Meghan N worked with Mirana in the November Joel Conner clinic, and reflects on the experience below:
“Mirana’s Learning Adventure Continues
Mirana participated in her second Joel Conner Clinic this past weekend. This mare is smart, but has some troubles to work through so she can be comfortable and confident in herself and her ability to have freedom in her feet. One challenge we began to work on, is helping Mirana understand that she can stand and have peace.
During the clinic there are many moments where we are watching and learning; but Mirana struggled to just enjoy the breaks. She has a challenging time changing eyes, especially turning loose to her right eye so she feels uncomfortable about what may be going on around her. We found that walking on the united circle and practicing hindquarters helped to ease her mind, as she slowly realized that she was free to move and could get away from danger if it were to presented itself. The first day of the clinic, we did this very frequently, with less than a minute of standing before we needed to move. The goal was to move Mirana before she felt the need to walk off. By the last day of the clinic, Mirana started to find some peace, and could stand while we watched/learned for close to 5 minutes at a time!
We worked a lot on hindquarters this clinic, so Mirana could feel confident that she is able to calmly move away and be free from anything that may scare her. As well, we helped to support Mirana in not having her shoulder fall in. She is a sensitive mare who really responds to pressure and release, but when she is feeling vulnerable she needs more support to remind her that she can be balanced and is able to thoughtfully move her feet! The flag was a challenge for Mirana, but with the support of Joel Conner and Kaya Mead, not only did Mirana start to understand that it was not something that would hurt her, she slowly began to accept it’s touch/petting.
Overall, Mirana made some huge strides this weekend! She is starting to learn how to respond and not react to the world around her. She is beginning to understand that she can find balance and confidence in herself; and that she will always be safe in her life, going forward!”
