In thinking about doing this blog, I first thought, I don’t need anything else to write. I spend too much time in front of a screen as it is. I want to spend more time outdoors with my horses. But then I realized that I am posting little tidbits here and there all the time, unformed thoughts that I would like to expand on “some day.” I decided the “some day” has come. I may try to write something once a week.

Lately, I have found the merging of my Ortho-Bionomy practice for both horses and humans with the Carolyn Resnick Method liberty horsemanship work that I do. Sometimes one leads right into the other. Both are designed for healing in some way.

I began my study of Ortho-Bionomy which is based on Osteopathy approximately six years ago and prior to that, I had been studying Reflex Balancing for horses from champion reiner and cutting horse trainer and bodyworker, Art Grunig. I added to that Equine Positional Release developed by Ortho-Bionomy instructor, Zarna Carter, which is based on Ortho-Bionomy but designed for horses. These studies are all coming together to form some kind of perspective, a vision, of how to care for ourselves and our horses, and other animals. In the past three years, I’ve been drawn to the work of Carolyn Resnick, a trainer in California who is renowned for her lifelong study of herd behavior in horses. She has codified that behavior and language into a series of what she calls “Waterhole Rituals,” that are based on how horses interact and form community with one another in the wild. In so doing she has created a way for people to work with horses in a non-force, very effective way, speaking their language and learning to listen.

What appealed to me so much about Carolyn’s work is how energetic it is. In Ortho-Bionomy, which is rooted in a strong base of structural and physiological understanding, energy is the underlying foundation in all relationships. To find someone like Carolyn who has studied the energetic relationships of horses is to me, like finding a lost key. It closes the circle for me, offers the missing piece in my role with horses. The non-force principles of Ortho-Bionomy (“less is more,” “go in the direction of ease”) fit beautifully with Carolyn’s teachings. As I continue along this path, I see the flow of these visions coming together in an exciting way.

Although it may seem that this blog is mostly about horses, it is also for and about people. A lot of the people work I do has a big impact on horses. When people change, horses change – subtle, powerful changes can make a big difference in the end.

For more information and links you can visit my website www.orthohorse.info