Tag Archives: endurance riding

Healing Herds, Movement and Community

November 30, 2018animal communication, barefoot hooves, bodywork, chakras, energy work, Equine Body Balance, equines, exercise, fear, geriatric horses, healing, herd behavior, herd dynamics, horse training, horsemanship, horses, Horses at Liberty Foundation Training, liberty rein, Liberty training, Ortho-Bionomy, rescue horses, riding, UncategorizedAlternative therapies, animal communication, bodywork, endurance riding, energy work, equine, Equine Body Balance, equine bodywork, equine liberty training, Horses at LIberty Foundation Training, leadership, Ortho-Bionomyhorsesatliberty

The two horses rub each other’s necks, ferreting out the itchy or sore spots in each other. How do they know to do this? Is their mutual grooming actually bodywork?

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What? No more riding?

October 2, 2016abused horses, alternative therapies, bareback riding, bitless bridles, bitless riding, equines, fear, geriatric horses, healing, herd dynamics, horse training, horsemanship, horses, Horses at Liberty Foundation Training, liberty rein, Liberty training, performance horses, rescue horses, riding, trail riding, Uncategorizedanimal communication, bareback riding, bodywork, endurance riding, energetic connection, energy work, equine, Equine Body Balance, equine healing, herd behavior, horse trainers, horse training, horseback riding, horsemanship, horses, Horses at LIberty Foundation Training, leadership, liberty horse training, liberty traininghorsesatliberty

Many people have expressed to me great sadness over not being able to ride a beloved horse anymore. In many cases, it’s not just that they want to ride, they want to ride their own horse, whom they have spent countless hours riding, who is no longer rideable for health or other reasons.

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The deepening bond between horse and human

May 14, 2016animal communication, endurance, energy work, exercise, fear, healing, herd behavior, herd dynamics, horse training, horsemanship, horses, Horses at Liberty Foundation Training, liberty rein, Liberty training, mustangs, performance horses, rescue horses, riding, therapy horses, trail riding, Uncategorizedanimal communication, bareback riding, bodywork, endurance riding, energetic connection, equine, Equine Body Balance, healing, health, herd behavior, herd dynamics, horse training, horsemanship, Horses at LIberty Foundation Training, leadership, ridinghorsesatliberty

The trail followed the creekbed then crossed it, curving like a snake up the side of the canyon. My horse stopped to drink in the creek, then scaled the rocky side of the canyon and the switchbacks, a steep drop on one side, a canyon wall on the other.

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Subtle language of horses

April 4, 2016abused horses, animal communication, bareback riding, bitless bridles, bitless riding, endurance, energy work, equines, exercise, fear, geriatric horses, healing, herd behavior, herd dynamics, horse training, horsemanship, horses, Horses at Liberty Foundation Training, liberty rein, Liberty training, performance horses, rescue horses, riding, trail riding, Uncategorizedanimal communication, bodywork, endurance riding, energetic connection, equine, Equine Body Balance, equine liberty training, equine training, healing, herd behavior, herd dynamics, horsemanship, Horses at LIberty Foundation Training, leadership, liberty training, ridinghorsesatliberty

The other day I was working on a horse who began to swish his tail when I attempted to lift a hind leg. Obviously, this was painful for him, so he was letting me know in the way that he knows how, without kicking or biting me.

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Spirit horses, rituals and sacred ground

September 18, 2015animal communication, energy work, fear, geriatric horses, healing, herd behavior, herd dynamics, horse training, horsemanship, horses, Horses at Liberty Foundation Training, liberty rein, Liberty training, OrthoHorse, performance horses, rescue horses, riding, trail ridinganimal communication, bodywork, endurance riding, energetic connection, energy work, equine, Equine Body Balance, equine bodywork, equine healing, equine training, grief, healing, herd behavior, herd dynamicshorsesatliberty

I stood there at the side of the grave, then knelt there and heard hoof falls behind me. Zuzka, my dear black mare and lifelong companion of our departed Khami, came up behind me. She left a respectful distance and looked at me as though to say, if you want some time alone that’s okay. I said and motioned to her, let’s be here together.

Khami_before_death1

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8 ways to catch a horse

August 26, 2015alternative therapies, animal communication, bitless bridles, bodywork, endurance, energy work, equines, exercise, fear, geriatric horses, healing, herd behavior, herd dynamics, horse training, horsemanship, horses, Horses at Liberty Foundation Training, liberty rein, Liberty training, OrthoHorse, performance horses, riding, trail riding, Uncategorizedbareback riding, endurance riding, energetic connection, equine training, healing, herd behavior, herd dynamics, horse trainers, horse training, horseback riding, horsemanship, horses, Horses at LIberty Foundation Training, leadership, liberty horse training, liberty training, Ortho-Bionomy, OrthoHorse, ridinghorsesatliberty

In the book No Life for a Lady, the biography of Agnes Moreland Cleaveland, the children were put in charge of catching a horse and riding into town in order to get supplies. This was New Mexico in the early 1900s. The author said that they didn’t have corrals so catching a horse could take half a day. The horses would know you wanted to catch them and would hide behind trees.

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What’s in the dance with horses?

March 15, 2015abused horses, exercise, healing, herd behavior, herd dynamics, horse training, horsemanship, horses, Horses at Liberty Foundation Training, liberty rein, Liberty training, OrthoHorse, performance horses, riding, trail riding, Uncategorizeddancing with horses, endurance riding, energetic connection, energy work, equine, equine healing, equine training, equines, exercise, grazing, health, herd behavior, herd dynamics, horse trainers, horse training, horseback riding, horses, Horses at LIberty Foundation Training, levade, liberty horse training, liberty training, OrthoHorse, piaffe, safetyhorsesatliberty

What’s in the dance with horses?

The dance with a horse is one of the most exhilarating experiences you can have.

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The horse/human care priority list

February 27, 2015bareback riding, bitless bridles, equine positional Release, equines, exercise, fear, healing, herd behavior, herd dynamics, horse training, horsemanship, horses, Horses at Liberty Foundation Training, Ortho-Bionomy, OrthoHorse, riding, trail riding, Uncategorizedbodywork, endurance riding, energy work, equine, equine positional release, equine rescue, equine training, exercise, healing, herd behavior, OrthoHorse, ridinghorsesatliberty

One day some years ago I was riding my gelding Khami at a fast trot along some side trails, then dropping into a sweet arroyo, then swooping back out of the sand to head up a rocky hillside. The light and shadows created by low hung branches played across the canyon, the sun kissed the tips of my horse’s flying black mane as we moved along together, feeling as one, like we had done for so many miles before.

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For the horse who has done everything

February 7, 2015abused horses, animal communication, bareback riding, bodywork, equine positional Release, equines, exercise, fear, geriatric horses, healing, herd behavior, herd dynamics, horse training, horsemanship, horses, Horses at Liberty Foundation Training, liberty rein, Liberty training, OrthoHorse, riding, therapy horses, trail riding, Uncategorizedanimals, bareback riding, bodywork, endurance riding, energetic connection, energy work, equine, equine rescue, equine training, equines, grazing, healing, health, herd behavior, herd dynamics, horse trainers, horseback riding, horses, Horses at LIberty Foundation Training, leadership, liberty horse training, liberty training, Ortho-Bionomy, OrthoHorse, rescue horses, ridinghorsesatliberty

My gelding Khami inspired me to write this blog. But he’s not the only one: there are others I have worked with over the past years who are like him in one way or another.

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May the herd be with you

January 31, 2015animal communication, endurance, energy work, equines, exercise, healing, herd behavior, herd dynamics, horse training, horsemanship, horses, Horses at Liberty Foundation Training, liberty rein, Liberty training, Ortho-Bionomy, OrthoHorse, OTTB, performance horses, rescue horses, riding, therapy horses, Uncategorizedbodywork, endurance riding, energetic connection, equine liberty training, healing, herd behavior, herd dynamics, horse trainers, horse training, horseback riding, horsemanship, horses, Horses at LIberty Foundation Training, leadership, liberty horse training, liberty training, OrthoHorse, ridinghorsesatliberty

In the pasture, the horses usually gallop off to one particular favorite place, up over the ridge to where some colts are stabled. Then I hike up there and my mare Zuzka rounds everyone up when I ask the horses to come back with me. This time, my gelding Khami took over, and he got everyone going.

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