liberty trainer and Braveheart Beasts founder Kaleigh Marie shares how training oxen, mammoth donkeys, and mules before ever seriously working with horses shaped everything she knows about connection, trust, and the nervous system.

Kaleigh Marie is a liberty trainer and performer based in the Northeast who has spent the last decade developing a nervous system-informed approach to horsemanship rooted in connection, positive reinforcement, and the foundational lessons she learned working with cattle, donkeys, and mules long before horses became her focus.

In this episode you will learn:

  • Why Kaleigh's foundation in training oxen and mammoth donkeys gave her a unique edge with horses
  • What "conversational quality" means and how it shows up in your relationship with your horse
  • Why donkeys ask "why should I?" — and why that's actually a gift to any trainer
  • How the nervous system underlies everything from leg aids to liberty work
  • The honest story of how clicker training almost derailed her liberty performances — and what she rebuilt from the ground up
  • The difference between expectation and intention when you're struggling in a session
  • What to do when you're not showing up as the trainer you want to be
  • Why dull horses are often the most sensitive ones — and how they got that way
  • The "backpack" concept and how co-regulation with your horse actually works
  • Why self-regulation — for both horse and human — matters more than connection

To find out more about Kaleigh Marie: website | instagram | facebook

This episode is sponsored by Triple Crown Feeds The secret to raising a healthy horse begins with nutrition that goes beyond. The team at Triple Crown is dedicated to helping our customers succeed by understanding your horse's unique needs and working to develop the right feeding program for the horse you love. www.triplecrownfeed.com | instagram.com/triplecrownfeed | facebook.com/TripleCrownFeed | youtube.com/@triplecrownfeeds

If you love honest conversations about horsemanship, trust, and the ongoing practice of becoming a better horse person, subscribe for more.

Chapters:

00:00 Meet Kaylee Marie

01:10 Road to the Horse Memories

03:38 First Meeting with Tik

08:12 Braveheart Beasts Origins

08:31 Farm Kid to Oxen Trainer

13:07 Riding Cows and Controversy

18:39 Back to Horses and Draft Life

20:16 Mammoth Donkeys in the City

24:01 Connection and Motivation Lessons

8:05 Conversational Quality Explained

32:22 Nervous System Awakening

38:31 Rescue Rehab and Roman Story

45:18 First Q&A Reset as a Trainer

47:30 Gut Brain Connection

48:27 One Percent Better

48:55 Expectation Versus Intention

51:44 Stop And Regulate

53:28 Co Regulation Release

56:41 Leg Aid Without Fight

58:40 Sensitivity Versus Expression

01:00:46 Rehab Dull Horses

01:04:17 Clicker Training Ethics

01:09:42 Rock Bottom Without Food

01:15:47 Pressure And Resilience

01:18:53 Clicker For Quality

01:22:10 Keep Learning Through Pain

01:24:03 Rapid Fire Favorites

01:28:23 Final Thanks And Wrap

2026-05-06 88 min Transcript

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Transcript

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Noelle: Kaylee Marie is one of those
trainers you've probably seen and

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thought, "Wait, how is that even
real?" Liberty performances with horses

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laying on their backs, galloping in
formation, completely relaxed while

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doing things you'd expect in a movie.

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The horses don't look forced.

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They're just with her, and it
makes you wonder what she's

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doing differently to create that
level of trust and partnership.

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Kaylee and I get into why horses
check out, ignore your leg, or feel

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different depending on the day, and
how that ties back to responsiveness,

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trust, and the nervous system.

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From training oxen and donkeys to
rebuilding everything she thought she

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knew, this episode gets into what's
really driving your horse's behavior.

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Kaleigh Marie: Kaylee, welcome
to the Dear Horse Girl Podcast.

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Thank you so much for having me.

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I'm so excited to be here.

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Noelle: Okay, so I, I'm gonna
premise by saying that I learned

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about you... I mean, we met at Road
to the Horse the first year I went.

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Mm-hmm.

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Um, I believe we were at
one of Dan James' parties.

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Yes.

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That was wild.

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That was a wild time.

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No one warned me about that.

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Fire-breathing included.

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No one warned me.

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I was like, "This is like nothing..."
And I've seen a lot, and that was- Mm-hmm

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... that was a, that was the first- A

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Kaleigh Marie: memorable experience

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Noelle: It was.

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Yeah.

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You're burned in my memory.

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Quite literally.

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Yeah.

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Yeah.

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Oh, my God.

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Okay.

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But actually, I wanna bring up
how Tick Maynard talked about you.

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Kaleigh Marie: Mm.

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Noelle: Which was, I was asking
him, and I was like, "Who do I

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want?" Like, I wanna learn about
liberty, and I really wanna learn.

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Um, and he knows how I feel
about, you know, like, my

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relationship with my horses.

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Mm-hmm.

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And he... And I'm, and I'm not, I
wouldn't... Ironically, like, given

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that we have an education platform-

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Kaleigh Marie: Yeah

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Noelle: I am someone, I feel
like I'm a really slow learner.

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Mm. I don't feel like I'm a particularly
fast learner, and I, um... So it

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was, I need, I wanted someone who was
gonna be, like, really... And I think

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this is gonna be cool, 'cause we're
gonna talk about nervous system work.

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Kaleigh Marie: Mm. It's okay.

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Noelle: I have a super sensitive
nervous system, and I- Yeah

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I think one of the things that Tick really
was thoughtful and about when he talked

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about you was just- Mm ... like, how
safe and, and welcoming and- Mm ... like,

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c- like, nervous system informed your
teaching is, which I didn't know that.

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'Cause if someone were- Really ... to
watch you run, whoa, think about it.

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If someone were to watch you
gallop in on three horses or

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two horses into a stand-up- Yeah

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like, full movie- movie
stunt rider style, right?

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Yeah.

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With, like, huge, you know, like, this
massive dress and the horses are like- Mm

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... you know, galloping around the arena.

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If you were like, "That person does
a ton of nervous system work," you'd

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be like- Maybe ... "Really?" I can
see the, the disconnect there, yeah.

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Well, it makes- Yeah

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sense when you think about it.

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Mm. But one of the things, Tick said that
not only are you just incredibly excited

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and enthusiastic and passionate- Mm
... about liberty, he also said that if there

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was a hor- He said... I said, "Who..."
Actually, the question I had for him was,

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"If I were to send my horses to someone,

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anyone, if I were to send them away,
so I have to trust that that person is

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gonna do right by my horses," he said,
"Oh, Kaeli Marie, without a doubt."

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Wow.

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Kaleigh Marie: Yeah.

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Tick, thank you.

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Noelle: Yeah.

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Kaleigh Marie: My goodness.

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There will be- So why do
you think he said that?

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In 51.87.

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Well, my mind jumps immediately back
to the first time I met Tick in person.

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He and I connected through a
student of mine back when I

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was based in the Northeast.

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Mm-hmm.

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And she had met him at
one of his book signings.

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She had been a huge fan, and I had
heard of Tick, but I hadn't come

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across a lot of his work, and she had
promoted me to him- Mm ... because

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she's a, a wonderful person.

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Noelle: Yeah.

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Kaleigh Marie: And he had sent
her home with a napkin with

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his phone number and Braveheart
Beast with a heart underneath it.

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Oh, my.

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Which was so, so sweet, and had
told her, "Have her reach out to me.

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I'd, I'd love to talk to her." Yeah.

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So I, throughout my entire learning
experience with, with horses and just as

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a person, I love reaching out to people
randomly on the off chance that they might

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want to connect, and we can talk and I can
learn from them and, and maybe, possibly,

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they can learn something from me.

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And so I took this number and I reached
out to Tick, and we connected on the phone

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for, uh, a fairly brief conversation,
and he just mentioned, "If you're ever

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in the Ocala, Citra area, you should
come by my farm." And it was probably

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close to, I don't know, six or eight
months from that phone call where I

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found myself in the Florida, yeah, area.

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And I reached out to him and was
like, "Tick, I'm, I'm in the area.

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Can I come by and visit?" He's like,
"Yes, absolutely." And I... It was New

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Year's actually, so I went to their farm
for a New Year's party, and then spent,

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uh, it was about two days with them, with
Tick in particular, after this party.

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And when I arrived at the farm, 'cause
I went to the party, um, left, I was

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staying with somebody else at the time,
and a day or two later came back and

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rolled up to the farm in an Uber, stepped
out of the Uber with my suitcase, and

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Tick is in the round pen with this
huge, gorgeous black gelding, Galileo.

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Yeah.

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And I just walk up to the round pen
as you do, and I'm, I'm watching

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him work this horse from the ground.

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Uh, and he, you know, acknowledges
that I'm there, and then he

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waves me into the round pen.

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He's like, "Come on, try this horse."
I'm like, "Oh my gosh, Tick Mayner

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is letting me work one of his horses.

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This is amazing." And I go in and we
start on the halter and lead rope, and

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then he's like, "Take the halter off.

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Play at liberty." And he watches
me for five or 10 minutes

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and is like, "You look great.

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I'll be back." And he goes to get
another horse and for the rest of

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the day we just work horses together.

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Uh, and he's asking me questions about
how I would approach things, and it was

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one of those humbling moments where the,
the work that I had seen from him up until

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that point, because after our phone call I
was like, "I have to check this guy out."

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He really, he has a, a quality
to him, like such a genuine

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kindness- Mm-hmm ... that inspires
curiosity about what he does.

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Like, the, the work that he does
physically is, is fantastic, but

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watching it, like witnessing it,
there's something about it that just

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generates this desire to know more.

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And so I, I had seen more and more
before I, I went to his farm in

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Florida, and to have this experience
of this person that when he witnessed

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just who I was, genuinely stepping
into the round pen of like, "Okay, I

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have no idea what this horse knows.

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I'm just gonna work with this horse and
try to pretend that nobody's watching me

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," you know, to be as authentic as possible.

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To have somebody like him witness just my
genuine approach and feel, and immediately

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give me a massive vote of confidence, he
has in, in just that way of, of, in his

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action, the way that, that he speaks to
me, 'cause this isn't the first time I've

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heard feedback, um, from people having
received feedback from him that was

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very, very kind about the work that I do.

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I think receiving those votes of
confidence is just, is just huge.

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Uh, and since then we've been friends
and, you know the horse world, it's

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big and small at the same time.

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Totally.

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So we always connect in, in
the circles that we're in.

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Eventually we come across each other.

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So yeah, that's really,
that's really meaningful.

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Noelle: Mm. Really

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Kaleigh Marie: meaningful.

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Noelle: Isn't it nice to receive-
Yeah ... a compliment like that,

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or like a vote of confidence.

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Absolutely.

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Even more than a compliment.

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Kaleigh Marie: The- Compliment
is like one thing ... the vote of

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confidence is what, is what really
is affirming to me- Especially coming

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from somebody who knows what goes
into really connection-based work.

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Yeah.

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Nervous system informed work.

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Like, to, to have somebody that can see
the path that I'm on, I, I feel there are

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people that can see the path that you're
on even more so than you do sometimes.

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Oh, yeah.

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Sure.

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Like I, I know where she's headed,
and she's headed in a great direction.

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It's like a breath of
relief of like, phew, okay.

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There's, there's ... It's almost a
check mark on the path of like, okay-

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Yeah ... I've reached this point and,
and where I am now, where I'm headed, I

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know that I'm headed in a good direction.

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So that's just really meaningful.

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Noelle: Okay.

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So before we dive in, 'cause this
is a No Stupid Questions episode-

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Yeah ... and I'm so excited- I love it

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'cause I think our community has lots
of really cool questions for you.

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So cool.

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But I want you to share with
everyone, because when we

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started I said, "Okay, where did
Braveheart Beasts come from?" Yeah.

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You said, "Well, actually it came
from the fact that I was, like,

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working not just with horses."

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Kaleigh Marie: Mm.

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Noelle: Can you, like,
share that a little bit with

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Kaleigh Marie: everybody?

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Ab- absolutely, and this is a pretty
big piece of my identity I feel like

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as a, a horse trainer, is the fact
that I did not start training horses.

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I was born obsessed with horses, as
most of us were, uh, into a family that

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had nothing to do with them at all.

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Yeah.

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I was just the odd one out, and
since I was a very little girl was

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determined to be involved with them- Mm

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to whatever extent I could be.

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And growing up in Vermont in a tiny
little farm town, there's a local riding

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stable where I started riding when
I was, like, four or five years old.

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But my first opportunity to really
immerse myself in animal culture was

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a dairy farm about 10 minutes from
my, from my childhood home, and I

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started working there when I was 11
years old actually because of a barn

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cat, a little kitten that was sick.

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We had stopped there to
bring sweet corn home.

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This is like a, a Hallmark movie- I'm
gonna say ... if you've ever heard one.

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Uh, and there's this tiny little
cat that was so sick, and my mom was

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00:09:34,140 --> 00:09:36,979
like, "You can't bring it home, but
you can ask the farmer if you can

201
00:09:36,979 --> 00:09:41,269
come back to take care of it." And
I was the most socially awkward kid,

202
00:09:41,269 --> 00:09:46,719
so, like, terrified of this 6'4" tall
gruff New England man, Farmer Neil.

203
00:09:46,719 --> 00:09:50,129
And I walked up to Farmer Neil, I
was like, "Hi, sir. I found this cat.

204
00:09:50,180 --> 00:09:55,049
Can I come back and try to save it?"
And he was like, "I, I guess so." And

205
00:09:55,049 --> 00:09:57,820
came back the next day and found this
kitten and cared for it, and the next

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00:09:57,820 --> 00:10:01,969
day and the next day, and just kept
coming back until the cat was better.

207
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And- But you wanted to keep coming back.

208
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And I kept coming back.

209
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I swear for the first six months
they didn't even know my name.

210
00:10:08,579 --> 00:10:09,790
Like, I just kept to myself.

211
00:10:10,749 --> 00:10:16,029
And eventually become, became more and
more immersed in the actual farm life.

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00:10:16,320 --> 00:10:19,249
Uh, like I said, it was a dairy
farm, so I helped care for all

213
00:10:19,249 --> 00:10:20,469
of the cows and the calves.

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There were pigs, chickens, crops.

215
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There was a big garden.

216
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And I was there before
school, after school.

217
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It became like my second home.

218
00:10:27,350 --> 00:10:28,090
Noelle: Wow.

219
00:10:28,120 --> 00:10:31,650
Kaleigh Marie: And this man
who, meeting him, is this,

220
00:10:31,719 --> 00:10:34,384
this r- gruff, weathered guy.

221
00:10:34,384 --> 00:10:36,595
He's the kindest, most generous person.

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00:10:36,925 --> 00:10:41,164
Like, the life I have now, I could not
have, I'm getting emotional thinking

223
00:10:41,164 --> 00:10:45,425
about it, I could not have without
the generosity that he showed me.

224
00:10:46,194 --> 00:10:50,085
And it started with
the cows when I was 12.

225
00:10:50,284 --> 00:10:52,354
I had been there for a year.

226
00:10:52,795 --> 00:10:53,725
He walked up to me.

227
00:10:53,784 --> 00:10:54,995
I remember this vividly.

228
00:10:54,995 --> 00:10:57,305
I have no idea why, but it's,
like, burned into my mind.

229
00:10:57,354 --> 00:11:02,004
I was carrying two five-gallon
pails of water as best I could as a

230
00:11:02,004 --> 00:11:05,495
12-year-old girl up this hill to go
water the chickens, and he walked up

231
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to me, and at that point, I was still
a little, a little nervous of him.

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I was like, "Hi, can I, like, what
do you need from me?" And he was

233
00:11:11,725 --> 00:11:15,405
like, "You know those two twin
calves that were just born?" There

234
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were a pair of twin bull calves.

235
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And I was like, "Yes." He's like,
"You ought to train those to be oxen."

236
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And I was like, "Oxen?" He was like,
"Yep, oxen," and went about his day.

237
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I had no idea what oxen were, and,
uh, upon going home and telling my

238
00:11:29,385 --> 00:11:34,605
parents, "Mom, Dad, I have oxen," they,
they also had no idea what oxen were.

239
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We looked it up online.

240
00:11:36,045 --> 00:11:40,595
There was one book in existence about
what they were, what their equipment

241
00:11:40,595 --> 00:11:44,534
was, how to train them, and I set
on this journey to training these

242
00:11:44,534 --> 00:11:49,085
two calves, I named them Simon and
Oliver, to be a working team of oxen.

243
00:11:49,134 --> 00:11:51,375
And, uh, I was quite successful.

244
00:11:51,375 --> 00:11:56,934
Like, I had no idea what I was doing in
the beginning, and just upon spending

245
00:11:56,934 --> 00:12:02,345
hours and hours of trial and error with
them and finding guidance in some local

246
00:12:02,345 --> 00:12:06,134
farmers as well who had worked oxen with
their grandfathers in the fields when

247
00:12:06,134 --> 00:12:10,375
they were growing up, like, just, just
traditional history in the town where I

248
00:12:10,375 --> 00:12:12,515
was, I became quite successful with them.

249
00:12:12,515 --> 00:12:17,305
There was 4H competitions, uh, in
my home state, and in New England,

250
00:12:17,305 --> 00:12:20,975
that's a thing where I'm from, is oxen
competitions of, like, fitting and

251
00:12:20,975 --> 00:12:24,205
showmanship, how clean they are, how
well you present them, how much you know.

252
00:12:24,614 --> 00:12:27,095
Um, cart classes, where you
hook them to a two-wheeled cart.

253
00:12:27,125 --> 00:12:29,085
It's, like, precision down to the inch.

254
00:12:29,085 --> 00:12:33,964
Like, wildly precise driving classes
to see how well you can control the

255
00:12:33,964 --> 00:12:38,134
team, and then strength classes of
hooking them to an actual physical

256
00:12:38,134 --> 00:12:39,665
load that they had to move around.

257
00:12:39,955 --> 00:12:40,104
Whoa.

258
00:12:40,104 --> 00:12:40,884
An obstacle course.

259
00:12:40,884 --> 00:12:42,384
Like, wild, wild.

260
00:12:42,384 --> 00:12:42,664
Yeah.

261
00:12:42,705 --> 00:12:42,845
This is

262
00:12:42,845 --> 00:12:43,224
Noelle: so

263
00:12:43,224 --> 00:12:44,655
Kaleigh Marie: not at all-
Yeah ... what I was expecting.

264
00:12:44,655 --> 00:12:48,944
Like a, a whole, it's a whole other
world, and, uh, these competitions

265
00:12:48,944 --> 00:12:51,425
would happen at county and state fairs.

266
00:12:51,494 --> 00:12:51,875
Noelle: Yeah.

267
00:12:52,315 --> 00:12:54,675
Kaleigh Marie: And so I got really
into the competitions, and I mean,

268
00:12:54,675 --> 00:12:58,604
through this whole time, I'm still
obsessed with horses, obsessed with my

269
00:12:58,604 --> 00:13:02,285
cows, but still obsessed with horses,
and could not have my own horse.

270
00:13:02,354 --> 00:13:04,845
Wasn't allowed to have a
horse at the dairy farm still.

271
00:13:04,974 --> 00:13:06,895
Family not really involved in horses.

272
00:13:07,255 --> 00:13:12,175
So because of this, this passion,
this persistent passion, and the work

273
00:13:12,205 --> 00:13:15,434
I was doing with the cows, I did the
only logical thing I could think of,

274
00:13:15,595 --> 00:13:17,285
which was to teach the cows to ride.

275
00:13:18,494 --> 00:13:18,624
Noelle: And

276
00:13:18,624 --> 00:13:20,495
Kaleigh Marie: so I would ride them Oh my

277
00:13:20,575 --> 00:13:21,015
Noelle: God

278
00:13:21,065 --> 00:13:23,615
... 
Kaleigh Marie: like when I say ride,
they would walk, trot, and canter.

279
00:13:23,615 --> 00:13:25,165
We'd go on trail rides together.

280
00:13:25,165 --> 00:13:26,814
We'd go swimming in the river together.

281
00:13:27,344 --> 00:13:30,835
Like anything a teenager would do with
her horse- You're- ... I did with these.

282
00:13:30,835 --> 00:13:31,125
Noelle: How?

283
00:13:31,125 --> 00:13:35,465
This is not like a, like, this is not
like, this is... You're not having me on

284
00:13:35,465 --> 00:13:35,645
Kaleigh Marie: here.

285
00:13:35,645 --> 00:13:36,934
No, I'll send you pictures.

286
00:13:37,514 --> 00:13:39,684
Like that- We have to include these
pictures ... they were my childhood

287
00:13:39,735 --> 00:13:45,815
best friends, and they're, so they
were twins, um, almost all black.

288
00:13:45,844 --> 00:13:49,795
They grew up to be over 2,500
pounds, over six feet tall.

289
00:13:50,155 --> 00:13:51,574
Had like these pearly white horns.

290
00:13:51,574 --> 00:13:56,155
They were menacing to anybody that didn't
know who they were or what they were, but

291
00:13:56,155 --> 00:14:00,274
to this day, the most docile, forgiving
animals that I've ever worked with.

292
00:14:00,365 --> 00:14:02,664
Thank goodness, because I
went on to teach them to ride

293
00:14:02,664 --> 00:14:04,545
bridleless, to roman ride bridles.

294
00:14:04,574 --> 00:14:06,164
I clicker trained them to do tricks.

295
00:14:06,574 --> 00:14:08,324
They're the first animals
I ever clicker trained.

296
00:14:08,324 --> 00:14:11,425
And when you drive oxen,
you don't have reins.

297
00:14:11,425 --> 00:14:13,964
You just have your body,
a stick, and your voice.

298
00:14:14,124 --> 00:14:16,975
So growing up, I didn't even
know liberty work was a thing.

299
00:14:17,015 --> 00:14:18,115
I just did it.

300
00:14:18,225 --> 00:14:22,574
It was just a natural progression
of training, and eventually with

301
00:14:22,625 --> 00:14:25,725
these steers, I just found it more
convenient to be able to lead them

302
00:14:25,725 --> 00:14:29,055
around without halters or a yoke, which
is the equipment that they work in.

303
00:14:29,055 --> 00:14:29,095
Yeah.

304
00:14:29,095 --> 00:14:31,905
So would just drive them as
a team completely at liberty.

305
00:14:32,464 --> 00:14:38,595
And this was the, the foundation of my
entire childhood, was spending time on

306
00:14:38,595 --> 00:14:41,244
this 600 acre farm with my two cows.

307
00:14:41,875 --> 00:14:45,464
Positive reinforcement, bridleless
riding, liberty work, like that was

308
00:14:45,464 --> 00:14:48,704
where it all began for me, and it
was never something that was elite.

309
00:14:48,784 --> 00:14:51,324
It was just the way that we
communicated with one another.

310
00:14:51,795 --> 00:14:55,875
It is what made life easy and
sensible, was to, to be able

311
00:14:55,875 --> 00:14:56,934
to communicate with them.

312
00:14:56,934 --> 00:15:01,204
And because they were so massive and I
was so little, they had to want to do

313
00:15:01,204 --> 00:15:05,475
what I wanted them to do, because there
was no making them do these things.

314
00:15:05,475 --> 00:15:08,975
Yeah, there's literally no making a 2,500
pound- There's no, no making them do it.

315
00:15:08,975 --> 00:15:13,354
So all of these county fairs that
we would go to to compete, often to

316
00:15:13,354 --> 00:15:16,765
the dismay of the administration,
I would show these other things.

317
00:15:16,765 --> 00:15:19,574
I would roman ride them, I'd ride
them around, I'd ride them bridleless,

318
00:15:20,074 --> 00:15:24,475
and it was- When you say to the,
people were upset about this?

319
00:15:24,475 --> 00:15:33,764
So it caused intense controversy in the
world of, of oxen because of, I, when

320
00:15:33,764 --> 00:15:38,585
it came down to it, jealous parents
of children I was competing against.

321
00:15:38,585 --> 00:15:43,435
Also just fair policy of, of
safety, of nobody rides cows.

322
00:15:43,435 --> 00:15:44,615
It's not safe to ride cows.

323
00:15:44,654 --> 00:15:47,975
I will tell you as somebody that
has ridden cows, mules, donkeys,

324
00:15:47,975 --> 00:15:51,534
camels, horses, cows are the safest
animal you can possibly ride,

325
00:15:51,594 --> 00:15:58,794
because they are so peaceful, and
I will say thoroughly thoughtful.

326
00:15:58,835 --> 00:16:00,064
Many people call them slow.

327
00:16:00,105 --> 00:16:04,874
They're just very thorough in how
they process and deliver information.

328
00:16:04,874 --> 00:16:09,420
So like where a horse will
spook, it takes- immense amounts

329
00:16:09,420 --> 00:16:11,150
of effort for a cow to spook.

330
00:16:11,860 --> 00:16:14,740
Hence why I could do all
of these insane things.

331
00:16:14,740 --> 00:16:18,129
Like, horse people hear this, they're
like, "That's crazy." Like, when I

332
00:16:18,129 --> 00:16:20,549
say we Roman rode Bridless, we walked

333
00:16:20,830 --> 00:16:24,279
Noelle: around the yard, and
they- So when you say Roman rode-

334
00:16:24,279 --> 00:16:24,539
Kaleigh Marie: Yeah

335
00:16:24,539 --> 00:16:25,160
Noelle: what does that mean?

336
00:16:25,160 --> 00:16:27,529
Kaleigh Marie: So Roman riding means
they're lined up next to each other,

337
00:16:27,529 --> 00:16:28,600
and I would- Yeah ... stand on them.

338
00:16:28,600 --> 00:16:29,500
One- Like what you do

339
00:16:29,500 --> 00:16:29,969
Noelle: with the horses.

340
00:16:29,969 --> 00:16:30,850
Kaleigh Marie: Yeah, exactly.

341
00:16:30,850 --> 00:16:30,939
Oh, okay.

342
00:16:30,939 --> 00:16:34,789
So, like, what I do with horses
now is just a lot faster than

343
00:16:34,959 --> 00:16:36,469
what I used to do back then.

344
00:16:36,469 --> 00:16:37,539
Noelle: Wow.

345
00:16:37,629 --> 00:16:40,980
Kaleigh Marie: Uh, so I, I say
it caused intense controversy.

346
00:16:40,980 --> 00:16:46,369
It's just nobody had ever seen this done
with cows before, and just like anything

347
00:16:46,369 --> 00:16:49,730
that's, that's new... Like, for me,
I just did it 'cause I thought it was

348
00:16:49,730 --> 00:16:54,189
fun and, and awesome, but it was new,
and new is, is scary, so people either

349
00:16:54,189 --> 00:16:56,259
were all for it or entirely- Like, the-

350
00:16:56,259 --> 00:16:57,709
... 
Noelle: against it ... isn't
that interesting?

351
00:16:57,709 --> 00:16:57,820
Mm-hmm.

352
00:16:57,820 --> 00:17:00,709
Often when we do something new or
something is impossible until it's

353
00:17:00,709 --> 00:17:03,680
possible- Yes ... then all of a
sudden every... Like, you either

354
00:17:03,680 --> 00:17:07,209
get people who are, like, 10 out of
10 excited or 10 out of 10 furious-

355
00:17:07,209 --> 00:17:08,070
Mm-hmm ... about what you're up to.

356
00:17:08,239 --> 00:17:12,619
Kaleigh Marie: And where I am in my life
now, I know that that's a good sign.

357
00:17:12,670 --> 00:17:14,640
That was hard to understand as- As a kid

358
00:17:14,640 --> 00:17:18,280
a kid, which makes me very, very
thankful for my parents, especially

359
00:17:18,280 --> 00:17:22,289
my mom, who to this day is, like, my
biggest fan, and she was my fiercest

360
00:17:22,289 --> 00:17:25,549
protector back then because she,
she believed in me so strongly.

361
00:17:25,549 --> 00:17:29,149
Like, nobody, nobody could touch me,
and, and if they tried, she was the

362
00:17:29,149 --> 00:17:32,520
first one off the bat to, to stand
up for me and what I was doing.

363
00:17:32,520 --> 00:17:35,819
And eventually this gave way to
my first teaching opportunities.

364
00:17:36,140 --> 00:17:40,710
As a 16-year-old kid, I was going across
the country with Simon and Oliver to

365
00:17:40,710 --> 00:17:46,149
international agricultural organizations,
colleges, draft animal-powered field days.

366
00:17:46,549 --> 00:17:50,590
Anywhere where oxen were relevant,
I started to present on what I would

367
00:17:50,590 --> 00:17:55,109
describe now as relationship-based
training, which back then, as I said,

368
00:17:55,109 --> 00:17:56,439
it's just what, what made sense.

369
00:17:56,439 --> 00:18:00,200
It's just how I communicated with them
and how I motivated them to do the work

370
00:18:00,230 --> 00:18:04,770
that I wanted them to do, which compared
to traditional methods of training oxen

371
00:18:04,770 --> 00:18:08,390
was very new- Right ... and unconventional
because a lot of traditional methods

372
00:18:08,390 --> 00:18:13,880
relied heavily on force, on making
these very massive but very peaceful

373
00:18:13,920 --> 00:18:17,670
animals do tasks that they might not
understand or be comfortable with.

374
00:18:18,539 --> 00:18:23,409
So it was, it was a little bit of a, of a
revolution with this very young girl and

375
00:18:23,409 --> 00:18:29,700
these big cows in this world of training
oxen, uh, that opened the doorway to me

376
00:18:29,840 --> 00:18:33,489
being able to access educational platforms
from a, a very young age and connect

377
00:18:33,489 --> 00:18:35,879
with people over connecting with animals.

378
00:18:35,909 --> 00:18:36,629
Noelle: Wow.

379
00:18:36,629 --> 00:18:39,750
Kaleigh Marie: So those are,
like, my, my deep, deep roots.

380
00:18:39,750 --> 00:18:44,849
Now fast-forward a little bit because
how do I eventually get back into horses?

381
00:18:45,650 --> 00:18:47,419
Is the big question on the table here.

382
00:18:47,580 --> 00:18:52,990
I, as a very little girl, was obsessed
with the idea of having a big black horse.

383
00:18:52,990 --> 00:18:56,889
This is like the only justification I have
for the next decision that I made, which

384
00:18:56,889 --> 00:18:59,520
was to purchase a young Percheron filly.

385
00:18:59,700 --> 00:19:04,450
That was my first horse ever, and
I think as a, a young woman, like

386
00:19:04,450 --> 00:19:09,509
people seeing what I've accomplished
with the horses I have now- Well, the

387
00:19:09,509 --> 00:19:11,989
6B ... there's the assumption that
I've been in horses my whole life,

388
00:19:11,989 --> 00:19:13,700
and I started riding when I was young.

389
00:19:13,770 --> 00:19:16,809
But when I was immersed in the cows,
I had nothing to do with horses.

390
00:19:16,809 --> 00:19:21,419
For about seven years I didn't
touch horses, and only got back into

391
00:19:21,419 --> 00:19:26,289
horses when I was, like 17, 18 years
old, which was about 10 years ago.

392
00:19:26,440 --> 00:19:26,590
Yeah.

393
00:19:26,590 --> 00:19:30,660
Yeah, that was like my first
horse that I ever trained on my

394
00:19:30,660 --> 00:19:32,269
own, was a young Percheron filly.

395
00:19:32,559 --> 00:19:33,629
Uh, she came with this name.

396
00:19:33,629 --> 00:19:34,719
Her name was Twinkle.

397
00:19:35,519 --> 00:19:37,350
She was, like almost 19 hands.

398
00:19:37,350 --> 00:19:41,050
She was gigantic by the time she
was full-grown, and ended up getting

399
00:19:41,050 --> 00:19:44,109
her a teammate, and for a time had
a carriage driving business because

400
00:19:44,109 --> 00:19:47,280
with draft horses, that was just the
world I was thrown into, is, "Oh, if

401
00:19:47,280 --> 00:19:51,260
you have a draft horse, you should
drive them." And she rode, too, but I

402
00:19:51,260 --> 00:19:53,460
became very interested in the driving.

403
00:19:53,510 --> 00:19:59,229
Um, would do hay rides, sleigh rides,
weddings, and as I was figuring out this

404
00:19:59,229 --> 00:20:04,879
driving journey with this big team of, of
beautiful black draft horses, I stumbled

405
00:20:04,879 --> 00:20:11,500
across, uh, a very unique opportunity,
which has also helped to shape quite a

406
00:20:11,500 --> 00:20:16,210
bit of kind of the, the diverse species
experience- Mm-hmm ... that I've had.

407
00:20:16,669 --> 00:20:20,750
Uh, as I mentioned, grew up in
Vermont, very agricultural-based state.

408
00:20:20,790 --> 00:20:25,580
So in the, the town or small city where
I was at the time, on the outskirts of

409
00:20:25,580 --> 00:20:30,659
the city, there was a compost company,
which is exactly what it sounds like.

410
00:20:30,659 --> 00:20:34,280
It's a dirt company, where people
bring food and it's turned over

411
00:20:34,280 --> 00:20:38,830
and over and o- and over in these
gigantic windrows until it is compost.

412
00:20:38,860 --> 00:20:39,049
Yeah.

413
00:20:39,049 --> 00:20:42,350
And they ship this compost across
the country to people wanting

414
00:20:42,350 --> 00:20:45,720
high-quality soil for their operations.

415
00:20:45,720 --> 00:20:45,809
Cool.

416
00:20:45,809 --> 00:20:49,960
And a cool eccentric, also very
eccentric, the man that owned this

417
00:20:49,960 --> 00:20:52,010
company was obsessed with mammoth donkeys.

418
00:20:52,470 --> 00:20:53,719
He was obsessed with what?

419
00:20:53,719 --> 00:20:54,950
Mammoth donkeys.

420
00:20:55,180 --> 00:20:56,230
What's a mammoth donkey?

421
00:20:56,230 --> 00:21:00,310
So donkeys don't have
breeds as much as horses do.

422
00:21:00,310 --> 00:21:02,320
They're classified much more by size.

423
00:21:02,769 --> 00:21:07,350
So you have, like mini donkey, uh,
which I think is 36 inches and under.

424
00:21:07,600 --> 00:21:11,870
Standard donkey is up to 54
inches, and mammoth donkeys are

425
00:21:11,989 --> 00:21:14,639
over- 36.91 penalty ... 14 hands.

426
00:21:14,680 --> 00:21:15,400
14 hands and up.

427
00:21:15,710 --> 00:21:15,840
Okay.

428
00:21:15,840 --> 00:21:17,570
So maybe it's 54, 56 inches.

429
00:21:17,570 --> 00:21:22,460
So he was, he was enamored
with massive donkeys.

430
00:21:22,460 --> 00:21:26,420
That was his, his thing, and this very
unique opportunity, he was looking

431
00:21:26,420 --> 00:21:31,175
for somebody To train these donkeys,
and there was one mule, a very old

432
00:21:31,205 --> 00:21:37,134
Amish mule, uh, to pull a wagon into
the city of Montpelier, Vermont to

433
00:21:37,134 --> 00:21:41,615
deliver his organic eggs to a local
co-op once a week, simply for the sake

434
00:21:41,615 --> 00:21:45,494
of keeping animal power alive and, and
thriving as, like, a representation

435
00:21:45,494 --> 00:21:47,305
of this is how we used to do things.

436
00:21:47,684 --> 00:21:50,965
Um, and as a kid, this is how he
used to do things, and for me,

437
00:21:50,965 --> 00:21:54,035
I had never worked with donkeys
before, anything with long ears.

438
00:21:54,084 --> 00:21:56,074
I was just starting to
figure out the horses.

439
00:21:56,115 --> 00:22:00,915
I was like, "Sign me up. I will ... If you
give me a chance to figure these animals

440
00:22:00,915 --> 00:22:06,285
out, I will get this done for you." I, I
was much more confident than I should've

441
00:22:06,285 --> 00:22:09,325
been at the time, and I absolutely did it.

442
00:22:09,755 --> 00:22:14,904
I, just through time and experimenting
and figuring out, once again, what

443
00:22:14,935 --> 00:22:19,035
motivated them, we quite successfully
created this program where once a week

444
00:22:19,075 --> 00:22:24,244
we'd harness a team of donkeys and hook up
to a wagon and drive them into the city.

445
00:22:24,685 --> 00:22:28,854
And you talk about functional training
with animals who are not easily motivated.

446
00:22:29,035 --> 00:22:33,934
They had to be traffic safe, like- Yeah
... stoplight safe, with cars and bikes and

447
00:22:33,934 --> 00:22:36,635
horns and trucks and, and everything.

448
00:22:36,745 --> 00:22:37,264
And,

449
00:22:38,004 --> 00:22:42,105
Noelle: uh- But this makes- Yeah ... okay,
so I ... Okay, so- Are, are the pieces

450
00:22:42,105 --> 00:22:42,985
starting- No, it makes- ... to, to

451
00:22:42,985 --> 00:22:43,614
Kaleigh Marie: come together?

452
00:22:43,614 --> 00:22:45,275
... 
Noelle: perfect sense now.

453
00:22:45,305 --> 00:22:45,364
Yeah.

454
00:22:45,394 --> 00:22:48,205
That piece- Mm ... of your puzzle
makes- Mm ... perfect sense.

455
00:22:48,235 --> 00:22:48,605
Kaleigh Marie: Yeah.

456
00:22:48,644 --> 00:22:52,394
Noelle: Because if anyone, and like,
again, a lot of people in high performance

457
00:22:52,394 --> 00:22:56,114
or in the sports side of things will
not know a lot about mules or donkeys.

458
00:22:56,114 --> 00:22:57,644
Mm. I know a little bit.

459
00:22:57,675 --> 00:22:57,855
Yeah.

460
00:22:57,855 --> 00:22:58,455
A little bit.

461
00:22:58,574 --> 00:22:58,714
Yeah.

462
00:22:58,714 --> 00:23:02,644
And I'm fascinated about mules,
but the reason why is because

463
00:23:02,644 --> 00:23:04,724
when I got my Appaloosa mare-

464
00:23:04,754 --> 00:23:05,165
Kaleigh Marie: Yeah

465
00:23:05,195 --> 00:23:09,945
... 
Noelle: a lot of vets told me, "If you
wanna learn about how to really understand

466
00:23:09,945 --> 00:23:13,114
your mare, you should probably do more
reading about mules or donkeys- Mm

467
00:23:13,114 --> 00:23:14,855
than you should about
horses." Interesting.

468
00:23:14,855 --> 00:23:19,995
Because vets typically classify
Appaloosas as more, like, stubborn

469
00:23:20,055 --> 00:23:24,355
and- Mm ... non, non-motivated-
Yeah ... non-solution seeking, as I say.

470
00:23:24,385 --> 00:23:24,714
Kaleigh Marie: Yeah.

471
00:23:25,105 --> 00:23:26,514
Noelle: Like mules and donkeys.

472
00:23:26,684 --> 00:23:26,745
Yeah.

473
00:23:26,745 --> 00:23:31,264
So the more reading and the more talking
to people, I found out about the art-

474
00:23:31,315 --> 00:23:31,834
Kaleigh Marie: Mm

475
00:23:32,154 --> 00:23:34,495
... 
Noelle: of training and working
with mules- It is an art

476
00:23:34,614 --> 00:23:36,084
and the art of- That's
like hard to describe it.

477
00:23:36,215 --> 00:23:36,364
Yeah.

478
00:23:36,364 --> 00:23:39,814
No, but, like, this makes perfect sense
as to why you are the, what, how lo-

479
00:23:39,864 --> 00:23:43,665
how you were able to do, how you've been
able to do so much- Mm ... in 10 years.

480
00:23:43,695 --> 00:23:44,105
Kaleigh Marie: Mm.

481
00:23:44,105 --> 00:23:48,165
Noelle: M- if you started, if
your foundation in equus ... like,

482
00:23:48,655 --> 00:23:50,284
is, is donkeys and mules-

483
00:23:50,284 --> 00:23:51,265
Kaleigh Marie: Gigantic horses and

484
00:23:51,265 --> 00:23:51,885
Noelle: gigantic

485
00:23:51,885 --> 00:23:52,055
Kaleigh Marie: donkeys

486
00:23:52,055 --> 00:23:52,295
that's like

487
00:23:52,295 --> 00:23:52,885
Noelle: starting-

488
00:23:52,885 --> 00:23:53,905
Kaleigh Marie: And gigantic cows.

489
00:23:54,165 --> 00:23:54,754
Noelle: Yeah.

490
00:23:54,784 --> 00:23:59,265
Kaleigh Marie: Like, all of the animals
I started with were not easily motivated

491
00:23:59,305 --> 00:24:01,195
or, or coerced into doing things.

492
00:24:01,224 --> 00:24:06,810
And w- my favorite part about this-
You know, you look back on, on how you

493
00:24:06,810 --> 00:24:10,499
get to be where you are, and there are
some things that you just can't explain

494
00:24:10,499 --> 00:24:12,809
beyond divine plan and intervention.

495
00:24:12,809 --> 00:24:13,130
Noelle: Yeah.

496
00:24:13,130 --> 00:24:17,639
Kaleigh Marie: The experience I had as a
young developing trainer with different

497
00:24:17,639 --> 00:24:21,309
species, the fact that that was right
out of the gate where I stepped into this

498
00:24:21,309 --> 00:24:26,500
world, I honestly believe is the reason
why I'm so predisposed to do what I do.

499
00:24:26,500 --> 00:24:26,629
Yeah.

500
00:24:26,629 --> 00:24:32,670
Because I've had so many opportunities
to, to hunt down, beyond just horses,

501
00:24:32,670 --> 00:24:34,449
what the common threads of connection are.

502
00:24:34,910 --> 00:24:36,410
Like, what is communication?

503
00:24:36,410 --> 00:24:37,299
What builds connection?

504
00:24:37,299 --> 00:24:40,669
And not just between people and
horses, but people and species.

505
00:24:41,000 --> 00:24:44,430
Like, what do we need to understand
individually about the species, but what

506
00:24:44,430 --> 00:24:47,509
is, like, the raw ingredient that I need?

507
00:24:47,509 --> 00:24:50,189
What are the, the raw pieces I
need to build connection with

508
00:24:50,229 --> 00:24:52,169
whoever is in front of me?

509
00:24:52,169 --> 00:24:55,709
Because it was such a necessary
and functional piece of what I did.

510
00:24:55,739 --> 00:24:58,459
Like, it wasn't just a pretty
piece that I discovered through

511
00:24:58,459 --> 00:24:59,500
liberty work with the horses.

512
00:24:59,500 --> 00:25:03,160
Like, no, the, the liberty work is
the easiest way for people to find

513
00:25:03,479 --> 00:25:07,869
and experience the pieces, but it was
just a, a functional piece of working

514
00:25:08,130 --> 00:25:12,099
with animals who I needed to keep
safe and who I needed to keep me safe.

515
00:25:12,099 --> 00:25:15,449
Like, we needed a strong, functional
working relationship that was fulfilling

516
00:25:15,449 --> 00:25:19,529
for both of us because I was, to
a certain degree, at their mercy.

517
00:25:19,919 --> 00:25:25,159
So I, I needed to make it worth their
time and to understand fundamentally

518
00:25:25,159 --> 00:25:28,150
what they were in it for and how
I could deliver that to them.

519
00:25:28,150 --> 00:25:29,150
Yeah, like why should I?

520
00:25:29,480 --> 00:25:33,589
That, and donkeys especially
ask that question all the time.

521
00:25:33,589 --> 00:25:33,900
All the time.

522
00:25:34,080 --> 00:25:35,110
All the time.

523
00:25:35,150 --> 00:25:36,809
And at first it's so frustrating.

524
00:25:36,809 --> 00:25:42,089
Like, people call them stubborn, but
they're, they're very intelligent.

525
00:25:42,419 --> 00:25:42,839
Oh, yeah.

526
00:25:42,839 --> 00:25:43,830
And, and cut and dry.

527
00:25:43,830 --> 00:25:47,540
Like, it's ... I came to realize
that is a legitimate question.

528
00:25:47,720 --> 00:25:51,339
It's actually quite a vulnerable one of
like, "Why should I do this for you?"

529
00:25:51,659 --> 00:25:51,809
Noelle: Yeah.

530
00:25:51,989 --> 00:25:56,180
Kaleigh Marie: And I think when, when
we get thrown into the horse world,

531
00:25:56,180 --> 00:25:59,199
like, we take horses for granted.

532
00:25:59,669 --> 00:26:03,309
And working, especially with animals
that are not easily motivated, we

533
00:26:03,309 --> 00:26:05,620
take their trainability for granted.

534
00:26:05,659 --> 00:26:07,919
We take their desire to connect
with people for granted.

535
00:26:07,949 --> 00:26:13,379
Like, they are such a gift when it comes
to having the opportunity to connect with

536
00:26:13,379 --> 00:26:18,709
an animal who's so much bigger and so
much more sentient and able to feel and

537
00:26:18,739 --> 00:26:20,409
so much more athletic w- than we are.

538
00:26:20,409 --> 00:26:25,820
Like, they open up doors to worlds that
we could never access otherwise, and we're

539
00:26:25,820 --> 00:26:28,689
thrown into this world with the assumption
that, yes, I should just be able to

540
00:26:28,689 --> 00:26:30,390
sit on your back and, and ride you.

541
00:26:30,390 --> 00:26:33,459
And yes, I want to be able to do
those things, but I absolutely need

542
00:26:33,459 --> 00:26:37,170
to make sure that it's for the good
of my horse as well, because what

543
00:26:37,170 --> 00:26:40,749
an opportunity to be able to do that
with, with horses and any animal.

544
00:26:41,219 --> 00:26:41,730
Noelle: Yeah.

545
00:26:41,930 --> 00:26:42,260
Yeah.

546
00:26:42,570 --> 00:26:44,570
This is so cool.

547
00:26:44,939 --> 00:26:51,299
And I, I really love that because I do
think that donkeys and mules are this

548
00:26:51,299 --> 00:26:57,430
amazing- Mm ... like, such an amazing
teacher because I do think that their

549
00:26:57,430 --> 00:27:02,420
level of stubbornness, like, often
outweighs their ... Like, you know, I

550
00:27:02,420 --> 00:27:07,074
think, um There's this, and you'll, you'll
probably be able to explain it better than

551
00:27:07,074 --> 00:27:09,605
me because you're a teacher in that way.

552
00:27:09,605 --> 00:27:13,825
Like, there's, you know, when you, you're
in, you're in an inter- let's say you're

553
00:27:13,825 --> 00:27:17,825
training a horse- Mm ... and you're
like, you're trying to find the solution,

554
00:27:17,825 --> 00:27:18,895
you're trying to find the solution.

555
00:27:18,895 --> 00:27:19,145
Kaleigh Marie: Mm.

556
00:27:19,195 --> 00:27:21,905
Noelle: And you're obviously ex- as
a, the human, you're- Yeah ... very

557
00:27:21,905 --> 00:27:23,565
motivated to find the solution.

558
00:27:23,604 --> 00:27:23,895
Kaleigh Marie: Yeah.

559
00:27:23,925 --> 00:27:24,934
Noelle: You really want it.

560
00:27:24,934 --> 00:27:25,225
Kaleigh Marie: Mm.

561
00:27:25,255 --> 00:27:27,874
Noelle: And do you ever f- have you ever
been able to find that moment where the

562
00:27:27,874 --> 00:27:34,104
horse is like, "Yeah, okay." Like, "I
can see you really want this." I mean,

563
00:27:34,104 --> 00:27:37,055
I'm anthropomorphizing here- Yeah ... a
little bit, but like you can feel that

564
00:27:37,055 --> 00:27:40,764
horse kind of go like, "Yeah, o- okay,
I'll give it to you." Like, and it's not

565
00:27:40,764 --> 00:27:46,955
to say that you, you found that, um, maybe
technically very well, but the horse was

566
00:27:46,955 --> 00:27:50,395
like, "I'm gonna put these, I'm gonna put
one plus one equals two here for you."

567
00:27:50,395 --> 00:27:58,345
Mm. Whereas I feel as though donkeys and
mules are just like, "I don't feel that

568
00:27:58,345 --> 00:28:01,795
particularly curious about the sol- the,
the solution or the equation." Yeah.

569
00:28:01,795 --> 00:28:04,025
Like y- talking about motivation-

570
00:28:04,185 --> 00:28:05,595
Kaleigh Marie: Yeah ... do
you find that to be true?

571
00:28:05,645 --> 00:28:09,275
Well, I, I think, I mean, before
we started this podcast, we had

572
00:28:09,275 --> 00:28:10,485
mentioned like the deep dives.

573
00:28:10,485 --> 00:28:10,544
Yeah.

574
00:28:10,544 --> 00:28:13,425
This is our first opportunity for a-
To do the deep dive ... a deeper dive.

575
00:28:13,425 --> 00:28:19,095
And I mentioned just a moment ago the idea
of like the raw ingredients of connection.

576
00:28:19,235 --> 00:28:19,364
Yeah.

577
00:28:19,364 --> 00:28:23,955
There's a concept I refer to quite
often, which is conversational quality.

578
00:28:23,995 --> 00:28:25,925
And like I'll use this
as a perfect example.

579
00:28:25,925 --> 00:28:30,095
This high quality conversation,
we're both genuinely interested- Mm

580
00:28:30,144 --> 00:28:32,815
and engaging a, a pretty even amount.

581
00:28:32,815 --> 00:28:34,135
Like, I, I'm in the hot seat here.

582
00:28:34,135 --> 00:28:36,665
Like, so- ... I'm, I'm talking quite a
bit, but there's- No, but like we're both

583
00:28:36,665 --> 00:28:37,735
Noelle: like- We're very-

584
00:28:37,735 --> 00:28:39,614
Kaleigh Marie: Yeah ... invested
in, in the conversation.

585
00:28:39,614 --> 00:28:43,294
And, and now the analogy I typically use,
it's two friends out for a cup of coffee.

586
00:28:43,294 --> 00:28:46,684
It could be a conversation like
this where we're very enamored with

587
00:28:46,684 --> 00:28:49,434
what we're talking about, and the
engagement is here and flowing.

588
00:28:49,855 --> 00:28:52,724
We could have both brought our
favorite book, and we're sitting quite

589
00:28:52,724 --> 00:28:57,154
quietly, but mutually we're aware
of one another, and with that comes

590
00:28:57,285 --> 00:29:00,574
a, a prioritizing of responsiveness.

591
00:29:00,724 --> 00:29:03,205
Mm. Like, out of everything that's
happening around me, I prioritize

592
00:29:03,205 --> 00:29:04,805
you, that I'm going to respond to.

593
00:29:04,805 --> 00:29:06,144
You are what I orient to-

594
00:29:06,415 --> 00:29:06,614
Noelle: Yeah

595
00:29:06,644 --> 00:29:08,014
Kaleigh Marie: and, and what I respond to.

596
00:29:08,014 --> 00:29:14,034
And what's beautiful about this is that
there's a, an equal amount of us in the

597
00:29:14,034 --> 00:29:15,754
thing that we're cultivating together.

598
00:29:15,784 --> 00:29:16,185
Yes.

599
00:29:16,185 --> 00:29:18,504
Like the, the creative process.

600
00:29:18,504 --> 00:29:21,144
It's not about the destination or,
or the product that we're creating.

601
00:29:21,144 --> 00:29:25,405
It's about the, the actual
physical experience- Yeah

602
00:29:25,614 --> 00:29:29,204
and the essence of every single step
that goes into creating the product.

603
00:29:29,284 --> 00:29:29,444
Noelle: Yeah.

604
00:29:30,055 --> 00:29:32,885
Kaleigh Marie: That is, I think,
what really leads to connection.

605
00:29:32,885 --> 00:29:35,825
Like people say, "I, I want
connection." Well, it's not in

606
00:29:35,825 --> 00:29:37,954
what you do, it's how you do it.

607
00:29:38,275 --> 00:29:42,025
So with horses, like that idea
that my horse will put together

608
00:29:42,025 --> 00:29:45,694
one plus one, I don't actually
believe that the horse will.

609
00:29:45,784 --> 00:29:50,284
I believe that the horse will give over
their physical body and allow us to

610
00:29:50,284 --> 00:29:55,594
make the body put the pieces together
for them, but at that point we lose the

611
00:29:55,594 --> 00:29:58,765
emotional being inside of the horse.

612
00:29:58,805 --> 00:30:03,155
I lose the opportunity to bring-
Yeah ... who my horse is out in the work.

613
00:30:03,619 --> 00:30:04,999
And now it's just me.

614
00:30:05,469 --> 00:30:12,170
The conversational quality has left the
building, and in the world of, of horses,

615
00:30:12,600 --> 00:30:18,739
I think it's much more acceptable to see
that imbalance of more human than horse

616
00:30:18,739 --> 00:30:23,019
rather than more horse than human, 'cause
as soon as we get more horse than the

617
00:30:23,019 --> 00:30:25,839
human is capable of interacting with- Yeah

618
00:30:25,880 --> 00:30:30,429
or directing, we label them as
dangerous, explosive, disrespectful,

619
00:30:30,429 --> 00:30:32,039
pushy, unmanageable, et cetera.

620
00:30:32,470 --> 00:30:35,649
We're really, we're just lacking
conversational quality and awareness.

621
00:30:35,649 --> 00:30:39,689
Now, you take a donkey into the
picture, you cannot make that

622
00:30:39,689 --> 00:30:41,680
donkey give you their body.

623
00:30:41,860 --> 00:30:45,529
That is the one thing donkeys won't
do, is their self-preservation is so

624
00:30:45,529 --> 00:30:50,849
incredibly strong, there's nothing you
can elicit from them that will cause

625
00:30:50,849 --> 00:30:53,219
them to forego their personal autonomy.

626
00:30:53,270 --> 00:30:55,160
That's just not on the table for them.

627
00:30:55,160 --> 00:31:01,329
So what you do need to do is produce an
environment that leads them to make the

628
00:31:01,329 --> 00:31:04,180
decisions that you want them to make.

629
00:31:04,180 --> 00:31:08,040
Now, in the beginning, a lot of that
environment is external, but I found

630
00:31:08,040 --> 00:31:11,760
through the experience of working
these donkeys in the city streets

631
00:31:11,760 --> 00:31:17,479
of Montpelier is the more often I
could put us in situations where my

632
00:31:17,479 --> 00:31:23,220
call was the safe call, the more they
started to trust me as an individual.

633
00:31:23,220 --> 00:31:26,099
So when we did get into the sketchy
situations, where I tell you

634
00:31:26,099 --> 00:31:30,250
there were plenty, by the time we
got there, if I made a call that

635
00:31:30,250 --> 00:31:33,729
wouldn't initially be theirs, they
were much more apt to trust me-

636
00:31:33,839 --> 00:31:34,150
Noelle: Mm

637
00:31:34,150 --> 00:31:38,930
... 
Kaleigh Marie: because I had just
consistently produced outcomes

638
00:31:39,299 --> 00:31:40,669
that justified the trust.

639
00:31:40,960 --> 00:31:43,650
Where I think we expect
horses to trust- Yes

640
00:31:43,680 --> 00:31:48,659
immediately, where it's something that
has to be so earned and so delicately

641
00:31:48,659 --> 00:31:53,919
cultivated with horses because it is
so easy to lose the emotional sentient

642
00:31:53,919 --> 00:31:58,190
being inside of the horse and just
have the body, where I don't find

643
00:31:58,190 --> 00:32:00,659
other animals to be quite that way.

644
00:32:01,000 --> 00:32:02,010
Noelle: Mm.

645
00:32:02,010 --> 00:32:02,370
Kaleigh Marie: Yeah.

646
00:32:02,989 --> 00:32:03,299
Noelle: Okay.

647
00:32:03,390 --> 00:32:05,500
The way you talk about
trust, cultivating trust.

648
00:32:05,589 --> 00:32:07,989
Mm. But it makes sense-
Mm ... because of the way you started.

649
00:32:08,370 --> 00:32:08,430
Yeah.

650
00:32:08,430 --> 00:32:11,950
Like, this is so p- okay,
this is so powerful.

651
00:32:12,290 --> 00:32:12,349
Yeah.

652
00:32:12,510 --> 00:32:17,299
But I want to... So before we, 'cause
now I really wanna pull, like I'm like,

653
00:32:17,340 --> 00:32:20,389
"Oh, do I want..." Rabbit hole questions.

654
00:32:20,389 --> 00:32:20,450
Yeah.

655
00:32:20,450 --> 00:32:21,079
Rabbit hole question.

656
00:32:21,079 --> 00:32:21,299
Okay.

657
00:32:21,329 --> 00:32:21,549
Kaleigh Marie: Yeah.

658
00:32:22,269 --> 00:32:25,510
Noelle: But how does nervous
system work, h- where and when did

659
00:32:25,510 --> 00:32:27,230
nervous system work come into this?

660
00:32:27,230 --> 00:32:32,909
Kaleigh Marie: Mm. So I've had a variety
of experiences in the, the horse world, as

661
00:32:32,909 --> 00:32:39,370
we all do- Yeah ... as we kind of find our
way, and going from the mammoth donkeys,

662
00:32:39,400 --> 00:32:43,820
I've, I've had some pretty significant
turns and, and twists in my journey.

663
00:32:44,019 --> 00:32:46,870
At that time, I was starting
to get back into riding.

664
00:32:47,099 --> 00:32:47,349
Noelle: Yeah.

665
00:32:47,409 --> 00:32:51,894
Kaleigh Marie: And taking riding
lessons, I had- Started just slowly,

666
00:32:51,894 --> 00:32:54,844
casually started a, a training
business, Braveheart Beasts.

667
00:32:54,844 --> 00:32:57,964
That's- Yeah ... where that,
that name came from because it

668
00:32:57,964 --> 00:32:59,614
wasn't, at that time, just horses.

669
00:32:59,614 --> 00:33:02,904
It was cows, horses, donkeys,
mules, whatever people were

670
00:33:02,904 --> 00:33:04,114
interested in having me work with.

671
00:33:04,114 --> 00:33:08,775
I was like, "Yeah, I guess I can do
that for you." And, uh, when that

672
00:33:09,224 --> 00:33:15,224
started, when that journey started
for me, that was when I've, I found

673
00:33:15,275 --> 00:33:19,855
Alchemist, who for anybody that
follows my work, he's like my main guy.

674
00:33:19,855 --> 00:33:25,035
He's been with me for eight,
almost nine years now, and he

675
00:33:25,035 --> 00:33:27,544
was my first client horse ever.

676
00:33:28,164 --> 00:33:31,724
Family friend approached me with
this young Friesian cross who

677
00:33:31,754 --> 00:33:34,724
wasn't broke to ride, and she
just wanted a, a trail horse.

678
00:33:34,785 --> 00:33:35,785
Just wanted a trail horse.

679
00:33:35,785 --> 00:33:36,235
Trail horse.

680
00:33:36,785 --> 00:33:37,094
Yes.

681
00:33:37,094 --> 00:33:39,105
We've heard that- The good
old- ... so many times.

682
00:33:39,184 --> 00:33:39,434
Yes.

683
00:33:39,434 --> 00:33:40,145
Just a trail horse.

684
00:33:40,515 --> 00:33:44,175
Uh, where in, in her defense, she
really just wanted a, a quiet horse

685
00:33:44,175 --> 00:33:47,575
to go out on the trails and had found
this beautiful young horse that she

686
00:33:47,575 --> 00:33:51,224
had fallen in love with, um, but
more for looks than personality,

687
00:33:51,224 --> 00:33:53,465
which we've all been there, for sure.

688
00:33:53,945 --> 00:33:58,374
And the, the sounds of this, by the
sounds of it, I was like within the,

689
00:33:58,405 --> 00:34:01,524
the realm of my knowledge, which
especially based around riding, was

690
00:34:01,524 --> 00:34:05,734
not very much at the time, it sounded
like something that was manageable.

691
00:34:05,874 --> 00:34:09,634
Nothing too technical, just a horse that
was safe enough to take out on trails.

692
00:34:09,634 --> 00:34:13,925
Well, I went to meet this horse
and was met th- with this young,

693
00:34:14,755 --> 00:34:19,995
uh... Just to describe his
presence, like huge in his presence.

694
00:34:19,995 --> 00:34:24,514
Like, his energy just dominated the
space that you were in, not because he

695
00:34:24,514 --> 00:34:29,514
was, he was particularly confident or
pushy, but because he was chronically

696
00:34:29,554 --> 00:34:35,865
anxious with an immense amount of, of
presence, of personality, and absolutely

697
00:34:35,865 --> 00:34:38,884
no tools whatsoever to manage himself.

698
00:34:39,384 --> 00:34:44,185
Uh, no rapport with people, no awareness
that people had personal space or any

699
00:34:44,185 --> 00:34:48,774
kind of value to him and the input and
safety that they could provide for him.

700
00:34:49,225 --> 00:34:52,624
And I knew, like compared
to what I know now, nothing.

701
00:34:52,814 --> 00:34:56,615
But I was like, "You know what? I
wanna try this. I, I want to, to

702
00:34:56,615 --> 00:35:01,504
work with him." And at the time
he would bolt unpredictably, rear

703
00:35:01,504 --> 00:35:05,435
strike, like he was just unaware
of his body and his surroundings,

704
00:35:05,435 --> 00:35:08,504
and not secure all of the time.

705
00:35:08,674 --> 00:35:09,004
Noelle: Mm-hmm.

706
00:35:09,575 --> 00:35:12,884
Kaleigh Marie: And what went from
a season of training him for his

707
00:35:12,884 --> 00:35:16,584
owner very quickly turned into his
owner saying, "I'm realizing this

708
00:35:16,584 --> 00:35:17,804
is not the right horse for me.

709
00:35:18,024 --> 00:35:19,015
I adore him.

710
00:35:19,054 --> 00:35:21,364
I don't want to sell him just
for the sake of selling him.

711
00:35:21,364 --> 00:35:24,804
Do you want to, to take him?"
And it's crazy to think back to

712
00:35:24,804 --> 00:35:27,084
this because I almost said no.

713
00:35:27,664 --> 00:35:32,185
I almost said no because he was so much at
the time, and I was so- Yeah ... I, I was

714
00:35:32,185 --> 00:35:34,724
not confident in my ability to help him.

715
00:35:35,274 --> 00:35:36,914
Uh, but I, I said, "You know what?

716
00:35:37,105 --> 00:35:38,224
I'm gonna continue.

717
00:35:38,435 --> 00:35:39,745
Like, I'm, I'm up for the challenge.

718
00:35:39,745 --> 00:35:43,215
I'll, I'll see what happens."
And, uh, he came into my life.

719
00:35:43,705 --> 00:35:46,634
Not too long after that, Elgin came
into my life, his full brother.

720
00:35:47,105 --> 00:35:47,674
Mm-hmm.

721
00:35:48,360 --> 00:35:50,049
At that point, I was really- Also, I'm

722
00:35:50,049 --> 00:35:50,769
Noelle: just gonna say, I

723
00:35:50,769 --> 00:35:51,119
Kaleigh Marie: love-

724
00:35:51,180 --> 00:35:54,439
Noelle: Yeah ... all the Friesians, and
this is a lot of Friesian energy, no?

725
00:35:54,839 --> 00:35:56,989
Kaleigh Marie: Yeah, so two,
they're- Or- They're Baroque Pintos.

726
00:35:56,989 --> 00:35:57,180
Okay.

727
00:35:57,180 --> 00:35:59,010
So half Friesian and half Paint.

728
00:35:59,010 --> 00:35:59,320
Cool.

729
00:35:59,320 --> 00:36:01,640
Yeah, which was just like- I love
it ... for horses to just find me.

730
00:36:01,640 --> 00:36:02,280
Just- I was like, "This-

731
00:36:02,280 --> 00:36:03,999
finding ... this is pretty cool.

732
00:36:04,030 --> 00:36:09,069
I can, I can roll with this." And, uh,
I did roll with it by taking Alchemist

733
00:36:09,210 --> 00:36:12,829
to, uh, a school for classical dressage.

734
00:36:12,950 --> 00:36:13,309
Noelle: Mm-hmm.

735
00:36:13,309 --> 00:36:17,719
Kaleigh Marie: The Temple Lipizzans, which
is no longer operational, but it was a,

736
00:36:17,719 --> 00:36:22,179
a school of 30 Lipizzan stallions, three
head trainers, three working students,

737
00:36:22,390 --> 00:36:26,829
and each of us was responsible for 10
stallions with the trainer that we were

738
00:36:26,829 --> 00:36:30,230
working with, which was an experience
I could talk about all on its own.

739
00:36:30,640 --> 00:36:34,120
Uh, but going from, just to, to paint
the picture of where I went from the

740
00:36:34,120 --> 00:36:38,230
donkeys to, okay, now I'm training
horses, now I'm studying horses.

741
00:36:38,429 --> 00:36:41,399
Eventually, I was out in
Illinois, of all places.

742
00:36:41,840 --> 00:36:45,489
Mm. Landed back in the Northeast,
outfitted with more knowledge than I

743
00:36:45,489 --> 00:36:50,870
had, uh, and really sat down with myself
more than anybody and, and was just like,

744
00:36:50,870 --> 00:36:55,240
"Okay, I want to really start my business,
and I wanna do it in, in a good way."

745
00:36:55,380 --> 00:36:55,660
Noelle: Yeah.

746
00:36:55,690 --> 00:36:58,149
Kaleigh Marie: Um, and to
really devote myself to training

747
00:36:58,499 --> 00:37:00,480
animals for other people.

748
00:37:00,929 --> 00:37:06,870
And, and that is where my business
really began, was taking in, training,

749
00:37:07,249 --> 00:37:10,230
still of donkeys, mules, horses,
not so much cows at that time.

750
00:37:10,260 --> 00:37:11,149
I say taking in.

751
00:37:11,440 --> 00:37:12,279
I traveled around.

752
00:37:12,310 --> 00:37:15,260
I had a toolbox in the bed of my
truck with whips and halters and

753
00:37:15,260 --> 00:37:17,459
treat pouches and I would go...

754
00:37:17,599 --> 00:37:21,510
I lived in Massachusetts, wherever
my clients were, and some of my

755
00:37:21,510 --> 00:37:26,560
biggest clients became rescues
in the Massachusetts area.

756
00:37:26,560 --> 00:37:31,029
There were two rescues in particular
that I was the head trainer at.

757
00:37:31,370 --> 00:37:36,170
Over several years, I, I became really
immersed in rehabilitating, physically and

758
00:37:36,170 --> 00:37:41,319
emotionally, the animals that came into
the rescues, and because of that work,

759
00:37:42,200 --> 00:37:46,209
I developed the reputation of, like, if
there's nobody else to call, call Kaeli.

760
00:37:46,209 --> 00:37:50,200
If there's a behavioral case that's
really bizarre and a horse that

761
00:37:50,200 --> 00:37:54,579
might be on death's door about to
be euthanized because of something

762
00:37:55,230 --> 00:37:58,929
behavioral, can we send it to
Kaeli to, to see if she can fix it?

763
00:37:58,929 --> 00:38:03,569
So- Yeah ... I got to experience a
wide range of pretty odd behavioral

764
00:38:03,569 --> 00:38:07,560
cases, from severe and unpredictable
aggression to horses that were

765
00:38:07,560 --> 00:38:08,879
afraid of wide open spaces.

766
00:38:08,879 --> 00:38:12,670
Like, just weird behaviors,
behavior that really made you

767
00:38:12,670 --> 00:38:16,879
think about and, and puzzle on
where does the behavior come from?

768
00:38:17,789 --> 00:38:22,450
Like, unless a horse is
neurologically unsound, all

769
00:38:22,450 --> 00:38:24,069
behavior comes from the same place.

770
00:38:24,470 --> 00:38:31,120
So I felt a need to understand where
behavior was born from, really.

771
00:38:31,120 --> 00:38:31,200
Yeah.

772
00:38:31,620 --> 00:38:37,379
And a perfect timing to this chapter
in my life was the start of Ward

773
00:38:37,409 --> 00:38:39,120
Schiller's Journey On podcast.

774
00:38:39,120 --> 00:38:44,785
Mm. And the first two episodes- talk
ever so briefly about the nervous system,

775
00:38:45,084 --> 00:38:46,965
almost to the point where it's mean.

776
00:38:46,994 --> 00:38:51,424
It's a tease of- Like, he just
mentions parasympathetic, sympathetic-

777
00:38:51,424 --> 00:38:53,705
Yeah ... and a couple of the things
that happen in those states, and I'm

778
00:38:53,705 --> 00:38:58,185
like, I was driving to a clinic when
I heard it, and on the way to this

779
00:38:58,185 --> 00:39:00,954
clinic, I'm questioning everything I've
been teaching because I'm like- Whoa

780
00:39:00,985 --> 00:39:05,065
"Oh, my gosh." Like, this is, I have
no idea what that is, but I knew right

781
00:39:05,065 --> 00:39:06,624
away this is where the answers are.

782
00:39:06,804 --> 00:39:07,034
Yeah.

783
00:39:07,224 --> 00:39:11,655
And at that time, there was one
horse in particular, Roman, who is a

784
00:39:11,655 --> 00:39:16,405
17-year-old Tennessee walking horse who
had come into this rescue unhandled.

785
00:39:16,574 --> 00:39:21,835
Hadn't had a lot of training, any training
really, and was severely aggressive.

786
00:39:22,335 --> 00:39:23,465
Unpredictably aggressive.

787
00:39:23,465 --> 00:39:26,004
Like, somebody could walk in and
put a halter on him, and two minutes

788
00:39:26,004 --> 00:39:28,895
later he'd grab them and throw
them across- Yeah ... the paddock.

789
00:39:28,945 --> 00:39:31,815
Like, just extremely
unpredictable and dangerous.

790
00:39:31,815 --> 00:39:36,474
Was about to be euthanized, and I talked
the owner of the rescue into letting

791
00:39:36,474 --> 00:39:39,074
me take him in and, and work with him.

792
00:39:39,484 --> 00:39:44,535
Uh- Uh-huh ... and thinking about the
experience I had with him, do you know

793
00:39:44,535 --> 00:39:46,035
the movie How to Train Your Dragon?

794
00:39:46,185 --> 00:39:46,374
Noelle: Oh,

795
00:39:46,374 --> 00:39:46,904
Kaleigh Marie: yeah.

796
00:39:47,164 --> 00:39:47,975
Uh, don't we all?

797
00:39:48,005 --> 00:39:48,194
Yeah.

798
00:39:48,194 --> 00:39:52,084
Well, like, talk about connection
with animals captured in ... Like,

799
00:39:52,124 --> 00:39:53,215
they captured it so- It's perfect.

800
00:39:53,215 --> 00:39:53,745
It is perfect.

801
00:39:53,745 --> 00:39:53,954
Literally.

802
00:39:53,954 --> 00:39:54,134
Literally.

803
00:39:54,134 --> 00:39:55,005
It is literally perfect.

804
00:39:55,554 --> 00:39:58,194
Um, so he was kind of my Toothless.

805
00:39:58,355 --> 00:39:58,575
Noelle: Oh.

806
00:39:58,575 --> 00:40:02,204
Kaleigh Marie: So the, the part of the
movie where Hiccup is learning all about

807
00:40:02,204 --> 00:40:07,694
the, the dragons and, and taking the
knowledge to just practical application-

808
00:40:07,725 --> 00:40:07,925
Noelle: Yeah

809
00:40:07,954 --> 00:40:12,054
... 
Kaleigh Marie: learning about the nervous
system was my learning about this really

810
00:40:12,054 --> 00:40:17,865
dragon that, that I had who over the
entire time that I worked with him, only

811
00:40:17,865 --> 00:40:22,444
he lunged at me two times in, like, the
first week that I was working with him.

812
00:40:22,444 --> 00:40:27,005
I only reached that point with him two
times because o- of missteps from me.

813
00:40:27,124 --> 00:40:30,884
I was never, never injured in
the work that I did with him.

814
00:40:30,925 --> 00:40:31,285
Noelle: Cool.

815
00:40:31,325 --> 00:40:33,514
Kaleigh Marie: And it, that was very cool.

816
00:40:33,554 --> 00:40:35,134
I was very thankful for that.

817
00:40:35,164 --> 00:40:40,215
But understanding everything
he showed me was communication.

818
00:40:41,134 --> 00:40:45,094
The, the, I, I guess you
could call it a system.

819
00:40:45,094 --> 00:40:48,035
The relationship I had with him
to this day is different than

820
00:40:48,124 --> 00:40:51,725
any horse I ever had because it
was so strongly based in consent.

821
00:40:51,874 --> 00:40:51,934
Noelle: Mm.

822
00:40:52,404 --> 00:40:55,415
Kaleigh Marie: And I think consent-based
work has a place in all training

823
00:40:55,415 --> 00:40:58,755
to different degrees depending on
the emotional resilience and the

824
00:40:58,755 --> 00:41:00,315
physical resilience of the horse-

825
00:41:00,344 --> 00:41:00,535
Noelle: Yeah

826
00:41:00,785 --> 00:41:02,175
... 
Kaleigh Marie: and the
strength of the relationship.

827
00:41:02,175 --> 00:41:05,704
Like, the, the better we know each
other, the more capable we are of doing

828
00:41:05,704 --> 00:41:09,204
the thing that's on the table, the
higher of an expectation I'm gonna have

829
00:41:09,204 --> 00:41:11,255
for the partner that I'm working with.

830
00:41:11,434 --> 00:41:11,594
Noelle: Yeah.

831
00:41:11,635 --> 00:41:13,145
Kaleigh Marie: But for him,
there was no expectation.

832
00:41:13,365 --> 00:41:14,815
It was like, "How do we keep you alive?"

833
00:41:15,354 --> 00:41:15,454
Noelle: Mm.

834
00:41:15,484 --> 00:41:19,494
Kaleigh Marie: And we had, we developed
the ability, he could tell me yes and no.

835
00:41:19,494 --> 00:41:22,025
He could tell me if he wanted a
halter, if he wanted to be touched,

836
00:41:22,025 --> 00:41:23,225
where he wanted to be brushed.

837
00:41:23,514 --> 00:41:28,124
We had, like, a, an introduction ritual
of if he wanted to work with me, how

838
00:41:28,124 --> 00:41:31,484
we would introduce each other to each
other on that specific day, and if

839
00:41:31,484 --> 00:41:32,684
it didn't happen, I didn't touch him.

840
00:41:32,945 --> 00:41:34,925
Like, it- Whoa ... it was so intentional.

841
00:41:35,354 --> 00:41:37,704
Uh, and- That's
amazing ... it was amazing.

842
00:41:37,734 --> 00:41:38,415
It was amazing.

843
00:41:38,415 --> 00:41:40,535
Noelle: So- Well, 'cause talk about
being like, yeah, like, it's like-

844
00:41:41,029 --> 00:41:43,800
It's kind of one of those opportunities
with a horse like that that's like

845
00:41:44,030 --> 00:41:45,790
could- was gonna be euthanized.

846
00:41:45,790 --> 00:41:46,119
Kaleigh Marie: Yeah.

847
00:41:46,290 --> 00:41:48,879
Noelle: Literally like, "Okay, let's
throw all the toys out- He's got nothing

848
00:41:48,879 --> 00:41:49,910
to lose ... and be like, let's just..."

849
00:41:49,910 --> 00:41:50,099
Yeah.

850
00:41:50,099 --> 00:41:51,099
Yeah, you have nothing to lose.

851
00:41:51,099 --> 00:41:51,190
And I,

852
00:41:51,190 --> 00:41:52,539
Kaleigh Marie: and I say
you have nothing to lose.

853
00:41:52,639 --> 00:41:56,410
In those situations, you have nothing
to lose except your own personal safety.

854
00:41:56,469 --> 00:41:57,250
I think- Right.

855
00:41:57,469 --> 00:42:02,340
Yeah ... those situations are
scary, but also very raw and

856
00:42:02,340 --> 00:42:05,260
authentic in keeping you so aware.

857
00:42:05,320 --> 00:42:05,560
Noelle: Yeah.

858
00:42:05,680 --> 00:42:09,119
Kaleigh Marie: Like us as people, we don't
find ourselves in situations very often

859
00:42:09,119 --> 00:42:13,629
where we have to be aware of ourselves,
and our bodies, and our energy, and

860
00:42:13,629 --> 00:42:17,449
what we're communicating simply for
the sake of keeping ourselves alive,

861
00:42:17,449 --> 00:42:23,850
and not in the presence of a persistent
threat, but in the presence of something

862
00:42:23,850 --> 00:42:26,609
where if I misconduct myself- Yes

863
00:42:26,640 --> 00:42:27,859
I will produce a threat.

864
00:42:28,140 --> 00:42:28,440
Noelle: Yes.

865
00:42:28,469 --> 00:42:32,030
Kaleigh Marie: As long as I'm aware and if
I'm connected, there's no threat present.

866
00:42:32,080 --> 00:42:32,670
Noelle: Yeah.

867
00:42:32,699 --> 00:42:35,120
Kaleigh Marie: Like that's,
that's a high-stake situation.

868
00:42:35,150 --> 00:42:38,699
That teaches you a lot about how-
Talk about that ... the subtle details

869
00:42:39,069 --> 00:42:41,429
really impact what's happening.

870
00:42:41,429 --> 00:42:47,490
So that, that horse, Roman, he was the
introduction to the nervous system.

871
00:42:47,490 --> 00:42:50,199
And I mean, I say introduction,
like just the tip of the iceberg.

872
00:42:50,229 --> 00:42:51,229
Even still, I'm-

873
00:42:51,229 --> 00:42:51,560
Noelle: Yeah

874
00:42:51,649 --> 00:42:54,269
... 
Kaleigh Marie: learning and, and
changing the way- Well- ... that I, I

875
00:42:54,269 --> 00:42:55,850
approach it and explain it to people-

876
00:42:55,899 --> 00:42:57,079
Noelle: I will also say too- ... because
there's so much there ... like the

877
00:42:57,079 --> 00:43:00,939
industry as a whole- Mm ... and if Dr.
Steven Peters were here, he'd also say-

878
00:43:00,970 --> 00:43:01,290
Kaleigh Marie: Yes

879
00:43:01,290 --> 00:43:06,740
Noelle: like we also... Okay, there's
a, there's a, like a, a ceiling to the

880
00:43:06,740 --> 00:43:09,899
amount of research- Mm ... and money
that's grant... Like, that's funded.

881
00:43:09,899 --> 00:43:09,960
So

882
00:43:09,960 --> 00:43:10,320
Kaleigh Marie: much.

883
00:43:10,350 --> 00:43:13,949
Noelle: So horses, horse eq-
Like, equine neuroscience is

884
00:43:13,949 --> 00:43:16,119
not a highly prioritized field.

885
00:43:16,119 --> 00:43:16,500
Kaleigh Marie: No.

886
00:43:16,530 --> 00:43:19,439
Noelle: So there is... I mean, first
of all, there are a lot of questions.

887
00:43:19,500 --> 00:43:21,949
Mm. And there's not a lot of answers.

888
00:43:21,949 --> 00:43:22,290
Yeah.

889
00:43:22,369 --> 00:43:25,710
And there's not a lot of funding
to find out those answers.

890
00:43:25,710 --> 00:43:26,009
Yeah.

891
00:43:26,049 --> 00:43:28,439
So when people go, "This should...
You know, we should know this," it's

892
00:43:28,439 --> 00:43:29,990
like, well, should is a loaded word.

893
00:43:29,990 --> 00:43:30,280
Like- Yeah.

894
00:43:30,649 --> 00:43:32,780
... we... Who's gonna pay for that research?

895
00:43:32,820 --> 00:43:36,250
Yeah, like the- And also, you
know, we know r- for when it comes

896
00:43:36,250 --> 00:43:37,250
to research- The reality of it

897
00:43:37,250 --> 00:43:42,549
how much money is required in order to-
Mm ... to find beyond a reasonable doubt-

898
00:43:42,799 --> 00:43:43,129
Kaleigh Marie: Right

899
00:43:43,129 --> 00:43:47,640
... 
Noelle: what is true- Yeah ... and not
true in accordance to the intelligence and

900
00:43:47,640 --> 00:43:49,800
the- Mm ... data that we have right now.

901
00:43:49,800 --> 00:43:51,630
Mm. 'Cause we've also disproven a lot.

902
00:43:51,690 --> 00:43:52,020
Mm-hmm.

903
00:43:52,020 --> 00:43:52,349
Right?

904
00:43:52,670 --> 00:43:55,270
So it's like I always find
research to be this incredibly

905
00:43:55,270 --> 00:43:56,530
powerful- Fascinating thing

906
00:43:56,530 --> 00:43:59,429
and also very flimsy-
It's volatile- ... uh,

907
00:43:59,429 --> 00:44:01,899
Kaleigh Marie: modal- Yeah ... really,
because people will base their, their

908
00:44:01,899 --> 00:44:05,619
entire modalities around it, and sometimes
even base their identities on it.

909
00:44:05,750 --> 00:44:06,009
Noelle: Mm-hmm.

910
00:44:06,039 --> 00:44:09,670
Kaleigh Marie: And you talk about a
forceful paradigm shift when something

911
00:44:09,670 --> 00:44:12,839
like that gets turned on its head because
somebody's discovered this new piece.

912
00:44:12,839 --> 00:44:18,810
Like, you, you have to be so humble and
curious in the information- that you're,

913
00:44:19,050 --> 00:44:21,140
you're using, especially as a teacher-

914
00:44:21,289 --> 00:44:21,489
Noelle: Yeah

915
00:44:21,489 --> 00:44:23,929
... 
Kaleigh Marie: to be able to help
people on their own journeys.

916
00:44:23,929 --> 00:44:27,190
And honestly, a lot of the
nervous system information I've

917
00:44:27,250 --> 00:44:28,830
pursued has been human-based.

918
00:44:28,830 --> 00:44:29,200
Noelle: Mm.

919
00:44:29,200 --> 00:44:29,950
Kaleigh Marie: Not horse-based.

920
00:44:29,950 --> 00:44:30,120
Yeah.

921
00:44:30,620 --> 00:44:33,410
And I've, I, I'm gonna
say I've simply taken it.

922
00:44:33,440 --> 00:44:34,580
It has not been simple.

923
00:44:34,609 --> 00:44:38,119
I have taken it very intentionally-
Yeah ... to my horses, students'

924
00:44:38,119 --> 00:44:41,820
horses as well- Yeah ... but especially
my horses, and, and have watched

925
00:44:42,260 --> 00:44:45,580
parallel function of like, okay, if it
functions this way in people, what's

926
00:44:45,660 --> 00:44:47,359
the parallel- Yeah ... for horses?

927
00:44:47,359 --> 00:44:51,779
And also, where do we, where do
we find an intersection- Yeah

928
00:44:51,889 --> 00:44:56,369
between how a horse's nervous system
and a person's nervous system actually

929
00:44:56,639 --> 00:45:01,459
start to, to communicate with one another
and almost interface with one another?

930
00:45:01,459 --> 00:45:05,680
Because at all times, we are interfacing
and, and communicating in ways that

931
00:45:05,680 --> 00:45:10,130
we're completely unaware of, like,
in just tiny, tiny little, little

932
00:45:10,130 --> 00:45:12,119
signs and shifts and, and feelings.

933
00:45:12,730 --> 00:45:13,009
Yeah.

934
00:45:13,220 --> 00:45:14,070
Noelle: Mm.

935
00:45:14,099 --> 00:45:15,049
Kaleigh Marie: It fascinates me.

936
00:45:15,049 --> 00:45:15,389
So cool.

937
00:45:15,389 --> 00:45:17,709
And no, and I love, I love this so much.

938
00:45:17,869 --> 00:45:17,930
So

939
00:45:18,040 --> 00:45:18,149
Noelle: much.

940
00:45:18,149 --> 00:45:20,079
Okay, so let's maybe
pull our first question.

941
00:45:20,079 --> 00:45:20,180
Okay.

942
00:45:20,180 --> 00:45:22,429
I feel like this is a good opportunity
to- I'm excited ... pull our f-

943
00:45:22,429 --> 00:45:23,619
Okay, you pull the first question.

944
00:45:28,060 --> 00:45:28,149
Kaleigh Marie: Okay.

945
00:45:28,149 --> 00:45:31,310
Ooh, this is a good one.

946
00:45:31,470 --> 00:45:35,790
How do you reset yourself on
days when you're not showing up

947
00:45:35,819 --> 00:45:37,660
as the trainer you want to be?

948
00:45:38,050 --> 00:45:38,559
Oh.

949
00:45:38,649 --> 00:45:39,120
Ooh.

950
00:45:39,790 --> 00:45:44,680
And there's... I think there's
different facets to that.

951
00:45:45,139 --> 00:45:50,850
For me, uh, the, the first one that comes
to mind is broader, which is the idea that

952
00:45:50,920 --> 00:45:55,170
who we're showing up as, like, the trainer
I want to be, me as a person and me as

953
00:45:55,170 --> 00:45:56,729
a trainer are not two separate things.

954
00:45:57,250 --> 00:46:02,960
So who I am outside of my horses
is directly related to who I am

955
00:46:02,990 --> 00:46:04,449
when I go in to work with them.

956
00:46:04,449 --> 00:46:07,539
Like, the, the idea that when we get
to the barn or we get to the arena,

957
00:46:07,539 --> 00:46:10,839
we leave all of our, our stress and
baggage at the door, like, it does not.

958
00:46:10,990 --> 00:46:12,740
To me, it does not work that way.

959
00:46:12,740 --> 00:46:13,390
That's hard.

960
00:46:13,499 --> 00:46:16,730
Like, I, I think of it, I call it the
backpack of, like, when we're, when

961
00:46:16,730 --> 00:46:22,539
we have that with us, when we have
the, the stress and the conditioning

962
00:46:22,539 --> 00:46:26,039
to be acting on stress and not being
in the present moment, like, all of

963
00:46:26,039 --> 00:46:28,929
these things, we don't just magically
develop the ability to have that-

964
00:46:28,990 --> 00:46:29,300
Noelle: Yeah

965
00:46:29,339 --> 00:46:32,309
Kaleigh Marie: when we get to the barn
and the space where our horses are.

966
00:46:32,309 --> 00:46:37,640
And whatever we are not aware of
or have influence over, it is the

967
00:46:37,640 --> 00:46:41,180
backpack, and pretending like we can
drop the backpack at the gate, which

968
00:46:41,259 --> 00:46:44,740
we can't necessarily do, creates so
much incongruence for the horses.

969
00:46:44,740 --> 00:46:46,479
'Cause the horse is like,
"What are you wearing?"

970
00:46:46,479 --> 00:46:46,540
Yeah.

971
00:46:47,040 --> 00:46:48,600
And you're like, "I don't,
I'm not wearing anything."

972
00:46:48,600 --> 00:46:50,110
Noelle: Like, "What, what
happened two hours ago?"

973
00:46:50,140 --> 00:46:50,509
Kaleigh Marie: Yeah.

974
00:46:50,759 --> 00:46:53,119
And you're like, "I, I'm not wearing
anything." They're like, "No, you,

975
00:46:53,150 --> 00:46:55,490
you have a backpack on." I'm like,
"No, I don't have a backpack.

976
00:46:55,540 --> 00:47:00,500
I'm, I'm fine." And to just deny the fact
that everything we experience outside

977
00:47:00,500 --> 00:47:04,199
of the work we do with horses influences
strongly what's going on, I think that's

978
00:47:04,199 --> 00:47:05,619
the first thing we have to recognize.

979
00:47:05,619 --> 00:47:09,595
So for me- As a person, just things
that I've learned about myself that

980
00:47:09,595 --> 00:47:16,895
help immensely, intentional physical
movement, exercise, and good, clean foods.

981
00:47:16,895 --> 00:47:18,335
Like, I, I say good clean food.

982
00:47:18,475 --> 00:47:19,744
I love food.

983
00:47:19,864 --> 00:47:20,824
I'm, I'm a foodie.

984
00:47:20,824 --> 00:47:23,924
Like, eat to live, live to
eat, live to eat, for sure.

985
00:47:24,354 --> 00:47:28,315
But looking for things that I can
put into my body that quite literally

986
00:47:28,315 --> 00:47:30,225
the input into my body is the output.

987
00:47:30,225 --> 00:47:35,075
Mm. Whatever I put into myself is what I
get to put out to those around me, horses

988
00:47:35,135 --> 00:47:39,354
and people, and directly influences,
as we know, connection is reciprocal.

989
00:47:39,354 --> 00:47:41,084
What I put out is also what I get back.

990
00:47:41,224 --> 00:47:41,474
Noelle: Yeah.

991
00:47:41,514 --> 00:47:45,314
Kaleigh Marie: So if, if physically the
things I'm putting into myself can, can

992
00:47:45,384 --> 00:47:49,555
influence that in an incredibly strong
way, to tie it back into the nervous

993
00:47:49,555 --> 00:47:55,095
system, like gut-brain connection,
the connection of the, the vagus nerve

994
00:47:55,095 --> 00:47:58,125
throughout the body, like our brain
is talking to our gut all the time.

995
00:47:58,125 --> 00:47:59,334
Our gut is talking to our brain.

996
00:47:59,395 --> 00:48:02,134
It's not a 50/50 street,
it's an 80/20 street.

997
00:48:02,194 --> 00:48:05,965
80% of the information from our body
is going from our gut to our brain.

998
00:48:05,994 --> 00:48:06,224
Yeah.

999
00:48:06,404 --> 00:48:10,654
Like, don't you think what we put into
our bodies should be of importance to

1000
00:48:10,654 --> 00:48:15,614
us if quite literally it's defining our
physical, visceral experience as a person?

1001
00:48:15,754 --> 00:48:19,345
So I would say first and foremost,
take that seriously because-

1002
00:48:19,345 --> 00:48:20,864
Noelle: Like, control the things you can.

1003
00:48:21,254 --> 00:48:22,694
That's what that comes up, that what- Yeah

1004
00:48:22,694 --> 00:48:23,285
... 
Kaleigh Marie: that what that brings up.

1005
00:48:23,285 --> 00:48:24,224
A, a focus, exactly.

1006
00:48:24,224 --> 00:48:27,754
Focus on, on what is in the
realm of, of your control.

1007
00:48:27,754 --> 00:48:27,785
Mm-hmm.

1008
00:48:27,785 --> 00:48:30,224
And also, make tiny changes.

1009
00:48:30,224 --> 00:48:33,995
Like, if I look at the lifestyle I'm
leading now compared to where I was two

1010
00:48:33,995 --> 00:48:37,485
years ago, I've made immense improvements,
and if I look at the lifestyle I'd love

1011
00:48:37,485 --> 00:48:39,614
to have, there's still im- immense- Sure

1012
00:48:39,614 --> 00:48:40,485
improvements to go.

1013
00:48:40,485 --> 00:48:44,754
So practically, for anybody wanting
to explore that outside of just

1014
00:48:44,754 --> 00:48:46,944
horses, like 1% better every day.

1015
00:48:47,245 --> 00:48:47,514
Noelle: Mm.

1016
00:48:47,514 --> 00:48:49,525
Kaleigh Marie: You do everything
all at once, it's never gonna stick.

1017
00:48:49,684 --> 00:48:52,495
Speaking from experience,
like just a little bit better.

1018
00:48:52,875 --> 00:48:55,635
And give yourself grace
as you, as you learn that.

1019
00:48:55,665 --> 00:49:00,875
But taking that to the actual day with
the horses, when I am not where I would

1020
00:49:00,875 --> 00:49:06,764
like to be, if I'm noticing frustration,
if I'm starting to, to notice that I'm

1021
00:49:06,764 --> 00:49:11,404
not accomplishing the thing that I want
to be accomplishing, the first thing I

1022
00:49:11,404 --> 00:49:17,794
look at or, or I question myself on is,
am I acting from a place of expectation

1023
00:49:18,285 --> 00:49:20,404
or am I acting from a place of intention?

1024
00:49:20,835 --> 00:49:22,604
And the difference between
these two things is that

1025
00:49:22,645 --> 00:49:25,645
expectation is very ego-based.

1026
00:49:25,914 --> 00:49:30,664
I think to a degree it's necessary
to have goals and visions of what

1027
00:49:30,664 --> 00:49:32,024
it is that we'd like to accomplish.

1028
00:49:32,024 --> 00:49:35,945
In fact, vitally necessary to
have a context to connect over.

1029
00:49:35,945 --> 00:49:38,574
If I don't know what we're doing
or what we're talking about,

1030
00:49:38,574 --> 00:49:42,104
it's hard to develop connection,
like a mutual partnership- Yeah

1031
00:49:42,104 --> 00:49:43,464
to accomplish what's on the table.

1032
00:49:43,815 --> 00:49:50,145
But expectation goes beyond that, and
it starts to connect my ability to

1033
00:49:50,145 --> 00:49:54,675
feel successful with what I physically
witness- Mm ... outside of my body.

1034
00:49:54,815 --> 00:49:58,005
I need to see this thing
happen to be affirmed in myself

1035
00:49:58,164 --> 00:49:59,514
that I've been successful.

1036
00:49:59,595 --> 00:49:59,634
Mm-hmm.

1037
00:49:59,925 --> 00:50:05,579
And that puts- My horse at risk, quite
potentially, of being the thing that

1038
00:50:05,579 --> 00:50:09,969
I'm trying to coerce and make into this
thing that's threatening my success.

1039
00:50:10,099 --> 00:50:14,370
Mm. So it puts me almost against my
horse rather than intention, which

1040
00:50:14,370 --> 00:50:18,330
comes down still maybe to I'm trying
to accomplish this thing on this day.

1041
00:50:18,330 --> 00:50:22,969
I wanna go work on X, Y, and Z. It's
great to have a plan, but beyond that, I'm

1042
00:50:22,969 --> 00:50:26,119
going to prioritize a specific feeling.

1043
00:50:26,209 --> 00:50:28,689
I already mentioned it once, the
idea of the creative process.

1044
00:50:28,809 --> 00:50:28,859
Mm-hmm.

1045
00:50:28,959 --> 00:50:33,090
I love this idea that it isn't the
product that matters as much as

1046
00:50:33,090 --> 00:50:36,149
the physical experience of all of
the steps that lead to the product.

1047
00:50:36,149 --> 00:50:41,509
So if all of the steps I'm going through
lead to this product, but every step comes

1048
00:50:41,509 --> 00:50:45,470
from a place of force and expectation of
I have to make this happen to get here

1049
00:50:45,820 --> 00:50:49,899
versus am I willing to go slower, am I
willing to maybe humble myself and go a

1050
00:50:49,899 --> 00:50:55,470
different way if the horse isn't ready
for what I think we're ready for or is

1051
00:50:55,470 --> 00:50:57,320
showing me something that is unexpected.

1052
00:50:57,320 --> 00:51:01,189
Maybe they're not showing up in the way
that I expected them to- Mm ... and if

1053
00:51:01,259 --> 00:51:06,649
I can't pivot as the one facilitating
the work and the relationship, then

1054
00:51:06,649 --> 00:51:08,299
I'm doing both of us a disservice.

1055
00:51:08,299 --> 00:51:13,939
So checking myself first, and if
I catch myself early enough in

1056
00:51:13,939 --> 00:51:17,359
the decline to say, "Okay, I'm
too attached to the expectation.

1057
00:51:17,670 --> 00:51:21,149
Can I shift what I'm doing to find the
feeling that I'm looking for?" And, and

1058
00:51:21,149 --> 00:51:22,619
that feeling should be quite specific.

1059
00:51:22,619 --> 00:51:25,869
Am I trying to have a day
that's playful and energetic?

1060
00:51:25,869 --> 00:51:27,719
Is it calm and quiet and peaceful?

1061
00:51:28,090 --> 00:51:29,749
Is it at any range of things?

1062
00:51:29,749 --> 00:51:30,649
Is it confident?

1063
00:51:31,179 --> 00:51:32,749
Am I gonna push us a little bit today?

1064
00:51:32,780 --> 00:51:35,200
Am I gonna try to step outside
of my comfort zone and look for

1065
00:51:35,200 --> 00:51:36,920
things that are new and unfamiliar?

1066
00:51:36,920 --> 00:51:40,960
Like, I, I quite consciously set that
before I go in to work with that horse.

1067
00:51:41,049 --> 00:51:43,420
If I can catch myself there, amazing.

1068
00:51:44,230 --> 00:51:49,950
If I find that I reach a point emotionally
where things outside of my horses, things

1069
00:51:49,950 --> 00:51:54,060
with my horses, doesn't matter what it is,
if it's pushed me emotionally to a point

1070
00:51:54,060 --> 00:52:01,060
where I'm no longer in objective control
of my response, I will stop everything.

1071
00:52:02,090 --> 00:52:05,980
Tying it back into the idea what are the
raw ingredients I need for connection-

1072
00:52:06,049 --> 00:52:10,429
Yeah ... if I was to boil it down
to one, it would be responsiveness.

1073
00:52:10,819 --> 00:52:15,450
Our response to our experience is
what defines all of our relationships.

1074
00:52:15,780 --> 00:52:19,500
It is the most pivotal thing
to what creates the r- the

1075
00:52:19,500 --> 00:52:20,759
reality that we experience.

1076
00:52:20,759 --> 00:52:27,269
So if I am out of control of my response,
I am out of control of my input into the

1077
00:52:27,269 --> 00:52:29,069
relationship that I'm trying to- Yeah

1078
00:52:29,069 --> 00:52:29,399
to create.

1079
00:52:29,399 --> 00:52:33,720
And if we hold the relationship above
all else, there should be nothing more

1080
00:52:33,720 --> 00:52:39,239
important than stopping before I do
more damage, or potentially more damage,

1081
00:52:39,239 --> 00:52:45,150
to this thing that, that I hold so So
dear to me until I reach a point just

1082
00:52:45,179 --> 00:52:49,490
in my body where I can make a plan and-
Mm ... and go forward with the plan.

1083
00:52:49,490 --> 00:52:52,360
And sometimes, I mean, that looks like
throwing my whips across the arena and

1084
00:52:52,360 --> 00:52:55,959
sitting my butt down in the footing,
and, and the horse is being like,

1085
00:52:55,959 --> 00:52:58,399
"Lady, what's... We're in the middle
of something. Like, what, what's your

1086
00:52:58,399 --> 00:53:02,829
problem?" Sometimes they, they don't even
recognize that's where I was getting to.

1087
00:53:02,989 --> 00:53:03,249
Noelle: Mm.

1088
00:53:03,309 --> 00:53:08,300
Kaleigh Marie: Um, but to be willing
to stop and taking it back to the

1089
00:53:08,300 --> 00:53:10,030
nervous system, like regulate.

1090
00:53:10,059 --> 00:53:15,180
And regulate doesn't necessarily mean come
back to a place of zen and calm, but to be

1091
00:53:15,480 --> 00:53:21,660
with the feeling instead of so overtaken
by it that it's the one calling the shots.

1092
00:53:21,660 --> 00:53:26,149
Like a witness to the experience
instead of a victim of the experience.

1093
00:53:26,989 --> 00:53:27,160
Noelle: Yeah.

1094
00:53:28,000 --> 00:53:32,449
It makes me think of, um, like,
c- what co-regulation looks like.

1095
00:53:32,449 --> 00:53:38,600
Mm. But also what co-regulation
looks like for horses.

1096
00:53:38,629 --> 00:53:39,030
Kaleigh Marie: Mm.

1097
00:53:39,030 --> 00:53:42,129
Noelle: So it makes me think of a lot
of scenarios that I've personally been

1098
00:53:42,129 --> 00:53:43,769
involved in, but I've also witnessed-

1099
00:53:43,769 --> 00:53:44,129
Kaleigh Marie: Yeah

1100
00:53:44,210 --> 00:53:48,580
... 
Noelle: in which the person is
having a tough day, a tough year-

1101
00:53:48,610 --> 00:53:48,989
Kaleigh Marie: Yeah

1102
00:53:49,019 --> 00:53:51,169
... 
Noelle: a tough moment in their life.

1103
00:53:51,280 --> 00:53:55,059
Mm. And they go in with the expectation
that they're gonna accomplish A, B, and

1104
00:53:55,059 --> 00:54:02,010
C, and the horse is like, "I'm sorry, but
this backpack that you have on you- Yeah

1105
00:54:02,049 --> 00:54:05,299
I just, like, I'm not... I'm, I, I..."
They don't have a pr- I don't think

1106
00:54:05,299 --> 00:54:07,669
horses have a problem with the backpack.

1107
00:54:07,669 --> 00:54:09,419
They're just like, "Can we
acknowledge that the backpack

1108
00:54:09,419 --> 00:54:10,989
exists?" Ex- That's exactly the thing.

1109
00:54:10,989 --> 00:54:11,110
Right?

1110
00:54:11,260 --> 00:54:15,930
And so then what happens is the, there's,
like, a conversation or something, a word

1111
00:54:15,930 --> 00:54:17,530
happens, or the horse does something- Yeah

1112
00:54:17,530 --> 00:54:18,059
and it triggers.

1113
00:54:18,119 --> 00:54:20,059
Mm. And there's this
big emotional release.

1114
00:54:20,100 --> 00:54:20,350
Kaleigh Marie: Mm.

1115
00:54:20,830 --> 00:54:26,040
Noelle: And what I wish for the horse
world to have a permission slip-

1116
00:54:26,080 --> 00:54:31,199
Yeah ... for is in those moments-
Mm ... where you're like, "I just

1117
00:54:31,199 --> 00:54:33,019
really wanna have a cry." Yeah.

1118
00:54:33,110 --> 00:54:35,710
Like, I really, or I really just
wanna, like, have a temper tantrum.

1119
00:54:35,979 --> 00:54:39,559
For someone who has personally have a
full-blown adult temper tantrum- Yeah

1120
00:54:39,619 --> 00:54:40,769
not at my horse.

1121
00:54:40,909 --> 00:54:43,939
Mm. Like, at the ground, if you push
all that energy into the ground-

1122
00:54:43,939 --> 00:54:44,269
Kaleigh Marie: Yeah

1123
00:54:44,309 --> 00:54:45,309
... 
Noelle: you know what the horses do?

1124
00:54:45,309 --> 00:54:49,239
They come over and they're like, "Oh,
this is great." The, the release-

1125
00:54:49,239 --> 00:54:51,450
You're d- you're down-regulating
yourself ... is amazing.

1126
00:54:51,510 --> 00:54:52,639
I'm, I'm in witness to you.

1127
00:54:52,639 --> 00:54:53,980
They do a bunch of yawns.

1128
00:54:53,980 --> 00:54:56,900
Mm. They're like, they're j- they're
dropping in, and then you both...

1129
00:54:56,900 --> 00:54:58,540
'Cause everyone knows that feeling.

1130
00:54:58,540 --> 00:55:01,710
After you've expressed all this emotion
that you had inside you- So much

1131
00:55:01,710 --> 00:55:04,859
better ... then you're like, "Oh, this
feels amazing." You do a big exhale.

1132
00:55:04,859 --> 00:55:05,159
Kaleigh Marie: Mm.

1133
00:55:05,840 --> 00:55:09,510
Noelle: That, to me, what
co-regulation is, is it might be zen.

1134
00:55:09,510 --> 00:55:11,870
I'm someone who there's nothing
going wrong in my life, so I'm

1135
00:55:11,870 --> 00:55:13,260
gonna sit here and, like, meditate.

1136
00:55:13,299 --> 00:55:13,670
Kaleigh Marie: Yeah.

1137
00:55:13,700 --> 00:55:14,909
Noelle: That can be for some people.

1138
00:55:14,909 --> 00:55:17,210
Kaleigh Marie: But it is so
much more, I think it can be so

1139
00:55:17,210 --> 00:55:18,389
much more authentic than that.

1140
00:55:18,389 --> 00:55:18,450
Yeah.

1141
00:55:18,480 --> 00:55:23,889
I, I think what you're emphasizing
there is also so important in the sense

1142
00:55:23,889 --> 00:55:29,180
of not just getting on with the work
of invalidating the feeling that comes

1143
00:55:29,180 --> 00:55:33,040
up of, like, sometimes the frustration
is there, and we have the tendency or

1144
00:55:33,040 --> 00:55:37,120
even the capability to say, "No, I'm
not gonna be- Frustrated and then we're

1145
00:55:37,120 --> 00:55:41,470
at odds with ourselves and now trying
to work with the horses, like it just

1146
00:55:41,789 --> 00:55:47,199
We think about co-regulation, this nervous
system that beyond just our, our conscious

1147
00:55:47,199 --> 00:55:50,940
level, like every nervous system is a-
aware of the nervous systems around it.

1148
00:55:50,940 --> 00:55:51,029
Yeah.

1149
00:55:51,029 --> 00:55:52,859
So it does not matter
what's going on up here.

1150
00:55:52,859 --> 00:55:57,330
It matters entirely what's going on
here and what the horse feels from us.

1151
00:55:57,330 --> 00:55:59,209
So to move through the feeling- Yeah

1152
00:55:59,209 --> 00:56:02,420
to say, like, "Here's this feeling.
I'm gonna get to the other side of

1153
00:56:02,420 --> 00:56:06,220
it," and whether that is deep breaths,
whether it's, you know, having a

1154
00:56:06,220 --> 00:56:07,910
full-grown adult temper tantrum.

1155
00:56:08,059 --> 00:56:09,790
Noelle: Adult temper
tantrums are the best.

1156
00:56:09,939 --> 00:56:10,610
Kaleigh Marie: Underrated.

1157
00:56:10,750 --> 00:56:15,300
Really underrated, but, but expressing it,
obviously not- Not at anybody ... not at,

1158
00:56:15,300 --> 00:56:16,890
not at anybody, not at the horse- Mm-hmm

1159
00:56:16,930 --> 00:56:20,489
but to, to let the emotion move.

1160
00:56:20,489 --> 00:56:23,489
Like, we look at the word
emotion, it's in the word.

1161
00:56:23,640 --> 00:56:23,840
Yeah.

1162
00:56:23,880 --> 00:56:24,450
Motion.

1163
00:56:24,660 --> 00:56:24,829
Yeah.

1164
00:56:24,910 --> 00:56:28,000
Like, they're not meant
to be stagnant things.

1165
00:56:28,390 --> 00:56:32,209
Like, motion and emotion are, are
one and the same, so to- Absolutely.

1166
00:56:32,209 --> 00:56:32,540
Yeah.

1167
00:56:33,040 --> 00:56:33,279
Okay.

1168
00:56:33,770 --> 00:56:34,250
Noelle: That was like,

1169
00:56:34,250 --> 00:56:36,270
Kaleigh Marie: that was one question.

1170
00:56:36,880 --> 00:56:37,169
Noelle: Oh

1171
00:56:37,380 --> 00:56:38,329
Kaleigh Marie: my God, one question.

1172
00:56:38,660 --> 00:56:38,689
Noelle: Ooh.

1173
00:56:38,689 --> 00:56:38,809
All right.

1174
00:56:38,809 --> 00:56:39,740
But I knew you were- Yeah

1175
00:56:39,740 --> 00:56:40,700
you're a rabbit hole girl like me, so.

1176
00:56:40,700 --> 00:56:41,090
It's, I love it.

1177
00:56:41,090 --> 00:56:41,420
I love it.

1178
00:56:41,420 --> 00:56:43,249
Okay, my horse ignores my leg.

1179
00:56:43,649 --> 00:56:43,829
Kaleigh Marie: Mm.

1180
00:56:43,829 --> 00:56:45,969
Noelle: And I end up using
more and more pressure.

1181
00:56:45,969 --> 00:56:46,660
Oh my God, this is amazing.

1182
00:56:46,660 --> 00:56:47,590
Kaleigh Marie: This ties in so well.

1183
00:56:47,590 --> 00:56:51,399
Noelle: How would you handle that
without it turning into a fight?

1184
00:56:51,439 --> 00:56:56,329
Kaleigh Marie: Mm. Good question,
and this is gonna, I think this

1185
00:56:56,329 --> 00:57:01,030
is gonna tie back into the idea
of expectation versus intention.

1186
00:57:01,359 --> 00:57:04,520
I'd say right now the expectation
is that we're able to do things

1187
00:57:04,600 --> 00:57:08,259
with this horse that require leg,
and we're able to accomplish the

1188
00:57:08,259 --> 00:57:10,119
exercise in a way that feels light-

1189
00:57:10,389 --> 00:57:10,639
Noelle: Mm-hmm

1190
00:57:10,639 --> 00:57:14,800
... 
Kaleigh Marie: and engaged, where
really the intention should be a

1191
00:57:14,800 --> 00:57:16,619
feeling of responsiveness and lightness.

1192
00:57:16,660 --> 00:57:16,800
Yeah.

1193
00:57:16,800 --> 00:57:20,450
And in order to find that, like,
if I have a horse who is heavy,

1194
00:57:20,450 --> 00:57:24,170
potentially, and inattentive, I
like to say exaggerate accordingly.

1195
00:57:24,609 --> 00:57:26,450
This comes back to conversational quality.

1196
00:57:26,490 --> 00:57:30,639
If I need to put in an excessive
amount of effort into the conversation

1197
00:57:30,969 --> 00:57:34,219
to elicit a response, I want to see
a response that matches my effort.

1198
00:57:34,420 --> 00:57:34,670
Noelle: Mm.

1199
00:57:34,670 --> 00:57:38,030
Kaleigh Marie: So if I am ... This
ties back into what we were

1200
00:57:38,139 --> 00:57:39,139
literally just talking about.

1201
00:57:39,139 --> 00:57:39,240
Yeah.

1202
00:57:39,240 --> 00:57:43,889
If I am very aware of what I want my
leg aid to feel like, this is just a

1203
00:57:43,889 --> 00:57:49,839
principle rule for me, the more effort I
need to put in, the more response I need

1204
00:57:49,839 --> 00:57:56,389
to see if I want to keep a very lively
and engaged feeling in the conversation.

1205
00:57:56,839 --> 00:58:00,359
As soon as it starts to feel like
my, my horse is becoming heavier and

1206
00:58:00,359 --> 00:58:05,339
attentive, there's the opportunity
to exaggerate the response I'm

1207
00:58:05,339 --> 00:58:06,499
looking for and follow through.

1208
00:58:06,839 --> 00:58:12,689
I do feel that has to come with the
curiosity, though, of why is the body

1209
00:58:12,689 --> 00:58:15,620
not responsive, is gonna be- Yeah.

1210
00:58:15,900 --> 00:58:16,169
Yeah.

1211
00:58:16,249 --> 00:58:20,169
This is where it starts to dive a
little bit deeper in terms of- The

1212
00:58:20,169 --> 00:58:23,810
relationship, like we've come back to
this idea of response so many times.

1213
00:58:23,810 --> 00:58:24,180
Noelle: Mm-hmm.

1214
00:58:24,180 --> 00:58:25,720
Kaleigh Marie: The, this
raw ingredient of response.

1215
00:58:25,790 --> 00:58:28,570
I look at it kind of like a
ball that we play catch with.

1216
00:58:29,100 --> 00:58:31,949
We build relationships
through exchanging response.

1217
00:58:31,949 --> 00:58:34,699
Mm. So it's like happening right
now, it's like I have the ball right

1218
00:58:34,699 --> 00:58:36,709
now, then I'm gonna toss it to you-
Mm ... and then you toss it to me

1219
00:58:36,709 --> 00:58:39,189
and, and we build this, this thing.

1220
00:58:40,179 --> 00:58:44,519
We can separate this out into, into
two pieces of exchanging, which is

1221
00:58:44,519 --> 00:58:46,900
information in and information out.

1222
00:58:47,090 --> 00:58:49,990
We hear the word sensitivity
thrown around a lot.

1223
00:58:50,039 --> 00:58:52,490
Oh, a horse is sensitive
or they aren't sensitive.

1224
00:58:52,490 --> 00:58:57,499
Well, some of them aren't, but I
don't feel it's, it's identified in

1225
00:58:57,499 --> 00:59:00,819
a correct way because sensitivity
is simply information in.

1226
00:59:01,319 --> 00:59:01,550
Noelle: Mm-hmm.

1227
00:59:01,870 --> 00:59:04,330
Kaleigh Marie: And expression
is information out.

1228
00:59:04,389 --> 00:59:07,720
I find people mix up expression
with sensitivity quite often.

1229
00:59:07,749 --> 00:59:07,979
Noelle: Yep.

1230
00:59:08,150 --> 00:59:10,920
Kaleigh Marie: To say, "That horse
is quite sensitive." No, that

1231
00:59:10,920 --> 00:59:13,609
horse might be sensitive, but
they're also quite expressive.

1232
00:59:13,659 --> 00:59:14,080
Noelle: Yes.

1233
00:59:14,120 --> 00:59:15,789
Kaleigh Marie: There are also
horses who are very, very

1234
00:59:15,789 --> 00:59:17,039
sensitive who are not expressive.

1235
00:59:17,069 --> 00:59:17,530
Noelle: Yes.

1236
00:59:17,569 --> 00:59:19,729
Kaleigh Marie: Who take in a
lot of information, but don't

1237
00:59:20,170 --> 00:59:21,269
give a lot of information.

1238
00:59:21,269 --> 00:59:21,429
Give a lot,

1239
00:59:21,429 --> 00:59:22,210
Noelle: yep, that's very true.

1240
00:59:22,210 --> 00:59:26,279
Kaleigh Marie: So I need to be asking
myself before I, I even get into the

1241
00:59:26,279 --> 00:59:31,330
physical capability of the horse, what
personality type am I working with?

1242
00:59:31,700 --> 00:59:36,529
Do I have the rapport that I need to
actually apply that amount of pressure to

1243
00:59:36,529 --> 00:59:43,830
the horse and elicit a response in a way
that brings clarity to the conversation-

1244
00:59:43,830 --> 00:59:43,859
Mm-hmm

1245
00:59:43,859 --> 00:59:46,989
Kaleigh Marie: rather, rather than
bringing shock to my horse of like,

1246
00:59:47,050 --> 00:59:50,349
"Oh my gosh, I've never, I've never
experienced this amount of pressure from

1247
00:59:50,349 --> 00:59:56,090
this person." And, and this amount of
what is intended as clarity, but this

1248
00:59:56,090 --> 01:00:00,450
amount of accountability around the
aids, if, if that's not an experience

1249
01:00:00,450 --> 01:00:04,749
the horse has had with the rider, if
we make too big of a jump too soon-

1250
01:00:04,870 --> 01:00:05,209
Noelle: Mm-hmm

1251
01:00:05,679 --> 01:00:08,550
Kaleigh Marie: that will shake
the confidence of the horse rather

1252
01:00:08,550 --> 01:00:10,489
than improve the responsiveness.

1253
01:00:10,489 --> 01:00:13,720
So I, I think that
absolutely ties into it.

1254
01:00:13,720 --> 01:00:17,359
And then just the physical
capability and fitness of the

1255
01:00:17,359 --> 01:00:17,889
Noelle: horse in question.

1256
01:00:17,889 --> 01:00:18,970
Yeah, what are you asking, are you asking-

1257
01:00:18,970 --> 01:00:19,279
Kaleigh Marie: Yeah

1258
01:00:19,279 --> 01:00:20,800
... 
Noelle: something that is
fair- Exactly ... or that is

1259
01:00:20,800 --> 01:00:21,880
physically capable of that horse.

1260
01:00:21,880 --> 01:00:21,959
Kaleigh Marie: Mm-hmm.

1261
01:00:22,309 --> 01:00:25,999
Noelle: And I also wanna add as- Yeah
... an altern- like as an additional or like

1262
01:00:25,999 --> 01:00:29,570
an add-on or an alternative- Yeah ... to
that exercise you were talking about where

1263
01:00:29,820 --> 01:00:31,210
you're gonna be consistent in the leg aid.

1264
01:00:31,210 --> 01:00:34,990
Mm. You're gonna, um, you're gonna
apply, you're gonna start really s-

1265
01:00:35,139 --> 01:00:36,249
you're gonna start really subtle-

1266
01:00:36,320 --> 01:00:36,490
Kaleigh Marie: Yeah

1267
01:00:36,490 --> 01:00:38,850
Noelle: and build and build
and build until you, until

1268
01:00:38,850 --> 01:00:40,490
you feel an ex- a response.

1269
01:00:40,490 --> 01:00:40,669
Yeah.

1270
01:00:40,669 --> 01:00:42,220
And then you're gonna release
immediately because- Yeah ... that's

1271
01:00:42,220 --> 01:00:42,889
what you want, right?

1272
01:00:43,089 --> 01:00:46,139
Mm. And we're trying to establish
that pattern of responsiveness.

1273
01:00:46,139 --> 01:00:49,449
If you wanna... I had to rehabilitate
the responsiveness- Yeah ... on

1274
01:00:49,479 --> 01:00:51,070
an Andalusian horse that I- Mm

1275
01:00:51,070 --> 01:00:54,490
had that came from a competitive dressage
background- Yeah ... who literally has,

1276
01:00:54,540 --> 01:00:56,680
um, like calcification on the side of his-

1277
01:00:56,680 --> 01:00:57,359
Kaleigh Marie: Wow

1278
01:00:57,589 --> 01:00:58,970
... 
Noelle: barrel because of spurs.

1279
01:00:58,999 --> 01:00:59,589
Kaleigh Marie: Wow.

1280
01:00:59,940 --> 01:01:04,990
Noelle: And the, one of the coolest,
um, and I'd never seen it anywhere else-

1281
01:01:04,990 --> 01:01:05,279
Kaleigh Marie: Yeah

1282
01:01:05,309 --> 01:01:06,240
... 
Noelle: was Mark Rashid.

1283
01:01:06,240 --> 01:01:06,499
Kaleigh Marie: Mm.

1284
01:01:06,499 --> 01:01:09,020
Noelle: We were in a clinic, and
it was actually his Abydo clinic,

1285
01:01:09,020 --> 01:01:10,350
where he's combining martial arts-

1286
01:01:10,810 --> 01:01:11,200
Kaleigh Marie: Wow

1287
01:01:11,200 --> 01:01:12,959
Noelle: with aikido and, and horsemanship.

1288
01:01:12,959 --> 01:01:13,820
That's fascinating.

1289
01:01:13,820 --> 01:01:16,139
It's one of, if any- Yeah ... I would
highly recommend it, and actually

1290
01:01:16,139 --> 01:01:18,259
I was gonna tell Brendan about it-
Yeah ... because he's done martial arts.

1291
01:01:18,259 --> 01:01:18,400
That's so

1292
01:01:18,400 --> 01:01:18,780
Kaleigh Marie: cool.

1293
01:01:18,820 --> 01:01:22,770
Noelle: It's one of the most
brain exploding experiences-

1294
01:01:22,770 --> 01:01:27,280
Yeah ... because he really helps
you understand the impact that- Mm

1295
01:01:27,280 --> 01:01:30,370
that energy has- Yeah ... and how
it, like, it's just in the way

1296
01:01:30,370 --> 01:01:32,929
that only martial arts can explain
that to you- Yeah ... in your body.

1297
01:01:33,030 --> 01:01:33,259
Yeah.

1298
01:01:33,579 --> 01:01:37,280
But we had a really simple exercise,
which was I wanted to rehabilitate

1299
01:01:37,790 --> 01:01:41,550
the so-and-so dullness that this
horse had to- Yeah ... the leg aid.

1300
01:01:41,850 --> 01:01:42,390
Kaleigh Marie: Mm.

1301
01:01:42,859 --> 01:01:44,800
Noelle: And we had physical evidence-

1302
01:01:44,829 --> 01:01:45,680
Kaleigh Marie: Yeah, wow

1303
01:01:45,680 --> 01:01:49,419
Noelle: of how and where
that dullness had come from.

1304
01:01:49,449 --> 01:01:49,730
Kaleigh Marie: Yeah.

1305
01:01:50,070 --> 01:01:50,300
Noelle: Okay?

1306
01:01:50,609 --> 01:01:54,399
And so he wanted to, he did exa-
He, he gave me that invitation

1307
01:01:54,399 --> 01:01:56,960
the way- Mm ... that you've given
that invitation- Mm ... of how to

1308
01:01:56,960 --> 01:01:59,190
rehabilitate sensitivity to the leg.

1309
01:01:59,230 --> 01:01:59,590
Kaleigh Marie: Yeah.

1310
01:02:00,009 --> 01:02:02,280
Noelle: But what I loved is his
alternative, because not everyone

1311
01:02:02,280 --> 01:02:03,769
is comfortable using a whip.

1312
01:02:03,930 --> 01:02:04,059
Kaleigh Marie: Yeah.

1313
01:02:04,059 --> 01:02:06,590
Noelle: And not everyone is
comfortable with that particular aid.

1314
01:02:06,590 --> 01:02:06,699
Mm-hmm.

1315
01:02:06,699 --> 01:02:07,000
Right?

1316
01:02:07,250 --> 01:02:10,890
And I'm not there, I'm not gonna
tell anyone if it's good or bad.

1317
01:02:10,890 --> 01:02:10,960
Yeah.

1318
01:02:10,960 --> 01:02:13,850
It's just a matter of whether, h- what
your relationship is with that aid.

1319
01:02:13,850 --> 01:02:14,050
Kaleigh Marie: Yeah.

1320
01:02:14,129 --> 01:02:14,320
Noelle: Right?

1321
01:02:14,350 --> 01:02:14,930
Kaleigh Marie: Absolutely.

1322
01:02:15,220 --> 01:02:18,979
Noelle: So what he did was, it's all about
the energy- Mm ... in your body that's

1323
01:02:18,979 --> 01:02:20,650
a, that's ask- that's using that- Mm-hmm

1324
01:02:20,650 --> 01:02:22,790
like, that, that's asking that question.

1325
01:02:22,820 --> 01:02:26,180
He said, "Instead of tapping
it on the horse, tap your leg."

1326
01:02:26,210 --> 01:02:26,780
Kaleigh Marie: Mm.

1327
01:02:26,839 --> 01:02:27,640
Noelle: So you pu- I

1328
01:02:27,640 --> 01:02:28,229
Kaleigh Marie: love that.

1329
01:02:28,229 --> 01:02:28,400
It's

1330
01:02:28,400 --> 01:02:28,900
Noelle: the coolest.

1331
01:02:28,900 --> 01:02:29,600
Kaleigh Marie: I love that-

1332
01:02:29,600 --> 01:02:29,760
Noelle: Yeah

1333
01:02:29,760 --> 01:02:30,369
... 
Kaleigh Marie: so much.

1334
01:02:30,369 --> 01:02:30,489
So

1335
01:02:30,489 --> 01:02:33,900
Noelle: it's about- Yeah ... and it was,
again, it's about the energetic charge.

1336
01:02:33,900 --> 01:02:34,199
Kaleigh Marie: Cool.

1337
01:02:34,199 --> 01:02:35,750
Noelle: So we're charging the leg.

1338
01:02:35,750 --> 01:02:35,930
Yeah.

1339
01:02:35,930 --> 01:02:38,049
So if you apply your leg aid- Mm

1340
01:02:38,049 --> 01:02:40,970
and you don't get a response,
what happens if you tap your leg?

1341
01:02:40,970 --> 01:02:41,309
Kaleigh Marie: Yeah.

1342
01:02:41,629 --> 01:02:43,589
Noelle: Because that will
send energy through your leg.

1343
01:02:43,589 --> 01:02:44,119
Kaleigh Marie: Mm.

1344
01:02:44,570 --> 01:02:47,059
Noelle: And I just wanted to provide
that as an alternative- Absolutely ... to

1345
01:02:47,059 --> 01:02:47,390
everybody.

1346
01:02:47,390 --> 01:02:50,159
Kaleigh Marie: And, and to build on
that as well, because I, I think what

1347
01:02:50,159 --> 01:02:54,780
you bring out here is becoming more and
more of a fas- uh, it's a fascination

1348
01:02:54,780 --> 01:02:59,530
and a focus of mine in the teaching that
I do, where so many people find me for

1349
01:02:59,530 --> 01:03:00,979
work they want to do with the horses.

1350
01:03:01,019 --> 01:03:04,110
It really starts to become
work with the people as well.

1351
01:03:04,140 --> 01:03:04,360
Noelle: Yeah.

1352
01:03:04,430 --> 01:03:06,119
Kaleigh Marie: Whether it's
in liberty, just teaching

1353
01:03:06,119 --> 01:03:09,059
physical movements to people-

1354
01:03:09,150 --> 01:03:09,360
Noelle: Yeah

1355
01:03:09,449 --> 01:03:11,580
... 
Kaleigh Marie: apart from the
horses, of how do we move, can we

1356
01:03:11,580 --> 01:03:13,400
bring people into their bodies-

1357
01:03:13,589 --> 01:03:13,909
Noelle: Mm

1358
01:03:13,909 --> 01:03:16,269
... 
Kaleigh Marie: to work
horses at liberty or riding.

1359
01:03:16,269 --> 01:03:21,239
Like, what level of pressure and
communication are people comfortable with?

1360
01:03:21,810 --> 01:03:27,829
That is such a deep question that I
don't really think anybody is asking of,

1361
01:03:27,829 --> 01:03:29,859
like, it's ... We're all very invested.

1362
01:03:29,859 --> 01:03:30,989
Is the horse okay with it?

1363
01:03:31,040 --> 01:03:33,219
Am I comfortable with it?

1364
01:03:33,249 --> 01:03:40,840
And that idea does not mean I
have the opportunity to condemn

1365
01:03:40,840 --> 01:03:42,129
things that I'm uncomfortable with.

1366
01:03:42,340 --> 01:03:42,620
Noelle: Yeah.

1367
01:03:42,840 --> 01:03:43,340
Kaleigh Marie: Because-

1368
01:03:43,469 --> 01:03:43,639
Noelle: Yeah

1369
01:03:43,980 --> 01:03:46,310
... 
Kaleigh Marie: that can be a
temptation of if I'm uncomfortable

1370
01:03:46,310 --> 01:03:47,260
with it, it must be bad.

1371
01:03:47,260 --> 01:03:47,499
Then it's bad.

1372
01:03:47,820 --> 01:03:49,090
Stay curious about it.

1373
01:03:49,129 --> 01:03:49,310
Yeah.

1374
01:03:49,389 --> 01:03:49,650
Right?

1375
01:03:49,650 --> 01:03:54,004
There's something to learn from-
everything, but- Yeah ... to understand

1376
01:03:54,004 --> 01:03:59,564
that there are so many alternatives to
keep your nervous system in a state where

1377
01:03:59,564 --> 01:04:03,514
you can be engaged and responsive- Exactly
... to what's going on, 'cause as soon as you

1378
01:04:03,814 --> 01:04:09,064
become, I'm not gonna say uncomfortable
is a bad place to be, but so uncomfortable

1379
01:04:09,464 --> 01:04:13,194
that you're more focused on the discomfort
than what's actually happening in front of

1380
01:04:13,194 --> 01:04:15,894
you, it's a hard space to be an effective
communicator- Well, 'cause then you're not

1381
01:04:15,894 --> 01:04:16,085
Noelle: present

1382
01:04:16,284 --> 01:04:17,025
Kaleigh Marie: and to learn.

1383
01:04:17,025 --> 01:04:17,085
Yeah.

1384
01:04:17,114 --> 01:04:22,015
So beyond just tap your whip with the leg,
like for me, I'm an avid clicker trainer.

1385
01:04:22,194 --> 01:04:23,115
Mm. I am a clicker trainer.

1386
01:04:23,115 --> 01:04:23,144
Mm-hmm.

1387
01:04:23,194 --> 01:04:24,775
I love positive reinforcement.

1388
01:04:25,124 --> 01:04:29,065
I do feel in the horse world,
it is wildly misrepresented-

1389
01:04:29,144 --> 01:04:29,494
Noelle: Mm-hmm

1390
01:04:29,584 --> 01:04:31,424
... 
Kaleigh Marie: as a way
to say good job to horses.

1391
01:04:31,424 --> 01:04:31,854
I completely agree.

1392
01:04:31,854 --> 01:04:32,115
It is not.

1393
01:04:32,115 --> 01:04:33,804
It's a science experiment.

1394
01:04:33,834 --> 01:04:35,214
It's fascinating.

1395
01:04:35,214 --> 01:04:40,045
It gives me the ability off of a
noise to produce dopamine release

1396
01:04:40,115 --> 01:04:43,315
in the horse that I'm working
with on a specific moment in time.

1397
01:04:44,034 --> 01:04:48,135
I need to, if I arm myself with a tool
that is that powerful, where I'm changing

1398
01:04:48,435 --> 01:04:53,284
the physical, chemical makeup of a
living being, I have to be consistent

1399
01:04:53,735 --> 01:04:56,035
in where the changes are happening.

1400
01:04:56,105 --> 01:04:56,324
Noelle: Yeah.

1401
01:04:56,355 --> 01:04:58,584
Kaleigh Marie: If we're clicking
left and right because the horse, oh,

1402
01:04:58,624 --> 01:05:01,304
they're doing such a good job and I
want to give them a cookie, the horse

1403
01:05:01,304 --> 01:05:05,635
has become dysregulated and frustrated-
Yeah ... and often sometimes miserable

1404
01:05:05,635 --> 01:05:11,434
because they're unsure of how to replicate
the, the situation- Absolutely ... the

1405
01:05:11,434 --> 01:05:12,794
activity that produced the food.

1406
01:05:12,794 --> 01:05:16,474
So consistency is the most
important thing, and consistency

1407
01:05:16,525 --> 01:05:19,815
in their response to us.

1408
01:05:19,845 --> 01:05:22,985
If we want clicker training to serve
the connection, I'm not just clicking

1409
01:05:22,985 --> 01:05:26,794
for things that I want my horse to
actively look for, like dopamine says,

1410
01:05:26,794 --> 01:05:31,145
"That feels great. Let's do it again."
I want them to be actively looking for

1411
01:05:31,145 --> 01:05:32,974
things that happen in response to me.

1412
01:05:33,345 --> 01:05:37,675
I, like, supercharge their desire
to respond to me, rather than

1413
01:05:37,675 --> 01:05:39,985
just clicking and treating the
things that they find really fun,

1414
01:05:39,985 --> 01:05:41,645
which they think it is really fun.

1415
01:05:41,645 --> 01:05:43,584
So that, that consistency
is important as well.

1416
01:05:43,584 --> 01:05:47,415
But for something like this
where maybe, like I'm gonna put

1417
01:05:47,415 --> 01:05:50,374
myself in this situation, I have
a student with a heavy horse.

1418
01:05:50,504 --> 01:05:50,724
Noelle: Yeah.

1419
01:05:50,785 --> 01:05:54,455
Kaleigh Marie: A horse that's needing
to be rehabilitated to sensitivity

1420
01:05:54,455 --> 01:05:58,444
around the leg, and the student
is lacking confidence, right?

1421
01:05:58,444 --> 01:06:02,225
Maybe the idea of picking energy
up and, and pressure up at all-

1422
01:06:02,305 --> 01:06:02,624
Noelle: Mm-hmm

1423
01:06:02,654 --> 01:06:07,175
... 
Kaleigh Marie: is, is frightening,
hon- honestly, like scary, and to

1424
01:06:07,175 --> 01:06:09,755
that nervous system, threatening of
like, "I don't think I can do that."

1425
01:06:10,615 --> 01:06:15,425
I need to take the tools that I have
to arm that person and that horse with

1426
01:06:15,535 --> 01:06:18,104
their highest possible chance of success.

1427
01:06:18,164 --> 01:06:18,384
Noelle: Mm-hmm.

1428
01:06:18,535 --> 01:06:21,485
Kaleigh Marie: So even if we break that
down from the exercise of, okay, when I

1429
01:06:21,485 --> 01:06:23,395
put my leg on, I'm a confident person.

1430
01:06:23,985 --> 01:06:25,255
I have a rapport with this horse.

1431
01:06:25,255 --> 01:06:26,865
I'm gonna touch with the
whip and say, "Canter."

1432
01:06:27,134 --> 01:06:31,815
Maybe I say, "We're gonna not use the
whip at all." Maybe we put the leg

1433
01:06:31,815 --> 01:06:37,835
on, and for me, my general rule is
five times or less, five applications

1434
01:06:37,835 --> 01:06:43,669
or less of leg, whip, what have you,
before I become annoying and- Unclear-

1435
01:06:43,910 --> 01:06:45,139
Mm ... in what I want my horse to do.

1436
01:06:45,209 --> 01:06:48,879
So I would challenge that student in
five movements or less with the leg.

1437
01:06:48,919 --> 01:06:53,190
Maybe the leg gets bigger, but
as soon as we feel 2% more energy

1438
01:06:53,190 --> 01:06:54,159
in the horse, we click and treat.

1439
01:06:54,270 --> 01:06:54,680
Yes.

1440
01:06:54,919 --> 01:06:55,119
Right?

1441
01:06:55,119 --> 01:06:58,709
So now I'm using intrinsic motivation
in the horse to say, okay, I'm,

1442
01:06:58,989 --> 01:07:04,870
I'm adding this additional external
motivator to say, "Hey horse who's not

1443
01:07:04,870 --> 01:07:10,919
very motivated, can you bring more of
yourself to the conversation to produce

1444
01:07:10,919 --> 01:07:16,529
a feeling that this person needs to
have," ideally to progress them on the

1445
01:07:16,529 --> 01:07:21,729
journey that they would be able to use
pressure to communicate with the horse.

1446
01:07:21,729 --> 01:07:25,840
I, I emphasize that because
pressure is my direct line of

1447
01:07:25,840 --> 01:07:27,389
communication to the nervous system.

1448
01:07:27,420 --> 01:07:27,450
Mm-hmm.

1449
01:07:27,450 --> 01:07:28,709
Clicker training, amazing.

1450
01:07:28,880 --> 01:07:28,959
Mm-hmm.

1451
01:07:29,049 --> 01:07:31,459
Epic, really, in what
it can do for horses.

1452
01:07:31,459 --> 01:07:34,860
What I do with my horses, I couldn't
do without clicker training, really.

1453
01:07:35,220 --> 01:07:38,560
But I need to have a horse
who is emotionally resilient

1454
01:07:38,590 --> 01:07:39,930
and comfortable with pressure.

1455
01:07:40,209 --> 01:07:40,499
Noelle: Mm-hmm.

1456
01:07:40,740 --> 01:07:43,889
Kaleigh Marie: So I'll never use my
clicker training as a, a permanent

1457
01:07:43,889 --> 01:07:47,479
diversion from an issue with
pressure in a horse or a person.

1458
01:07:47,479 --> 01:07:47,770
Noelle: Yeah.

1459
01:07:47,810 --> 01:07:48,670
Kaleigh Marie: That's
something I won't do.

1460
01:07:48,670 --> 01:07:52,429
Temporary solution to produce a
feeling that will build confidence

1461
01:07:52,429 --> 01:07:53,850
to get them there, absolutely.

1462
01:07:53,880 --> 01:07:53,909
Mm-hmm.

1463
01:07:54,109 --> 01:07:57,090
So there's so many different ways we
could, we could do things like that.

1464
01:07:57,090 --> 01:08:00,219
Noelle: Well, and I think- Yeah ... as
we, also anything I mention before

1465
01:08:00,219 --> 01:08:02,909
we move on to a next question-
Yeah ... is too, I think horses that

1466
01:08:02,909 --> 01:08:05,060
are dull to pressure in general-

1467
01:08:05,060 --> 01:08:05,270
Kaleigh Marie: Mm

1468
01:08:05,759 --> 01:08:07,060
... 
Noelle: I think have
been made to be that way.

1469
01:08:07,060 --> 01:08:07,090
Mm-hmm.

1470
01:08:07,090 --> 01:08:08,130
I think we can agree to that.

1471
01:08:08,130 --> 01:08:11,969
Like, I do think, I mean, there's
a spectrum of- Yeah ... the level,

1472
01:08:11,969 --> 01:08:13,219
the responsiveness to pressure.

1473
01:08:13,219 --> 01:08:13,549
Mm-hmm.

1474
01:08:13,549 --> 01:08:22,369
But I think having, I think there's
enough evidence out there to, to

1475
01:08:22,369 --> 01:08:26,700
really say that horses that are dull-
Yeah ... to pressure are actually

1476
01:08:26,700 --> 01:08:28,189
often the ones that are most sensitive.

1477
01:08:28,189 --> 01:08:30,990
Mm. And they built the strongest
protection- Absolutely ... against

1478
01:08:30,990 --> 01:08:33,219
it because it was too
much, too quick, too soon.

1479
01:08:33,250 --> 01:08:34,060
Kaleigh Marie: Absolutely.

1480
01:08:34,460 --> 01:08:34,710
I,

1481
01:08:34,770 --> 01:08:35,520
Noelle: I would agree with that as well.

1482
01:08:35,520 --> 01:08:35,609
Right?

1483
01:08:35,609 --> 01:08:35,909
I'm noticing

1484
01:08:35,909 --> 01:08:36,030
Kaleigh Marie: that a lot.

1485
01:08:36,030 --> 01:08:36,140
Yeah.

1486
01:08:36,240 --> 01:08:36,479
Yeah.

1487
01:08:36,509 --> 01:08:36,729
Yeah.

1488
01:08:39,860 --> 01:08:40,759
Ooh, it's my turn.

1489
01:08:40,759 --> 01:08:44,030
I'm gonna go for this
little guy right here.

1490
01:08:46,050 --> 01:08:48,810
We have, what's something you've
changed your mind about in your

1491
01:08:48,810 --> 01:08:51,260
training over the last few years?

1492
01:08:51,319 --> 01:08:51,690
Ooh.

1493
01:08:52,850 --> 01:08:53,859
Oh, gosh.

1494
01:08:53,919 --> 01:08:55,529
Where do we, where do we take this one?

1495
01:08:55,650 --> 01:09:00,519
I'm, I'm gonna roll with the first
thing that pops into my head, uh, which

1496
01:09:00,519 --> 01:09:01,959
would actually be clicker training.

1497
01:09:01,959 --> 01:09:02,050
Cool.

1498
01:09:02,789 --> 01:09:08,000
And the, I guess the, the beginning
of my journey with clicker

1499
01:09:08,000 --> 01:09:14,269
training with horses was it was a
tool that I used for everything.

1500
01:09:14,380 --> 01:09:14,880
Everything.

1501
01:09:14,909 --> 01:09:17,940
From the foundation all the way
through the more advanced maneuvers

1502
01:09:17,940 --> 01:09:19,780
because in my head, why not?

1503
01:09:20,400 --> 01:09:20,819
Why not?

1504
01:09:20,850 --> 01:09:22,729
It's such a, a cool feeling.

1505
01:09:22,729 --> 01:09:27,350
It's an empowering feeling to have
horses who are genuinely excited

1506
01:09:27,690 --> 01:09:32,370
to show up and try to do the things
that you're asking them to do.

1507
01:09:32,760 --> 01:09:33,260
Mm-hmm.

1508
01:09:33,705 --> 01:09:35,014
That idea of like, why not?

1509
01:09:35,045 --> 01:09:36,104
This, this feels good.

1510
01:09:36,104 --> 01:09:37,265
The, the feeling was good.

1511
01:09:37,265 --> 01:09:38,415
The excitement was there.

1512
01:09:38,415 --> 01:09:42,225
My horses were, to me, fairly happy
in the work that we were doing.

1513
01:09:42,225 --> 01:09:46,985
That served me well, well enough
until I started to try and

1514
01:09:46,985 --> 01:09:49,195
perform with my horses at liberty.

1515
01:09:49,824 --> 01:09:52,734
When I took behaviors that
were clicker trained- Mm-hmm

1516
01:09:52,765 --> 01:09:56,625
and I put them into environments
with substantial pressure-

1517
01:09:56,885 --> 01:09:57,185
Noelle: Yeah

1518
01:09:57,334 --> 01:09:59,185
... 
Kaleigh Marie: everything crumbled.

1519
01:09:59,285 --> 01:09:59,664
Noelle: Really?

1520
01:09:59,664 --> 01:10:00,574
Kaleigh Marie: Immediately.

1521
01:10:01,045 --> 01:10:01,644
Immediately.

1522
01:10:01,644 --> 01:10:08,685
And, and it produced a curiosity in me
that took me literally across oceans.

1523
01:10:09,034 --> 01:10:11,784
Like, I traveled... This is
when I worked with Ben Atkinson.

1524
01:10:11,784 --> 01:10:11,815
Mm-hmm.

1525
01:10:12,175 --> 01:10:14,335
Uh, eventually Will Rogers.

1526
01:10:14,444 --> 01:10:16,964
Uh, since then I, I've met
Mia Radley, like, just- Yeah

1527
01:10:16,964 --> 01:10:21,854
people across seas that have become,
um, inspirations and, and friends of

1528
01:10:21,854 --> 01:10:31,115
mine, looking for clues and answers as
to essentially how to elicit curiosity

1529
01:10:31,115 --> 01:10:37,034
without food, 'cause it was such an, a,
such a, a pillar in everything that I did

1530
01:10:37,034 --> 01:10:40,664
to say, "Okay, I can elicit engagement
and curiosity with the presence of food."

1531
01:10:40,664 --> 01:10:43,425
And I know there are people out
there that say, "Oh, I want my horse

1532
01:10:43,425 --> 01:10:46,414
to want to work with me and, and
not want to work with me because I

1533
01:10:46,414 --> 01:10:48,215
have food." I don't mind either way.

1534
01:10:48,215 --> 01:10:48,275
Yeah.

1535
01:10:48,275 --> 01:10:52,404
Like, if I'm exciting because I can
provide you with this thing, amazing.

1536
01:10:52,505 --> 01:10:52,825
Noelle: Mm.

1537
01:10:52,825 --> 01:10:54,944
Kaleigh Marie: Like, I'm... It's
not a personal affront to me.

1538
01:10:55,544 --> 01:11:03,374
But when I started to feel that one, in
the, the performing space, the things

1539
01:11:03,374 --> 01:11:09,164
that were so consistent at home were
not predictable at all, it started to

1540
01:11:09,164 --> 01:11:15,495
highlight that there was a lack of felt
safety in the horses in those spaces.

1541
01:11:15,495 --> 01:11:19,645
It's like the, the value that they found
in performing the things for the food-

1542
01:11:19,724 --> 01:11:20,194
Noelle: Mm

1543
01:11:20,194 --> 01:11:22,834
... 
Kaleigh Marie: didn't outweigh
the lack of security they felt

1544
01:11:22,834 --> 01:11:25,345
in being with me in the space.

1545
01:11:25,374 --> 01:11:25,914
Noelle: Gotcha.

1546
01:11:25,914 --> 01:11:32,635
Kaleigh Marie: So that was a, a key
to the wheels that started to turn,

1547
01:11:32,635 --> 01:11:37,535
and really the dominoes that started
to fall into wanting to, to fix

1548
01:11:37,565 --> 01:11:41,755
and repair more and more areas of
disconnect that I started to notice.

1549
01:11:41,755 --> 01:11:43,955
It's one of those things, once
you see it, you can't unsee it.

1550
01:11:43,984 --> 01:11:44,335
Noelle: Yeah.

1551
01:11:44,395 --> 01:11:46,505
Kaleigh Marie: I started to see it
in the performing spaces, and then

1552
01:11:46,535 --> 01:11:50,725
even at home practicing with them,
I started to notice when they were

1553
01:11:50,725 --> 01:11:54,234
engaged with me at liberty, like when
we were working at liberty, if and when

1554
01:11:54,234 --> 01:11:56,524
they were engaged, they were amazing.

1555
01:11:56,524 --> 01:11:58,845
They were intense, and excited,
and, and happy to be there.

1556
01:11:58,845 --> 01:12:02,714
But if they disconnected,
the disconnect was immense.

1557
01:12:02,714 --> 01:12:05,294
Like, it wasn't just
drift off and come back.

1558
01:12:05,324 --> 01:12:09,794
It was huge emotional overwhelm,
take off, run around, come back.

1559
01:12:09,794 --> 01:12:13,095
It's like the energy was- Up all the time

1560
01:12:13,235 --> 01:12:13,715
Noelle: Hmm.

1561
01:12:14,055 --> 01:12:16,475
Kaleigh Marie: Which I found
to be very, very puzzling.

1562
01:12:16,515 --> 01:12:20,135
And I, I like couldn't quite put
the pieces together because I

1563
01:12:20,175 --> 01:12:23,195
was so precise and so particular.

1564
01:12:23,315 --> 01:12:28,594
Like, I, I had reviewed everything that
I knew about clicker training, about

1565
01:12:28,615 --> 01:12:31,735
the consistency and the timing of the
click, the position that I was treating

1566
01:12:31,755 --> 01:12:35,355
them in, the rate of reinforcement, the
kind of food I was reinforcing with.

1567
01:12:35,405 --> 01:12:39,395
Like, everything was, it
was like brain surgery.

1568
01:12:39,535 --> 01:12:44,595
I was so, so confused by what was missing.

1569
01:12:44,935 --> 01:12:44,945
Yeah.

1570
01:12:44,945 --> 01:12:47,555
I was, I was so precise
in what I was doing.

1571
01:12:47,655 --> 01:12:52,764
And it was at that point that I
connected with Ben, Ben Atkinson-

1572
01:12:52,795 --> 01:12:53,825
Yeah ... over, over in England.

1573
01:12:54,255 --> 01:12:56,785
And Ben as a person, amazing.

1574
01:12:57,335 --> 01:13:01,055
The experience I had with him there,
like I'll, I'll sum it up so quickly

1575
01:13:01,075 --> 01:13:02,855
because I could talk about it for so long.

1576
01:13:02,895 --> 01:13:06,615
Within an hour of meeting the
guy, I was Roman riding two of his

1577
01:13:06,655 --> 01:13:08,335
horses with six horses at liberty.

1578
01:13:08,375 --> 01:13:10,775
Like, it was- Cool ... crazy experiences.

1579
01:13:10,985 --> 01:13:14,735
And for the remainder of that time,
and then I went back a second time

1580
01:13:15,194 --> 01:13:20,025
for longer and worked with him, worked
with his horses, to feel his horses

1581
01:13:20,115 --> 01:13:27,095
who he did not use food with, who were
so genuinely excited to just show up.

1582
01:13:27,355 --> 01:13:30,315
And it's like they didn't have to know
what you were doing, but they wanted

1583
01:13:30,355 --> 01:13:32,555
to be a part of it, especially for me.

1584
01:13:32,675 --> 01:13:33,715
I didn't know them.

1585
01:13:33,795 --> 01:13:36,905
I didn't know his training style, but
he would let me work with them and play

1586
01:13:36,915 --> 01:13:41,195
with them, and they were so interested
in what I was trying to tell them to do.

1587
01:13:41,255 --> 01:13:44,675
They didn't care if I was unclear, like
they were just there to work with me.

1588
01:13:44,815 --> 01:13:46,055
I was like, "This is the piece.

1589
01:13:46,255 --> 01:13:50,195
I have no idea how to replicate
this, but I know that this is it.

1590
01:13:50,595 --> 01:13:52,915
This is what I want to feel with
my horses, is that they're just

1591
01:13:52,975 --> 01:13:55,355
genuinely happy to be with me.

1592
01:13:55,395 --> 01:13:56,755
If food is a part of that, amazing.

1593
01:13:56,875 --> 01:13:57,305
If it isn't-

1594
01:13:57,795 --> 01:13:58,015
Noelle: Yeah

1595
01:13:58,115 --> 01:13:58,495
... 
Kaleigh Marie: fine.

1596
01:13:58,575 --> 01:14:02,355
I don't know how to navigate that,
but fine." And I went home from that

1597
01:14:02,395 --> 01:14:07,115
trip, and the first thing I did, just
out of curiosity, was I took food out.

1598
01:14:07,255 --> 01:14:11,535
I was like, "What do I have if
the food isn't there?" And within

1599
01:14:11,595 --> 01:14:15,795
two days, my horses gave me a
resounding answer, which was nothing.

1600
01:14:16,595 --> 01:14:21,355
Like, quite literally, they would
not walk with me at liberty without

1601
01:14:21,365 --> 01:14:25,895
the click and the treat, which
was humbling and terrifying and

1602
01:14:25,915 --> 01:14:28,315
relieving all at the same time.

1603
01:14:28,375 --> 01:14:34,135
Because like you mentioned b- before in,
in Brendan's interview, the rock bottom.

1604
01:14:34,395 --> 01:14:38,235
You wanna talk about rock bottom-
Yeah ... as an up and coming aspiring

1605
01:14:38,295 --> 01:14:44,275
liberty trainer and performer, to have
your two best horses just flat out refuse.

1606
01:14:44,335 --> 01:14:48,395
And, and when I say refuse, like if
there was pressure, they would run-

1607
01:14:48,655 --> 01:14:50,075
Whoa ... in the opposite direction.

1608
01:14:50,195 --> 01:14:55,775
So it exposed a huge hole in
the foundation that I had with

1609
01:14:55,815 --> 01:14:58,755
them, which was the relationship
that they had with pressure.

1610
01:14:59,574 --> 01:15:03,514
And the idea that I, I finally,
this came full circle for me

1611
01:15:03,514 --> 01:15:06,804
later after I rebuilt everything.

1612
01:15:06,804 --> 01:15:11,395
And when I s- say, say rebuilt, I
invented the method that I have today

1613
01:15:11,444 --> 01:15:13,164
with them in that stage of my life.

1614
01:15:13,164 --> 01:15:17,774
I was like, "I need tools that lead
to peaceful duration and relaxation

1615
01:15:17,774 --> 01:15:20,954
with pressure." That was, like,
the, the huge piece I was missing.

1616
01:15:20,954 --> 01:15:25,655
And to realize later once I had that,
that all of the time they spent with

1617
01:15:25,655 --> 01:15:31,665
me motivated by food at liberty was
in resistance to the tension that they

1618
01:15:31,665 --> 01:15:36,194
were also feeling in accordance to
the pressure I was applying with them.

1619
01:15:36,194 --> 01:15:40,494
When the, the value of the food outweighed
the discomfort of the pressure, they

1620
01:15:40,494 --> 01:15:43,705
would stay, and when the discomfort of
the pressure outweighed the value of the

1621
01:15:43,705 --> 01:15:47,395
food, they would go, which was like, whoa.

1622
01:15:47,395 --> 01:15:47,435
Yeah.

1623
01:15:47,435 --> 01:15:52,474
So there's this, this narrative in,
in the positive reinforcement world

1624
01:15:52,755 --> 01:15:56,834
that you can train with positive
reinforcement without pressure.

1625
01:15:57,654 --> 01:16:00,115
I don't believe that that's true
because to me- I don't believe that's

1626
01:16:00,115 --> 01:16:00,584
Noelle: true either

1627
01:16:00,584 --> 01:16:03,574
... 
Kaleigh Marie: pressure is anything
that activates the nervous system.

1628
01:16:03,574 --> 01:16:03,644
Yes.

1629
01:16:04,574 --> 01:16:06,425
Anything that activates
the nervous system.

1630
01:16:06,535 --> 01:16:10,214
The nervous system is
designed to be activated.

1631
01:16:10,254 --> 01:16:10,464
Yes.

1632
01:16:10,495 --> 01:16:12,815
I see this in positive
reinforcement circles as well,

1633
01:16:12,815 --> 01:16:14,915
is that they view stress as bad.

1634
01:16:14,915 --> 01:16:19,275
Stress is necessary in controlled and
predictable environments- Yes ... so that

1635
01:16:19,305 --> 01:16:22,904
I can prove, whether it's, it's humans
or horses, 'cause we're the same here,

1636
01:16:23,315 --> 01:16:28,194
whether it's me proving to myself that
I am capable and I can overcome this

1637
01:16:28,194 --> 01:16:33,635
challenge in front of me and find safety
in myself and in the space around me

1638
01:16:33,635 --> 01:16:38,165
to add strength and resilience to that
system, or if it's in my horse with, and

1639
01:16:38,165 --> 01:16:43,855
sometimes without my help, them having
a good relationship with the internal

1640
01:16:43,855 --> 01:16:45,214
activation of their nervous system.

1641
01:16:45,214 --> 01:16:45,285
Yes.

1642
01:16:45,285 --> 01:16:50,425
Meaning they feel activation and they
feel capable of regulating themselves.

1643
01:16:50,855 --> 01:16:55,925
That, to me, became not just the new
pillar of working them at liberty, but

1644
01:16:56,214 --> 01:17:01,574
has become, I feel, a responsibility
that as people we have to the horses.

1645
01:17:01,745 --> 01:17:01,985
Noelle: Mm.

1646
01:17:02,025 --> 01:17:07,285
Kaleigh Marie: Of if I was to leave
my horses with one thing, if there

1647
01:17:07,285 --> 01:17:11,175
came a day where we had to part ways,
which I pray to the heavens will never

1648
01:17:11,175 --> 01:17:14,695
happen because they are everything
to me, but if it had to happen, if I

1649
01:17:14,695 --> 01:17:19,494
could leave them with one thing, it
would be their capability to regulate

1650
01:17:19,494 --> 01:17:20,815
their nervous system without my help.

1651
01:17:20,884 --> 01:17:20,975
Yes.

1652
01:17:21,115 --> 01:17:21,304
Noelle: Yes.

1653
01:17:21,304 --> 01:17:22,225
Kaleigh Marie: Without my help.

1654
01:17:22,274 --> 01:17:27,794
I find so often we look at the idea
of, of leadership as, as like I just

1655
01:17:27,794 --> 01:17:29,535
want my horse to be happy following me.

1656
01:17:30,434 --> 01:17:32,014
They're without me, like right now.

1657
01:17:32,014 --> 01:17:32,695
They're at home.

1658
01:17:32,695 --> 01:17:32,914
They're so happy.

1659
01:17:33,035 --> 01:17:34,304
I'm, I'm not helping them.

1660
01:17:34,425 --> 01:17:34,625
Yeah.

1661
01:17:34,654 --> 01:17:41,770
And, and the idea that I can provide
them with- The, the opportunity and

1662
01:17:41,770 --> 01:17:47,090
the education to physically change how
they experience the world around them.

1663
01:17:47,090 --> 01:17:51,109
Like, if, if we train intentionally
with nervous system informed training,

1664
01:17:51,109 --> 01:17:55,060
connection based training, it's not just
that we have a great relationship with the

1665
01:17:55,060 --> 01:18:00,130
horses, it's that physically we provide
them with tools that they would never have

1666
01:18:00,509 --> 01:18:05,679
otherwise- Mm ... to be relaxed and secure
in a world that was not made for them.

1667
01:18:06,029 --> 01:18:06,259
Noelle: No.

1668
01:18:06,300 --> 01:18:09,130
Kaleigh Marie: And that's, it's a
beautiful thing to, to have that.

1669
01:18:09,130 --> 01:18:09,310
Actually,

1670
01:18:09,310 --> 01:18:11,250
Noelle: the world we live in
was not made for lots of things.

1671
01:18:11,279 --> 01:18:11,799
Kaleigh Marie: I know.

1672
01:18:11,839 --> 01:18:13,929
Noelle: Lot, like- It really
is ... as, I'm like sitting here

1673
01:18:13,929 --> 01:18:15,530
Kaleigh Marie: like- And people
too, it's like that's me too.

1674
01:18:15,530 --> 01:18:19,240
Of, of like it's not, it's not made
for us to connect with each other.

1675
01:18:19,240 --> 01:18:21,909
It's not made for us to
find that regulation either.

1676
01:18:21,909 --> 01:18:24,089
Noelle: Like, I think it's so
important- Yeah ... to, to, to

1677
01:18:24,089 --> 01:18:28,039
emphasize that the world we live in
is m- is not made for a lot of things.

1678
01:18:28,039 --> 01:18:28,069
Mm-hmm.

1679
01:18:28,069 --> 01:18:32,440
So when we say, "Oh, the world is not made
for horses," it's not made for community.

1680
01:18:32,440 --> 01:18:33,299
It's not made for-

1681
01:18:33,299 --> 01:18:33,560
Kaleigh Marie: Yeah

1682
01:18:33,679 --> 01:18:36,319
... 
Noelle: you know, like for
alternate ways of thinking-

1683
01:18:36,319 --> 01:18:37,530
Yeah ... for our diverse people.

1684
01:18:37,530 --> 01:18:40,639
Like, there's lots of things in which-
Mm ... the world is not made for.

1685
01:18:40,639 --> 01:18:43,860
So horses are not, you know, like it's...
And, and- Yeah ... so that, I think that

1686
01:18:43,860 --> 01:18:45,780
gives us even access to more empathy.

1687
01:18:45,780 --> 01:18:48,969
That, okay- Absolutely ... how can we
give them all the skills to thrive-

1688
01:18:48,969 --> 01:18:50,269
Absolutely ... and to be empowered-

1689
01:18:50,360 --> 01:18:50,680
Kaleigh Marie: Yeah

1690
01:18:50,680 --> 01:18:52,420
... 
Noelle: in the, in the
environment that they live in.

1691
01:18:52,420 --> 01:18:52,920
Kaleigh Marie: Yeah.

1692
01:18:53,140 --> 01:18:56,320
So to, to wrap that all the way back
to clicker training- Yeah ... like the,

1693
01:18:56,549 --> 01:19:01,740
the role it plays for me now, if I was
to kind of grossly oversimplify it, I

1694
01:19:01,740 --> 01:19:05,310
would boil it down to two words- Mm-hmm
... which is quality and difficulty.

1695
01:19:05,829 --> 01:19:10,860
So if I have a, an area of quality,
like for me a huge piece of my work at

1696
01:19:10,860 --> 01:19:13,369
Liberty is self-carriage and posture.

1697
01:19:13,759 --> 01:19:16,909
And posture not as in vertical
flexion, because it is quite easy

1698
01:19:16,909 --> 01:19:21,899
to produce false posture in liberty
horses, which I did actually for a

1699
01:19:21,899 --> 01:19:23,399
long time through clicker training.

1700
01:19:23,969 --> 01:19:29,240
But to produce correct physical
biomechanical posture in all of

1701
01:19:29,240 --> 01:19:32,820
the horse, that's a huge piece
of the work that I do at Liberty.

1702
01:19:32,820 --> 01:19:33,149
To- Cool

1703
01:19:33,149 --> 01:19:37,009
to develop them not just emotionally,
but, but physically, and that is

1704
01:19:37,009 --> 01:19:39,259
a piece I clicker train hugely.

1705
01:19:39,689 --> 01:19:44,549
Uh, so whether it's, it's a piece
like that, quality, and, and we look

1706
01:19:44,549 --> 01:19:48,090
at things like trick training, things
like that, areas that we can start

1707
01:19:48,090 --> 01:19:49,490
to bring the clicker training into.

1708
01:19:49,519 --> 01:19:53,870
Or difficulty, if I have a horse who
is a little outside of the box, maybe

1709
01:19:53,870 --> 01:19:57,620
a foundational exercise that I would
typically be training with pressure and

1710
01:19:57,620 --> 01:20:02,409
release, to take the opportunity to let
that horse develop a good relationship

1711
01:20:02,409 --> 01:20:06,650
with pressure, to help the nervous
system become more resilient if needed.

1712
01:20:06,990 --> 01:20:10,430
If there's a piece that is hugely
difficult and I'm lacking curiosity and

1713
01:20:10,430 --> 01:20:14,930
motivation, and it's becoming detrimental
in the relationship we, we have with each

1714
01:20:14,930 --> 01:20:19,320
other, I will absolutely go get a treat
pouch and start clicker training maybe

1715
01:20:19,359 --> 01:20:23,019
earlier than I might with another horse-
Mm-hmm ... for that specific exercise.

1716
01:20:23,019 --> 01:20:27,389
But I really look at the exercise
as the context for where food

1717
01:20:27,389 --> 01:20:28,529
is available and where it isn't.

1718
01:20:29,690 --> 01:20:33,159
If I train something with food,
food will always be woven into the

1719
01:20:33,159 --> 01:20:37,180
conversation of that thing, which
is what comes back to consistency.

1720
01:20:37,519 --> 01:20:43,970
Like, I can't just use it for a little
while and then take it out completely.

1721
01:20:44,000 --> 01:20:48,589
If I intentionally phase clicker
training out through... Like, we, we

1722
01:20:48,589 --> 01:20:52,339
build behavior with clicker training
through consistent reinforcement.

1723
01:20:52,339 --> 01:20:52,370
Mm-hmm.

1724
01:20:52,689 --> 01:20:56,310
Maybe gradually upping the
expectation to shape the behavior

1725
01:20:56,589 --> 01:20:57,779
into what we want it to be.

1726
01:20:58,210 --> 01:21:02,730
We would phase it out through inconsistent
reinforcement, which when we've created

1727
01:21:02,730 --> 01:21:07,340
a behavior that we like, eventually
becoming more and more inconsistent.

1728
01:21:07,340 --> 01:21:10,390
At first just a little bit, maybe
there's a repetition I would usually

1729
01:21:10,390 --> 01:21:14,879
click for that I'm just not gonna click
for this time, and maybe one turns into

1730
01:21:14,879 --> 01:21:16,590
two or three, turns into five or six.

1731
01:21:16,860 --> 01:21:20,939
Over a period of days, weeks,
months, we phase the food out.

1732
01:21:20,939 --> 01:21:21,849
That is an option.

1733
01:21:21,849 --> 01:21:25,120
So when, uh, I say that we're not
just gonna stop using the food,

1734
01:21:26,009 --> 01:21:27,870
that's not what I mean, 'cause
that's an option on the table.

1735
01:21:27,870 --> 01:21:31,590
What I do mean is that I'm not
gonna introduce food to that horse

1736
01:21:31,590 --> 01:21:34,380
for one or two weeks and then
take it out because now I have the

1737
01:21:34,380 --> 01:21:35,840
exercise and I can just move on.

1738
01:21:35,950 --> 01:21:36,380
Noelle: Mm.

1739
01:21:36,380 --> 01:21:41,679
Kaleigh Marie: I can increase the
expectation to say, when you perform a

1740
01:21:41,679 --> 01:21:46,179
higher quality version, difficulty and
quality, a higher quality version of

1741
01:21:46,179 --> 01:21:48,300
this thing, I'll click and treat for it.

1742
01:21:48,300 --> 01:21:52,639
So now I'm not clicking and treating
for just the, the elementary movements

1743
01:21:52,639 --> 01:21:54,280
that I might be using on a daily basis.

1744
01:21:54,280 --> 01:21:57,319
But my gosh, if you do a really good
job, better than I'm expecting you

1745
01:21:57,319 --> 01:21:58,689
to, I could click and treat for that.

1746
01:21:59,469 --> 01:22:03,039
But it's not something that is
optional or intermittent once we

1747
01:22:03,039 --> 01:22:07,009
start to train a behavior with it,
if we really want to live by the idea

1748
01:22:07,009 --> 01:22:10,219
of consistency, which I really think
with clicker training we need to.

1749
01:22:10,910 --> 01:22:13,509
Noelle: I think you've given a lot of
people permission- Yeah ... in this

1750
01:22:13,509 --> 01:22:18,219
episode- Yeah ... to, like, to try
and to fail and to change or to, to

1751
01:22:18,219 --> 01:22:19,550
really succeed- Mm ... at something.

1752
01:22:19,550 --> 01:22:25,429
Like, I love the way that you were
able to articulate so beautifully-

1753
01:22:25,509 --> 01:22:28,660
Mm ... this experience of integrating
clicker training and then all of

1754
01:22:28,660 --> 01:22:30,969
a sudden being like, "Hold on."

1755
01:22:30,969 --> 01:22:31,579
Hold on.

1756
01:22:31,579 --> 01:22:32,880
Like, full rock bottom.

1757
01:22:32,880 --> 01:22:32,920
Yeah.

1758
01:22:32,920 --> 01:22:35,289
Like, I'm a liberty training,
a trainer- Yeah ... and my best

1759
01:22:35,289 --> 01:22:37,340
horses cannot be at liberty with me.

1760
01:22:37,489 --> 01:22:37,769
Kaleigh Marie: Mm-hmm.

1761
01:22:37,769 --> 01:22:41,129
Noelle: That's really powerful
to provide a permission slip-

1762
01:22:41,129 --> 01:22:44,090
Mm ... to change and to pivot-

1763
01:22:44,259 --> 01:22:44,489
Kaleigh Marie: Yeah

1764
01:22:44,700 --> 01:22:48,470
... 
Noelle: and to the power of, like, the
evolution- Mm ... that you can pick

1765
01:22:48,519 --> 01:22:50,310
up and put down, pick up and put down.

1766
01:22:50,340 --> 01:22:52,679
Kaleigh Marie: Always, and,
and you should forever.

1767
01:22:52,730 --> 01:22:56,090
Like, I, I think if you ever reach a
space where you're like, "Yep, this is

1768
01:22:56,090 --> 01:23:00,170
good. This is where I'm gonna operate
for the rest of my time here on this

1769
01:23:00,170 --> 01:23:04,750
green earth," like, you've, you've lost
the purpose of being a horse person-

1770
01:23:04,750 --> 01:23:07,500
Yeah ... which is to learn- continuously.

1771
01:23:07,769 --> 01:23:11,820
That's not always comfortable,
and referencing the, the round

1772
01:23:11,820 --> 01:23:14,279
table discussion I got to
witness yesterday, like the- Yeah

1773
01:23:14,279 --> 01:23:19,250
the feeling of learning is
not parallel to the outcome of

1774
01:23:19,250 --> 01:23:21,739
learning, which learning sucks.

1775
01:23:21,770 --> 01:23:22,530
Like, you can- Yeah.

1776
01:23:22,530 --> 01:23:27,709
... feel like, like you suck at what's going
on, and usually the most influential

1777
01:23:27,709 --> 01:23:31,879
lessons that we learn are the lessons
that, that are the most challenging-

1778
01:23:31,940 --> 01:23:34,709
Mm ... and the most painful, and it
doesn't feel good to go through it, but

1779
01:23:34,709 --> 01:23:39,220
my gosh, on the other side of it, that's
where I, I really feel like that's where

1780
01:23:39,220 --> 01:23:41,250
we develop and grow the most as people.

1781
01:23:41,330 --> 01:23:41,639
Yeah.

1782
01:23:41,669 --> 01:23:41,990
Yeah.

1783
01:23:42,450 --> 01:23:42,700
Noelle: Ugh.

1784
01:23:42,970 --> 01:23:43,259
Yeah.

1785
01:23:43,330 --> 01:23:45,650
We need to do a follow-up, 'cause I
have so many- I'm so excited ... more

1786
01:23:45,650 --> 01:23:46,729
questions I wanna ask you.

1787
01:23:47,060 --> 01:23:52,029
But in our well-held tradition-
Mm-hmm ... I'm gonna dive into

1788
01:23:52,029 --> 01:23:54,540
our rapid fire, 'cause I'm really-
Okay ... excited to hear your answers.

1789
01:23:54,569 --> 01:23:54,849
Yeah, I'm

1790
01:23:54,849 --> 01:23:55,279
Kaleigh Marie: excited

1791
01:23:55,279 --> 01:23:55,340
Noelle: too.

1792
01:23:55,340 --> 01:23:57,130
And then we're gonna
keep all those questions-

1793
01:23:57,159 --> 01:23:57,990
Kaleigh Marie: Yes, and-

1794
01:23:57,990 --> 01:23:59,209
Noelle: And we're gonna do a follow-up.

1795
01:23:59,250 --> 01:23:59,520
Okay.

1796
01:23:59,520 --> 01:24:02,319
There's so many, much more that I-
So many ... wanna dive into with you.

1797
01:24:02,319 --> 01:24:02,810
Kaleigh Marie: So many.

1798
01:24:03,069 --> 01:24:03,360
Noelle: Okay.

1799
01:24:03,740 --> 01:24:05,889
Who is the most iconic horse in history?

1800
01:24:07,540 --> 01:24:08,610
Kaleigh Marie: In history?

1801
01:24:08,869 --> 01:24:09,970
Oh, gosh.

1802
01:24:11,639 --> 01:24:15,419
For me, it would be The Black Stallion,
because- I was gonna ask ... that is- Okay

1803
01:24:15,419 --> 01:24:17,160
... the movie I watched so many times.

1804
01:24:17,160 --> 01:24:20,680
The scene on the beach, running around
at liberty so many times as a kid.

1805
01:24:21,150 --> 01:24:25,309
Uh, just I, I feel like in
all of us there's, like,

1806
01:24:25,309 --> 01:24:26,419
that, that little horse kid.

1807
01:24:26,419 --> 01:24:28,139
Like, for me, it's that-
Okay ... little horse girl, and I

1808
01:24:28,139 --> 01:24:30,000
still f- I still feel her in there.

1809
01:24:30,000 --> 01:24:32,819
Like, there are moments with my horses
where I'm like, "Oh, my gosh, there

1810
01:24:32,819 --> 01:24:36,500
she is." Like, me sitting on the couch
being like, "I wanna do that one day."

1811
01:24:37,150 --> 01:24:40,800
Uh, and I, I do feel like
that's just an iconic movie.

1812
01:24:41,050 --> 01:24:41,309
Noelle: I-

1813
01:24:41,309 --> 01:24:41,750
Kaleigh Marie: Yeah

1814
01:24:41,750 --> 01:24:44,930
... 
Noelle: can't tell you how many people
have told me how that scene in that

1815
01:24:44,930 --> 01:24:47,949
movie- Yeah ... has been, like, h- made
s- I don't know if those people who made

1816
01:24:47,949 --> 01:24:49,750
that, like, the team that made that movie-

1817
01:24:49,750 --> 01:24:50,139
Kaleigh Marie: Yeah

1818
01:24:50,459 --> 01:24:53,730
... 
Noelle: if they, if, if Francis
Ford Coppola would've known that

1819
01:24:53,730 --> 01:24:57,760
he was gonna make a film that
would have that much impact- Yeah

1820
01:24:57,790 --> 01:24:59,959
on horse people- Mm ... that scene.

1821
01:24:59,959 --> 01:25:02,319
Mm. But do you know, do
you ... You probably do know this.

1822
01:25:02,319 --> 01:25:06,860
Do you know, like, who The Black Stallion,
who that, like, the story is based off?

1823
01:25:06,860 --> 01:25:07,150
I, I actually

1824
01:25:07,150 --> 01:25:07,930
Kaleigh Marie: don't, no.

1825
01:25:07,989 --> 01:25:11,589
Noelle: It's based off of... So the, the,
the movie itself is- Yeah ... based off

1826
01:25:11,589 --> 01:25:13,180
of Alexander the Great and Bucephalus.

1827
01:25:13,269 --> 01:25:14,009
Kaleigh Marie: Wow.

1828
01:25:14,110 --> 01:25:15,759
Noelle: The boy- Yeah,
that's the beginning

1829
01:25:15,759 --> 01:25:16,350
tames the un-tameable horse.

1830
01:25:16,350 --> 01:25:16,399
The

1831
01:25:16,399 --> 01:25:17,080
Kaleigh Marie: beginning, yeah.

1832
01:25:17,080 --> 01:25:17,309
That whole-

1833
01:25:17,399 --> 01:25:20,479
Noelle: The beginning horse, wow ... the
whole story frame- Mm ... of The Black

1834
01:25:20,479 --> 01:25:21,770
Stallion is- Yeah ... based off of-

1835
01:25:21,820 --> 01:25:22,009
Kaleigh Marie: That's

1836
01:25:22,009 --> 01:25:25,110
Noelle: so cool ... that, that legend,
that's, that, those people in history.

1837
01:25:25,410 --> 01:25:25,470
Wow.

1838
01:25:25,470 --> 01:25:28,750
So most valued, undervalued skill as a

1839
01:25:28,750 --> 01:25:29,130
Kaleigh Marie: rider.

1840
01:25:30,800 --> 01:25:33,619
Anything that lets you
feel your body more.

1841
01:25:34,039 --> 01:25:37,199
Outside of horses,
dancing, gymnastics, yoga.

1842
01:25:37,460 --> 01:25:38,750
Like, get in your body.

1843
01:25:38,750 --> 01:25:39,990
Move your body.

1844
01:25:40,240 --> 01:25:40,419
Cool.

1845
01:25:40,419 --> 01:25:44,550
Because if you're not moving
your body, it is, it, I feel

1846
01:25:44,550 --> 01:25:45,740
like it goes one way or another.

1847
01:25:45,740 --> 01:25:45,970
I love that.

1848
01:25:46,020 --> 01:25:46,080
Yeah.

1849
01:25:46,110 --> 01:25:49,699
It, it degrades or it gets stronger,
so make it stronger and feel

1850
01:25:49,699 --> 01:25:50,899
it as much as you possibly can.

1851
01:25:51,500 --> 01:25:51,630
Yep.

1852
01:25:52,199 --> 01:25:52,270
Yeah.

1853
01:25:52,270 --> 01:25:52,929
Noelle: I love that.

1854
01:25:52,990 --> 01:25:53,149
Kaleigh Marie: Yeah.

1855
01:25:54,139 --> 01:25:56,949
Noelle: Who is the greatest
horseman or horsewoman in history?

1856
01:25:58,000 --> 01:26:00,509
Kaleigh Marie: Gosh, in hist-
These are, these are big questions.

1857
01:26:00,509 --> 01:26:03,149
Uh, I'm n- I'm not gonna
overthink it, 'cause I could-

1858
01:26:03,655 --> 01:26:06,554
Over complicate this in a big way.

1859
01:26:07,555 --> 01:26:12,665
And this, this one's so, th- this is
tripping me up a little bit because so

1860
01:26:12,665 --> 01:26:15,644
many people have contributed so much.

1861
01:26:15,875 --> 01:26:21,854
I think I'm gonna go more in the direction
of who, who has inspired me in the

1862
01:26:21,854 --> 01:26:25,985
most wholesome way, not just as like a-
Mm ... a facet of their horsemanship or

1863
01:26:25,985 --> 01:26:30,524
a facet of them as, as a person that I've
really been inspired by, but just as a

1864
01:26:30,524 --> 01:26:35,074
person with their horses, who have I just
been enamored by since the beginning of

1865
01:26:35,074 --> 01:26:36,584
this, and it would be Silvia Zerbini.

1866
01:26:37,104 --> 01:26:39,134
I think she's phenomenal.

1867
01:26:39,165 --> 01:26:44,134
As a person, her poise, her ability to
communicate, her presence, like being

1868
01:26:44,134 --> 01:26:48,354
in a room with somebody that from the
first time I saw her at Equine Affaire

1869
01:26:48,354 --> 01:26:51,305
in 2018 to, like, producing BreyerFest.

1870
01:26:51,845 --> 01:26:54,125
Last year, Brendan and I were,
were in the show at BreyerFest.

1871
01:26:54,185 --> 01:26:56,825
Any time you're in the room with
her, you are inspired and a little

1872
01:26:56,825 --> 01:26:59,055
bit scared every single time.

1873
01:26:59,354 --> 01:27:03,125
And it's not, it's, she's so kind
and so articulate, but it's just in

1874
01:27:03,125 --> 01:27:04,395
the way that she carries herself.

1875
01:27:04,794 --> 01:27:04,924
Cool.

1876
01:27:04,924 --> 01:27:09,044
And the understanding she has of the
horses, and her, her show presence,

1877
01:27:09,044 --> 01:27:13,824
her ability to present to an audience,
I feel like in the world of liberty

1878
01:27:13,824 --> 01:27:17,574
performers right now, she's up there
as, as one of the best of the best.

1879
01:27:17,845 --> 01:27:17,934
Cool.

1880
01:27:17,934 --> 01:27:20,595
So yeah, I really, I enjoy her a lot.

1881
01:27:20,985 --> 01:27:22,004
Noelle: Okay, and last question.

1882
01:27:22,004 --> 01:27:22,305
Kaleigh Marie: Yeah.

1883
01:27:23,144 --> 01:27:25,025
Noelle: Which I'm curious
actually gonna be your answer.

1884
01:27:25,055 --> 01:27:25,305
Kaleigh Marie: Yeah.

1885
01:27:25,504 --> 01:27:27,014
Noelle: Mares, stallions, or geldings?

1886
01:27:27,474 --> 01:27:28,175
Kaleigh Marie: Stallions.

1887
01:27:29,375 --> 01:27:30,364
Noelle: Hey.

1888
01:27:30,394 --> 01:27:31,025
Why?

1889
01:27:31,254 --> 01:27:31,784
Kaleigh Marie: Why?

1890
01:27:32,315 --> 01:27:38,205
We take a look at connection, what
we want to have for healthy nervous

1891
01:27:38,205 --> 01:27:40,114
system regulation and interaction.

1892
01:27:40,315 --> 01:27:45,254
Huge pieces of it, responsiveness,
curiosity, and social engagement.

1893
01:27:45,434 --> 01:27:50,355
And if you were to embody those things
in a horse, where so many horses,

1894
01:27:50,355 --> 01:27:54,925
mares, geldings, I find this kind of
work has to draw those things out,

1895
01:27:54,925 --> 01:27:58,764
and then eventually we have, like, who
they are as an individual in the room

1896
01:27:58,764 --> 01:28:00,355
with us, and, and we get to shape them.

1897
01:28:00,824 --> 01:28:04,764
Quite consistently with stallions, it's
the opposite of, like, whoa, let's dial

1898
01:28:04,764 --> 01:28:08,754
those things back until we have the
pieces that we need to just allow whoever

1899
01:28:08,754 --> 01:28:10,955
you are to, to come into the room.

1900
01:28:10,955 --> 01:28:13,825
Like, they love to express
themselves so much.

1901
01:28:14,144 --> 01:28:19,564
And I think beyond that, just
their level of, of enthusiasm

1902
01:28:19,784 --> 01:28:21,055
and expression for the work.

1903
01:28:21,055 --> 01:28:23,064
Mm. I really, I really enjoy them a lot.

1904
01:28:23,635 --> 01:28:23,715
Noelle: Yeah.

1905
01:28:23,715 --> 01:28:25,724
Well, Kaeli, thank you so much.

1906
01:28:25,984 --> 01:28:27,454
Kaleigh Marie: Thank you
so much for having me.

1907
01:28:27,504 --> 01:28:28,215
Coming on the pod- Yeah ... we

1908
01:28:28,215 --> 01:28:28,734
Noelle: all learn

1909
01:28:28,734 --> 01:28:28,834
Kaleigh Marie: a

1910
01:28:28,834 --> 01:28:29,234
Noelle: ton.

1911
01:28:29,234 --> 01:28:29,295
Kaleigh Marie: Yeah.

1912
01:28:29,364 --> 01:28:30,114
Noelle: So thank you.

1913
01:28:30,305 --> 01:28:30,874
Kaleigh Marie: Amazing.

1914
01:28:32,405 --> 01:28:32,855
Noelle: Nice, dude.

1915
01:28:33,954 --> 01:28:34,215
Kaleigh Marie: Well

1916
01:28:34,215 --> 01:28:35,174
Noelle: done.

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