Katherine Licence
Katherine is an undergrad student studying Behavioral Psychology at the University of Montana. She recently became the executive director at a therapeutic riding facility where children with alternative needs experience connection and growth through working with horses. Recreationally, Katherine is passionate about the outdoors; Trail rides, hiking, competitive shooting, and snowboarding keep her busy year round. She has been riding since she was a young child, but only recently began her journey and relentless pursuit to find “a better way”.
Katherine is an undergrad student studying Behavioral Psychology at the University of Montana. She recently became the executive director at a therapeutic riding facility where children with alternative needs experience connection and growth through working with horses. Recreationally, Katherine is passionate about the outdoors; Trail rides, hiking, competitive shooting, and snowboarding keep her busy year round. She has been riding since she was a young child, but only recently began her journey and relentless pursuit to find “a better way”.
Katherine Licence
September 18, 2017
Whitefish, Montana
This last week at the Gamble’s was a blur of information. We started the week late on Monday afternoon. As I was driving to the barn my head was swimming with distracting thoughts of my long day, but I had the urge to go ride anyway. When I arrived, there was music playing in the outdoor arena where a few people worked their horses and the air was finally cooling off. It was a beautiful Montana evening.
Dave had me start with the half circle exercise with my horse. He told me to go up and down the length of the arena until I felt satisfied with how my horse was going, then I could saddle him and ride. I started at one end, at times yielding the hind quarters in a full circle to set his feet right before asking him to step across with the front. Though I felt pretty good about his hind quarters, I was missing something when asking his front to step across. I stopped occasionally to watch the other experienced riders work their horses on the ground. I watched how they moved, their body position on the balance point of their colts and how their feet and hands did completely different tasks, fixing and releasing with each step to help their horses understand exactly what they were asking. As I watched, I could feel the flow of energy and movement between horse and human, but when I tried with my own horse it didn’t feel the same and I couldn’t figure out why.
I worked my way up and down the length of the arena two and a half times until a light bulb came on and all of the sudden I felt the balance between my horse and I. He followed the feel of my rope and it went all the way through his body into his feet. Because my horse was balanced and I was in time with his feet for that second, when I asked him to step across, his front foot reached way back and out, enabling him to pivot and push off from his supporting hind foot. Because I was focusing so hard on the hind feet, I neglected to notice the placement of my body and where my energy was pushing my horse, making him step out to the side and forward when stepping across, causing him to be heavy on his front. As Dave would say, “there goes your cow…” I changed my body placement and where the energy of my leg was going so I was turning him on a diagonal, properly setting him up to step back and out. I stopped my horse, Dave happened to be walking by and took a second to watch how I was getting along. All he said was, “Now, how’d that feel?”...
The next few days over at Dave’s were probably the most challenging I’ve had so far. I worked with a horse that had been ridden and used a huge amount in the past, but was only ever ridden straight; Any pressure from your leg pushed him forward and any pressure from the reins hit the brakes. Because this horse had no fundamentals to speak of, he would get really bothered and take off in a hurry when he didn’t understand what I was asking. A while ago, I would have probably said he was a disrespectful horse, or that he was testing the rider by his reaction. But recently I have been thinking that a lot of the big reaction we see is because of a lack of understanding and not necessary a defiant behavior. “It’s not that he’s bad,” Dave said, “he just doesn’t know”. Dave and I had a long talk about what happens in the mind of a horse and why they do what they do. Understanding that when you have a horse that is troubled, it is your job to keep them out of trouble and support them through the learning curve. It’s easy to forget to give the good deal before the not so good deal when you’re handling a forward and bothered horse, but if you’re not offering the good deal every time, how do you expect your horse to understand and get light? Offer the good deal first and don’t do too much.
I struggled with maintaining lateral flexion on the ground; when he was correct and I’d release, he would instantly take it back and we’d start over. Dave helped me with my timing and slowing my body down so I wasn’t constantly driving the horse forward, but instead giving him a chance to go slow and think about what I was asking. Because he didn’t understand how to read my intention, any pressure to him meant go forward fast, so with every step I would fix and release. This was a perfect opportunity for me to learn how to put all the pieces that I’d been working on together to help support this troubled horse.
After about an hour of ground work, I saddled and hopped on, but the second I got on all of my ground work went out the window… I try and be realistic about where I’m at as a rider, and sometimes it can be so frustrating when you understand more than you can actually do. As things speed up, it all falls apart when you’re learning.
Right off the bat, when I asked my horse to move around my leg to the left or the right it would drive him forward in a hurry. My first reaction was to pull on the reins to get his head around, but since my rein wasn’t mentally connected to my horse’s hind feet, when I did this he’d stop and and spin in a circle with his head straight out. Dave would yell, “leg!” over and over, trying to get me to keep the horse forward and stop spinning. I’d get after him with my legs and he’d jolt forward, then I’d pull on the reins and he’d spin in a circle... We worked in this spot for three hours until I figured out where my hands needed to support my horse without pulling on him and get the timing and accuracy of my legs correct. I struggled to find the sweet spot of flexion and forward movement without rushing my horse, but once I learned to slow myself down and not keep pushing my horse, everything got slower and I was able to be accurate with his feet and bend him without rushing him. Dave coached me through exactly what I needed to do and repeated himself until I could fully understand what he was saying and apply it. Because my horse had no separation between right and left pressure or lateral flexion, it was a constant fix and release to help him find it. I learned how important it is to be accurate and particular about your groundwork and how to apply your groundwork while in the saddle.
We ended in a pretty good spot that day, but I couldn’t sleep a wink for the next few nights thinking about that whole experience and what I could have done better to keep that horse out of trouble.
As humans we spend so much time thinking of the mistakes we’ve made in the past and because of that, we miss so much in the present. By not wallowing in our past mistakes we enable ourselves to properly prepare and give clear directions to our horse to set them up for success. If I’m still thinking of where I screwed up, I’m already late.
September 18, 2017
Whitefish, Montana
This last week at the Gamble’s was a blur of information. We started the week late on Monday afternoon. As I was driving to the barn my head was swimming with distracting thoughts of my long day, but I had the urge to go ride anyway. When I arrived, there was music playing in the outdoor arena where a few people worked their horses and the air was finally cooling off. It was a beautiful Montana evening.
Dave had me start with the half circle exercise with my horse. He told me to go up and down the length of the arena until I felt satisfied with how my horse was going, then I could saddle him and ride. I started at one end, at times yielding the hind quarters in a full circle to set his feet right before asking him to step across with the front. Though I felt pretty good about his hind quarters, I was missing something when asking his front to step across. I stopped occasionally to watch the other experienced riders work their horses on the ground. I watched how they moved, their body position on the balance point of their colts and how their feet and hands did completely different tasks, fixing and releasing with each step to help their horses understand exactly what they were asking. As I watched, I could feel the flow of energy and movement between horse and human, but when I tried with my own horse it didn’t feel the same and I couldn’t figure out why.
I worked my way up and down the length of the arena two and a half times until a light bulb came on and all of the sudden I felt the balance between my horse and I. He followed the feel of my rope and it went all the way through his body into his feet. Because my horse was balanced and I was in time with his feet for that second, when I asked him to step across, his front foot reached way back and out, enabling him to pivot and push off from his supporting hind foot. Because I was focusing so hard on the hind feet, I neglected to notice the placement of my body and where my energy was pushing my horse, making him step out to the side and forward when stepping across, causing him to be heavy on his front. As Dave would say, “there goes your cow…” I changed my body placement and where the energy of my leg was going so I was turning him on a diagonal, properly setting him up to step back and out. I stopped my horse, Dave happened to be walking by and took a second to watch how I was getting along. All he said was, “Now, how’d that feel?”...
The next few days over at Dave’s were probably the most challenging I’ve had so far. I worked with a horse that had been ridden and used a huge amount in the past, but was only ever ridden straight; Any pressure from your leg pushed him forward and any pressure from the reins hit the brakes. Because this horse had no fundamentals to speak of, he would get really bothered and take off in a hurry when he didn’t understand what I was asking. A while ago, I would have probably said he was a disrespectful horse, or that he was testing the rider by his reaction. But recently I have been thinking that a lot of the big reaction we see is because of a lack of understanding and not necessary a defiant behavior. “It’s not that he’s bad,” Dave said, “he just doesn’t know”. Dave and I had a long talk about what happens in the mind of a horse and why they do what they do. Understanding that when you have a horse that is troubled, it is your job to keep them out of trouble and support them through the learning curve. It’s easy to forget to give the good deal before the not so good deal when you’re handling a forward and bothered horse, but if you’re not offering the good deal every time, how do you expect your horse to understand and get light? Offer the good deal first and don’t do too much.
I struggled with maintaining lateral flexion on the ground; when he was correct and I’d release, he would instantly take it back and we’d start over. Dave helped me with my timing and slowing my body down so I wasn’t constantly driving the horse forward, but instead giving him a chance to go slow and think about what I was asking. Because he didn’t understand how to read my intention, any pressure to him meant go forward fast, so with every step I would fix and release. This was a perfect opportunity for me to learn how to put all the pieces that I’d been working on together to help support this troubled horse.
After about an hour of ground work, I saddled and hopped on, but the second I got on all of my ground work went out the window… I try and be realistic about where I’m at as a rider, and sometimes it can be so frustrating when you understand more than you can actually do. As things speed up, it all falls apart when you’re learning.
Right off the bat, when I asked my horse to move around my leg to the left or the right it would drive him forward in a hurry. My first reaction was to pull on the reins to get his head around, but since my rein wasn’t mentally connected to my horse’s hind feet, when I did this he’d stop and and spin in a circle with his head straight out. Dave would yell, “leg!” over and over, trying to get me to keep the horse forward and stop spinning. I’d get after him with my legs and he’d jolt forward, then I’d pull on the reins and he’d spin in a circle... We worked in this spot for three hours until I figured out where my hands needed to support my horse without pulling on him and get the timing and accuracy of my legs correct. I struggled to find the sweet spot of flexion and forward movement without rushing my horse, but once I learned to slow myself down and not keep pushing my horse, everything got slower and I was able to be accurate with his feet and bend him without rushing him. Dave coached me through exactly what I needed to do and repeated himself until I could fully understand what he was saying and apply it. Because my horse had no separation between right and left pressure or lateral flexion, it was a constant fix and release to help him find it. I learned how important it is to be accurate and particular about your groundwork and how to apply your groundwork while in the saddle.
We ended in a pretty good spot that day, but I couldn’t sleep a wink for the next few nights thinking about that whole experience and what I could have done better to keep that horse out of trouble.
As humans we spend so much time thinking of the mistakes we’ve made in the past and because of that, we miss so much in the present. By not wallowing in our past mistakes we enable ourselves to properly prepare and give clear directions to our horse to set them up for success. If I’m still thinking of where I screwed up, I’m already late.
Katherine Licence
August 10, 2017
Whitefish, Montana
My first day with Dave Gamble at Standing Heart Ranch began on Saturday, August 5th. I was ecstatic to start my scholarship and had been looking forward to it all summer! When I arrived Saturday morning, Dave’s son, Dylan Gamble, and Dylan’s girlfriend, Eden Manuel, were there with two young colts they had just started the day before. One of the first things I noticed when watching them work was how even, calm and accurate both Dylan and Eden’s movements were with these wild young horses. It was intriguing to see the intention of the human and how the colts were unsure at first, but through hundreds of small releases and corrections the colts began to understand what exactly they were being asked to do. Eden’s colt, though unsure, was more willing to move its feet and mentally be with her. In contrast, Dylan’s colt had no desire to stay and was braced against him, mentally leaving every chance he could. As Dylan moved it’s feet and encouraged him with the flag, the young horse would violently strike out when the flag got near it’s flank. Dave humorously described this colt as, “a little kicky”. Because he was so bothered by the flag, Dave kept encouraging Dylan to keep rubbing his colt with the flag and keep his feet moving, only releasing when there was a change in the horse. I stood with Dave and listened to him narrate what was happening and what Dylan was looking for and working towards. I learned so much by sitting and watching that day. Dave is so particular when he is working with a horse, it was really interesting to see how, why and when to escalate pressure to get to your horse’s feet.
I watched for hours as Dave, Dylan and Eden worked six different horses that day. It was late afternoon when I grabbed my own horse and by that time, my head was so filled with newly acquired information that I had reached my saturation point. I had to physically look away at times because my mind could not comprehend any more information. Dave noticed where my head was at, so to not overwhelm me he gave me two things to work on with my horse; a united circle and stepping the hind off the circle. Well, as most of you reading I’m sure are aware, there is definitely more than a few things happening when it comes to a united circle, or stepping the hind end off the circle.
As I worked with my horse on the ground, I asked for a united circle, and in time with the inside hind foot I would ask to move the hind off the circle for a step or two, then back on the united circle. As I did this, I observed my horse would step under nicely and maintain proper flexion on the right side, but on the left was rigid in his poll and would step short. I focused on the left hind, hearing Dave’s voice telling me, “fix and release…”, when I thought I had it right I would release, but the second I did my horse would stiffen in the poll and step short instead of carrying the flexion from the poll, through the body to the feet. I asked Dave what I was missing and he told me I was neglecting the inside front foot. He coached me through my united circle, describing the placement of each foot and it’s importance to the horse’s balance and how my timing when asking my horse to move is paramount to keeping him balanced. At a united circle, my horse would reach all four feet evenly, when I moved the hind off the circle, his left front foot would shorten and stab hard into the ground. That’s what I was missing! Dave told me that if my horse isn’t balanced with all four feet, he will brace and move short. If I was working with a young horse he might get bothered and try and leave, but since my horse is experienced and rather dull, he simply braces instead of fleeing. Dave helped me with my body position and where my energy was moving the horse, making my two feet and my right and left hand do different tasks simultaneously. I struggled, but was persistent until I understood where my body needed to be to help my horse be balanced. The second I was correct and my horse carried proper flexion all the way through, I released all pressure and he stopped, licked his lips and chewed.
When learning all the little details that go into keeping your horse balanced, it is a constant fix and release until it’s right. I feel there are times where I have it, and I understand what I am looking for and how it should feel and in a moment it’s gone and I’m all thumbs. Dave is incredibly encouraging when it comes to the frustration of growing pains. He reminds me often that I’m not wrong or dumb, I just don’t know because no one ever told me. It is really easy to get down on yourself when you see the braces you’ve put in your horse and the mistakes you’ve made out of ignorance. But, getting down on yourself isn’t helping you or your horse. The only thing that will help is seeking the knowledge on how to fix it and not repeating the same mistakes again. If something isn’t working, QUIT and try something different!
August 10, 2017
Whitefish, Montana
My first day with Dave Gamble at Standing Heart Ranch began on Saturday, August 5th. I was ecstatic to start my scholarship and had been looking forward to it all summer! When I arrived Saturday morning, Dave’s son, Dylan Gamble, and Dylan’s girlfriend, Eden Manuel, were there with two young colts they had just started the day before. One of the first things I noticed when watching them work was how even, calm and accurate both Dylan and Eden’s movements were with these wild young horses. It was intriguing to see the intention of the human and how the colts were unsure at first, but through hundreds of small releases and corrections the colts began to understand what exactly they were being asked to do. Eden’s colt, though unsure, was more willing to move its feet and mentally be with her. In contrast, Dylan’s colt had no desire to stay and was braced against him, mentally leaving every chance he could. As Dylan moved it’s feet and encouraged him with the flag, the young horse would violently strike out when the flag got near it’s flank. Dave humorously described this colt as, “a little kicky”. Because he was so bothered by the flag, Dave kept encouraging Dylan to keep rubbing his colt with the flag and keep his feet moving, only releasing when there was a change in the horse. I stood with Dave and listened to him narrate what was happening and what Dylan was looking for and working towards. I learned so much by sitting and watching that day. Dave is so particular when he is working with a horse, it was really interesting to see how, why and when to escalate pressure to get to your horse’s feet.
I watched for hours as Dave, Dylan and Eden worked six different horses that day. It was late afternoon when I grabbed my own horse and by that time, my head was so filled with newly acquired information that I had reached my saturation point. I had to physically look away at times because my mind could not comprehend any more information. Dave noticed where my head was at, so to not overwhelm me he gave me two things to work on with my horse; a united circle and stepping the hind off the circle. Well, as most of you reading I’m sure are aware, there is definitely more than a few things happening when it comes to a united circle, or stepping the hind end off the circle.
As I worked with my horse on the ground, I asked for a united circle, and in time with the inside hind foot I would ask to move the hind off the circle for a step or two, then back on the united circle. As I did this, I observed my horse would step under nicely and maintain proper flexion on the right side, but on the left was rigid in his poll and would step short. I focused on the left hind, hearing Dave’s voice telling me, “fix and release…”, when I thought I had it right I would release, but the second I did my horse would stiffen in the poll and step short instead of carrying the flexion from the poll, through the body to the feet. I asked Dave what I was missing and he told me I was neglecting the inside front foot. He coached me through my united circle, describing the placement of each foot and it’s importance to the horse’s balance and how my timing when asking my horse to move is paramount to keeping him balanced. At a united circle, my horse would reach all four feet evenly, when I moved the hind off the circle, his left front foot would shorten and stab hard into the ground. That’s what I was missing! Dave told me that if my horse isn’t balanced with all four feet, he will brace and move short. If I was working with a young horse he might get bothered and try and leave, but since my horse is experienced and rather dull, he simply braces instead of fleeing. Dave helped me with my body position and where my energy was moving the horse, making my two feet and my right and left hand do different tasks simultaneously. I struggled, but was persistent until I understood where my body needed to be to help my horse be balanced. The second I was correct and my horse carried proper flexion all the way through, I released all pressure and he stopped, licked his lips and chewed.
When learning all the little details that go into keeping your horse balanced, it is a constant fix and release until it’s right. I feel there are times where I have it, and I understand what I am looking for and how it should feel and in a moment it’s gone and I’m all thumbs. Dave is incredibly encouraging when it comes to the frustration of growing pains. He reminds me often that I’m not wrong or dumb, I just don’t know because no one ever told me. It is really easy to get down on yourself when you see the braces you’ve put in your horse and the mistakes you’ve made out of ignorance. But, getting down on yourself isn’t helping you or your horse. The only thing that will help is seeking the knowledge on how to fix it and not repeating the same mistakes again. If something isn’t working, QUIT and try something different!
