Natasha Parker Equine

28/08/2024

A good coach plays several essential roles that contribute to the development and success of their riders. Here are some key roles:

1. Mentor - A coach guides riders not only in their sport but also in personal growth, offering advice and wisdom based on experience.

2. Motivator - They inspire and encourage riders to push their limits, fostering a positive mindset and determination to achieve goals.

3. Teacher - Coaches educate riders about techniques, strategies, and rules of the sport, helping them improve their skills and understanding.

4. Strategist - They develop game plans and strategies to maximize the riders strengths and develop blind spots.

5. Communicator - Effective communication is crucial. A good coach provides clear instructions, feedback, and support, ensuring riders understand their roles and responsibilities.

6. Disciplinarian - They enforce rules and standards of behavior, promoting discipline and respect within the team environment.

7. Supporter - Coaches provide emotional and moral support, helping riders deal with pressure, setbacks, and successes.

8. Evaluator - They assess riders performance, setting benchmarks for improvement and helping them identify areas for growth.

9. Role Model - Coaches serve as examples of sportsmanship, integrity, and work ethic, influencing the behavior and attitudes of their athletes.

10. Team Builder - They foster a sense of teamwork and camaraderie, creating an environment where riders feel valued and connected.

Each of these roles contributes to the overall development of athletes, both in their sport and in life.

However, one of the most important traits of a good coach is being able to deal with the unexpected!

Things go wrong, rarely do things go according plan. Being able to manage situations in a clam efficient manner especially around horses, is for me the most essential quality of a good coach 💪



A2B Equestrian Safety Centre
Aviar Saddles UK
Baileys Horse Feeds
my_cavago
Dengie Horse Feeds
easibed
Kedlock House Saddlers ltd
Likit Products
Relyne GI

13/06/2024

Be happy ❤️

12/06/2024

08/05/2024

05/04/2024

08/11/2023

- When my instructor repeats to me: ′′Straighten your shoulders and open your chest!” He’s not just teaching me how to stand up. He's teaching me that in life we should always walk straight and face problems head on.

- When my instructor asks me to lower my legs and keep them close to the horse, he teaches me that in life we do not allow distractions and that little is enough to deviate from his path.

- When my instructor tells me "Too much hand, don't hang on to the reins! "He teaches me to give and not to take, with the greatest respect of others.

- When he yells and repeats endlessly: "Look forward in the direction you want to go!” He teaches me the importance of setting goals and never losing sight of them to achieve them.

- When I ask to move up or do more and my instructor says I'm not ready, he teaches me that in life you must always respect your rhythm and never skip the steps.

- When I fall and get back up, I learn that there are always setbacks, times when we back up, but the important thing is to get up more determined than before.

- If I hold my breath during a ride and he jokingly tells me "breathe! You are purple!” I understand that you have to let your emotions flow in order to get rid of them.

- When at the end of the course I am happy with the work done and my instructor says to me′ ′Well done, thank your teacher′′ I know he is not referring to himself but to my horse.

- Now you, you who are watching a rider pass in the saddle, keep saying that riding is not a sport because it is the horse that does everything. I agree. Horse riding is not a sport. It is a life lesson.

Author Unknown

04/09/2023

True story 😍
credits: Products

15/08/2023

From Paula Kierkegaard

“A fascinating question: How do you get the poll to be the highest point when riding? The most simple answer is: you allow it to be. The natural posture of the horse is to be up and (very) open. Look at a foal since they have the most free/complete use of their body. So initially we ride straight on, minimal longitudinal flexion steady tempo, etc. Through lateral flexibility the horse starts to offer degrees of longitudinal flexion (aka bit acceptance)/mobilizes the jaw/etc and works into the control of the outside rein. As it does so, the rider is then able to lengthen the outline at will/adjust the posture/etc. But even as the horse lengthens the outline (eg free walk) if the horse is active they still arc out to the hand and poll is the highest point of the bony structures of the neck. The vertebral bodies must be kept aligned in their arcing up and out. When the horse is thusly upright the bit only acts (whispers) into the corners of the lips (thus there is no reason for the myriad of shaped bits either).

For sure the lack of allowing an upright open posture is NEEDED for the entire body to work correctly, for the horse to step freely through, the hips to be loose, the chest to be raised, the freedom of the shoulder and forearm (NOT tossing feet out to stay balanced at all), the tail to swing. BLOCK any part and the others will suffer. And yes, the eye for a horse trained as requested by the directives/rules has been LOST, or at least muddied. (In particular the shape of the neck negatively affecting the entire body because it is help compressed, creating the PVC like appearance of the vertebrae.)

This period of time canNOT be RUSHED, it takes TIME to stabilize the horse carrying us, to sustain tempo and allow it to adjust to us. And this is where riders today IMPOSE THEMSELVES onto the head and neck, but more painfully onto the tongue and bars to compress the neck/lower it and try to immediacy ride all three gaits with preciptious flexion. So it becomes the NECK GIVING to the hands, rather than the HIND legs 'giving' and folding over time. It is backwards. The compression of the hind legs is what arcs the balancing rod.

IF the horse is precipitously flexed, to the vertical, and then beyond by compressed outlines/etc that is where it is not so simple to 'just ride more actively' to again get the posture of the horse open. Why? Because the bit has been employed backwards onto the tongue/bars, (or even a caveson onto the skull) to create pain and false flexion. As this happens the poll (the bumps on the skull) is no longer the highest point, and the cervical vertebrae are compressed both nearer the skull (atlas and c3) and near the chest (hence the chest drops/sags/horse onto forehand). And often this is compelled by going over tempo to sustain the submission. mho”

04/07/2023

22/06/2023

A Little late but a much deserved post. . .

A few weeks ago I was privileged enough to spend 5days with Helen Allanah Davies.

I traveled to Joburg with Helen to do autopsies on one of my close clients horses, to further our knowledge on these KZN bred horses. (Side note - it was the most humane thing to do as they were in constant pain).

To say I was blown away is an understatement. The knowledge that was shared with me over the 5 days was exponential and so beneficial as not only an equine therapist but an equestrian in general.

Helen Davies, you are incredible! I loved spending every minute with you. I am so grateful for the knowledge you passed onto me and willingly shared with me - which not many people do nowadays.
Thank you to you and your husband for letting me stay in your home with you too.

To all those haters, keep hating!!! This lady is incredible and has the biggest heart ever. Everything is done with the horses well-being at heart.
Blood, sweat, tears and maximum effort goes into every autopsy. All the results are not ready overnight as this is a lengthy and tiring process. In spending 5 FULL days with Helen and going through everything with her, this is no easy job. "Don't judge a man until you've walked a mile in his shoes" - American proverb, is 100% true in Helen's case.

Thank you again Helen, I really appreciate everything and I am grateful to have a friend in you.

"Knowledge gained, and circle of life maintained" - Natasha Parker + Helen Davies.

08/05/2023

Things your riding instructor wants you to know:
1. This sport is hard. You don't get to bypass the hard…..every good rider has gone through it. You make progress, then you don't, and then you make progress again. Your riding instructor can coach you through it, but they cannot make it easy.

2. You're going to ride horses you don't want to ride. If you're teachable, you will learn from every horse you ride. Each horse in the barn can teach you if you let them. IF YOU LET THEM. Which leads me to…

3. You MUST be teachable to succeed in this sport. You must be teachable to succeed at anything, but that is another conversation. Being teachable often means going back to basics time and time and time again. If you find basics boring, then your not looking at them as an opportunity to learn. Which brings me to…..

4. This sport is a COMMITMENT. Read that, then read it again. Every sport is a commitment, but in this sport your teammate weighs 1200 lbs and speaks a different language. Good riders don't get good by riding every once in awhile….they improve because they make riding a priority and give themsevles opportunity to practice.

5. EVERY RIDE IS AN OPPORTUNITY. Even the walk ones. Even the hard ones. Every. Single. Ride. Remember when you just wished someone would lead you around on a horse? Find the happiness in just being able to RIDE. If you make every ride about what your AREN'T doing, you take the fun out of the experience for yourself, your horse, and your instructor. Just enjoy the process. Which brings me to...

6. Riding should be fun. It is work. and work isn't always fun.....but if you (or your rider) are consistently choosing other activities or find yourself not looking forward to lessons, it's time to take a break. The horses already know you don't want to be here, and you set yourself up for failure if you are already dreading the lesson before you get here.

7. You'll learn more about horses from the ground than you ever will while riding. That's why ground lessons are important, too. If you're skipping ground lessons (or the part of your lesson that takes place on the ground), you're missing out on the most important parts of the lesson. You spend far more time on the ground with horses than you do in the saddle.

8. Ask questions and communicate. If you're wondering why your coach is having you ride a particular horse or do an exercise, ask them. Then listen to their answer and refer to #3 above.

9. We are human beings. We make decisions (some of them life and death ones) every day. We balance learning for students with workloads for horses and carry the bulk of this business on our shoulders. A little courtesy goes a long way.

Of all the sports your child will try through their school years, riding is one of 3 that they may continue regularly as adults (golf and skiing are the others). People who coach riding spend the better part of their free time and much of their disposable income trying to improve their own riding and caring for the horses who help teach your child. They love this sport and teaching others…..but they all have their limits. Not all good riders are good coaches, but all good coaches will tell you that the process to get good is not an easy one.

*thank you to whoever wrote this! Not my words, but certainly a shared sentiment!

15/03/2023

SARDA Durban thanks Ed Frenzel and Shaun Frenzel for our beautiful new sign https://instagram.com/stick_it_decals_kzn?igshid=ZDdkNTZiNTM=

08/03/2023

08/03/2023

It makes me so happy to see clients loving their custom pieces. Meet Olaf and Olaf mini!

23/02/2023

New Volunteer Training
Please join us for a SARDA Durban New Volunteer training session.
Date: Monday 27 February
Time: 9 - 11 am
Venue: Eden View, 4 Assagay Crescent, Assagay.
Weather permitting.
Refreshments will be served. Flat shoes are advised.
Please RSVP Liz +27 83 796 1532 for catering purposes.
Volunteers help lead ponies or sidewalk as support for the children. No experience is needed, just your love of children and a passion to make a difference. Our school sessions are weekly morning sessions. If you have some free time and would like to be a volunteer please come along.

Thank you.
We look forward to seeing you.

22/02/2023

❤️ A TRIBUTE TO THE HEART HORSE ❤️

Something magical happens when you fall in love with a horse. It feels as though, suddenly, a piece of your soul exists outside of your body. This horse becomes a part of you, indefinitely tied together. A "heart horse" they call it.

Heart horses are sent to us to provide us with the comfort of unconditional love, the lessons of patience, and the feeling of connection and deep gratitude. You feel like the luckiest human in the world to be graced with such a wonderful gift. Your horse feels the same.

For as long as your heart horse is in their physical body, many of your actions will be dictated by what serves their best interest. You'll be hiking across a 3-acre field with 2 feet of snow to get to the one tree he's standing under to insure he's warm enough. You'll get out of bed at 2AM to go outside and check on him because you "have a feeling" you need to look. Others in your life will question your sanity, but you'll never question your own for one second. Because he is yours, and you are his.

The lessons he teaches you will often test your patience and your bravery. He’ll put things before you that ask you to look at parts of yourself you prefer to keep hidden from the world. But without fail, every time, he’ll love you even when you struggle to love yourself. He’ll stand behind you no matter what you’re facing so that you two can face it together. It’s an unspoken bond that transcends all other things. It’s something that only exists between horses and humans, this mystical partnership that defies all logic.

And when the day comes that your heart horse must leave his body, you’ll give him the gift of unconditional love. And he will feel like the luckiest horse in the world to be graced with such a wonderful gift. For a while, you’ll feel his absence everywhere. You’ll worry a piece of your soul will never return to your body. You’ll search desperately for his presence, terrified that you’ll never feel that connection again.

But in time, as the grief begins to settle, you’ll start to see and feel him in the most beautiful ways. And you’ll realize that he never really left. Because your heart horse lives within your heart and all around you. He’ll suddenly be closer than he ever was. He’ll stand behind you no matter what you’re facing so that you two can face it together. Because it’s an unspoken bond that transcends all other things. And this thing that exists between humans and horses? It’s a mystical partnership that defies all logic.

Something magical happens when you fall in love with a horse. And once you do, you’ll never go back to the way you were before.

13/02/2023

It is with great excitement that I will be the new home for SARDA Durban.

I understand that this is a huge responsibility and I sincerely appreciate SARDA Durban for entrusting me and my horses with their children.