Tag Archives: horseback riding

What does your horse work say about you?

May 30, 2014bitless bridles, bodywork, equines, exercise, fear, herd behavior, herd dynamics, horse training, horsemanship, horses, Horses at Liberty Foundation Training, Liberty training, Ortho-Bionomy, OrthoHorse, riding, Uncategorizedbodywork, energetic connection, equine liberty training, Equine Ortho-Bionomy, equines, herd behavior, herd dynamics, horseback riding, horsemanship, Horses at LIberty Foundation Training, liberty horse training, OrthoHorsehorsesatliberty

I recently became aware of how the Liberty work I teach really expose to us not only our greatest strengths and weaknesses, but also what parts of the work we are drawn to.

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For the love of ponies!

April 11, 2014abused horses, animal communication, energy work, equines, exercise, fear, herd behavior, herd dynamics, horse training, horsemanship, horses, Horses at Liberty Foundation Training, Liberty training, performance horses, rescue horses, riding, Uncategorizedequine healing, equine liberty training, Equine Ortho-Bionomy, herd behavior, herd dynamics, horse training, horseback riding, horsemanship, Horses at LIberty Foundation Training, OrthoHorse, ponies, rescue horseshorsesatliberty

This past weekend I had the opportunity to work with some ponies, all with different personalities and levels of training. While they are really no different than horses, they are often treated differently and are in some cases so small that adults can’t get in the saddle, which may mean they might lack some basic training.

Rose, the feisty pony, comes into relationship.

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How deep is your horsemanship?

February 6, 2014abused horses, barefoot hooves, bodywork, chimpanzees, energy work, fear, healing, herd behavior, herd dynamics, horse training, horsemanship, horses, Horses at Liberty Foundation Training, Jane Goodall, liberty rein, riding, UncategorizedAlternative therapies, bodywork, endurance riding, energetic connection, equine healing, herd behavior, herd dynamics, horse trainers, horseback riding, horsemanship, Horses at LIberty Foundation Training, Jane Goodall, liberty training, OrthoHorsehorsesatliberty

How deep does your horsemanship go?

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Cold hooves, warm heart – holistic equine care for the cold weather

December 30, 2013energy work, equines, healing, horse training, horsemanship, horses, Liberty training, Ortho-Bionomy, UncategorizedAlternative therapies, animals, bodywork, EPR, equine bodywork, equine healing, Equine Ortho-Bionomy, equine positional release, herd behavior, horseback riding, horsemanship, liberty horse training, ridinghorsesatliberty

In my previous post, I talked about physical exercises for horses during winter, to avoid “wild and crazy horse behavior.” In this post I’d like to talk about using bodywork to support your horse at any time, but I think it’s very appropriate right now, when movement is difficult for horses because of the footing and the cold weather.

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Managing wild and crazy horse behavior

December 20, 2013energy work, equines, healing, horse training, horsemanship, horses, Liberty training, Ortho-Bionomy, UncategorizedAlternative therapies, bodywork, energetic connection, energy work, equine liberty training, Equine Ortho-Bionomy, equine training, equines, exercise, herd behavior, herd dynamics, horseback riding, Horses at LIberty Foundation Training, ridinghorsesatliberty

With the cold weather and difficult footing, horses become very antsy and get “cabin fever.”

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Recognizing horse guides

November 22, 2013animal communication, barefoot hooves, chakras, endurance, energy work, equine positional Release, equines, exercise, healing, herd behavior, herd dynamics, horse training, horsemanship, horses, Horses at Liberty Foundation Training, Liberty training, OrthoHorse, performance horses, ridingAlternative therapies, animals, bodywork, endurance riding, energy work, equine guides, equine healing, equine liberty training, equines, exercise, healing, herd behavior, herd dynamics, horseback riding, horsemanship, horses, Horses at LIberty Foundation Traininghorsesatliberty

The closer we get to horses, the deeper our experience can become. Horses can guide us in remarkable ways. My mare Jazzie came to me in dreams for two years before I brought her home. I am in the process of learning why she wanted to be with me so much. Sometimes (probably more often than not) horses know things that we don’t know yet or that we can’t sense.

Jazzmine, who appeared in my dreams

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Go with the flow of equine rhythms

October 25, 2013chakras, endurance, energy work, equines, healing, herd behavior, herd dynamics, horse training, horsemanship, horses, Horses at Liberty Foundation Training, Liberty training, Natural Horsemanship, performance horses, riding, Uncategorizedanimals, Barb Mcauley-White, chakras, endurance riding, energetic connection, equine liberty training, equine training, equines, herd behavior, herd dynamics, horseback riding, horsemanship, horses, Horses at LIberty Foundation Training, kayak, liberty horse training, Lisa Westfall, ridinghorsesatliberty

Much like people have mantras and chanting for their meditations, horses move and flow rhythmically. If we can watch, feel and be a part of their rhythms rather than imposing our own modern-day rushed rhythms on them, we will find they are much more likely to want to be with us, and will be curious about us.

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Just got my horse back from the trainer and…

October 18, 2013bareback riding, bitless riding, bodywork, energy work, equines, healing, herd behavior, herd dynamics, horse training, horsemanship, horses, Horses at Liberty Foundation Training, Liberty training, Natural Horsemanship, Ortho-Bionomy, OrthoHorse, performance horses, riding, UncategorizedAlternative therapies, bodywork, energetic connection, equine healing, equine liberty training, equine training, herd behavior, herd dynamics, horse trainers, horse training, horseback riding, horsemanship, horses, Horses at LIberty Foundation Training, liberty horse training, The trainerhorsesatliberty

You fill in the blanks. Several things could have happened here. In a perfect world, the horse is doing great. You have great energy and your horse and you are a real team. Best case, your trainer has also worked with you and your new horse to know what the trainer is doing so that you can all work on “the same page.”

Kaiden is one of the youngest horse trainers I know - creating curiosity — Kaiden is one of the youngest horse trainers I know – creating curiosity in the horse

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When should I stop riding my older horse?

September 26, 2013alternative therapies, bodywork, energy work, equine positional Release, equines, exercise, healing, herd behavior, herd dynamics, horse training, horsemanship, horses, Natural Horsemanship, Ortho-Bionomy, performance horses, UncategorizedAlternative therapies, animals, bodywork, EPR, Equine Ortho-Bionomy, equine positional release, geriatric horses, healing, herbs, herd behavior, herd dynamics, horse training, horseback riding, Waterhole Ritualshorsesatliberty

When should I stop riding my older horse? This question comes up periodically, because at some point in every horse’s life, they get too old to be ridden. That’s the truth of the matter. They simply don’t enjoy it any more, and even if they do, they are physically unable to continue to carry a rider safely.

Riding my mare Opal one blustery day when she had a lot of energy. She was retired early because of melanomas. Photo taken Winter, 1998.

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From your horse to you: special gifts of connection

September 22, 2013animal communication, energy work, equines, exercise, fear, healing, herd behavior, herd dynamics, horse training, horsemanship, horses, Natural Horsemanship, performance horses, riding, UncategorizedAlternative therapies, bodywork, equine, equine bodywork, equine healing, equine liberty training, Equine Ortho-Bionomy, equine training, equines, healing, herd behavior, herd dynamics, holistic liberty training, horseback riding, horsemanship, horses, liberty horse traininghorsesatliberty

Recently a trainer came to me and asked to observe a class because she wanted to see what was different about it than the liberty work she practices. It made me think about the way I do things and how effective it is, and I get used to the results because they are there and tangible. But someone coming in may think, well, so what is so different about what she does?

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