Natural Rhythm Horsemanship

06/07/2023

This boy is growing up into a horse who takes his job seriously

06/03/2023

The crisp air of the full moon

06/03/2023

Room with a view ✨️

19/02/2023

Mustang Spring 💮

22/01/2023

12/01/2023

Communication with our horses:
Most often we think of communicating with our horses by giving clear cues and expecting a response from them. If they don't do what we are looking for we think, I must not have been clear enough, they must need more information. Also, we communicate by us responding to them, as in, he moved that way, so now I'll respond by doing this action. It becomes a flow, a ping ponging of action and reaction.
But what if we shifted our communication?
If instead of us being the teacher of our language, of training them to hear our words and expectations, we listened to their language? And not as in, body language or herd dynamics, but as in their ACTUAL words!
What if we took their role sometimes and rather than jerking their heads up everything they tried to take a bite of grass, we heard them say, "she's not understanding my cue, I need to give her more information about me wanting this bite of grass, lol!!"
What if we listened to their words and heard them say, "that trailer terrifies me!" And rather than give them pressure and release, make the right thing easy and the wrong thing hard, ect ect. We asked, "why?" We said, "I can see that could be terrifying. What could we do to make that seem safe?"
This picture is of a horse who said, "right now this human isn't as important to me as scratching my head of the fence. He can wait." And the human said "well then let me scratch you!"
What happened was the human then became the most important thing to the horse! His words were heard, he was honored as an individual for having thoughts, his needs were met, and he became grateful, rather than resentful 💖

24/12/2022

Merry Christmas Eve from the rowdy geldings🌲

17/12/2022

After being groomed we went for a mini hike! These boys are just so willing!

08/12/2022

Yep! There were two in my trailer!

08/12/2022

Back from the Wild Horse Sanctuary! With great energy and cooperation we loaded a little b***o! Wait....was is there two in that trailer??

01/12/2022

Take a look at this little wipper snapper!
Day one of teaching this yearling about trust and manners. He greated me with pinned ears and came right into my space. When asked to back he quickly turned his butt and double barrel kicked at me. We have a long ways to go but we ended with some nice draws and little back ups. He's going to do great!

27/11/2022

With every breath and exchange of carbon dioxide for fresh oxygen, I feel it. Life's beauty. But doesn't it just seem all the more beautiful with this view between ears?

29/10/2022

Two years ago I adopted Yarrow my mustang. Yarrow is an herb that heals deep wounds slowly from the inside out. I got him semi spontaneously and struggled with the timing not being quite right, but knew I still had a lot of healing to do from the Camp Fire, the tragic loss of my soul mate horse, and the loss of so much else. So I named him Yarrow to help me. Yarrow is a flower that takes 2 years to establish its roots, after which it becomes extremely hardy and drought resistant. I didn't know what two years would bring at the time but I knew it would mean I was changed.
Now two years later I can say this. Yarrow is transitioning to be my primary horse as Inena passes the torch on to him after so much support and care she offered.
As for myself, I am changed. I am not the raw, gutted, mourning victim I was. I needed to be that for a time but now I am strong. I am able to love more freely, able to see the world with a sharp clarity that was blurred by life's circumstances before the fire, blurred by unhealthy attachment. Now I have stronger boundaries in my life, with healthy limits to what I take on and take responsibility for, like clay and stone banks of a river I can flow freely through them. Now I live more in the present time, and worry less about the future, a thought that would drive me crazy before the fire, seeking control, psychics and orical cards for peeks at whats to come. But knowing none of us have any control of the future allowed me to release that need to know.
I can say my roots have established, and I am become more drought resistant. The most lovely thing is this, my roots are not strongly rooting me into place, attached to Paradise where my new home is, or attached to anything really. My roots are strongly rooted in my Self. My true deep Self that I worked to hard to get to know.

21/10/2022

Solo ride on the oldie but goodie. Someone once said to me, "to call a horse a kids horse is the biggest compliment you could give."

18/10/2022

Yarrow had his first camping trip and he handled it like an old hat. He even wore his backpack! I feel this picture captures the feeling from my girl Inena, a perfect caption for it and this weekend is, "Passing the Baton". Inena has been such a great partner to me, and even more so to Yarrow. Different breeds, ages and sexes, she took him under her wing from day one. She trained him how to live in a human world. How to be soft. How to listen and try. She followed me and he followed her. A style of training that was organic and flowing, unplanned and unpredicted. But the day has come, that she has brought him to a place she feels he can move forward on his own. She feels he knows how to manage his own emotions, his own feet, steady his mind and follow where lead. And she's right 💗

15/10/2022

Coming soon to Natural Rhythm Horsemanship! Straight from the Wild Horse Sanctuary my first b***o!

05/10/2022

So proud of this young man! Lovely seven mile trail, walk, trot and canter. Goofy boy is just a baby and figuring things out, so when he felt itchy, why wouldn't he roll in the grass?

02/10/2022

My Cowboy Grandpa. I can only imagine the ride you're on today 💖

01/10/2022

This little gal with fancy feet is considering looking for a new home! She's too young to be retired and would love a child or petite woman to go on trail rides!

18/09/2022

Raining day exploration

04/09/2022

It seems like this guy is often messing around in this position 🤠

20/07/2022

Inena.....Let's Go!

18/07/2022

Sometimes, taking time and breath is what matters most ✨️

29/06/2022

Just a breezy Tuesday evening

29/06/2022

And fate has a way....
My soul mate horse Rhythm came from the Wild Horse Sanctuary. It was through him and his passing, that I met my heart horse Yarrow. During the time shared while participating in an Anna Twinney clinic at the WHS, I bonded with Yarrow and agreed to take him home.
It was during this same clinic that I first met Whisper. Whisper is the daughter of a well known stallion there. She came to me last December and I had the joy and privilege of training her until just recently. She now lives with a new family and herd.
Last night I dreamed of her. She came to smell my face to say hello.
Today, a friend brought a new horse to my house. A new journey for her, a young mustang.
To my happiest surprise it was Silver! Silver was also in the clinic at the WHS with Yarrow and Whisper and shares the same dad as Whisper.
So in a beautiful turn and fate I now get to enjoy Whispers half sister, "cousin" of Rythm and Yarrow. 🌙

25/06/2022

Mustangs at twilight 🌙

25/06/2022

Yarrow agrees that trail riding is the best foundation for him. With just a few mini rides on him, this was a nice step into being an independent riding partner.

19/06/2022

Training begins for Yarrow!

15/06/2022

Whisper found a new home today!
She is a wonderful spirit who I hope will be appreciated every moment!
I am so grateful to her, she challenged me, trusted me, loved me, made me feel proud of her and myself. She showed me parts of myself that others hadn't, and I watched as she metamorphosized into something completely new.
When I met her, my adjective for her was BOLD. I used to say, "there's nothing quiet about Whisper." But through trust and relationship, patience and consistency, understanding and change in perspectives, slowly a wall came down.
By the time she was ready to be given a new start with new humans, she became soft, supple, willing and ...... quiet.
Thank you to Tara for trusting me with your precious pony and giving us time to work together. Thank you Tara for always doing what's kind and giving her a great start!
She is beginning her new journey a better horse!

14/06/2022

Magenta is off to 4H summer camp! I can't tell who is more lucky and deserving!