What horses have taught me about communication and connection | Jim Culver | TEDxLander

In this personal story, Jim talks about the connection between him and his horse. Hear stories of how body language and emotion affect horses. Can day to day feelings affect how a horse reacts? Learn whether Jim was able to overcome this barrier with his horse. The intersection of horsemanship and leadership is where Jim Culver finds his passion for both
learning and teaching. Jim has spent the last thirty-plus years working as an educator and
guide, including stints with the Nature Conservancy and the National Outdoor Leadership
School (NOLS). He is experienced in many different aspects of horsemanship - Western and
English riding, horse shoeing, starting colts, horse packing, driving teams, and doing bodywork
on performance horses. He is grateful to have studied with and learned from renowned
horsemen Martin Black, Jim Masterson, and Buck Brannaman. He has also assisted in teaching
leadership and communication seminars to teams from NASA, the US Navy, GOOGLE, and the
Wildland Firefighter Apprenticeship Program.
Jim was born in Charlottesville, VA, where he first started riding horses at the age of seven. He
fell in love with the West at an early age ‘from watching too many John Wayne movies and
Gunsmoke episodes.’ This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx