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 there […]

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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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Copyright JennKL Photography

In the Fall of 2022, we lost our dear, sweet and sensitive Cosmo.  A high ranking elder of the herd with a style all his own, Cosmo came from an eventing background — he was a talented thoroughbred with an attitude.  Cosmo’s “horse sense” was to teach you to be mindful, to be authentic and to check in not only with him but with yourself. He insisted that you listen. That you slow down. That you connect with your own heart first in order to connect with his.

If you ever met Cosmo you might have been told to watch his cues and especially his back left. He had a way of cocking up his back leg as a warning of things to come if you kept trying his patience. It was patience he needed us to learn, for him […]

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At this point, most of us are aware of the benefits of positive thinking, or have at least heard about it. In some ways, the idea of the “power of positive thinking” has almost become so commonplace that you may very easily be writing it off or forgetting about it completely. Or, you might even think of the concept of positivity as “basic”. Yet, there is a reason why you keep hearing about it — because it works. It is one of the fundamental building blocks to happiness, success and an enjoyed life. It is absolutely basic and if we aren’t practicing the basics, how can we expect to strengthen and grow in any capacity?

Choosing to notice, recognize and even seek out the positive in situations; to speak and act in a positive manner; and to hold positive expectancy for the […]

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