7/2/2008 8:54:00 AM Touch of Love Verde Valley horse whisperer travels to Spain
Steve Harris
Victor Ros, owner of Equilibre Natural Horse Center near Santa Perpetua de Gaia. Tarragona, Spain, agreed to pay all expenses plus a daily fee to have Cottonwood’s Steve Harris come and help him spread the message of natural horsemanship.
Verde Valley horse trainer Steve Harris was invited to Spain to help spread the message of natural horsemanship in November 2007 for two weeks and again in April 2008 for six weeks.
Harris had the opportunity to work with over 60 different horses of many different breeds but he especially liked working with the Spanish horses. The hardest horses to communicate with were the Menorcan Stallions on the Island of Menorca, he said.
Harris said Spain was exceptionally beautiful this year as they had nearly four times the average rainfall for the month of May.
Nearly every flower seed that was available sprouted and caused an array of beautiful color with an outstanding blanket of green grass.
Victor Ros, owner of Equilibre Natural Horse Center near Santa Perpetua de Gaia. Tarragona, Spain, agreed to pay all expenses plus a daily fee to have Harris come and help him spread the message of natural horsemanship.
Harris' "Touch of Love" seven-step program was exactly what Ros was looking for because he had observed that when a horse and rider are having problems that it is often the rider who needs to learn to change the way that he/she communicates with the horse.
The fact that Harris bases his training on Biblical principles and demonstrates the love of God through his training, also that he gives analogies of the similarities between man and God and the horse and the trainer, was one of the deciding factors for Ros to hire Harris to come to Spain.
Several different people cooperated with Ros to prepare for Harris' time there. Juan Araquastan, Barcelona, a western horse trainer and owner of Natural Hipic, was extremely helpful to Ros. He helped in setting up clinics, courses and demonstrations with his students and contacts from Barcelona, Vic, Sabadell and the Island of Menorca. The demonstration in Sabadell led to some private work near the city of Tarragona.
Harris made many good friends in Spain in spite of the fact that he does not speak a word of Spanish.
He knows that a lot was lost in translation with the humans but the fact that horse talk is universal the horses understood perfectly what he was saying.
Through the seven step "Touch of Love" program, Harris is able to get the position of lead horse in the herd and gain their trust and respect without any force or violence.
Then with understanding the footfall of the horse and the importance of focus, Harris is able to teach people to enjoy their horses more than they would have thought possible.
Harris will return to Spain in September. For a schedule of local demonstrations or for personal help, Harris can be contacted by e-mail at info@cowboyschool.com or (928)639-3089 or check www.equilibregaia.com and read the news articles and schedule of events.
