User:Epmayer/sandbox for LINDA TELLINGTON-JONES

[[Media:Example.ogg]]== LINDA TELLINGTON-JONES ==

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Born: Linda Ann Hood on June 30, 1937 in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

Nationality: American

Residence: Hawaii, U.S.A.

Fields: Tellington TTouch Method®, animal behavior, inter-species connections, horsemanship, horse training, horse whispering, companion animal training and bodywork, dog training, and complementary human healthcare. [ambiguous] Accomplishments:

• Honorary PhD, Wisdom University in 2008

• 2007  Massage Therapy Hall of Fame

• 2006  Western States Horse Expo Hall of Fame

• Together with her team, did TTouch bodywork on all dressage horses competing in the 1996 Paralympic Games in Atlanta, GA

• 2004-2004 Visiting faculty member the University of Manitoba’s Center for Spirituality and Healing, teaching Tellington TTouch as a part of minor in Complementary Therapies and Healing Practices, where there is a fund for TTouch research and education

• Tellington TTouch Method Centers in Canada, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, the Netherlands, South Africa,the U.K., Slovenia, and the U.S.A.

• [U.S. Pony Club] Instructor at Rolling Hills, CA under District Commissioner Col. W.R. "Pinky" Brown

• 1994 North American Horsemen's Association Horsewoman of the Year

• 1993 Recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award for the Art and Science of the Teaching of Riding by the American Riding Instructors' Association

• Citizen Ambassador to the former Soviet Union for the [Esalen Institute]  from 1984-1987. See Citizen Diplomats: Pathfinders in Soviet-American Relations by Gale Warner and Michael Schulman.

• Established Animal Ambassadors, Inc. a non-profit organization, in 1984

• International coordinator for the 1976 Great American Horse Race from Syracuse, NY to TKS California, which split into the [Pony Express Ride http://great-american-horse-race.iceryder.net]

• Recipient of  the 1969 State of California Award for Creative Citizenship

• Completed in five Tevis Cup Endurance Rides, finishing twice in the top ten: 1961, 1963, 1968, 1970, and 1972

• Founding member of the California Dressage Society

Accomplishments:

Founder and Director of Tellington TTouch Method® and Animal Ambassadors, Inc.; Chair, Institute for Inter-species Connections, Wisdom University; personality analysis of horses based on conformation and shape of the horse’s head; introducing the concept in 1975 that fear; stress, memory of pain, or pain in the back, neck or shoulders of horses can cause undesirable behavior and that dominance is not the most effect method for overcoming resistance resulting from these issues; author of 18 books in 13 languages about horses, dogs, all animals, and humans.

Influences:

Marion and Harold Hood; her sister, Robyn Hood, Tellington TTouch Method instructor and publisher of the TTEAM Connections Newsletter since 1984; Wentworth Tellington; William Caywood; Dr. Moshe Feldenkrais; Roger Russell; Sir Charles Sherrington; Kate Riordan; Ursula Bruns; Tom Mitchell; Virginia Coyle; Carol Lang; Sybil Taylor; Gabrielle Boiselle; and husband Roland Kleger, Director of Animal Ambassadors, Inc.

Linda Tellington-Jones is the founder and director of the Tellington TTouch Method®, a gentle form of bodywork and movement exercises for enhancing learning, behavior, performance and health in animals and people. Her corporate center for Tellington TTouch Training Method is located in Santa Fe, New Mexico, U.S.A., The center organizes worldwide demonstrations and courses for students of TTouch for companion animals, horses and humans. Tellington-Jones’ non-profit organization, Animal Ambassadors, Inc., creates and supports international projects in which children work with animals to enhance mutual understanding, compassion, and quality of life. With a lifetime of experience with animals beginning in early childhood, Linda Tellington-Jones has become known as a master teacher and equestrian expert, winning international acclaim for her TTouch work with horses, companion and exotic animals and humans. She resides in Hawaii with her husband, Roland Kleger, Director of Animal Ambassadors, Inc., and her West Highland Terrier, “Rayne.”

Early Life and Career suggested photos (Riding Hoods, Linda and Went Lothar

The eldest of 7 children raised in Yellowknife, North West Territories, rural Gibbons, Alberta, and later in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, Tellington-Jones rode to school on horseback for the first six years. She began teaching riding at Briarcrest Stables at the age of thirteen. As she and her family often won the Family Ride Class in the nine-day Edmonton Spring Horse Show, the seven Hood family members became known as the “Riding Hoods.” At the age of fifteen, Tellington-Jones retired the coveted Calgary Herald Equitation Trophy after having won it 3 times. As an adult amateur, she competed extensively in three-day eventing, dressage, hunters and jumpers, and english and western pleasure and introduced trail horse and endurance competition to Germany. Tellington-Jones was a judge for the North American Trail Ride Conference (NATRC) and the American Horse Show Association (AHSA).

Tellington-Jones’ grandfather Will Caywood, whose credentials included training racehorses for Czar Nicholas II in Russia, had significant influence on her early life. In 1905, Caywood was awarded the title of Leading Trainer at the Moscow Hippodrome racetrack. Caywood taught his granddaughter a system of equine massage he had learned from Russian Gypsies, introduced her to the concept of animal communication, and imbued in her the importance of treating horses with gentleness. These influences rounded out Tellington-Jones’ natural brilliance and extensive experience with horses.

In 1956, she married Wentworth Tellington, an engineer, inventor, and writer, by all accounts a renaissance man who was knowledgeable in the equine sciences. Twenty years her senior, his influence on Tellington-Jones’ development as a writer and equine professional was substantial. His creative approach to education and sharing information inspired Tellington-Jones to develop her unique method of training and communication.

Making Endurance History (suggested photo: Linda riding Bint Gulida up sand dune)

Together the Tellingtons taught at Chadwick School a residential preparatory school in Rolling Hills, California. Linda taught eighth grade social studies and served as senior girls’ dorm mother. She also trained horses and students using the U.S. Cavalry Horsemanship training methods studied by Wentworth Tellington, a member of the last officers’ graduating class at the Cavalry School at Norwich University in 1937. The principle objective of the cavalry training methods was to train riders and horses to travel great distances over difficult terrain for long periods of time—an ideal introduction to the sport of endurance riding. Tellington-Jones had been training several horses and researching bloodlines for a horse on which to compete. She and Tellington found the ultimate horse, the young chestnut Arabian mare, Bint Gulida in Sigourney, Iowa. Together, this team would go on to make endurance riding history as Tellington-Jones’ reputation as a trainer spread.

In 1961, Tellington-Jones and Bint Gulida were the first to compete in two 100-mile-in-one-day races in a single year: she placed sixth in the Western States 100 Mile-One Day Ride Tevis Cup and won the First Place and Best Condition trophies for the Oklahoma Jim Shoulders 100 Mile-One Day Ride. She set a record that stood for 7 years, finishing in 13 hours, 36 minutes, six and a half hours ahead of the second place team.

The Tellingtons also introduced innovations to endurance competition and training: interval training to improve horses' lung capacity and equine massage were a part of their program for success. In their annual 50-Mile ride in the Sierra Nevada Mountains at their Pacific Coast Equestrian Research Farm, they included natural obstacles. If a rider negotiated these obstacles, their riding time would be shortened accordingly.

Later in 1969, Tellington-Jones led the first group of four riders to start and finish 100-mile Tevis Cup ride. The successful young riders (12 to 16 years old) finished in fifteenth place. Jo Stanchfield and California Senator S.I. Hayakawa wrote a California school textbook about the group’s endeavors, entitled, the Hundred Milers. Throughout the 1960’s, the Tellingtons shared their discoveries and insights in a monthly syndicated column published in eight equestrian magazines, in addition to their monthly column Let’s Go in Western Horseman Magazine, “the world’s leading horse magazine since 1936.”

Teaching, training and endurance riding were not the only equestrian endeavors Linda Tellington-Jones undertook in her early career. She and Wentworth Tellington moved to Hemet, California in 1960 where they developed Hemet Thoroughbred Farm with 90 mares and two stallions, in addition to operating the Banat Ar-Rih Arabian Horse Ranch where they showcased the Blue List Arabian horses of Mrs. Henry Ott, the originator of the Blue List Arabian Horse Catalog.

Early Research and Publications

The Tellingtons moved to Los Osos, California to establish the Pacific Coast Equestrian Research Farm in 1961. The mission of the Pacific Coast Equestrian Research Farm was to explore technology and tradition as it applied to horses through clinical research. Experimental subjects included: the development of new and experimental equipment and feeds; natural vitamin and mineral supplements; free-choice feeding of kelp and comfrey; the production and distribution of “Little Red Wonders,” worms used in composting hot horse manure; methods of equine transportation, leather care, wound care, training, detection of physical ailments; and peaking for endurance, three-day eventing and horse show competition. They reported their findings in a monthly newsletter published in twenty-two countries.

At the Los Osos Research Farm, The Tellingtons also hosted the first North American Endurance Ride Conference for judges, managers, and riders. Among the horsemen present were endurance veterinarians Dr. Mathew Mackay-Smith and Dr. George Cardinet. The Tellingtons also established a four-week residential equestrian summer camp at Los Osos. Gwen Stockebrand, 1978 bronze medal winner in dressage at the World Championship at Goodwood, England and U.S. Olympic team rider, was among the teen campers who later went on to become equestrian professionals. In 1964, the Tellingtons moved the Pacific Coast Equestrian Research Farm to central California and founded the Pacific Coast School of Horsemanship, a nine-month residential program for riding instructors and trainers, centered in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains at Badger, 30 miles east of Visalia. The school attracted students from 9 countries and 36 states in its ten years of existence. A key concept for students was “observe,” with an emphasis on respecting both people and their animals, an unusual attitude at the time.

In 1965, the Tellingtons published Massage and Physical Therapy for the Athletic Horse and the Endurance and Competitive Trail Riding Manual. In 1979 Doubleday and Company combined the two manuscripts into a single title, Endurance and Competitive Trail Riding, often referred to as the bible of endurance riding.

Professional Work and Early Development of the Tellington TTouch Method (suggested photo LTJ with a blue list maybe Lothar) IF LOTHAR is already used above, then which photo?

Tellington-Jones bought the Pacific Coast School of Horsemanship and Equestrian Research Farm from Wentworth Tellington after the amicable dissolution of their marriage in 1970 and moved it to Los Altos Hills, California. Here she also founded and directed Westwind Hungarian Horse Farm for Countess Margit Bessenyey. Shortly thereafter, she married Birchell Jones and became Linda Tellington-Jones. At Westwind Hungarian Horse Farm, Tellington-Jones continued her six-month residential course for riding instructors while showing and training the Countess Bessenyey’s horses in 100-mile endurance competitions, combined training, dressage and hunter/jumper classes. In 1972 she and her husband, Birchell Jones, riding the Countess Bessenyey’s Hungarian horses, won both the lightweight and heavyweight championships at the 100-Mile Old Dominion Endurance Ride in a three-day endurance competition. Tellington-Jones also rode as a member of the Los Altos Hunt.

In 1972 Tellington-Jones organized and taught, along with Kerry Ridgway, DVM, the first eight-evening equine adult education course for the University of California at Santa Cruz.

Tellington-Jones Defines Her Mission

Although Linda Tellington-Jones found considerable success as an equestrian, she grew increasingly disturbed by the lack of respect shown to the horse in traditional training and riding.

"I had a sense that I had some 'mission' in the broader world of animals, to raise awareness of the importance of animals in our lives as out teachers and friends."

In 1974, she sold 60 horses, closed her School of Horsemanship, and traveled to Europe, planning a 2-year sabbatical. Ursula Bruns, publisher of the German horse magazine, Freizeit im Sattel, invited her to train a group of horses and riders to perform in Essen at Equitana, (LINK: http://www.equitana.com/) the world’s largest equine trade show. Tellington-Jones led a group of students in a demonstration of bareback and bridleless riding which attracted much press attention, resulting in invitations to hold clinics for training problem horses in Austria, Germany and Switzerland. Over the next five years, riders and trainers began to seek out Tellington-Jones for her gentle, non-dominant approach to horsemanship. The developing method found success with the relatively inexperienced horse person, who could use it safely and effectively, as well as with seasoned riders seeking a safe, mindful approach to the training of horses. The Tellington TTouch Method was beginning to take shape. In the summer of 1975, Tellington-Jones enrolled in the first four-summer Feldenkrais Professional Training program taught personally by Israeli physicist Dr. Moshe Feldenkrais at the Humanistic Psychology Institute in San Francisco, California. This method of human bodywork (LINK IN: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feldenkrais_Method), designed to improve human functioning by increasing self-awareness through non-habitual movement, along with the Russian horse massage she had been practicing for a decade, formed the basis of what she originally called TEAM - Tellington Equine Awareness Movements and later TTEAM –Tellington TTouch Equine Awareness Method.

One of Tellington-Jones’ major tenets in the development of the Tellington TTouch Equine Awareness Method resulted from what she viewed as the prevalent lack of understanding and respect for horses. She believed that soreness, pain, or fear of pain is often the cause of undesirable behavior in horses. Her theory that behavior in horses could be related to stress or pain was revolutionary. To address this issue, she combined the Functional Integration™ of Feldenkrais bodywork with a series of ground exercises called the Playground for Higher Learning. She designed the Playground for Higher Learning to work a horse through non-habitual movements in a stress-free environment without negative reinforcement. These exercises aimed to allow horses to move beyond their initial, instinctive reactions to stimuli of fight or flight, which can pose a danger to inexperienced riders and handlers.

"In most training manuals, the solution for undesirable behavior is dominance, showing a horse who’s boss. However, many horses do not respond well to dominance. I began looking for ways that the less experienced and less skilled horse person could develop a relationship with their horse that would result in a safe and mutually  enjoyable partnership."

After seeing the results of Tellington-Jones’ work, Ursula Bruns, who sought new and safer ways of training and caring for horses, insisted that Tellington-Jones develop a system that any horse person could replicate. To this end, in 1978, at her FS Reit-Zentrum in Reken, Germany, Bruns organized a five-week research study led by Tellington-Jones with 20 problem horses sent by veterinarians, trainers and owners. Four amateur horse owners were chosen to take the horses through the ground exercises and apply the body work. The results of this study were published in the 1995 book, "Die Tellington Metode: So erseit man sein Pferd", by Ursula Bruns and Linda Tellington-Jones, re-published in English in 1985 as "An Introduction to The Tellington-Jones Equine Awareness Method". This was the first book on the Tellington Method in the English language.

Major Shift in Thinking Leads to the Trademark Touch Circle (Suggested photo:  Need a large file  photo of you in your cowl with PhD

In 1983, Tellington-Jones added a major new aspect to the Tellington Method when she taught a weekend clinic sponsored by the veterinarians of the Delaware Equine Clinic. There she worked on a sore mare belonging to one of the clinic's veterinarians. According to Tellington-Jones, this mare objected fiercely to grooming or saddling by pinning her ears, flashing her teeth, and often threatening to kick when touched. Tellington-Jones assessed the mare to learn whether the Feldenkrais Method would help. According to Tellington-Jones, something different began to happen:

"When I placed my hands gently on her shoulder and began the slow, almost imperceptible movements of Feldenkrais Functional Integration, the mare became very quiet and accepting of my hands on her body. The mare's owner was amazed at how her normally cantankerous horse seemed to enjoy the movements that were so gentle as to be  barely visible.  Within minutes, the mare began to lower her head.  Her eyes softened, her head lowered, and after a few minutes, she took a deep breath and relaxed.  Her owner, Wendy, asked me in a surprised voice, 'What are you doing to effect my mare in this way?'  Without thinking I responded intuitively,  'Don’t worry about what  I’m doing.  Just place your hand lightly on the shoulder and push the skin in a circle."

After the session, Tellington-Jones reported that surprisingly, this mare became as accepting of body contact by her owner applying the circular movements as she had been with her.

Seeing the effect of such simple circular movements brought about a shift in Tellington-Jones’ thinking. She envisioned that anyone could learn these circular movements and potentially apply them to their horses with positive effects. She began experimenting with a variety of circular movements. Over the next two decades, more than 20 circular movements of the skin at varying tempos and pressures developed into Tellington TTouch, which can be effectively applied to humans as well as all other species of animals.

With the added success of the TTouch circles, the Tellington TTouch Method and Linda Tellington-Jones continued to enjoy the respect of veterinarians and horsemen worldwide. In 1985, she visited the Soviet Union as a part of the Esalen Institute's Soviet-American Exchange Program, along with her own 501c(3) non-profit organization, Animal Ambassadors. There she hosted a ten-day training clinic in Tellington TTouch for Russian veterinarians at the Bitza Olympic Center in Moscow. This was to be the first of ten visits to the Soviet Union as a Citizen Diplomat. In that capacity, Tellington-Jones worked with Soviets at the Moscow Zoo, the Russian Academy of Sciences, as well as the veterinarians and trainers at the Bitza Olympic Center. She continues to develop the Tellington TTouch Method, writing daily, traveling to teach Tellington TTouch both as visiting professor and at clinics worldwide, and presenting to professional organizations.

Over 1300 certified Tellington TTouch practitioners work with horses, companion animals, rescued wildlife, exotic animals, and people in twenty-eight countries. There are Tellington TTouch Method Training programs in Canada, Germany, Austria, Australia, Switzerland, the Netherlands, South Africa, the U.K., Japan, Slovenia, and the U.S.A.123