EquiClarity

06/23/2025

This first cohort blew me away! We dug into the role of an evaluator, a trainer, and a facilitator. We practiced being neutral observers, we learned facilitation skills, and together we did some powerful reimagining of the professional horse training industry. Change has arrived in the form of compassionate, empathetic, professional educators. Get ready, horse world!

Next cohort is scheduled for August 23-24 I have six spots available. Click this link 👇🏽and reach out if you would like a spot!

The horses and their humans need you!

https://www.honeybook.com/widget/sincerus_healing_287122/cf_id/67918623f5c8a30025a8ea70


06/20/2025

Staying hydrated and getting ready for the first cohort of "Train the Trainer" this weekend!! Let's do this!! 💪🏼

06/03/2025

Starting over. Again. And again.

I recently rode with a visiting instructor. One of the other riders remarked that, once again, she felt like she was having to “start all over” learning how to ride correctly. She did great in her lessons where she tweaked a few things. She already had a solid foundation and clear skill.

There is nothing linear about working with horses. Zig, zag, up, down, all around. Wouldn’t it be nice if there was a money-back guaranteed 12 step program to great riding. Or body working. Or saddle fitting. Or horse ownership. Or, or, or…

We learn, we zig. We learn something new, we zag. Then maybe we zig again because part of the zig was actually worth keeping. It’s not helpful or healthy to run around learning 1,000 things form 1,000 teachers, discernment in education is important. And, as we go down the road, we become wiser about how to be discerning. Sometimes we make the wrong choices. Sometimes we stumble on gold.

Mastery - or just being pretty good at something - involves the ability to navigate a lot of shifting sands, a lot of dead ends, a lot of trying and failing and seeing what sticks, what works, what is possible over the test of time. I really don’t think it ever ends given the nuance of working with horses and the ever-evolving information that comes to light through studies and practice and just the constant nature of learning, if that’s your thing.

It takes resilience to be willing to rethink, restart, realign, again and again. Knowledge is not static. It grows, it reinvents, it expands. Even the classics must be understood in a modern context.

I have always said that my bodywork practice will be ever-evolving; the way I do things now will not be the same in a year or two - and that has indeed been the case from the very beginning. I’m in the middle of a certification course right now. My clients don’t care and neither do their horses, as long as I’m effective. I wouldn’t want to learn from anyone who is static, teaching the exact same thing they did ten years ago.

The fact that change is ever-present has not, will not, change.

In those recent lessons, I also came away with many tweaks to my riding, and I was ecstatic about it - because my horse felt so much more willing and balanced. Will I need to have the discipline to literally realign some things and practice and struggle and be uncomfortable with the faith that it will work out? Yes - because I got a taste of what greater flow feels like, so I’m in. Have I also experienced a loss of hope when I thought I’d really screwed up and maybe should never ride my horse again? Yes I have - like, last year. And so I had to begin again.

I guess I’ve come to realize that it’s often about the perspective we choose. Horses can be hard. Take joy wherever the hell you can find it.

You can fight the ever-changing, ever-evolving nature of working with horses, or you can try to find the slip stream and rejoice in the bits of flow here and there, chasing them with joy and determination. Will you get beached, gasping for air and questioning your ability or desire to swim any more? Yes you will. Let someone toss you a float, and jump back in.

Photo of instructor Helen Marie Ingersoll helping Hilary Martin gently hit the reset button.

05/25/2025

The "Train the Trainer" workshop is happening June 20-22. Id love to have you join us for this first cohort! fill out the link and ill send you the details!

https://www.honeybook.com/widget/sincerus_healing_287122/cf_id/67918623f5c8a30025a8ea70

05/14/2025

I've been thinking about this issue a lot lately.

How can we get our education up to speed so that we understand that riding does not have a greater value than not riding? I have two non-ridden horses at my farm and I value them both immensely.

Not only are they a reminder of many of my past mistakes, but they are still here and available for the change and growth that I'm working so hard to realize.

I think the future will be developing education for new horse lovers that relies heavily on non-ridden work.

Now, don't get me wrong! I am a fierce advocate for good riding and training. But I believe we are going to have to expand our work as trainers and instructors to make space for amplifying the value and importance of all types of horse stewardship. 

No one wants a horse they can’t ride.

This simple fact promotes a lot of harm within the horse world.

Saddle fitters feel pressured to fit saddles to underdeveloped and atrophied top lines because owners don’t want to hear that the saddle cannot be fit and that the horse should not be ridden until they have more back muscle.

People feel entitled to riding — they don’t want to have to be “sidelined” on the ground, especially if there are other professionals who will give them the answer that they are looking for, the one that tells them they can continue on riding without issue.

Trainers experience something similar.

Client horses who are not completely physically sound, or are mentally struggling, owned by clients who don’t want to hear that they need to slow things down and not ride or take things way slower under saddle.

Humans are creatures that often seek instant gratification, and when this involves another animal like a horse, that desire to seek out the more fun destination often comes at the expense of the Horse.

It also pressures professionals to take shortcuts and enable things that they know deep down are not the best for the horse.

This is so insidious in our industry.

It is the pressure behind a lot of bad decisions that end up permanently damaging horses or dooming horses to lives where they are forced to work through pain.

Riding should not be viewed as a right.

It should be seen as a privilege.

And, when owning a horse, it should be seen as a given that that doesn’t mean that you are perpetually entitled to riding them.

It means that part of your duty as their caretaker and advocate may involve not always having your desire to ride come first.

It may involve taking breaks as needed for the betterment of their physical and mental well-being.

This should be the standard, but it isn’t.

It is so incredibly common to see people putting off their permanently lame horses onto other people because they are not willing to pay for them when they are not rideable.

This is so normalized that people will even say that they don’t want to pay for a horse that they cannot ride.

And while I understand, that horses are expensive, we can’t really skirt around the fact that, for far too many people, horses lose all value to them when they are not rideable.

People no longer want to keep their horse safe or pay to care for them if they cannot sit on their back.

This fact inevitably results in a lot of unwanted horses.

And there simply are not enough homes that want to take on the unrideable horse.

This is an uncomfortable conversation that needs to be had.

How many professionals can think back to a situation where they felt pressured to keep a horse in work when they knew it wasn’t the best option?

How many of them bit their tongue and didn’t tell the owners what they wanted to say because they knew it wouldn’t be listened to?

How many of us have had to sacrifice our morals at some point in order to get a paycheque to pay the bills?

I know that I have. It was necessary to do so in order to further my career, because no one wants to be told not to ride, especially when they are paying you to solve their problems.

But, sometimes it is necessary to forgo riding to solve the root of the problem.

Yet, very few people are open to hearing that.

Has anyone else experienced this?

05/11/2025

I recorded this with my friend, Lockie last year. We drilled down into some problems with how we collectively consider and work with horses that I believe need examination and solutions - like EDUCATION! We recently recorded a follow up and I look forward to being about to share part 2, soon!

Very excited about episode 33 with the incredible Helen Ingersoll! Every time I meet with Helen my mind is blown.

Her story is one of survival, grit, profound intellect and intuition. A rider, trainer, coach and facilitator, you really don’t want to miss this episode.

Find it everywhere you get your podcasts

Thank you Helen!

05/09/2025

“Why Train the Trainer?”

We’re diving into the nitty gritty of horse observation and curriculum creation during my new Train the Trainer Workshop, a hands-on + theory-based experience designed to sharpen your eye, your voice, and your systems.

✔️ Learn how to assess the whole horse—physically, mentally, and emotionally and decide if they are a candidate for a ridden OR non-ridden path
✔️ Workshop real case studies in a collaborative setting - work with your peers and co create!
✔️ Walk away with tools you can use in your own program immediately

Only 10 spots. June 20–22. First come, best served. 🐴
DM me or visit

https://www.honeybook.com/widget/sincerus_healing_287122/cf_id/67918623f5c8a30025a8ea70

for more info!

04/26/2025

Hi!!! This page has changed its name to reflect the work that Im doing now. Frog Pond Farm is still alive and well where I get to have my herd and the occasional special horse and rider combo that need what the land, this herd, and I have to offer.

But, the big news is that Equiclarity has launched! I'll be sharing about the evaluation service I have created as well as the 3 module "Train the Trainer" program over the next few weeks so keep an eye out for that info.

My email has shifted to [email protected] and branding is forthcoming!

01/22/2025

🌟 Change is the Only Constant 🌟

Frog Pond Farm has been more than just my home—it’s been my laboratory for growth, healing, and discovery. This special place has shaped who I am today, allowing me to grow alongside the horses I care for and develop skills I’m truly proud of.

In 2017, I left my salon career behind. I poured my heart into developing my Salon Company. I thought Id pass that legacy on. But, the universe had other plans. While the outcome wasn’t exactly what I envisioned, I relied on this farm to become my sanctuary—a place to recalibrate, reflect, and, honestly, to hide out for a while.

Now, it’s 2025, and I’m emerging with newfound clarity and excitement. I’ve realized that the work I love most—and the people I love working with—deserve a name and a vision that truly reflects what I offer. Frog Pond Farm will always be home, but it’s time to focus on the mission, not just the place.

I’m thrilled to reintroduce myself: I’m Helen Ingersoll, and my passion lies in helping horse owners cultivate clarity and connection with their horses. My work combines 30 years of experience training, competing, and caring for horses with a 25-year career in the beauty industry, where listening to and supporting people was at the heart of everything I did.

Now, I’m blending these two skillsets to serve both horses and the humans who love them.

In the coming weeks, I’ll be sharing opportunities to connect and collaborate—tools, services, and experiences designed to help you trust yourself, build confidence, and enjoy your horse more deeply than ever before.

This is just the beginning of an exciting new chapter, and I can’t wait to share it with you.

💫 Stay tuned for what’s next! 💫