Basic Skills to Natural Horsemanship using Positive Horsemanship methods with Vanessa Bee
28th -29th July 2012

This tried and tested two day course will cover natural horsemanship from the very start and focuses on interacting with the horse on the ground by looking at:
  • Why using a natural approach works and is safer for horse and handler
  • The Positive attitude of the handler and therefore the horse
  • Approaching, catching and interacting with the horse in field or stable when he is loose
  • Leading (including over or through obstacles,  crossing water etc.)
  • Loading into trailers
  • Being in control of the horse's feet
  • Identifying and releasing "braces and blocks" in horse and handler
  • Moving the horse around in a light and polite manner
  • How to care for your horses hooves naturally

Vanessa has been running this course for over seven year. It has been described as ‘the course that changes the lives of people and their horses’.
No previous experience is necessary.
The course begins at 10 am on the Saturday morning and finishes at 4.30pm on the Sunday.
Cost is 180 euros, including vegetarian lunch on both days and use of one of the farm's horses.  Return ferry to the island (15 euros) B&B, and dinner are not included.
Full board accommodation may be available at Macalla farm at a cost of 50 euros / night (B&B and dinner, organic vegetarian food)

Vanessa Bee
Vanessa Bee has been around horses for most of her life working in racing stables throughout her teens then driving competitively into her early twenties when she was given an 'unridable' racehorse as a wedding present. Very soon Vanessa realised that there had to be a better way than the 'bigger stick, bigger bit' method. It was in 1997 that the journey truly began to develop a style of teaching and riding that Vanessa has called Positive Horsemanship. Vanessa began to read, study and work with some of the greatest horseman of the age. Monty Roberts, Kelly Marks, Jayne Lavender, Ken Faulkner, Pat Parelli, and has used as her guides and mentors Henry Blake, Maurice Wright, Buck Brannaman, the Dorrances, Ray Hunt and Mark Rashid. She soon discovered that there as many ways of teaching horsemanship as there are horse/handlers in the world. A programme simply couldn't work all the time for everyone. With a degree in Education, and a qualified teacher, Vanessa has used her skills to develop a series of courses that teach people of all abilities and experience to achieve a positive relationship with their horses. Vanessa also holds a Monty Roberts Preliminary Certificate and is a developing Progressive Counsellor and constantly trains and studies to improve her method of guidance and teaching.
For more information, see Vanessa's website

 Booking
To book, please contact:

    Christophe Mouze
    Ballytoughey
    Clare Island
    Co Mayo
    Ireland
    Phone / Fax (353) 98 25412,  Mobile (353) 87.2621832,  Email  Christophe(at)ecofarm.ie

You will need to send a completed booking form (click here for a booking form in MS Word format or here for a PDF version),  along with the full course fee (180 euros). We regret that we cannot accept bookings without the accompanying completed booking form and payment. Course fee can be paid by cheque in euros (made payable to Christophe Mouze) or online through Paypal (you can pay by credit card even if you don't have a Paypal account).  To pay through Paypal (or by credit card), click on the "Pay now" button below.
Note that to cover bank charges, there's a 5% credit card surcharge on Paypal payments.
 
 
Working in the round pen


For more information about the venue, see the Macalla farm webiste.