Lick of the Cow's Tongue

It is particularly good for horses that have been working on a hot day or at the end of a long day of competition. The Lick of the Cow’s Tongue connects horses from belly to back, and improves flexibility, strength and balance.

For Dogs
HOW TO: With a dog, start under the belly and gently slide your curved fingers across the belly and up onto the back. The Lick Of the Cow's Tongue can also be used across the shoulders and the hindquarters of cats and dogs. Be sure to work very gently.

To relax a dog or just to make him feel good, run your fingers lightly and slowly through, or across, the hair with fingers spread slightly apart and gently curved. Contact is made with fingertips and the heel of the hand. Use long soft strokes. This TTouch gives dogs a better sense of their bodies, often improving gait, balance and coordination along with self-confidence.

Do slow strokes to calm and connect, and faster strokes to energize.

USES: Barking, Fear of being touched, Increase circulation, Relaxation.
PRESSURE: Light, long sweeping; stroke done across or with the hair

For Horses
HOW TO: Start under the belly and gently slide your curved fingers across the barrel up across your horse’s back. You can also use the Lick of the Cow’s Tongue across the shoulders and the hindquarter. Start lightly. To relax or calm a horse, use the flattened hand for this movement, and stroke slowly from the belly across the back. To stimulate or increase circulation, curve your fingers and slide the fingertips and heel of the hand more actively. Start behind the elbow and work back to the flank across the hair. This is a great way to relax a tense horse or just to make him or her feel good. This TTouch will usually give a horse a better sense of their bodies, often noticeably improving gait, balance and coordination along with self-confidence.

USES:
Brings up the back
For fatigue
Improving balance
Increasing circulation
Relaxation
Relieve sore muscles

PRESSURE:
long sweeping stroke done across the hair

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European certification and training in the Feldenkrais Method for humans complements the many years of work as a Level 3 TTEAM (Tellington Ttouch) practitioner. As a long time Centered Riding Instructor, she also employs human bio-mechanics principles with dynamic mind-body visualizations and connections. As an educator and gifted communicator, Tina travels the world, sharing knowledge and skills that can be easily applied for long lasting results.

My first TTEAM/LTJ demo that I audited was in 1983, when a magazine held an event with both Linda TJ and Ray Hunt as presenters . . . that lead me to attending another No. Calif. TTEAM demo later that season. My back injuries were so painful and the second demo was about 5 hours from where I lived, that my wonderful Mom used her station wagon to lay me down on sleeping bags in the back while she drove me to the location. Linda tried to work on me at that site, but could only work with my hair, and that is when she told me "Until you get help for yourself, you cannot help the horses . . . find a Feldenkrais practitioner!" She knew a former classmate near my region, and I began to meet with Diane Fontaine for several years. Diane and I ultimately were co-teachers in workshops I created for riders that incorporated Feldenkrais, Centered Riding and more . . . we started out as unmounted classroom workshops and even did some with both classroom and riding in the workshops.

I organized/attended my first week long TTEAM clinic in 1985. I've attended at least 29 educational events as student, assistant, or whatever since then, all over the USA and in Mexico. Doesn't include Expos, etc, when I assisted LTJ or whatever was needed. This does not include the 200 mile horse trek ride with LTJ in Kenya, Africa in Dec. 1989! I've also attended five Human TTouch week long trainings in Hawaii, from 1997 to 2006. Wow, I must be a junkie or an educationaloholic!

Well, I do find it is fun to sythesize the TTouch with other aspects of life. That lead me to create that animal assisted and TTouch therapy program with at-risk teens in Grass Valley, CA. I presented that in 2006 at the Cellabration in AZ. We did that for about 6 years, until my Mom's needs became all encompassing. Then I did not work in my careers for about 2 years . . . just this summer am coming back to my life again...not fully, but feels great even doing some of it again : ) And I created another youth/horse program that include TTEAM as well . . . I'll send my latest flyer about that, just so you have it in file, if you desire. Hugs, Tina

Tina Hutton
www.tinahutton.com
530-745-9582

Visit Tina’s website to learn more about the following programs:
"Alternative Methods in Horsemanship;” "Body Ergonomics" Whole Body
Education; "Lessons for Life" Youth Seminars; "TTouch and Teens" for
At Risk Youth

Tina wrote in August: “TTouch Tina still having fun!”

Have just begun a new project that is the brain child of Honey Cowen of Riding High Program here in Auburn, CA.

The Riding High Equestrian Program.

Honey is a recent cancer survivor, and has started a new program for other survivors at her wonderful ranch which is full of horses, rabbits, dogs, goats and more. She is a psych therapist who runs wonderful programs, using all her animals, for youth and others with mental, physical and learning issues.

Here is what the local paper did for our launching of the new program.

I come from a long history of family with cancer, so this is a special project to be affiliated with as well.

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Mainly why I am sending this email is because I wanted to tell you about training my 4-H market steer with TTouch. I don't know how to explain it, but it works wonders on both my sister's and my steers. I am mostly using the wand for leading, but doing alot of the Touches too. We had an event where we had to trailer our steers and get them weighed, our steers were so mellow and well behaved everyone was very impressed and were curious of what I was doing.

Thank you so much for your training. Thanks again!! Aleksey

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We did some one-second Clouded Leopard TTouches down his back legs to his feet, followed by python lifts and leg circles. Thistle was pretty stiff legged which didn't surprise me and I didn't think this alone would help.  I wanted to introduce him to his legs and help him to become mindful of them. We then put velcro leg wraps on his back legs. This is something that at the time I have not widely used, much less had success with, but it was nothing short of amazing. We put the leg wraps on and he walked around, awkwardly at first, but as soon as his person got him focused on the course he was able to walk soundly. She cued Thistle to run the course and on the very first lap, he cleared each and every one of the jumps.

He ran the course three times with success on every run. His person was baffled at how something so simple as two pieces of velcro could make all the difference. I explained to her that what we did was to wake up those neural pathways that weren't being used but also, while Thistle was cruising through the course at lightening speed, no matter how fast he ran, he could always feel those wraps on this hocks. There was now a mind/body connection constantly reminding him not to forgot about those dangly things back there and to pick them up! After a few practice trials, Thistle no longer needed the wraps and could compete and finally win!

Lisa Walters
Professional Dog Trainer, Behavior Consultant Tellington TTouch Practitioner Member: AABP, APDT, APHE, HSUS
414-331-6885
superdogtraining@hotmail.com

"Teach your dog one experience at a time and always allow them to teach you something.  Be a benevolent leader."

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Our organization is Tri-Valley Animal Rescue (TVAR), a really super non-profit group in the area. TVAR is all volunteers and they run a number of programs that vary from awareness campaigns to supporting adoptions, which is really their bread and butter. They run a network of trained foster homes, put on adoption clinics, and work with area shelters to make animals more adoptable. We give dogs professional training, vet care, socialization, and then support new adopters to ensure successful patience. Last year TVAR helped successfully place more than 1200 dogs and cats.

This year, we ran a program that paralleled the East Bay Stand-down for homeless veterans. It’s a huge weekend where the Alameda County fairground becomes a sort of military base, where hundreds of area vets go and get medical care, dental care, education, clothing, rehab, etc, all donated by area merchants and organizations. In the past, vets with animals were turned away because they couldn’t bring their pets and had nowhere to care for them.

This year, we took in vets’ dogs so that they could go to the stand down and during the weekend, we cleaned, groomed, trained, and provided vet care to the dogs, then returned them to their owners on Sunday along with several months supply of food, medicine, etc. It was really wonderful. The veteran I was working with, Kendrick, lived in his van in the Mission District with four adult dogs and ten (2 litters) of brand new puppies. It was kind of like 101 Dalmatians, but lots of fun. There is more information at www.TVAR.org.

Brian

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These five incredible days are filled with the magic of TTouch, demonstrations of bridleless riding, using the Promise Wrap and Balance Rein for a happier horse and rider, and instilling mental, physical and emotional balance in your horse with the Playground for Higher Learning.

Here's a bonus: For those who have attended three or more TTEAM trainings, on November 12 Linda will be teaching an advanced training, working part of the day with a Grand Prix dressage horse to teach the rider and groom how TTouch can help overcome inconsistencies that have plagued the horse's performance. There are special discounted prices for practitioners — call the office at 800-854-8326 for pricing — sign up now, these spaces will fill fast! And if you're enrolled in the week-long training, you may audit this day for no extra charge.

Skyhorse Ranch is about 1-1/2 hours north of San Francisco, so plan to spend some time before or after the clinics traveling this wonderful part of California — Sausalito for shopping, San Francisco for shrimp cocktails and cable cars, and the wine country for, well, wine (and gorgeous scenery too!).

Skyhorse Ranch is an extraordinary place, not only because of its luscious setting among rolling hills that meet the ocean, but also because of its conscientious attitude about being stewards of the land and nature. Our hostess, Ariana Strozzi, shared her philosophy with us:

“Our goal at Skyhorse Ranch is to re-connect people to land and nature, so that we may each re-find what has heart and meaning, forgive what has been broken, find hope in times of uncertainty, and walk a path of integrity and grace. Being in harmony with nature revives the spirit, releases spent emotions, and guides us towards right action in balance with the greater good. Given these challengingtimes, it's paramount that we individually and collectively re-evaluate our choices.”

Please join Linda for these two meaningful events — the one-day on November 12, and the five-day training November 13-17. The early bird price for the five-day training (until September 19) will save you significant money! Call the office at 800-854-8326 for more information or sign up on-line at www.ttouch.com . You're also welcome to email us for more information at trainings@tellingtontraining.com .

Here's what training participants have said about their experience with TTouch and TTEAM:

“It's easy to make changes very quickly even if it is a novice TTEAM person who doesn't do the work as effectively as an experienced person. It's not necessary to know the work perfectly.

“It's truly amazing to be able to make changes in an animal's behavior, physical being or mental state, and have a reciprocation take place. For every animal I see being helped by TTEAM, I always feel I have learned and changed in the process as well.”

— Megan, South Dakota

“This TTEAM Training showed me:

• effectiveness in changes
• new realizations
• confidence
• philosophy
• strength to be “weird”
• appreciation and honor to all animals

“At the end of this week-long training (my 6th or 7th, I think), I am once again struck by how powerful the TTEAM system is. The combination of the TTouch body work, the TTEAM ground work and leading, and the overall philosophy creates overall changes in the horses and in the people working with them. I have never seen this in any other system in my 25 years of working with animals.

“These competitive horses began the training with very obvious problems: stiffness, short-strided, uneven gait, high headedness, dragging the rider to the jumps, kicking, biting, unwillingness, lack of attention. In every case there was dramatic improvement.

“We were fortunate to have top level riders who showed us their horse being led and being ridden nearly every day. This allowed us to see the changes in the horses after being worked each day by the clinic participants. It also allowed us to see the riders soften and ride more correctly after using the specialized TTEAM equipment in their riding sessions. It was a joy to see the riders' pleasant surprise as the horses became easier and more enjoyable to ride.

“After working as an animal professional for almost 20 years, I was so impressed by TTEAM effectiveness when I learned of it in 1989. In the years since then, I've used it more and more in my work. I continue to learn better ways to work with animals through TTEAM trainings and to be amazed by the changes TTEAM brings about.”

— Penny

“I had to write you and thank you for the wonderful clinic. It was an amazing week. I learned so much. One of the best things about TTouch for me is having a sense of the essence of the animal — of who they are just as themselves.

“Usually I see them in relation to their job or how they affect me, but somehow with TTEAM I get to experience them in a completely different way and it is very freeing and also addictive. The more I learn about the work the more I want to do.

“I love learning to be mindful. When you said at the beginning of the clinics to be mindful of the circles and to experience and focus on the roundness of the circle, I did circles on my knee that according to the doctors has no cartilage and will have to be replaced. The pain went away. I have used my brace very little since then.

“I am so grateful to you for developing this work and for sharing it so freely. I have told you about my horse Monte, and what a difference it has made to his life. Actually I don't think he would be alive today without TTEAM. But what amazes me is the change it has made in my life. It has opened me up to life and to a spiritual way of living. Before everything had to be black or white, but I could see the changes that TTEAM was making in Monte and could not explain them but I could not deny them. So I began to be open to things I could not see or explain like God, and it has slowly but surely changed my life. Even as I write this I cry, but they are tears of joy and gratitude. You have touched my life in a wonderful way.”

— Betsy

“My own awareness towards Chris has increased. I have stopped seeing him as an embarrassment and dangerous and I now watch him with more understanding. He is an individual with a strong personality who needs help and attention. We have learned to respect each other and not to fear.

“My attitude has changed with all horses now. I am quicker to change from one technique to another when working with them and we all progress much more happily and with less boredom. There is more play in our work. I have also become more sensitive to signs of soreness in other horses and it is terribly difficult to keep my hands off a sore neck, nervous head or switching tail on someone else's horse!”

— M. Gail

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You are welcome to transmit your photo and story by email to info@TTouch.com - please send the photos as JPEGs and at least 3" x 4" in size. If you don't have digital images, postal mail the picture(s) to Tellington TTouch Training, POB 3793, Santa Fe, NM 87501. Please keep a duplicate of any picture you send.

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