S4 E4: An Owner's Story - with Chris & Michael

This episode of our Special Edition Season on ‘What Else Is There?’ takes a little bit of a different view. Today, instead of us meeting with those who engage in this space in a more professional capacity, it is my pleasure to introduce you to a couple who are horse-owners and to share their, very personal but very inspiring journey.I connected with Chris and Michael Fallon, based in the United States, as a result of the post I put up and shared into the Non Ridden Equine Facebook group, asking what fun, non-ridden activities were people getting up to with their equine friends. Chris posted a comment that included the most delightful video montage of a bunch of tricks their horse Pirate was doing, many with her husband Michael. The video, especially Michael’s joy as he played with Pirate & Pirates engagement, made me chuckle, filled me with joy and I made a point of showing it to Benn, for him to see another male having fun in this way. We were both tickled.So I reached out to Chris and invited her and Michael to join me for a conversation, to share their experiences with you as other owners who are not professionals in the ethical horse world. To my delight, they were happy to chat with me so that their story could inspire others. I think a really key part of Chris and Michael’s story is that their horse Pirate CAN be ridden at this point, unlike Vicki’s Kez that we spoke about last week. Pirate can be ridden and still they are having a fabulous time with him from the ground.I am incredibly grateful to Chris and Michael for meeting with me and so openly sharing this personal story with me and now you. I hope it leaves you feeling inspired about what’s possible with your equine friends. Chris & Michael Fallon:Chris and Michael currently live in Garnet Valley, Pennsylvania. Chris has two children; Bobby and Melanie and two grandchildren. Chris received her bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education/Psychology from Millersville State University and her master’s degree in Strategic Leadership from Neumann University. Chris is currently the Cooperative Education Coordinator at Delaware County Technical High Schools and has been in that position for 19 years. Chris has played the piano since she was 3 years old and enjoys music, photography, traveling, spending time with her grandchildren and wastes time buying things from Amazon and returning them. Michael received his degree in Hotel and Restaurant Management from Penn State University and is a construction superintendent for a general contractor. He has been an indentured servant for way too long and is hoping to retire if he hits the lottery. Michael enjoys collecting junk, traveling and snoring. Pirate:Pirate is a 14-year-old black, quarter horse gelding. He is boarded at Cloverleaf Stables in Chadds Ford, PA. His favorite activities are eating everything in sight and training his owners to scratch him and play with him. He likes to search everyone’s grain bucket hoping that there could be some kernels left behind. Pirate has also become a connoisseur of fine fruits and vegetables. He has taught his Mike and Chris to forget the crappy supermarket food; only expensive fruits and vegetables that have been organically grown will suit his refined palate. Pirate has also been Chris’ therapist which he does free of charge. After Chris sustained a severe, non-horse related injury, Chris enjoys just sitting in the pasture with Pirate and doing nothing. The therapist that Chris had to pay suggested that she find ways to “stay in the moment” to help cope with the mental effects of a permanent disability. Since horses live in the moment, just hanging out with Pirate has helped her to relax and not focus on her injury. Pirate has owned Chris and Michael Fallon since February, 2019. In this episode we discuss:1:25 - episode introduction3:30 - introducing Chris, Michael & Pirate5:47 - podcasting in PJs & snow8:09 - the montage video & becoming horsie folk12:31 - Skittles15:20 - Pirate16:17 - Chris’s (non-horsie) accident & the flow-on impacts19:11 - Michael’s influence & finding clicker training, the spark & the fun23:06 - how what’s done with Pirate relates to working with kids & the importance of setting them up for success with the environment, especially equipment25:12 - using your imagination & wandering the toy aisle26:18 - where we train: giving choice & capturing behaviours31:08 - unexpected but good things that positive reinforcement training has let to33:13 - wanting to overcome the fear & the shift that the changed training can give33:36 - applying the same training approach to ourselves as we would our horses37:44 - Pirate’s story42:56 - seeds planted & the barn’s response47:28 - what gets the strangest looks49:08 - Pirate’s ‘voice’51:25 - talking through the video montage & other activities in Pirate’s repertoire1:01:17 - different relationships1:04:48 - the snowball rolling down the hill - learning how to learn & the speed of learning that leads to1:06: 05 - episode wrap-up & what’s coming up at Abbey’s Run & next week Our links mentioned this episode:  Sign-up to our email listFrom Green to Growth: developing positive partnerships for the futureAbbey's Run Equestrian websiteAbbey's Run Equestrian on Facebook Thank you to Matthew Bliss for podcast production & consultation. If you'd like him to help with your podcast, get in touch by email at [email protected]