Mystic Ranch is owned by Jackie and Ron Decker. Jackie has spent over 50 years with horses. Jackie started doing natural horsemanship in 1989 with Pat Parelli and Dennis Reis. From them she learned to read horse body language and use her own body language to communicate more effectively with horses. She has built on that knowledge with learning from
- Temple Grandin (Animals Make us Human( and (Animals in Translation): reinforcing the concepts of encouraging your horse to use the puzzle solving and play parts of their brain - two core concepts from natural horsemanship.
- Karen Pryor (Reaching the Animal Mind): focusing on how and why positive reinforcement is so effective at building a strong relationship with your animal, and increasing their curiosity and desire to please you.
- Bill Dorrance and Leslie Desmond (True Horsemanship Through Feel): learning why "feel" is different from putting on pressure to ask for something and then releasing for a give. Think about working for someone who pressures you to get a job done and corrects your every mistake versus someone who intrigues and inspires you to join them in accomplishing the work or an adventure. Which person would you prefer to work for?
- Carolyn Resnick (Waterhole Rituals): why giving the horse even more choice in larger areas builds stronger bonds of trust and respect.
- Imagineahorse (Trick Training): why teaching horses to do tricks engages their minds and creativity - creating rapport, and a stronger bond with their human.
The more Jackie learned about horses, the more clear it became that the horse's nature is to seek safety in a trusted leader, who provides it with comfort, clarity and harmony. The horse intuitively mirrors the inner state of the person interacting with it. Tension, irritation, and uncertainty will be reflected back to the person. By contrast, as the person becomes calm, relaxed, clear and confident, the horse happily follows their intention and feel. When the human masters these skills, the horse flows with them, without requiring force. Jackie also observed that when people master body language (relaxation, confidence, clarity and certainty in their communications with the horse), those same skills translate into the rest of their life.
Horses are, by their nature, perfect teachers of skills people need to acquire to live a clear, calm, balanced, and happy life and Jackie's Paso Finos are amazing teachers. If you want to learn more about these incredibly smooth and cooperative horses who help teach people these skills, click on Paso Fino Horses. Jackie is passionate about sharing what she has learned with others.
Jackie has posted a number of youtube videos under mysticpasos that you may enjoy. They will give you more visuals of what she and her students do with horses.
Want to know more? Call (541) 826- 8400