Lotus Horsemanship

08/31/2024

Tickets to the State Fair are only $5 if you buy them online before the end of the day Monday, Sept 2! Otherwise you will have to pay $20 on-site to get into the Fair, or $15 if you purchase a ticket online after Sept 2....

Here's how to purchase online:

08/30/2024

Hi please join me for a demo and clinic on liberty work and consensual partnership on Sept 9 and 10! If you're interested in bringing your horse to the clinic, dm me or call Mariah Wilson at 505-803-3228.
For more info on the clinic, go to

Horse training Natural horsemanship Wonder Partnership ParelliMindfulness Self-compassion Sacred Excellence? Connection Horsemanship Magic Cassandra Reid New Mexico Albuquerque Horsepeople South Valley

08/14/2024

During the NM State Fair, I'll be doing an evening demo and a clinic the next day. Both are free to watch. If you're interested in being a clinic participant with your horse, message me for more info or call the number on the flyer!

07/23/2024

This video shows some ways we can build consensual partnership through liberty play.

What is liberty play? It’s when we play and learn with horses without using halters, lead-lines, bridles, etc.

What is consensual partnership? It’s when the horse chooses to engage with you and goes all in for whatever you’re doing together! And you go all in to attuning to their needs and reading them more deeply.

This process feeds our souls (both horse and human); it creates safety, better biomechanics, and greater health. All the work we do at liberty translates to working under saddle, trailer loading, farrier and vet work, etc.

I’ll be conducting a Liberty for Consensual Partnership demo at the New Mexico State Fair on Monday, Sept 9, at 6 pm in the Indoor Horse Arena. It’s free!

And on Tuesday, September 10 from 9 am-4 pm, I’ll be holding a clinic in the Outdoor Horse Arena. It’s free to watch, and there will be spots for up to 8 participants with their horses. Clinic spots are $90 and include a free stall. Send me a dm or click on the link for more info:https://cdn.saffire.com/files.ashx?t=fg&rid=NewMexicoStateFair&f=Lotus_Horsemanship_Clinic.pdf

Hope to see you there!

02/26/2024

Paloma’s first ride on Bud:
This is a textbook example (if there were textbooks for these things, lol) of how to prepare at liberty for a first ride. Paloma is holding boundaries, building relaxation and trust, taking time, and finding such a lovely synchrony with Bud, so that he is able to walk off from subtle cues after she gets on.
Paloma is a novice rider with enormous talent and natural feel. Bud is a rescue horse who spent years in solitary confinement, was somewhat starved, and became dangerous because of his size and lack of confidence. He has struggled to feel OK moving out under saddle, but he blossoms here with Paloma. Beautiful job to both of you, and it’s such an honor to watch your connection grow!

05/08/2023

So proud of this horse and his person; she is his angel. She has given him wings to trust again. He had a lot of fear about haltering, leading, having his feet trimmed, and getting in the trailer. Chase Roybal came and we got his feet done. Chase is an amazing farrier and wonderful with nervous horses.

10/29/2022

I love these kinds of horse problems!
Me gustan problemas así con caballos!
Info: https://www.lotushorsemanship.com

07/10/2022

Gathering Rain Clouds In My Arms

In meditation this morning I realized, this is who I truly am. It’s not about lists of good qualities that I can cling to when I feel insecure. It’s about being. It’s an action, like using a muscle, rather than a thought.

It’s not clinging to a framework of qualities, either desirable or undesirable, that shapes me; it’s more a way of showing up for myself. Myself: imperfect and brilliant, visionary and stumbling, completely here, completely accepting who I am at this moment, this hour, this day, this decade, this lifetime. It’s not that the self doesn’t shift over time, it’s that the true self is always there and it’s a relationship, a state of being with ourselves, rather than any particular qualities or attributes.

When anxiety came up for me yesterday, I was thinking (and have always thought) that if I could remember the “good things“ about me I would be OK. But it’s not about thinking, it’s about the quality of relationship with ourselves in that moment. The action and the muscle rather than the thought or the words.

And what is the quality of relationship with myself that changes everything in that difficult moment? Compassion.

How do I cultivate it?
With my breath. On the in-breath, I breathe into the feeling of anxiety, tension, self-doubt - whatever is tripping me up in that moment. At the top of the breath, I summon a wave of compassion. It’s like gathering rain clouds in my arms. On the out-breath, I let it this compassion wash over the Me that is feeling tense, scared, anxious, less-than. There are no words, no thoughts. There’s no mantra, nothing to remember. Just the next breath. As long as it takes.

Over time, it gets easier. Anxiety comes less often. The muscle I’ve built sustains me and I no longer have to work quite as hard at it. But I still have to keep practicing, to keep that muscle in shape. I don’t think I’ll ever stop practicing, but over time it’s slowly becoming more a way of being and less a strategy that I have to remember to use.

From my journal December 14, 2021, updated July 10, 2022
With thanks to Dr. Melinda Garcia PhD.

04/13/2022

02/08/2022

12/16/2021

Today we were playing with upward and downward transitions, drive and draw, and asking him to match my gait and energy. And laughing, improvising, both being goofballs.

12/16/2021

This horse has been pretty tense, shut down, and in pain for a while. It's been hard to ride or even get him to move some days. I've been focusing on helping him to relax at a deeper level, allowing him more time to come back to a state of relaxation throughout our workouts, and through Equine Positional Release bodywork. The greater relaxation and trust has freed him to bounce and play in a whole new way, and his soreness has lessened. It's sooo much fun to play with this guy! We'll be building on this energy and connection next time we ride. Liberty work always pays benefits when you're in the saddle. https://lotushorsemanship.com/classes-and-events/

12/10/2021

In the past, this horse kicked if anyone touched his hind legs, and it took time for him to be OK with having his feet held. Now he's able to get his feet trimmed at liberty with dogs underfoot.

I love helping people get their horses comfortable, whether that's out on the trail, in the arena, in the trailer, or for veterinary/farrier procedures - your vet will thank you!

Part of making progress with horses involves thinking about the whole horse, including nutrition and health, and choosing care providers who provide a calm, positive environment and are willing to take a little extra care when your horse needs it...like Dr. Sara Loya at Bar SL Veterinary, Dr. Matt Paxton at Zia Equine, Dr. Brad Root at Albuquerque Equine, and farriers Chase Roybal and Andrew Varela! I'm grateful for them.

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10/21/2021

Drama-free trailer loading: 3 horses, 3 minutes.
We train this by breaking trailer loading down into a series of steps and playing with each step using patience, communication, and a sense of fun. After a while it becomes effortless.

At Lotus Horsemanship we focus on having fun, staying safe, training for specific purposes, and doing lots of stuff at liberty! Please get in touch if you'd like to solve a problem, learn how to play at liberty, or simply up your horsemanship game in general.

https://youtu.be/oesvPx9cQDg

10/06/2021

This business has been a long time coming. It's what I was meant to do 40 years ago, but I ended up on a different road - a wonderful road through art and community that connected me to so many amazing and inspiring people. All of you Albuquerque artists and activists, you know who you are...you have taught me how to teach and live with an open heart. I sincerely hope I'm bringing your depth of commitment to community, your attitude of mutual support, and your jaw-dropping inspiration, talent, and determination to this new business. You've given me a sense of connection and the courage to be myself, and I'm so very grateful.

Margarita and Vanessa, you're two of the most amazing teachers, artists, moms, and people that I know. You've taught me so much and I just want to say thank you.
John Paul, Roberto Rosales, Keith Scott thank you so much for helping me with photos and website, etc.

10/05/2021

10/05/2021