Flowing Equines

08/03/2023

WHY YOU SHOULD QUESTION YOUR “TEACHER”

For a year, I have not been teaching, because I was exploring a different path with horses to see where it would lead.

My teacher told me that their path was the only true path, and that I did not understand it, and that I needed them in order to understand. My confidence in who I was as person, what I have to offer the world, and my ability to know what was best for me was undermined in order to make me dependent on my teacher, and seek more and more of their services, and strive to become more and more like them, until I almost forgot who I was, almost….

Unfortunately, this is an all too common experience that many of us have faced as loving horse owners wanting desperately to do the absolute best we can by our beloved friends, always seeking the next best, more compassionate, kinder way to be with them, and there are many “teachers” out there who take advantage of this and guilt us into begging for their help.

But horses will always be able to tell when we are being inauthentic, when we are pretending to be someone else, and trying to “train” them to become someone they are not either. They won’t understand it, they won’t support it, and it will never work.

Ask yourself, do you feel like YOU when you are with your horse? Does it feel good to you? Or does it feel kind of icky?

You will never be able to walk someone else’s path, you will never be able to perfectly manifest someone else’s dream, and the path or person you are following with so much devotion can not take you to where you wish to go.

A true teacher knows that they have nothing to offer their student that the student does not have inside them already. I am deeply grateful to have had the experience I have had because now I will never forget this.

I will never try to force you down a path that is not for you, I will never tell you that my way is the only way, I will always support you to express your truest self and to manifest your own dreams. And if I ever slip up, I hope I can count on you to question me.

If you are looking for someone to hold space for you in a non-judgemental way as you let go of all expectations that have been placed on you about how you are supposed to be with your horse and discover who you really want to be, what kind of relationship you really want to have, what dreams are really your own, then please do not hesitate to reach out to me and I will be there for you.

I do not have anything to offer you that you do not have already, but I am here to be your supporter if you don’t want to go on this journey alone.

With all of my love and gratitude,

Kate

(because I was previously an Art2Ride Associate trainer I want to make it clear that this post has nothing to do with Art2Ride which was created by absolutely beautiful human beings who give away the majority of their knowledge for free because they love horses so much and were always kind and supportive towards me, nor do I wish to disparage or discuss any other teachers, only to own my experience and return to helping others x)

24/02/2023

IMAGINATION 🦄

What would you like your relationship with your horse to look like?
....Do you have an answer? Or do you go completely blank?....

Is your first thought about what you want it NOT to look like? "I'd like them not to bite me or step into my space"

Is your first thought about what you want them to do for you? "I'd like them to respond to my cues and be easy ride"

Can you be more creative?

I'm guessing you dreamed your whole life about having a horse just like the one you are sharing your life with today. What did you dream it would be like?

Did you dream it would be a relationship where they obeyed you and didn't step into your space? Or was there something more...?

And what did you dream that you would be like with them? Did you imagine yourself being completely in control and telling them exactly what to do? Did you even imagine yourself "training" them at all?

Maybe that is exactly what you imagined! You wanted a reliable partner who did what you said when you said it and did the job you got them to do. Or you wanted to train up an athlete and compete together. Absolutely nothing wrong with any of that. No judgement from me about whatever your dream is....but have you really thought about your dream? Or are you just inheriting the dreams of others?....How does "training" your horse the way are you doing now feel to you in your body and heart? Does it feel like you? Or does it feel like you're trying to be someone else?

Start to visualise and imagine what your relationship with your horse could be like. Really use your IMAGINATION and believe that anything is possible. You and your unicorn can have the magical bond of your dreams, but it starts with being able to imagine it. Once you can, you can begin to invite that into your life.

Your horse wants to be with YOU, the true you.

My first ever photo with my dream Unicorn Devira.

If you need help letting go, don't hesitate to reach out to me 💗🦄🦄🦄🦄🦄🦄🦄🦄

23/02/2023

Sometimes The Horses have a Better Idea

When you walk into the paddock with your horse, what ideas do you bring? Anything good? Or more of the same ol' same ol'.

If you don't actually have a good idea about how you can connect together with your horse in a meaningful way that is going to be pleasurable for both of you, why not ask your horse or the herd what they have mind?

The beauty they can open you up to can be unimaginable.....

The other day I went out to see Devira with no real expectations or good ideas, just knowing I wanted to see her. So I went over and starting talking to her, she told me where she wanted to be scratched and we did some mutual grooming, just loving on each other. Then, after a pause the whole herd started to make a move, so I followed them. I followed them all the way to the back of the 10 acre paddock where there is a big dam and was in awe as I got to watch them go for a swim, splashing and playing, watching each others backs as they drank. I sat down by the edge of the water and just soaked it all in and when they were done I was filled with gratitude for them letting me into their world in this way. I certainly couldn't have come up with a better idea myself.

Don't forget that half of the conversation is listening, and if you need some help letting go, don't hesitate to reach out to me 💗

05/02/2023

Hello my sweet dears,

How I have missed you!!!! I've been on quite the journey. A journey of self-discovery and one I'd love to share with you...

The book in this image has been sitting on my shelf for a couple years now...I did start to read it a long time ago, but it had no impact on me and I put it down.

The other day, when I was reaching for a different book on my shelf, this book called to me. I stopped, and picked it up, and I could not believe what I read. It spoke to me on a very deep and profound level, resonating with this journey I have been on, and calling me home to be my authentic self.

Do you ever feel inauthentic when you are with your horse? Like you end up turning to methods that don't really feel like you or doing things you don't want to do, or maybe you've completely lost the plot of what you want and why you are with horses in the first place!

Do you want to go on this journey with me to rediscovering your true self, your natural way of being with horses, and allowing your horse to be their authentic self with you?

If so send me a message and let's do this!!!!!!

31/01/2022

IS HORSE TRAINING ON YOUR "TO DO" LIST?

When we put our horse on our "to do" list, they become just another task, just another source of stress, just another thing keeping us busy, just another thing to resent, just another thing preventing us from resting.

Horse are a space where we CAN rest and just be. Where we can be together without having to worry or think about what to say or do next. Where we can just have a shared experience of presence.

Horses are for being, not for doing.

If you are facing difficulties with your training, remember to thank your horse for not allowing you to make them just another thing on your "to do" list

04/10/2021

To my wonderful students,

I will be taking a temporary break from teaching to focus on my own education. It is my dream to become the mentor for others that I have always longed for myself. Because there are so few trainers out there teaching the things I was learning, I decided to teach others straight away, because I believed it was important for as many people to learn these things as possible. But now at this time, I need space to mature in my learning so that I can come back and be the absolute best teacher for you possible. Rest assured that coaching you is my dream and I will never abandon it. I love my students and I hope we will still stay in touch during this time.

Kindest regards,

Kate

16/02/2021

𝐄𝐗𝐏𝐄𝐂𝐓𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒: 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐫𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞.

Some say God laughs at your plans. Well it seems, so do Horses.

Why do we expect things to go as planned? Why do we expect things to go “right”?

Despite all the evidence the universe constantly gives us that things will inevitably go “wrong,” we are still surprised, frustrated, and even offended when this happens.

Right to us means the situation meets our demands and expectations.
Wrong to us means the situation does not meet our demands and expectations.

We project these demands and expectations onto our horses constantly. If they meet them, they are doing the right thing, if they do not, then they are wrong.

When our demands and expectations clash with REALITY, with LIFE, or with a force of NATURE like our Horse, conflict occurs (Why isn’t my horse doing it right? Why is this happening to me?)

This leads to negative emotions and tension. When we are tense and act out of emotion, we can only REACT in a rigid way, which perpetuates further the tension and negative emotion.

Everyone has experienced this. You are lunging your horse. Your want your horse to travel with the shoulder in but they are travelling with the hind end in. You try to push your horse’s hind end out. Nothing happens. You push harder. Nothing happens. You get upset. Maybe you hit your horse very firmly with the whip. And then you feel terrible for hitting your horse too hard and wonder why you did that. You could not have done anything else in that moment, you were overcome by tension and emotion, because your demands and expectations of how reality should be were not being met.

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐲𝐨𝐮?

To wake up and stop viewing reality through the lens of your expectations and demands. Life, nature, reality, is not right or wrong, It is as it is. Surrender to this. It is as it is. Accept every situation as though you have chosen it.

Then, you will enter the flow of life with your horse. You will be co-operating with nature rather than fighting it, and it can now help you. You can RESPOND rather than REACT. You can now take POSITIVE ACTION from a place of peace rather than react through emotion. Through having no expectations, you allow your horse and yourself to do the UNEXPECTED. Only through surrender can you progress from the place where you are stuck.

If you have ever been riding ba****ck and your horse makes a sudden unexpected movement, then you know that to become tense, to resist the unexpected, is to fall off. If you are a great ba****ck rider, then you have developed a reflex to relax. When an unexpected movement happens, you relax even deeper, and yield to the movement, you GO WITH it. Once you have yielded, you find that you are still on the horse, and then you can take action to change the situation. But if you had resisted, you would be on the floor, and you could do nothing.

Next time you lunge your horse, simply observe your horse and accept how your horse is moving completely as the reality of what is. Then, you can make suggestions, but do not be offended if your horse does not respond to your suggestions. The horse’s response is neither right nor wrong, it is reality. It as it is. Accept the moment as it is. Breathe. Relax. Go with the situation. Yield to the situation. Then the right response will come to you. It may be something you have never thought to do before. Something UNEXPECTED. Or maybe it is the same you have always done, but the feeling with which you do it is now different. And maybe, you will see your horse respond in a way that is unexpectedly beautiful as well. If they do or if they do not, you will not mind, because you didn’t have any expectation that they would. Inner peace will remain.

And at the end of the day what would you rather have, a horse moving with their shoulder in, or inner peace?

Remember to thank your horses today for the obstacles they present you with

http://www.art2ride.com - Click here to see more from Art2RideArt2Ride Associate Trainer Kate gives her yearly update for 2021.

02/02/2021

MY HORSE IS A PART OF ME

but should they be?....

As horsemen and horsewomen, we sometimes begin to define ourselves and our worth by the success or wellbeing of our horses. If our horses are doing well, then we are doing well. If our horses are progressing, then we are progressing. The horse you love the most especially becomes a part of who you are. They become a part of your identity (he is MINE, my horse - therefore, he is a part of me). They become a part of your EGO.

Then if anything is not going the way you imagined with your horse, your ego becomes threatened - you feel that you are not good enough. You may begin to become disillusioned or unsatisfied with your horse, or wonder why you even have horses because they bring you more frustration than joy and you feel you are never moving forward. You may even have begun to make that self-sacrifice and frustration for the “good” of your horses a part of your ego that you deeply identify with.

As long as your horse is a part of your ego, you will never be satisfied with how your horse is going. You will always want more. The progress you make will never be enough. You are on a journey with no destination.

Perhaps if, improbably, there is a moment where everything with your horse is going perfectly well (you magically have the perfect farrier, perfect saddle, perfect diet, perfect grass, perfect herd, perfect trainer, perfect ride), you will feel some brief sense of relief. But, only until the next challenge inevitably arises.

These challenge we face with our horses are actually opportunities for us to abandon the ego and AWAKEN. Your horse does not want to be with your ego (your thoughts about the past and future you that you use to define yourself). They want to be with the true essence of your being, which is your simple existence in the now.

Stop focusing on what you need to DO to your horse to fix or progress with your horse. Instead, focus on how you want to BE with your horse. Then you will be on a true journey, and the destination is peace.

Be mindful. Be present. Just BE.

"Every Obstacle is an Opportunity to Awaken" - Eckhart Tolle

24/01/2021

FRESH START COURSE TESTIMONIAL

"I would like to share my learning experience with Flowing Equines.
I felt that I had a good relationship with my horse but I also felt there was something missing. I was looking for an opportunity to create a deeper connection with her. I have completed the fresh start course and the transformation in the both of us is amazing. I feel more relaxed myself and tuned in to her on a different level now. The transformation in us both is rewarding and exactly what I was hoping for. Thank you Kate for helping me achieve the relationship I was looking for with my horse. Looking forward to continuing our journey. Regards Jacqui and Indy 🐴😊"

CONGRATULATIONS Jacqui and Indy! You have graduated into a whole new world of connection and relaxation!!! I am so happy for you both and I am looking forward to seeing this lovely young horse develop into the beautiful, confident, relaxed, flowing mare she is destined to be