Hello, I’m Lisa.
I started Holistic Horses as a ‘red letter day’ experience in 2003 - meditation hacks, counselling hacks one to one followed by an hours holistic massage! By 2008 I had a 32 horse riding centre and I no longer offered massage. Holistic Horses was BHS approved and ran programs with Patrick Print FBHS for BHS students of all levels. I was interested in giving adults a once in a life time experience so I ran the Ultimate Racehorse Experience and included celebrity gallops with Grand National winning jockeys Richard Dunwoody and Hywel Davis. I was also interested in working with people who had confidence issues. Having had a bad accident myself when I was 23 I understood the fear that can course through your veins when feeling unsettled on a horse! I studied NLP and ran wibbly wobbly clinics (as they were called then) and enjoyed helping people find lost confidence.
One day I was teaching a confidence clinic and the rider was giving the horse too many aids. He was confused and despite my best try I couldn’t help the lady do less. Someone watching offered to help and it was AMAZING. The rider applied the aids required and no more. The horse happily cantered off. But the amazing part was the union created, this perfect flow of balance and poise between rider and horse.
I looked across and asked: “What was that?” I’d only seen her place her hands on the riders head and there was a change throughout her whole body. “oh - that’s the Alexander Technique”.
A week later I was at an ITM Alexander Technique Sumer School with Dr Don W**d. Surrounded by musician, actors, dancers, business professionals and many more people I was in a whole new world.
It was so powerful that ....
My riding school was closed on the 31st December 2008. At this time I was three months into a four year training course to become a qualified Alexander Technique Teacher.
After selling all my horses I was left with one ... Russell. I was scared of him and I lost my confidence in teaching my clinics. How could I teach confidence clinics when I had a horse I didn’t want to ride?
Well I did get my confidence back on him. It was a long long journey and along the way I studied Parelli Natural Horsemanship completing their four week fast track course with Sam Caporn. I also studied with Dave Stuart including a stint at his station in Australia.
During this time of re-gaining my confidence (2011) I wrote a course for online learning. This is the basis of my Confidence builder course which I guide you through over ten weeks. Its quite amazing the difference this course makes in peoples lives, let alone their horse life!
I have been teaching Alexander Technique for over six years now and am continually amazed at what this work can bring to riders and horses. Helping horses and humans is my goal. I love watching people become empowered by solving their own problems and finding their own answers. This is the basis of my teaching. I believe you each know what you want to achieve and often how to achieve it - the treasure is within. My aim is to help you unlock that treasure chest so you can realise all of your potential.