Epona Equine

10/16/2023

Comparative neurobiology

The size of the brain isn't what determines the intelligence of the animal, the amount of wrinkles do!
If it was the size of the brain that determined the intelligence, then a German Shepherd would technically be more intelligent than a Chihuahua, which we know is not the case.

The more socially complex the animal is, the more wrinkles they have. We know dogs are socially complex, they have social skills that often challenges human emotional fitness.

Now compare the dog brain to the horse brain!

We all know how intelligent dogs are, maybe we're not giving horses enough credit for their intelligence?

Why is it then that horses don't often offer us cognitive behaviours like dogs, such as problem solving, reasoning, impulse control, etc?

Because, for the brain to access these areas, the individual needs to FEEL safe. If the brain doesn't feel safe, all brain functions will be carried out automatically using the deeper structures of the brain. These deeper structures are subcortical, meaning they're under the wrinkly stuff (neocortex) you see in this picture, and their role is designed to help the individual stay safe and alive.

This area of the brain is called the limbic system (AKA primal brain, survival brain, flight/fight brain, emotional brain).

I refer to it as the primal brain. This brain is automatic and unconscious. It doesn't require thought process and is not concerned with responsiveness. It's job is to react and it is best friends with the sympathetic nervous system (stress response nervous system).

When you, your horse, or your dog receives sensory input or a memory and perceives it as unsafe, ALL behaviour, movement and body language will be coming from the primal brain, NOT the wrinkly stuff you see.

We expect our fellow humans, horses and dogs to be operating out of the wrinkly thinky stuff, but that can ONLY happen when the brain feels safe.

Most humans, horses and dogs in today's world are suffering with chronic stress, which means their brains are not only perceiving their world as unsafe, but they are in this state for the entirety of their waking hours.

This has major physiological, mental and emotional repercussions.

How can we help downgrade this chronic stress and start accessing the wrinkly stuff in ourselves, our horses and our dogs?

🧠 Consciously communicate in a way that creates a calm brain 🧠

A calm brain will downgrade the sympathetic nervous system and stress response hormones and allow access to all the juicy cognitive performance areas of the brain that we ALL want access to!

Happy brain training 🧠
Charlotte 😊

05/18/2023

I really feel this is so true with horses

05/12/2023

True story 😅
credits: Pinterest

04/19/2023

God is SO good y’all. Zatanna (ZZ) was diagnosed with EPM a year ago. It was treated and she seemed to be doing better for a while, but then came back worse. She lost a lot of weight, was spinning in circles, wobbly and had cranial nerve issues that made it where she couldn’t eat grain. I did lots of research, threw the kitchen sink at it and then my vet suggested EPM Super Dewormer from Old West Holistic Company. She just finished the 90 day treatment. It was touch and go for a while. She had Acupressure, energy work, so much prayer and lots of faith. She still has some weight to gain and muscle to gain back, but this is huge. I will continue to pray for her recovery. I told God I know she’s “just a horse” but she’s a good horse and life has value. She is a kill pen survivor who was (surprise) pregnant when we got her. I don’t think she was handled kindly in her past, but she has always been sweet. Sometimes exercises in faith come in surprising forms.

04/04/2023

Have you ever just come to the abrupt realization that you don't see anything the same anymore?

The two year old that you once would have approved of starting under saddle now looks like an incredibly immature baby that you can't imagine asking to carry a load.

Physical issues that lead to training and performance issues you no longer view as the problem but perhaps the solution to the actual problem.

All of the things you would have considered behavioral issues you can now see as the balance issues that they are. You no longer want to address the behavior but instead the reason for the behavior.

You are no longer fooled by words. Anyone can say anything about their training and approach...but the horse will tell you a lot about whether the words match the action, if you're educated enough to see it. Some things are debatable...other things definitely aren't.

You now recognize that you are a nervous system and your horse is a nervous system...and that the priority is to keep you upright and alive. That matters, A LOT.

You recognize that developing a horse is an endeavor that takes years. YEARS. Years of a lot of time and a lot of commitment. There's truly no substitute.

You also realize that getting here has meant admitting that there were times when you were wrong. That there were times when you did harm with the best of your intentions. That you had to walk away from circles of people whose beliefs and approach no longer lined up with what you now know...or maybe they walked away from you? Either way, it's hard to stand alone sometimes.

You realize you've had to become a beginner a thousand times over...and you'll continue to find yourself in that spot a thousand more times in the future, plus some. Maybe even at some point today.

You realize that even when it feels like you haven't grown at all...you actually have. That growth is something to be proud of, no matter where you're at on your journey.

- Terra

03/31/2023

« Pourquoi aimer les animaux?
Parce qu'ils vous donnent tout, sans rien demander.
Parce que contre le pouvoir de l'homme armé, ils sont sans défense.
Parce qu'ils sont des enfants éternels, Parce qu'ils ne savent pas ce qu'est la haine ou la guerre.
Parce qu'ils ne connaissent pas l'argent et qu'ils se consolent seulement avec un endroit pour échapper au froid.
Parce qu'ils se font comprendre sans dire un mot,
Parce que leur regard est aussi pur que leur âme.
Parce qu'ils ne connaissent ni envie ni rancune,
Parce que le pardon est encore naturel en eux.
Parce qu'ils savent aimer avec loyauté et fidélité.
Parce qu'ils vivent sans avoir une maison luxueuse.
C'est pourquoi ils n'achètent pas l'amour,
ils attendent juste ça.
Et parce qu'ils sont nos compagnons, amis éternels, que rien ne pourra séparer.
Parce qu'ils sont vivants.
Pour ceci et mille autres choses, ils méritent notre amour. »

Mère Teresa

03/24/2023

https://carsonjames.com

03/23/2023

03/12/2023

Get it right. BUT you can still FEED responsibility 😘

03/11/2023

Something to ponder!!

03/10/2023

Have you ever trusted someone with your life? Have you ever been in hot water, and known without a shadow of a doubt the person you’re with will not only keep you safe, but help you thrive? Have you ever felt your abilities completely seen, and pushed in a way that makes you feel confident?

Think about being in that position - and imagine how much a horse needs from us. That is what they deserve to feel from us, with every interaction.

03/09/2023

Same goes for animals.

www.instagram.com/wildfaithpoetry/?hl=en

02/24/2023

02/21/2023

A friend said recently that horses really like a ’Long Hello’. That many horses feel immediately rushed by us, and this can really set us onto a path of misunderstandings and conflicts with the horse. 



Out on a trail ride the other day, my horse carrying me calmly, carefully, steadily, he waded into the river, and splashed his nose in the water, lifted into a Flehman’s Response, then pawed at the water. It made me laugh. The sun was shining. It was perfect weather, cool enough for a jacket, sunny enough to not get cold. I reached down and rubbed his shoulder. My body flooded with all the feel good things I almost always feel around horses.
"Thanks buddy”, I said.

Gratitude. 

I wake up. I go to my horses. I am grateful. Already won. Why?



There are plenty of voices out there telling us, and our horses, that they are not good enough. Not correct enough, fit enough, collected enough, shiny enough, natural enough, healthy enough, calm enough, cooperative enough.



It is enough.



I am grateful before the horse because that is my long goodbye to the horse. We never know when we will have our last moment with our horses. And under normal set of circumstances, we will all outlive our horses, and if we are REALLY lucky, we will be there with them, in gratitude and dignity, at the very end. 



So I stay grateful, so that I do not have to GET grateful. Because that is my long goodbye to my horses. No matter if it was to be today, or in 30 years from now.

There is a training principal that permeates equestrian culture at almost every level and wears many disguises. It is the principal of trying to win. It sets the human against the horse and see's the working relationship with them as something competitive. Who wins, who loses, who gets their way. Who gets what they want.

The reason why I try to steer away from that, and you should to, is that it sets you up on a pathway of diminishing gratitude. That diminishing gratitude will eventually leave you utterly burnt out with horses.

So what to do about it? How to express your gratitude to a horse in a way they understand?



1. When the horse doesn’t give you what you want, try smiling about it. Breathe-in. Wait. You can always repeat the question in a moment. And maybe they didn’t understand you, or can’t do that thing today. Or maybe their lesson for you today is not about you getting what you want, but something else



2. When the horse does give you what you want in two seconds or less, permit yourself to feel joy about that. Smile like a maniac. Don’t be entitled or demanding (Unless in an emergency of safety). Tell that horse, in your language, that it was wonderful what they did. And feel what you say, so that the horse feels you too. 



3. The 1-Minute Ride. Once in a blue moon (For established, hard working saddle horses). Catch, groom, tack, warm up, mount. Sit for one minute quietly. Get off. Finish. Say THANK YOU to the horse and give them some extra hay that day. 



4. When correcting a horse whom has problematic posture, movement issues, or behavioural issues. Remember that it is their body not yours. Maladaptive responses exist for a really good reason and taking those away from a horse too quickly and absolutely could deprive the horse from an important coping strategy that is holding them together. Go slower in your reformation of what you deem incorrect, so that the horse has a chance to contribute to it too. They may not adhere to the rules of the system you are using, so give them a chance to SHOW you, what they need. 



5. Give your horse the absolute best quality of life you can. Try to relocate if your barn doesn’t have good living conditions for your horse. Stop giving money to people who know better, but can’t/won’t do better. It doesn’t have to be perfect. But never give up trying to give your horse a life that they enjoy living, outside of their time with you. Even in the most compromised of conditions, you would be amazed what some creative thinking can do to totally change the environment, improving your horses life outside of training.

https://www.emotionalhorsemanship.com

02/17/2023

Only 10 days ago we released a brand new but LONG awaited Five Element for Animals Quiz.
Today we reached our first milestone when a user took the FIVE HUNDREDTH QUIZ!

WOW! That’s a lot of Five Element Codebreaker quizzes for some lucky animals! (links below to the free quiz)

So how good is the quiz?

It's goooood:
We have had 500 completed quizzes (meaning an animal lover followed it to the end and clicked for more information AFTER completion )

We have had 250 unique users (meaning that a TON of users loved their first quiz so much they took it AGAIN for other animals in their life!)

We have been flooded with emails talking about how the quiz gave them the exact insight they needed right now!

AND we have had well over half of those quiz takers sign up for our FREE CODEBREAKER SOLUTION SESSIONS event next week so they can learn MORE about their animals according to the quiz result .
Register here: https://elementalacupressure.net/codebreaker/

Why register (other than it’s free and the PERFECT follow up to your quiz result)? Because once you know there’s a PATTERN behind ALL of your animal’s symptoms, behavior, performance, and learning style you want to know how you can put all of that insight into good USE!

You want SOLUTIONS for your horse’s back pain and your dog’s skin issues and your cat’s aging issues.

And you see that the Five Element system not only gives you practical solutions in lifestyle, training, health care, and relationships, it does so in a way that’s CUSTOMIZED to your animal’s unique pattern!

So the only question that remains is why haven't YOU taken the quiz?
Horse Quiz: https://elementalacupressure.net/quiz-5eh
Pet Quiz: https://elementalacupressure.net/quiz-5epet
Event Registration: https://elementalacupressure.net/codebreaker/

02/15/2023

So thankful. 🙏🏼🙌🏼

02/10/2023

Working on a fun project with one of mine

Trying to get him good at doing this from a stand still so when somebody asks to explain Collection, I can be like here watch lol

Try this one out …

get down on your hands and knees ….. pick your hands up suddenly, and you will fall right down onto your face….

 now this time, bring your knees forward to where they are just behind your hands…

Push down with your knees, just a little bit, and then quickly take your hands off the ground …

You will find that your hands can levitate, and you will not fall

Collection in a nutshell

02/09/2023

GOOD MORNING
BE THANKFUL 😉

02/07/2023

Be among the FIRST to take the new FREE Codebreaker Quiz.
Once you know your animal’s 5E CODE you can create a lifestyle TAILOR MADE for your animal’s unique needs.

Horse Quiz: www.ElementalAcupressure.net/quiz-5Eh
Pet Quiz: www.ElementalAcupressure.net/quiz-5Epet

Thirty years in the making – but only 5 minutes to FREE solutions

Thirty years ago I fell in love with Classical East Asian Medicine (CEAM). I got my diploma in shiatsu and CEAM (for humans – because there WAS no animal acupressure school in 1992!)

Then I did my best to take this practice out to the barn and apply these ancient approaches to the animals in my community. I was amazed at the beauty and power of this approach and how it helped animals thrive.

I was hooked at how this ANCIENT PRACTICE was actually part of the FUTURE of training, health, and wellness for animals.

As part of my schooling in 1992 I read a great book, “Between Heaven and Earth”, a book on Chinese Medicine for humans. The book had a 5 Element quiz and I was FASCINATED at how a simple quiz could spit out a result that was so accurate! I was determined to come up with my own version of a Five Element Theory Quiz – for ANIMALS.

I wasn’t the only one. Some gifted practitioners in the animal world have their own quizzes and they are understandably popular! But since our system is a bit different, I wanted as quiz to reflect what we saw in our practice with hundreds of animals and students from across the globe.

Yes it has taken me years and years to get to this project. But it is finally ready today.

Thirty years in the making but it will only take you about five minutes to complete. And once you complete it, you’ll receive a 10 page pdf sharing what we’ve learned in the past three decades!

So be one of the FIRST to take this free quiz and join a legacy of CENTURIES of Classical East Asian Medicine. You might just get hooked like I did thirty years ago!

We want to build a WAVE of results that transform how animals receive care from those who love them! So when you get your CODE be sure to come back and post your CODE:


Be a part of that wave of change.

Horse Quiz: www.ElementalAcupressure.net/quiz-5Eh
Pet Quiz: www.ElementalAcupressure.net/quiz-5Epet

01/25/2023

A sick equine always catches us off guard, but we need not be unprepared!!

PRINT & SAVE this instructional guide to Equine Vital Signs. This information will help your veterinarian evaluate your equine’s condition when you make that call.

Wylde (\,,/) Williams


source: public domain

01/24/2023

Y’all, I can’t with this b***o. He has brought SO much joy to my life.
2019 Montezuma Peak HMA of the March 2021 Internet Adoption ***o

01/23/2023

YOU see your animal as unique. We do too!
Use Five Element Theory to HONOR that unique nature in all you do for them.

Your horse is NOT "just a horse". Your dog, cat, iguana is NOT just an animal. They are the beautiful, loveable, complex being that you spend your days with.

Each and every animal has their own special 5 Element CODE, an unique pattern of behavior, health, performance and BEING that you care for.

And that unique pattern responds best when you SEE and UNDERSTAND that pattern.

Then you make the RIGHT food choices...
Apply the RIGHT training methods...
Make the RIGHT performance goals and plans...

You KNOW what your animal needs. Down deep inside. To feel great and blossom.

But you have to know the pattern, the CODE.
That's why we are spending the next month focusing on how to be a CODEBREAKER!

We are kicking off the Year of the Rabbit with a ton of Codebreaker POSTS. The image here is the CODE for Abby Polacek's case that we shared the other day (link at bottom). This unique code is helping Abby make GREAT choices for Chief's chronic cough! Submit your case too! https://bit.ly/Submit5ECase

Then in the coming days we're FINALLY releasing our CODEBREAKER 5E QUIZ so you can answer 10 short questions and know where to start with YOUR animal's CODE.

And on February 22-26 we'll be hosting five full days of FREE content on becoming a Codebreaker for your animal.

So stay tuned! It's gonna be FUN!
And you'll finally have 5E SOLUTIONS to share with your animal.

Where to start? Use this link to see how YOU can submit YOUR ANIMAL's story for a FREE 5E analysis. https://bit.ly/Submit5ECase
and see Abby's case for what we are up to!
https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=605400544929027&set=a.483559220446494

01/15/2023

Vertrauen zwischen dir und mir und deinem Pferd und mir

Etwas zum Denken, wenn sich dein Pferd bei Energetikern/Therapeuten/Hufbearbeitern nicht so entspannt verhält...

Wenn du mich zu deinem Pferd rufst, weil zB immer wieder Probleme* mit dem Magen oder den Sehen auftauchen und du tierärztlich schon alles gecheckt hast und dir mal den komplementären Zugang der Chinesischen Medizin anschauen möchtest, kann es für dein Pferd beängstigend sein, wenn es mich noch nicht kennt und ich direkt zu den "Problemzonen" gehe. Das Pferd ist, wie du weißt, ein Fluchttier und versucht Schmerzen in der Regel zu verstecken. Wenn ich zum ersten Mal zu deinem Pferd komme, dein Liebling mich noch nicht kennt, ich fühle, wo es weh tut und versuche dann dort auch noch die Blockade zu lösen, wobei es oft heiß wird und kribbelt.. Das ist spooky 😱.

Oder bei der Hufbearbeitung, ich nehme den Huf hoch, bringe dein Pferd dadurch außer Balance und jedes Mal, wenn der Huf abgestellt wird, fühlt sich der Stand anders an...

Ich möchte hier einen Perspektivenwechsel für dich leichter machen (auch wenn dein Pferd noch keine Anwendung bei mir hatte), einfach aus meiner Sicht über meine wunderbaren Klientenpferde. Pferde sind nicht mit Absicht "schwierig". Ich verstehe Ihr Verhalten total und es ist meine Aufgabe beziehungsweise die Aufgabe des Therapeuten/Energetikers/Hufbearbeiters, das Vertrauen zu dir und deinem Pferd aufzubauen 💓.

* Die gegenständliche Körperarbeit ist kein Ersatz für eine veterinärmedizinische/ärztliche Untersuchung und Behandlung. Die Anwendung wird grundsätzlich am gesunden Tier/Menschen durchgeführt. Medizinische und therapeutische Handlungen sind dem/der Veterinärmediziner/in bzw. Ärzt/in vorbehalten. Wende dich deshalb bei gesundheitlichen Problemen stets an einen Veterinärmediziner/in bzw. Ärzt/in.

Foto: Kundenpferd Kimba in der Hufklinik in CZ