TELLINGTON TRAINING AND THE ICELANDIC HORSE FARM
An interview with Robyn Hood and Phil Pretty, owners. By Melanie Huggett
Robyn Hood is well known worldwide as a teacher of the Tellington Method, a unique training approach to horses. Hood and her husband Phil Pretty also run the Icelandic Horse Farm near Vernon, BC. As some of the earliest breeders and importers of Icelandic Horses, they have 33 years of experience breeding this naturally gaited breed. Both Hood and Pretty sat down with me to discuss the Tellington Method and their Icelandic Horses.
Tell us about how Tellington Training Canada got started. What inspired you to begin teaching the Tellington Method?
Robyn: Linda Tellington-Jones, founder of the Tellington TTouch Method, is my sister. The philosophy of the Feldenkrais Method for humans was the original inspiration for TTEAM and later the TTouch Method. Linda, who is a lifelong equestrian, trained as a human Feldenkrais practitioner. In the early 1970’s she realized that the principles of Feldenkrais combined with her equestrian knowledge could be the basis of a wonderful training and rehabilitation method for horses.
Later the method with slight modifications was transferred into use with zoo animals, then companion animals like dogs and cats, and has now gone full circle and is being used with humans.
I had studied under and then worked with Linda when she ran the Pacific Coast Residential Instructors School in California. So it was natural as she developed the TTEAM Method for me to pick that up too. I started officially working with TTouch in 1982.
Phil: The Tellington Training Method is the umbrella name. TTEAM is specifically equine work, while TTouch is also used with other animals and TTouch For You is the newest section dealing with human work.
TTEAM was developed first. Robyn and Linda have a long family history with horses. Their grandfather was an American jockey who rode for the Czar of Russia just before the revolution. Some people seem to think both Linda and Robyn have some instinctive connection or understanding of what horses need. In reality they are just aware or in tune to subtle signals from horses. The TTEAM Method has given them a means of teaching others to pick up or develop this sense.
Robyn has a great knack of breaking TTouch work down into easily understood segments so that the information doesn’t overwhelm her students.
Can you give a brief explanation of the Tellington Method? What are the potential benefits of TTouch and TTEAM?
Robyn: The Tellington Method is a forward thinking, low-stress approach to training and teaching that can be used with most species of animals. We seek to understand animals on many levels: physically, mentally, and emotionally. TTEAM offers ways to reeducate “problem” animals and start young horses. It is based on the premise that when a horse “resists” it is usually because of fear, pain, or fear of pain. TTouch combines non-invasive bodywork to reduce tension and bring awareness to the body; mindful groundwork to change posture in everyday movement; and Joy of Riding, which transforms the changes in the body and groundwork into work under saddle so that people can have fun with their horses. The rebuilding of relationships is a wonderful result with this work.
Phil: To me, the Tellington TTouch Training Method — and especially TTEAM — seems to separate itself from most other training methods in that it is holistic. Not only does it address teaching the horse to lead and be mounted, but it also provides easily learned means to help relieve emotional and physical problems or injuries.
TTEAM provides a toolbox of exercises including bodywork, groundwork, and mounted work for you to use with your horse for its entire life: calm, efficient ways to first handle and halter your foal; ground exercises to teach the horse self awareness and balance; safe, quiet steps to prepare youngsters to be mounted for the first time; and additional exercises on the ground and under saddle to improve performance at all levels of training.
Along with all this is the bodywork or TTouches. The Tellington TTouch helps to relieve tension, fear of contact, soreness, or discomfort, transforms nervous, spooky, or resistant horses, and improves horses’ attitudes and behaviours. With TTouch your horse will enjoy learning and cooperate willingly. TTouch has been used extensively to speed healing and recovery from injury and illness in horses and in all animals, including humans.
The TTouch techniques for first aid offer animal owners an invaluable tool. Hundreds of case histories about emergencies with colic, illness, or injury demonstrate the value of TTouch work with the ears to keep a horse out of shock or to bring a horse out of shock while waiting for the veterinarian.
Tell us how the Icelandic Horse Farm got started. What made you decide to breed and sell Icelandic Horses?
Robyn: Phil and I first met the Icelandics in 1976 when we helped Linda condition 15 Icelandics and worked as crew for the Icelandic Horse team on the Great American Horse Race (a bicentennial ride across the USA). I have been involved with horses for over 40 years, training and showing Arabs and hunter-jumpers, and three day eventing. At the time I met the Icelandics I was ready to quit the horse business, having grown tired of the abuse and insensitive treatment horses frequently suffered in the show world.
Meeting the Icelandics at the Great American Horse Race resulted in taking five of them home after the race — a small step that lead to bringing several plane loads of Icelandic Horses from Iceland in the late 70s and early 80s. At times we have had up to 190 horses at our farm.
Phil: In recent times we have been importing less. It is much more practical to bring individual horses through New York. There is a good base of breeding stock in North America, especially stallions, so there are more domestically bred horses available.
It has always been our goal to match the horse and rider. We generally give suitability guarantees as we want neither the person nor the horse to be in an unhappy or unsuitable situation. Making an unsuitable sale is short sighted in our opinion. Having an unhappy customer is just bad. So in the long run we are farther ahead by ensuring our horses are seen in a positive light. Having a happy horse and rider out in an area will eventually get positive information out about us. Happy customers are usually more than enthused about their horses and love to tell the world. Even in the internet world, word of mouth is the best promotional tool.
What qualities should one look for in a quality Icelandic Horse?
Robyn: Our interest is in providing safe, reliable horses with great characters and comfortable natural gaits. Our main market has always been the pleasure rider, so our breeding program has always defaulted to producing easy gaited, level headed Icelandics.
Phil: There are well defined, comprehensive breeding standards for Icelandics. The evaluation system looks at conformation, gaits, temperament, and bloodlines. If a person is interested in breeding this is something that should be studied.
As with any breed the average person wants a good safe riding horse. The individual horse is more important than the breeding in most cases. Does the horse have the natural aptitude to accomplish what you plan to ask of him? Is he trained or can he be trained to suit your needs?
Specifically for Icelandics most people are looking for a horse that has smooth, easy gaits that come naturally to the horse. They want a sensible horse that does not get overly emotional when in an unusual situation.
It seems upon first meeting Icelandics that people either really like them or look at them as a big furry pony. Though short in stature, most Icelandics have an amazing amount of substance when you are mounted. Once people try them they are often addicted. The tölt (a four beat gait unique to Icelandics) is the only way to go — smooth and quick.
Over the years many people who have come to TTEAM clinics at our farm rode the Icelandics grudgingly. After a lap or two of the track an amazing number of them have been overcome with a bad case of what we call the “silly grins.” Most people can’t help but enjoy themselves on an Icelandic Horse.
Tell us about your team.
Phil: Robyn is a life long equestrian who was very jaded by the show world and ready to get out of horses when we met the Icelandics. She now travels the world teaching Tellington TTouch and TTEAM but is always happy to be home working with the Icelandics. She has represented Canada at the Icelandic World Championships (IWC) five times.
I am the maintenance and bookkeeping arm of the farm. Trained as a farrier, my back had other ideas.
Both Robyn and I sat for a long time on the board of directors of the Canadian Icelandic Horse Federation (CIHF) and are past presidents.
Christine Schwartz has been with us except for some short gaps since 1979. She has done the majority of the training over the years. Before coming to Canada she was involved with the first trial Linda did in Germany to confirm the usefulness of the TTEAM work. Christine was a long time secretary of the CIHF, edited their newsletter for a number of years, and has authored four books about Icelandic Horses. She has represented Canada at the IWC three times.
Mandy Pretty, our daughter, has grown up with the horses. Quite literally she rode before she could walk. She has worked with other breeds and disciplines as well and is now developing her own clinic clientele emphasizing Tellington TTouch and Connected Riding Techniques when not training horses for us. She rode for Canada at the Junior World Cup of Icelandic Horses.
You often give clinics on TTEAM and TTouch and with your Icelandic Horses. Do you have any fun or interesting stories you could share?
Phil: One time we had a gentleman here for a clinic. He was riding Sleipnir, one of our “salt of the earth” Icelandics. For some reason while on the horse it became important for this gentleman to discover if he was on a gelding or a mare. Instead of just asking he proceeded to lean back, reach down, and grab poor Sleipnir with his hand in the definitive area. Being a trooper Sleipnir just did a little hop with his rear end, sitting his startled rider upright. We thanked our lucky stars that it was such a level headed horse this happened to!
Do you have any short or long-term plans for the Icelandic Horse Farm and Tellington Training Canada?
Phil: Robyn and I are now getting to the age where we realize that eventually we will have to start slowing down and one day even give up the farm. At this point it is hard to imagine not having horses but I think realistically we will have to contemplate downsizing in the next few years. But it’s just a fleeting thought at the moment.
Tellington TTouch has new practitioners being trained all the time, so I think it will continue to grow with or without us. In the short term we will be hosting training clinics here at the farm and Robyn and Mandy will be travelling all over teaching TTouch.
Is there anything else you would like to tell our readers?
Phil: Our business model has always been to provide the best service and product we can at a reasonable price. We are available after any sale for support and advice. We will do everything reasonable to make sure our customers are happy and feel they got good value for their dollar.
To our friends and past and present customers, thanks for the support and to anyone interested in the TTouch/TTEAM Methods or the Icelandic Horses feel free to call or email for information.
For more information on Tellington Training Canada or the Icelandic Horse farm, visit www.ttouch.ca or www.icefarm.com.