Interspecies Comfort Sunday I took this photo on my way home from driving the horses in the mountains. I glanced to my right just in time to see it and had to turn around to get the photo. The two stood together while I snapped away with my camera. The donkey slowly lower his head to eat his food, keeping the cat balanced and snug on his back. He even took a few steps around the paddock! My heart was so touched by this interspecies friendship. (The cat is curled up on the back of an elder mini donkey.) How sweet! Website Update We recently updated our website. I … [Read more...]
Make Each Day Brighter: Live in the Question
I have always viewed horses to be experts in teaching humans how to be present. Horses are naturally embodied in mind, energy and spirit. They live and digest what is happening in the moment. We humans routinely step out of the present moment and skip to the past or future with our thinking, thoughts and agendas. We routinely form opinions, points of view, judge others as right or wrong, decide what is best for others, and think we have the answers. The flow of possibility stops when we define events or categorize people, places and things. Pure consciousness does not … [Read more...]
A Change in Season
A change in season brings in a time for reflection and realignment. The Rocky Mountain days are filled with sun and changing leaves, one of my favorites times to be outdoors. So much is happening . . . 2010 EFLC Apprentices Graduate! Last week was a very busy week with the fourth Apprenticeship group finishing their yearlong program. I am trilled to know that these seven talented individuals will move out into the world to work with horses and humans in expanding consciousness. Congratulations to: Janis Charbeneau, Angie Deaver, Norma Hayhurst, Sandra J … [Read more...]
Are You Following Your Passion?
Last month I facilitated the first Passion, Purpose and Your Path with Horses program. Over the course of four days, each participant gained insights about her path with horses. One woman decided that creating a center to explore the connection between horse and human is her purpose, another feels passionate about helping riders with fear, and one is drawn to the Apprenticeship program. One woman who has struggled with cancer almost all of her life decided, after experiencing the round pen sessions with horses, that for the first time in her life she felt she truly … [Read more...]
Horse Wisdom Summer Programs in the Rocky Mountains
Summer Programs in the Rockies have begun! We had spectacular weather for the June program. Join us in celebrating connection, communication, and aliveness with the horses! EVENTS IN JULY: July 16-18, 2010, near Aspen, Colorado - Horse Wisdom: Finding Your Way through Life Transitions The majestic nature of horses is a transformational experience for humans. During this program you will interact with horses, develop relationships, become part of the herd, and learn about yourself along the way. Horses naturally bring you deeper into your self and … [Read more...]
News About the Coaching With Horses EFLC Teaching Herd
News About the Herd Spring finally sprung here in the Rockies and then moved right into summer. We had snow on Tuesday and a sunny 80 degrees the last two days. I am excited for the upcoming Horse Wisdom programs and the long days of summer. Here is an update on the Herd: Sylvie Sylvie, the newest addition to the herd arrived two weeks ago. The journey with her has already been interesting. I truly feel this horse picked me--twice. However I am not sure if either of us really understood what we were getting into. As a 3/4 Clydesdale-1/4 Quarter … [Read more...]
Coaching With Horses in Europe
Hello Everyone! I am home in Colorado after another great trip to the Netherlands. I lived in Kootwijk for three weeks offering Coaching With Horses programs. Reggie (program assistant) and I are on the left riding our bikes from the barn - we felt so Dutch! … [Read more...]
What is an Equine Facilitated Learning Experience?
I had the privilege of working with a wonderful Percheron by the name of Kairos during an Equine Faciliated Learning workshop in Tucson this last February. Karios is the largest horse I have ever seen. He is well over 17 and the weight of his physical body is grounding and calming. His gentle nature makes time stand still. His slow moving, solid black muscular mass calls you to him and pulls you back in time. Kairos offered the participants at this workshop an equine learning experience that was based on ‘being’ verses ‘doing.’ By simply being near Kairos … [Read more...]
What Horses Teach Humans About Heart Based Communications
Horses teach humans a lot about the pace of life. Life seems to be moving at the speed of light. I try to bring a grounded presence into every aspect of my daily life. However a fast paced world can often pull me out of my authentic self. Our culture is based on high-speed everything. Speed is becoming a value. The faster something can work or go the more desirable it is. The element of speed brings many good things, and it may also be taking away just as much. … [Read more...]
Heart of Gold
It was Friday and my week had been long and ridiculously busy. Even with my new assistant, I was struggling to "get it all done." Even though I am living in a beautiful house on 17 acres, it seemed that each day I was caught up in everything but spending time with my horses. I felt as if I was becoming a fake. Who was I to talk about the connection between horse and human? Mid-day I turned off the computer and closed the door to my office. I walked out to the pasture longing to see my four-legged boys and to breathe in the crisp winter air. There I found … [Read more...]
Exploring Boundaries With Horses
Boundary setting is an area of growth that I focus on in my Equine Experiential Learning and Coaching sessions. Boundary setting teaches us about our power and how we define our personal space. Horses provide perfect opportunities to strengthen boundary-setting skills. It is a natural tendency for most horses to test boundaries. A horse feels secure when she knows where she stands in the pecking order of the herd. She achieves this understanding by testing boundaries and outsmarting other herd members. When a new horse arrives into the herd she establishes … [Read more...]
The Horse’s Way
This last month I tested a theory that I teach. The horse's way is to be in a herd. It is only in a herd that they thrive. They watch over each other when sleeping, find food, protect the herd from predators, and bond through grooming and play. A solo horse cannot live like this. Instead it is constantly in survival mode. As a single, strong willed, female entrepreneur of many years I could relate more to the solo horse than being in a herd. This year my life expanded onto a 17-acre ranch with six horses, programs in Europe and producing the Horse as … [Read more...]
Cajun’s Recovery
Cajun the wildly spotted appaloosa featured in the chapter titled, Come Together, of my most recent book, Hope from the Heart of Horses tore his digital tendon in his rear right leg in July. His owner cared for him after the surgery but unfortunately he injury became infected. He came to my ranch September 4th. We became the “last chance ranch.” If he could not heal here he would be put down. Reticent to put any weight on his injured leg he stood on three legs. It had been two months of this posture. He was tired, had lost weight, and was showing … [Read more...]
Life is a Creative Process
I often hear clients say, “I am not a creative person,” or some other variation of that sentence with a similar meaning. This has become a source of amusement for me. When I hear these statements the detective in me emerges and I become curious to find the creative side within that person. Every single one of us is born with creative potential. It doesn’t mean we are all artists. It means we see, feel, hear, and experience the world in our own way. We create our life every moment. When we are free of self-judgment and limiting beliefs we have the … [Read more...]
Transitions – What New Territory Are You Experiencing in Your Life?
Corazon has been with me for just 1.5 years. It is hard to believe how much has changed in such a short time. The last month I have noticed a significant difference in his demeanor. He still responds with a bit of fright to large dark objects he has not seen before and prefers not to walk next to trailers - a slab of ice sliding off the roof may give his body a jolt. However, he has settled into his new life and continues to shed his hyper protective instinctive reactions. … [Read more...]
Feel the Fear… and Do It Anyway
Fear. It has the power to stop us in our tracks. Other times fear can be so strong we want to fight back or run away. Sometimes it works subliminally to sabotage our dreams, our life path, and the possibility of living our passion. Fear can make us small. The positive side of fear is that it keeps us physically, emotionally, and spiritually safe. Ask any person who has achieved any life or physical goal and they will tell you that they listened to their fear but also had to face their fears to advance themselves. In my book, Hope...through the Heart of … [Read more...]
Equine Facilitated Leadership Programs – The Power of Thoughts and Feelings
Last week during and Equine Facilitated Leadership program for a corporate group. Once again the horses and participants warmed my heart. We spent the morning meeting the horses and preparing for the afternoon sessions. During the afternoon we engaged with four different horses. A horse named Gypsy shined as a teacher. Gypsy is the head mare of the Medicine Horse Program herd (located in Boulder). On this day she worked with two men and one woman. The sessions focused on establishing boundaries and respect in the relationship, and then asking the horse for … [Read more...]
Integrative Riding – Another Way that Horses Help Humans to Heal
In my last article I talked about how horses are teachers for humans in areas of personal, emotional and spiritual growth. What a person holds emotionally in the body, and mentally in the mind, affects how a horse responds to them. Interacting with a horse on the ground can teach a person a tremendous amount about them selves (if one is willing to listen). Horses also serve humans when they are ridden. For years now therapeutic riding centers have employed horses to carry mentally, developmentally or physically disabled children and adults on their backs as a … [Read more...]
Get a Handle on Fear
When I came back to working with horses, after being thrown and dragged, I had a lot of inner work to do around fear. My horse Moon helped me work through my fears while riding. I practice the Mind Body Method (a coaching process I developed) to slow down my automatic responses and stay present in my body. Moon helped me integrate new positive ways to be with my fear instead of the old trauma loops and breakdowns based in dissociation. … [Read more...]
What Do I Do After an Equine Learning Workshop?
During a week long Equine Facilitated Learning workshop here in Colorado, that focused on exploring one’s authenticity and emotional agility with horses, a participant asked one question several times. The question she asked was: “How do I know what to do if I don’t know my final vision?” This questioned plagued her. She felt stuck about taking any action in her life. I suggested she listen to and take action towards the next thing that would bring her happiness. I suggested she listen to her heart and inner guidance. Each time she follows what feels best to … [Read more...]