Reaching Strides Equestrian Centre

11/22/2025

So very well said.

Tonight I caught myself living in my head instead of with my horses…

I was out cleaning stalls, full of excitement and nerves about everything that’s unfolding… my mind running in a hundred different directions.
You know that feeling... when you’re there, but not really there.

And then I stepped outside to dump a wheelbarrow and heard a sound in the dark.

I stopped.
Looked up.
And suddenly realized I’d been so deep in my own thoughts that I’d missed the entire evening around me… the quiet… the breath… the presence of my horses standing in the warm light of the barn.

Horses don’t live in that mental chatter like we do.
They don’t replay yesterday or plan for tomorrow.
They live through their senses: right here, right now.

And when we get quiet enough, we get to meet them there.

✨ You can’t fully enjoy your horse if your mind is somewhere else. Quiet the noise… and find your connection again.

Just a small reminder from a muddy path, a wheelbarrow, and a peaceful barn. ❤️🐎

11/22/2025

A must read

11/20/2025

Our cutie pie Sky in in fabulous home with Lynn on a beautiful morning.

11/19/2025

Road trip to AVC for some vet work with these three amigos. And of course here we are stuck at the bridge due to an accident on the bridge. Better late than never.

11/18/2025

Third day of our winter program on the go today. What a great crew of kiddos. Today we chatted more about parts of the horse, found blemishes to look at, worked on learning about the bones, did you know horses have over 200 in their bodies? And between 9-11 knee bones?
Even the coach learned something new today. We also touched on parts of the hoof, and discussed why it’s so important to know these details if you’re gonna be an equestrian.

11/18/2025

Great read.

⭐ Horses don’t think like humans.

They don’t plan, ruminate, imagine the future, replay the past, build stories, or interpret “meaning.”
They live in the present — in pure sensory experience, moment to moment.

But here’s the part most people miss ⬇️

⭐ Horses do share the same core survival systems we do.

These systems are nearly universal across mammals:

• amygdala (threat detection)
• hippocampus (context + memory)
• hypothalamus (stress hormones)
• autonomic nervous system (fight/flight/freeze)
• vagal pathways (connection + regulation)

So yes —
fear, startle, freeze, shutdown, hypervigilance, overwhelm, relief, and safety all follow the same neurological patterns in humans and horses.

Not the same thoughts.
The same wiring.

⭐ Humans and horses DO NOT share the same thought-based emotions.

Horses don’t feel guilt, shame, embarrassment, resentment, or pride.
Those emotions require:

• narrative
• language
• meaning
• time (past/future)
• abstract thought

Horses don’t have that.

But…

⭐ Mammals DO share the same primary emotional systems.

(A huge thank you to neuroscientist Jaak Panksepp for his decades of research.)

These deep emotional circuits exist in every mammalian brain, including horses:

• FEAR
• RAGE (activation)
• PANIC/GRIEF (separation distress)
• SEEKING (curiosity + exploration)
• CARE (bonding + nurturing)
• PLAY
• LUST

These are NOT “thinking emotions.”
They’re neural circuits — instinctual, biological, and powerful.

Which means:
✔ Curiosity is real.
✔ Social bonding is real.
✔ Play is real.
✔ Safety is real.
✔ Fear is real.
✔ Relief is real.

No stories.
No drama.
Just biology.

⭐ **When we stop guessing what our horse “might be thinking”…
and start understanding what their brain is expressing…everything becomes clearer.**
Communication improves.
Training gets easier.
Trust gets stronger.
And the horse finally stays in the thinking, curious brain —
instead of falling into survival mode.

11/18/2025

Farrier day.

11/16/2025

HUGE CONGRATULATIONS going out to our 2025, 25 year in business RSEC competition team. You all did me so very proud this season and what a lot of loot today to show that hard work pays off. What a wonderful season of fun, learning, riding and progressing. That’s what it’s all about. What a great way to end our 25th season. Big thank you going out to all my girls and their supportive parents and families. And a thank you to ENS and all the competition venues for putting on these shows so we can go have some fun. Here’s to an even greater 2026!!

11/16/2025

Great read

This is a bit long, but important to share ❤️ 15 Fascinating Facts About Horses’ Emotional Memory and Empathy

1. Horses hold one of the most powerful long-term memories among domestic animals — recalling people, voices, and events for decades.

2. They read human intent through facial expressions, distinguishing friend from threat long before a hand is raised.

3. A single act of kindness can echo for years — a horse may seek out the same person even after a long separation.

4. Trauma carves deep grooves — a horse may forever avoid a place, object, or person tied to fear.

5. They sense human emotion through voice tone, breath rhythm, and body tension — even from across a field.

6. They respond not just to fear, but to sadness, joy, or confusion — silently, instinctively.

7. Mirror neurons in their brains allow them to feel what others feel — true empathy in motion.

8. When tears fall nearby, a horse may approach softly, lower its head, and offer a gentle touch — comfort without words.

9. A wounded horse can form the deepest bonds with a patient human — shared pain becomes shared trust.

10. Horses are proven emotional therapists for PTSD, depression, and anxiety — healing hearts, not just bodies.

11. They grieve deeply — lingering by a lost companion or withdrawing in quiet mourning.

12. Once bonded, they memorize your personal rhythms — footsteps, breath, even the silence between.

13. Their memory isn’t just survival — it’s the foundation for profound connection with those who earn their trust.

14. With gentle consistency, fear can be rewritten into safety — even shattered trust can be rebuilt.

15. Horse empathy is biological fact, not folklore — their brains and hearts sync with human emotion in real time.