It is what attracts a lot of people to be with horses.  The horse’s spirit exudes freedom, lightness and choice in their day to day routine of living.

As a human, the desire to capture this spirit is as seductive as it seems elusive.  A romantic notion I visualised for years; horses running free, gave me a feeling I wanted to have permanently in my life.  Once captured, interestingly, the experience was always fleeting at best.  The seduction for me and a lot of other people was the continual search for the next moments of thrill, maybe the feeling will stay a bit longer next time.

With hair flying in the wind,  hoof beats pounding out a gallop rhythm into the ground, breathing large breaths while a huge smile across your face confirms the feeling of being free.  Yes it is intoxicating, seductive and thrilling to be riding a beast with such power.  Nothing matters except the ‘wow’ of moving with the horse, faster and faster.

Could you feel or picture yourself riding into the sunset on a galloping horse as described above?  Yes it is a wonderful experience in reality and I can totally vouch for how freeing it does feel galloping on your favorite horse.  What if you could feel it anywhere and anytime without being on a horse or leaping off a cliff into the air thermals with your parachute, or what ever takes your fancy!!

Bravo is not moving in this picture, does he look and feel free?  He does to me.  He is not constrained by anything attached to his body or where he is or who he is with.  Yet when this picture was taken he was simply wandering around munching grass at his leisure.

I remember feeling so free watching him enjoy himself.  I have thought a lot about why I was reminded of freedom that day.  Since that beautiful day in the sun where we were just hanging out having pictures taken, it struck me that Bravo ate when he wanted, moved where he wanted (yes it was within the confines of the large field however I know with certainty he didn’t feel contained in any way) accepting and relaxed to be enjoying his time in the sun.  While these were his choices this day to be munching quietly near me and others he felt very content and satisfied with what was on offer and even with such simple choices of where to go next in the field or what patch of grass to eat, the choice was a happy one.

As humans we seem to relate freedom to that of a galloping horse or seeing a running wild animal as representative of freedom.  I have had many people people share in my workshops the amazing and powerful feeling they have felt while only thinking or visualising this idea of freedom.  Yes it may be that, however I feel it can be so much more.

We can incorporate it into our daily lives if we can change our perspective a little.  To me being free involves having choice.  Simple things like choosing what work to do, what hobbies to have, who to have as friends and partners etc.  The key once we have chosen these things is to enjoy them while doing them.   Just like Bravo choosing what patch of grass to eat next.   Being grateful for who and what you have in your life brings contentment and joy of the good and not so good things we do or have to do in our daily lives. 

The freedom of choice is everywhere for us to access any time, everyday. The catch is once you choose, do it!  Don’t let the fear of making a mistake hold you back from acting.  Then the choice becomes a prison. Is that where you want to be?  Remember the saying…”Feel the fear and do it anyway”?  Even if mistakes do happen and I certainly have made more than my fair share…..by putting myself out there, has led me through my mistakes to the perfect choice next time.

Freedom is an attitude that is reflected in our ‘whole’ being through our mindset.  It purely comes down to – deciding to choose.  Not letting yourself be dragged in all sorts of directions, like a boat adrift on the ocean. Be the master of yourself and be free.

Look at the picture of Bravo again, can you see it now?  Can you feel it in him?

Feelings of anger, frustration, fear and rage come to mind in an instant. At the same time Chevy calls to me, challenging those feelings to be expressed constructively and safely.

As humans, the thought of retreat may mean failure, suppression and loss. I suppose it is this way if you were taught through life experience that you ‘have’ to stand up for yourself even resorting to using domination, conquest and winning at all costs tactics to survive and get ahead in the world. My life experiences sadly taught me this with the added horror of when I retreated (I often felt a failure, weak and fearful because a lot of the time I couldn’t act in this ‘bold’ manner) I had no where safe to go or someone to safely feel my fear, anger etc,. with.

In the beauty of a rock pool nestled against a thick stand of trees and vegetation Chevy paws at the water deep in thought. Could he be testing the water with his thoughts and feelings? Or could he be celebrating just being in this cave like atmosphere, enjoying the tranquility?

I wonder……

Finding my safe place to feel emotions and heal the feelings that accompany my fears, frustrations or anger has been transforming. My cave of retreat gives me sanctuary from the outside world and alone time to process – feel my feet pawing the water. In this picture of Chevy I take great comfort in knowing I can be brave in being alone to process my thoughts and feelings. I feel encouraged by this picture that what I may have thought was absolutely terrible may not be that bad after all.

In Chevy’s quiet contemplation I feel the possibility that if I did this too in my cave, instead of panicking because I was alone, or because of the intensity of the feelings. I could step out of my cave smiling, centered and relaxed. Once again calm and confident to be out in the world.

The Cave of Transformation

Look in her eye, can you feel or see the presence of soul?

The peace and elegant sense of self Dawn exudes invites us to think about the beauty in that quiet place, where the sacred space of possibility awaits.  What will it bring, how will it feel?

In the business of modern life, where our ‘to do lists’ are huge, commitments to our time are constantly competing.  How do you ever get time to sit quietly and relax or even notice that a beautiful butterfly has fluttered past?  Horses give themselves the time they need, always.  Whether it is munching grass or hanging out under a tree resting in the heat of the day.  What is important to them always gets done.

Imagine if you gave yourself some special time to gaze at the butterflies, smell the grass and feel the sun on your back?  Do you think you would look and feel like Dawn in this picture?  Maybe you could relax and kick back straight away or maybe you may need some practice in taking time for yourself.  Dawn’s advice is clear – keep practicing until it feels great!

I remember how uncomfortable I used to feel taking time out for myself.  I love reading books and I used this as a way to practice having ‘me’ time.  Still I felt anxious thinking about how much time I was wasting, when I ‘should’ be doing something constructive.  One day I decided to go and read in the paddock with my horses.  I took a chair, my book and a nice cup of tea and off I went.  I sat reading a while, again anxious and a bit distracted by how ridiculous this must look, however I sat with it and just allowed those uncomfortable feelings to be.
While this was going on with me, my horses had decided to join me.  All four of them formed a semi circle around the sides and back of me and curiously sniffed my book and cup of tea.  When they were satisfied they had checked everything out, they happily stayed put.  I began reading again, delighting in this wonderful moment.   Better yet I had started to relax and enjoy what I was doing.  I became engrossed in my book and enjoyed a fabulous sense of peace, contentment and serenity wash over me.
Some time later I realised the importance of why the horses visited with me.  They had come to help me relax and chill out by showing me how its done, and then staying with me to make sure I didn’t do a runner!   It was a beautiful lesson for me and one I have integrated into my life with rich personal rewards to my health and happiness.  Plus the special bonus of deepening the connection with my horses
The experience I received from my horses that day and how it made me feel is perfectly summed up in this picture of Dawn.

If you are serious about your horsemanship and want to get the best results possible the right gear is a necessity.

Investing in great equipment, really is an investment in you and your horse.  Your horses health and well being and also in supporting your skill and communication.

A saddle must be a fit as far as your style of riding i.e., Dressage, western etc.  More importantly is a super fit for your horse and comfy and supportive for you.

Just like your tools, they have to have feel so you can liven the feel up or shut it off in an instant.  This gives the horse clear communication.  Nothing worse than having your horse frustrated because they are having to guess what you want them to do all the time.

This great starter kit is an absolute MUST for every horse owner wanting to work more naturally with horses.  It really does tick all the boxes!!

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Description:
Horse training from the heart is a simple yet effective guide to creating a heart centered connection with your horse using natural horsemanship methods.

The book will provide you with a way to start. Providing a deeper understanding of what horses need from us and how we need to be with them. This book will give you some easy ideas on how to increase your skill and awareness with your horse.

By changing your thoughts and actions you will transform your relationship from one of dull and boring to inspiring and filled with joy. Creating a magical connection with horses can be learned, if we are willing to open our hearts and minds to a new way of listening to horses.

Covering communication fundamentals, leadership, body language, horse talk and more, the book will give you a well rounded idea of how to create the change you want with your horse. Natural horsemanship methods are the basic framework for creating a connection with the horse. Ground work interactions provide a safe environment to experiment with new ideas, however it is not the exercise that is of interest. What is of interest and explored in the book at length is what happens to the horse and yourself in the interaction that is of importance.

Today while reflecting on a session with a young four year old horse I was checking out for a client, I had a ‘light bulb’ moment

What I discovered through working in recent weeks with some yearlings and now the 4 year old toda,y was how easy whether horse or human it was to become unstuck.

I refer to being stuck to mean – mentally or emotionally blocked by a thought and matching emotion.   Basically how the physical reflects what is going on in our thoughts and how we feel about them creates a difficulty in moving a body part or even a whole side of the body as in the case of two of the yearlings I have recently worked with.

Please check out my 3 video series that refers to this by clicking this link

Understanding this I then thought about myself and how I become stuck. I find that my body locks up, gets sore or stiff too without having much physical activity. Wow same deal as a horse!!  When I am sore or locked up in my body getting some body work done I sometimes become aware in the release of what the thought or emotion was that created it in the first place. Sometimes even though nothing may come as to why it has happened the release is just a powerful and sweet because it is never forced. Gently gently is the key.

When helping a horse I offer them support in moving their body very quietly and deliberately only in the walk. Hoping the brain and body will release the emotions and let the body part relax. By focusing the movements on the stuck body parts for a bit and then changing to the whole body for a time, the whole exercise while intense is still tolerable for the horse. It can be very very emotionally challenging for the horse and you must be very considerate. There is a massive amount of processing from mind to body going on and it is imperative to take it easy with the horse. Little by little things will change.

I found the little things the horse got, I stopped and let them think about it for a bit before continuing. Soon the horse was able to release more and more. Then when the penny started to drop the horse would start to look for the release – yay now things have changed for the better.

This is exactly what I have been doing myself for ages to release stuck bits in my body. I have a low pain threshold and finding a way to move my body and get a release requires intensity for sure. It also requires the movements to be tolerable otherwise I find myself bracing against the movement and possibly making myself worse.

I am thrilled to have made the connection whether horse or human with this, as it is very important in the respect of our capacity to live life to its fullest.

Nice !!!