It’s a part of modern human nature that our minds tend to move quickly, sometimes faster than we can even keep up with. Have you ever noticed yourself rushing through a task just to get to the end of it, instead of being present in the experience? It’s easy to get swept up in thoughts and actions without noticing those around us or what our own heart, mind and/ or gut might be trying to tell us.

Effective, relational connection with horses and donkeys requires that we approach slowly and mindfully rather than automatically grabbing and petting them or jumping onto their backs. For the majority of equines, if we don’t respect the time it takes to connect, we run the risk of being bit or bucked […]

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The Holiday season is here!In this delightful, celebratory time, it can sometimes be easy to forget the loving spirit of the season.  In the flurry, many of us may feel moments of dread or distress over all of the gift giving, socializing, eating, drinking and “being merry”.   How can we stay connected to the  joy, love, togetherness and giving energy that this season has to offer?  We can start by receiving it.  In this time of “giving” we often forget that the act of receiving is just as important.  In fact, graciously and lovingly receiving is a gift, for both giver and receiver.

“If everyone were busy giving, then who’d be available to receive all that good stuff?  By receiving with a tender self-compassion, we’re allowing ourselves to be touched by life’s gifts.” 

John Amodeo, PhD, MFT

We know it feels good to give, yet sometimes […]

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Anna* had felt very confident in life and in her role as a teacher, but when her relationship of 5 years ended she found that she frequently doubted herself and had difficulty asserting herself with both her family and her students.  In the arena, it was hard for Anna to connect with her energy and confidence.  When asked to move a horse from one end of the round pen to the other without a lead rope, Anna moved quickly and made big gestures in an attempt to get the horse to move away from her – the horse wouldn’t budge. 

What became apparent was that while Anna would start off with a sense of confidence, she quickly dropped her energy.  Upon exploration, it became clear that this was an unconscious, embodied […]

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“Before you can lie to another, you must first lie to yourself.”

Naval Ravikant The Personal Benefits of Being Honest

Why do you think honesty is important? What reasons do you have to be honest?

Usually, people tend to think the main reason for honesty is fairness to others – “Doing the right thing”, “Having integrity”. We think we should be truthful and honest for the benefit of others and not necessarily for our own benefit. Although considering the well-being of others is definitely a reason to avoid lying and deception, it is certainly not the only reason. Being honest has a myriad of benefits not only for the people you interact with but for yourself. In fact, there may even be more personal benefits to being honest than […]

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Horses don’t lie and pretend be something they’re not and they expect the same from us. Humans on the other hand are predisposed to behaviors like lying because of our survival instincts to “strategize the hunt”. This survival mode can lead us to follow our mind over heart, especially when it comes to our emotions and how they show up in our daily lives.

Casey* came into the arena and was immediately drawn to “The Big Guy”. However when he tried to touch him the horse set a pretty clear boundary of “nope, not yet.” As the horse continued to stand still with his head high we asked Casey how he looked to him. He replied “Large and in Charge”. “How is it for you […]

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