Tudo Abrangente Horsemanship

09/06/2025

I see many trainers advertising things like, Lessons designed to fit your individual needs. I don’t do this. I will direct the rider/student to what the horse needs in order for the horse to be able to give the rider what they need.

08/05/2025

04/05/2025

The Subtle Art of Shutting a Horse Down 😎
(Because looking calm and being okay are not the same thing)

There’s an idea floating around the horse world that needs a little caution tape. 🚧
It’s the belief that when a horse lies down during a clinic—snoring gently into the sand—it’s a sure sign of success. That they’re relaxed, trusting, and deeply at peace.

But here’s the thing: not all stillness is created equal.

It’s easy to spot an anxious horse. They’re reactive, unsettled, practically bouncing off the environment. But what about the ones that go very still? The ones who seem calm—too calm—and begin to check out completely… even to the point of lying down?

I’m not talking about a horse standing quietly. I mean that eerie kind of stillness that makes you wonder if anyone’s home. The lights are on, but the horse is mentally halfway to Narnia. 🦌

Because overwhelm doesn’t always look like movement. Sometimes, it looks like sleep. When a horse can’t run or fight, the brain takes the third option: freeze. Nervous system in low-power mode.

And yet, people often celebrate it.
“Look!” they say. “He’s lying down—he must feel safe!”
Which is a little like saying, “My child just fell asleep under the table during a shouting match. She must feel really loved and secure.”

Let’s flip it.
Imagine your child is anxious about school. She walks in, curls up on the floor, and nods off.
Do you think:
A) Wow, what a chilled-out kid.
B) That’s… not quite right. 😬

Because when horses—or humans—get overwhelmed, they sometimes switch off. Not because they’re calm, but because they resign into helplessness. It’s not healing. It’s coping.

So before you frame your horse’s nap or stillness as a breakthrough, there is a test:
👉 What happens when you ask them to do something?

Do they respond with interest and softness?
Or do they blink, brace, or go right back into tension?
Does movement bring willingness—or resistance?

Because if your horse is still struggling to engage, they might not be letting go of stress… they might just be disconnected from it.

Shutdown looks peaceful from the outside—but it isn’t the same as peace on the inside.

Let’s not confuse dissociation with progress.
Let’s not reward collapse just because it’s quieter than conflict.
Let’s aim for a horse that’s present, curious, and confident—not one that’s curled up in the sand because that’s the only option left. 🐴

We owe it to them to know the difference.

🌟 Enjoyed this post? Feel free to hit the share button—it’s free, legal, and won’t trigger any awkward conversations about intellectual kleptomania. Please don’t copy and paste the whole thing—respect the work, respect the words. ✍🏼🐴

01/04/2025

Why learning is so difficult.

Learning—true, transformational learning—is hard because it requires us to let go of core beliefs and identities we may not even realize we’re holding onto.

If you want to do something you’ve never done, you have to become someone you’ve never been.

In a growth-oriented environment, you’ll be met with opportunities to gaze into a metaphorical mirror, one that reflects back those unconscious parts of yourself. And while that reflection can be deeply uncomfortable, your job is not to look away, not to fight it, but to stay. To see.

Because as long as you hold onto the beliefs that are keeping you where you are, you’ll keep crashing into that same mirror—again and again—until you’re ready to let them go.

Signs your environment is not conducive to growth:
• Things always go your way
• You never feel challenged or uncomfortable
• You’re not confronted with difficult lessons that force you to question your assumptions
• Feedback is rare—or only affirming
• You’re surrounded by people who agree with you, not challenge you

This is why the horse is such a powerful catalyst.
The horse doesn’t lie, doesn’t flatter, and doesn’t play social games.
They meet you in the moment, unfiltered—
And in doing so, they show you who you really are. But it is your responsibility to acknowledge and change the parts of yourself which don’t serve the horse in return.

10/03/2025

Something remarkable happens when you can see a horse for who they truly are—not through the lens of your own expectations, needs, insecurities, or fears, but as they exist in their own right. You honor their right to exist as they are.

This is so foreign for many horses—and many people—so unfamiliar that they don’t even know how to step into it. They’ve spent a lifetime being defined by the selfish perspective of others, leaving them without the opportunity to explore who they truly are. So when you start to scratch the surface and invite them to come alive, it can feel unsettling. Unfamiliar. Even terrifying.

How we raise and relate to our horses shapes this development profoundly. Just as with children, we either impose an identity upon them—one that meets our own needs and desires—or we nurture their self-discovery, giving them a safe space within respectful boundaries and the confidence to become their true selves.

But if we do the former, we are robbing that being—horse, human, or other—not just of their individuality, but of the chance to come alive and thrive. We rob them of their essence.

10/03/2025

The Law of Mentalism

“The All is Mind; the Universe is Mental.”
This ancient principle from the Hermetic teachings suggests that our reality is shaped by thought. One thing I have learned from my horsemanship practice, is that this concept is not just philosophical—it’s a lived experience. Horses, as deeply sensitive beings, respond to the unseen forces of our mental and emotional states, reflecting back to us the energy we project. By understanding the power of thought in horsemanship, we can cultivate deeper communication, trust, and connection with our equine partners.

Horses do not operate from ego or pretense; they perceive the world through raw sensory awareness. This means that when we interact with them, they pick up on our internal landscape—our emotions, intentions, and even subconscious beliefs. If we are tense, uncertain, or mentally scattered, the horse senses this and responds accordingly. Likewise, a calm, aware presence invites the horse into a state of trust and cooperation.

A wandering mind leads to unclear communication. Whether in groundwork or riding, our thoughts must align with our actions. When we set a clear intention—whether it’s asking the horse to move forward, yield, or stand quietly—we must first embody that request mentally before expressing it physically. The more heightened our awareness of ourselves, the more effortlessly the horse understands us. Clarity of thought directs body language in a way that the horse intuitively understands.

Beyond visualization, our overall energetic presence plays a critical role. As prey animals, horses are highly attuned to the state of our nervous system. A grounded, centered presence fosters confidence in the horse, while an anxious or distracted mind can lead to resistance or confusion. Developing this awareness—through breathwork, mindfulness, or simply being fully present in the moment—enhances our ability to communicate with horses on a deeper level.

The horse serves as a powerful catalyst, helping us see ourselves on a deeper level.

26/02/2025

I’ve been wanting to write about this for a while, but every time I sit down to try, I struggle to find the right words—words that will truly be heard and understood.

More often than not, the answer isn’t in doing more, but in doing less—and doing it much sooner. I had several conversations with my students last week about the “little things.” The subtle shifts, the moments that seem insignificant but ultimately build into the challenges that bring us to seek help. When we learn to notice these subtleties, not from a lens of our own personal needs and desires but from truly seeing and understanding where the horse is at, we can offer our them more of the support they need long before things escalate.

At the heart of working with horses, consistency and authenticity matter most. The more a horse struggles, the more they need clarity, steadiness, and an approach that is built on values they can trust, not on what we think is nice. For a horse who has known confusion or poor handling in the past, learning a new way of being—of relating to humans—can be overwhelming. If our actions don’t align, if our message isn’t clear and consistent, we risk deepening their self-preservation rather than guiding them toward confidence and empowerment. Undoing that kind of fear takes time, and every inconsistency only makes the process take longer.

It’s not about what you do together—it’s about how you do it. If you’re just moving through the motions, checking off tasks without being present to where your horse is mentally and emotionally, you might be causing more harm than good. But if you slow down, tune in objectively, and truly consider where they are without projecting your own fears, desires, wants, and needs, the entire experience shifts. That’s where the real connection begins.

12/02/2025

I am looking to add a couple of clinic/private lesson dates to my calendar this year for the months of March, June, and November. Please message me directly if you are interested in hosting.

02/01/2025

Congratulations Linda!

Horse trainer

07/12/2024

Working with horses should be a rewarding endeavor, not about having fun.

These two opposing perspectives result in profoundly different consequences, with one emphasizing self-centeredness and the other seeking to improve the lives of both humans and horses. One sacrifices the horse, perpetuating the illusion of self. The other enlightens us to reality.