Hoofprints to Wisdom

11/24/2025

November has been improvement month here at Hoofprints to Wisdom. Pastures have been fertilized and seeded. Stall boards replaced (which is a lot to get them adjusted). Waterer bottom in Mo’s stall replaced (which involved taking it completely apart). Final stall floors being put in. So much work! Very grateful that my husband can figure it all out and for good farmer neighbors who help us out with the pastures. Here’s to lovely grass and comfy nights for the horses! 💗

08/15/2025

This method is so powerful and transformative. I am very grateful to be a certified practitioner and our horses love being part of the process.

Long before equine-assisted work was widely known, Melisa witnessed her horses step into sessions with an astonishing level of presence, wisdom, and intuitive care.

Rooted in the principles of Gestalt, awareness, personal responsibility, and wholeness, the Equine Gestalt Coaching Method® (EGCM) was born. It’s a partnership between coach and horse that invites the client to meet themselves in the here and now.

Why horses? Because they already live the principles of Gestalt. They’re present, perceptive, and without judgment.

And in that moment of presence, the client often finds exactly what they’ve been seeking.

When you pair the powerful tools of Gestalt with the intuitive nature of the horse, transformation happens.

🌀To find a certified Equine Gestaltist™ near you, explore our directory at https://touchedbyahorse.com/all-listings/

11/13/2024

Back in April I posted about choosing to be uncomfortable and opening myself up to growth by switching riding disciplines and adding a talented five year old mare to our family. And what a season of change it has been.

I’ve mostly found the vertical and sit up straight vs forward (it felt like I was in a recliner for at least two months) and I’ve now dropped my stirrups almost six inches in the past six months. I’ve learned an enormous amount, although I have thought myself a very competent rider in the hunter world. It’s been incredibly humbling and frustrating a lot of the time as I’ve focused on how to ask Mo as she expects to be cued vs how I’ve always done it before with Wisdom and Princessa to achieve the desired result.

I had as a goal to be able to show Mo at the Autumn Leaves dressage show this month - and thought we would absolutely do well with Introduction level as our canter departs were still challenging as of a month ago.

However, dressage has a LOT of rules, and to my dismay (and ultimately delight), one of them is that you and your trainer can only be one level apart. So, if I wanted Eliza to show Mo First Level, then I needed to get my act together and do Training Level, which includes canter. I’m happy to say with a looming deadline to push myself, we were able to come together and successfully showed two days and received solid scores. 🥰

This was the first time I had shown in over seven years and the very first time I have ever trotted into a dressage ring. Mo was a stellar baby and we had superb coaching from Nicole on Saturday and Eliza on Sunday. Jenna came down to help me finish tacking up Mo and stay clean. On Sunday, Andrea (Mo’s previous person), my parents and our friend, Nick came to support us. My mom and dad hadn’t seen me show since 1989. It was a weekend to remember.

Six months of work to feel confident ten minutes in the show ring at the very beginning level of dressage. We have so much more to learn and continued growth ahead. But we have started and are on our journey together, which is a great first step. It’s starting to become fun and I celebrate the nascent partnership that is growing with Mo!

More to come 🥰

10/11/2024

Tori is amazing and helps our horses release their tension and feel much more balanced. We so appreciate how she listens to the horses and respects what they are willing to do in her sessions. We so value you being part of our care team!

04/29/2024

It’s always wonderful to host a coach’s grad core here at Hoofprints to Wisdom. We had coaches attend from New Mexico, Texas, Nebraska, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Florida, Virginia and right here in North Carolina!

04/24/2024

Growth never happens when you are comfortable. Deciding it’s ok to be uncomfortable can also be quite uncomfortable, but being open to welcome new experiences and perspectives can be quite amazing.

For the past seven years, I’ve stuck to just riding my own two mares (Wisdom and Princessa) because I know them so well and trust how we are together. I’m not saying they are easy rides, but they are my partners and have been for so many years, it is a very comfortable and familiar dance. While I officially retired Wisdom a few years ago, I had to make the decision this year that it was time to release expectations from Princessa and evolve our partnership. It felt like losing my dominant hand.

However, just as I made that decision, I met Bravissimo A, aka Mo. She is very young and very talented and started in a different discipline than what I have done in the past. New horse, new way of riding and I am definitely out of my comfort zone. And we are forming a new partnership. I feel it was destined to be and I needed to be willing to move out of my comfort zone for it to happen.

To a lot of people, riding new horses in new ways isn’t a big deal, but to me it is. In order to move forward, I needed the right horse and the right support system. I am grateful to have that, so while it is a big change, I am totally looking forward to being uncomfortable for a while and GROWING with Mo. ❤️

03/30/2024

Arias and his crew did excellent work power washing and staining our barn! They were prompt, thorough and excellent working around both the weather and our horses. Highly recommend!

03/19/2024

Wisdom is in Horse and Rider magazine. This is a great article which is part of their Mental Health Awareness Month, brought by Touched by a Horse. TBAH is where I received my certification to be an Equine Gestalt Coach.

This article is part of our Mental Health Awareness Month. Brought to you by Touched by aHorse. You head to the barn after a long day at work, sn**ch the halter off the hook, and stomp out to the pasture to catch your horse. He sees you coming and lifts his head, maybe trotting away from […]