Hello everyone,
Greetings for the New Year. I wish you all the best for the year and hope 2018 is a wonderful one for you. I am excited about what 2018 will bring – 2017 was a great transition of learning and development and I believe there are many successes and rewards to be reaped in 2018.
I have really enjoyed a couple of weeks at home since finishing my last course just a few days before Christmas. It has been wonderful to be at home and especially to start working with my horses again. The last few months I had so many teaching engagements and extended trips away that I had to let go of all aspirations of working with my horses. The consolation was seeing the exceptional transformations and results that students, many of who will be reading this newsletter, achieved. I really loved the photo above of Julie Nicholson and her horse Hayley – I think this picture says it all – Connection and Partnership – setting up for a great ride.
In the last newsletter I spoke about working together with Tony Robinson and the amazing changes that happened with horses and people through his healing work. Our work together has continued and Tony’s contribution to the courses has been extremely well received because it has given people relief and answers for themselves and their horses. It seems there are many students seeking truth and answers – people who are wanting to better understand the deeper nature of horses and the connections between themselves and their horses, people seeking less stressful, less pressuring and more harmonious ways of being with horses and at the same time achieving results in very short, accelerated time frames. People who want to help themselves and their horses reach their fullest potential both mentally and physically, in both health and athletic performance and those who in general are just wanting life to be more pleasant, easier, more peaceful, harmonious and joyful. Our courses can help in all these areas.
My philosophy of horsemanship is that if we set things up in the right way, for example correct riding dynamics and cues implemented with good feel and timing so they work with the natural balance and biomechanics of the horse, then the horse will OFFER things. Just like the perfect human partner who, whether it is in a work, business or a friendship situation, offers to help and just slots in, seeing what needs to be done and willingly assisting or participating. This is how things could be with horses. This is the opposite of make or force. For this to happen things have to be right for the horse – mentally, emotionally and physically. The horse can only offer and continue to offer, when they feel good enough in their mind, body and spirit to do so. Tony’s healing work helps things to be right for the horse, so that they CAN offer. The other critical element needed for a relationship or a partnership to be of this nature, is that there has to be a deep mutual respect of each other and a commitment to serve for the highest and best good of the other. This means that we would never ask the horse to do something that was not in his or her best interests or for their best and highest good. In terms of performance, sport horses or work horses we need to be sure that horse’s soul purpose is to do that activity and at the level that we are asking and that we are open to learning the lessons that they have to teach us on the way.
The spiritual and healing aspect of this work is very authentic and is grounded in the physical as can be seen by the huge physical changes that occur in the body. The changes in posture, movement, health, freedom from pain and differences in behaviour for both horses and humans undeniably prove the reality of this healing work. Whilst I could achieve a lot of changes in posture and behaviour, just through my training techniques (and a lot of people are very inspired by this), my training alone can’t get anywhere near the depths or magnitude of what can be achieved when combining the healing and deeper spiritual aspects with the training and riding techniques. Not only is it the degree of change that is phenomenal with this combination of healing and horsemanship, but the expediency of it. All of the students attending our recent courses experienced these amazing results. It will be exciting to see how far things can go and how much more things can improve in horsemanship and performance. This is only just the beginning.
My continual quest for FORCE FREE horsemanship where we can achieve PEAK PHYSICAL PERFORMANCE and have the RELATIONSHIP WITH OUR HORSE as the number one priority and be enhanced through training rather than jeopardized, is coming more and more into fruition. It is very exciting !!!!
The picture here is one of the great recent transformations. This horse did not want to get ridden and in fact didn’t even want to participate in a lot of the groundwork. By the end of the 6 day course, which included some distant healing and consultation from Tony since he couldn’t be there in person, this lovely little horse stood calmly at the mounting block and allowed Gail to mount. He was then able to be ridden and was relaxed, calm and happy about the whole situation, as can be seen here in this photo. There was no running him around or causing him to be uncomfortable for not behaving – it was mainly a matter of clearing the emotions that were causing him so much distress. Previous to this he was full of anxiety and very agitated. A great testament for our our teaching.
Below are the courses scheduled for the first part of 2018. There will be more added for the latter part of the year and there are tentative dates for courses in Sth East QLD (June 16-24) and Bathurst (May 12-20). There are some opportunities for big savings with EARLY BIRD pricing so be sure to check that out. Also in this newsletter are TESTIMONIALS from students, some good opportunities to purchase PRE- LOVED BALANCE saddles and see how we can help you via DISTANT COACHING or DISTANT HEALING treatments when you can’t get to a course or as support in between courses.
Thank you all for being on this journey with us in discovering the truths of great Horsemanship.
Best wishes to you all,
Mel