Question
Your most famous concept is Join-Up® – can you explain what it means to horse people who have no idea of what it's all about?
Answer
Join-Up can be defined as that moment when the horse chooses to be with you as opposed to away from you. Horses cannot lie and it should be remembered that a good trainer can get a horse to do most anything but the great trainer can get the horse to want to do it. Join-Up is the process of communicating with the horse to create an environment of cooperation. Join-Up can be achieved with all horses of any age or background. It is as effective on wild mustangs as it is on the gentle child’s horse.
The practice of Join-Up is a commitment to a path that two species travel together in search of commonality, friendship and survival. This is my journey, what the horses taught me and what we have shared. It replaced my pain with joy, and replaced resentment with a willingness to serve. The process has no time constraints; it has no definable beginning or end. The process does not begin when you arrive at the barn to meet your horse; it begins when you wake up in the morning and exists even as you sleep.
But Join-Up is also a philosophy of living and working with horses. Join-Up is far more than one procedure. It is a way of life for humans too. I tell my students to live by the concepts of Join-Up for the life of the horse and for yourself as well.
Sincerely,
