Revived Spirits

03/06/2025

Surgery #2 is done! I look forward to getting back into the swing of things by the end of June!

16/05/2025

Revived Spirits looks forward to offering a few limited spots for Unicorn Parties this summer!

Play is an important part of any healing process and a crucial component of childhood development. Plus....its FUN!
Our horses are safe and work with people of all ages and backgrounds everyday. We wanted to provide a unique and special experience where children and adults alike could partake in an experience that stretched the imagination, fostered creativity, and engaged the neural exercise of play!

DETAILS:

Facility: Access to the lobby and classroom to set up cake and presents. You can bring your own decorations and decorate the space. There are two bathrooms and a kitchen area with use of the fridge.

Unicorns: The unicorns will be "dressed" and ready to go. You will have access to the unicorns for one hour. Grooming supplies and extra glitter and paint are provided. Children have the option to "decorate" one of the unicorns with the paint and glitter provided. Staging for photos (rainbow backdrop with chair, table, and carrot stand) will be set up for photo opportunities with the unicorns. A "princess" will assist the kiddos with meeting the unicorns, interacting with them, painting them (if you so choose), and taking pictures with them!

TimeFrame: You have access to the facility for 3 hours. One hour is spent with the unicorns. That leaves two hours for presents, cake, set-up and tear down of the party!

The horses utilized as unicorns work full time as therapy horses and look forward to making dreams come true in a fun and unique way! They are safe to be around and enjoy interacting with people! Initiate play, imagination, and create core memories!

Please DM me with any questions or to get your Unicorn Party on the books! Spots are limited!

12/05/2025

Proudly welcoming the newest member of the herd at Revived Spirits! The HomeHorse!

This piece of equipment is groundbreaking for assisting riders to find their center of balance, become aware of and improve asymmetric issues, strengthen riding muscles, stretch out the hips and pelvis, ensure not to balance with their hands, and provide confidence for when they feel ready to get back in the saddle!

The HomeHorse will be available for all equestrians participating in the coaching program or mental health counseling program. It is a great step towards re-gaining confidence and balance before riding.

Accidents and life changes can make riding scary!! While working on the HomeHorse, clients can find their seat and center to make their first ride back in the saddle less intimidating and more successful!

We are all about working through the trauma stored in the body, especially when it’s connected to horse related accidents. The HomeHorse is a great place to start!

04/05/2025

Surgery went well! Thank you all for your well wishes! I am excited to gear up for the week as my facility hosts the Massage School and we can meet some new faces!

29/04/2025

Wednesday Classes will be CANCELED for the next 2 weeks due to me being out for a surgery! We will resume on May 14th!

25/04/2025

Working to find balance. Engaging a horses mind in the training process is the best part. I don’t want a shut down, dull horse. I want a horse that can think for themselves while also respecting the partnership we have created together.

What Am I Controlling...

We all feel, at least on some level, a need to try and control the outcome of the things in our life. It's in our nature, it's hard wired into our brains. The trouble is that when it all shakes out we can't actually control most of what happens, we can only control how we react to it.

This is a hard concept for me to except truth be told, I don't like it, but that doesn't change it either.

Horses are a great reminder of this, the more we try to control-at least as a micromanaging way, the less I actually will have control over.

I see riders all the time riding with the common death grip on the reins with the hope that choking the life out of whatever material is attached to the bit, and ultimately the horses soft tissue of their mouth, will somehow keep the bad from happening.

The reality is we are riding very large animals with a brain that thinks differently than ours does. Not wrong just different. In fact, get that brain going in the right direction, the one with us, and we will have a valuable team mate.

What I have learned is that we will never get more control by pulling more or harder. All we get is a distracted horse with a piece of metal in their mouth having its jaw pulled on like it's an emergency brake. But all brakes will burn out when over used.

Instead I teach a horse to manage it's emotions, just like I have to manage mine. Teach them to think versus react. This is hard, no doubt, but when the work is put in not only are we better, but the horse sure is as well. A horse that has learned this now sees us as the solution to the problem and a true partnership is formed. When this happens our horses want to be around us.

This only happens when we let go of our death grip on the reins and understand we can't control everything, we could get bucked off in life. Our horse may spook. That's the reality of life, we cant control everything.

But what we can do is use the negative and turn them into positive learning experiences, in (life or horses)

With our horse this is done in an arena gaining the ability to move their bodies and work on speed control then outside in real life, on a loose rein.

In life, well that's a little harder....

Pc Tracey Buyce

24/04/2025

Being a good steward of horses is the most important part of my job.

How unfair would it be if I assumed or expected my horses to engage in healing and therapeutic activities with people without considering their well being and desire to do so.

The herd I have at the barn has been hand selected due to their natural and innate desire to participate in therapy work. However, I never assume they want to participate. I ASK if they would like to participate in a session. I also watch for feedback during the session that lets me know the horse is not enjoying the process and would prefer to not engage with that client or with the activity again.

I also ensure their life outside of "work" is enriched and full. They have LOTS of room to roam, free access to quality forage, minerals, and vitamins, friends to interact and play with, and daily quality time spent with me in ways they individually enjoy.

I put my horses first. They are the reason I have my business and have the privilege of helping people. That means the horses come first always. I work hard to avoid burn out for my horses. They get time off, are not over used, and I ensure they have quality enrichment in their lives that matter to them. This is a unique process that requires me to know my horses intimately.

This stewardship results in horses that are not hard to catch, always great me at the gate, leave their friends with confidence and trust, volunteer to participate, and genuinely enjoy their "work".

22/04/2025

We got a unique opportunity to initiate play at the barn this past weekend!

Play is a blend of the Ventral and Sympathetic nervous system states. Opportunities for play can promote feelings of happiness, inspiration, awe, and excitement! Play is a neural exercise, which support brain health, enhanced memory, improved learning, neuroplasticity, cognitive functions and much more!

08/04/2025

Ever wonder what goes on behind the scenes of my mental health counseling and life coaching appointments? Well, here is a list to give you an idea of what I do to ensure my clients have a comfortable space to heal in while working alongside my well taken care of and safe horses.

On a day to day basis:
1. All horses are brought in off of hay each morning during our warm months. On certain days of the week they are opened up to pasture. Other days are dry lot days. This helps keep everyone's weight in check!
2. Jazzy and Roy, our senior horses, need their grain, pens cleaned, water filled, and turned out for a few hours each day.
2. Pilot needs to be caught and given his grain with Osteo-Max.
3. Waters filled.
4. Dry lot cleaned.
5. 1-4 horses are worked with, ridden, groomed, or have body work done. Number of horses worked with depends on how many clients are seen that day. I ensure all of my horses are worked with at least once a week by me. This helps ensure their well being and safety to continue doing their jobs for clients.
6. Sweep and tidy up the front lobby and office.
7. Feed, water, and let Bellatrix the therapy bunny out to play.
8. See clients!
9. Clean-up after seeing clients. This can look like picking up obstacles from the arena, p**p duty, putting the bunny away, and various other activity clean-up.
10. Paperwork (my least favorite but very necessary!)

Chores done 1-2 days per week:
1. Water the indoor arena.
2. Drag the indoor arena.
3. Drag the outdoor arena during warm months.
4. Drag both round pens during warm months.
5. Check fences.
6. Dump and scrub water tanks.
7. Deep Groom our higher maintenance horses like Mytor, Delta, and Idgie.
8. Sweep the indoor arena and tack room (every other day).
9. Check the flower beds (water, pull weeds, sweep up).
10. Deep clean lobby, office, kitchen, classroom, and mud room.
11. Clean Thunder's eyes (he is blind and his eyes can get runny due to him not blinking enough. Sometimes this needs done a few times a week).
12. Body work and stretching for Pilot (he is one of my all around horses that can work in all aspects of this business, so keeping him feeling his best is important. He suffered a knee injury that is healed now but requires a lot of maintenance).

Plus the seasonal chores! Right now the Spring Chores list has been started and includes things like: Fencing, dirt work, replacing electrical outlets and lights, replacing faucets, managing grazing, managing prairie dogs, swapping winter supplies out for summer, prepping for fly season, dealing with mud season, and so much more!

Picture is of "Peach" finding some peace and relaxation with a BIG yawn!

31/03/2025

Getting the Blog back up and running on our website. The blog will include fun stories like this one, therapeutic insights, and horsemanship tips and tricks!

One of my favorite stories is how I got my mustang. In the spring of 2023, I was studying for my national board exams. My heart had been moved to get a mustang for a few months, so I decided to attend a live auction at the corrals in Wheatland, Wyoming.I remember hooking up to the trailer that morni...

28/03/2025

Educational Post!

This is going to be a quick review on the autonomic ladder of the nervous system.

I challenge you to reflect right now and decipher where on the ladder you are currently. You may be in-between two places, this is very common. I would also challenge you to begin "checking in" on where you are on this ladder throughout your day. Before you come home from a busy day at work, before that important conversation, during the argument, after the misunderstanding....etc.

Dorsal Vagal: Immobilized, Shut Down, Collapsed, Numb, Disconnection, Heaviness, Fatigue, Loss of Motivation, Difficulty Focusing and Making Decisions.

Sympathetic: Mobilized, Action Taking, Fight or Flight, Anxious, Increased Heart Rate, Increase Breathing, Rage, Anger, Irritation, Frustration, Worry, Fear, Panic.

Ventral Vagal: Social, Engaged, Connected, Safe, Calm, Settled, Compassionate, Present, Curious, Ability to Relate.

Knowing where you are at before, during, and after different events or stimulus in your life can assist you with altering the reaction the next time you are faced with that stimulus or even in the future.

In the photo below, Rae and I are both experiencing Ventral Vagal. We are social, engaged, safe, and connecting through a slobbery kiss!

24/03/2025

All the animals at Revived Spirits have a story.

Jacoby's is one of my favorites. His story is one of love, defeating all the odds, and choosing joy above all else.

I had the privilege of adopting Jacoby after he spent over 3 weeks hospitalized fighting parvo. I had heard about him through a mutual friend and brought him home for an afternoon to meet my other dog Devyn (her story is for another time) He was so sweet and he and Devyn were immediate best friends. So...he stayed!
Due to the parvo, he had permanent damage to his gastrointestinal tract. But, it did not stop him from finding joy playing with Devyn and starting his career as a therapy dog!

At 10 months old, he was diagnosed with severe hip dysplasia, degenerative joint disease, and osteoarthritis. This was very shortly after Devyn (black and white border collie pictured below) passed away unexpectedly. Her death was extremely hard on Jacoby. He was in mental and physical pain. Jacoby was not given long to live. Most of the vets that saw his x-rays did not believe he would see much past a year old.

So, physical therapy, muscle manipulation and adjustments, PEMF, and massage were worked into our days to promote balance and strength. Plus, we got Rae and she brought life back into Jacoby's heart (red and white border collie in video).

Here we are and Jacoby is 3 and a half years old. I work closely with vets to manage symptoms. He was actually just started on a new pain medication and wow what an incredible difference we have seen in just a few days! He is running and playing and living his BEST life.
His quality of life is always at the forefront of my mind. Caring for a special needs dog is incredibly rewarding and heartbreaking all at the same time.

Jacoby lives in the body of a very old dog, he has tummy problems, thyroid issues, and growths on his head that were removed. None of this impacts his heart or soul though. All of these things have contributed to his loving and affectionate spirit.

Everyday with Jacoby is a gift. He is truly an angel that you can't help but fall in love with as soon as you walk through the door. That is why he is the first face to great you upon arriving at Revived Spirits. His will to live, his desire to be happy no matter what, and his instinct to LOVE with all his heart teaches great lessons here.