ELLIE, THE "SOMETIME" HORSE

HORSE Ellie, a nervous, 10-year old Arabian mare.

OWNER Very dedicated first time horse owner whose dream was to hop on her horse and ride in the desert.

CHALLENGE "Whenever I used to reach for her ears, she'd jump," says Ellie's owner. Just about everything else made this mare jump too. The Leslie Nichols Relaxation Program was needed to quiet Ellie's nervous generally, as well as manage her flight response in frightening situations.

PROGRAM Leslie Nichols taught Ellie The Relaxation Response on the ground and under saddle. For weeks and into months, Ellie and her owner practiced The Relaxation Response and the Yoga for Horses exercises over and over again. It was 3 steps forward, 1 step backward for this challenging mare, but they got there.

Over time, Ellie started to look different, her energy actually changed. She'd fall asleep standing tied, getting her feet trimmed didn't scare her anymore. The owner sums it up perfectly: "I used to say that Ellie was my 'sometime horse,' sometimes I could ride her and sometimes not. Now Ellie is myevery time horse. She's relaxed or I can use Leslie ideas to relax her every time I rider her. My dream to jump on her anytime has come true."