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[RC] "Race brain" -- using TTEAM to help - Naomi PrestonThis is quite an interesting discussion, and I thought I'd throw
my 2 cents in. I've found the TTEAM Method (developed by Linda
Tellington-Jones) to be very effective when working with
nervous, excited or fearful horses. Twenty years ago, when I
first became a TTEAM Practitioner, I worked for several Thoroughbred
horse trainers at Les Bois Race Track in Boise, Id. If you
think Arabian endurance horse athletes can be hyper, go to the
backside of the track and in a few stalls. These horses have virtually
NO turnout, are fed a high grain diet, and when they do get out of their
stalls, go Mach 10 on the track. Some would be so nervous that
they would "washout" when being ponied to the track -- sweating
profusely and then put in a lackluster performance. Working with these
horses was the ultimate test of the usefulness of TTEAM, and I had my doubts
when I started working there. I remember working with one mare
that just stood there and shook when I entered her stall. Talk
about nervous! I could barely touch her. But after several days
with her, I was able to get her to relax, put her head down and
breathe. A couple weeks later this mare won her race, and I
hurried to the backside to congratulate the owners & trainer. The
mare was at the test barn, jumping out of her skin, adrenaline flowing
to the max from just winning a race! The trainer was unable to calm
the horse, and I offered to help. With just a few touches of her
muzzle and mouth (which she was accustomed to) she began to calm down
and lower her head. Everyone there was amazed......including
myself.
And these same techniques can help nervous & excitable
endurance mounts (Arabs, mustangs, morgans, etc., even
mules). The key is getting them to become familiar with the techniques
at home, when they're not excited. Then in a tense
situation, when the techniques are applied, the horse's response is almost
automatic.
I helped Becky Hart and Rio at the '92 Race of Champions with
TTEAM. Rio had won the race, but his pulse wasn't coming down and he
was about to get pulled. Becky called me over to help, and I did lesss
than a minute's worth of Ttouches on Rio. His pulse came down, and he
won the race. Do I think TTEAM can help nervous horses pulse down at
vet checks? Absolutely. But it requires doing your homework;
practicing the techniques.
Last year my husband, Lee rode in the AERC NC with his Arab gelding,
Fire Mt. Malabar. It may not have been a WEC, but darn exciting and
very competitive. Riding were John Crandell, Cheryl Dell, Christoph
Shork, and many other great, experienced riders. There was a lot of
electricity in the air! So it didn't surprise me that my normally
cool, calm husband was pretty amped at the first vet check. Malabar,
whose pulse normally drops like a rock, wasn't dropping. I motioned to
Lee to do some TTEAM on his head & muzzle, and just like a charm,
Malabar lowered his head and his pulse plummeted.
In addition to the TTEAM TTouches, Linda Tellington-Jones has developed
training and riding techniques which can help calm the nervous
horse. I've tried them, used them in training and
competition, and they work.
Linda's written many books, all available on Amazon. There are
TTEAM Practitioners all over the U.S. (internationally, also.) who give
clinics and private lessons.
I just wanted to throw TTEAM in as a possible solution to some of the
"race brain" issues.
Naomi Preston
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