Still Waters Equine Consulting

29/08/2024

One of my favorite events all year and it's just a month away! If you are involved with or interested in ministry with horses, I'd love to see you at East Coast Ranch Ministry Clinic and Fellowship!

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22/04/2024

I love clinic days and this one was so full of learning! We got to play with balancing dual connections, slowing down into smaller steps and finding presence and congruence. Even managed to fit in a nap. Beautiful horses, beautiful people, beautiful day!

09/04/2024

Hi everyone! Meadows of Hope is offering a clinic April 20th from 10am to 2pm in Holtwood PA. This is an Equine-Assisted Learning (EAL) workshop focused on the principles we use in relationships with our horses and the hurting people we work with. If you are interested in EAL and want to learn more or are part of an EAL program already and want more coaching, this workshop is for you! Each participant will get hands-on time with one of our horses and staff to practice both relational and horsemanship skills. Because we want to offer individual coaching for all participants, space is very limited!

17/07/2023

So excited to be able to do this again this year! East Coast Ranch Ministry Clinic and Fellowship is one of my favorite events!

29/12/2022

Beautifully stated.💓

The biggest challenge in using a pressure or having a spatial conversation is to make sure it’s from a place of being felt rather than getting after them for not listening. The art of pressure is to allow the horse to retain control of the pressure by deepening connection rather than by running from it. A horse doesn’t actually care how they control pressure, they just need to feel that they can. A horse often will control pressure by running or by connecting. From a relational perspective gaining the ability to stay in a conversation and work it out is something we strive for. Ask yourself how you can give your horse what they need to bring them peace and also travel the fun journey you desire with your horses. It is totally possible but often takes a shift in thinking to find!

14/10/2022

Time for an Uno update! After getting to know him a bit, I felt like he's the kind of horse that would be easy to push too much too fast. So, I have been taking things very slowly. Very VERY slowly. But today, a really cool thing happened...
I noticed a little while ago that he tends to be itchy on his forehead and around his ears so I used that as an opportunity to make getting his halter on and off not just something that he would say "yes" to but also something he would enjoy. Today he came up to me in the field when I didn't have the halter. I held out my hand for him to sniff and he dropped his head so his forehead was against my hand and started scratching. I scratched him for a few moments before he stopped, took a step back and looked at me really hard. It was like he had just realized "Oh, she's scratching my itchy places on PURPOSE." Then he stepped toward me and turned his head to my left, essentially putting his chest in the same space where I had been scratching his head. Apparently he was very itchy there because when I started scrathing, he stretched his head up like a giraffe and leaned into my hands. When he wasn't itchy there anymore, he again stepped back looked at me, very focused. Then he presented me with several other places that he thought I should scratch - namely his shoulder, then withers and then under his jaw.
Somebody watching us would not have thought much of it. I mean, what's big deal? I spent 10 minutes scratching my horse. BUT what was happening in our relationship was Uno understanding for the FIRST time that he could make requests of me and that I would understand and do my best to help him. I think it was also the first time that he realized I was there to do something FOR him rather than do something TO him. Slowly, slowly his guard is coming down. Slowly, slowly he's teaching me about connection.
Go forth and connect, friends!

11/10/2022

There used to be a saying floating around that said something like “You can change saddles, change bridles, change trainers, even change horses, but you will keep running into problems unless you change yourself”.

It’s easy to take that as a prompt to negatively judge people who are working through the process of eliminating the cause of their horses issues. But in reality I don’t think we are hard wired to look within, and we only arrive there after exhausting all other options.

So if you know someone who is at the changing bits stage, the changing saddles stage, the changing trainer stage, or even the changing horses stage, do not judge them poorly . Those are all stages we need to go through and it would be like judging a toddler for struggling to walk.

By all means plant a seed in their minds, but understand it’s all part of the process and we are all where we need to be at this moment.

It’s not a race, it’s a never ending journey.

And here’s a message from my favorite pirate…

25/09/2022

What a weekend!

24/09/2022

Clinic weekend is off to a great start! Beautiful place, beautiful people, beautiful horses.

21/08/2022

My focus with Uno this week was to start getting him comfortable in the different spaces at the farm. This was our second time hanging out in the arena. I think he likes it.

10/08/2022

👏👏👏

Love this! Credit to Meg Kep

10/08/2022

I tried to come up with some eloquent and poignant way to introduce this guy, but I'm tired... Ya'll I got a new horse!!! 🤪😁😅
I haven't had my own personal project for years and I'm so excited to start the journey!

29/06/2022

I started my week teaching in upstate NY. Sessions with clients were pretty much back to back, but I always make sure to take a pause here and there to breathe, to be still and to sit with gratitude that I get to work with such amazing individuals in such a beautiful place.

"For great is your love, reaching to the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the skies."

14/06/2022

Warwick Schiller discusses why destination addiction can hamper your training and riding progress and how to move away from it once and for all.

27/05/2022

If you needed a horsey related chuckle this morning...

Montana has an old law saying if a student rides their horse to school, the school principal has to feed and tend to the horse throughout the day. It looks like Mr. DeBruycker has his work cut out for him today….

26/05/2022

Very interesting initial research about how we speak to the animals in our lives.

How we speak matters to animals. Horses, pigs and wild horses can distinguish between negative and positive sounds from their fellow species and near relatives, as well as from human speech, according to new research in behavioral biology at the University of Copenhagen. The study, published in BMC....

20/05/2022

"Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity." -Seneca.

05/05/2022

I have so enjoyed being an attendee of this clinic multiple times and am very honored (and just a bit nervous😳) to be back this year as a presenter. 🤠 If you are interested in equine-assisted ministry work, I encourage you to attend the East Coast Ranch Ministry Clinic.

28/04/2022

Anybody else excited about Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event starting today?

18/04/2022

In horsemanship circles, I hear the idea of connection come up a lot. Not that it's a problem- connection is absolutely vital for healthy relationship. The part that we sometimes forget is that connection is not only something we ask for and GET from our horses. It also must be something that we GIVE.
I try to stop for a moment to ask myself, "Am I first offering the kind of connection that I'm asking for?"
"Can I choose to give attunement, awareness, empathy and all those other good things in all situations, not just when things are going my way?"
"Can I find an internal sense of love and connection that really is unconditional?"

12/04/2022

I heard this quote in a podcast a little while ago and it just keeps coming to my mind. The dictionary has several definitions for the word sacred... "connected to God or spiritual practice", "reverently dedicated to a person, purpose or object", "secured against violation or infringement". What could it be like to experience connection, reverence, dedication and security in the context of relationship? What can I do to shift my perception of sacredness from an occasional event to a daily practice?

08/04/2022

So excited for this clinic! 🤩

The 2022 Schedule has been finalized and the registration link is OPEN! Space is limited in two of the pre-clinic events, so do not wait to register!

Click here to view the schedule: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1mtZUwgDmUDdbXPg9bu7lxhqwbntJ4_VYR5O35xSMoRA/edit?usp=sharing

Click here to register for the main clinic and or the pre-clinic: https://crm.bloomerang.co/HostedDonation?ApiKey=pub_9f3fc664-397d-11eb-b555-066b9600540d&WidgetId=70184960&fbclid=IwAR3GK5atJryg96nKWXyahgCgWxOs0pX6kW-ZOXUtpsw7Mx937-4FtP35n-w

Logan Lanier Hil Cooler Elizabeth Pace Clayton Clevey Collin Newman Kim Alford Sarah Perez Stephanie Voth Steve Foster Amy Hearn Grieco Nancy Corrigan Bosher Gerald Castlebury Orin Henderson Andi Larison Tina Lunde Word Tee Liverman Paige Newland Mater Leslie Gray Heidi Stuebe Newell Mike Newell Amelia Grace Farm Amelia Campbell Bekah Cox Keri Altland Bree Bryant Victoria Bryant Journey of Hope 4 Autism Andy Kaufmann ADF International Ann Christmas Patti Ceglio Bryan Ashley Boswell Barbara Clinton Foulkrod Jen Chris Beck Geri Bickers Alison Anderson Boyd Katherine Kat Clark Silverglate Robin Warren Walk on Water Horse Ministry and Equine Therapy Glory Reins Ranch Shepherd Academy Shepherd Youth Ranch Risen Ridge Ministry Wings of Hope Ranch Cross Branded Cowboy Church Steve Novak Kathy Ciamarra Mullsteff Stillwater Equine

09/03/2022

If you are interested in supporting a really cool ministry, please consider helping to sponsor a horse at Green Meadow Farm. I am truly honored that I get to contribute to this program that partners horses and kids from hard places.

Howdy Folks!
We have a fun opportunity for you to be able to partner with Green Meadow Farm! We have 5 amazing horses that could be YOUR specially sponsored horse for the year. Although the cost for each horse is kind of steep, here is an example of how it could break down for your group: If you gather 10 folks together it would average out to be around $20 a month per person to cover the yearly cost of one of our equine partners. We are hoping to have them all paired up by the end of March! Can you help us make this happen?
GREAT ways to learn more about this wonderful opportunity:
1. Bring your group to the farm for a visit and short tour.
2. We can come to your group and share our mission and stories of each horse.

See photo for more details!
If you have any questions, email us at: [email protected]

07/03/2022

If you're feeling unhappy (like I was) with how muddy and ugly the late winter season is, I suggest getting up a little earlier. Worked for me.
Also, I did barn chores in a T-shirt this morning. 🙌 😁 🙌

23/02/2022

💓

Tension held in our bodies blocks our horse’s ability to hear our thoughts and communicate with our intentions. This has the potential to create more problems and a lack of trust between both horse and rider. If you find yourself in a situation where things are feeling blocked between you and your horse, I encourage you to relax, breathe and recentre yourself. Then try to ask again with a relaxed, calm mind frame.

18/02/2022

When you hear words like "mindful" and "being present", what do you think of? These terms tend to get thrown around in the coaching world a lot and can be hard to nail down. In my relationship with my horses and students, I talk about mindfulness as being aware and connected to what's going on inside of myself. Do I notice what's going on inside my mind and my body at a given moment? Are my mind and my body in the same place and doing the same thing? If I'm grooming my horse but thinking about what I'm having for lunch later, then I'm not grooming with mindfulness. The moment I notice that I'm focused on something other than what is currently in front of me is a moment of being present.

Try this: Spend 1 day tracking your mindfulness. Every time you realize your mind has wandered off, you get a point. Everytime you notice a shift in your emotional state, you get a point. Every time you are aware of a sensation in your body you get a point. The goal is to simply be more aware of what's really going on on the inside of ourselves.