What Your Horse's Nervous System Reveals About Trust and Liberty with Kaleigh Marie - Sponsored by Triple Crown Feeds
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
Available Results
Generated results are saved to the knowledge database for reuse and search.
Extract Knowledge
Pick what you want extracted first. Model, scope, and chapter options appear after a template is selected.
Transcript
1 00:00:00,259 --> 00:00:04,559 Noelle: Kaylee Marie is one of those trainers you've probably seen and 2 00:00:04,559 --> 00:00:11,140 thought, "Wait, how is that even real?" Liberty performances with horses 3 00:00:11,229 --> 00:00:16,590 laying on their backs, galloping in formation, completely relaxed while 4 00:00:16,590 --> 00:00:19,219 doing things you'd expect in a movie. 5 00:00:19,920 --> 00:00:21,729 The horses don't look forced. 6 00:00:22,219 --> 00:00:26,579 They're just with her, and it makes you wonder what she's 7 00:00:26,610 --> 00:00:31,590 doing differently to create that level of trust and partnership. 8 00:00:32,799 --> 00:00:38,650 Kaylee and I get into why horses check out, ignore your leg, or feel 9 00:00:38,650 --> 00:00:44,659 different depending on the day, and how that ties back to responsiveness, 10 00:00:45,020 --> 00:00:47,880 trust, and the nervous system. 11 00:00:48,750 --> 00:00:54,189 From training oxen and donkeys to rebuilding everything she thought she 12 00:00:54,189 --> 00:01:00,860 knew, this episode gets into what's really driving your horse's behavior. 13 00:01:05,819 --> 00:01:07,250 Kaleigh Marie: Kaylee, welcome to the Dear Horse Girl Podcast. 14 00:01:07,250 --> 00:01:08,870 Thank you so much for having me. 15 00:01:09,049 --> 00:01:10,189 I'm so excited to be here. 16 00:01:10,600 --> 00:01:15,800 Noelle: Okay, so I, I'm gonna premise by saying that I learned 17 00:01:15,800 --> 00:01:18,620 about you... I mean, we met at Road to the Horse the first year I went. 18 00:01:18,620 --> 00:01:18,790 Mm-hmm. 19 00:01:19,370 --> 00:01:23,159 Um, I believe we were at one of Dan James' parties. 20 00:01:23,679 --> 00:01:23,989 Yes. 21 00:01:23,989 --> 00:01:24,710 That was wild. 22 00:01:24,710 --> 00:01:25,700 That was a wild time. 23 00:01:25,700 --> 00:01:27,030 No one warned me about that. 24 00:01:27,030 --> 00:01:27,919 Fire-breathing included. 25 00:01:28,480 --> 00:01:29,989 No one warned me. 26 00:01:30,320 --> 00:01:35,120 I was like, "This is like nothing..." And I've seen a lot, and that was- Mm-hmm 27 00:01:35,189 --> 00:01:36,359 ... that was a, that was the first- A 28 00:01:36,359 --> 00:01:37,509 Kaleigh Marie: memorable experience 29 00:01:37,539 --> 00:01:37,860 Noelle: It was. 30 00:01:37,860 --> 00:01:38,059 Yeah. 31 00:01:38,460 --> 00:01:39,860 You're burned in my memory. 32 00:01:39,860 --> 00:01:40,649 Quite literally. 33 00:01:40,649 --> 00:01:40,829 Yeah. 34 00:01:41,870 --> 00:01:42,210 Yeah. 35 00:01:43,039 --> 00:01:43,649 Oh, my God. 36 00:01:43,689 --> 00:01:44,090 Okay. 37 00:01:44,410 --> 00:01:48,489 But actually, I wanna bring up how Tick Maynard talked about you. 38 00:01:48,960 --> 00:01:49,489 Kaleigh Marie: Mm. 39 00:01:50,079 --> 00:01:52,129 Noelle: Which was, I was asking him, and I was like, "Who do I 40 00:01:52,129 --> 00:01:55,449 want?" Like, I wanna learn about liberty, and I really wanna learn. 41 00:01:56,050 --> 00:01:59,949 Um, and he knows how I feel about, you know, like, my 42 00:01:59,949 --> 00:02:01,270 relationship with my horses. 43 00:02:01,270 --> 00:02:01,309 Mm-hmm. 44 00:02:01,309 --> 00:02:05,399 And he... And I'm, and I'm not, I wouldn't... Ironically, like, given 45 00:02:05,399 --> 00:02:06,789 that we have an education platform- 46 00:02:06,860 --> 00:02:07,120 Kaleigh Marie: Yeah 47 00:02:07,189 --> 00:02:09,650 Noelle: I am someone, I feel like I'm a really slow learner. 48 00:02:09,650 --> 00:02:14,760 Mm. I don't feel like I'm a particularly fast learner, and I, um... So it 49 00:02:14,760 --> 00:02:18,260 was, I need, I wanted someone who was gonna be, like, really... And I think 50 00:02:18,260 --> 00:02:20,430 this is gonna be cool, 'cause we're gonna talk about nervous system work. 51 00:02:20,430 --> 00:02:21,000 Kaleigh Marie: Mm. It's okay. 52 00:02:21,409 --> 00:02:23,930 Noelle: I have a super sensitive nervous system, and I- Yeah 53 00:02:24,049 --> 00:02:29,049 I think one of the things that Tick really was thoughtful and about when he talked 54 00:02:29,049 --> 00:02:34,919 about you was just- Mm ... like, how safe and, and welcoming and- Mm ... like, 55 00:02:35,580 --> 00:02:40,199 c- like, nervous system informed your teaching is, which I didn't know that. 56 00:02:40,349 --> 00:02:42,739 'Cause if someone were- Really ... to watch you run, whoa, think about it. 57 00:02:42,739 --> 00:02:45,640 If someone were to watch you gallop in on three horses or 58 00:02:45,640 --> 00:02:47,330 two horses into a stand-up- Yeah 59 00:02:47,390 --> 00:02:50,734 like, full movie- movie stunt rider style, right? 60 00:02:50,734 --> 00:02:50,795 Yeah. 61 00:02:50,795 --> 00:02:54,935 With, like, huge, you know, like, this massive dress and the horses are like- Mm 62 00:02:55,185 --> 00:02:56,675 ... you know, galloping around the arena. 63 00:02:56,965 --> 00:03:00,045 If you were like, "That person does a ton of nervous system work," you'd 64 00:03:00,045 --> 00:03:03,734 be like- Maybe ... "Really?" I can see the, the disconnect there, yeah. 65 00:03:03,894 --> 00:03:04,535 Well, it makes- Yeah 66 00:03:04,535 --> 00:03:05,664 sense when you think about it. 67 00:03:05,664 --> 00:03:10,555 Mm. But one of the things, Tick said that not only are you just incredibly excited 68 00:03:10,594 --> 00:03:15,795 and enthusiastic and passionate- Mm ... about liberty, he also said that if there 69 00:03:15,795 --> 00:03:19,594 was a hor- He said... I said, "Who..." Actually, the question I had for him was, 70 00:03:19,805 --> 00:03:22,045 "If I were to send my horses to someone, 71 00:03:24,054 --> 00:03:27,495 anyone, if I were to send them away, so I have to trust that that person is 72 00:03:27,495 --> 00:03:30,544 gonna do right by my horses," he said, "Oh, Kaeli Marie, without a doubt." 73 00:03:30,544 --> 00:03:30,995 Wow. 74 00:03:31,024 --> 00:03:31,184 Kaleigh Marie: Yeah. 75 00:03:31,344 --> 00:03:32,715 Tick, thank you. 76 00:03:32,745 --> 00:03:32,915 Noelle: Yeah. 77 00:03:33,165 --> 00:03:34,094 Kaleigh Marie: My goodness. 78 00:03:34,495 --> 00:03:36,325 There will be- So why do you think he said that? 79 00:03:36,844 --> 00:03:37,205 In 51.87. 80 00:03:38,385 --> 00:03:44,135 Well, my mind jumps immediately back to the first time I met Tick in person. 81 00:03:44,705 --> 00:03:47,994 He and I connected through a student of mine back when I 82 00:03:47,994 --> 00:03:49,584 was based in the Northeast. 83 00:03:49,635 --> 00:03:49,905 Mm-hmm. 84 00:03:50,014 --> 00:03:52,285 And she had met him at one of his book signings. 85 00:03:52,285 --> 00:03:55,084 She had been a huge fan, and I had heard of Tick, but I hadn't come 86 00:03:55,084 --> 00:03:59,964 across a lot of his work, and she had promoted me to him- Mm ... because 87 00:03:59,964 --> 00:04:01,795 she's a, a wonderful person. 88 00:04:01,824 --> 00:04:02,094 Noelle: Yeah. 89 00:04:02,245 --> 00:04:04,885 Kaleigh Marie: And he had sent her home with a napkin with 90 00:04:04,885 --> 00:04:07,504 his phone number and Braveheart Beast with a heart underneath it. 91 00:04:07,504 --> 00:04:07,955 Oh, my. 92 00:04:07,955 --> 00:04:11,065 Which was so, so sweet, and had told her, "Have her reach out to me. 93 00:04:11,065 --> 00:04:12,054 I'd, I'd love to talk to her." Yeah. 94 00:04:12,054 --> 00:04:17,094 So I, throughout my entire learning experience with, with horses and just as 95 00:04:17,094 --> 00:04:21,335 a person, I love reaching out to people randomly on the off chance that they might 96 00:04:21,335 --> 00:04:26,344 want to connect, and we can talk and I can learn from them and, and maybe, possibly, 97 00:04:26,344 --> 00:04:28,214 they can learn something from me. 98 00:04:28,345 --> 00:04:32,655 And so I took this number and I reached out to Tick, and we connected on the phone 99 00:04:32,655 --> 00:04:37,235 for, uh, a fairly brief conversation, and he just mentioned, "If you're ever 100 00:04:37,235 --> 00:04:44,340 in the Ocala, Citra area, you should come by my farm." And it was probably 101 00:04:44,340 --> 00:04:48,089 close to, I don't know, six or eight months from that phone call where I 102 00:04:48,089 --> 00:04:51,659 found myself in the Florida, yeah, area. 103 00:04:51,659 --> 00:04:54,020 And I reached out to him and was like, "Tick, I'm, I'm in the area. 104 00:04:54,020 --> 00:04:59,030 Can I come by and visit?" He's like, "Yes, absolutely." And I... It was New 105 00:04:59,030 --> 00:05:02,559 Year's actually, so I went to their farm for a New Year's party, and then spent, 106 00:05:03,009 --> 00:05:08,499 uh, it was about two days with them, with Tick in particular, after this party. 107 00:05:08,530 --> 00:05:13,229 And when I arrived at the farm, 'cause I went to the party, um, left, I was 108 00:05:13,229 --> 00:05:16,110 staying with somebody else at the time, and a day or two later came back and 109 00:05:16,139 --> 00:05:20,249 rolled up to the farm in an Uber, stepped out of the Uber with my suitcase, and 110 00:05:20,249 --> 00:05:24,670 Tick is in the round pen with this huge, gorgeous black gelding, Galileo. 111 00:05:24,779 --> 00:05:24,950 Yeah. 112 00:05:24,950 --> 00:05:27,950 And I just walk up to the round pen as you do, and I'm, I'm watching 113 00:05:27,950 --> 00:05:29,599 him work this horse from the ground. 114 00:05:29,720 --> 00:05:31,930 Uh, and he, you know, acknowledges that I'm there, and then he 115 00:05:31,930 --> 00:05:32,700 waves me into the round pen. 116 00:05:32,729 --> 00:05:36,040 He's like, "Come on, try this horse." I'm like, "Oh my gosh, Tick Mayner 117 00:05:36,040 --> 00:05:37,490 is letting me work one of his horses. 118 00:05:37,490 --> 00:05:40,959 This is amazing." And I go in and we start on the halter and lead rope, and 119 00:05:40,959 --> 00:05:42,360 then he's like, "Take the halter off. 120 00:05:42,510 --> 00:05:45,249 Play at liberty." And he watches me for five or 10 minutes 121 00:05:45,249 --> 00:05:46,209 and is like, "You look great. 122 00:05:46,249 --> 00:05:49,269 I'll be back." And he goes to get another horse and for the rest of 123 00:05:49,269 --> 00:05:51,540 the day we just work horses together. 124 00:05:51,879 --> 00:05:54,900 Uh, and he's asking me questions about how I would approach things, and it was 125 00:05:54,900 --> 00:06:01,669 one of those humbling moments where the, the work that I had seen from him up until 126 00:06:01,669 --> 00:06:04,470 that point, because after our phone call I was like, "I have to check this guy out." 127 00:06:04,470 --> 00:06:08,699 He really, he has a, a quality to him, like such a genuine 128 00:06:09,160 --> 00:06:13,749 kindness- Mm-hmm ... that inspires curiosity about what he does. 129 00:06:13,749 --> 00:06:17,840 Like, the, the work that he does physically is, is fantastic, but 130 00:06:17,840 --> 00:06:21,220 watching it, like witnessing it, there's something about it that just 131 00:06:21,419 --> 00:06:23,930 generates this desire to know more. 132 00:06:23,930 --> 00:06:27,720 And so I, I had seen more and more before I, I went to his farm in 133 00:06:27,720 --> 00:06:32,150 Florida, and to have this experience of this person that when he witnessed 134 00:06:32,269 --> 00:06:35,529 just who I was, genuinely stepping into the round pen of like, "Okay, I 135 00:06:35,529 --> 00:06:37,090 have no idea what this horse knows. 136 00:06:37,150 --> 00:06:41,629 I'm just gonna work with this horse and try to pretend that nobody's watching me 137 00:06:41,900 --> 00:06:43,720 ," you know, to be as authentic as possible. 138 00:06:43,720 --> 00:06:49,780 To have somebody like him witness just my genuine approach and feel, and immediately 139 00:06:49,780 --> 00:06:57,290 give me a massive vote of confidence, he has in, in just that way of, of, in his 140 00:06:57,290 --> 00:07:00,760 action, the way that, that he speaks to me, 'cause this isn't the first time I've 141 00:07:00,790 --> 00:07:04,980 heard feedback, um, from people having received feedback from him that was 142 00:07:04,980 --> 00:07:06,750 very, very kind about the work that I do. 143 00:07:07,239 --> 00:07:10,989 I think receiving those votes of confidence is just, is just huge. 144 00:07:11,370 --> 00:07:16,019 Uh, and since then we've been friends and, you know the horse world, it's 145 00:07:16,109 --> 00:07:17,370 big and small at the same time. 146 00:07:17,370 --> 00:07:17,840 Totally. 147 00:07:17,840 --> 00:07:20,219 So we always connect in, in the circles that we're in. 148 00:07:20,219 --> 00:07:21,819 Eventually we come across each other. 149 00:07:21,859 --> 00:07:24,530 So yeah, that's really, that's really meaningful. 150 00:07:24,659 --> 00:07:25,359 Noelle: Mm. Really 151 00:07:25,420 --> 00:07:25,950 Kaleigh Marie: meaningful. 152 00:07:25,950 --> 00:07:27,750 Noelle: Isn't it nice to receive- Yeah ... a compliment like that, 153 00:07:27,750 --> 00:07:28,840 or like a vote of confidence. 154 00:07:28,840 --> 00:07:29,030 Absolutely. 155 00:07:29,030 --> 00:07:29,909 Even more than a compliment. 156 00:07:29,909 --> 00:07:31,969 Kaleigh Marie: The- Compliment is like one thing ... the vote of 157 00:07:31,969 --> 00:07:37,979 confidence is what, is what really is affirming to me- Especially coming 158 00:07:37,979 --> 00:07:43,179 from somebody who knows what goes into really connection-based work. 159 00:07:43,210 --> 00:07:43,270 Yeah. 160 00:07:43,460 --> 00:07:44,719 Nervous system informed work. 161 00:07:44,749 --> 00:07:50,600 Like, to, to have somebody that can see the path that I'm on, I, I feel there are 162 00:07:50,600 --> 00:07:53,809 people that can see the path that you're on even more so than you do sometimes. 163 00:07:53,809 --> 00:07:53,940 Oh, yeah. 164 00:07:53,940 --> 00:07:53,999 Sure. 165 00:07:53,999 --> 00:07:57,210 Like I, I know where she's headed, and she's headed in a great direction. 166 00:07:57,210 --> 00:08:00,290 It's like a breath of relief of like, phew, okay. 167 00:08:00,290 --> 00:08:03,100 There's, there's ... It's almost a check mark on the path of like, okay- 168 00:08:03,100 --> 00:08:06,649 Yeah ... I've reached this point and, and where I am now, where I'm headed, I 169 00:08:06,649 --> 00:08:09,930 know that I'm headed in a good direction. 170 00:08:10,199 --> 00:08:11,449 So that's just really meaningful. 171 00:08:11,840 --> 00:08:12,009 Noelle: Okay. 172 00:08:12,009 --> 00:08:14,759 So before we dive in, 'cause this is a No Stupid Questions episode- 173 00:08:14,759 --> 00:08:15,940 Yeah ... and I'm so excited- I love it 174 00:08:15,940 --> 00:08:18,600 'cause I think our community has lots of really cool questions for you. 175 00:08:18,600 --> 00:08:19,160 So cool. 176 00:08:19,239 --> 00:08:21,509 But I want you to share with everyone, because when we 177 00:08:21,509 --> 00:08:24,469 started I said, "Okay, where did Braveheart Beasts come from?" Yeah. 178 00:08:24,649 --> 00:08:26,859 You said, "Well, actually it came from the fact that I was, like, 179 00:08:26,859 --> 00:08:28,190 working not just with horses." 180 00:08:28,250 --> 00:08:28,640 Kaleigh Marie: Mm. 181 00:08:28,719 --> 00:08:30,899 Noelle: Can you, like, share that a little bit with 182 00:08:30,899 --> 00:08:31,289 Kaleigh Marie: everybody? 183 00:08:31,289 --> 00:08:37,259 Ab- absolutely, and this is a pretty big piece of my identity I feel like 184 00:08:37,329 --> 00:08:41,330 as a, a horse trainer, is the fact that I did not start training horses. 185 00:08:41,680 --> 00:08:46,519 I was born obsessed with horses, as most of us were, uh, into a family that 186 00:08:46,519 --> 00:08:49,510 had nothing to do with them at all. 187 00:08:49,610 --> 00:08:49,669 Yeah. 188 00:08:49,669 --> 00:08:52,799 I was just the odd one out, and since I was a very little girl was 189 00:08:52,799 --> 00:08:55,100 determined to be involved with them- Mm 190 00:08:55,260 --> 00:08:56,850 to whatever extent I could be. 191 00:08:57,320 --> 00:09:02,350 And growing up in Vermont in a tiny little farm town, there's a local riding 192 00:09:02,350 --> 00:09:05,110 stable where I started riding when I was, like, four or five years old. 193 00:09:05,570 --> 00:09:11,449 But my first opportunity to really immerse myself in animal culture was 194 00:09:11,449 --> 00:09:16,879 a dairy farm about 10 minutes from my, from my childhood home, and I 195 00:09:16,879 --> 00:09:20,979 started working there when I was 11 years old actually because of a barn 196 00:09:20,979 --> 00:09:23,199 cat, a little kitten that was sick. 197 00:09:23,530 --> 00:09:25,970 We had stopped there to bring sweet corn home. 198 00:09:26,030 --> 00:09:29,780 This is like a, a Hallmark movie- I'm gonna say ... if you've ever heard one. 199 00:09:30,119 --> 00:09:34,140 Uh, and there's this tiny little cat that was so sick, and my mom was 200 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 206 00:09:57,820 --> 00:10:01,969 day and the next day, and just kept coming back until the cat was better. 207 00:10:02,420 --> 00:10:04,560 And- But you wanted to keep coming back. 208 00:10:04,600 --> 00:10:05,889 And I kept coming back. 209 00:10:05,920 --> 00:10:08,579 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. 212 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. 214 00:10:20,469 --> 00:10:22,210 There were pigs, chickens, crops. 215 00:10:22,210 --> 00:10:23,129 There was a big garden. 216 00:10:23,579 --> 00:10:25,969 And I was there before school, after school. 217 00:10:25,969 --> 00:10:27,279 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. 222 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 00:11:05,495 --> 00:11:09,184 to me, and at that point, I was still a little, a little nervous of him. 232 00:11:09,344 --> 00:11:11,725 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 00:11:15,405 --> 00:11:16,495 were a pair of twin bull calves. 235 00:11:16,495 --> 00:11:19,394 And I was like, "Yes." He's like, "You ought to train those to be oxen." 236 00:11:19,795 --> 00:11:25,315 And I was like, "Oxen?" He was like, "Yep, oxen," and went about his day. 237 00:11:25,394 --> 00:11:29,385 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 00:11:34,605 --> 00:11:36,045 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.