The idea of writing about Hertha’s work scared me a little bit. Then I thought about what Hertha teaches. This is just a new challenge. Divide it into little pieces, as small as you need them to be. Then find a spot where you can start. In my case, that spot where everything starts is me and my horse, Itaca. After a whole lifetime surrounded by horses, I realized that I didn’t know anything about them. My horse came to me as an Arabian foal rescued from terrible conditions and angry at the world.

There we were, starting a new life together without speaking the same language. I can summarise our beginnings by saying that they were very complicated times. When I asked trainers for help, the situation kept getting worse.

As if by magic, a close friend suggest that I watch Hertha’s videos on YouTube. So I did. A new world filled with new possibilities opened right in front of my eyes. There was a new way of working with horses, very different from traditional training. This way was filled with respect, trust, based on science and best of all, it actually works!

I wanted to learn more and more about it. I needed to absorb all the knowledge that those videos had. How was it possible that this woman, working with her horse in a country so far away, was the lady who was going to teach me? I found out that Hertha had written some books and obviously I bought them all. Even though English is not my first language, I had no issues understanding her videos or her books. Her language is very clear and concise.

My horse’s eyes started to shine and I mean literally because I saw it happen. We started to build a relationship based in mutual respect and trust. Hertha’s books have given me the opportunity to learn more about horses than I had previously learned in my entire life. She taught me how to create a true connection with them, to understand their language and how to establish a truthful dialogue. Hertha catches your attention and invites you and your horse to experiment with every part of the teaching and learning process.

Every challenge was a new opportunity to learn, to consolidate what we already knew and to realize what we could improve. I speak in plural form because it is a work each one of us does with our horses. The way Hertha presents the challenges is very clear and simple. Behind each one is a great deal of work and knowledge based on personal experience which she kindly wants to share.

Without even realizing it, day by day, the challenges guide my way through a process of learning, both personal and for my horse, in way that has us enjoy the training. Hertha taught me a new way of thinking, planning my exercises, practicing them, observing and paying special attention to the details. And always in a kind and fun way for me, and most importantly, for my horse. Thank you Hertha..

Marga Zabala

November 2019

Spain

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