Heart'n Hand Farm
Janalee S. Redmond

Sow kindness, reap love.

Heart'n Hand Farm returns Director Janalee S. Redmond to horses, after an absence of more than 10 years. A non-horsy husband took me into the bio-tech business, parenthood and other distracting pursuits. A group of women friends stuck with me; they are all trainers of horses and/or dogs and/or kids in classrooms. We watched the advance (East) of Monty Roberts and Pat Parelli, argued the application of positive vs. aversive, and questioned what tool we wanted with a wired baby steeplechaser. For them it was professional, for me merely social, but intriguing. Then I started exercising foxhunters when a relative became ill. Riding through the Orange Hunt country of Virginia was intoxicating. Feeling the rhythm of a horse travel up my spine cleared the cobwebs and set me on a new course: don't ever lose this again.

As always, it is the animals that guide us. Adopting a female Labrador who surprised us 6 weeks later with horrid behavior issues and destroyed whatever illusions I had of myself as a trainer. My 9yo son loved her and insisted that she stay, "even though she doesn't love me." My husband grew up with dogs who regularly bit the mailman and cocktail party guests. They out-voted my concerns and by default, tasked me to get into Lady's brain.

So I started attending clinics and lectures, taking lessons, getting (re-)trained. My dog-trainer friend, Carole Peeler (www.positivek9training.com) led me to Jean Donaldson and Karen Pryor.

I also began riding an older Swedish gelding that further proved my inadequacies and so the equine and canine work converged. The internet led me to Chris Irwin and Judith Shoemaker and Alexandra Kurland.

Like others who came years ago, Lady, Red, Anxious Talker, Amber and Grace have taken me down this road, guiding me through the confusion of "inappropriate" behaviors.

Following the Bromont Olympics I was long-listed to the United States Equestrian Team Dressage Squad, and was lucky to continue work with top trainers. I grew up riding racetrack rejects, made them into show hunters and 3-day horses. Experience is valuable, it gives perspective on new methods. Nothing replaces doing the work; you and the animal solving the dilemma of how to be together, safely and happily. But there are methods that build for future work, grow you as a trainer and prevent the frustration of being bricked into a blind alley.

It is a powerful centering process, deeply satisfying and energizing. Often my brain hurts and I'm frequently embarrassed when I look back on how I used to do these things. My son's interest and the new work has led my family to pursue driving with carriages, which is far more demanding and interesting than I ever imagined.

As a parent I know how deeply relevant these issues of communication are. Co-workers and children can be just as obtuse as a horse determined to ignore or leave an interaction. The trainer must engage his subject, with respect and understanding. 1200 pounds of horse must be there willingly, or it is unlikely to go particularly well.

Here's an old photo. This was a training session at Gladstone held in the fall of 1977. Afterwards I moved to Maryland and rode with Col. Ljungquist at Linda Zang's farm. Photo appeared in the Chronicle of the Horse. That's me in the back row, on the right.

© 2006 Heart'n Hand Farm
Serving Washington, DC and
Montgomery County, Maryland