Honeycomb Horsemanship

08/25/2022

Eternity arrive yesterday 8/24/22 💜

08/03/2022

Vote and promote by sharing!

Who will win $25,000, a spread in STAR Magazine, and VIP access to the hottest events in country? You decide!

06/28/2022

Two days ago Miss Sparrow arrived! I have partnered with Great Escape Mustang Collaborative to gentle this two year old Devils Garden filly. She is super sweet. The halter was no big deal for her and all the while she was calm and engaged!

Welcome Sparrow!

Konnie

06/07/2022

“Be” first, then “Do”. Purpose precedes action.

I don’t know about you, but oh boy I’ve felt stuck more often than not throughout my adventure towards finding my haven. If you’re anything like me, you tend to get busy. I’m a busy bee 🐝. I used to jam pack my schedule to not allow myself any down time for distraction or bad habits. (This was of course a distraction in itself and only after having a bunch of bad habits that took up most of my time.)

So what happens when we walk into the pen with an agenda and we pre plan every single thing we are going to do? Well… there’s a few factors at play, but here’s one outlook: we become so focused on what we *want* the outcome to be that we forget to account for where our horse may be mentally/emotionally/physically on that particular day! We may have something planned while the horse is just not into it. Then we might get certain reactions from our horse that are less than desirable so on and so forth…This can cause some messy things!

So what do I mean by “be” first, then “do”? Let’s start with these questions
“Who are you?”
“Who is your horse?”
“Who are you when you work with your horse?”
“Who is your horse when they are at work or at rest?”
“How do you think of yourself, your horse, your relationship with your horse?”

Who you are effects what you do! How you see yourself, your horse, and your relationship with each other effects how you act!

Who do you want to be? When you know who you are, you’ll behave accordingly.

I am kind, quiet, and inquisitive. Convoy is stoic, weary, and intelligent. He was fearful while learning about who I am. I was cautious while learning about who he is. And we are still learning. I could write a list about the why’s and how’s I had gotten to a place of caution with him. I could assure you that it wasn’t him who caused me to be cautious. I could only assume the whys and how’s of his list.. and assumptions are certainly something you don’t want to make with wild horses.

Think of this principle when you’re feeling overwhelmed. If you’re doing anything with your horse while you’re overwhelmed, how do you think that session will go? Take a moment to sit and just be… be compassionate, be quiet, be kind, and do nothing. Just being will alleviate a sense of calmness which will in turn aid in the calming your horse.

This is not found in what we do, but in who we are.

05/11/2022

I’ve been advised to change my LLC name because it’s too similar to the non-profit name. Will be changing this page around a bit and the non profit page will release soon!

05/01/2022

So I put Cruiser the Arabian back into my rotation after giving him a bit to settle in…and things have been going well enough that I put my young apprentice, Cheyenne, on him today.

Cruiser really is a special soul. He has not offered any outrageous behaviors since returning to me and he will make the right person an awesome forever partner.

A kind, gentle, yet super confident hand/rider will be necessary with this guy.

I will continue working with him until the right person comes along.

Konnie Fries

04/30/2022

Convoy is still spooky on his left side. Instead of rushing through things, I’ve decided to keep it slow and simple to ensure he is really ok with things. Setting up a successful foundation is crucial.

04/20/2022

04/20/2022

We can do scary things! But don’t ya dare get in my left side or try to tighten that halter ma’am.

04/18/2022

Cruiser the Arabian is back to stay, at least for now… my hope is to find him a suitable home. His owners surrendered him to me a couple of weeks ago. Through no fault of his own, he was just not a good fit in their herd. If I don’t find him a suitable home he will have a permanent place with me.

**edited to add.. if you are interested in Cruiser, please know he will need an advanced rider with a firm but gentle outlook on horsemanship. He has a history and I’ve helped him work through a lot of things, however, he will absolutely need the right person and maintence to keep him going.

04/18/2022

“Your wings already exist… all you need to do is fly”

04/13/2022

04/08/2022

Now an approved TIP trainer! Get in touch if you’re considering adopting a gentled mustang. I will not have availability until mid summer, but let’s get the convo going!

04/06/2022

Convoy 💜

04/05/2022

Tag #4958 … yesterday was day 2 for us. I keep my sessions short and frequent. He’s accepting the whip all over and we got our first touches. I’ve loosened the tag a bit and there should be a name reveal soon! We started working on halter prep. To do this I use the string on the end of my whip and gently wrap it around where the halter will be sitting and apply gentle pressure to begin teaching him how to give to pressure…. And of course, he gets a cherry on top with some food rewards at the end of the session… Stay tuned!

04/04/2022

He’s confident. He’s got an appropriate amount of flight and just enough fight to make it known he is a force field. We will be really good friends.

I really like this horse.

03/26/2022

Vaquero is pretty darn cool! He came here with major halter aversion. He was the perfect candidate for R+. This is just a little video on learning some body parts. Teaching him body parts will give him a clear indication of what I’m asking for, ultimately helping him while he has complete control over his own behavior. It is a great way to build awareness on moving body parts, and I’m working within his comfort zone in places he was not initially ok with. Instead of desensitizing him, I’m helping him become ok with touch in these places on his own terms. Plus, it’s super fun to teach body parts… most horses catch on to it pretty quick!

03/21/2022

03/10/2022

Sometimes what we do can feel incongruent when it doesn’t match up with our intentions. In the past I know have whole-heartedly said things with deep sincerity, but was unable to follow through or support my words with measurable action. This can lead to being considered untrustworthy, particularly towards myself. Once I gave myself permission to be flexible on outcomes, and speaking about the possible outcomes without a guarantee, I became more congruent with my words and actions, which ultimately transformed my relationship with myself and others…including horses!

There are a few simple things you can do to attain congruency with your equine relationship….

1. If you don’t have the answer and are stuck… admit it to yourself and ask for help!
2. Give yourself permission to be where you are at.
3. Give your horse permission to be where they are at.
4. Don’t hide behind methods… be open to things outside of your comfort zone and knowledge! Of course, as long as it’s humane.
5. Acknowledge and honor what you're feeling.
6. Honor the information you are receiving from your horse.
7. SPEAK YOUR TRUTH

Feel free to send a PM if you want to chat about congruency. I’m happy to listen from a non-judgmental perspective 👇🏽

03/07/2022

Ataraxis Equines is 501(c)3 pending! Some exciting changes going on here!

03/03/2022

“When we do something undesirable, that has an undesirable outcome with our horse …is it a mistake or is it an opportunity for growth?”- Mark Rashid

Perception

03/02/2022

Time. It all takes time. I’ve noticed that *some* people put unrealistic timelines on trainers and their horses. Expectations are that things get done by a certain point, without much consideration for the individual horse. It’s natural to want to see results quickly! We all get high off of instant gratification, and rarely think of the consequential come down.

Sure… we have ways of doing things to “get it done”… and yes… at a certain point we may choose to progress things by using certain tools and methods, for the betterment of a wild horse, who’s future is dependent on domestication.

But ask yourself…. In personal development… do you rush yourself to learn information? And if you do… how well does that information stick? If you’re pressured to learn info in a small amount of time… how do you feel? For me personally I feel stressed, frustrated, and just want it to be over! (Unless it’s fun… i don’t mind learning things under pressure if it’s fun!).. and after I’m done reciting/testing/performing for whatever I need to regarding the info… I’m happy to not ever go back to it. Or the thought of using that information again may get me a little side crossed… it is just not pleasant.

There is a difference between being rushed and pushing a horse outside of their comfort zone to achieve the desired result. Being uncomfortable is inevitable in the growing process! It’s how we CHOOSE to present the information that is key.

What makes the difference in training? Knowing when to push those boundaries! Baby steps are key. Little by little you build progression to get to your desired outcome. Like learning to ride a bike, learning to walk, learning your ABC’s, learning algebra, memorizing a song! With lots of trust building and down time in between. We don’t always get it right, but when we are fully attuned to whatever it is we are learning.. we happily keep trying.

You can’t always have an agenda when you step into a pen with a wild horse. You need to be present. They are far more likely to trust you quicker if you show them you are trustworthy.

I spend a lot of my time sitting with new wild ones. I share meals, I listen to music, I pull out my laptop and research things, listen to an audio book with only one ear in my headphones… I meditate and I simply just do nothing. I’m not always going in there and asking them to do something. Think about forming new friendships or how you respond when you’re intrigued by something new! You get excited, but you take the time to get to know that thing or person as a whole. You give it great intent.

The more positive experiences you can have…. The better your relationship will be when you have to ask for something hard.

Build on trust! Find you’re balance 🙏

01/24/2022

We often think of the 3 F’s with horses (Fight, Flight, Freeze), but what I’ve started doing is also focusing on the 3 human F’s when I’m feeling overwhelmed in the arena:

💎Feel
Internally feeling your surroundings and feeling the information your horse is trying to give you

💎Flow
Going with what feels good in a smooth, calm manner. Think about how water flows and forms.

💎Focus
Focus on how you might be affecting the work environment and transform based on the information you’re being given by your horse.

When I think about these 3 F’s it often helps put things into perspective for me!

01/23/2022