The Power of Video
Relationship Based Horsemanship
I love taking videos of our time with our horses. It’s like getting a free lesson without the pressure. It’s a great way to relive joyful moments. It’s a wonderful way to chronicle the progress my horses and I have made.
I have trained myself to be as objective as possible when watching my performance on video. I know the only way to improve is by being honest with myself and what I’m looking at.
Being videoed can feel very intimidating, although people are getting a bit more accustomed to it now that the majority of phones have photo/video capability. If you consider the cost is just a matter of time and set-up, it’s a bargain.
Think about the pressure that horses feel when interacting with people. I imagine that my eyeballs can feel like that camera lens: following, staring, judging, assessing. The difference between predatory human eyeballs and a camera is that humans have a brain. We do follow, stare, judge, and assess our horses all the time. The only thing the camera does is follow us.
I think if we ask our horses to interact with us with all of our predatory characteristics, it’s a small thing to allow ourselves to be videoed, by comparison. Feeling the stare of the camera has taught me to be more empathetic with my horses when we interact, and it’s helped teach me to soften my instinctually predatory eyes.
Here is a bonus you may not have considered when contemplating turning on that camera. You’re going to watch yourself and, surprise! In many ways, you’re going to like what you see. Before I get too critical of myself, my first goal in watching myself on video is to catch myself doing something well, or at least better than I’ve done before.
When I have an interaction with my horses that I think people will enjoy watching, or from which people can learn, videoing allows me to share it.
Our new arena is up and being used. Steve has been working diligently to get lighting up, and right now he’s working on sound as well as stations where I can set up a camera. You can bet I will take every chance to video the horses and me as we train together in there. See a couple of examples below.
If you aren’t already doing so, I encourage you to get yourself on video with your horses. The rewards will be well worth the effort.
https://www.facebook.com/share/r/AVpmVJtpWjPgCbDo/?mibextid=14AR8G
https://www.facebook.com/share/r/hW3D41kuq5twW7n5/?mibextid=WC7FNe
https://www.facebook.com/share/r/eHPsprHt574tWSew/?mibextid=14AR8G
https://www.facebook.com/share/r/GTaPSZWF6begY1Ea/?mibextid=14AR8G
For more information about the amazing horses that have been and are being bred on the HAAP farm, go to www.arabpinto.com
If you have questions for me about any of my posts, please feel free to contact me at isabellefarmer@gmail.com or visit our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/arabpintos