Elemental Equestrian

04/25/2024

When you become an equestrian professional, it’s easy to lose sight of your own horses and goals in favor of your client’s horses and their goals. While supporting others in their journeys can be very rewarding, if you don’t make enough time for your own journey, you won’t be fulfilled and won’t have as much to give. I’m learning this! All I can say is I’ve made more time for my horses recently and it feels really good. Taking a moment of appreciation for the little herd of OTTBs that have come through my program and aren’t going anywhere. They are such special horses and I’m having a ton of fun developing them. I love them so! Jackson (bay), Juniper (chestnut) and Harlow (grey) 💘

03/23/2024

Had a wonderful kick off to the season today with our Spring Clinic! So much fun. 🌸

03/13/2024

A horse in his true power

I think one of the main reasons so many training programs make quick work of shutting a horses energy down is fear of their power.

If you’ve ever ridden a horse who is fit, unblocked through the back and confident, there is quite a formidable amount of energy in there. It is a strong, bounding energy, like riding a lightning bolt- you’re part of the circuit, but you don’t have near as much control or say as you’d hope.

I think a healthy frame of mind for riding is to consider your weakness and infinitely poorer judgment and timing in the sensory world of a horse. One must let go to some degree-

There is much to be gained in the letting go, in the integrating into the movement of an animal much more graceful than you. To sit and allow your body to become better than it ever could on it’s own- this is an experience that requires detachment from control.

If you work to develop balance and strength, you have the obligation to stay out of the way and let it be shown. A horse in their glory feels like moving, and moving powerfully, and this is precisely what most people do not want.

But why?
Why aren’t riding schools teaching folks to sit centered and stay out of the horses way?
To understand, support and honor movement?

Why don’t people invest heavily in learning to ride, and ride well, like their life depends on it?

instead of hoping their horse, a 1200 pound rabbit with a sports car motor and a brain that could fit in one man’s hand, adjust to meet their needs instead?

Why instead, do many lesson programs immediately indoctrinate young children with kicking, pulling, making a slave out of a tired and weak horse?

Why do people fear lack of control on a beast who’s grace and freedom and power is what attracts them in the first place?

So much fear, so much desire for control, so much teaching the horse to physically power down, to drop the base of the neck so there is nowhere to go without artificial human energy taking its place -
Or to mentally escape because there is nothing and nowhere worth going to.

The reality is, you can develop a friend, you can develop confidence, freedom, and balance, and you will still be riding a rocket ship. You have some say, but likely you are slower, less agile, and have poorer judgement as things concern intake and processing of information, so you have to accept some lack of control to get along well with horses.

Learn to balance the horse, help them feel free in their bodies, and stay out of their way.

02/14/2024

Who’s your equine valentine? 💘

01/26/2024

Let horses move past their “story”

When you’re in the thick of it, the story is real. The behaviors can be explained by a past, near or far. Some of it may be valid, some may be our interpretation, some may be best guesses. Either way, here we are.

But horses have a strong desire to be balanced. If given half a chance, most of them, I’ve found, adapt. Some need a little more help, some have a missing ingredient that helps them complete the recipe of wellness. But usually, people are in the way.

I’ve been that person too. It’s easy. You tell the story over and over - “she was traumatized.” “You won’t be able to catch her, she hates men.” “She doesn’t trailer.” “She had an accident while tying so she doesn’t tie.” These things may have been true at one time, but without adapting our awareness to the current moment day by day, moment by moment, we so often keep the horses progress stifled.

I can’t tell you how many troubled horses I’ve had that I tip toed around, told the public to watch out, and one day discovered them calmly standing. Before my very eyes they had turned into another horse, and I was so busy talking about them I hadn’t noticed who they were now.

01/24/2024